//------------------------------//
// The Hunt's End/The Prototype 
// Story: Voyages of the Lightbringer: Episode 3: The Goddess of War 
// by Admiral Wyatt Stone 
//------------------------------//

As the blue fields of energy faded away around us, our vision shifted to the sight of the icy surface of H'atoria, several mountains piercing the blue sky above us. As we looked around, we saw two trails ahead of us, one that went left, and the other that went right. I took out my Pipbuck and tapped it a few times as I took a scan of the area, Velvet trotting over to me as she asked, "Which way, Littlepip?"

As my Pipbuck finished it's scan, I turned to my friends as I gave my answer. "From what my map says, we should go this way." I pointed a hoof towards the left path, all of us walking down the trail shortly after.

"I'm not detecting any enemy signatures nearby, but we should keep ourselves vigilant." Admiral Wyatt said as we all pulled out our weapons, looking around the area as we continued down the trail.

As we continued walking, we all took cover behind two sets of rocks as a single bolt of energy shot out at us, none of us being hit thankfully. As my friends and I crouched down under the left wing of rocks, several more bolts started flying over us, the native chirping and screeching from the Tholians ahead being heard occasionally as I turned to Calamity.

"You have any photon grenades on you?" I asked the pegasus as he checked his saddlebags, showing me the now opened bag on his right side as I pulled four of the six he had out. I then pulled out four of my own as I took a peek around the rock, they were all standing together as they blocked our path, making themselves vulnerable to the plan I had in store for them. I looked to Velvet as I asked her, "You have the anesthetic spell ready?" 

The charcoal grey unicorn nodded as her horn glowed brightly, giving an unsure expression as she replied. "I do hope it works through their armor."

"Hopefully, it'll shut it down for us." myself taking a slight peek around the rock as I gave my word. "Now!"

Velvet stood up swiftly, firing several magic bolts at the Tholians, all of them getting struck down before they could get a hit on her. I smiled with satisfaction as I pressed a button on each of the grenades and threw them all out towards the Tholians as they detonated, their bodies disintegrating as the explosions consumed them.

As we all stood up, I took a look ahead, there were two more of them coming our way, I lifted Little Macintosh and aimed at one of the Tholians, firing a magic bolt of energy that struck the armored spider. As it's armor melted away, the Tholian screeched in agony as it expired from the low temperatures of the planet. I pointed my gun at the other Tholian and, with a little help from SATS, struck the Tholian right through his helmet, his body falling to the ground hard. 

I looked further down the trail to see no more enemies heading our way, as well as a small sign of light nearby. I looked to my friends as I spoke up. "I think I see the base up ahead, keep your weapons ready."

They all nodded as we all continued down the trail, two more Tholians exiting the now visible building as Trixie fired a bolt of magic at the closest one. The armored spider was knocked back as Trixie took to the air, flying towards the second Tholian as her horn glowed. As she impaled the second Tholian in the head with her glowing horn, the first one recovered. "THE GODDESS HAS BETRAYED US! ALL UNITS, DEFEND THE RESEAR-" The guard was cut off as the blue alicorn pulled her horn out of the other Tholian's corpse and fired another bolt of magic at him, this one breaking the window on his helmet open.

As the now dead Tholian guard fell to the ground, we heard an alarm sound around the large structure. "Looks like they know we're here." I said as I trotted over to the nearby console that controlled the force field protecting the interior of the building. 

After a few moments of messing with the console, the force field fell, allowing us to continue on inside. As we took a look around, we saw a large generator in the center of the room, a single human standing near it as he operated the console next to it. That must've been Amar Singh over there. The little pony in my head said as I continued examining the room. He was guarded by three alicorns, around them were five more Tholians, one of them having a red color on his body. He must've been the captain of that one Recluse we destroyed in orbit a bit ago.

The three alicorns brought up their shields around Mr. Singh as the Tholians walked towards us, Cassiopeia and Trixie deploying their own shields in front of our group as the enemy laser fire flew towards us. 

"DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO REACH SINGH!" The Tholian captain ordered his minions as they continued firing, their laser fire only striking the two shields of Trixie and Cassiopeia as the latter spoke.

"Trixie! Remember what we taught you back at K-7!" The blue alicorn nodded at her sister, the two of them having practiced the weaponized shield spell during our stay there. "Now!" The two mares then launched their shields outward, the shockwaves vaporizing the five Tholian soldiers as the trio of alicorns guarding Amar lowered their shields, their expressions full of surprise as we walked over to them.

