Starfleet: MiB - Season 1 (2024)

“Duis amicitiae fides.”

-Official creed of the Adeptus Spatium, unofficially known as Starfleet

Are we truly alone in the universe? This question has been asked among the more inquisitive of those on the world of Equis, and in the kingdom of Equestria, specifically. In a world of powerful creatures, magic, and endless possibilities, that is the undying, ultimate question. By an odd twist of fate, however, there is life out there...and it resembles Equis’ own, but not as they know it…

Within the unexplored universe beyond Equestria, there is a world known simply as “Solaris”, which resembles Equis in some ways, and in others not. Notably, the primary inhabitants are ponies that walk upright and have strange (at least to your average Equestrian) appendaged paws known as ‘hands”. They are known as ‘Solarans’, and for many millennia, they have lived in peace under the watchful yet benevolent eye of an alicorn who refers to himself as the Grand Ruler. His coat is as white as the blinding snow, his mane and tail as black as the darkness he defends his subjects from. On his forehead rests a single golden horn, though it resembles three due to the crown he wears to signify his rule. His back possesses a mighty wingspan, that of Celestia and Luna combined, and his armor the color of his horns. Some have considered him a god due to this, but the Grand Ruler has disagreed with this in the past, and continues to disagree with it now. But, one asks themselves, who exactly is the Grand Ruler, and what part does he play in Solaris’ history? Let us take a trip into the distant past, and see how the world of Solaris began…

It is unknown where the pony who would become the Grand Ruler came from. Some say he was an immortal demigod born before time immemorial, while others say he came from Equis. Whatever the reason, he came to a barren world; one where nothing grew and unending flatlands dominated. His solution was to use his magic to create water and fields of green, and afterwards, create the first Solarans, numbering 100,000 in all. From there, the species grew and prospered under his leadership, establishing an Imperium encompassing a million worlds and protected by an organization officially called the Adeptus Spatium but called Starfleet by its people, on account of its spacefaring technology. The Grand Ruler eventually bore a son, named Horus.

Horus was very different from his father. While the Grand Ruler founded his empire on an altruistic and accepting trifecta of friendship, Horus saw other races as weak, and the policy of “friendship” as pathetic. Rather, he favored strength, viewed teammates as tools to be used, and regarded emotions (especially love) as sickening. The Grand Ruler, while accepting of his son’s differing beliefs at first, slowly grew more concerned as Horus grew more deranged and nihilistic, with the latter gaining a following amongst the more extreme nationalists of the Imperium. The tensions grew worse until Horus declared war on the Grand Ruler, igniting a bloody and needless conflict between the Grand Ruler, Horus and his mad cult, and two other factions: the Infestatio, a hive mind of bug creatures led by Queen Pinsar, and the Machina, a mysterious group of pony-like artificial intelligences. After nine long years of fighting, the Grand Ruler used his most powerful spells to banish Horus and his followers within a distant moon: Tenebris. Legend still holds, however, that Horus will return, and that he will take over the universe lest he is stopped.

That was 10,000 years ago.

“Huh.” the white-coated brown-haired alicorn said as he closed the book in front of him. “I’ve read every history book in the Imperial Palace, and not one has given the details of Father’s war with Horus!” The young pony in question was Prince Lightning Dawn, son of the Grand Ruler, and heir to the Noble House of Lux, and by extension the entire Solaran Imperium. He resembled his father in many ways: white coat, sole golden horn on his head, eyes as brown as the finest royal chocolate. However, while the Grand Ruler’s hair was black, Lightning’s was the hue of his eyes. Currently clothed in a white vest with his Cutie Mark emblazoned on the right breast pocket, golden trimmings (it was the royal color after all) and black dress pants, Lightning placed the book on the table in front of him and sighed. “Where’s the action? I want details, not a summary.” he complained, his voice echoing in the massive halls of the Palace’s library. “How’re you doing up there, Titania? Find anything on Starfleet officers?”

After a moment, she came down from the shelf she had been looking through, falling to the floor of the library and landing on her feet in front of him. Titania stood, a few books clutched in her arms. She smiled serenely, sitting across from him. Titania wore a dark red dress with a long, flowing skirt, white gloves, and black shoes. Her eyes were sea green, her skin was very pale, and she had dark red hair that reached the center of her back. She, unlike Lightning, had no wings, fur or Cutie Mark, and lacked a horn. Titania was not a Solaran. Rather, she was a member of a race known as ‘Faeries’, or ‘Fae.’ She was the Crown Princess of the Land of Nevernever, where her kin dwelled in lush forests and sprawling, lavish cities. Her parents were King Oberon and Queen Mab. The Fae had a very unusual sense of morality compared to Solarans, and were often the subjects of stories told to disobedient children. ‘Don't disrespect your elders, or the Keepers will take you, and leave a faerie child in your bed!’ the nannies and grandparents of Solaris would tell rebellious youngsters.

Of course, these tales were more than just tools of discipline. The Fae really did steal children, turning them into servants in the Land of Nevernever. Titania herself had many ‘Changelings’, as they were known, at her beck and call while she lived in the royal palace. There was no love between master and slave; such concepts were meaningless to Faeries, who viewed love and compassion as passing fads, not meaningful values. Titania herself had murdered several Changelings after she grew bored of them. Lightning, for his part, had never understood his best friend’s morals, but he knew the Fae reputation and watched his words carefully around Titania. She never lied, for the Fae were unable to, but she was quite skilled at creative truth telling. Many foolish Solarans had made pacts with the Fae in the past, only for it to bite them hard in the end. To the Fae, only the exact words of the deal mattered, not the spirit of them.

“I did not find any.” Titania said softly. “I lost interest. Rather, I found these.”

She set down the books she had grabbed, revealing they were books of fairy tales, told to young children. Lightning looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “Fairy tales? What would I need these for? I’m a trainee of the Adeptus Spatium, not an old grandfather.” he said. He saw that look in her eyes: one of mischief and adventure, and realized exactly why she’d brought down these books.

“They aren't for you, yungkine.” Titania said. The last word was in the Fae tongue, and meant ‘young child.’ At first, it had offended Lightning that she called him a child, but after she told him how old she really was, it made more sense. “They are for me.”

“...You want me to read these to you.” Lightning concluded.

“No.” She said, her tone amused. “I mean to read them myself. I wish to see just how much, or little, your kind knows about mine.”

“Go ahead.” Lightning said. “I’m too old for this kind of thing anyway.”

As Titania read, a bird flew in through an open window nearby. She reached out with one hand, and the bird landed on one of her fingers, chirping. Titania smiled, gently stroking the bird’s little head. The Imperial Palace, though resembling a massive gray mountain, was a low-orbit starship, a city unto itself and the de facto capital of Solaris, measuring an indeterminate amount of miles from one end to the next. Anyone in the Palace, however, would have no idea it was in orbit, considering the abundance of animal and plant life.

Titania, after admiring the bird for a few minutes, grew bored with it. Rather than shoo the harmless creature away, however, she gripped its neck with two fingers and twisted, snapping the bird's neck in one fluid motion. The song it had been singing went silent, and she tossed it out the window it had entered through. Lightning stared at her blankly, his eyes wide.

“T-titania...you killed that innocent little bird…” he said, his voice a terrified whisper. Even after 13 years of knowing her, he still feared the fairy with good reason. He had told others in the past, about three years previously, that he was friends with a fairy. They had, naturally, assumed Titania was a ‘good’ fairy, with one of his artist friends even painting Lightning and her together. Since she hadn't met Titania, and had sent the painting as a gift, the Faerie was depicted as a little sprite with insect wings. Titania had been...well, offended was a mild way of putting it, and woe to anyone who offended one of the Fae. Titania, on that very day, placed a curse on the unfortunate Solaran who painted the picture.

Lightning still remembered his screams...oh, by Lux...his screams...He’d had nightmares for weeks afterwards. Titania had never admitted to doing it, but everyone knew she had. However, the Grand Ruler had forbidden any punishment, for if the King and Queen of Nevernever caught word that their daughter had been detained and punished by mortal authorities...it would lead to war with the Fae, and that was simply not an option. Lightning Dawn had agreed with his father that war with the Fae wasn’t needed, especially considering how close he and Titania were. This had gotten laughs and wink-wink-nudge-nudges from several senior Starfleet members. Lightning had not been amused, especially considering how true the ‘wink-wink-nudge-nudging’ was. Titania had been even less amused. By the end of that week, though only she knew it, every officer that had laughed had lost their children to Fae Keepers, who replaced them with false children crafted in the Land of Nevernever.

