//------------------------------// // Episode 12: Promotional Protest: Part 2 // Story: My Brave Pony: Starfleet Magic Season XII // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// “Previously on Starfleet Magic…” During the promotional exams and field tests, many civilians across Equestria began to mysteriously vanish along with many supplies and goods from businesses all over. As Lightning and friends began investigation, an off-duty and irritable Swift Star found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was transported to Brick Walden’s holding bunking, surrounded by brainwashed civilians wanting to dispose of him! EPISODE TWELVE Swift found himself backed up against the wall as the brainwashed civilians continued to creep forth wanting to finish him. He hollered at Blitz, “Doc, what is with you? Snap out of it!” but Blitz only growled and lunged at him, forcing him to leap up onto a big stack of crates. “Let’s get him!” Blitz yelled at the rest of the folks, and they all growled and glared at Swift and began to climb up the stack or just hover up to the top forcing him to leap away again. Even without his energizer, he could tell, “They’ve all be brainwashed.” Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind by the Minotaur and held tightly. “Let me go!” “You’re not going anywhere, Starfleet Slime,” the guy growled at him “…Except down!” and he began to put pressure on him, squeezing him harder and harder. Swift had no choice-- civilian or not. He gave his head a huge jerk, bashing his captor hard in his huge face, causing him to let go as he was sent crashing hard into a pile of supplies. “Ohhh!” Swift groaned as he held his head. “Talk about a thick skull!” The civilians all looked furious and rushed to tackle him. Swift knew he couldn’t fight them, and he didn’t have his energizer to transform or help him reverse whatever brainwashing it was. His only chance was to escape from the room and try to figure out who was behind all this, and the door was still open in the back. “Coming through!” he shouted, and he rammed his way past everyone knocking them all about like bowling pins, right for the exit. “Don’t just stand there! Stop him!” Brick thundered over the intercom. “That voice…!” Swift said to himself. “I’ve heard that voice before.” Suddenly Swift found himself confronted in the corridor by Cheeilee and her students. They, too, like the others, were brainwashed and looking to really harm him. “Seriously?! Minors too?!” The poor brainwashed children just eyed him, and then began to charge, forcing him to dash down the other way. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded at both ends by more civilians, forcing him to run through the nearest door he could find, which turned out to be his mistake…! The door slammed shut and he found himself surrounded in a closed-in room with no other way out. “Looks like you’re stuck.” Brick announced over the intercom. Swift looked up, and he could see no cameras, no screens or anything. “I know that you, Wallen!” he bellowed. “Let me out of here!” “And let you warn your buddies, and try to sabotage our plans? Not on your life, just like how you and your Starfleet don’t stop messing up my life and the lives of others.” That was more than enough for Swift to get a picture of what was going on. “You’ve gone mad!” “…No! It was you and Starfleet that did this! You took my fiancée away from me, which nearly as bad as all this pushing us around and treating us like criminals.” “First of all!” Swift protested. “We didn’t take Sun away from you, she came to us, but you decided to toss her out. And Two: Maybe if you didn’t act like criminals, thinking only for yourselves, causing scenes and disturbances, we wouldn’t treat you as them. Like just now, kidnapping all these creatures, and stealing all these items, and for what?!” Brick only chuckled, “Why should I tell you? You’re not going to be around to know anyway, and by the time any of your Starfleet Pals figure this out, we’ll all be long gone. For that matter… so will you.” Swift didn’t like the sound of that. He was about ready to ram the door down when he heard the angry civilians pounding at the steel. “What’s the matter?” Brick taunted him. “Aren’t you going to try to bust the door down? Are you going to hurt those innocent civilians? That’s not very “Starfleet” of you is it. I’m sure they’ll eventually break the door down, and when they do, they’ll do me a huge favor and dispose of you so you can’t squeal.” Swift was really in a fix now. How was he going to get out of this and warn the others of what was going on? He didn’t need his visor to scan the material on the walls. “They’re so thick, readings can’t get through.” Then he realized there was one possible thing that could alert Starfleet, and so, he began