//------------------------------// // Cleaning Up/Second Chances // Story: Voyages of the Lightbringer: Episode 2: The Deity of Azure // by Admiral Wyatt Stone //------------------------------// My friends and I all stepped out of the turbolift as it's doors opened, permitting us inside the bridge. After beaming back to the Lightbringer, Velvet Remedy informed sickbay to send medical teams for the three alicorn sisters and Trixie's minions. Before we continued to the bridge, Trixie asked if she and Fluttershy could come and witness the battle with us, Windsheer and Jokeblue offering to help against the Tholians as well. I agreed to let them help before we all made our way out of the transporter room, the first medical team entering as we left for the bridge. As I sat in my chair, I looked to the viewscreen in front of the ship's large window, the battle was very heated, but looked to be in our favor. I could only see three Mesh Weavers (not counting the Loskene, of course), the T'skang, and even a Tarantula dreadnought in the midst of the battlefield! It was a massive vessel, a large hull section with three small wings held by many energy beams shooting out of the main hull. Once I was done examining the enemy fleet, I looked to Calamity, the stallion already sitting at his console as I spoke to him. "Status?" "Weapons are workin', engines are at low power, 'Pip. We can't run away." As I opened my mouth to order a spread of torpedoes, I saw the T'skang's front tip glow for a moment, then firing several beams of energy around us as they all formed a massive web around us. "The T'skang's deployed a web around us! We'll be sliced apart if we don't get out!" Velvet cried out as she examined her console, myself turning to her as I replied. "Tell our escorts to fire on the web nodes," I turned back to Calamity before continuing. "Calamity, prepare for emergency impulse on my word!" The pegasus nodded as he tapped his console, Velvet speaking into her console as the ship shook from weapons fire. "Lightbringer to all fighters, destroy the enemy web before it collapses on us!" "Understood! Squadron 1 Leader to Forerunner, target the web around the Lightbringer, we must free her!" I heard a deep, phased voice say before a section of the ceiling exploded with sparks above me, Windsheer turning to me as he spoke. "Captain, Ah'm pickin' up another Tholian signature, it's a big one!" As I looked to the viewscreen, I saw another Tarantula class warp right next to the T'skang, the ship slowly flying towards the smaller Recluse cruiser before tearing into it's hull. I gasped in shock as the large dreadnought flew further into the T'skang, the ship's hull screeching from the stress as it was torn apart. "IT'S THE TIK'R!" I heard Dlyrene say through the comms as the large dreadnought turned towards it's sister ship, firing several tetryon beams at it as I replied to the Loskene's captain. "Good, let's see if we can clean this mess up quicker with their help!" As I said that, a section of the web in front of us collapsed, the nodes holding it together having been destroyed by our fighter escorts. "WE SHALL FORM UP ON YOUR WING, LIGHTBRINGER, LET'S FINISH THIS FIGHT!" Dlyrene said through the comms as I looked to Calamity, the stallion needing no reminders as he tapped his console, the Lightbringer speeding out of the web at full speed. "We're out o' the web! Fire a full spread, 'Pip?" I nodded as he did his work, the flurry of green torpedoes shooting out of the Lightbringer and hitting the enemy Tarantula dreadnought a moment later. I then turned to Xenith as we flew upward, passing over the Tik'r and the enemy ship as I gave her my order. "Xenith, prepare a shield drain, we're going to break that ship's wings!" My zebra friend nodded as she worked at her console, Calamity tapping his console as the ship turned around and faced the aft side of the enemy Tarantula. "The drain beam is ready." Xenith said with a grin as I replied. "Now!" My friend tapped her console before a blue beam of energy shot out and struck the dreadnought, the shields flickering out a moment later. Calamity then tapped his console as two more torpedoes shot out and struck the aft side of the vessel, the three large engines exploding as the torpedoes hit. As the dreadnought started to drift away from us, I turned to Trixie and Fluttershy, the two looking on in awe as the former spoke to me. "You have.... quite an impressive