“Yes, I did.” She said to him, sounding completely unfazed by it.

“...T-That’s fine. I...I have no problem with it.” Lightning stammered, getting up. “I’m going to get some air. Enjoy those books, Titania.”

“I shall do my best.” She replied. A few minutes later, however, she joined him outside. He noticed that usual ‘lustful’ look she gave him, but ignored it, trying to focus his mind on other things. Namely, his dreams of being the leader of his own Starfleet team. They looked so cool with their color-coded uniforms and advanced weaponry, he had told his father as a colt.

“Daddy, will I ever be a Starfleet officer?” he had asked.

“Lightning, you can do whatever you set your mind to, but don't expect it to come easy. None of the things worth doing in life are easy. You will have to work hard, but someday, you will do great things, and Starfleet will welcome you.”

“...Daddy? Is it true that friendship is a Starfleet officer’s greatest weapon?”

“The recruitment officers will say yes, but that is a lie. At least, it is a partial lie. Your greatest weapon, Lightning, is your mind. If you use it well, nothing can stop you.”

“Wanna know what I set my mind to? Being the greatest officer and ruler ever, just like you, Daddy!”

This had made his father laugh. “Oh, you will. I know it! Lightning Dawn, the greatest officer ever trained by Starfleet!”

Lightning smiled at the memory. He was 18 now, all grown up, his father had said on his birthday. If only his mother had been there to celebrate with them. Titania, for her part, had done her best to make his birthday great. She had missed the mark in a few areas, but she had tried. Her gift to him had been a flute, hand-crafted in the palace she had lived in for some of her entire life. He had thanked her, and had been practicing for a while now. The memory of his birthday had triggered another one: his mother’s disappearance. This was no euphemism either. She had just...left without a trace. His father refused to talk about it, and Titania, whom he had asked on a whim one day about his mother’s fate, had said, unable to merely keep silent, “She is not dead. Beyond that, I cannot say.”

Lightning had shrugged it off, but he had thought differently. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that on his fifth birthday, his mother had disappeared, and Titania had mysteriously appeared afterwards. She had been, or at least, appeared to have been, his age when she showed up, though she did not act as innocent as one would expect from a child that young. From there, she had grown up alongside him, and became his closest friend.

Lightning, lost in his thoughts, did not notice Titania come closer and kiss his cheek. He was close to her in more ways than one, as stated before, but he felt no romantic feelings for her. Neither did she for him. They were merely ‘friends with benefits’ as the common saying was. Titania didn't love him in any sense, for love was irrelevant to her kind. She felt affection for her parents, and they for her, but it was not love in the same way Solarans viewed love. Love for the Fae was a brief feeling, something that was tried out for a short time, then discarded. Many Fae had fallen in love with Changeling servants, only to kill their ‘beloved’ a week later, then forget she or he ever existed. Titania’s relationship with Lightning was, for lack of a better term, casual and with no strings attached. Grand Ruler Lux had been...wary when he’d found out this arrangement, and warned Lightning to be careful.

Titania smiled pleasantly at Lightning, before noticing he wasn't paying any attention to her. This offended her slightly, as she hated being ignored. She flicked his chin to draw him out of his reverie. “Oh? Hmmm? Sorry, Titania. I was just thinking. Spaced out, if you’ll pardon the pun.”

“It is alright.” She said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“W-were you just kissing me?” he asked, rubbing his cheek and feeling the cold spot where Titania’s lips had been. “I-I mean, I have no problem with it…”

“I was, yes.” She said, her eyes full of the same mischief he had seen earlier. Lightning didn’t answer, but returned the kiss in the same spot: on her cheek. Titania smiled again.

“I do enjoy that feeling.” She said.

“You mean when I kiss you?”

“Yes. Not the emotion, or lack thereof, but the way your lips feel on my skin.” Titania replied. Lightning couldn’t help but smirk.

Meanwhile, a guard had entered the Grand Ruler’s throne room. It was immense, surrounded by a maze of twisted passages, all alike, and ornately decorated with engravings of Solaran legends and historical events. The room itself was furnished in the royal colors of gold and red, with a marble floor in the same color scheme. In the center was the legendary Golden Throne, an advanced piece of technology that Grand Ruler Lux himself had built millennia ago. The guard, dressed in the typical Starfleet uniform of colored spandex-like armor (in this case, blue) with a pattern of white diamonds, removed his helmet with a solemn look on his face.

“Your Highness...I come bearing an omen.”

“Do not waste your breath, Guardsmen.” The Grand Ruler said. “I have already felt what you have come to tell me about. Any Solaran with the slightest bit of magic intuition would have to be brain-dead not to feel the tremors coming from where Horus is sealed away.”

“What are we to do, your Majesty?”

“Contact Ms. Aquila. Tell her that she needs to gather her companions and be prepared for whatever is coming.”

“What of your son, Prince Lightning Dawn? He is surely in danger as well.” the officer pointed out.

“He is with Titania.” Grand Ruler Lux said simply. “She will protect him.”

“Understood.” the officer said, leaving the throne room and taking out a small communicator. “Officer Andromeda Aquila, this is Officer Brass Bolt. Do you read? Over.”

A brief silence, before she responded, her tone rather irritated, “Yes, I read you, Bolt. This had better be good. I was in the middle of teaching a class.”

“The Prodigal Son returns. I repeat, the Prodigal Son returns. Over.”

“...f*ck.” She said. “I'll get my team together. Out.”

The line went dead.

“By the Gods, Andromeda…” Brass Bolt muttered. “Be safe.”

Down on the surface of Solaris, the sun shone brightly on the city of Spectropolis, the de jure capital of the planet where the main offices, barracks, and training quarters of the Adeptus Spatium were located. The city itself was a marvel of Solaran engineering, a practical utopia of gleaming chrome buildings, air-suspended roads, and the most advanced technology around.

Andromeda Aquila, who was hurrying along one of the roads, did not have time to stop and take in the sights. She needed to find the other members of her team as quickly as possible. She was a young pegasus mare, around her mid 20’s, with a coat the color of a moonless midnight. Her mane and tail were a straight blonde, her eyes sea-green emeralds. Currently she wore long, faded blue jeans and a gray tank top that accentuated her moderate curves. On the right, just above the corresponding breast, was the symbol of her Cutie Mark: the constellation Aquila for which her family was named. Andromeda, in stark contrast to everyone she knew, hated having a Cutie Mark. She felt the whole concept was foolish. Why should a mark determine where a Solaran will go in life? This view made her unpopular, with many viewing her as crazy. Her friends, however, understood her viewpoint, and let her have it. Besides, she didn’t complain about it all that much.

She was losing her train of thought, she realized. She had to find her teammates, and she knew exactly where to look: their usual hangout, the Palette Bistro. Andromeda ran there, throwing the doors open and entering.

“We have to get ready, right now.” She said to her teammates as she entered, her tone making it clear the situation was dire. The bistro was rather quaint, decorated in black and white checkerboard tiles, with candlelit tables. Walter Peindre, an orange earth pony dressed in red, with an artist’s beret and paintbrush as his Cutie Mark, pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up to his face, his blue eyes wide.

“You sound worried, Andromeda.” he said, his slight Golden Fields accent evident in his speech. “What’s the matter?”

Sitting across from him was a yellow unicorn with dirty blonde hair and slight beard stubble on his chin, dressed in a flannel jacket, ratty jeans, and a white T-shirt, his Cutie Mark emblazoned on both pockets of the jacket: a guitar and pen. His name was Bridge Cappella, and he had been sitting at his laptop, a cup of tea on one side, and an issue of the infamous comic book Rabbichoso on the other, typing up his latest story in the Grognak the Barbarian series for the Fanastitales pulp magazine.

“Yeah,” Bridge said, taking a sip of his tea. “You don’t usually sound this...what’s the word?”

“Terrified.” Walter chimed in.

“Yes, thank you, Wally.” Bridge said, enjoying the frustrated look on Walter’s face. “But seriously, Annie, what’s going on?”

“If you two would shut the f*ck up for five seconds, I would tell you.” She snapped. “The Prodigal Son has returned.”

