My Brave Pony Starfleet Humans

by DakariKingMykan

Act 10: Facing Up

ACT TEN

Things were really not going swell now that Celestia had been fired.

Luna was immediately promoted to Principal of Canterlot High. Though she didn’t exactly seem too enthusiastic about it, and while still angry at Celestia, she was worried about her as well and even regretted calling her a monster, but someone had to look after things. She canceled school for the rest of the day in light of all that had happened, but not before she called an emergency assembly and publicly announced to her students…

The first order of business was Lightning Dawn was suspended from school until it would be decided what to really do with him. True, he didn’t throw the first punch in the big fight and was only acting in self-defence, but he still did wrong in acting the way he had too, and due to his suspension, the defacing of the sets and props, and with both Lightning and Starla cut off; the play had to be postponed for at least a month until all the damages could be repaired and a new casting of actors. The worst part was the grand game; it wasn’t canceled, but Lightning was not permitted to join while he was on suspension.

The students felt ever so disappointed. They had all been looking forward to the play. Professor Abra had gone into a state of deep depression and disappointment. More of the students were upset of the game. Everyone was hopefully feeling this would be the year they would finally beat Crystal High. Sunset felt a little disappointed herself, but she felt very pleased to have finally gotten revenge against Lightning and Starla for humiliating her and taking the lead roles, not to mention Flash for dumping her. Now his band wouldn’t get to do their part in the play either.

That was all there was to it.

As for Celestia, she was very lucky that after all this, Celesto had bailed her from being sent to prison, but she was now unemployed, and more miserable than before. Her face was still slightly reddened form being scaled, but it was healing.

She now was drowning her sorrows at a coffee shop in town, but not drinking too much. She hardly even finished her first cup of coffee and merely gazed at her reflection in the liquid, making her wake up and realize as if for the first time ever “I… I am an angry monster.” Now she felt sadness and shame starting to eat away at her already aching heart. What would she do now? She most likely wouldn’t be able to get another job now, thanks to the news now everyone on the island knew she had a rotten temper. In fact, everyone in the coffee shop got quick glances of her and whispered…

“It’s her.”

“Watch it! You’ll make her angry.”

Some even moved a few tables down to give her space, but Celestia felt too ashamed to really care. “What’s happened to me?” she wondered softly to herself.

Grandruler could see her from his limo outside, and he too felt very bad for taking her job away, but he knew he couldn’t just rehire her after all that, or if she’d even want to come back, or even if anyone else wanted her back, and to add to his problems, Lightning had run off and he didn’t know where he was. “Go.” he said to his driver “We’ve got to find him.”

Lightning’s friends were all sitting at the outdoor food court and saw him pass by. None of them seemed very hungry for lunch, what with everything bad going on making them sick to their stomachs. It was hard enough to believe Celestia was fired, and that the play was postponed, but all of them were worried about Lightning, especially Starla. “No one knows where he is?”

The boys all shook their heads. “I have never seen anyone get so steamed up before.” said Buddy.

“Me neither. Imagine how he must be feeling.” added Artie.

“Maybe we should try and find him.” Dyno suggested. “But where would we start looking? With his speed, he could anywhere on the island.” said Myte.

“Then we better start searching round,
And we won’t quit until Lightning is found.” said Rhymey.

The others agreed, and spread out to check all their hangout places to start.

Lightning wasn’t all that far away, he was sitting on a bench on the off bound road where he first met Celestia, when she nearly ran over him. He was sulking miserably and too upset and nervous to face Grandruler or any of his friends. “I survived the destruction of my home planet. I’ve traveled across whole star systems. I’ve battled countless enemies. I’ve even saved countless more innocent races from doom, and now… because of this one little screw up, I may have put both worlds in jeopardy. I’ve ruined everything!”

Krysta stood perched on the bench next to him and tried for the umpteenth time to get him to stop beating himself up, and she was right. “You were just standing up for a friend. You didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand.”

“I know, but look what’s happened…” Lightning said. He felt really bad about getting Celestia fired, even though it was debatable that she deserved it, it didn’t make Lightning feel any better. Now he was suspended and wouldn’t be able to be in the grand game, which meant he wouldn’t be able to get the Rainbow Rod back. “Maybe we should just head back to Unicorniopia and have them send someone else to do the job.”

Krysta swatted him across the cheek with her wing. “Stop it, now!” she growled “That’s not the Lightning Dawn of Starfleet that I know; the one who never gave up even against outstanding odds.”

This made Lightning realize that Starfleet was counting on him. “You’re right, Krysta. I’m not giving up yet. I can’t let this world be plunged into darkness by Sapphira. I’ll think of something.”

Krysta nodded proudly at him. They both checked the transport jewel. It still eight and a half days of power left and just as they were about brainstorm, Lightning’s friends found him. “Lightning!” cried Starla “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” They stopped when they noticed that exact same robin was perched right near him. “We’re you talking to that bird again?”

Lightning and Krysta gazed at each other. “Yes, I was.” Lightning answered “She’s pretty much all have to talk to. I know you guys are steamed at me, but I--”

“We aren’t steamed, not at you.” Buddy cut in.

“We’re just upset at what’s going on at school.” said Artie “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually feel sorry for Celestia.”

The others all did. True, they had their issues with her and her nasty temper, but didn’t feel she deserved to get fired.

Lightning was glad his friends weren’t mad at him, but they all were still upset about all the problems. Lightning was especially worried about the grand game. “I’ve got to get that trophy before it’s too late.”

His friends knew where this was going, that same old space story again, and they sighed “Seriously, Lightning, stop it.” said Dyno. “We know you’re upset of being kicked off the team, but you don’t have to keep making up stories.”

Krysta couldn’t take any more of this, and flew right up in front of the twins and said “Okay, that’s it! You guys need to wake up to the truth.”