"Is... Is that our Goddess?! Working with the-" The blue one of the group asked worriedly before Trixie answered for her.

"Yes, it is I, the Great and Powerful Goddess." I could hear a hint of sarcasm in those words as she continued. "And this mission is foolhardy, my sisters. Will you please move aside so that we may restrain Dr. Singh? We're taking him into custody again."

The three mares looked at each other for a moment, then stepped out of the way as Admiral Stone stepped over to meet Amar's eyes.

"Well, I didn't expect to see your face here, Admiral." Singh said in a friendly manner, Wyatt merely staring at him with a stern expression as he replied.

"The feeling's mutual, Amar. And I hate to disappoint you, but this operation is over, we're taking you back into custody."

"Well, let's see here, you've destroyed all of the defense ships in orbit, my alicorn guards are being held by the Goddess' leash, and my assistants are dead.... Very well, I surrender. Do what you will with the lab, but might I make a suggestion, Admiral?"

"What is that?" Wyatt asked the mad scientist as he replied.

"I at least would suggest you allow me to show you the fruits of my labor. I think my friend here will like what she sees." He looked to Trixie at those last words, the mare giving a slightly repulsed look at him before replying. 

"Well, I'm afraid that we may have to dispose of them, but I will accept the offer." She then looked to Admiral Stone as she asked him, "May we observe his work, sir?"

Wyatt smiled slightly as he answered Trixie. "Of course. Mr. Singh, lead the way, but don't try anything, we could easily stun you before things could get worse."

"Like I can, Admiral." Singh said with a laugh, the scientist turning as he finished. "If you'll follow me, please."

----------

We'd walked down a short hallway that led into the containment center for the "fruits" Dr. Singh spoke of. The left side of the room was just a wall with windows showing the outside world, while the right was where the cells were.

The smell of death couldn't be stopped by the force fields, almost all of the six cells held dead specimens inside. One of them was a normal alicorn with Borg technology implanted into her body, another was a humanoid that wore a simple grey shirt and shorts, wings sprouting from it's back. Another cell held a set of armor with pink Dilithium gems built inside them, they reminded me of a mare that Blackjack had told me about while I had visited earlier. The fourth cell held another alicorn, this one having similar implants like the dead one behind us, but it was standing in front of a strange device built into the wall. The mare looked like it was standing while asleep. From my research on the Borg, they called it a regeneration alcove.



But the one that caught my eyes (and everyone else's) was the sixth cell. Inside, a single alicorn stood inside, the mare boasting a red coat and greyish-red hair. Her eyes were an intimidating red, the white in them having the faintest tint of yellow (purely from genetic engineering, I assumed). There was also a small ring placed on her horn as to prevent her from escaping. Upon seeing us, the mare stood up slowly, Dr. Singh smiling pleasantly as he turned to us. "Allow me to introduce you to my... daughter. Her name is Crimson Star, she is my first successful creation after several failed tests." He waved his arm around the room, noting the other cells as he continued. "I would have hoped that she would be good enough to sate the Goddess' demands earlier on, a war machine such as her would be quite a sight to behold in her army." As he finished, I looked to see the red mare named Crimson look away in disgust, Dr. Singh not taking notice at his creation as he monologued. "I wish you all could've been here to witness her skills, she was impressive to see!" 

Calamity raised an eyebrow as he asked Dr. Singh a question. "Uh, pardon me, Ah don't mean t' be rude to yer "daughter" here, but how'd she get a name like that?"

The genetic researcher laughed lightly as he answered my friend. "I should've told you all about that moon up there. Earlier during her tests, we had a rogue moon fly by us and nearly destroy us, but fortunately, I had come up with a plan for it. I had decided that this moon would be one of Crimson's first test, and miraculously, she was able to stop it, using an immense amount of magic to slice it apart."

My pupils shrunk at what I was hearing, my friends all bearing the same expression as I replied to Amar. "Well, that sounds like quite the feat for a being such as her." 

The doctor gave a slight frown as he continued, turning to face Crimson. "Yes, unfortunately, I haven't started any real combat trials for her, so I have no information regarding her fighting prowess." He turned back to face us, his frown shifting slightly to a smirk as he finished. "But I had intentions to make her the strongest of all the alicorns that were at the Goddess' disposal, with the right modifications, I could make her rival those two mares that rule your world, Littlepip... What were their names again?"

I raised an eyebrow at him as I gave my answer. "Celestia and Luna, and how did you find out about them?"