This caused everyone in the restaurant to look at her abruptly, even the doo-wop house band that Blueberry Crepe had hired some months ago, Ruben and the Jets. The doors to the kitchen burst open, and a blue earth pony, dressed in the typical chef’s uniform, stepped out. His name was Blueberry Crepe, and he was owner and head chef of the Bistro. He was aged, around his 60’s or so, and he had once been a Starfleet officer, having retired to open a restaurant some years ago. While not well-known outside of Spectropolis and the surrounding area, he’d become a local celebrity thanks to his skills in the culinary arts.

“Miss Aquila…” he said. “D-did you just say he has returned?” His tone was shaky, insistent, and scared out of his wits.

“We don't have time for this bullsh*t.” Andromeda said, her tone angry and frustrated. “Walter, Bridge, get your asses in gear and meet me at our usual rendezvous point. Get moving.”

With that, she hurried out of the restaurant. Bridge did as Andromeda had ordered, heading to the library where they usually gathered for missions. Walter told Blueberry to put it on his tab, and followed Bridge out the door.

Titania, meanwhile, had sensed something was very, very wrong. She didn't know what, exactly, but the feeling was there, all the same. Lightning felt it too, and had asked his father if his fears were confirmed. “...Has my brother escaped Tenebris?”

“Yes.” The Grand Ruler had replied. “Stay with Titania. Do not leave her sight.”

“B-but Father! This is my chance to prove I can be a great Starfleet officer!” Lightning had begged, though it was no use. When Grand Ruler Lux gave an order, that was it. He and Titania sat together in the garden they had been in since exiting the library, the latter keeping watch for anything suspicious. Lightning crossed his arms like an impotent child, frustrated. He began thinking of when he’d started his training, shortly after his 12th birthday, and he had requested ‘the meanest, most tough, most hard-headed senior officer in the Adeptus Spatium’. The Grand Ruler had been surprised, but had given Lightning exactly as he requested: Cortland Andrus, a rather old stallion who had led his team until the day he died, Lightning remembered.

His train of thought was interrupted by Titania’s voice, as serene as ever, “Lightning, you need to hide.”

“Wait...hide? Why?” Titania didn’t respond, for he soon got his answer: a shadowy alicorn, dressed in black robes and a hood, his crimson red eyes peeking out from under it. Next to him were three figures: a slim, pale, redheaded pegasus with long, claw-like nails, blue eyes and ruby-red lips, an earth pony that looked incredibly musclebound, with no mane and a blood-red zig zagged tattoo across his right side, and a unicorn. Or rather, a living shadow that resembled a unicorn.

“Cassiopeia, Kratos, Erebus.” the alicorn commanded, his voice low. “Capture my brother, Prince Lightning Dawn of House Lux. But do not harm the fairy.” He looked at each of them. “I will be off to see my dear old father.”

“Do not flee, cowardly bastard of Lux.” Titania said, her serene tone now cold and hateful. “You and I will have words.”

“Oh? And what will they be, Princess of the Fae? Friendship is magic?” Horus mocked.

“My lord…” Kratos whispered. “I am not the smartest of your followers, but it is not safe to mock the Fae. Ask Erebus.”

Erebus, in the distant past, had, in a fit of arrogance, mocked Queen Mab. The curse she put on him was the reason he was now a living shadow.

“I am aware of Erebus’ brush with the Fae.” Horus said. “I do not care. All I care about is destroying this pathetic Imperium and their message of ‘friendship’.”

“Hear me now, Horus.” Titania whispered, the air around her beginning to crackle with arcane power. “I am Titania, Princess of Nevernever. In the past, I have been named Knife of the Fae, the Hungering Shadow, the Mistress of the Wild Hunt, the Witch Queen. The blood of Mab and Oberon flows through my veins, and I am gifted with more power than a pathetic, childish bastard like you could possibly understand. I will give you one chance to give up your petty crusade. If you do not...I am certain Mother and Father will be most pleased when I bring them your head.” Her tone sent chills up Horus’ spine, but his hubris and ego prevented him from running away willingly.

“Petty? My goal is not petty. Friendship...teamwork...love...all sickening. As a Fae, I honestly expected you to agree with me, Titania. Spite makes right.”

Titania spent a moment considering it. “You are correct in a sense.” she admitted. “Love is meaningless to Fae. As is friendship, at least in the way Solarans understand it.”

“Do elaborate. What does that mean, ‘in a sense’? I am absolute. There is no ‘in a sense’, fairy.”

Titania bristled at his tone. The hubris Horus displayed made her angry. Very, very angry. Her hand shot out, wrapping around his throat. She lifted him into the air, conjuring an ethereal sword in her other hand.

“The Fae, unlike you, can actually care about other beings. I care about Lightning Dawn. None of you will touch him.”

Kratos looked at Cassiopeia, terrified. On one hand, he wanted to obey Horus’ orders to not harm Titania. On the other, he wanted to aid his master in battle. What to do…

Horus struggled to get free, a wet gargle-choking sound emanating from his hood. “Let...me...go…”

Titania didn't. Instead, she asked, “Why do you want me unharmed? How do I fit into your plan?”

“You do not.” Horus said, black sparks erupting from his fingers. “It is the Prince they are after. He will make an excellent ally.” He was interrupted, however, by a golden beam of magic hitting him square in the chest, knocking him backwards. Kratos and Erebus turned to see an enraged Lightning Dawn, his fists and teeth clenched, his body hunched, and his horn glowing.

“Do. Not. Hurt. TITANIA!” he shouted, leaping at Kratos with a raised fist and hitting him in the lower jaw. He turned to Cassiopeia, and attempted to kick at her. Cassiopeia laughed mockingly, blocking the attack with contemptuous ease.

“You put on a good show, whelp, but you are not as strong as your father.” She said before throwing him aside. Lightning grunted, managing to catch himself and sliding onto the ground.

“You’re right. I’m not as strong as my father. But you know what? I BELIEVE IN MYSELF! JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!?” he yelled before his horn lit up again and he used his wings to spin in a corkscrew motion, striking at the mare like a drill. Cassiopeia dodged casually, snorting.

“I think you're the idiot who turned his back on two dangerous enemies.” She told him, just before Erebus struck at Lightning from behind as he was attempting to attack her again. Lightning let out a grunt of pain, dizzy from spinning around two times in a row. Disoriented, he got up, and looked at all four of the intruders. Realizing he was outmatched, he did the only sensible thing he could: run like his life depended on it. And in fact, it did.

Before he could even turn, an object flew over his shoulder, embedding itself in the stomach of Kratos. It was an arrow. The musclebound earth pony fell, clutching his stomach as he bled out onto the floor. Lightning, still a bit dizzy, turned to where the arrow had fired from to see a pegasus mare in full green Starfleet uniform, along with a blue-suited earth pony mare, a pair of stallions, suited in red (another earth pony) and yellow (a unicorn) respectively, and what looked like a pair of brown-clad twins: a unicorn stallion and pegasus mare respectively. “A...Starfleet team?”

“I'll give you all the autographs you like later, kid.” The pegasus mare in green said. She held a rather deadly looking bow. “Right now, you need to get the Hell out of the way.”

The mare in blue took out a whip laced with poison, cracking it as she looked at Erebus and Cassiopeia. “Looks like Mama needs to punish you bad kids.” she said, before charging at the latter. Cassiopeia met her charge, and a fight began.

Andromeda, who held the bow, let out a sigh. “Damn it, one of these times, her charging in is going to get her killed.”

“Lux damn it, Rosebud…” sighed the mare in brown. “I’ll handle this. Bridge, Walter, get the kid out of here!”

“Aye aye, Trini!” the two stallions saluted, picking Lightning up and running out as fast as they could. The prince in question was elated that a Starfleet team came to his rescue, willfully ignoring the danger he was in. Bridge looked at Walter, an expression of determination underneath his helmet.

“I’ll get the prince to Grand Ruler Lux’s throne room. You handle the threats if they come for us.” he said. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Walter said, nodding. “Good luck.”

They sent their separate ways. Andromeda, meanwhile, had lost track of her team in the carnage that erupted after Rosebud charged into combat, and had no idea who was where.

“I need a headcount!” she shouted into her communicator. “All of you who are still conscious, say so!”

“Roger that!” Nitro, the unicorn in brown, reported.

