“Isn't this convenient?” BonBon whispered into Lyra’s ear.
Silence filled the room, occasionally disturbed by the shuffling of hooves and hushed whispers. That’s one way to keep everypony in the dark. Lyra felt her pulse quicken.
“Maybe they are building a human as we speak?” BonBon asked with a giggle.
“Hush!” Lyra pushed her away. Several horns lit up in the room, providing just enough light for Lyra to make out Blueblood sneaking off to the improvised stage. At the same time she also caught a glimpse of Jade reluctantly pulling away from Amethyst’s kiss as more lights started to appear.
Seriously, Amethyst? Lyra snorted. There’s a time and place for that sort of thing and this isn’t it. Thank the stars that Rarity wasn't here. There would have been another hour-long talk of assurances that, despite the obvious, the meetup was in fact safe. The thought made her glance about in search of Sweetie Belle. The filly was easy to spot, sitting in the far corner of the room, with the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The other fillies and Chip were there as well... with the exception of Dinky. Lyra glanced about, but before she could spot her, all the lights lit back up.
“Good evening, my little ponies.” The regal figure of Princess Celestia smiled from the middle of the room. “And thank you so much for having me at your event.”
There was a moment of silence, as the ponies tried to assess what was going on. Lyra herself wasn't sure how to react. Studying at the S.G.U., she had the privilege of seeing the monarch on a weekly basis, but having her here at an event of such nature send a shiver down her spine. Hay! She probably thinks we're weirdos! Lyra’s glance shifted from Celestia to Goldenboy and Fluttershy, both of which were wearing highly provocative humieware.
“Please, there's nothing to be frightened of,” Princess Celestia assured. “I might not share your enthusiasm in…clothes, although it really suits you, Fluttershy.” She laughed gently, causing the yellow pegasus to turn red with shame. “But I admire your passion. As you might imagine I've been around for some time, so have seen crazes come and go. I’m hardly one to be surprised that the Midnight Castle series has found admirers outside of its target audience. It might be coltfiction, but it tells us values we should live by, even when it's difficult for us to do so. And you have been doing precisely that. You've created a magnificent site with a strong and caring community, that has gone beyond helping each other. I don't need to remind you what you managed to achieve during the Crystal Empire crisis. Knowing Lyra and the rest of you, you probably feel that it wasn't a big deal. That anypony would have done the same in your place. In a way, you are correct.”
Oh, stars! Oh, stars! Lyra’s was trembling. She hadn't been prepared for this. Hearing praise from Raven and Blueblood was nerve racking enough, hearing it from Prince Celestia was outright terrifying. Her legs suddenly gave in. One second Lyra felt herself lose balance, the next a strong hoof grabbed her.
“Hang in there,” BonBon whispered. “Just lean on me.”
Lyra could only smile, trying to hold back her tears. Raven, you beautiful jerk. If I’d known this would happen I'd have galloped home early. At this very moment everything terrible in Lyra’s life had been swept away. Miracles did indeed happen.
“Ponies all over Equestria helped in any way they could, but the site was instrumental in coordinating their efforts.” Celestia nodded in Lyra’s direction. “As Danny would say ‘Let's do this together’ and you did, for which I, and the entire Crystal Empire, are thankful.”
The room fell in silence. It was apparent that the speech had a profound effect on everypony. Hold me, Lyra thought as she let herself be held by BonBon. In this magical moment she could allow herself to fantasize.
“Umm, Printheth Thelethtia?” Twist raised her hoof. “Can I athk you thomething?”
“Why certainly, my little filly.” The Princess approached. “Go ahead?”
“You thaid that you've read the Midnight Cathtle thaga…” Twist began, to which the Princess nodded. “Who ith betht—“
“Megan.” Celestia didn't even wait for the end of the question. “She might not be the center of attention, but she's always helping behind the scenes.”
“Princess!” Twilight gasped. “I…”
“Yes, Twilight?” Celestia arched a brow. “You'd prefer I'd have said Chiron?”
Twilight’s cheeks turned red. Her feathers fluffed up for no apparent reason as she tried to articulate an answer, much to everyone’s amusement. Poor Twi, Lyra thought. Celestia’s reference was completely lost on her, but she could never mistake her former classmate’s reaction.
I felt a similar way once.
