Quest for the Holy Gr--- Tea Cup

by Whirl Wind

Chapter One

Whirl Wind and Sonic Flare in:
Quest for the Holy Gr--- Tea Cup
Chapter 1: It’s an Honor

Whirl Wind was being dragged by his tail to the train station by his Sonic Flare. Whirl was desperately trying to gain balance so he could stand up but Flare was dragging him too fast.

“Flare! Stop for a second! I can’t go to Canterlot!” Whirl yelled desperately.

Flare spat out Whirl’s tail and stopped. “Can’t go? Why not?” He said with a confused expression.

Whirl got up and dusted himself off. “Princess Luna sent me a letter…”

“THAT’S GREAT!” Flare interrupted. “I am so happy for you!” He said as he bumped his friends shoulder.

Whirl smiled. “Thanks but there is a problem… Princess Celestia sent me a letter also, saying she would be very disappointed if I failed Princess Luna!” He said worriedly.

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad.” Flare said plainly.

Whirl’s eyes widened and he grabbed Flare by his shoulders. “Not too bad?!?! That letter means she is watching me! She probably has agents all over the place ready to take me away so she can banish me to the moon!” He said as he shook Flare back a forth.

“We-e-e-e-elll…” He tried to say before stopping Whirl. “I doubt she will banish you to the moon.” He said as he pushed Whirl off of him. “Anyway, why does that stop you from coming to Canterlot? If she has ‘agents’ here, what would going to Canterlot change?” He asked seriously.

Whirl held up his hoof and opened his mouth to retort but Flare had a really good point. Whirl put his hoof to his chin and thought for a moment. He raised his hoof and opened his mouth to say something but Flare had grabbed his tail again and started to drag him again.

It wasn’t too long before they got to the train station. “Two for Canterlot please.” He said to the ticket vendor. Flare paid for their tickets and hoofed one to Whirl. “There, now you have to go or you owe me fifty bits.” He said seriously.

Whirl simply took the ticket and trotted onto the train. “Fine, but if I get banished I am taking you with me.” He said seriously as he boarded the train.

Flare chuckled at his friends worry and followed him on. “Don’t worry too much. I am sure everything will be fine.” He said as he found them a place to sit.

Soon after they boarded the whistle blew and they were on their way to Canterlot. Whirl was sitting looking out the window towards the city on the side of a mountain. “I hope Celestia is in a forgiving mood.” He thought as they rode along.

Flare saw how worried his friend was and tried to console him. “Hey, Whirl. Do you really think Celestia would take you, a nopony from Ponyville and randomly banish him to the moon?” He asked without thinking.

Whirl looked over to his friend. “I am a nopony now?” He asked with a laugh.

Flare perked up in surprise as Whirl spoke. “No no no! That isn’t what I meant!” He said a bit worriedly.

Whirl simply laughed. “Don’t worry, it was only a joke.”

Flare laughed a bit at his joke and then looked out the window as the train started moving. “Off we go!” He said with a smile.

****

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Luna exclaimed in a fit of anger. “That poor stallion must be panicking over the whole situation!” She said with a sigh. “How many locusts did you release?” She asked as she rubbed her temples with her hooves.

The shy scientist pony was trembling at Luna’s words. “I-I only released a dozen on my brothers farm. But he started it by making fun of my locust study in the first place!” He said in defense.

Luna sighed again. “Listen, there are better way of dealing with anger. Like banishing little scientist ponies to the moon for causing the princess of the night so much stress.” She said jokingly.

The scientist was at Luna’s hooves begging for his life. “Please don’t send me to the moon! I didn’t mean too! I am so sorry!”

Luna chuckled at the sight of the trembling pony. “Don’t worry, it was just a joke. But at least you aren’t angry anymore.”

The scientist got up and sniffled. “Your right, I am not angry.” He said with a chuckled sob.

Luna smiled. “Go gather ten of the pegasi guards and tell them I told them to help you. Get the locusts in containment before they spread to other farms.”

With that the scientist bowed and left the throne room. As the door closed Luna relaxed in her throne. Celestia came in and trotted up to Luna. “Hello sister. How is your day shift going?” She asked with a smile.

“Dreadful, I have never been so stressed over such minor things. I guess I am just nervous.” She said in response.

