//------------------------------// // Mirror's Edge Part I // Story: Starring Trixie // by metroid_freak //------------------------------// Flying high on the success of Trixie’s first show outside of her homeland, we decided to stay on the Starbase a few extra days, during which time she performed in front of a few more eager crowds while I wore myself to the bone scrubbing plasma manifolds. If there was a Hell, I’m sure even the denizens within would call my job cruel and unusual punishment. Nevertheless, the thought of survival and even perhaps some sweet new gear someday kept me going and I persevered. Not that Trixie was having an easy time either; each crowd brought a different mix of species, tastes, and sensibilities, which kept the showmare on her toes, to say the least. Regardless of the challenges, she did pretty well and had soon amassed a semi-respectable amount of credits, which led to the inevitable… “What am I supposed to do with these?” Trixie asked as she levitated a datapad before her eyes, studying the figures on the screen. “These what?” I asked as I took another look at the menu. “This money…what I’ve made doing these shows every night.” “Hmm…” I rested my chin in one hand. “Well, you could start by paying for dinner.” She gave me a look that said “really”, so I gave up on the admittedly childish fantasy. “Just kidding. That’s a good question; what did you spend it on back home?” “Well, if you must know, any money I made went towards my living expenses and anything I might need for traveling or performing.” She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Yeah, I figured but since you’ve got me helping you with that…well, is there anything else you can think of?” She thought about it for a moment. “Trixie sees where you’re going with this.” “Um…okay, then could you tell me?” “You’re going to ask her if she’ll take pity on you and share her new-found wealth, obviously,” she replied haughtily. “You’ve made it quite clear to Trixie that you have trouble taking care of yourself.” Oh brother, I thought as I rolled my eyes. So that’s what this about; an ego trip. I shoulda guessed. “I dunno; I’ve done a pretty good job so far…” “Well, from this point on, ‘good’ will simply not cut it! If you’re going to accompany the Great and Powerful Trixie, your efforts will have to be much better than just ‘good’.” “So…is that a ‘no’ to splitting the bill?” I asked hesitantly, unsure of what else to say. “What do you think?” “Right. Sounded smarter in my head before I said it.” “Trixie imagines that’s a familiar occurrence.” Okay, that did it. I could handle rudeness and abrasiveness just fine; it’s a big galaxy and being pragmatic and patient can take you a long way. However, I drew the line at condescension and that line was the one that the blue mare had just stomped upon. “You know what?” I snapped, setting my menu down with a snap as Trixie’s eyes flew open. “You’re impossible! Just ‘cause you did okay performing some little magic tricks which, by the way, humans have been doing for hundreds of years, you think you’re so high and mighty! Well, guess what?” Looking back, I now realize how fortunate I was to have the sense to stop talking at that particular moment. In my rage, I hadn’t noticed that at some point during my rant, I had stood up rather abruptly, drawing the attention of many of the bar’s patrons. I felt their eyes on me as I looked about and then down at Trixie. To my immense surprise, the expression she wore was not of anger or overwhelming self-confidence; nay, it was more along the lines of…confusion mixed with just a sprinkle of regret. At that moment, I just didn’t care. I pushed my chair back into its place and took off towards the docks at a fairly quick pace. I didn’t hear the clattering of hooves behind me but I didn’t care; I wanted to be alone for a while. Trixie just sat there in total silence, trying to process how the evening had regressed from a pleasant dinner affair to a ridiculous clash perpetrated by the overexposure of a certain human to a certain mare’s ego. She huffed and rested her head on one hoof and took a deep breath. Maybe, just maybe…she had been out of line. Of course, the only reason she even entertained the notion was because it had happened before. Her last trip to Ponyville had ended on a similar but slightly happier note, a note that Trixie, despite her boasting and general lack of sensitivity, had to admit was an improvement. Now she had gone and messed it up with someone who had done nothing but help her to the best of his abilities since they’d met. Granted, he had also destroyed everything she owned but his determination to make things right was beginning to really show. “Maybe…maybe Trixie was the one who screwed up…” she mumbled, hoping no one (including herself) would hear. As one might expect, such an admission caught the attention of the nearby barkeeper, who wasted no time offering her a drink, something he called ‘Romulan Ale’, supposedly the best source in existence for ridding oneself of their troubles, if only temporarily. Confound these humans, they drive me to drink, Trixie thought as she accepted it, shrugging off the barkeeper’s warning to keep