“Praesenti!” came Trini’s voice as she fought against Erebus with punches and kicks.

“I’m escorting the prince to his daddy’s room!” Bridge reported.

“Mama’s punishing the kids!” shouted Rosebud excitedly.

“Keeping watch for Bridge.” Walter reported.

Speaking of Bridge, he was close to the Throne Room of the Inner Palace. Lightning was excitedly trying to chat him up, to no avail. Before Bridge could reach the doors, they opened, and the Grand Ruler emerged, clothed in full battle armor.

“Get Lightning Dawn inside the Throne Room, lock the doors, and do not let anyone in until I return.” he commanded, striding past Bridge towards where the rest of his team fought Horus and his lackeys.

The chaotic battle, which neither side seemed to be winning, was interrupted by a booming voice, the voice of Grand Ruler Lux. “HORUS!” he shouted. The hooded alicorn halted the battle, and all was silent as he calmly walked up to his father.

“Ah, hello, Papa.” he said with a faux-jovial tone. “Have you reconsidered my demands to reform the Imperium?”

“Reconsider this.”his father said coldly, before his fist slammed into Horus’ chin. He was knocked several feet back, getting up and charging a dark arcane attack.

“When will you realize that friendship is pathetic and that the individual has all the power?” he growled before firing a black beam of energy at Lux. When the light died down...the Grand Ruler was completely unfazed, and very angry. What followed could only be described as the most brutal case of fatherly discipline in history. Lux spent the next several minutes beating his wayward son within an inch of his life, leaving Horus a bloodied, exhausted wreck.

“Spite...makes...right...the power...of hate...is the only thing...that matters. Why, why...whywon’t you realize that?” the former Prince groaned.

“If I, even for a moment, consider your wretched views, Horus, that means you win, and I will nevergive you the satisfaction.” Lux responded.

“Wretched...petty...your words mean nothing. Friendship, teamwork, believing in yourself...all disgusting things to live by. I am right. You are wrong…”

“Begone, Horus, my wayward son. Begone, and may you never return.” The Grand Ruler said gravely.

“You’re going to banish me again? Typical Lux. It will take another 10,000 years for me to escape, you know.”

It was Titania who spoke next, spitting on Horus. “By my right as the Princess of the Fae, I curse you, Horus, son of Lux. From this day until your last, you will never know peace, never know happiness, never know satisfaction. You, and those who serve you, will always be hounded by enemies, no matter where you go or where you try to hide. So I have spoken, so shall it be.”

The last four words were repeated by Horus, who had no choice in the matter. He and his minions were involuntarily teleported back into the eldritch depths of Tenebris, cursed forever. Lux sighed.

“I wish things had turned out differently, my son…” he whispered softly, before turning to Andromeda and her team. Lightning and Bridge rejoined them a few minutes later.

Lightning hugged his father, tears in his eyes. “Father...I’m sorry...I disobeyed and fought Horus’ minions…”

“Lightning...I am not angry with you.” Lux said softly. “You did very well.”

“B-but I disobeyed. I tried defending Titania, and nearly got myself killed…”

“You defended a friend, and managed to use a power I did not think you would be able to wield until you were much older. Both things have made me proud of you, my son.”

“...Thank you, father. But what’s going to happen now? Horus is defeated, right?”

“Unfortunately not. The seals of his prison are much weaker now. In time, he will escape once again. Until then, he will plot, and scheme, and send out agents to carry out his wishes. Starfleet will be dealing with many dangers in the weeks and months to come. They will need brave, strong officers to weather the storm.”

“Does that mean…?” Lightning asked, hope in his voice.

“Yes.” his father confirmed. “You are, as of now, an official officer of Starfleet. You will be training under Andromeda Aquila, the pegasus mare with the bow.”

Lightning nodded. “I don’t mind her leading the team instead of me. The title of leader is earned and not given, like you always say.”

Andromeda spat. “Great. This is just f*cking swell. Saddle me with the damned rookie, that's bloody dandy.”

“Don’t worry.” Rosebud said. “I’m sure he’ll fit in nicely with our team.”

“Besides,” said Bridge. “You should feel honored. Not only is this the Prince of the entire Imperium you’re training, but he’s enthusiastic as all get out.”

“I don't care that he's the Prince. As far as I'm concerned, all of these royal types can take their fancy titles and shove them.” Andromeda spat. Trini awkwardly pointed at the Grand Ruler.

“Erm...Annie…” Lightning tried holding his laughter. It was not out of malice, but genuine amusem*nt.

“Oh, she can say what she likes.” Lux responded. “The honesty is refreshing. However, I am sorry to say that training my son is not an option, Andromeda. I am ordering you to do it.”

Andromeda narrowed her eyes. “Very well. I will train him, but I will do it my way.”

“Awesome!” Lightning shouted enthusiastically. “Let me go pack my stuff!” And with a beat of his wings, off he went.

“Well, this is certainly going to be interesting.” said Walter, smirking.

“I will be coming along, as well.” Titania said, her tone once again calm and serene.

“...Wow…” said Bridge. “A real fairy.”

“I always imagined they’d be the size of insects and have wings.” Rosebud said. “No offense to you, of course, Princess Titania.”

“Oh, no offense taken.” Titania said. “You are hardly the first to make that assumption, and it is not entirely wrong. There are creatures like that in the Land of Nevernever. They are known as sprites, and are a delicacy among Fae.”

Rosebud looked at her. “You eat sprites?!”

“Yes.” Titania said, her tone still perfectly calm. “As I said, they are a delicacy. I personally pluck the wings off first. They tend to scream when you do that, but pain makes the sprite taste better, I've learned.” Rosebud merely smiled awkwardly.

“...I’m a botanist. A-are you allergic to flowers, by any chance?”

“No, I am not. I am also not going to eat you. Relax, yungkine.”

“Fae language.” Nitro recognized. “I’ve always been fascinated with the supernatural, Princess. May I ask what your relationship is with Lightning Dawn is?” Trini began giggling. “Quiet, sis! It’s not that kind of relationship!” her brother nearly shouted.

“It is.” Titania replied. “At least, occasionally. As for you, botanist? I will eat you, if you catch my meaning, but only if you ask politely.”

Rosebud blushed, though it wasn’t obvious due to her red fur. Nitro and Trini’s eyes widened. “Wait, you mean…?” the former asked. “I thought Fae weren’t sexually active.”

“We are, sometimes. Sex and love are not always intertwined, so Fae can enjoy the former without worrying about the latter. Of course, like all things involving emotion, it is more of a passing fancy than something cherished. Love, compassion, and similar concepts are curiosities for the Fae, not things we value.”

“So you have very...alien morals, for lack of a better term.” Bridge concluded.

“I assume you have all heard the tales of children being stolen in the dead of night, yes?” Titania asked.

“Yeah…” said Trini uneasily.

“The Keepers you were warned about are very real, and do, indeed, steal children away. They become creatures known as Changelings.”

Grand Ruler Lux knew of Changelings, but not the ones Titania was referring to. That was long, long ago...but it was not time to reveal his secrets just yet.

Titania continued, “The children brought to Nevernever by the Keepers are not gently cared for. Instead, they are tortured, mind, body and soul, until they break, allowing us to rebuild them as we desire.” Everyone grew uneasy and afraid at Titania’s descriptions.

Lightning Dawn, meanwhile, sat in his chambers, packing his things into a trunk carved with the creation of Solaris. Once he finished, returning to the others, he walked in to see all of them listening to Titania speak about the relationship between Changelings and Fae.

“Consider, for instance, a Fae who believes that he has fallen in love with a Changeling, and she loves him in turn. One day, though, that will all fall apart, a house of cards whirling in a callous wind. The Fae might grow to hate the Changeling's pandering attentions. Or maybe the Fae will one day ask a simple favor — "Please, my dear, pass me the salt" — and in the Changeling's hesitation the Fae sees gross disobedience. And so he snaps her neck, wondering at the sounds that gurgle up from her collapsed trachea. Soon thereafter, he remembers the burbling of the honeyed brook outside his home, and he returns to his own little world, managing to never think twice about how easily he killed his ‘love.’”

Nitro was disgusted yet fascinated, Bridge was writing down notes, Walter was busy sketching a picture of Titania as he listened, Trini held onto Rosebud for dear life, and Andromeda had a disturbed expression on her face, but said nothing.