ship, Littlepip." I smiled at her before looking back to the viewscreen, the large Tholian dreadnought being caught in a tractor beam as I heard Jokeblue speak up from one of the alicorns' consoles. "The Tik'r's caught her in a tractor beam, they're pushing her towards the asteroid base!" I looked to Velvet as I spoke to her. "Let's see if we can give them a hoof. Velvet, repulsor beams, quickly!" The charcoal mare nodded as she tapped her console, myself looking back to see the Lightbringer fire it's own beam at the enemy dreadnought. The ship was pushed slowly away from us as it flew towards the large base, the ship hitting the exterior docking bay after several seconds of being pushed away by our repulsors. As the large ship exploded in front of the base, the explosion became three times brighter as the station exploded with it, large and small chunks of the station remaining as the bright explosion died down moments later. We all let out cheers and whoops as the explosion subsided, the remaining Mesh Weavers and Widow squadrons trying to fly away from us or being caught in the Tik'r's tractor beams. We watched as the Forerunner came around and fired several dark blue beams at the two remaining frigates, both of them exploding after several hits to their hull. "The Tik'r's takin' care o' the remainin' ships, the Loskene an' her allies are headin' back t' our position!" Calamity said as Velvet's console beeped, the unicorn examining it before looking to me. "The Tik'r is hailing us, Littlepip." I looked back to the viewscreen as I replied. "Let's hear what they have to say." As Velvet tapped her console, the screen changed to show the bridge of the large Tholian warship, the armorless captain standing in the center as it looked to us. "IT SEEMS OUR LITTLE INCIDENT WENT MORE... EFFICIENTLY THAN I EXPECTED." The Tholian captain said as I smiled, the red spider tapping his console as I replied. "Yeah, thanks to our help. Is your ship still holding after that crash back there?" The Tholian stared at me, it's expression unchanged as it spoke back. "MY SHIP CAN TAKE WORSE THAN SUCH A MINOR HIT AS THAT." The Tholian tapped it's console again before continuing. "AND BECAUSE OF YOUR EFFORTS AGAINST THESE TRAITORS, I BELIEVE THE ASSEMBLY IS WILLING TO PERMIT A REPRIEVE FOR YOU AND YOUR ALLIES." I noticed the spider captain then shift a little as it finished, my smile fading slightly at his words. "THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU ARE ALLOWED TO STAY IN OUR SPACE, HOWEVER. I RECOMMEND THAT YOU LEAVE HERE AT ONCE, WE SHALL HOLD OFF THE REMAINING SHIPS WHILE YOU ESCAPE." I nodded in understanding as I spoke once again to the captain of the Tik'r. "Understood, we'll be out of your hair shortly. And Captain, I do hope we can meet under a more... peaceful situation someday, the Alliance would be happy to have you as allies one day." "INDEED, UNTIL THEN, CAPTAIN." The Tholian replied as the signal cut out, the screen shifting to show the Tik'r firing on the last four Widow fighters as I turned to Velvet. "Velvet, tell the Loskene to get a tractor lock on us, they'll need to warp us out with them." "Got it." The charcoal unicorn replied as she tapped her console, the Tik'r flying away from us as the Loskene came around us. A moment later, the ship shook slightly as the Loskene caught us, the small frigate flying past us as we were pulled behind her. "The Loskene's chargin' up her warp drive, leaving the system in 3, 2, 1." As Calamity finished counting, the Loskene's engines glowed as it jumped to warp, the Lightbringer still being held in a tractor beam as the Forerunner flew ahead of us. As I stood up from my chair, Trixie trotted up to me, an apologetic expression on her face as she spoke. "Well, I'm glad that's all over." "Yeah, and I'm even more happy that you're back with us, Trixie." I replied as I smiled at her, the blue alicorn giving a weaker smile as she spoke again. "I see that." The former-goddess' smile fell into a frown as she continued. "Littlepip? I... Can you activate the speakers around the ship? I have to say something important, and I want to say it to everyone aboard." I nodded as I tapped my comms panel on my command chair, the shipwide speakers activating as Trixie began. "I owe you and your friends an apology. I'm so sorry that I hurt you in that room back on the station, and I'm sorry that I did all those horrible things to everyone back in the Wasteland." As