kicking at the walls over, and over in rhythm. Brick saw this on his screen. “Look at him. He thinks he can kick his way out from that?” Neither he nor his friends knew what Swift was really doing by kicking walls like that. Meanwhile, Pryon and Galceia had seen Lightning and Starla with Krysta, still investigating within New Ponyville, and they told the officers everything. “You’re sure?” Lightning asked. “We saw it ourselves.” replied Pyron, and he pointed down the street, “The Lieutenant sat on the bench that was over there, and then just vanished.” The trio observed the space where the missing bench once stood. “Did you see anyone else in the area?” asked Starla. “No.” answered Glaceia “We have no clue as to what happened. He just vanished.” “Well, things don’t just vanish for no reason.” said Krysta. Just then Applejack came soaring in over the town at an alarming speed. “Applejack!” Lightning shouted, but she didn’t answer. Starla noted her flight path. “She’s headed for New Sweet Apple Acres.” “Lightning!” someone called, it Was Buddy Rose flying overhead, “Applejack may have a lead. Head for the farmlands!” With a lead in sight, the trio told the couple to get someplace safe. “Leave this to Starfleet.” Lightning said. Once the friends had arrived at the farm, they found both the Apple Family and Buddy’s family looking grim, and for good reason. All the Apple Trees were bare, and some were even missing along with entire fields that were full of crops, including from Buddy and Tree Hugger’s personal gardens. “I can’t believe this!” cried Applejack. “All my beautiful flowers!” peeped Buddy. Even Tree Hugger couldn’t hold back her sadness as she sat on the porch with Seedling in her arms and DD standing next to her. “They all just vanished.” said DD. “I was doing some sprints around the acres, when I saw things just disappearing.” “I knew I could feel some negative, cool waves in the air.” Tree Hugger said, which was her way of saying she felt something was wrong. “That ain’t all that’s gone…” said Pear Butter. “Our livestock, it’s all gone.” Bright Mac confirmed this. “The Cows, the Hogs, The Sheep… all of them.” “Eeyup. Even many of our farmhands just up and went poof.” added big Mac. Applejack clenched her fist tightly. “Let me get my hands on whoever did this!” “Save some for me.” added Buddy. “Nobody messes with my garden!” Applebloom shivered with worry. “What if I’m next? What if someone else I know is next? Who’s doing this?!” Applejack calmed her sister, “We’ll find out who, and they’ll pay for it.” “…If only we had any leads.” muttered Krysta. Brick’s team was taking inventory with more supplies they had confiscated. “This is going to do great.” “We’ll start a great new world with all this.” As for the new civilians being brought in, Brick’s friends gassed them with their special potion to make them Starfleet-Hating beings, just like the rest. When Brick asked for an update, one of his friends told him. “Just a little bit more supplies and people, and we can get ready to leave.” Brick nodded proudly. “Good. The sooner I put this stupid world and Starfleet behind me, the better. Sun Setter will regret what she did to me!” He was so busy taking stock of his progress, he still didn’t bother much with Swift, who was still kicking the walls, and the civilians were still trying to kick the strong door down to get at him! The door wouldn’t stand too much longer, but Swift just kept right on kicking. “Lightning!” hollered Spike as he and Rarity came flying in and landed by their friends. Rarity puffed and panted, “Oh, my goodness, I thought I’d never be so tired from all that flying.” She looked at her wings and noted, “They could use a good massage.” Spike rolled his eyes, but then he noticed the condition of the lands. “Whoa! I’ve heard of fast harvests, but this is nuts.” Lightning cleared his throat, “Do you have something?” “Oh, right…” said Raity. “We were soaring over the meadows searching for life readings, and we found nothing, we did, however, pick up something else.” The couple urged the friends to follow them out into the meadows, and with their visors, they decided soundwaves of vibrations far below the ground-- like something was banging hard on something solid. “Hey, I recognize this area.” said Starla. “There used to be an old Diamond Dog cave below here, but it was mined completely dry, and the Diamond Dogs relocated under Starfleet’s orders.” Lightning remembered, “We had the caves and mines sealed up. Looks like someone had some renovation ideas. If they would want to store all that stuff, all those creatures, it’s the perfect place for it.” He sent Krysta to round up the rest of the team, and she teleported off. “We’ve got to find the entrance.” said Buddy. “It was sealed up when the cave was made off limits.” said