Trixie tapped me on the shoulder as she silenced my curiosity. "I mentioned them during his briefing."

I could hear some of my friends chuckle from Singh's clouded memory, but Velvet gasped in surprise from his claims. As she put a hoof to her muzzle, Calamity replied. "That sounds a lil' crazy, y'all would have t' get the best equipment around t' make such a gal like her that strong!"

It would seem so, but when you have a high amount of experience like me, you'd have a hell of a fun time playing around with genes and modifications." He frowned again as he continued. "It is unfortunate that this will all go to waste, though, we could use people like her during these harsh times, I'll bet she could make the job fighting against those rogue Hur'q a lot easier. She was even supposed to be more independent than the others as well, a very special privilege I thought would be fitting for a mare such as her." I thought I saw Trixie raise an eyebrow at that statement, individuality wasn't something she was keen on her subjects having during her time as the Goddess.

As I looked at the tall, red alicorn, I wondered. Maybe she could find a place at our home? From how she acted back there, she doesn't seem like she wants to be what she's set up for. "Perhaps not," I said to Mr. Singh as he looked at me, my friends doing the same as I continued. "if the admiral here will permit it, I suggest she come with us back to Equus, she could find a home there." I then looked at Crimson, the mare looking away shyly as I finished. "And, from how I see it, she doesn't seem to like the idea of being a warrior for a broken empire."

Dr. Singh given a hopeful smile at my words before replying. "Yes, about that. She has been... conflicted heavily about her duties lately, after allowing her to study the Alliance's history, she has been having trouble doing certain tasks, especially those involving live combat tests." He then turned to face the red alicorn with a sad expression, the mare giving a slight scowl in return as he finished. "And... she's been trying to hurt herself lately, so I had that magic inhibitor placed on her horn while I'm away."

My jaw dropped at his words as I looked back at Crimson, the mare standing up and trotting over to the door as she joined the conversation. Her voice sounded like one of an angel, though I could sense the malice in her voice as she spoke to Singh. "And your friends there should have helped me." The three alicorns cringed at their sister's words before she continued. "They shouldn't have let you create such a monster like myself."

"Whoa there, girl." Calamity said in surprise to the red alicorn. "Why d' y'all have t' be so harsh on yerself?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Crimson Star replied to my friend as she looked to the ground with sadness in her eyes. "I was made to be used as a weapon, to murder innocent people simply for the territorial gain of your enemies, why do you wish to allow me to live?"

Trixie trotted up to the cell, looking up at the tall mare as she spoke to her. "Now, now, don't beat yourself up like this. I'm sure Littlepip here can help you start your life in a brighter light than what I had planned," She looked to me before finishing, myself erecting a hopeful smile as she spoke. "right, Littlepip?"

"Definitely, and, honestly, I'm curious as to what you can do. Would you mind showing us? You don't need to do anything harsh, just, you know... uh..." 

I was stuck in thought as Crimson slowly stepped away from the force field, a look of fear on her face as she answered us. "No, I will not dare do such a thing, not after destroying that rogue moon!" She closed her eyes as she turned away from us, her voice cracking as she finished. "....I don't want to kill again."

I raised an eyebrow at her words, now hesitant to get an answer. "..What do you mea-"

I was cut off by my combadge as it beeped, myself tapping it as I heard Andromeda speak through it. "Lightbringer to Littlepip, we've got company! A large task force of Tal Shiar warships has dropped out of warp, we're holding them off, but we'll need reinforcements!"

We all gasped in surprise as I asked our alicorn friend, "Has anyone responded to your signals yet?"

"We've got one Klingon cruiser heading our way, but they won't be here for a little bit." I smiled slightly before replying.

"Good, we'll be up there in a bi-" Amar cut me off.

"No! ….Actually, I have a much easier solution." He turned to Velvet as he asked her, "Would you please open the cell for her?"

Velvet nodded hesitantly, tapping the panel on the wall as the force field lowered, Crimson Star moving back towards the wall as the medical mare looked to her. "Don't worry, you can come out. You'll be safe with us..." Velvet reached her hoof out to hold the alicorn's hoof out as she said, "Please."

Crimson stood back for a moment, but slowly walked towards our charcoal-coated friend, stopping in front of her as she replied. "Alright, but don't forget about her." The red alicorn pointed a hoof to the cell containing her assimilated sister before continuing. "She deserves to go with us as well."

