The Elements of Lunar Harmony
Part Three: One Of Our Spitfires Is Missing.
While any pony with common sense knows its suicidal to tempt fate, its generally accepted to tempt a goddess, say the one sat next to you is stark raving madness, to sit there and tease said god was especially daring since the goddess in question was Luna the moon princess of Equestria with her questionable history.
“It seems you've taken to him, well take him then, Trixie cares not.”
The him in question was Braeburn of Appleloosa who was currently comatose in a crater of Trixie's making.
“How dare you insinuate I would take a mate in the street!!”.
It was Trixie's turn to do a double take, “I said no such thing, I meant take him away if you fancy him I don't want him.”
“Oh, m-my apologies I haven't gotten used to all the changes in speech yet”, Luna blushed as she avoided the eyes of the blue unicorn the self-introduced Trixie, the mare she was looking for.
“Well, OK I suppose”, Trixie looked bored as she studied the slightly confused and embarrassed Princess in front of her.
“What are you doing here? Are you looking for Dr Quinn?”
“I was looking for you.”
This got Trixie's attention and she just stared for a moment before regaining her composure, something the princess was also doing in between glancing at Braeburn and fuming about the mere implication she would do such a thing, after all it wouldn't be right or proper or.....
“Princess Luna!” Trixie had to shout for the third time before she responded.
“What do you want from me?”
“Oh... Yes, that's it, Congratulation's on becoming my student miss Trixie!”
“Your what now”.
Luna's smile faltered at the unimpressed look on the mare in front of her.
“You are to be my personal student and I will teach you all I know! And we can like... hang out and do stuff... and see your friends?”
“No”
“But....”
“I said no, Trixie does what Trixie wants I have no intentions of doing anything like becoming some ponies student thank you”.
“But its a great honor”
“No thank you.”
Trixie stood up and then magically teleported, Luna's eye twitched as she magicked her back, annoyed Trixie vanished again, Luna brought her back but was ready and hit her immediately with her patent pending Stare of the Moon!!
“STAY”, she said and Trixie did.
“YOU WILL BECOME MY STUDENT, YOU WILL BRING YOUR FRIENDS TO GREET ME, AND YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS TEACHER FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR TRAINING!!! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD.”
“I can't”, Trixie whined in a small voice.
“WHY NOT?”
The powder blue mare hung her head as she recounted the story of her fateful stay in Ponyville and her retreat, her listless penniless wanderings and her eventual relocation to Appleloosa and the opportunities that awaited, in hindsight Trixie mused it sounded great until you realized it was pretty much all apple based.
“I'm not at all powerful enough to be your student, and I don't have any friends.”
Luna was taken aback and cursed her misfortune at finding a student who in reality had less faith in herself than she did and to top it off appeared to be such a cow that no pony liked her.
“But Celly.. I Mean my sister Celestia said you were second of the most powerful ponies in Equestria!”
“S-She did? Wait whose in first place?”
“Her own student, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Damn that mare” Trixie muttered as she got up without a another word and slowly wandered into town.
After a few minutes of indecision Luna regained her regal bearing, checked one last time Braeburn was still breathing then followed the stubborn mare.
Braeburn slowly began to stir only to find himself alone in his crater so he decided to stay since it was surprisingly comfy and mare-less.
Appleloosa was deserted as Trixie made her way to the saloon for a stiff drink but she couldn't ignore the presence of the princess closing in behind and she finally gave in as she reached the front of the building.
“I am not becoming your student, so there.”
“Please?” Trixie had to admit Luna seemed somewhat pitiful as she pleaded with her.
“Why do you want me? Because your sister said I was powerful?
"Or is it because of something else?”
Luna stared at the floor as Trixie tapped her hoof impatiently; Luna decided to risk it all.
“I don't have any friends and I was hoping I could get a student and be friends with them and...”
Trixie just stared at Luna as the princess rushed the rest in an effort to finish.
“…Get to know their friends, I would send them on an adventure and you all can write me reports of how it’s all going and we can all get together and I wouldn’t be lonely anymore…”
Trixie face hoofed as she worked through Luna's logic, a very small part of her long lost and buried deeper than she'd left Braeburn surfaced in her mind, it dared to feel sorry for the now sobbing princess and Trixie for a split second felt an urge to confess her own loneliness and go with her...