“Nervous about what? Oh, this is about that stallion you are writing to in Ponyville isn’t it?”

“How did you know about that?” She asked as she glared at Celestia. “Did you have the guards report my activity?”

“Oh, uh… yes, yes I did. Sorry Luna, after last year I didn’t want anything to happen. They told me all about your night. The hunt, the candy, the… kiss.” Celestia smirked.

Luna blushed deeply. “Th-that was nothing. It was just a favor. He was so nice and he was so strong.” She said dreamily. “But we are just friends. He just writes me letters every now and then.”

“I wrote him one too.” Celestia said without thinking. She realized what she had said and got a worried look on her face as Luna’s expression turned to anger.

“You wrote him a letter?! About what?” She asked angrily.

“Well, I just told him to give you time. In case you do something… traditional.” She said innocently.

“That’s all, you didn’t say anything else?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“I told him if he hurt your feelings I would be disappointed.” She said as she turned to look out the window.

“WHAT?! You know how our subjects react when we tell them that kind of stuff! He must be so scared, he must think we are watching him in case he makes a mistake, he must be hiding in his house right now too afraid to come out!” She said with concern.

“Actually… he is on his way to Canterlot.” Celestia said with the same innocent tone.

“You are actually having agents follow him… aren’t you?” She said with a stressed sigh.

“One or two. It is only because I am concerned with your safety.” She said sincerely.

“Tia… you have to let me take some kind of chances on my own. I can’t be under your protection all day and night.” She said with a neutral expression, trying to be mature.

Celestia giggled. “Don’t be so serious, I get enough of that from our subjects.” She said as she turned back to Luna. She trotted up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Listen, I can pull off the agents if you want. But it would mean a lot to me if you let me keep them tracking him. Just for a month or two.” She said with a grin.

Luna sighed. “Fine, keep them on him. But make sure they are not caught.” She said as she started to perk up.

A guard dressed in a disguise came into the room. “Your highnesses, I have new of the target. His train to Canterlot has just arrived. He and the red one are making their way through town as we speak.” He said as he kept his salute up.

Celestia smiled and looked at Luna. “So? Are you going to meet with him while he is here? Maybe he came to see you? Did he?” She asked as she turned back to the guard.

“No your majesty he is here with the red one to get a tea cup depicting Princess Luna. The target has been showing erratic behavior, as well as severe paranoia since he left his home this morning.” He said, still keeping his hoof in a salute.

Luna glared at Celestia and then turned to the guard. “Keep on him, but he is not a ’target’. He is a friend, so if he knows you are following and confronts you treat him as such.” She said seriously.

The guard bowed and quickly went back to work. Celestia smiled nervously at Luna. “Well, I uh… guess you were right about the letter. Sorry about that.” She said apologetically.

Luna sighed. “It’s fine, when I meet with him I will let him know not to worry. I guess I will lie about the agents as well.” She said as she stood up. “Do you think now will be a good time? I mean, it is not every day the princess of the night walks through town.”

Celestia smiled. “It is no big deal, just keep an eye out for the nobles. They can be suck ups when they are around royalty.” She warned.

Luna nodded. “Of course. Well, I am off then. Wish me luck.” She said as she trotted out of the throne room. “I hope he doesn’t melt when he sees me.” She thought as she closed the door behind her.

****

Whirl and Flare stepped off of the train. Whirl looked a bit pale from the whole experience. He never liked trains or boats, they always made him sick. He ran to the restroom immediately. Flare waited outside for Whirl and when he stepped out of the bathroom he looked much better.

“Hey there, you are looking much better.” Flare said causally.

“Are you hitting on me?” Whirl said jokingly.

Flare simply laughed and started to walk towards the streets. “So you know where to go right?” Flare asked with a smile.

Whirl sighed. “I haven’t lived here in years… and this place changes yearly to keep up with the trending fashion. What makes you think I know where to go?” He asked as he caught up with Flare.

Flare sighed. “Well, we can always ask for directions. Hey there is somepony over there we can ask.” Flare said as he trotted up to a well dressed stallion. Whirl simply stood by and watched as his friend was shot down by the stallion. Flare trotted back with a sullen look on his face. “These ponies are high strung.” He said simply.