Applejack. It wouldn’t take long to find with their scanners, but they had not gone unobserved… Brick saw on the screen, “What?! How did they find us?!” he bellowed. His friends began to panic. “They’re going to bust us!” “We’ve got to get out of here!” “Shut up!” Brick bellowed. “I’m not giving up! Not now that I’ve come this far! Get everyone ready to leave. I’ll keep them distracted.” and he went off by himself. Swift was growing exhausted from all the kicking he had done, and he couldn’t do it anymore. Finally, the door to his cell burst open and the angry civilians all roared while glaring at him. He was totally backed up against the wall, and Blitzy was closing in on him with the same look of brainwashed fury in her eyes. “Stop!” one of Brick’s friends shouted over the intercom. “We’re moving out. So, shake a leg and help us get ready.” All the civilians complied and rushed back into the corridor… except for Blitz. “No!” she shouted at Swift. “You are mine! I will destroy you!” She suddenly tackled him to the ground reaching to strangle him. Swift was so wiped out from kicking the wall so much, he barely had enough strength to push back and keep her at bay, and his cast didn’t help either, but it gave him one last idea…! “Doc…! Look at this! Look at my cast! Try to think-- you gave this to me.” Blitz only growled and roared while still trying to get at him, but she took one look at the cast, and began to feel strange. “No!” she groaned. “I hate Starfleet! I would never help you! You deserve no mercy!” but she couldn’t deny the images in her head. Her memories were very faded because of the potion she had inhaled, but now they were beginning to clear up. She could see herself putting the cast on Swift’s arm in the hospital. Swift could feel her grip starting to weaken, which gave him the edge to turn the tables…! He flung his cast off and quickly rolled to the side allowing him to get on top of Blitz and hold her down by her arms. Blitz went crazy trying to struggle free, but the images in her head were still plaguing her as they became brighter and clearer. “Think, Doc!” Swift said to her. “Think hard. You’ve been brainwashed! These creeps are trying to use you in their plans. You hated Starfleet, but you came to accept it. I helped you!” Blitz shut her eyes tightly shaking her head about. “No…! No…!!” Her memories showed of Swift taking her on the tour, and all the things he said about her past life and how her disliking Starfleet and wanting to take Lightning away was wrong. She also recalled the many things she had witnessed, and how it softened her attitude towards the force and made her question her own needs. “Come on! Come on!” cried Swift. “Keep going!” Finally, Blitz remembered going to see Swift that day, and asking him what to do about her feelings. “You can’t decide one way or the other if you want to change your groove, but in the end, you have to pick a way… and from that you’ll know how you’ll want to shape your life, just like the rest of us have to every single say.” That was all she needed. The effects of the potion had completely lost to her will. “Doc… it’s alright.” said Swift. “You’ll be alright.” “…Swift?” she peeped softly. “I remember!” Unable to control himself, Swift hugged her, making her blush, “Welcome back!” “Um… what are we doing here?” Blitz asked. “It’s a long story, but right now I’ve got to get you out of here, and we’ve got to get to Commander Lightning. He must know about this scheme.” Meanwhile, the team found the old entrance to the mine, which was supposed to be buried under loads of rock, earth, and growing from the meadow. Now it was just enchanted to look that way to confuse people. “Looks like someone thought this could be a great place for a hideout.” said Lightning. Starla scanned the supposed cover with her visor. “I’m getting a single life reading from inside… Brick Wallen.” Lightning’s anger already began to rise. “Let’s get him!” The team agreed, and they all rushed into the cave, finding the entrance interior didn’t look much like a cave now, but rather with steel enforced brick walls, electrical lighting, and a doorway at the end. “A real fortress.” said Buddy. “How in the hayfields did this all get done?” wondered Applejack. “…Oh, wouldn’t like to know!” hissed a voice over an intercom; a voice that Lightning recognized. “I know it’s you, Wallen.” he called. “We’re on to your little game, and now the fun’s over. Come out and give yourself up.” “I got a better idea…” chuckled Wallen. “You and your messed up posses there can about face and get out of here, and let me do my thing in peace, so everyone can be happy for a change.” Spike and Rarity gawked at each other in confusion, wondering how he made any sense. Lightning bellowed, “If this is how you want it, Wallen… I don’t have