It was wrong. Lyra’s mind told her it was wrong, but at the same time she couldn't fight it. Rather she felt she didn't want to. When the Wonderbolts had arrived in Canterlot, they had amazed everypony with their aerial skill. Of course, aerial maneuvers wasn't what the majority of the mares her age were looking at. The focus was on the fliers themselves: the stallions sighed, keeping their eyes glued on the squadron ponies, while the mares exchanged comments regarding the few stallions in the wing. Yet while all of Lyra’s friends were commenting on the stallion in question, she felt that her glance was constantly moving towards the rest of the Wonderbolts. And each time that happened, she felt…lighter.
“Lyra?” Amethyst poked her. “Are you even listening?”
“What?” Lyra’s ears perked up. “I guess he's okay.”
“What are you talking about?” Amethyst squinted. “I asked if you were doing anything after class.”
“Oh.” Lyra glanced one more time at the Wonderbolts captain, then shook her head. “No, nothing planned.” She liked spending time with Amethyst. Actually, she liked spending time with most of her friends, but for some reason she found she preferred to be alone with them. She was almost eager for it.
I hope she wants to go to the park. Or study. I like studying with Ammy. Lyra flicked her left ear. Of all her friends, she enjoyed being with Amethyst a lot. She could spend hours listening to her friend complain. She'd forget the words and just focus on the voice…on that sweet melodic voice. Moondancer and Twilight were also fun to be with even if they were quiet. Lyra had spent impossible amounts of time in the library with each. She never managed to learn anything, but that probably was because of the weather. After all, it was proven that summer decreased learning capability, and with all the Wonderbolts shows, rain had been pushed back by a few weeks.
“You're impossible,” Amethyst sighed. “Let’s go.”
Lyra nodded and followed. They went through the crowd, then past the school, and headed straight for the Canterlot gardens. The crowds on the streets were almost unbearable. A lot of ponies from nearby towns had gathered just for the Wonderbolt display. Lyra couldn't blame them, but she also couldn't wait for them to go back home. She was fine with visitors, but not in such numbers. I wonder what Amethyst had in mind. Without a doubt she had told Lyra, but the mint unicorn’s mind would often wander off, ignoring the information.
They went past the field of statues, through the hedge maze, and stopped at a bench on the more secluded part of the gardens. Lyra felt her heart race. There was no reason for that, but all of a sudden she felt incredibly anxious.
“I’m breaking up with Star,” Amethyst said. Her voice was calm, but Lyra felt a sudden chill in her chest. “It's just not working out and…and he’s been seeing somepony else for the last four months.”
“Ammy…” Lura moved closer, giving her friend a tight hug. Why am I not sad? she thought. Her best friend had gone through something devastating and all she could think about is that she wouldn't see that jerk again. “I…”
“Please don't start.” Amethyst pulled away. “I've been going through this a hundred times. If I had any brains I would have done this ages ago, but… even after everything he did, I thought I meant something. But it seems it was only talk. Of course I should have known, what idiot would be serious about a pony like me?”
“I'm so sorry… if there's anything I could do…” Lyra remained still. It was too soon for another hug, even if she wanted to. Why do I want one, though?
“I know, I know. I'll get over it. The worst is lapsed anyway, been crying ever since I found out. It's just that now I've decided not to care anymore.” Amethyst levitated a flower from the vicinity towards her and bit off one of the blossoms. “This will teach me to trust anypony again.” She took another bite. “I really don't want to go through the same with you.”
“Of course.” Lyra nodded several times. “Anything you want to talk about I'm here for—“
“You're a mare lover,” Amethyst cut her short.
Huh? Lyra was so shocked she couldn't speak. The words felt like an icy cloud splashing over her, rendering her unable to speak, think, or even move. Heartbreak. Yes, it must be heartbreak. Ammy is going through a tough period right now and it's normal that she'd talk nonsense. a burning sensation appeared in her chest, slowly moving to her stomach, then her limbs, face and horn. Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but no words came, stuck halfway between her mind and her throat.
“And I still can't believe I trusted that jerk!” Amethyst stomped on the bench with her rear hoof. “Never trust love, you hear? It only causes pain and there's no real point in it!”
“I…I…” Lyra stuttered. “I'm not a m-mare l-lover…”
“Yeah, sure.” Amethyst looked away. “You're my friend and I want to keep things that way, okay?”