the transaction under wraps. Several pints of Liquid Problem Solver later… “…so ‘e jus’…jus’ stormed…right outta here…” Trixie stammered to a bored-looking creature dressed in a padded brown one-piece outfit. Trixie couldn’t explain it but there was something about his blank stare that intrigued her and spurred her to keep talking as if he possessed some kind of infinite wisdom. That there was something extraordinary about the understated being on the stool beside her, an iron-clad fact that even her alcohol-addled mind could comprehend. “I…Trixie…didn’t do nuthin’…e’s jus’…e’s jus’…wha was I sayin’?” The creature gave her a glance. “Yeah…tha’s right…so wha’ should Trixie…buuuurrrrp…should I do?” He gave her another glance. “That’s it, that’s exactry hic wha’ I should do…thanks, yer a real hic…a real hic…a real pal.” Her business concluded, the blue mare clumsily signed her bill and stumbled out of the bar on her way to the dock. “Sheesh, the crowd we get here sometimes,” the barkeep commented, shaking his head. “Another round, Morn?” *** “Alright, computer, is that everything?” I asked as the last of our supplies transported into the cargo hold. “Affirmative.” “Perfect.” I paused; something was missing from the manifest. “Computer, where’s Trixie?” “Trixie is approaching the loading ramp.” “About time,” I muttered as I hurried out of the cargo hold. That mare had some nerve! Imagine going drinking and carrying on, all the while leaving all the heavy transporting to me! Still, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t stay angry with her, not for just being herself. Although it was difficult, I had to give her the benefit of the doubt. I headed to the bridge and did one last systems check; everything looked to be in order, although the crew manifest wasn’t quite complete. I panned around the station’s cavernous hanger and focused on the small blue speck slowly stumbling its way over. With a sigh, I activated the transporter. Big mistake. She had barely materialized on the bridge before losing her both her lunch and dinner all over the nice, clean floor. She seemed to realize what had just happened and looked up at me apologetically. “I’mma…hic…sorry ‘bout that,” she stammered. I could naught but sigh once again and pat her head. “It’s okay. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” With that, I led her to my room and positioned her under the shower. I never liked sonic showers so I had had (at considerable cost) a real water-based shower installed. I was of the opinion that there were few woes that could not be cured by a nice, hot shower. Apparently, Trixie thought so as well, murmuring happily with her eyes closed as the warm water ran down her fuzzy body, cleansing it completely after a few minutes. “Hey…” she protested when I shut the water off. “Don’t…don’t…feels…nice…” “I think it’s time somepony went to bed,” I replied as I grabbed a towel and began to dry her off. “Heh heh…” she giggled. “You said…you said…some pony…” “Very good. You get a gold star.” “I wanna blue one!” “I thought you might. Fine, you can have a blue one. Tell you what; if you got to bed right now, I’ll give you a silver one, too.” She cocked her head to the side and looked to be deep in thought. “‘Kay.” I ushered her into her own bed a few minutes later after I’d finally finished drying her off. She fell asleep almost immediately after hitting the pillow and I could only imagine how tired she was after the excitement bestowed upon her by the past few days. I yawned and made my way back to my room, glancing out the window before throwing myself onto my bed and promptly falling into a sleep-like coma myself. *** It’s funny how healing a good night’s sleep can be, and I don’t just mean in the sense that you feel re-energized and ready for another round with Life. I also mean that a good night’s sleep has the power to alter one’s perspective, usually to something like “I will never drink again”. As a certain blue showmare staggered into the mess hall at approximately 1:30 the next day, I was pretty sure that my theory on a good night’s sleep was valid. Not to mention the fact that I had spent a few minutes scrubbing further ‘validation’ off the bulkheads and my pants. One thing was for certain; whatever that poor pony had ingested the previous evening, it definitely did not agree with her; my friend Mr. Tricorder and I had a feeling we knew what it was. “Romulan Ale?” I asked nonchalantly through a bite of Pop Tart as she rubbed her eyes and winced. “Romulan Ale.” she confirmed with a slow, single nod. “You know that stuff’s illegal, right?” “Trixie can see why.” “Have we learned a little lesson?” “Buck off.” I smiled and returned to my Pop Tart as Trixie helped herself to the replicator, selecting a bowl of Crispy Chex, her new favorite breakfast item. I had offered her Trix the day before but in a fit of delightful irony, she declined, citing the cereal’s almost intolerable sweetness. “This will never do,” she had assessed through a mouthful. “It’s far too sweet. Trix are for foals.” While I agreed with her to some degree, the cereal still held a special place in my heart, prompting me to keep at least a small supply of