time for games. We’re coming in!” The team prepared to race for the doorway, forcing Wallen to activate a special trap he had installed. As the team ran closer to the door, they all vanished through a portal warp and ended up back at the entrance of the cave. “What was that?” asked Rarity. “Feels like we were warped.” said Spike. Lightning scanned the door with his visor. “It’s got a warp portal in front of it. If we run into it we’ll just get sent back again.” “He stole a warp portal too?!” exclaimed Starla. “How low is this guy going to go?” wondered Buddy. Brick laughed and said, “The only place I’m going is as far away from you, and your twisted Starfleet ways as possible, and I’m not going alone.” This made the group realize, and Applejack exclaimed, “…You took all those people and all them things from all over to take them with you on some crazy space voyage?!” “It’s not crazy, it’s genius!” snapped Brick. “It’s something that needs to be done, for the people, for all our sakes! We’re sick of you Starfleeters messing up our lives!! We’re all set to leave through another portal I have in this fort, and I won’t have you messing things up.” The team sighed. “Just like every other, he’s gone nuts.” muttered Spike. “And just like every other,” said Lightning “…He badly underestimates us.” He motioned for his friends to stand well back for what he was about to do, and he began to charge up. “What are you doing?!” cried Brick. “Showing you how flawed your plans are…” replied Lightning. “UNIFORCE” POW!! He fired his massive blast right at the portal by the door, and then ducked down as the blast vanished and came back out again from the exit portal behind and into the entry portal… And again… And again… And again…! “What’s going on?!” cried Brick from within his lookout. The blast just kept going and going and going, until… KAPOW!! The portal couldn’t handle the constant heating and pressures, that it just exploded which also took the door down. “No way!!” cried Brick. The team had already infiltrated the fort, which was shown to be only a few corridors leading to several large storage areas where Brick’s friends were all busy transferring all the stolen goods to the surface to be transported away. “Everybody, Freeze! You’re under arrest!” shouted Lightning, and all the ponies dropped what they were doing and fearfully raised their arms up. “Nobody move!” demanded Starla, but suddenly she was grabbed from behind by a large minotaur. She quickly wretched away from him, but then she and the others were confronted by hordes of brainwashed civilians and the children too. “Okay! This is officially miles over the line!” protested Applejack. “Down with Starfleet! Down with Starfleet!” the civilians chanted. “What are you going to do now?” one of the criminals taunted. “You wouldn’t beat up innocent civilians, would you?” teased another. The friends, and even Starla smirked, “We don’t have to.” said Lightning. Then he and all the others activated their energizers, firing magical beams at the civilians, instantly counteracting the dying brainwashing potion, much to the thieves’ outrage. “You’re all too soft.” said Spike. “That potion you used was only temporary, and easy for us to counteract!” Rarity snuffed, “It’s time you all answered for what you’ve done!” The thieves knew they were finished and decided to come quietly. As for the civilians… “What’s going on?” “Where are we?” “How did we get here?” They all seemed back to normal, and it was just a matter of escorting everyone home. Brick couldn’t believe this! “I’m getting out of here!” he wailed to himself, and he left through a secret exit to get back to the surface because he didn’t have another warp portal. The second he got outside, he was confronted by Swift, with Blitz by his side, and the rest of Lightning’s unit. “Brick Wallen, you’re under arrest!” declared Swift. The next thing Brick knew, he was in an interview room, the next day, where Lightning and Starla spoke severely to him. Lightning was reading to him all the charges he was convicted for… “Conspiracy, Kidnapping, Multiple Counts of Grand Theft and Robbery, Illegal trespassing and construction, Misuse of Magic. Brainwashing Attempted Murder …And Several misdemeanors.” Lightning glared at the furious pony. “You, sir, are going to jail for a very long time, and so is everyone else involved in your scheme. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Brick said nothing, as was his right to remain silent. