Imagine The Monkeyball Bonus Round But With Oranges Instead Of Bananas

Teopixqui was always in awe of the way the night sky changed from year to year. He felt he could look upwards and see a new landscape every time he did so, with the only constants being his guiding deities, the sun and the moon. Even the moon had her phases, though the sun could move and wane in minor oscillations it was the most constant of anything in the heavens. He had to smile as he thought of how it reflected on their namesakes, his children. They were only hatchlings still but they were showing strong personalities of their own, coming more into their own as they spent time above the surface. Moon was a bright and curious child with a more outgoing nature, while Sun was equally curious but reserved, quiet in his desire to learn and grow. Teo couldn't be happier for them, knowing the world was a place of wonder instead of the fear he had expected them to feel when he brought them aobve the surface. It had been Moon that had suggested they visit the lunar Festival, having heard others talking about it in passing at the water hole. Her eyes had gleamed with excitement and he was already thrilled at the fact she was taking interest in the Lunar Festival, a celebration of the deity that she had been named for.

The museum loomed grandly over them, its tall columns and dull walls seeming to hold an older beauty to it than the buildings that surrounded it. The square buildings that hemmed it in had no trace of the tall coloums, grand steps or even the same dusty white colour. The fountain out front was unique to it too and had been decorated in sparkling aluminium and lights that circled the base. Inside, it was a hive of activity, both workers and visitors buzzing back and forth across the tiled floors as they all flitted from wing to wing. 

"Games, performance, tickets, prizes, lots to do but I'm not seeing anything educational?" Teo said, frowning at the crowd.

"Might be further inside?" Sun suggested, "We could take a look." Teo nodded, gently steering the hatchlings towards the long hallway where large advertisements indicated the presence of planes and other similar structures that the priest did not recognise. 

Every inch of the aeronautical wing had been decorated in some way. The lights acted as twinkling star substitutes and nearly every food stand had some kind of moon theme. The games involving throwing or feats of strength were accompanied by goading by the attendants to send the item in question ‘to the moon’ and there were poster boards with holes cut in the various shapes of moon phases. The latter gave him a brief spark of hope as they were each labelled, but his heart sank as he recalled neither he nor the hatchlings were fluent in human language. Still, despite the lack of educational material the kids were excited, still sticking close to his heels but looking around wide-eyed at the games and the calling attendants. They stopped in front of a large stall and watched in awe as small children ran around and tried to whack the heads of Oviraptors that popped up from carved holes in the board.

An inflatable pool sat next to a lounging Atopo, seeming a little put out that they weren't the one sitting in the pool. Instead, a basket of oranges floated in the middle, gently rotating around in the small currents made by the movement around them, the vibrations from the heavy footsteps of the festival goers. Drawn in by the strange sight, the Acro hatchlings came closer and peered in to see the basket closer.

“Hey kiddos, welcome to the Lunar Festival Orange Bobbing! You catch an orange with your teeth and you win some tickets for prizes!”

“They look a little like harvest moons,” the Atopo shrugged, “Anyway, it's fun for the kiddos, that's what counts.” Teo found it hard to argue with that, as both of his feathery children were hovering over the pool.

“Just be careful not to fall in,” he warned. They both stood, waiting for specific permission. “That means yes, go win some tickets,” he encouraged, holding back a smile as both of them cheered and began to hang over the edge of the pool.

With a swipe of their paddle tail, the Atopo knocked the basket over into the water, sending the oranges flying across the surface. They spun in the water, gathering droplets on their bumpy surfaces and beginning to glimmer under the many decorative lights above them. The sudden activity sent the children scattering in glee, running circles around the pool as they tried to snatch up the oranges floating towards the edge. Moon lunged in and snapped her jaws around water, sending her into a coughing fit as she accidentally inhaled the splashes. Teo took a step towards her but stopped when her spluttering devolved into giggled, followed by her brother making a similar lunge into the pool and having similar luck. Some instinct within him wanted to step in, gather the oranges himself and hand them right to his children, but he held himself back. This was the fun of it all, the pursuit of their citrus prey, no matter the outcome. Sun glanced at the Atopo, who only raised an eyebrow at the little Acro's scheming expression.

The peachy carnivore shouldered the bouncy surrounding of the pool and rolled over into the water with the momentum it gave him. He landed in the water with a splash that soaked both his sister and the floor below the pool. Moon couldn't begin to look indignant at the drenching, she was already gleefully leaning over and waiting for Sun to enact his plan. Shaking water from his ears and nose, the smaller Acro stood up and began to wade through the chest high water towards the oranges. He disturbed the water enough that the fruits started to float away from him, but they floated right into the waiting jaws of his sister. Moon closed her teeth around the fruit and winced at the sharp taste, brand new to her taste buds. Still, she triumphantly pulled her head back and held the orange aloft like a trophy. Sun kept trudging through the water as she spat it out in front of the Atopo, who watched on with a mild look of amusement. At the very least they weren't being thrown out of the fair for breaking the rules, Teo thought to himself. Sun managed to grab one of his own and waddled over to the edge to spit it out onto the floor and smacked his lips, grimacing at the taste the way his sister had.

“People eat these?” He asked, outraged.

“They usually peel them first,” Teo explained patiently, “it's still got a sharp taste but it's not nearly as bitter.” Both hatchlings gave him identical looks of disbelief and returned to plundering the pool, making him stifle a snort. Moon circled the perimeter like a hunting dog, her red eyes keenly watching any oranges her brother managed to push towards her. Meanwhile, Sun was attacking the water with a fervour that was incredibly unlike him, his usual reserved nature evaporated under the heat of the game. Moon had played the tactical game this time, but he was not going to be outdone. He pinned a few to the edge of the pool with the full length of his body, curling back on himself and snatching up as many as he could. Moon left him to it, happy to run around and pick off any of the loose ones. 

By the time the two hatchlings dragged themselves away from the pool, oranges had been scattered all across the immediate area and Teo used his tail to sweep them into a neat pile. This earned him an appreciative smile from the Atopo, or at least he believed it was a smile, all these years later and he still couldn't read those strange mouths.

"Quite a haul, kiddos," the Atopo remarked, "Looks like you're gonna clean out the last of my tickets." Moon perked up from where she had slumped on the ground, flattening her brother under her. 

"Really? We get the prizes?" she asked, her eyes shining and looking up at her father.

"Yes, you can swap these for prizes, you can pick whatever you'd like," he confirmed.

"How many did we get on our own? Were you counting?" Sun asked his sister.

"I thought you were counting?" Moon squinted at him, "So it's a draw." Too tired to fight this judgement, Sun merely nodded and let his head flop back onto the ground.