“Well...ummm…” Lightning said, interrupting Titania’s story. “I’m all packed and ready to go.”

“Go?” The Grand Ruler asked. “You're not ‘going’ anywhere.”

“B-but I thought I was going to the surface…” Lightning said, confused.

“No.” his father said. “Not yet. You must train first.”

“Train? But how? I don’t have a morphing device, nor a weapon.”

“You do, rookie.” Andromeda said. “Your most dangerous weapon is what's between your ears.”

“My mind?”

She nodded. Titania, meanwhile, had noticed Walter sketching her. She did not object to what he was doing. She was as prone to pride as most of her kin, and enjoyed the attention. “And done.” he concluded. Unlike Lightning’s artist friend, Walter had decided to create an accurate photorealistic sketch. Titania looked it over, nodding in approval.

“Very good work.” She said.

“Thank you.” Walter said. “Artistry is my passion, you know.”

Lightning, meanwhile, had gotten into a fighting stance, and his horn began to glow as he focused his energy. “LIGHTNING...BLAST!” he called out as a crackle of energy burst forth through his horn. Andromeda walked over to Lightning, before swatting him hard on the back of the head. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Don't call out your attack, you f*cking moron.” She snapped.

“But you and I both know that’s how magical attacks work. It acts as an incantation.”

“Yes, but you don't have to shout. You will be attacked before you finish if you do that. Instead, you must say it in your mind, or, if you must speak aloud, whisper.”

Lightning nodded, charging up his attack once again, silently thinking the name Lightning Blast before it fired again, this time, hitting one of the Palace’s walls. Unfortunately, this blast was much weaker.

“The unfortunate side effect of reciting the words in your head is that, unless you have put much time and practice into doing it, your attacks don't do much.” Andromeda informed him.

“So, it takes some time to master, I’m guessing?”

“Yup.” She responded. Lightning nodded again, to signal Andromeda he was taking in every word she was saying. Deciding to try the second approach she mentioned, he charged his magic once more, before whispering the attack name. This time, the attack was more powerful, but it was clear he hadn't had any practice with it. Raw power, Lightning would learn, would often be unable to match experience. Lightning merely grinned widely at the sight of the attack being more powerful this time, and he began giggling like an excited schoolfoal at the prospect of his attacks blasting his foes away. This made Andromeda sigh.

“Look, kid, you're excited. I get it. Really, I do. But if don't put a lid on this enthusiasm, you'll get yourself killed.”

“Y-yes, ma’am…” Lightning said. Gosh, she was pretty, he observed. Focus Lightning! This isn’t time to gawk at beautiful mares, especiallyones you’re training under!

Andromeda turned to Titania, who was idly filing her nails. “I've noticed you do not seem at all concerned with the return of Horus, beyond the fact that your friend here may be hurt.”

“Your observation is correct.” The Faerie said calmly. “I am, indeed, unconcerned. You mortal creatures live such short lives. You are born, you age, you breed, you grow old, and, inevitably, you die. What care I that the Prodigal Son has taken it upon himself to cut your short lives even shorter?”

“...Your morality is neither black nor white, nor grey.” said Bridge, reading his notes. “It’s a sort of...blue-orange. That is, to say, it’s very, very weird.”

“Your artist friend is most fortunate he did not choose to depict me as a sprite. The last Solaran who made that mistake regretted it dearly. Lightning knows whom I speak of.”

The alicorn cringed at remembering what had happened..ye Gods...that was horrifying.

Bridge stared at Titania, blinking once or twice before awkwardly coughing. “I’m an artist too, you know. Not like painting or drawing, but I’m a writer and musician. Wally and I are cousins, believe it or not.”

“Yes...distantcousins.” the orange earth pony clarified. “Have either of you heard of the Grognak the Barbarian stories?”

“My father used to read them to me at bedtime!” Lightning said excitedly.

“Well, Bridge here is the writer. Well, current writer, anyway. He took over from the previous one when he retired about...oh, a year or so ago.”

“Took the pen name too.” Bridge said, a small grin on his face. “Pulp stories are the best kind.”

“Yeah, if you like trashy escapist garbage.” Walter muttered.

“I have little interest in such things, I am afraid.” Titania said. “When you have lived as long as I have, there is much that passes by without being noticed.”

“...He also reads Rabbichoso.” Rosebud said sweetly. “I think those comics are kind of cute, really.”

Andromeda snorted. “Rabbichoso? Really?”

“What?” Bridge asked. “They’re strangely good, what can I say?”

“What’s Rabbichoso?” Lightning asked.

“p*rn.” Andromeda said bluntly. “Cutesy and cartoonish p*rn.”

“That was only, like, issue eight.” Bridge scoffed.

“Oh, I'm sure you enjoyed that particular issue.” She replied, snorting again. “How sticky are the pages of your copy of issue eight, I wonder?”

Before Bridge could say anything, Walter interrupted. “Would you like to know what I think of Rabbichoso? It’s badly written, poorly drawn, and the only reason people read it is because of Night Star’s faaaaascinating life story!”

“Isn't she a stripper or something?” Andromeda asked, laughing a bit. “It's something like that.”

“Nope.” said Bridge. “Just a unicorn who lives at home with her mother.”

Andromeda snorted for a third time. “Oh, right. I don't know much about the series. I just know that the reason people are interested in Night Star is not because she has an interesting personality.”

“As much as this conversation fascinates me, can we get back to training?” Lightning asked impatiently.

“No.” Andromeda said bluntly. “We're all just shooting the sh*t here, and I'm sure you have many, many questions about Starfleet. Now is the time to ask.”

“OK...what’s the deal with the color-coded spandex?” Lightning asked. “I’ve always wondered that.”

Andromeda thought about it. “You know, I've never thought about it all that much. These uniforms keep us alive, and that's all I really need to know.”

Lightning turned to his father, the answer not satisfying him. “...It isn’t spandex, is it?” he concluded.

“No. Spandex wouldn't be able to withstand attacks from the threats Starfleet officers face. The material in the uniforms looks and feels like spandex, but is much more durable.”

“So, it’s like a stretchy metal alloy?” Nitro asked.

“Duh. Even I knew that.” Trini said. The Grand Ruler nodded in agreement.

“Next question, kid.” Andromeda said.

“Why are the three core tenets friendship, kindness, and teamwork? The last two I can understand, but friendship? It sounds a bit cliche.”

“Honestly? The last one is the only tenet that matters.” She replied.

“So there are some that don’t believe in friendship and kindness?”

“Kindness has no place in war.” Andromeda said. “All it does is cloud judgment and prevent leaders from making hard moral choices.”

“And friendship?” Lightning asked.

“Friendship is, along with your mind, an excellent weapon to have in war.” said Rosebud. “It shows that in times of need, those closest to us can lead us to victory. That’s just my take on it, anyway.”

“I prefer to exploit it.” Andromeda said. “That's how you get captives to talk. You torture their friends in front of them until their resolve breaks.”

“...You’re no hero…” said Lightning.

“Oh, she is.” said Bridge. “Not all heroes are gonna be paragons of virtue.”

“Who are you to judge me?” Andromeda snarled at Lightning. “I didn't grow up in a palace, wanting for nothing. I grew up on the streets. I had to fight for my entire life to get where I am now. I have been fighting this war of mine since I turned 10. I had to steal, lie, cheat, hurt and kill to claw my way up the cruel ladder that is life. I'm not a virtuous hero. I don't need to be. Good is not all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, the good choice is not the nice one, kid. So, again I ask: Who are you to judge me, when you have never been forced to make the same choices I have?”

“I...I can’t answer that.” Lightning said. “I don’t have one.” She reminded him of Cort, that old bastard.

Andromeda nodded once. “Good. At least you admit you cannot provide an answer.”

“You remind me of Cortland Andrus, Commander Aquila.” Lightning said. “Have you heard of him?” The others’ jaws dropped.

“D-did you just say, ‘Cortland Andrus?’ As in, that Cortland Andrus?” Walter asked.

“Ah, old Cort.” Andromeda said fondly. “That salty old bastard…”

“So, you knew him?” Lightning asked.

“Knew him?” Nitro asked. “Buddy, he trained Andromeda’s aunt. And she’s one of the greatest Starfleet officers we know!”

