I. The Firefly Festival
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Once the airship came to a stop, Monsoon exhaled a sigh of relief after his body dropped down from its current position to the floor. “Augh! That is the last time I want to go on a road trip, time to go for a relaxing dip in the pool,”
He pulled the armored breast plate away from his chest and slowly kicked off his horse shoes, yanking his black and yellow camouflaged shorts up to waist level. Galloping over to the pool where he stood at the poolside, his hooves clicking against each ceramic tile that echoed around him. Wide eyes followed every corner of the room as his hooves climbed the tall diving board once he looked back to see how high he was.
“Good heavens! I’ve never been this high since my first day of Night Guard flight training, and I only had to test my speed from a high altitude,” Monsoon’s hooves bounced up and down on the diving board to freefall into the reflective pool below. His wings aided him for an extra pickup in speed, circling around, and took a quick nose dive, warm water flowed through the pool vents.
“Ah yes, that just takes the load off,” Monsoon sunk even lower in the pool as both of his wings spread out on the water, paddling his hooves around like a duck. His eyes drifted below the water as it started to bubble, faded purple hairs and then a head poked out from underwater that made Monsoon hop out of the pool. “Can’t a pony get some privacy here! Star, what are you doing here?”
Starsung pressed his hoof on Monsoon’s lips, gesturing him to lean closer to him. “I’m hiding from Mountain, I still owe her that massage. She won’t leave me alone until she gets one.”
“Afraid I can’t help you out there,” The winged batpony guard rolled off his back, getting back up to his feet. “You never know maybe she has a nice nice surprise for you.”
“Maybe you’re ri-” Monsoon dunked Star’s head down in the water after he heard Mountain stomping into the pool room. Without even trying, his shoulder down near the pool and cheek rested against his right hoof, flashing his best fake smile when Mountain Mist walked up to him.
“Oh hey, Mountain! What brings you here?” Monsoon snickered, keeping Star underwater as he came up to breathe.
“I’m looking for my little Starry, have you seen him?” Mountain tapped her hoof on the tiles, her head tilted to the side.
“Nope nope, haven’t seen him when I came in here! You should check in the kitchen, you know how he loves eating pizza there.” Monsoon’s smile stretched out even wider, swallowed spit down his throat.
Mountain elevated her eyebrows up and down, pointing a scrunched up muzzle in his face. “Uh huh, well if you do see Star, make sure he knows that I have a special surprise waiting for him,” She swiveled her body on cue out of the room into the main hallway.
“Okay, she’s gone now.” Monsoon brought Starsung back up to the surface by his mane.
“Agh-ah!” Starsung snorted the drops of water out his nose, still gasping for air. “Good, maybe next time you think of a way to hide me a little better next time.”
“No promises, now go and face her,” Monsoon patted him on the back, waggling his eyebrows.
“Yes I can do this!” Star directed himself to a towel rack, wrapped the towel around his waist and noticed dark blue spots on his coat. “Why is there dark blue spots on my coat?”
One ripped pack of dark blue paint floated on the water that caused Starsung to glare at Monsoon, he walked out of the room his towel still dripping with paint. “I’ll get you back later, you’ll never see it coming.”
Night Watch rolled her forelegs out from under the covers, leaving behind puddles of sweat on the bed sheets. She tied the back of her jet black mane in a ponytail to keep her mane nice and tidy, quickly running out to the sounds of alarms blaring.
Warning, warning, warning! High levels of activity below the airship inside the forests near The Firefly Festival!
Night tapped into interactive subsections of the Corona Horizon’s main server, activating spotlights below the main deck scaring away the animals that controlled these parts of the Vancouver Forest. “Looks like we got some trespassers. What do the spotlights pick up down there?”
Scanners on the spotlights show that a pack of wolves have just finished protecting their territory, it would be wise not to take them all head on.
“Either way they have to be dealt with, looks like it’s up to me,” She galloped into a full sprint, running downstairs to the main weapons room that contained many of the weapons that the Night Guards and Royal Guards used respectively for years.