...But only for a second before delivering the coup De grace.
“No!”
Luna’s face crumbled, she had expected any normal pony to be honored and privileged to be chosen to be the student of a princess? But as Trixie began to walk towards the saloon door Luna decided to appeal to what was obviously Trixie's better nature.
“I will teach you to be more powerful than Twilight!”
Trixie stopped, “for real?” Luna nodded and then cheered silently as Trixie made a sound of complete exasperation before flicking her nose in the air
“What exactly do you intend to do, I don’t have any friends remember!”
Luna paused as she considered this, how had Celestia put it? Then it clicked and she spoke in a more confident tone this time.
“Twilight had to go on an adventure to find her friends if you went on an adventure you’d be sure to make friends!”
“That’s your plan send me off who knows where to make friends to bring back so you can have ponies to hang out with?”
“Don’t you want friends Trixie? Aren’t you alone?”
“I’ve never had friends so I live without, it’s that simple.”
“But think of what you could accomplish with the magic of friendship? With friends like Twilight's…”
Trixie was suffocating with laughter at the idea of magic friendship, led on her back she was laughing so hard she missed the light bulb appear and disappear above Luna’s head.
“THAT’’S IT”
Luna had a wicked grin on her face as she concocted a simple yet brilliant plan,
“We shall find you friends just like Twilight's! A racing Pegasus a party pony a fancy pony a farm pony and a shy pony!!! It’s perfect!!!”
Trixie face-hoofed as it sounded more like a line up at a dating service.
“You’ll need to catch the train to Canterlot so if you go buy a ticket I’ll go and…”
Trixie dragged herself to her hooves and silenced Luna with reality,
“I’m broke so unless you are carrying a wallet in that mane you’ll have to carry me”
Luna’s face went crimson as she twirled her hoof in the dirt, Trixie blinked twice,
“You can’t be serious, we’re both mare’s you know.”
The moon princess hid her face in her mane as she replied softly,
“I’ve never done that before, I might not be strong enough yet to reach Canterlot with some pony riding me in one go… And if I miss raising the moon tonight Celly will ground me for sure.”
“Grounded, you're worried about being grounded? Jeez you’re some princess, look over there is a bank, go and get some of that royal pocket money you’ve been saving for like a millennia and fund your new ‘student’.”
Trixie ladled on the sarcasm getting a kick out of tormenting the obviously confused princess.
Without a word Luna wandered towards the bank her face hidden in her mane as she tried to not lose her temper, that and she was both happy and sad at the same time.
Happy because she had found a student (she glossed over exactly how in her recollection) and sad because she couldn’t understand why it wasn’t just falling into place like she’d imagined? After all, what was she doing wrong?
Trixie watched her depart then looked around at the still deserted town and wondered if the entire populace had run to the hills when she’d put Braeburn in his place yet again.
She sighed, there was a lot of obvious pro’s and con’s to being a princesses student but Trixie had lost what little she had in Ponyville and she didn’t really know if what she wanted were the same things anymore.
After what seemed like ages Luna returned in high spirits, briefly Trixie wondered what it might take to get her to really break down.
As Luna reached Trixie she levitated a pair of very heavy looking satchel bags to the ground with her magic and stood beaming at the reluctant student.
Trixie used her magic to lift the bags and was shocked to realise she could barely lift them without concentration, and staggered a bit when they lowered onto her back,
“H-how much do you think a train ticket is you loony?”
“Don’t c-call me t-that no pony calls me that, besides there wasn’t any pony to help me, so I left a note.”
(This note was written hastily in ancient Equestrian which hadn’t been properly spoken in over five hundred years.)
“Hmph, well what do I have to do now oh great sensei?”
“Catch the train to Canterlot I’ll meet you at the palace and we will go from there… Thank you Trixie, we’re going be friends I just know it!”
With that and a regal nod Luna excitedly took off in the direction of Canterlot, Trixie could have sworn she’d started crying, what she wasn’t sure about was if she looked happy or sad?
A noise behind Trixie snapped her out of her dangerously emotional thinking as she felt almost… sorry for her again?
It seemed to Trixie like the entire townsfolk had chosen that moment right after Luna had left to comeback and from the look of their torches and pitchforks they weren’t happy either.
Trixie was about to go into a monologue about becoming Luna’s student and so would be out of their mane’s soon when Ink Blot the towns bank clerk let out a startled cry,
“That there are mah satchels! They got the apple workers wages in!”
