Short chapter this time. It's more filler than I like to write, but I just need to connect the events. It starts to pick up next chapter, I promise =]

---------------------------------------------------------

Inside a house near the edge of Ponyville, three ponies each passed the time in a different manner. Lyra sat with her hind legs crossed in the middle of the kitchen table and meditated. Bon Bon was organizing the various kitchen utensils in one of the drawers. And Derpy was watching the fire in the fireplace dance atop crackling and popping wood. Nopony spoke to one another, nor even looked at one another. Besides the sounds of the fireplace and the clanging of knives and spoons as Bon Bon arranged and rearranged them, the silence was almost tangible. The group still remembered their painful humbling at the hands of the moon cultists and a particularly powerful unicorn.

A set of hard, loud knocks abruptly ended the quietness. Bon Bon hurriedly cantered to the door and opened it. The gray earth pony with dark hair trotted in, wearing her usual perpetually dignified expression. Derpy turned from the fireplace and watched the door, curious. Lyra peeked open an eye to see. Behind Octavia walked a light brown colt with a darker brown mane and hourglass cutie mark pulling behind him a large black box.

Octavia and her companion brought the box to the middle of the main living space in the house in front of the fireplace. Lyra finally roused from her meditation and met Bon Bon and Derpy in the front room as well.

Octavia’s voice interrupted the silence at last, “Thanks for your assistance, Doc.”

“No worries, glad to be of help” Doc responded with a Trottingham accent.

“This here ladies, is our equipment for the mission,” Octavia began to pace as she addressed her teammates. “You’ll find all of your weapons of choice are inside this crate. Now we can’t simply be lugging weapons around through Ponyville, so unfortunately we’ll have to leave them here while we’re out and about. This will serve as our primary base of operations. Should any of you come into direct contact with the enemy, do your best to come straight back here and arm yourself. At even the slightest sign of trouble, I want everypony to meet back here. If we’re caught alone, it will mean bad news.” She gave a nod to Doc, who inserted a key into the lock on the crate and pulled away the chains.

The other ponies started pulling out their favored weapons from the box, testing their weight and making themselves familiar with them again. Bon Bon juggled a set of throwing knives, and Lyra watched in awe as Derpy swung a massive steel hammer over one shoulder. A horseshoe was bolted to both business ends of the weapon. Octavia pulled out a sheathed katana and eyed it with satisfaction. The only thing Lyra picked up out of the crate was a purple headband.

“No weapons?” Bon Bon asked.

Lyra held up her hooves, “Right here” and gave a smirk. Bon Bon scoffed and returned to her own items. She strung a bow and set the arrows next to it.

After everypony was settled, Octavia spoke again, “Alright now, let’s go over the agenda for today. Tonight is the Summer Sun Celebration. There will almost surely be enemy presence and Nightmare Moon will arrive. From there the elements of harmony, with Miss Sparkle’s suggestion, will probably head to the last known location of the elements themselves, The Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, in the Everfree.” Bon Bon sighed at the thought of having to go into that forest. Lyra was more enthusiastic of going into wild nature.

“Until then, we’ll be monitoring the embodiments of the elements themselves. Lyra and Bon Bon, you two will be keeping watch around the town.” Both ponies let out a groan before being silenced by a sharp glance from Octavia. “Blend in. Derpy, you volunteer to help out with setting up the celebration, try to get any info you can. Our enemies will likely have an agent blending in, like us. If you see anything or anypony suspicious, bring your findings directly to me. I’ll be keeping an eye on Celestia’s student – she’s scheduled to meet with the other elements throughout the day. Doc’s team is here as well, but they’re reconnaissance ponies. They’re not going to be able to help in a fight but Doc has given me his word that they’ll assist in whatever way they can. Some of you may have heard of Berry Punch, Colgate or Carrot Top?”

At the mention of Carrot Top’s name, Derpy raised a hoof and said, “I know Carrot Top. She’s a nice pony…” and turned a deep shade of crimson.

Lyra chimed in as well. “I used to spar with Berry”

Octavia nodded and continued. “Also, be sure to avoid the pink one. The element of laughter. She throws parties for every new pony she sees and we can’t draw unwanted attention to ourselves. Understand?” The other mares nodded. “Good. Move out soldiers.”

Lyra and Bon Bon reluctantly exited the house together. Derpy floated happily out the door and off toward the festivities. Octavia sighed and looked to Doc. He was one of the few ponies she trusted. Had he been more skilled in combat instead of stealth, she wouldn’t have hesitated to put him on her team. But as it was, there was sure to be fighting, and he would only end up as a liability. He tilted his head at her, curious of her thoughts.

She afforded herself a rare moment of vulnerability. “Do you really think we can pull this off? Those moon cultists Doc, they’re sharp. They know what they’re doing.”

Doc gave a lighthearted laugh before saying, “Octavia, if they’re up against you, well they really don’t know what they’re doing. I’ve made it a point to stay on your good side you know. I’ve seen what happens to ponies when they don’t.” At this they both chuckled.

“There’s a unicorn though. Whoever it was, they were powerful. I took one hit from that magic and I was down. Nopony has ever defeated me that easily.” She said worriedly.

“Why did they even attack you anyways? Why take the risk of doing that in Celestia’s own castle?”

“To catch us unaware. It worked. We barely managed to keep ourselves alive before Celestia and her guards arrived. Thanks to Derpy’s eyes, we were able to dodge the first blast.” She gave a look at the katana resting on the kitchen table. “But next time will be different”

----------------------------------------------------

Lyra groaned. “Uuuuggghh. I’m tired of all this ‘reconnaissance’. Let’s go sit down somewhere, my hooves are killing me!”

“Lyra you know we can’t just ignore our mission. We need to keep a close eye out for the enemy.”

“Yea, and we need to blend in. We can do that just as easily from a bench somewhere. Nopony’s going to be suspicious of us just sitting down.”

Bon Bon spent a few moments in thought, and reluctantly agreed before the pair trotted over to a nearby park bench. She lifted herself up onto the bench and curled her four legs underneath her, finally getting a chance to relax. She watched aghast as Lyra plopped her haunches onto the bench, sitting upright.

Lyra noticed the look. “What? It’s good for my chi. Gotta have my chi if we’re gonna be fighting” she said before crossing her forelegs.

“How unladylike…” The pair sat closely watching the park inhabitants happily go by, anxious for the celebration that would start that night. Lyra and Bon Bon silently contemplated the fact that they had no idea just what was about to happen at the celebration.

Next Chapter: Face to Face Estimated time remaining: 23 Minutes