Night flicked the light switch on, she looked on in awe at the whole room showcasing every weapon used by the guards: Shadow claws, Dragonskin, Yellowjackets, and Lightning spears. “So hard to decide which weapon is right for me. Decisions, decisions.”
She rubbed her hooves and shifted her eyes thinking of which weapon to use first, strapping Dragonskin on her body as the armor locked into place that displayed dark dragon scales that only the toughest dragons in all of the land were killed by hunters for their scales to be used in combat. “Feels so rough but snug at the same time.”
“It’s like a weapon paradise just for me!” Night Watch twirled around on her hooves and took hold of one pair of shadow claws.
“Night, what are you doing?” Mountain walked silently behind Night Watch, breathing down her neck.
“If you must know, there are three wolves looking for some trouble. Why is Scootaloo with you?” Night pressed the panel button as the lower deck of the weapons room opened up, strong winds pushed her cheeks back.
“It’s the first step of our training regimen,” Mountain kept a firm grasp on the lightning spear. “I bet you would like to know why Scootaloo joined us, hmm?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I’m just dying to know,” Night’s eyes looked down on Scootaloo, trying to hide her sarcasm.
“Eep!” Scootaloo’s heart jumped in her chest, remembering the words of wisdom Rainbow always told her. “You’re all kinds of awesome anyway!” “I joined the Night Guard to show that I can represent Equestria with pride, no matter what the cost was even at the expense of my life to protect others. I promised my big sister before she died, that I would never give up my dreams.”
Mountain rubbed tears from her red and irritated eyes, blowing her nose in a hoofkerchief. “That was really sad and I usually never cry! What do you say Night, will you let us join you?”
“That sob story made me tear up a little. I’m still not phased by your little facade, but I’ll be a fair pony to allow both of you to join me, just don’t get in my way.” Night leaped out the lower panel that welcomed the bitter cold as her hooves touched down on the ground.
Mountain Mist squeaked as the armor latched on her back, jumping bravely into the frigid cold. A strong flap with her wings cushioned her fall down below, the wind roared relentlessly through into the air that tickled her coat. Adjusting her goggles, she spotted three wolves gnawing at the decomposed skin of a rabbit only a few feet from their den.
She opened her wings, catching the fully armored Scootaloo placing her to the ground. “ Targets sighted, go in with extreme caution, Night. Scootaloo, stick with me.”
“Listen Mountain, you don’t order me around I already know what to do.” Night Watch walked one hoof after the other, staying low to the ground.
“Mountain, are you sure you don’t want me to help you guys out?” Scootaloo rubbed her shoulder, a hint of hesitation in her voice.
Mountain pulled her head to her chest, burying the sounds of sniffles. Wind whistled through the leaves in the trees that whispered through her ears, the cold air on her breath made her feel at home in the deep, dark caves of Hollow Shades that would make most ponies run away. “Look we do need your help, just not yet until we have to find Marina.”
“I hate to say this but I agree with mountain head here, working as a team is only necessary when needed. Those two goofballs are still inside the airship so let’s hurry before we startle the wolves,” Night Watch clawed at the ground, scraping clumps of dirt between the claws as she lunged behind one wolf leading his pack, the roof of her mouth salivating at the sight of his neck. She stopped in her tracks, glowing yellow eyes tracking her every move once her hind legs backpedaled and tail tucked in between.
“Element of surprise, huh? You see Night, we could’ve attacked them together.” Mountain Mist stepped from her current position flying off to the center behind Night Watch, still caught of guard at wolves foaming at the mouth and barking at them.
“Yeah, yeah. You can lecture me later but for now, we give these fleabags the best we got on the count of three. One, two, three!” Night Watch shouted out her battle cry, charging forward with claws drawn that scratched the sensitive fur of an alpha wolf who grabbed hold of the claws, and launched her through hard, unforgiving wooden tree bark.