“You can see why I only lived here for two years. All the ponies here only respond to certain clientele. Of course, you can always just fake it.” Whirl said as he smoothed his mane. “Be right back.” He said as he went into the bathroom. He came out with a dark blue mane with a light blue streak through it. He smoothed it out and put on a fake moustache. He walked up to the same pony that Flare had approached. “Hello my fine fellow, you seem to be dressed well. Obviously a pony who knows where to get a fine teacup for a fine mare.” He said with a fake accent.

“Oh my yes, you must be one of the newest ponies to Canterlot. Well, I can see you are nothing like the common rough-and-tumble pegasi I have seen. There is a fine store on the other side of Canterlot near the castle. It is called, ‘cups and bags’.” He said with his nose stuck up in the air.

Whirl gave him a polite bow. “Thank you my good sir.” He said as he turned around and trotted back to Flare. “See? Fake it. Unfortunately I didn’t read the label on the mane dye, it’s permanent.” He said as he ruffled it up again. “Now then, he said we should head across town towards the castle.” He said as he started to trot in the indicated direction.

Flare was stunned by what he just witnessed. “So all I have to do is be fake to fit in?” He asked with a surprised look.

Whirl nodded. “Yeah, most ponies here are hiding any financial problems they have by dressing up like pompous ponies. Don’t expect to blend in though, your colors are not in this year. It is all cool colors this year.” He said as he pointed to his mane.

Flare sighed. “Well, it doesn’t matter. We have a location and we are going to it.” He said with a smile.

“Yes, but when we get there let me do the talking. I might be able to get you a good price.” Whirl said as he put on some blue sunglasses.

“What is with the get up?” Flare asked with a smirk.

“I need to look different. In case there are agents following me. Maybe now they lost track of me.” Whirl explained.

Flare rolled his eyes. “There are no agen… whoa… dude… Princess Luna, twelve a clock!” He said as he pointed forward.

Whirl looked forward and saw the princess trotting towards them. “Oh no! I don’t look right! I am not me! What am I going to… Hello Princess Luna!” He said as he bowed.

“Hello loyal subject. I need to speak with your friend.” She said to Whirl.

Flare raised an eyebrow. “Me? Why me?” He asked with a confused look.

“I am searching for your friend Whirl Wind. I heard he was with you today. Obviously the agents were wrong.” Luna said without realizing it was Whirl standing right there. “Princess Celestia made me have these agent follow him. It appears they mistook your other friend here as Whirl Wind.” She said with a sigh. “What is thine… your… what is your name?” She asked Whirl.

Whirl chuckled nervously. “Uh, Princess Luna… it’s me. Whirl Wind.” He said with a blush.

Luna’s ears perked up. “Oh my, Whirl, what did you do to your mane? And why are you wearing those sunglasses?” She asked with a confused look.

Whirl sighed. “I did it to communicate with the locals.” He said with a chuckle.

Luna laughed loudly. “It is true, you must change your very self in order to even talk to these ponies. I wish this wasn’t so, but it is.” She said with a grin. “So you are here for a teacup?” She asked Flare.

Flare smiled and gave a slight bow. “Of course you would know that. Those agents are good. Whirl, you were right about them.” He said with a laugh.

Luna smiled. “Indeed he was. I wasn’t going to tell him about the agents, but he got me pretty good with his change.” She said with a giggle. “Follow me to the castle, I have something that will help you.” She said as she started to walk towards the castle. Two guards followed behind Whirl and Flare. It was like a royal convoy walking through town. Everypony they passed either whispered or bowed in respect.

“Uh, Princess Luna… why is everypony acting weird?” Flare asked in a whisper.

Luna sighed. “It comes with being a princess. I have to tolerate all the conjectures and silent whispers of the ponies under me. As well as tolerate their stuck up attitudes when they need something. These ponies are the worst, they are the nobles. The closer you get to the castle, the more stuck up they get. Watch this.” She said as they came to a halt. Luna paused and looked seriously at a noble stallion. The stallion got a worried look on his face and dug it into the ground in a bow. Luna and the troop kept moving, she turned around as she walked. “See, they do almost anything in my presence. It is quite annoying.” She said with a sigh.

“I am sorry to hear that princess. Are we the only one who act normally around you?” Flare asked with a sullen look on his face.

“Well, Celestia treats me normally. But other than that, you two are… well I guess Celestia’s student treats me normally too. She actually help me to blend in with my subjects last year during Nightmare Night. Other than THAT though, you are the only two.” She explained.