Trixie stood for a second then hung her head in resignation, in doing so she heard a train whistle in the distance, giving her best smile she magically summoned a dust cloud that engulfed the attendant crowd and allowed her to make a break for the station whilst screaming bloody vengeance the whole way.
(Historical Note: Scholars all over Equestria have argued the reasons that led Trixie to begin her life of crime in Appleloosa but all agree it was a most daring robbery made universally known throughout Equestria by the country song ‘The Ballad of Trixie’ which altered events somewhat radically to sound even more exciting to the listener especially since the pony who wrote it wasn’t there at the time, or knew Trixie personally or in fact could find Appleloosa on a map.)
However, back In Canterlot…
Princess Celestia was curious, Luna had returned only to disappear into her room as soon as she’d raised the moon and judging by all the attendants going back and forth from her room she was up to something.
Unknown to Celestia Luna was busy collecting books items and artifacts she thought would help her and her new student find an adventure to go on, stopping for a second to think she noticed her sister poking her nose around the door.
“Yes dear sister how may I be of assistance?”
“Did everything go as you had hoped Luna? Did she agree to be your student?”
“Yes and what’s more she’s going on an adventure to find friendship.”
Celestia smiled in a confused sort of way… Trixie, the great and powerful Trixie who had caused nothing but trouble wherever she went was now off on an adventure to find friends?
This nagged at the sun goddess who watched Luna bustle about inspecting lists and items even starting to whistle, Celestia wondered if she should ask Twilight for advice.
Once more in Appleloosa…
Another pony feeling out of the loop was Braeburn, after Dr Quinn had returned and told him in no uncertain terms to clear on out of his crater, he’d returned to the main street to be confronted by the sheriff with the whole town behind him.
It was then that they made Braeburn as a logical choice (and an expendable one) an honorary deputy in charge of a posse.
When Braeburn learned who he’d be chasing and why the townsfolk had to fetch whiskey to revive him only for him to start sobbing uncontrollably, the locals felt especially uncomfortable when the hastily assembled posse had to drag him to the train station and eventually restrain him after he tried to throw himself under the next train.
His swearing in ceremony was carried out in his absence, many onlookers offering to pay the postage to send his badge to wherever his mortal remains would be laid to rest.
And back to Canterlot…
Luna had finished her preparations, Celestia was asleep and Trixie was idly counting her money whilst ignoring the smell of the freight train she’d hitched her escape on, after all the commotion had died down the rest of the night passed fairly peacefully.
Morning rose in Canterlot with little fanfare and found a tired Luna sat ignoring the food in front of her as she awaited the arrival of her student who should be arriving at Canterlot mid morning by the timetable she’d been given by a servant the night before.
As the princess sat there she noticed one of Celestia’s morning papers, as she sat reading and marveling at the color pictures she noticed there was a full color spread advertising the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s universally loved aerial display team.
Luna’s thoughts switched to what she had said to Trixie, a fancy pony a shy pony a party pony a farm pony and… A racing pony!!!
The moon princess made a squee of pure joy since she could easily find a compatible friend for her student at the Wonderbolts HQ!!! She got up from the table and excitedly hurried to find a street map of Canterlot.
Just as the moon princess made her way from the table, across town a freight train pulled into the station and from it sneaked a rather disheveled blue mare weighed down by heavy satchels.
The mare then did her best to avoid the stares of several surprised station workers as she made her way off the platform towards the nearest hotel or anywhere she could have a bath and freshen up.
A little later Trixie felt a bit more alive as she dried herself off in a private room in a bathhouse across from the station, through the door she could hear the muted muttering of the owner who was trying to clean up the hoof prints she had left in the foyer.
Slowly Trixie hefted the satchels back in place and prepared to find a restaurant while she decided what she was going to do?
After all she’d only run away from Appleloosa to avoid stupid questions and because they wouldn’t have listened so she switched her thoughts to her new ‘mentor’ and in doing so let her anger flow freely as she wrung the metaphorical life from her towel, at least Luna could sort it all out for Trixie and clear her name.
Trixie exited the bathhouse in reasonably high spirits that were crushed instantly when she saw who was waiting outside for her.