The alpha wolf chewed away at the bit, his teeth biting down on her right shoulder. His strong grip on the shoulder gave way as small chunks of her coat snuck its way between his teeth and Night rolled the other shoulder back under his chin, knocking him back, rubbing his slightly fractured jaw. One swipe after the other missed their mark attempting to strike Night Watch, she sidestepped his next attack kicking him in the back of his leg to roll it over her back, snapping the appendage with a sickening crunch.
“Well, that’s one down. But just to be sure,” Night pulled the midnight strands of her mane back, pouncing down on the wolf sinking her fangs deep into his neck drinking each drop and savoring every minute of it. Tender, delicious, but yet he was weak. The deep thought rolled off her tongue, she stomped her right forehoof down on his cheek.
Mountain scratched the back of her armor, grabbing the wolf clinging to her before throwing him into the air and aiming the lightning spear at his chest, volts of lightning passed through the wolf’s body that shook his beating heart. She smiled at his body falling in the patch of grass, quickly turned her back. The world closed in around her as the last remaining wolf of the pack hitched a ride on her back pulling her wings, she snorted steam out her nose and skyrocketed into the grey clouds.
“We’ll get him. What smells like burning flesh?” Night’s ear twitched to the screams of pain, the burning carcass of a wolf laid down on his back in the grass, four lifeless paws and legs in the air. “Jeez Mountain, I didn’t think you were capable of something so gruesome and I like it.”
Flying through holes in the clouds, dipped back down to earth, ignoring the sharp claws that dug deep into the bones of her wings. She began to fly past individual trees in her path shielding her eyes inside of the thick fog, crashing through the wooden tree bark. The tree split in half as Mountain and the wolf whimpered and still laying in the destruction left in their wake, forehooves hugged the brittle ground below her.
“I thought he would never get off,” Mountain Mist carefully folded both wings at her side, popped a bone back into place that was covered in wooden chips. “Now I know I need that massage, let’s get back inside before another pack of wolves start looking for us.”
“Hey you guys, up here!” Starsung and Monsoon called from above, smiling and waving but their smiles quickly changed to grim expressions. “What happened to you guys?”
“Well gee, we had to fight a pack of rabid wolves that left scratches on my coat, bit down on my shoulder, and had Mountain over here injure herself to take the alpha wolf down. Where were you guys?” Night touched lacerations on her face, blood leaked out of the open wounds.
“We were just watching Vanhoover set up the stage for Trixie’s performance,” Starsung guided his hoof out in the distance, bright stage lights seeped through the canopy brush of the woods and thick fog.
“It would be fun to at least check it out–” Monsoon jumped from the open hatch in the weapons room and followed the lights’ path.
“Wait for me—gah!” His body stumbled back as Mountain grabbed a hooful of his tail across the ground, feeling gravity take him into the air inside the Corona Horizon. “Good grief, Monsoon you go without me and have fun.”
“If you insist, and you have fun with Misty,” Monsoon and the two guards pushed swinging tree branches out of their way through the Vanhoover wilderness to the heart of the city.”
“What’s the big idea?” Starsung dropped out of the aggressive pegasus’ grasp down on the bunk bed sheets, “You are really taking this bet way too seriously.”
She tossed horseshoes and chest plates out her drawer as hoofcuffs dangled around with one hoof, twirling them playfully on her wrist. “Oh, you have no idea.”
Mountain slipped her special long black socks with yellow dots decorating tight leather textures on the socks. Her head turned around and looked dead into his eyes waiting for a stupid grin to catch her attention, walking over to his bedside locking hoofcuffs around his wrist, tail tickling under his chin. “This may be a little too extreme—but I’ve earned it.”
“Extreme? This is way too over the top even for you, but I’ll humor you and start massaging your wings.” Starsung filled his lungs full of air and his mouth released all of the air it could hold.
His gentle touch moved lower down the feathers of her wings, her tongue lolled out at the relaxing pleasure she felt. The tense muscles in her body melted any hint of stress away, Starsung pressed down hard on the soft pressure points of her hooves.