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous and flawed your plan was?” asked Starla. “You used teleporting spells all over to kidnap all these people, you stole all these goods, plants, and livestock, just to make your own community on another planet.” Brick smugly snuffed, “Great, now we all know.” “Don’t get smart with us.” said Lightning. “You should’ve known that with your rush job, building that fort in the cave, your plan would have holes in it, but thinking isn’t really one of your strong suits.” He then motioned for Starla to use her magic to bring up an image of the planet Brick had chosen to migrate to. “This is the planet you chose?” “Yeah, and it would’ve been perfect.” replied Brick. “No, it wouldn’t.” said Starla. “That’s the Planet Luminous, where all the warping fairies live. That planet has been classified as a special preserved world by Starfleet. No one is allowed to establish colonies on it. You would’ve been caught anyway because you didn’t do your research.” Brick’s lips curled into a sour expression. “We’ve dealt with your kind before.” said Lightning. “If you wanted to leave United Equestria, all you had to do was file the correct reports out and you could’ve made proper plans, but even then, it would be under Starfleet surveillance and escort. And even if you did manage to get away from Starfleet, what would happen if you or this colony of yours was suddenly attacked by evil forces, or some great disaster happened?” Brick closed his eyes cringing angrily. He honestly didn’t have an answer. “That’s what we thought.” said Starla. “You spend so much time hating on Starfleet, you don’t think straight, and you don’t see things as they really are. That, or you just don’t want to. The sooner people like you stop wailing on us, the better.” With their work now done, and Brick’s future already well ahead of him-- in prison-- the couple got up to leave. “Well, it looks like you got one thing you wanted from this.” said Lightning. “You’re going to get off United Equestria.” Brick didn’t feel the least bit pleased, knowing he was going to be surrounded by Starfleet guards and other prisoners for a long time. Then it was off to the property detail where all the rest of the unit had been working tirelessly since yesterday, sorting and going through all the stolen things. “How’s it going?” Lightning asked. “Everything’s counted and clear,” said Fluttershy. “Ready to ship everything out of here.” added Rhymey. Artie checked off his clipboard. “A one hundred percent full recovery.” Pinkie wiped her sweaty brow, “It was hard to get all these things here. Now we have to ship them out.” “Gee, that could take time.” groaned Rainbow. Krysta giggled, “I wouldn’t worry about that.” and she whistled, and a swarm of her fairies came flying in ready to take the supplies back where they belonged. Meanwhile, Dyno and Myte were at work with their team of experts to destroy the remains of the mine and the fort so no one could ever use it again. “Ready?” asked Dyno. “Vamaos! Let’s go.” said Myte. Together, the twins pressed on the plungers detonating the charges set, and the mine was blown into an avalanche of debris. “Why didn’t we do this a long time ago?” wondered Dyno. “Eh, who knows.” said Myte. “Just glad things are getting back to normal… at least this way.” All the supplies were returned, and all the children were back home or in school, and all the grownups were at work… including Blitz. She was at Swift’s home again, giving him a clean bill of health. He didn’t have to put his cast back on. “Awesome.” said Swift as he moved his arm around. “This feels so great, but you know, I could’ve just come to the hospital.” “It’s no problem.” said Blitz. “I was on my way there anyway, and thought I’d save you the trouble. and…” she paused. “…I… wanted to thank you for saving me.” Swift couldn’t help but blush. “It’s not a problem. I was just doing my job, even if I was off duty.” They became lost in each other’s eyes again and all went quiet. You’d think their faces would start moving closer towards the other, but there was a knock at the door anyway. Swift clenched his teeth and held in his frustration. “Come in. It’s not locked.” Lightning entered, “I hope I’m not interrupting.” “No, not at all, sir.” replied Swift, still suppressing. Blitzy explained how Swift’s arm was fully healed. “He’s ready to get back on duty.” Lightning was very pleased. “I’m not surprised. After all, you went into action when you were told not to…!” Swift felt that strike him. “However,” continued Lightning. “What happened to you was just by chance, and you helped us a great deal in tracking down everything and the civilians.” He then held up a small box with a silver medal on it. “That is why, I hereby promote you, Swift Star, to the rank of Senior Lieutenant, as well as all the entitlements, duties and responsibility associated with that rank.” He placed the medal in Swift’s hand, and Swift was absolutely astounded! “Promoted?” Blitz was astounded by herself. “But he didn’t take the promotion exams.” Lightning smiled, “He doesn’t have to anymore. Remember, you also get promoted