Dyno and Myte screamed in shock, and the others gawked hard. “Did… that… bird… just talk?” cried Starla.

“It didn’t chirp, peep or squawk.” rhymed Rhymey.

“Oh, I’m not really a bird. Where I come from, I’m actually a fairy, and everything Lightning’s been telling you is true.”

The others turned to face Lightning and he nodded at them. “You really are some alien pony?” asked Buddy.

“Yes.” answered Lightning.

“You’re from outer space?” asked Starla.

“Not this outer space, but… yes.” replied Lightning and he recapped his story; How his real name was Lieutenant Lightning Dawn, and he came from a multi-dimensional universe which existed above and outside of their universe, and Starfleet being an intergalactic defense force dedicated to fighting evil forces, and all its members were trained exceedingly well and hard; which explained why Lightning was so fast, strong, and talented, not to mention the suddenness of his appearance and why he had been acting strange.

Lightning’s friends were speechless, astonished, and rigged with curiosity. “Lightning, why didn’t you tell us this before?” asked Buddy. Krysta flew up to him and glared him dead in the eye “He did tell you all, several times, and you didn’t believe him.”

The friends remembered, and felt really bad now, but Lightning dismissed it. “It’s not important now. I’ve got to get back into the grand game.” Lightning warned everyone “It’s vital that I get that trophy.” and he recapped his story about how the trophy was actually a powerful scepter; the Rainbow Rod, which was stolen from him by Sapphire, an evil alien empress who sought its power for evil intentions. “If Sapphira gets it, there’s no telling how serious things could get, but I have to get it back within the next eight and half days, or I’ll be trapped in this world forever.”

The others all sat down really taking time to let it all sink in, but now in full belief and understanding of the seriousness. They all agreed to help him get back into school and maybe convince Principal Luna to let him back on the team, but they all agreed not to tell anyone else of the truth to avoid causing more trouble that wasn’t needed.

“How am I going to get back into school?” asked Lightning.

“I think I have an idea.” Artie said.

When Lightning saw Grandruler again, and they talked about what happened. Grandruler was surprised at Lightning’s behaviour, but he was willing to give him another chance when he heard of the proposition he and his friends were cooking up to help the play, and over the next few days, after school, Lightning and the gang worked on rebuilding and repainting the sets for the play at Grandruler’s manor, with his permission of course.

When they were finished they showed it to Principal Luna at the school one day. “Hmm…” she said as she inspected all the scenery paintings. “Well, I must say you did an outstanding job. Still, I’m not so certain if they play should continue.” she said “There would still be so much to do in so little time.”

One-by-one, the students voiced their pleas to let it go on, and to let Lightning comeback to be in it and compete in the game, but not telling her the truth as agreed, and after some consideration, Luna did remember Lightning didn’t throw the first punch in the fight, and he was only trying to stand up for a friend whom she herself still believed was innocent and didn’t trash the scenes to begin with. “Oh, very well; Lightning may return, and the play shall go on after all.”

The friends cheered and leapt about with joy, but this all did not go unnoticed. Sunset was right outside and peeking through the door, and while she was glad the play was on, she was very displeased that Lightning and Starla would once again be in it and have better roles than she. She turned to Snails and Snips growling and gritting her teeth angrily. The two boys quivered in fear under her looming shadow. “It wasn’t our fault.” cried Snails. “Yeah, we didn’t know they’d pull something like this off.” added Snips.

Sunset growled angrier than ever and clenched her fists tighter and looked ready to beat the living daylights of them, when she noticed the calendar on the bulletin board just above them. “On the night of the play it will officially have been thirty moons.”

The boys didn’t know what she meant by thirty moons, but Sunset grinned wickedly and snickered softly realizing what this could do for her. She flicked her hair and just waltzed off leaving the boys confused.

Lightning left the atrium, and felt pretty please. “Maybe things will go swell after all.” he said to himself. He stopped by the bulletin board to remark the dates, and he could hear music in the air. He just had to start dancing to it throughout the empty halls of the school while no one else could see him.

He tapped, kicked, twirled, even flipped forward and landed gracefully on his feet. He leapt over the hallway banisters, more twirling and kicking, and finished it all up with three Grand Jetes and skidded across the floor right to the exit and stopping perfectly before heading on out.

Meanwhile, Twilight had gone outside too looking for Flash hoping to ask him out to the Fall Formal. Over the past weeks they had constantly ran into one another, but Flash always seemed as gentlemanly and kind as always, which Twilight really liked and was starting to develop possible feelings for him herself.

She found Flash in the parking lot, speaking to Sapphira, but she hid behind a tree when she overheard them speaking sinisterly to one another.

“The grand game has been rescheduled for after tomorrow, mother.” said Flash “There will be no mistakes.”

His mother snickered softly “Excellent, my son. Once the game ends, regardless of which team wins or loses, we will be ready.”

Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing and felt her heart skip a couple of beats, almost totally unable to grasp the fact that the guy she was falling for was a phony, but she had to tell someone about this now, but as she readied herself to run…!

“Stay where you are, Earth-girl.” hissed Sapphira. Twilight shivered with fear as she turned round and saw the villains gazing at her. “You think we didn’t know you were there?” hissed Flash. “I’m afraid we can’t let you out to tell our secret.”

Twilight really felt her heart breaking now, but she tried to run for it, but Flash zipped in front of her, and held her hostage. “Why Flash? Why?” she asked. Flash sniggered. “It’s a little thing called taking over the world. Not that an Earthling like you would understand.”

Sapphira walked forth to towards her snickering wickedly. Twilight felt her blood turn cold “What are you going to do to me?”

“…Just make certain that you do not interfere with our plans.” hissed Sapphira, and before any second longer, Twilight screamed as bright lights flashed.