“Is that true?” Lightning asked Andromeda, curious. Andromeda nodded.

“It is, indeed.” She confirmed.

“I trained under him too. On my request. For about three years, anyway.” Lightning boasted.

“And yet, you don't seem to have learned very much.” Andromeda said dryly.

“...” Lightning said nothing.

Andromeda could sense that the other members of her team didn't approve. “What?” She asked.

“Go easy on him, Andie.” said Walter. “He’s still a wet lump of clay. Mold him carefully yet firmly.”

“Yeah.” said Nitro. “He won’t learn anything if you go drill sergeant on him. Remember when I first joined your team?”

“He also won't learn anything if he gets disemboweled on his first mission.” Andromeda snapped.

“So you’re only being a hard-ass because you need to be?” Lightning asked. “I respect you for that.”

“See?” Nitro said. “He gets why you’re being abrasive, at least.”

“Care to jam your head even further up his ass, Nitro?” She asked him dryly. “You don't need to baby and kiss up to him.”

“...I will shut up now, ma’am.”

“Good.” She said.

“How, exactly, do your weapons work, ma’am?” Lightning asked. “Are they powered by magic as well?”

“It depends on the weapon. My bow hardly requires magic. Shooting someone in the throat with an arrow is not an arcane feat. Rosebud over there coats her whip in poison. It makes your strikes pack quite the punch, doesn't it, Rose?”

“Yessiree, Andromeda!” Rosebud replied.

“...And his weapon?” Lightning asked, gesturing to Walter. “It looks like a giant paintbrush.”

“That, Prince, is where you’re wrong. It’s disguised as a paintbrush.” Walter elaborated, pulling out a rather large katana. “But it is one of the deadliest handheld weapons known to ponykind.”

“Indeed, it is.” Andromeda agreed. “He can cut through enemies like paper with that blade.”

“But why a paintbrush?” Lightning questioned.

“It avoids suspicion, of course.” Walter replied. “After all, if I were to actually use a paintbrush as a melee weapon, I would not be taken seriously as a soldier.”

“Show him your weapons.” Andromeda said to the members of her team that hadn't spoken yet. Bridge pulled out a sword that looked like something a knight out of a fairy tale would use, Trini activated a small burst of flame with her horn, and Nitro created two small fireballs using heating devices in his gloves.

“Wow…” Lightning said, astonished. “Those two can use pyrokinesis?”

“Well, Trini can.” Bridge explained. “Nitro has to use heating devices.”

“So, really, the only ones here who use magic extensively are Trini and your Fae friend.” Andromeda said.

“Technically, Lightning’s now part of the team too, so should we include him?” Trini asked.

“No.” Bridge said. “I’m sorry, but no. He needs to learn to use his newfound power properly first.”

Andromeda nodded. “I think, for now, we should focus on getting him trained, as well as preparing for whatever our enemies do next.”

She turned to the Grand Ruler. “Is our little base still in working order?”

He nodded. “Yes. It is just as you left it, and has been stocked up with everything your team needs to be able to stay there when necessary.”

“Good.” she said. “Let's head there, team.”

“Am I coming too?” Lightning asked.

“I said ‘team’, didn't I?” She replied. “As much as I may not like it, you are part of my team now. So, yes, you are coming.”

“WHOO-HOO! Let me go get my stuff!” Lightning cheered.

“Uhhh, Lightning...” His father said, gesturing to the suitcases Lightning had already brought out.

“Oh, sorry.” he said, grabbing his suitcases. “I will miss you, father. So much…”

“I'll still see you, Lightning. You won't be going very far.” His father reassured him. “Go on, now. Go with your new team.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Lightning said. “Ready to start the rest of our lives, Titania?” Unfortunately, this went over his companion’s head.

“This will hardly take the rest of my life. It may, however, take the rest of yours.” She said. “Come, now. Your team is leaving.”

“Andromeda!” The Grand Ruler called as they were heading out. “Keep my son safe.”

“I will do my best.” She replied. With that, they departed, descending towards the surface of Solaris.

Many miles away, there sat a moon in orbit. By all accounts, it resembled a perfectly ordinary moon: cold, grey and devoid of life. However, the saying goes that appearances can be deceiving, and the moon of Tenebris was no exception. Beneath the surface was an incomprehensible, twisting landscape of eldritch geometries overcast by a perpetually dark and stormy sky. Bodies of astronauts and Starfleet officers who had been foolish enough to venture close to the moon poked out of the ground, reduced to skeletons long ago. Overlooking all of this was a castle, a dark and imposing fortress whose existence, much like the rest of Tenebris, could not be explained; from within sat Horus, on a throne of flesh, blood, and bones. He was displeased with his failed assault on the Imperial Palace of Solaris, and ruminated in his own nihilistic, sociopathic thoughts. What was he to do next? Grand Ruler Lux had grown even stronger than he in the ten thousand years since the war, and to add insult to injury, that foolish bastard spawn of his had been able to unlock the ancient Power many years too early.

The Fae Princess was yet another unexpected problem. He could not simply kill her; to do so would invite retribution from King Oberon and Queen Mab. That brought his mind back to his initial inquiry: what was he to do? He couldn’t risk assaulting the palace again, much less Solaris itself. Perhaps, however, he could use a technique he learned from his old allies the Infestatio; that was, sending one of his agents at a time to carry out whatever misdeeds he wished. The barriers were certainly weak enough. Calling his High Priestess Cassiopeia to his side, Horus gave a devilish grin.

“Gather the materials for the Golem Ritual. We’re going to be making monsters.”

Cassiopeia grinned as well, bowing. “Gladly. It will take several days to form the first one, but compared to the 10,000 years we have been sealed away, it will seem like nothing. It will be done, my Lord.”

With that, she rose, leaving to do as she was commanded.

And...scene.

Apologies for the length, but while I intended this as a prologue and have the first two "episodes" deal with the Titan plot, I realized how both impractical that would be (much like in Mykan's original) and how non-unique it seemed. So, deciding to bring my friend from FanFiction Gojirafan237 on board, we decided to not only condense but streamline the main idea of Starfleet Magic's pilot, changing things around so that they would make more sense (for example, what reason did the series of events in "Evil's Return, Parts 1 and 2" exist other than to rip off the first two episodes of FiM?) and introduce some characters (specifically the counterparts of Dyno and Mite, Nitro and Trini) earlier than they did in canon. This is what TVTropes refers to as "Adaptation Distillation", and distill we did.

Something else you may have noticed is that Lightning is not made immediate leader of the team, as well as being related to the Grand Ruler. There are two respective reasons for each.

1) To me, it doesn't make any sense that a new Starfleet recruit such as Lightning Dawn is made leader of an already existing team, other than showing off his Special Snowflake Syndrome and his place as protagonist. This is why I decided to make Andromeda (Starla's counterpart) leader instead; it not only makes the story stand out more, but also averts the sexist caricature Starla was in the original.

2) The reason Lightning Dawn is related to the Grand Ruler is because it makes not only more sense seeing as they resemble one another, but also eliminates the cliched "dead parents/genocide" backstory Lightning had in the original. He's also related to Titan's counterpart Horus because I felt that would make an interesting dynamic between the three.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and I welcome any constructive feedback so that I can improve as a writer.

We Dare Not Go A-Hunting

Previously on Starfleet: MiB…

Lightning Dawn, the young prince of Solaris, had always dreamed of joining the military forces of the Adeptus Spatium, unofficially known as “Starfleet”. He ended up getting his chance, however, when the ancient sorcerer known as Horus broke free of his prison on the moon of Tenebris, launching an assault on the royal palace of Grand Ruler Lux. When all hope seemed lost, however, Horus and his three most trusted enforcers were beaten back by Officer Andromeda Aquila and her team. Much more surprising, however, was the discovery that Lightning Dawn had, for a brief moment, harnessed his most powerful magic trying to defend his friend Titania, Princess of the Fae. Lux, sensing his son would need to better his newfound Power, made him an initiate of Starfleet under Andromeda’s tuteleage. Now, the new team of eight return to Solaris to begin Lightning’s training.

On Tenebris, however, Horus begins to formulate a new plan…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been four days since the return of Horus. In that time, Andromeda and her team had returned to the small base on the surface of Solaris they once called home, in order to begin training Lightning. Andromeda herself quickly proved to be a harsh teacher, punishing Lightning for every mistake he made. Currently, the two of them were sparring in the library, and Lightning, predictably, wasn't faring well. He was attacking only with punches, kicks, and ‘Lightning Blasts’, Andromeda dodging every single time.