“Ammy, I'm really not-“ Lyra shuffled away from Amethyst “-what you think I am. I'm—“
“Lyra, do you have any idea how many colts have tried to ask you out lately?” Amethyst took another bite of the flower.
“Three or four?” Lyra ventured in guess. In truth she had no memory of anypony asking her out at all. Things had been just as “normal” in class as they had always been.
“More like thirty or forty. Even my ex tried to ask you out a few times. At first I thought you were not reacting because of me.”
“Huh?” The burning sensation had spread through her entire body now and her heart dealt like a gong ringing in her chest. No, no, no! That can't be! I'm not some… I can't be!
“I don't care. You've always been my friend, Lyra, so it doesn't matter.” Amethyst tossed the remains of the flower away. “If it wasn't because of that jerk I'd have had this talk with you months ago. Seeing the way you were looking at the Wonderbolts, I think it can't wait.”
“I was not looking at them!” The buried instinct for self-preservation kicked in. “I was just thinking about—“
“I really don't have time for this.” Amethyst glared. “You can trust me, okay? I told you my darkest shame, didn't I? Everypony else thinks we've lost interest in one another. I'm telling you he ripped my heart out and threw me away, so be a mare and admit this, will you?”
“Ammy, I…” Lyra swallowed, she could feel her fur wet with sweat. “I'm not lying, I'm really not into mares!”
“You don't know?” Amethyst’s ears perked up in surprise. “You really, really never noticed? Lyra, all this time I thought you weren't interested in romances because the love bug hadn't caught you yet. Instead… this is so bad.” She covered a hoof on her face.
“Heh, heh, heh, good joke, Ammy,” Lyra let out a tense laugh. “You had me going for a moment. Mare lover. Heh heh heh.” Her heart was beating like a train engine. “Anyway, let's get back, okay? I have some studying to do and I've been putting it off for a while…”
“Yeah, okay, sure.” Amethyst shrugged. “It's not like I have a heart left to break. Yeah, let's get back to normality and pretend nothing happened.”
“You're such an idiot sometimes!” Lyra trotted off, her ears turned back to keep track of Amethyst behind her.
Stars! her mind screamed. What happens now?
“Wouldn't like to be in her hooves,” BonBon whispered. “Want to go out for a bit?”
“I can't right now.” Lyra rubbed her head in BonBon. “I just got a fifteen minute countdown from Pinkie Pie. If I'm not here by then I might create an inter-dimensional disaster.”
“Bah!” BonBon waved a hoof. “Been there done that. Some measly inter-dimensional disaster can't keep me from the mare I love.”
What am I going to do with you? Lyra giggled. There was no telling whether she was joking or being serious. Very much like Pinkie Pie. Half an hour, Lyra thought. After that she could spend some time with her marefriend, then go to sleep.
The atmosphere had somewhat returned to its causal state. The unexpected presence of Princess Celestia kept things civil—Amethyst had stopped slobbering Jade for one thing—but the shipping arguments had slowly taken center stage. Fluttershy had also taken the spotlight, despite her reluctance. The de facto announcement she and Goldenboy were a couple was rather significant, especially to those unfamiliar with her online persona. The perfect pair. Lyra smiled. Brush deserved to find some happiness. Her attention was quickly diverted back to her hoofheld. Three new messages had appeared, each more alarming than the last.
10 minutes away, will start in 5! DaBoss bringing auxiliary cannon. Minuette says hi! Will save you splashy bits of the cake, so shhh!
PPI
Typical Pinkie. Lyra sighed. At least this wasn’t her house. Raven and Blueblood had arranged for the location so they would have to deal with the cleaning up.
“What’s the matter?” BonBon moves closer. “Anything home related?”
“What?” Lyra’s ears perked up. “No! Thank the stars. Just bracing myself for Pinkie’s appearance. She’s gathered her full party squad on this one so I don’t know what to expect.”
“I can always lend a hoof...”
“No, I’ll take care of it.” Lyra rushed her mane against BonBon’s. “I just need to get Soarin and—“
“Ladies and gentlehumans!” A high pitched voice filled the room. Lyra groaned. So much for five minutes. “Prepare to be amazed! For tonight is not a normal night!” An unnerving sound of squeaking came from the ceiling. “Tonight is the time when dreams and reality mix and humans walk Equestria!”