she finished, I noticed that she was starting to cry, the poor mare feeling horrible over her past actions as she continued. "Can you ever forgive me?" I gave a hopeful smile as I held her hoof, Trixie's smile returning slightly as I replied. "Trixie, I think I speak for everyone onboard this ship when I say I forgive you, I think you deserve another chance to change, especially for the fact that you want to." As I finished, Trixie wrapped her forehooves around me as she sobbed slightly, myself returning the embrace as I shared her pain. There were times that I thought I had become an irredeemable monster in my life, especially after my actions at the cannibal town of Arbu. But despite doing such things, I kept going, I wanted to do good in the world, and I'd be damned if I was going to let my mistakes stop me from doing so. And now Trixie could do the same, she would probably receive some harsh words from those who wished she had stayed dead, but Fluttershy and our friends back home would make sure she would change, they wouldn't let her fall down and never get back up this time, especially not us. As Trixie and I broke our hug, she wiped her eyes as she spoke once more. "Thank you... You all have helped me see the light I was so ignorant of so long ago, and now I think I can make a much better start than before." I smiled at her words, my friends all joining in with me as we listened to Trixie. Her smile faltered a little as she asked me, "Wait, what will we do with the others?" I kept my smile as I gave my answer regarding her former children. "They'll be coming with you and Fluttershy back to Junction Town, they deserve to have another chance at life too." I frowned a bit as I remembered the dark mare that I fought back at Trixie's base. "Though I'm afraid Nightseer may have to stay with us in the brig, should she be unwilling to listen." Trixie nodded in understanding as she replied to me. "I understand, she was a bit defiant after I had her cloned by the Tholians at the base." Trixie, Fluttershy and I all looked to the viewscreen, watching the stars pass our fleet before Calamity spoke up. "Say, brother, ya sure Jokeblue and y'all don't wanna join our crew? Y'all would like it here!" Windsheer smiled as he replied to his brother, Jokeblue trotting up next to him as he spoke. "Well, Ah suppose our ship could use a home t' dock up in." He grinned devilishly as he continued. "And Ah think y'all will love t' hear 'bout our relationship since we teamed up." I gave a faint gasp at Windsheer and Jokeblue, Calamity and Velvet blushing slightly as they looked at the two lovebirds. "Hey now, when your a temporal agent, ya gotta find love somewhere." Jokeblue said as I laughed a little, my friends laughing along with me as the two ponies held their forehooves. As we ceased our laughing, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to face Trixie, the mare smiling sheepishly as she asked, "Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you and I go to sickbay to see your alicorns? I want to have a little chat with them." I nodded in agreement as Velvet trotted over to us, a hint of surprise in her eyes as she spoke. "You know, even after ten years of having them with me, I never helped them give names to each other, why don't we do that while we're down there?" I smiled as I approved of the idea, I'd gotten a little tired of calling them by the color of their fur or "You" when I pointed a hoof at the one I was talking to, it didn't feel right to do that, and having names would make it more kind and personal for all of us. "I like that idea, why don't we do that while we head home?" My two friends nodded as we began trotting to the turbolift, but stopping as I looked to Steelhooves and spoke again. "Steelhooves, can you keep my seat warm while we're gone?" The armored stallion nodded as he trotted over to my chair, the rest of us entering the turbolift as he sat down. As the turbolift doors, opened, I smiled as the large elevator began it's trip down to our destination. Trixie was back with us once again, and this time, she and her former children could build new lives for themselves when they came back. And despite what they had done before in their past lives, I was sure they could improve, they could change. "Change, ladies, the order of the day." I said to my friends as we stood in the turbolift, the small space shifting as it went in another direction that led to sickbay.