“Under the authority invested in me by the sheriff of Appleloosa I-I…”
Braeburn went silent as he realized his posse was stood a lot further back than he’d thought they’d been a moment ago, swallowing heavily and in a slightly less commanding tone he made to continue.
“A-as I was saying u-under the auth… wait… Trixie… n-no… please mercy noooooo!!!!!!.”
Trixie was enveloped in a maelstrom of incandescent blue flame as she summoned all of her power and with one look unleashed her fury on the pleading former ‘apple’ of her eye and once the smoke had cleared raised her nose in the air and trotted away.
Across Town…
Canterlot wasn’t a huge city compared to say Manehatten but at the Wonderbolts HQ on the other side of Canterlot from the station the explosion went unnoticed, mostly due to the explosion happening on the training field as the captain of the team Spitfire was venting her anger on her second the blue stallion and lover of pies Soarin.
The reason for this was Spitfire had injured her wing slipping on an empty pie tin and was determined the team would function regardless and was taking it a little far the team thought.
Soarin however had thought this out loud and now Spitfire was berating him with increasing fury as her wing began itching to unfurl for the hundredth time that morning.
“Awww but Spitfire we’ve been up since dawn, we’re tired, why can’t we just have a break?”
“No.”
Spitfire gave Soarin a look of sheer malevolence as she reeled off a list of flying moves for them to continue with, at first she thought they’d stopped whining in resignation but saw they were looking right past her.
“Ahem”
“What do y… Princess Luna!”
Spitfire winced as she hastily bowed instinctively moving her wings back and up the resulting pain was sharp and immediate; the other Wonderbolts copied their captain as Luna stood looking a little uncomfortable before she spoke.
“I wish to see the captain of the team at once!”
The collective breath held by her team was released in a rush as they realized Spitfire would have to deal with it and before she could stop them they took off to practice in the only show of willing she’d seen all week.
“That would be me princess my name is Spitfire how may I be of service?”
“You are injured?”
“A slight accident involving a pie tin my princess, a couple of weeks rest and it should be fine in time for the new season in a few months.”
“A pie tin…? A few months to the new season… That’s good to hear…”
Luna sniggered slightly as the image of the fiery looking young mare in front of her comically slipping in said manner flashed before her eyes.
This however earned her a raised eyebrow from Spitfire who was rapidly loosing her patience.
“Excuse me princess but what was it you were looking for exactly?”
“I am in need of a pony looking for adventure!”
Spitfire had a nasty thought as she watched the lazy loop the loops and gentle barrel rolls the team were performing above their heads in a blatant display of the listening in while still doing something routine.
“Is this adventure going to involve a lot of travel?”
“Oh yes most definitely along with the making of new friends!”
Luna mistook Spitfires grin as a good sign, Spitfire however was just imagining Soarin's face when she sent him away from his sofa, pies and other assorted distractions to toughen him up! Plus if it was anything to do with Luna she might get lucky and he wouldn’t come back at all.
Evil thoughts were flowing through the captain’s mind as she nodded and replied.
“That would be perfect!”
“Wonderful just wonderful I knew the moment I saw you that you would agree! I’m so happy!”
“Huh? Wait a minute princess I didn’t mean me! I can’t leave the team!”
Spitfire tried to continue but was nearly knocked off her hooves as Soarin landed out of nowhere next to her,
“Princess Luna the Wonderbolts would be honored to assist in anyway possible and gladly send the best of us to aid you, our captain is in need of some time away from HQ due to her injury and the rest of us are so busy with practice… So please be our guest.”
As Soarin bowed deeply Spitfire could scarcely believe this was the same lazy foolish idiot she’d been forced to pick as her second due entirely to his ability to fly straight most of the time and the fact the fans loved his boyish antics.
Luna began nervously talking at full speed about how much she was looking forward to introducing her to her student and discussing assembling the ‘other’ ponies for their adventure.
Spitfire distracted by her own worries about her duties zoned out as her mind conjured up visions of what would transpire with Soarin in charge and how princess Celestia would flip her lid if she left the team all alone yet again...
…Especially after swearing that oath…
…And signing that contract in blood…
…Fetching a box of cakes from the high street…
…As well as dressing as a banana and dancing… (At that point she’d grown suspicious of Celestia’s solemn vow it was all part of the job.)
“I-I can’t accept this h-honor prin…”
“Nonsense like our Princess said, you’re perfect for this!”