"You two are in luck, I have someone onboard my ship who can help her." Admiral Stone said before tapping his communicator and speaking into it. "Stone to Chestnut, we have one of Amar's subjects we want to beam to the ship, she's received Borg implants during the experiments. Have Five of Seven help her out in sickbay."

"Aye Sir, we've got a lock on her signal and will have her beamed up shortly. Chestnut out." As the signal cut out, Amar spoke up once more.

"Once again, if you'll follow me, please."

-----------

We made it to a small mountaintop with the assistance of Cassiopeia's teleportation spell. As we looked up to the evening sky, we saw a few flashes of light appear constantly in one spot above. That must've been where the battle was taking place.

As we stood together behind Amar and Crimson, I tapped my combadge. "Littlepip to Lightbringer, what's your status up there?"

We all grew looks of concern as Windsheer spoke up. "We're gettin' it purty bad, 'Pip. Our shields are down t' 20%, the Chestnut is holdin' up, but she's bein' chased by the Romulan fleet, and as fer the Loskene? She's guardin' the D'deridex by herself and has taken heavy damage doin' it!"

We all grew smiles of relief as we heard Xenith speak up through the transmission. "I am detecting another ship entering the system, they're hailing us!"

"Put them through!" Andromeda said as we heard a boom on the bridge, the hearty voice of a Klingon speaking after that.

"This is Dahar Master K'vak of the I.K.S. Vatal, we are ready to join this glorious battle!"

I saw Admiral Stone smile as he spoke to his fellow warrior. "It's good that you're here, Dahar Master, can you cover the Loskene and her captor while the others hold off the enemy fleet?"

"Indeed we shall! Qapla, Admiral!" K'vak said with excitement as I spoke to Andromeda.

"Andromeda, keep your eyes peeled for anything strange, our friend down here wishes to show us something."

"Understood, Lightbringer out." As the signal cut out, we all turned to face Dr. Singh, who was looking up to Crimson Star as he spoke to her.

"Alright, this is it. Try that same trick you did before to that moon..." He pulled off the ring around the alicorn's horn as he finished. "Show them what you're capable of."

Crimson looked back to us for a moment, a look of hurt and regret in her eyes as I encouraged her. "Don't worry, you'll be saving lives this time. Our people up there need your help."

As the red mare gave a hopeful look to us, she turned and faced the sky, her horn glowing a bright red as she began her work.

As Crimson's horn glowed brighter and brighter, I looked to Cassiopeia, who was cringing with her eyes closed. "What's wrong, Cassiopeia?" I asked with worry in my voice.

"I... I'm reading Crimson's memories, I learned that spell thanks to my studying alongside my sisters back at Junction Town." The green alicorn cringed some more as she continued. "She... the moon, she did what she's doing now to destroy it."

My friends and I all looked to her as she stood in her mind-reading trance, her expression shifting further into despair as she spoke. "Pain....Fear....Regret....." As she stood next to us, my combadge beeped, I tapped it to hear Jokeblue's voice.

"Uh, Littlepip? We're detecting a high energy buildup near the sun, something's charging up!" We all looked over to the horizon to face the sun, while the light was mostly the same, I could see a faint brilliance very close to it.

"Death."

We all jumped in surprise as Cassiopeia gasped in utter shock, Velvet helping her up as she spoke. "Littlepip, tell our ships to clear the area around the enemy fleet, she's going to destroy it!"

I turned to my combadge to give my orders, but my breath was saved as Jokeblue spoke again. "Already ahead of ya, Pip!" As we looked up to the fleet, we saw the explosions cease a little, but they still went off several times as I turned to Cassiopeia.

"What did you find?" I asked as the green mare replied.

"Littlepip, Crimson destroyed that moon a few days ago. She used a spell similar to the one she's performing now to slice it apart and kill everyone on it!"

I gasped as I heard her words, then shaking my head as I asked, "What?! What do you mean?"

Cassiopeia gave a grim expression as she gave her answer. "Littlepip, that rogue moon wasn't any random rock in space, it was a small alien colony!"

"What?!" We all said simultaneously as we heard Crimson scream to the sky, her horn ceasing as she fell to the ground.

"NO!!!" As Amar crouched to help her up, we looked to the horizon again to see the flash fade slightly, then, a large, orange beam of energy sped towards the battle above, my combadge startling us as Andromeda yelled to her friends.

"Emergency maneuvers, NOW!" As we looked to the fleet, we watched as the beam zoomed closer to the field of flashing explosions, the explosions ceasing as the beam consumed them all, a faint bulge of orange light taking their place as the beam shot further out into space.