Before the chatter could die down, a wave of balloons appeared, crashing onto the Nightlings, but that was merely the beginning. Once the balloons had settled on the floor, Lyra, along with everypony else, gaped at the eight enormous cakes that had miraculously appeared throughout the room. Each cake was six feet high, also–far more significance—each cake had the semblance of a Midnight Castle character.
What in Tartarus?! Lyra blinked, staring in the berry eyes of an ice cream Danny a few feet away from her.
“Well?” Pinkie Pie inexplicably managed to pull both Lyra and Soarin up to her. “Isn’t it great? Huh? Isn’t it?” Her grip tightened in typical Pinkie fashion, causing Lyra to gasp for air. “I wasn’t sure about the coat color, so I picked a different ice cream taste for each one! Now everypony can enjoy slices of their favorite humie and-“ she giggled “-experiment with shipping combinations at the same time!”
“That’s err, great, Pinkie.” Lyra succeeded in pushing herself free. So that was what Pinkie meant when she said she’d save some squishy cake for her. The thought of slicing up humans didn’t seem at all appetizing. A look at the other’s faces clearly showed they had the same doubts. Most likely the cakes would remain untouched until morning, when they would have melted enough for all to get the image out of their mind.
“And wait until it’s time for the confetti!” Pinkie Pie clopped her hooves eagerly.
“You mean there’s more?” Soarin gasped.
Of course there would be. Lyra instinctively glanced in Princess Celestia’s direction. Twilight was hyperventilating, Blueblood had turned pink with rage, but the Princess was actually quite amused by the entire development, even to the point that she scooped a spoon of ice cream from Blazen’s forehead and took a bite.
“Of course there’s more, silly!” Pinkie laughed. “This is the first site event and I want it to be spectastic!”
“That’s great, Pinkie!” Lyra quickly stepped away. “Why don’t you tell Soarin all about it?” Soarin started at her, confusion and terror all over his face. Sorry. Lyra offered a guilt-filled smile. “He just loves to know everything about parties.” I’m going to Tartarus for this. “I’ll just skip out to find Dinky and be right back.” Lyra trotted away. A deep gasp sounded behind her, followed by a fountain of high-pitched explanations.
Take one for the team, CEO. Lyra headed for the terrace. On her way she made a sign to BonBon to have a bit more patience. BonBon nodded calmly, letting Lyra know they’d have plenty of time later.
There was a pleasant breeze outside. The weather team had remained true to their word, keeping the immediate sky over Canterlot clear. Of course, it helped that the pony asking them was a prince. Groups of clouds were gathered in clusters towards the horizon, ready to be moved over the city at a moment’s notice. Sometime tomorrow a severe storm shower would take place to compensate for the delay. A lone pony silhouette stood at the edge of the terrace. Upon seeing it Lyra stopped. She knew that Dinky needed some time alone, yet she also knew that letting her mope too much would be anything but healthy. Maybe I’ll give her a few more minutes. Lyra paused.
“Err, Dinky?” Best I let her come on her own. “Princess Celestia is here... And Pinkie made some human cakes. Right now it’s difficult to tell which will survive the other.” That was awful. “So, come join us? You’re missed, you know.”
There was no answer. Lyra took one step further, but stopped. Right now the best she could do was offer. It was up to Dinky to accept being helped.
“I’ll be waiting for you,” she added and went back in. At least I know she’s coping well en—
“Lyra!” Amethyst shouted, almost crashing into her. “Who’s in charge of hotel rooms?”
“Huh?” Lyra blinked.
“You know the organization thing.” Amethyst went on unfazed. “I thought it was Luna, I mean site Luna, but she told me to ask you about it.”
“Err, Soarin did all that.” Lyra said, her mind trying to piece together what was going on. “I think he’s right...” She looked about, but the Wonderbolt was gone, as was Pinkie. Buck!
The only reason Pinkie would take somepony away from a party was to explain in great detail how she had put said party together. Right now Soarin was roped into helping with the next stage of the event, while listening about the differences between special and sparkly streamers. Lyra knew only too well how that would go, she had offered help on several occasions and after most of them had to resort to headache spells.
“I’m sure he’ll be back soon. What’s wrong? If it’s something urgent, I can—“
“Nah.” Amethyst waved a hoof, looking away. “You have your hooves full already. I’ll find him and sort this out. Great event by the way.” She moved closer. “Why didn’t you tell me you had invited Princess Celestia!” Amethyst whispered.