Soarin’s smile was so wide Spitfire could almost see the future reflected in his innocent pearly whites only that future involved parties takeout little or no training and plenty of headlines involving drinking gambling nightclubs fighting and rude cloud graffiti.
Well if she were really lucky that is, her team unsupervised were like trouble magnets and leader of the pack, the biggest lout of them all and the next in line for command of the team was about to get her packed off to who knew where...
It was here that Spitfire snapped out of her miasma ready to tell Luna no when she stopped in her tracks, the princess was looking at her with an expression of pure joy.
Spitfire had only seen Luna from a distance at a few royal gatherings the odd fly by and she’d certainly had never seen her smiling but now she was beaming and at least in Spitfires opinion it made her look like a true goddess.
“I-I would be honored,” Spitfire smiled weakly but flinched as Soarin snapped out of his airs and graces in a flash before turning and shouting to the team idly swooping and looping above.
“TOGA!!!”
The team responded instantly…
“TOGA!!! TOGA!!!”
And in that moment Spitfires life turned upside down as her team immediately exited stage left no doubt to find bed sheets, confused Luna piped up.
“What do they want with those? Do ponies still dress in those in this era? I have some beautiful togas in my wardrobe what colour would you suggest for this time of year?”
Luna experimenting with ‘mare talk’ as she attempted to practice ’bonding’ with the young captain beside her beamed a smile for barely a second as she registered the utterly devastated look on Spitfires face.
“They’re going to throw a toga party and drape themselves in sheets while drinking themselves stupid and probably burning the HQ down.”
“Why would they burn it down? Is it part of the ritual?”
“Who knows but they managed it last time I was gone for more than a day.”
(Historical Note: This was due in large part to the idea Soarin had to hook up both the HQ’s sound system with that of the DJ friend he’d invited to perform at the party.
‘This one goes to eleven! ‘Tavi hit it!!!’
This was the last thing heard through the speakers before a grey mare hit the power button for the extra system which promptly exploded, as did Vinyl’s gear causing a pile of takeout cartons and a sofa to catch alight leading to the eventual incineration/destruction of the second HQ since Soarin had joined the team.
The first having just disappeared one night leaving only the foundations, dropping several sleeping Wonderbolts and trainees into the basement, Spitfire eventually discovered what happened after Soarin admitted to trying to double date a pair of very pretty and also identical unicorn twins who just happened to be magical demolition experts.)
“Shall we go princess before…?”
Too late, the telltale thud of bass drifted from the windows of the HQ as Luna and Spitfire exited the field moments before the first window was broken and some pony spiked the punch.
Spitfire listened as Luna talked incessantly about her plans but as they walked along she realized she had no idea how long she was supposed to be on this adventure?
According to the princess she had a student who was in need of adventure and was to learn about the magic of friendship and she was to accompany this mare on a quest to find friendship, the princess said the rest was to be revealed when all the ponies required had been found.
“To be honest princess this sounds like something out of one of those Daring Do adventure novels Soarin reads,”
“I-It’s a little unusual yes, but I promise it’ll be so much fun, here this is for you,”
Luna used her magic to levitate a small chain from a small pouch hanging around her neck hidden by her mane upon which was a small silver crescent moon hanging alongside a letter L.
(Historical Note: Luna had previously made several of these before becoming Nightmare Moon for her personal guard as a token and link to each of them, but she hadn’t been given the chance to bestow them on her guards and now thought it would be a perfect opportunity to use them for their intended purpose…
To bring closer a group she hoped would become an important part of her life. )
Spitfire doubted that fun comment sincerely but she didn’t know what to do so she allowed Luna to place the necklace over her head, how exactly she was going to refuse a goddess was beyond her even if she sounded like a cross between a school filly and a lunatic.
They eventually reached the castle gates after Luna had gotten Spitfire to tell her all about the Wonderbolts to which she was enthralled the whole way, many ponies passing them in the street were stunned not only to actually see Luna out and about but with the captain of the Wonderbolts no less and smiling.
This was soon over as the two mares heard shouting off in the distance and the sound of an explosion,
“Maybe you should go inside princess it doesn’t sound safe,”
Luna nodded and made to enter the castle gates when her face lit up and she waved to a pony down the street that was jogging briskly towards the pair,
“Trixie you’re here, I’ve got great news!”
