Twelve ponies stared at each other as they faced off across the main street of Vanahoover. At first glance, these twelve ponies could be taken as allies, given their very similar attire, but the set legs on each pony, and aggressively hiked tails suggested otherwise. On one side, the Sailors of Harmony stood arrayed. Pinkie Pie, Sailor Laughter had her mystical Party Cannon weapon out. Sailor Honesty, Applejack was next to her, her metal-clad hind hooves set and ready to buck. Sailor Generosity, Rarity was levitating a gleaming sabre. Sailor Magic, Twilight Sparkle had a visible corona of magic pouring out from her, and if you looked closely, was actually levitating from the output of her magic. Rainbow Dash, Sailor Loyalty was actually on the ground for once, the edges of her armoured wings gleaming in the sunlight. Even Fluttershy, the normally timid Sailor Kindness, was standing firmly. All the Sailors of Harmony were clad in the japonese-styled uniforms, the scarves and skirts matched to their element colours. The actual elements themselves were around their necks, (or on her head, in the case of Twilight’s Big Crown Thingy), and were subtly glowing in anticipation of the upcoming battle.
On the other side of the street, a slightly more eclectic group stood. These six ponies were the Sailors of Music. Octavia, the Sailor of Emotion, stood with her cello bow in hoof. Upon closer inspection, the hair that normally comprised the bow had been replaced with a blade. Lyra Heartstrings, Sailor Lyric stood on only her hind hooves, but her breathing was calm, and her lyre was at the ready. Fiddlesticks, Sailor Melody, was a yellow earth pony with a blue mane in a similar style to Octavia’s (in fact, the two were distant cousins), had her fiddle ready, and was also only standing only on her two hind legs. She and Lyra were actually leaning up against one another, in order to stabilise each of them. Vinyl Scratch, Sailor Rhythm had her legs spread, and her tail high in the air, and her front hoof was pawing at the ground impatiently. Then came the strange thing, as the final two ‘Sailors’ in the Sailors of Music were stallions. Thunder Tempest, Sailor Bass, was floating just above ground level, his bass guitar in his hooves. And Frederick Horseshoepin, Sailor Harmony (not to be confused with the Sailors OF Harmony), had adopted a similar position to Vinyl, head down, tail up, and pawing at the ground.
***Time***
All of the mares in the Sailors of Music were dressed very similarly to the Elements of Harmony, the only difference being in colourations and other minor cosmetic differences. The two stallions were wearing more formal jackets in dark blue, and ties with their corresponding colours.
“This is our enemy! She’s a threat to all of Equestria!” cried Twilight Sparkle, waving a hoof at the unicorn sorceress who was standing between the two teams.
“Yeah, but she’s using music to do it, and that makes it OUR realm!” called back Vinyl. “Go back to Ponyville!”
“You go back! Princess Celestia personally asked me to deal with this mare!”
“If the Princess asked you to dive off the top balcony of your library, would you do it? She’s asked you to deal with an enemy that you have no idea how to beat! We, on the other hand, deal with this kind of enemy all the time. Do the smart thing, and let us handle it.” By this point, most of the two teams had relaxed from their ready positions. Pinkie Pie had vanished the Party Cannon back to wherever she kept it, Rarity had sheathed her sabre, and Lyra and Fiddlesticks had both dropped back down onto all fours while the two leaders argued about who was going to deal with the opponent.
Naturally, the sorceress, being an evil pony, tried to take advantage of the situation, and began to play her enchanting music once more. Both Vinyl Scratch and Twilight Sparkle instantly responded by blasting the unicorn at full force.
The combined power of the youngest alicorn in existence and the power of rhythm emitted from Vinyl Scratch quickly dispelled the enchantment on the music, destroyed the device used to emit it, and threw the unicorn back into a wall, knocking her unconscious. The two leaders of the teams glanced at the result, and then turned back to each other.
“See, I told you we could handle it!”
“Puh-lease. It was my power that did it!” Behind them, in complete synchronisation, the other ten ponies slapped their hoofs to their faces with a groan.