“This isn’t fair. How are you so good?!” the alicorn prince whined. Andromeda caught his next strike, before her other hand, closed into a fist, connected with his chin.

“This isn't fair? Of course it's not!” she shouted at him as he staggered from the blow, before hitting him again.

“There is no such thing as a fair fight, recruit! Tell me: Do you think your enemies will wait for you to be ready? No, they won't.” Andromeda continued, hitting him again and again incredibly fast, giving him no chance to dodge.

“Death, recruit, will not wait for you to be ready! It is neither patient, nor fair!” She finished, before finally relenting, giving Lightning a moment of respite. Beaten, bruised, and fairly exhausted, he lay himself down on the library’s couch, trying to catch his breath. The library was, at least from the outset, a rather small brick-mortar-and wood building, with a sign welcoming visitors inside in order to quench their thirst for knowledge. The building’s owner, a slightly middle-aged pegasus mare with a sandy-brown coat, knew Andromeda fairly well; she was her aunt, in fact. Or rather, one of two. The other was her girlfriend, a rather well-known unicorn magician by the name of Propheta. The mares in question, the sandy-brown one dressed in rather plain clothes, her cutie mark of a pair of scales on a necklace around her neck, and the unicorn, an indigo mare with crystal-blue eyes, mane to match, and wearing a rather revealing leotard, watched as their niece stared intently at the new recruit that was now lying on their couch.

“Get up.” She growled at Lightning.

“I don’t wanna…”

“You’d better do as she says.” the pegasus, named Libra, said. “My niece does not take kindly to new recruits back talking her.”

“B-but…” Lightning insisted. “She’s just gonna beat me up again.”

“It’ll be worse if you disobey her.” Bridge said, looking at him with a deadpan expression. “Trust me, I was once in your spot.”

“Get. The f*ck. Up.” Andromeda said, her tone promising untold amounts of pain if he refused again. Lightning immediately bolted upwards, much to the amusem*nt of Libra, who nudged Propheta playfully.

“Look at them, dear. Aren’t they so cute together?”

“Oh, they're charming.” Propheta replied. “He's half in love already.”

“W-what?!” Lightning said, taken aback. “S-she and I are not in love! You don’t fall in love with your superior officer! You just don’t!”

He paid dearly for getting distracted, with Andromeda taking the opportunity presented to her and driving her knee into his groin. Lightning cupped his testicl*s in pain, letting out a soft groan, wincing. “What was that for…?”

“As I said, there is no such thing as a fair fight.” Andromeda replied. “You take advantage of any opportunity to strike, you hit as hard and as fast as you can, and you don't get distracted.”

“...Noted, ma’am.” Lightning groaned. “...Is it lunchtime yet?”

“No.” She said flatly. “Now get up. We're going again.”

Lightning obeyed, getting into a fighting stance once more, and readying himself for another sparring match. As the two of them went at it, Titania entered the room. She leaned against a wall, watching Andromeda and Lightning spar.

“Amusing.” She said, her tone as serene as ever. “Mortals hone their skills through use of their fists. How antiquated.”

Lightning ignored Titania’s comment, trying his best to focus on the fight at hand, blocking Andromeda’s attacks, or at the very least, trying. Titania turned to Libra and Propheta.

“I do not believe I have met either of you yet.” She said. “I am Titania, Princess of the Land of Nevernever.”

“Hello there, Princess. My name is Libra, and this is my lover, Propheta. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“You're one of the Fae, aren't you?” Propheta asked Titania, who nodded once.

“Indeed, I am. Am I not what you expected?” She replied. Propheta shook her head.

“No, you are not. When I think of Faeries, I think of the little creatures with wings.” She said. “Not...well, you. No offense.”

“Oh, I am not offended. If I was, you would know.” Titania said pleasantly.

Before Libra could respond, a rather loud explosion could be heard from deeper within the building. “Lux damn it, Quantum…” she muttered. “Can that stallion not go one day without blowing something up then excusing it with ‘FOR SCIENCE?!’?”

“I could remove his kidneys, if you like.” Titania said casually, as if it were completely normal to remove organs from others. Which, to her, it likely was. Libra looked at her girlfriend, then at Titania.

“T-that won’t be necessary.” she said.

The library only took up part of the building. In reality, the entire base was concealed inside it, with only the library being open to the public. A glamour placed over the building by Propheta was the reason it appeared much smaller than it was.

Nitro and Trini, meanwhile, were busy aiding their mentor, Professor Quantum Leap, in his experiments. He was a bit older than either Libra or Propheta, but not by much, with a green coat and a slightly receding mane line. Wrapped around him was the typical labcoat for a stallion of his position: a scientist in Starfleet’s R&D department. As such, he did not do much fighting in the conventional sense. However, this did not make him harmless. Far from it. He was often kept on hand when Andromeda was torturing captives, using his medical knowledge to keep the unfortunate stallion or mare alive. He was, by his own admission, insane, and often took great pleasure in being the stereotypical mad scientist.

Before any more experiments could be done, the door to the lab was kicked open, and Andromeda walked in, her expression making it clear she was not in a good mood.

“Just what in name of all things holy are you doing?” She asked irritably. “What the Hell just exploded?”

“Oh, just some nitroglycerin, Andromeda dear. Nothing to worry about.” Quantum said casually, pouring chemicals from one beaker into another.

“Nitroglycerin. You were f*cking around with nitroglycerin? Do you know how dangerous that is? One mistake could blow this entire building sky-high.”

“I am aware of the dangers, Andromeda. But what’s the fun in SCIENCE without a bit of risk?”

Titania, who had followed Andromeda out of detached curiosity, stepped into the room.

“You mortal beings and your science. What use is scientific advancement compared to the arcane?”

“Magic and science go hand in hand, I think. They’re just the same idea, but with different names.” Trini replied, lighting a Bunsen burner and observing the flame with the same nonchalant expression as her mentor. Andromeda noted that Quantum was watching Titania, who he hadn't met yet, but had been told about.

“Are you a member of the Fae?” he asked with curiosity.

“I am the Princess of the Fae.” Titania replied.

“How exciting! I have read about the Fae, and unlike everypony else I’ve met, know the difference between them and sprites. Tell me, Princess Titania, how did one such as yourself stray so far from your paradise of a home?”

“I wished to see the world of mortal-kind for myself. Walking among the yungkine has been most enlightening for me.”

“I am sure it has. Do you mind if I do some simple tests? I assure you they are neither painful nor lethal.”

“Very well.” She said. Quantum retrieved several medical tools, carefully drawing some blood from Titania so as not to hurt her. He placed the blood samples under a microscope, and looked through it with interest. Her blood looked much different than any he had seen before. It wasn't red, but a bright green, and seemed to shimmer with light.

“Fascinating...Fae have a sort of bioluminescence in their bloodstream…” Quantum said, quickly scribbling down his observations on a notepad.

“What is the next test, doctor?” Titania asked.

“May I take some samples from you?” Nitro immediately turned green at the thought.

“You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, are you?” Trini asked.

“Yes. Bodily samples.” Normally, such immature humor would have made Trini laugh. Not this time, however. There was a time for silliness and fun, she always said. Laboratories were not those places. Titania, meanwhile, was unamused, her gaze cold.

“And what, pray tell, would you be taking samples of?” she asked.

“Stool and urine, what else?” Quantum replied. “Is that a problem?”

“No. That is, unless you are content with your genitals being a permanent home for maggots.” Titania said pleasantly. Quantum winced, and backed away.

“Never mind, then. Apologies.” he said quickly.

“Very good, then.” She replied, nodding.

Lightning, meanwhile, was improving his technique, punching a sandbag repeatedly. Rosebud sat nearby, watching him and idly filing her nails. “So, you got any family?” he asked casually.

“Yep. We don't talk much, though.”

“Why?”

“I prefer mares over stallions. They don't like that very much.” Rosebud said bitterly.

“Hey, my father swings both ways, so that’s nothing new to me.” Lightning said.

“Well, good for you.” Rosebud said dryly.

“She has the cutest little niece.” Libra gushed. “Daffodil, her name is.”