“It’s not like anypony bothered to tell me!” Lyra arched a brow. “I learned about it the same time you did.”
“Yeah, right!” Amethyst snorted.
“Hey, girls,” a grey pegasus said, passing by them on her way from the terrace. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Sure thing,” Lyra said. She was about to add something more, when she suddenly took notice who that was. “Boss?” she said in near disbelief.
“Derpy?” Amethyst gasped beside her, just as surprised. “What are- Hold on! She’s your boss?!” She stared at Lyra.
“I work at the mail office, Amy.” Lyra sighed, “What did you expect?”
“Holy hay. And just when I thought things couldn’t get stranger.” Amethyst shook her head. “Derps, what are you doing here? You never said you were into colt fiction. This is so weird.”
“Oh, I’m not.” Derpy smiled. “Pinkie asked me to help out with the party. I had to get the cakes on the terrace so that Minuette could teleport them inside. Pity there aren’t muffins, though.”
Damnit! I’m not even sure I invited her. And I should have. Lyra’s ears drooped down. Derpy had always been nice to her, even before agreeing to take her part-time. They didn’t know each other too well, neither of them being from Ponyville, but they had talked on many occasions. If it wasn’t for you Ponyville would never have been my home.
Another day, another rejection. Lyra looked at the chocolate shake on her table and sighed. The ponies at Sugarcube Corner had been kind to let her add a bowl of cherries to her offer, but that didn’t improve her mood, not really.
Finally free from home and with the mare I love and I still manage to mess up. Lyra took a sip of her shake. When she used to come to Ponyville to visit it had been so much fun. Living here, on the other hoof, was an entirely different matter. The thousands of little details had started piling up until reality had come crashing down on her as strong as a cart of bricks. The truth was that Lyra just wasn’t used to like in a small provincial town. In Canterlot she was considered a genius two times over, but here none of her skills had any relevance. In a town of Earth ponies magic wasn’t seen as overly useful, and as for music those who had the will and means to afford her scoffed at her lack of experience. Being a school teacher was an option, but that was to be decided after the end of the next school year.
“Hey,” a cheerful voice said. Lyra looked up. Derpy was flapping above her, holding a bag of muffins. “Want to share?”
“Sure.” Lyra levitated the shake closer to her side of the table. At least the ponies here are always nice.
Derpy smiled, then without warning flopped onto the seat across with such force that, for a moment it seemed she would topple over. Lyra’s immediate reaction was to jump up, ears perked, horn at the ready to cast a levitate spell. Somehow, however, there was no need. Despite the apparently clumsy landing, the pegasus never for a moment lost balance. She calmly opened her paper bag and offered a muffin.
“Long day?” Derpy asked before biting into another muffin.
“One would need to have a job to say that.” Lyra forced a smile, levitating the muffin aimlessly about. “Been trying to get one for a while now.”
“Uh huh.” Derpy nodded, finishing her bite. “You can talk to me as well.” Lyra looked at her, confused. “I work at the post office. Well, that’s not my only job, I am also part of the local weather team, babysitter, and every now and then I help out with party arrangements. Pretty standard stuff.”
“Oh, right.” I don’t even remember who was at the post office.
“So, what are you good at?”
“Huh?” The question made Lyra break out of her cycle of moping.
“You must be good at something.” Derpy smiled. “What is it?”
“Oh, magic and music,” Lyra glanced at her cutie mark. “Neither of which are in terrible demand here.”
“Hmm.”
“Yeah, I know. Back in Canterlot both were considered highly prestigious. Here ponies are looking for someone who can actually do work.”
“Maybe. I still haven’t been able to find anything, though. There’s no longer a library, and even if there was,I doubt the town would hire an inexperienced Canterlotean.”
So much for fortune favoring the bold. It had all seemed so much easier once she had made the decision to move from Canterlot. She was away from her parents, closer to BonBon again, everything was supposed to be great. Before taking this step it had never crossed her mind that she might not find a job. Back in the capital jobs weren’t as big an issue. There were scores of low paying opportunities available. If it wasn’t one thing there’d be something else. Here, money was far more scarce and experience was a must. She couldn’t even manage a temp job as a waitress.