Trixie stopped in front of Luna with only a brief glance towards Spitfire tinged with curiosity, she closed her eyes sighing before she let rip at her new teacher.
“WHAT IN THE FIRES OF TARTARUS ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME YOU IMBECILE!!! I’VE BEEN CHASED ALL THE WAY FROM THAT DAMNED APPLE TOWN BY A POSSE BECAUSE YOU TOOK THE WORKERS WAGE BILL FROM THE BANK… …Y-YOU IDIOT!!!?”
Luna shrank back for a moment then promptly sat down and burst into tears, Trixie just screamed in frustration as she jabbed an accusatory hoof at her cowering mentor.
“Well?”
“I left a note explaining everything, I didn’t realize it was important it was just lying in the safe.”
Trixie’s mouth twitched...
“In the safe?”
“Yes that’s what took so long I had to open it first.”
“Y-YOU…”
“I found our first companion.”
Luna squeaked from behind her mane, Trixie looked at the yellow Pegasus mare with a bright fiery mane and flying goggles, her right wing in a splint.
“And you are?”
Spitfire winced at the acidic tone the blue mare used but barely held back her anger at seeing her princess reduced to a whimpering filly in front of her.
“Spitfire Captain of the Wonderbolts,”
If Trixie was impressed she did a great job of hiding it, with a flick of her nose she replied,
“I am Trixie, student of that miserable excuse of an omnipotent being over there.”
This caused Luna to whimper but before Spitfire could stand up for her princess against this bully a shout came from down the street, quickly followed by the sound of hooves, a whole lot of hooves.
Spitfire was amazed to see a host of grizzled looking frontier ponies (the Stetsons and beards were a dead give away) charging down the street while half following half dragging a young stallion which when she thought about it explained why it was taking them so long to reach them.
The Wonderbolt turned to the blue mare and asked with an eyebrow raised.
“I take it they aren’t friends of yours by any chance?”
Trixie turned to the princess for help but was infuriated when she ignored her and began waving to the oncoming group.
“Braeburn what are you doing here?”
As Luna called out and waved she clipped a passing wasp that stung her causing her to cry out.
One of the oncoming stallions whose eyesight was questionable at best cried out as he saw Luna jerk and stumble at the attack.
“Look the witch and that yellow mare are attacking the princess come on lads after them!!!”
The group were still at some distance thanks to Braeburn who upon hearing that suddenly reared up and with a rebel yell led the charge.
Trixie considered putting up a fight but after that shout she could hear every guard in the palace grounds running for the gates as more than a few burly onlookers along the street stepped forward towards the three of them.
Luna stood up straight wincing at the sting and was about to call for calm when a brown paper parcel plummeted straight from the sky and hit her square on the head.
As Luna slumped forward unconscious both Trixie and Spitfire stood for a second in shock before Spitfire thought she saw a familiar looking mail mare disappearing into the clouds oblivious to her lost parcel.
Seemingly unfazed or concerned for Luna, Trixie took one look at the floored princess just to check before turning to Spitfire.
“Hey Wonderbolt… Fancy sticking around to get arrested for robbing a bank and assaulting a princess?”
“But…”
“She wants us to go on an adventure and for us to live to tell the tale, can’t do that stuck here explaining everything right?!!!”
Spitfire hesitated before praying to Celestia for forgiveness as she began rapidly following the blue mare that was now running full tilt away from the oncoming mass of onlooker’s guards and frontier ponies that were a heck of a lot closer now than before.
Braeburn halted as he reached the fallen princess casting a glance down the street he saw the retreating rumps of the terror known as Trixie and another mare he figured must be an accomplice.
As his posse gave chase Braeburn knelt checked the princess and then leaving her to the care of arriving palace guards, he reared up and swearing dishonor before death (if he could get away with it) resumed pursuit.
A passing squad of royal guard had briefly joined the posse in pursuit of the pair across Canterlot but were forced to break off soon after as they spotted a very large crowd of rowdy looking young ponies some in Wonderbolt uniforms but all in toga’s carrying alcohol and snacks and felt it necessary to investigate.
As they disappeared into the swelling crowd of party goers arriving at the Wonderbolt HQ the squad sergeant sent a call for reinforcements back with a messenger to the palace.
This would be the last any pony would see of the squad as the party to end all parties began in earnest…