it around at all times. After breakfast/lunch, we made our way to the bridge for a routine scan and to plan our next destination. Wanting to keep our streak of good fortune alive and well, I suggested another Starbase, and a fairly close one at that. Okay, maybe not that close, I realized soon after bringing the galaxy map up on the viewscreen. “So…whaddya think?” I asked as Trixie studied it. “You think you could handle another Starbase?” “Perhaps,” she replied as I accessed the Federation datafile related to 39-Sierra. That was yet another advantage of buying used from the Federation; even though the ship was no longer in Starfleet hands, the Federation continued to update the Ranger’s computer files with all non-military information or anything else deemed confident. It was like having a massive encyclopedia that updated itself to include new information as soon as it was released. “Will it be…similar…to the last one?” she asked. “Well, let’s take a look,” I replied, accessing further details. “Okay, it says here that “the Starbase was the base for rescue and relief efforts after the destruction of Romulus. By 2409, it was commanded by Admiral T'nae, and was the primary base of operations on the Romulan Front”. Hmm…” “What is it?” Trixie asked, having detected my hesitation. “Nothing, really,” I replied. “It’s just that…well, let’s just say that there’s a few Romulans who aren’t exactly buddy-buddy with the Federation around there. It might be…” “What, dangerous?” Trixie asked, trying to hide the anxiety in her voice. “But aren’t these…Romulans…your friends now?” “Where’d you hear that?” “Weren’t there some in the bar a few days ago?” “Yeah, that’s right. Still, suffice it to say that not all of them are that friendly. Even though their leader disappeared a while ago, the Tal Shiar are still a threat and if they got their slimy claws on us…I don’t even wanna think about it.” “The…who?” “Tal Shiar. During the time of the Romulan Star Empire, they were an elite intelligence agency whose purpose was to protect the Empire from its enemies, like the Federation. Since the Empire crumbled with the destruction of Romulus, they’ve basically turned into a militant organization who violently opposes Romulan cooperation with the Federation. They attack Federation ships on-sight. They’re essentially terrorists now.” “Then why would you take Trixie anywhere near them?” the blue mare demanded. “Well, if you wanna hit up another Starbase, we don’t have much of a choice,” I pointed out. “Besides, that part of space is usually swarming with Starfleet and Romulan Republic ships. We should be fine.” “I hope so…” Trixie muttered. “For your sake. Trixie needs a nap.” With that, she left the mess hall, leaving me to clear her dishes. I sighed and put them into the replicator for recycling before returning to the bridge. *** Trixie yelped in surprise as something threw her from the comfort of her bed onto the cold floor. She grimaced and held her head as the shrill pitch of an alarm went off like a hydrogen bomb in her poor hung-over noggin. She cursed a blue streak as she hastily got up and headed for the turbolift, determined to give that ornery human a piece of her mind and if necessary, a righteous ass-kicking. “Hold on!” She had scarcely set hoof on the bridge before a familiar voice shouted at her. Instinctively, she grabbed the nearest computer console as the ship lurched again and momentarily went dark as the power fluctuated. “What the fuck is going on?” Trixie yelled at the human furiously hitting buttons on the helm controls. “Good, you’re up! I’ll congratulate on your first proper use of a colorful metaphor later! We’ve got a problem!” “Really? I hadn’t noticed!” she shouted. “What is it!?” “Some kind of…anomaly! We’re getting pulled in!” I replied as I tried in vain to get my ship to cooperate. “Like a wormhole!?” “Kind of but this time, we don’t know where it goes! Hang on!” Trixie opened her mouth to respond as another toss of the ship whipped her around to face the main viewscreen. Her eyes widened at the large tear in the space in front of her. It writhed and contorted like some kind of strange special hurricane, even shooting out bolts of yellow energy. As it pulled them in, she buried her face into her hooves and closed her eyes, ready for the inevitable conclusion to her underwhelming existence. *** “Trixie…” She groaned and tried to move; everything hurt and she grimaced in pain as a voice met her. “Trixie! Are you…are you alright?” the voice asked, clearly concerned. She slowly opened her eyes and beheld a human face. “What…what happened?” she asked groggily. “Did we…did we…” She shuddered at what the answer could be. Maybe whatever it was had simply consumed them and spit out the pieces, granting them a one-way ticket to the Afterlife. Figuring that she had nothing to lose by asking, she continued. “Did we…make it?” To her surprise, I smiled. “Yeah, everything’s okay. You’re okay, I’m okay, and the Ranger’s just fine. A couple o’ bumps or bruises but that’s all. Guess that spacial anomaly was all back and no bite. Lucky us huh?” “Yeah…so lucky,” Trixie groaned as she got up, aided by her friend’s helping hands. “Where