“It’s not that difficult. Just look at me! I have such terrible eyesight that you wouldn’t believe and I still managed to get a job or five,” she giggled.
“I guess you have a more suitable cutie mark.” Lyra sighed.
Instead of an answer the pegasus stood up and showed Lyra her flank. There was a series of bubbles visible there.
“Cloud swimming.” Derpy explained. “If there’s a cloud swimming championship I could get gold, silver, and bronze. Since there isn’t I had to diversify.” She took another muffin from her bag and slowly ate it, enjoying every bite. “You know I was a bit like you once. I had the best job in the world, then something happened and I lost it.”
Lyra’s ears perked up.
“Ponyville isn’t like other places,” Derpy continued. “It makes everypony feel at home. You just need to forget everything you thought you knew, everything you expected life would bring, and find something simple to replace it with.”
Something to replace it with. The thought lingered in Lyra’s mind for a while. It sounded so incredibly simple and deep at the same time. Her coming here marked the end of her old life, in which case why cling to it? She’d still continue with her studies until she graduated, but she didn’t have to focus on things she knew. Now was a time as any to be open to new things.
“How do you feel about talking to ponies?” Derpy asked. “You up to the challenge?”
“You know what?” Lyra took another sip from her shake. “I say I am.”
“In that case, you start tomorrow! Welcome to the postal service!”
Welcome to the postal service! Not a job Lyra would have imagined herself doing, but it sounded alright and had given her a sense of belonging. The money wasn’t much, but enough to provide some self-esteem. Besides, both of them knew it would be a temporary thing.
“Did you get to see Dinky?” Amethyst asked. “She’s grown up to become a very moody teenager. Very different from the time you used to babysit. Now she’s the one trying to get rid of me, if you’d believe it.”
“Ammy...”
“Hey, I’m only saying it ‘cause it’s true!” Amethyst scrunched. “I bet when she sees you she’ll say—“
“Muffin?” a voice interrupted.
Lyra briskly turned around. Standing a few steps away were Blueblood and Spitfire, side by side, the pegasus’ wing on the prince’s back. Both of them looked at Derpy. For a moment her smile faded. An aura of tension formed, forcing both Lyra and Amethyst to take a step back.
“Hi, Bluey,” Derpy replied casually. “Looking good. Seems you’ve lost some weight. The new look suits you.”
“Yes, I picked up jogging.” Blueblood brushed a hoof through his mane. “That and better food. It makes the world of difference. You look well too. Still as athletic as ever. I heard you’re doing weather control now. Things okay, I hope?”
“Fine, fine.” Derpy nodded. “Just local Ponyville weather. It’s close to the Everfree so things are interesting. Hi, Cap.” She curtly glanced at Spitfire.
“Wildcard,” the Wonderbolt replied.
What the hay is going on? Lyra kept glancing between Derpy and Blueblood. She could tell that there was a history there. The tension between them seemed to grow. Looking around, Lyra found that she wasn’t the only one interested. Others had gathered as well, keeping a safe distance away, waiting impatiently for things to unfold.
“I see you haven’t told them,” Derpy sighed.
“It’s just never came up,” Blueblood said, almost apologetically. “I didn’t know you were into Midnight Castle. If you had told me I would have invited you myself.”
“It’s fine.” Part of Derpy’s smile returned. “Well, now that I delivered the cakes, I think I should go. You have fun.” She started to turn around, when a bolt of magic gripped her leg.
“Stay,” Blueblood said in a soft tone, maintaining his spell. “I would like it if you stayed. Everypony,” the Prince raised his voice addressing the gathered crowd. “Nightlings, I’d like to present my ex. Derpy Doo.”
Gasps and whispers filled the room. Things couldn’t have been more dramatic, if Danny had appeared through a portal and announced that had secretly been in love with Blazen for years. Lyra had heard hints that Derpy used to be a Wonderbolt, but learning she had been involved with Blueblood came as a shock. To boot, it was obvious that Spitfire didn’t appreciate Derpy being so close to her boyfriend. Please don’t start a fight. Her ears flattened on her scalp. That’s the very last thing she needed. Desperate for help she looked about for BonBon. If there was anypony who could diffuse the situation that was her.
“Kaboom!” A high-pitched yell drilled everyone’s ears as confetti and streamers fell from the air, covering them all. “Let’s get this party started!”