Whirl was a bit shocked to hear it, but not that shocked. “Well, while I with always treat you like a princess, I will never change who I am for you.” He said with a grin.

Luna giggled. “What if I ask you to change?” She said slyly.

Whirl’s ears perked up. “Well, I uh… I mean… I… yes?” He said nervously.

Flare laughed at Whirl’s nervousness. “She got you there Whirl!” He said while laughing his eyes out.

They were now at the castle gates. They opened as they approached and the guards gave a respectful salute. After they walked by the guards went back into position and stood like statues. Whirl had never been to the castle before. He looked around in awe as they entered. It was magnificent, everything seemed to have it’s own shine to it. He took an inhale in awe and looked around even more, until his eyes fell to Flare’s eyes. “Hey there, you done taking it all in?” Flare asked with a grin.

Whirl blushed and looked forward. “It is amazing, everything here is so… shiny.” He said plainly.

Luna giggled. “The castle’s servants do a wonderful job. Hard to believe that only a year ago this place was torn apart during the Grand Galloping Gala.” She said with a smile.

Flare looked around for a moment. “It looks great.” He said with a smile.

“You two are so different. It is a surprise you two are such good friends.” Luna said with a smile.

Flare took a moment to think of what he should say. “We are light night and day, but they go together so perfectly.” He said with a chuckle.

Whirl was shocked by what Flare said. “Uh, what he means is…” He started to say before Luna cut him off.

“I think that Flare said it perfectly.” She said with a wink.

Whirl blushed and thanked Flare silently. Flare simply nodded.

“So Whirl, how hath… how have you been since we last spoke?” Luna asked with a smile.

“I have been panicking over the agents following me and the letter Princess Celestia sent me.” He said bluntly.

“Yes, I talked to her about that. I told her that I would keep the agents on you, for her sake. Don’t worry though, they won’t bother you. Just do what you do normally.” She said with a smile.

“So where are we heading Princess Luna?” Flare suddenly asked.

Luna giggled again. “You will see. I have a gift for you that will fix your problem.” She said with a smile.

After a while they reached the kitchens. Luna dismissed the other guards and walked in. “Follow me.” She said as she opened the door with her magic.

Whirl and Flare followed her in. She walked to one of the cabinets and levitated a crystal tea cup. It was gorgeous and it had a crystal model of Luna on the side. “This is for you Sonic Flare. Think of it as a gift for introducing me to Whirl.” She said with a wink.

Flare shook his head. “Princess Luna, I can’t accept this. While it is a wonderful gesture, I can’t take advantage of your friendship with Whirl for this. You see, this isn’t just some spontaneous trip to Canterlot for a teacup. This is a spontaneous trip to Canterlot for a teacup for my wife.” He said with a smile.

Whirl did not believe what he had just heard from Flare. “Are you serious, that is what we came for! And it is from the princess herself! How could you say no?” He asked in disbelief.

Flare had a half hearted smile on his face. “Whirl, you will understand when you fall in love. It just isn’t the same unless I earn this teacup for her.” He said as he patted Whirl on his shoulder.

Princess Luna smiled. “Quite an honorable friend you have here Whirl. Flare, I understand. There is a nice porcelain shop just outside the castle. Have one of the guards escort you there if you would like. I need to talk with Whirl alone for a while.” She said as she gestured to the door.

Flare nodded and gave her another half bow. “Thank you Princess Luna.” He said as he turned toward the door. He only turned to Whirl for a split second and gave him a wink as he trotted out.

Now they were alone, just Whirl and Princess Luna. “Come with me, we… I have something I need to discuss with you, but I don’t think this is the place for that.” She said with a wink as she started to trot to another exit in the large kitchen.

Whirl was so nervous, his cheeks were visibly red, he was sweating, and if he wasn’t wearing sunglasses you would see the shock in his eyes. He followed her out of the kitchen, down a few halls, and outside to the garden. She stopped outside of the hedge maze and smiled. “Whirl, I am sorry about the agents following you. If it were up to me, they wouldn’t be following us right now. Celestia is a very protective sister, even more so since I came back from the moon. I want to assure you that things will not change for you at all.” She said sincerely.