are we?” “Hang on, I’ll check…” I muttered. “Computer, what is our exact location?” I asked. “Argelius System, Argelius Sector, Regulus Sector Block.” The computer replied. “What does that mean?” Trixie asked. “It means that whatever hit us back there, it didn’t take us an inch away from where we last were,” I replied, just as perplexed as Trixie. “Whatever that was, I think it’s gone. It should be smooth sailing from now…” A sudden hard lurch interrupted me and sent us both to the floor once more. I shook my head and ran to my seat, bringing up the viewscreen immediately after. Trixie’s shocked gaze accompanied my own as a strange starship I’d never seen before hovered in front of us. From our view, it appeared to be an elongated curved diamond with flame-like wings bisecting it at its center. A long drill-like shape protruded from the pyramid-shaped bow of the strange vessel and two large yellow eye-like lights casted an eerie glow against the darkness. It felt like the ship was staring right at us. Doing the only thing I could think of, I opened a channel. “Attention unidentified ship, this is Cole Stevens of the starship Ranger. Who are…” Another impact interrupted me as a shrill shriek over the communicator forced both Trixie and I to cover our ears. “Shut up!” a feminine yet deadly voice on the other end shouted. “You’re trespassing in restricted Solar Imperium territory, the punishment for which is immediate execution!” “Whoa, just wait a minute, okay?” I answered quickly as he heart began to race. I could only imagine how Trixie felt. “There’s no need for that. We’ll get out of here right now, you’ll see. Just take it easy!” “NEVER TELL ME TO ‘TAKE IT EASY’!” the voice screamed, causing us to cover our ears yet again. At that moment, the viewscreen came to life, providing us with the identity of our attacker. “No way…” I murmured. “But…how?” Trixie gasped. We stared in fascinated terror at the face of a yellow pony with a long pink mane cut into jagged lengths. She looked strangely familiar, though I could not for the life of me figure out why. I looked over at Trixie, who stared with an even more shocked expression than myself. “F…F…F…Fluttershy?” she asked nervously. The yellow pony glared at her. “That’s Commandant Fluttershy!” she hissed. “How do you know who I am? Tell me right now or I’ll destroy you right now!” Wow, this bitch made Trixie look like Mother freakin’ Theresa. “But you’re…this…this isn’t right!” Trixie muttered. “You wanna fill me in here?” I whispered. “Since when do you guys have a space program?” “We don’t!” Trixie hissed. “This…isn’t right!” “So what are you saying?” “Shut up!” the Commandant yelled. “Now, if you’ll be so kind as to die, we’ll get this over with!” “Computer, shields!” I shouted as the Ranger rocked again. I routed helm controls to my station and ‘floored it’, to use an archaic term. The ship lurched again as the Ranger swerved to avoid another shot. “Computer, what’s the status of our weapons?” Trixie gave me a look of horror. “Weapons are online.” “Good! Use ‘em! Attack pattern…I don’t fucking know! Just shoot the damn thing!” “Acknowledged.” Using her superior speed and maneuverability, my little Nova weaved around the much larger vessel, her phasers going to work on the ship’s engines. “What’s their status?” I shouted before a blue blur tackled me. “You were shooting at them!” a hysteric Trixie screamed. “They were shooting at us!” I yelled, trying to fight her off. “Get off me! I’m trying to get us outta here in one piece, not several!” I winced as we took another hit. “Weapons are off-line.” Shit, I thought as another hit rocked us. “Shields down to 19 percent.” Trixie looked at me with abject fear in her eyes and just as we were supposed to get vaporized, something drew the attention of our assailant. Through the viewscreen, we watched as a Starfleet ship appeared and fired a full phaser spread, causing noticeable damage to the enemy vessel. “Curse you!” Commandant Fluttershy growled as her own ship shuddered. “This isn’t the last you’ll see of us!” With that, they jumped to warp, leaving us alone with our rescuer. I wiped my brow and settled back into my chair as Trixie relaxed as well, although not as much. I could only begin to imagine how harrowing the ordeal had been for her. I made a mental note to take her to Risa in the near future for a vacation. We’d definitely need it. “Computer, hail them,” I exclaimed as the channel opened. “This is Cole Stevens of the starship Ranger. Thanks for your…what the Hell?” I shouted as another blast shook the ship. “Man, what is it, ‘Pick on the Ranger Day’? Hey, don’t shoot! We’re on your side!” “Oh really?” a voice sneered from over the communicator. “Then why were you fraternizing with an enemy of the Terran Empire?” At that, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach and I face-palmed…hard. “Oh shit.” “Now what is it?” Trixie demanded. “Um…remember how I said that not all humans are assholes?” She nodded. “Well, these are the ones that are.” “Oh shit.” she muttered. “Did you really think you could get away with siding with the enemy?” The viewscreen came to life again, showing a smirking Starfleet captain with