Mountain’s moaning filled the guard sleeping quarters, her body dangled over the side of the bed. “That’s more like it. Why can’t you be like this more often?”
“Check your socks,” Starsung’s teeth grabbed one end of her socks, slowly removing the sock, still between his teeth. He slipped a small device inside the socks before setting it to the highest frequency.
Taking off the other sock, the device shot off three balls of colorful powder, coating her face and all over her body. She couldn’t help but giggle at the harmless little prank, knowing that Star could do so much better than just this beginner tactic.
Mountain punched him in the side of his ribs. “Haha! That was a nice little prank you pulled on me, hope you are very aware that I will get you back for this.”
“...”
As night fell in Vanhoover, fireflies roamed around the deep brush of the forests and out of the woodworks out in an open part in the center of the country. Ponies attending flocked to the open stadium intermingling with one another, watching fireflies light the way for the next performance. A laidback earth pony wearing her peace sign t-shirt, walked onto the stage up to the microphone.
“Welcome one and all groovy ponies to the annual Vanhoover Firefly Festival! Our first performance of the night is the one and only, Trixie Lulamoon, who will be performing her newest trick. Stay tuned for that, enjoy your night!” Tree Hugger pressed the lighter down, setting the tip of her cigarette on fire.
Trixie closed her eyes as a small sliver of magic charged from her horn, screwing light bulbs on the mirror as the bulbs sparked a bright light. She averted her gaze on letters strewn all across her table that gave a strong reminder of her past after enslaving the entire town of Ponyville. Past regrets wallowed her body in the metaphorical filth, she believed that her entire life from then on starts and ends with ridicule from all walks of life.
She explored the dressing room in a complete circle, going through the list of tricks planned once more. I wish I could take it all back and rewrite history, envy and jealousy corrupted my mind, leaving me blind to see the truth.
Trixie thought about the last words that Twilight said to her before she moved to Vanhoover, “Many ponies stray from their own path, leaving them susceptible to negative influences it only takes someone to guide them in the right direction, to not go gentle into that good night.”
A pony wearing a headset, knocked on Trixie’s dressing room door. “Miss Trixie Lulamoon, you are up to compete in 5 minutes. Are you ready?”
Trixie pushed the door forward, the force of the push banged the backstage coordinator’s muzzle straight into the door’s path.
“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry and to answer your question I am ready to showcase the tricks up my hooves!” Trixie apologized then valiantly answered, confidence oozing from her bravado.
“Good to know.” the backstage coordinator wiped blood from her snout.
Trixie galloped down the backstage corridor through the curtains, rounds of applause washed over her. Stage crew wheeled her equipment to the stage, and placed pyrotechnics left and right of Trixie as she generously thanked the crew for bringing the fireworks out.
She walked to the microphone and started eyeing her adoring audience. “One and all, prepare to be entertained by the magical stylings of the Great and Apologetic Trixie!”
Night Watch, Monsoon, and Scootaloo moved through the crowd to the front row near the stage. “Keep an eye out for anything suspicious, Marina could have easily sent out some griffons to spy on us.” They split up and fanned out in the area for a tail or talon hiding out somewhere, at the same time Trixie was continuing her performance.
Trixie removed her hat, dropping a golden ball on the stage that rolled away to center stage. “For my first trick, Trixie will make this golden ball into a magical dispenser.”
Concentration was the only thing on her mind as the golden ball rose off the stage, spinning around a web of energy surrounding it. Golden tendrils held the floating ball in place, hatching apart small bursts of sparkling powder washing over the crowd of ponies that gave them a real experience being inside the separating object. Fireflies swarmed the stage, clumping together that recreated old events during the brutal reign of Princess Platinum and how she waged war against Britania’s armies overseas.
Three griffons continued to walk into the crowd, the leader of the group pointed the other direction towards the stage. “She’s the one we need to capture, Marina’s orders.”
“Copy that, stay hidden and avoid suspicion.” They stayed low to the ground walking thoroughly through the crowd of ponies, not taking their eyes away from Trixie.