Whirl smiled nervously. “Yeah, you said that… I am not afraid of my life changing or anything. If anything, I am hoping it will change now that we are friends. I am tired of not having someone to talk to when I am down or alone. Flare is a great friend, like a brother really. But I am apprehensive when it comes to sharing things with him. He is not the most understanding pony. He is good to go to when I need help at work or if I am having relationship issues… not that any mare has ever been with me more than one night…” He said sullenly. “I just hope that you understand, you are my only other friend I have besides Flare.” He said sincerely.

Princess Luna raised an eyebrow. “Does thine not have… I mean, do you not have friends at work? And what about Flare’s wife? Are you friends with her?” She asked with a confused look.

Whirl shook his head. “I wouldn’t call us friends, she barely speaks to me when I come over to their home for a visit. As for my co-workers, well… I work at a desk. The most interaction I get is handing team leaders weather reports and orders. Not exactly a conversation.” He said as he looked into the hedge maze.

Luna looked at Whirl with a bit of concern. She saw he was looking at the hedge maze and smiled. “Not too long ago, six friends entered this maze to save Equestria. What they found was hatred and cruelty, they ended up breaking their friendship. But that didn’t last long, as one of them was reminded of the true meaning of friendship. She spread the word to her other friends and together again, they defeated the evil that threatened our land. My sister and I have declared this hedge maze to be a maze of friendship. For to get to the center, one must have a friend and they must work together.”

Whirl started to perk up as she told her story. He sat down for a moment and took it in.

“Now I want to go through the maze with you Whirl.” Luna said with a smile.

Whirl perked up immediately. “Really? Why? I mean, we have only known each other for a short time.” He said with a confused look.

Princess Luna smiled. “This maze will weld our friendship together, so that it may never break.” She explained as she started to walk into the maze. A quick flash of her magic covered the top of the maze so that it looked more like a bunch of hallways instead of a hedge maze.

Whirl was nervous, but he didn’t want to seem like a coward. He stood up and started to follow the princess into the maze. “So what did you mean by ’you need a friend’ to reach the center?” He asked casually.

Lune kept on walking, she turned her head to talk to Whirl as they ventured deeper into the maze. “The maze is meant to test one another. We will face trials that we cannot solve alone. It is not for the faint of heart, but I believe in you.” She said with a smirk.

“I wasn’t worried about me.” He said with a chuckle.

They both laughed for a moment before they came to a dead end. Whirl sighed and said, “Looks like we took a wrong turn.” He started to turn around when a wall of hedge blocked his path. “Oh, well it seems we are trapped here.” He said jokingly. He started to look around for something to get the hedge to lower.

Princess Luna was also looking for something. “Whirl, over here.” She said as she found a stone tablet in the ground.

Whirl trotted over to where the princess was and looked at the tablet. It had a bunch of numbers. Whirl’s expression turned to joy as he saw what it was. Math, his favorite subject. “I got this princess, give me just a second.” He got half way through the math problem when he encountered trouble. “Princess, what is it called when the moon is a crescent?”

Princess Luna saw that the problem required a word to be added. “That would be one fourth waxing, or three fourths waning.” She explained. “Why would it require that?” She asked with curiosity.

Whirl smiled. “Because three fourths is the exact number I need to solve this.” He said as he started to wrap the problem up. “The answer is… two. Wow, what a circle for such a simple answer.” He said with a chuckle. As Whirl spoke the answer the hedge lowered and they were able to continue.

Princess Luna hugged Whirl from excitement. “You did it!” She exclaimed with joy. She quickly realized how un-princess like she was acting and pulled away. “I mean, good work Whirl.”

Whirl was blushing heavily. “No problem, I mean there was a math problem. Not that it was hard. I mean, I couldn’t have done it without you.” He said with a nervous chuckle. Trying to avoid further embarrassment he continued onward.

Princess Luna followed along with a smile. She looked around at the hedged admiring the formality of it’s trimmings. She looked at Whirl and thought, “I hope he is enjoying himself, I don’t want him to fear me…”

They came to a forked path with a sigh. It read, “Dearest friends, together you shall find the proper path. It will take heart and intuition, but it will be decided by the better of you.”

Whirl read the sign to Princess Luna. “Well, which way do you think it is princess? It clearly wants you to choose.”