an eye patch on one side of his face and a long scar decorating the other. “Not only were you conspiring against the Terran Empire, you’re also harboring a fugitive!” He motioned towards Trixie. “Normally, the penalty for your transgressions would be an immediate death but in your case, we’ll make it slow and painful! Prepare to be boarded!” With that, he was gone, leaving us to ponder our plight. I took a deep breath and sighed. That’s when I noticed her. The mare was terrified. Unable to say a word, she huddled on the floor of the bridge in a near-catatonic state, wrapping her front legs protectively around her head. I got up and knelt beside her, stroking her mane and her ears affectionately as I tried my best to calm the poor thing down. She sniffled and quivered under my touch and I whispered gentle words of assurance to her. “Ssh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” I murmured. “Everything’s gonna be okay. I won’t let them lay a finger on you, I promise.” To this day, I’m not entirely certain of whom I was trying to convince but it was all I could do at the moment. “You’ll be fine, you hear me? You’ll be fine. We’re gonna get out of this, we’re gonna get out of this…” “Another ship has entered the system. It is on an intercept course.” the computer said, making us both jump a little. Great, I thought as my heart sank even more. “Computer, prepare the escape pods and…” I stopped and looked out the viewscreen in amazement as the other ship, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, fired on the Terran vessel, taking it completely by surprise. I watched with bated breath as the Terran ship replied in kind, firing back at the Klingon ship and directing its attention away from us. I had to act quickly. “Computer, what’s the status of our engines? How fast can we go?” “One-half impulse.” It was a start. “Get us out of here!” There was a beep and the ship lurched forwards and a little further out of harm’s way. I didn’t know who was in command of the other ship or why they were helping us but at the moment, I didn’t care. The only thing I cared about is that with some luck, I’d be able to keep my promise to Trixie. “Oh, what the somersaulting Christ!” I shouted as another hit buckled the ship. Although it didn’t feel as severe as the last salvo, I was still pretty pissed about it. “Computer, hail the Klingon ship! Don’t they know we’re all friends now?” A second later, a Klingon captain appeared in the viewscreen. “We have chased off your Terran friend!” he growled. “Give us one good reason not to destroy you!” “Because we’re not with them!” I replied frantically. “And we’re most definitely not with the Solar Imperium either!” “Then why do you have one of them on board your vessel!?” he roared, pointing at Trixie, who had returned to the fetal position. “Take it easy, she’s a friend!” “Their kind is no friend of the Klingon Empire!” “Ahem!” I watched as everyone on Bird-of-Prey’s bridge suddenly fell silent, including the captain (to my surprise). My eyes widened as a dark-blue unicorn sporting a magnificent pair of wings made her way onto the bridge and stood beside the Klingon captain. “What was that about ‘our kind’?” “I…I meant no disrespect, your Highness,” the captain replied, bowing to her. “I was simply trying to negotiate our enemy’s surrender.” “That sounded more like a threat,” the pony…thing answered sternly. “Or did you simply forget that mere seconds ago, that Terran ship fired upon this one. Why do you suppose that is, hmm?” I sighed with relief; finally someone pragmatic enough not to slit our throats at first glance. However, it wasn’t the fact that we’d just avoided an early death that surprised me; it was Trixie’s reaction. She had gone from scared out of her wits on the floor to standing up and staring before she dropped into a low bow. “P-P-P…Princess Luna?” she asked incredulously. “Hello, little one,” the Princess said with a warm smile as she took notice of the blue mare. “You haven’t been hurt, I trust?” “N-no, your Highness.” “That is a relief,” Lune replied, turning her attention to me. “And I suppose we have you to thank for that?” “Um…I suppose so, ma’am. Thanks for the rescue. I thought we were toast back there.” “Yes, I can imagine,” Lune answered. “Now, would you care to explain what a human and a unicorn are doing all the way out here by themselves?” “I would be glad to, your Highness,” I assured her. “Perhaps that can wait,” Luna interrupted, looking at Trixie again. “The poor dear looks exhausted and terrified. Perhaps we should return to the base before…” “Your Highness! Surely you don’t intend to allow them to come back with us freely!” the captain protested. “I’m sorry, captain, but do they look like they could put up a fight right now? Do you honestly look at their sorry state of affairs and fear for your life? I thought better of you, captain.” Luna replied calmly but coldly. “O…of course, your Highness.” The captain relented. “Now then, if you would follow us, we’ll escort you somewhere a little safer.” Luna added, returning her attention to me. “I’m sure we have much to discuss.” I nodded. “Yes ma’am. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”