for accomplishing incredible feats or serving your planet incredibly like you just did. Also, given how much you studied, and how well you do your best to follow regulations, and all the support you show. I’m sure you would have passed with flying colors anyway.” Swift didn’t know what to say, but he did salute with pride, and Lightning saluted back. Blitz was so proud of him, and she looked at Lightning, and seeing how proud he looked, tall and strong in his uniform, she felt it was time to state it. “Lightning, can I talk to you… in private?” “Sure.” Replied Lightning, and he gave Swift the order, “As for you, Lieutenant, rest up, and report to duty in an hour.” “Yes, sir.” With that, Lightning and Blitz left, and Blitz gave Swift another smile. “Congratulations, Lieutenant.” Her smile made Swift feel like he was glowing. He couldn’t help but wait until she left and then start dancing and strutting around. Outside, Lightning asked. “What’s up?” Blitz still found it hard to say but managed to get it out. “You were right. You aren’t a disgrace, you’re better than anything I could ever think of.” Lightning gave her a playful look. “I see now… Starfleet is wonderful in its own way, and your rightful place is here. I can understand why you abandoned the Harmonian Ways. I accept you’ve forgotten who you used to be.” Lightning’s expression changed. “I haven’t forgotten, Blitz. I want to show you something.” Soon they were off to New Canterlot, and Lightning brought her to the grand cemetery, honoring the most beloved, well-known ponies, soldiers, and friends through the ages of Starfleet and Equestria. Blitz didn’t really like being in such a place as it brought on bad feelings. “Here…” Lightning said as he brought her to the Harmonian Monument he had set up in honor of the memory of Harmonius and his family. “Oh, my…” Blitz said in astoundment. Lightning looked down at the stone. “I could never forget Harmonius, and all that it was about. It’s part of who I am, and always will be. Sometimes, I can still hear them crying out for help and to be saved, and it haunts me to this day, but I also can feel their spirits guiding me, and knowing they are resting in peace since I won their revenge and defeated the monsters that did this.” Now Blitz felt even more ashamed of the way she had behaved. She was all wrong about Lightning and his honor. Lightning placed a hand on her shoulder. “At least… there’s one name I can cross off the long list of names in my mind on this grave now.” Tears filled her eyes, and she placed her hand over his. “I’m so sorry… Sorry, I’ve been such a pain.” She looked deeply into his eyes, and he could see she was sincere. “Can we start over?” Lightning asked her. His response was his friend hugging him warmly, and softly sobbing into his shoulder. He hugged her back, and a small tear fell from his own eye as the winds softly blew around them. Then, they both knelt by the monument to pray for their people, and their families, singing it in their minds. [Lightning] I know how the doves do fly, I see them in the sky, Feeling as the wind they blow, And think about my family history. [Blitzy] Souls and Spirits, of the past and present days Guide us and help us, learn us of our people’s ways [Both] The simple ways of our brethren The simple ways of our brethren The simple ways… …of our brethren The two felt themselves in a peaceful fantasy scene in their minds… Both of them were dressed in Harmonian robes with Blitz wearing a long white flowing dress, and Lightning wearing a short robe with a golden edged white vest. They were standing in the bright meadowy fields with lush grass and trees in the distance-- a view of Harmonius in their minds. [Lightning] I am linked by my past, My peoples’ spirits thrive, Deep within my heart, I keep them all alive, …I am Harmonian! [Blitzy] The mighty universe, It gives and it will take, The life from some, and to another, Our memories will help keep it awake. [Both] The simple ways of our brethren The simple ways of our brethren The simple ways of our brethren The simple ways… …of our brethren The scene faded away, and the two were still singing in their minds as they awoke and got to their feet. [Lightning] I know how the doves do fly, I see them in the sky, [Blitzy] Feeling as the wind they blow, And think about my family history. (Promo) In our next episode: Rarity discovers that some members of the fashion world consider her a laughingstock due to her being a hybrid, which triggers a dragonic temper. This certainly doesn’t help when Flareous sends a monster that heats up everyone else’s tempers and makes fire spread everywhere. Will United Equestria burn to the ground, and will Rarity overcome her rage? Don’t miss the next exciting episode of “Starfleet Magic!” (Next Episode: “A Fiery Fashion”)