Princess Luna nodded in agreement. “Lets turn left. Down this path.” She said as she started to trot down a path. Whirl followed close behind. Soon they came upon a familiar sight, the cross road with the same sign.

“It appears I have made a mistake…” Luna said sadly.

“It’s okay, we must not have read the sign correctly.” Whirl said as he started to read the sign again.

Over the next few hours they followed the path Princess Luna chose. Each time it lead them back to the sign. Even after they had chosen every path. “This is infuriating! And the sun will be setting soon! Celestia is probably searching high a low for me! Oh Whirl, I am sorry I got you into this mess.” She said apologetically.

Whirl smiled. “It’s okay princess. It isn’t your fault. The important thing is we are lost together.” He said with a cheesy smile.

Princess Luna laughed a little at his joke. Then it hit her. “Whirl… you are the better pony here.” She said sincerely.

Whirl looked at her with confusion. “What do you mean? I am not royalty, I can not do magic, heck I can’t even lead like you do.” He said sadly.

Princess Luna shook her head. “That is not what the sign means, when it comes to friendships the friend who is willing to do what the other wants is usually the better pony. You let me choose every path without an argument and without getting upset when I chose the wrong path. And I never stopped to ask which path you wanted to take. But I am asking you now. Which path doust thou…. Which path do you think is the proper path?” She asked with a smile.

Whirl smiled as well and looked into her eyes. “I don’t want to get you in trouble with your sister. Let’s turn back.” He said as he turned around.

Princess Luna frowned. “But Whirl, our friendship needs welding!” She said sadly.

Whirl chuckled. “What kind of friend would I be if I continued forward and risked you getting in trouble? No, I won’t see you get in trouble for me. I am not worth it. We can do this again later.” He said with a slight tone of sorrow.

Princess Luna nodded and kissed his cheek. “Thank you Whirl, you really are a good friend.” She said as they went back the way they came.

They were walking for hours before they came to an opening. Whirl assumed it was the exit. “There it is princess. We are almost out.” he said happily as he trotted along. As they approached the light at the end of the tunnel things cleared up and they could see outside. It wasn’t the start of the maze, instead they wound up in the center.

Princess Luna looked at Whirl in surprise. “That was it! The path we took to go back was the right path!” She said with excitement.

The sky was painted with a multitude of orange and purple. “It is almost night princess. You should fly back to the castle and tell Princess Celestia you are okay.”

Princess Luna shook her head. “I can raise the moon from here.” She said as she looked around. There was a small pond and a cloud hammock hanging between two apple trees. “Lets have a seat on that cloud hammock. We can relax a bit before we head back to the castle.” She said as she trotted to the hammock. It was big enough to hold her, Whirl, and any other ponies that may have been present. They both hopped into the hammock and laid on their backs looking up at the sky. When it started to get dark Princess Luna’s horn glowed and the moon soon raised over them. “This had been the best day I have had in a while Whirl.” She said with a smile.

Whirl smiled as well. “You know what, it has been my best day as well. I hope Flare got his teacup.” He said jokingly.

Princess Luna laughed with him as they looked up to the night’s sky. A blue shooting star flew over head. Whirl smiled and looked at the glow it left in the sky. “Just like the shooting star I saw when I got my cutie mark.” He said quietly.

Princess Luna giggled. “I know. It was the same star.”

Whirl turned and looked at her. “You mean… you took the same shooting star and used it again just now?” He asked with a bewildered look.

The princess simply nodded and kissed him softly. Whirl tensed up but relaxed. After a short time they broke their kiss. Whirl looked into her eyes with soft eyes. Princess Luna stared back and blinked slowly. Whirl wrapped his forehooves around her and hugged her and she hugged back. He had not hugged anypony for many years. He felt a surge of emotion well up within him, it caused him to cry a little. “Thank you…” He said with a small sob.

Princess Luna pulled away from the hug. “Why does thine eyes leak? Did we do something wrong?” She asked in her traditional voice.

Whirl smiled. “No, you are perfect. I just… I have not been this happy in years. Thank you. You have really made me feel like I am worth something to somepony.” He said as he wiped the tears away. “We should probably get back soon. Princess Celestia must be worried sick.” He said with a chuckle.

Princess Luna nodded and got out of the hammock. Whirl followed her down and opened his wings to fly. “After you my lady.” he said with a wink. Princess Luna took off and Whirl followed closely.