“Yep.” Rosebud replied. “She's the only member of my family that isn't an asshole.”

“Does she live with you?” Lightning asked, curious.

“Yep.”

“Like, here in Spectropolis?”

“Yep.” Rosebud confirmed, continuing to file her nails.

“Though, she does have a little flower shop down in Villa de Sapphirus.” Libra elaborated. “That’s where she works, Lightning, dear.”

Rosebud added, “Starfleet, unfortunately, doesn't pay all of our bills. All of us, save for you and Titania, obviously, have other jobs in addition to our Starfleet work.”

“Yeah, I know Bridge is a pulp writer and Walter’s an artist, but what do Andromeda, Nitro, and Trini do?”

“Andromeda’s a teacher, actually.” Propheta chimed in.

“A teacher, huh? What grades?” Lightning inquired.

“She teaches high-schoolers.”

“Ah, yes...hormonal teenagers.” Lightning reminisced. “I was tutored at home, so I have an idea of what schooling was like.”

“No, you don't.” Andromeda said, entering the room.

“Oh, uh...hi, Andie.” Lightning said awkwardly, noting the deadly glare she was giving him.

“Only close friends and family can call me that. You, recruit, do not have that privilege.”

“Ma’am, why do you hate me?” he muttered under his breath. Rosebud let out a sigh, while Andromeda bristled.

“Hate you? You think this is hatred?” She growled. “No. If I hated you, recruit, I would have told you father to go f*ck himself when he told me to train you. No, I don't hate you. But I'm not your friend either.”

“Lightning, you must learn something about my niece: she is less of the ‘superhero’ that a Starfleet officer is portrayed as, and more of a ‘soldier’. She is only hard on you, because otherwise, your innocent outlook would get you killed. She is only abrasive so that you can look another member of Starfleet in the eyes, and respect them as your equals.” Libra spoke, her tone blunt, straightforward, and truthful.

“Truthfully, recruit?” Andromeda began. “I don't think you have any place in Starfleet. From what I have seen of you, you are reckless, ignorant, naive, and an adherent of outdated morals such as honor and fairness. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be on my team. You have no place here. But, I am a soldier above all, and I follow orders, no matter how much I may not like it. I hope you can do the same.”

“B-but isn’t honor and fairness what a hero values most?” Lightning asked.

“You’re partially correct.” said Libra. “As a former Starfleet officer myself, I can say I was like you once. Idealistic, hopeful, and wanting to be the best heroine I could be. But I trained under Lieutenant Andrus, just like you’re training with Andromeda. Honor and fairness are a value every officer should hold. But being a hero means you have to do things you may not want to in the name of what’s truly right.”

“They mean little to me. Aside from killing civilians indiscriminately, there is little I won't do.” Andromeda said. “Torture, assassination, poisoning enemy food supplies, threatening, and sometimes hurting and killing, the families of enemy commanders…”

“B-but friendship...kindness...teamwork…”

“Andromeda’s a jaded young mare, Lightning.” Libra said. “Believe me, she still holds the core values of Starfleet, she just doesn’t show it to anypony who isn’t close to her.”

“And right now, I’m at the bottom of her food chain.”

“Exactly.”

Rosebud snorted. “She still doesn't put much stock in kindness. Or friendship, for that matter. She's kind of an asshole sometimes.”

“Screw you too, Rosebud.” Andromeda said dryly, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, I wish you would. I wouldn't mind a night with you…” Rosebud replied, winking. Andromeda blushed.

Lightning, in a rather stupid move on his part, attempted to knee Andromeda in the groin. “Don’t get distracted!”

In less than five seconds, he was pinned to a nearby wall, with Andromeda holding a knife to his throat. She hadn't even thought about it; the move was made out of sheer instinct.

“Guess I deserve this.” Lightning snarked.

“Gee, you think?” Andromeda said dryly before letting him go and sitting down next to Rosebud.

Titania, meanwhile, was sitting near an open window in another part of the library, having left the lab behind. She held a flute, and was playing a tune she had learned when she was a child, ages before. She attracted several birds, who were drawn to the sweet, airy playing. Titania smiled, continuing to play her tune. Her mother had taught her this particular song. Few could match Queen Mab at flute playing, Titania knew.

“Hello, little birds.” She said, pausing briefly and outstretching one of her pinkie fingers. A blue jay chirped sweetly, walking over. Titania let it hop onto her finger, before gently stroking the bird’s head.

“I like you.” She told the bird. “You have such a sweet song to sing.” The bird chirped happily, nuzzling Titania’s finger. Titania decided to keep the blue jay. Not in a cage, but in her bedroom, where it could come and go as it pleased. She brought the blue jay to the room she had taken up residence in, along with a pair of robins, one male, one female. Once Titania reached her bedroom door, she opened it, walking in and looking around. Perhaps she would name the blue jay Mordecai. Perhaps. She would worry about it later.

Her bedroom was rather modest, especially in comparison to her room in the Nevernever royal palace, but it was liveable. There was a bookshelf against each wall, each one filled to the brim with books of all varieties. Various musical instruments, which she had ducked back home to retrieve, were scattered throughout the room. Her bed sat in the center of the room, the headboard just beneath an open window. Several potted plants rested on the windowsill, none of them native to Solaris. Titania let her new bird companions explore her room while she sat on her bed, beginning to play the flute once more.

Lightning overheard her, and went to investigate. He found Titania sitting on her bed, playing her flute. The remarkable part was that the three birds were singing along as she did so. Lightning had honestly not expected that, given her actions four days ago. Titania paused in her playing, turning to look at him.

“Hello, Lightning.” She said, putting away her flute and laying down. “What did you need?”

“I just wanted to listen to you play.” he said, lying down next to her and casually wrapping an arm around her waist. Her dress, he would note, provided a rather generous view of her breasts and legs. He blushed, but did not take his eyes off of the sight. “You’re lovely, you know that?” he whispered.

“You have told me so.” Titania purred, amused. “Are you merely going to look, or are you going to act?” Lightning kissed her.

“Does that answer your question?”

Titania smirked, before pulling him into another kiss. This soon led to groping. Then, it led to sex. They were rather loud, as Bridge noted.

“HEY, CAN YOU KEEP IT DOWN?! I’M TRYING TO WRITE HERE!”

He was ignored, and the noises continued. When Titania reached her climax, it was marked by a loud, ear-piercing shriek.

“...Fascinating…” muttered Quantum Leap. “Most fascinating, indeed.”

“Oh, sweet Lux.” muttered Nitro, facepalming. “I never took the Fae as screamers.”

“The more you know.” Trini observed. “I just wish she wasn’t so loud.”

Titania emerged from her bedroom not long after. She returned to the others in the main part of the library, wearing nothing but a robe.

“You had a nice roll in the hay?” Libra joked.

“Yes.” Titania said. “It is something that Fae do not experience often.”

“What’s the matter, Andie?” her aunt asked, a grin still on her face.

“What do you mean by that?” Andromeda asked flatly.

“I thought you swung both ways.” Libra said, nearly laughing. Andromeda nearly threw up.

“No thanks.” She said. “I'm as straight as a ruler.”

“Of coooourse you do.”

“Not all of us like the taste of puss*, auntie.” Andromeda replied dryly.

“I’m just joking around, Officer Tightpanties. Lighten up.”

“Tightpanties?” Rosebud cut in, nearly laughing herself. “Andromeda is many things, but she is no prude. Nor is she a virgin, for that matter.”

“Thank you, Rosebud.” Andromeda snarked. Rosebud grinned. Walter entered the room, having decided to read a book. Pulling out a uselessly unreadable blue book of Eccles from a nearby shelf, the orange stallion willingly ignored the rather awkward conversation between the mares.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Nevernever, a realm between every world, and yet, part of all of them, a Fae messenger approached the royal palace, entering through the ornate gates. He walked up to the doors leading to the throne room, before rapping an elaborate pattern on the wood. A moment later, they opened, and he walked inside.

The throne room of the King and Queen of Nevernever was absolutely enormous. The floor was made of black obsidian, while the walls were crafted out of white marble. At the other end of the room sat Mab and Oberon. Queen Mab wore a dress that was the color of red wine, with a long skirt and flowing train. A crown of gold, inlaid with rubies and sapphires, sat on her head. She had long icy blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Oberon was a blonde man, with blue eyes, long flowing hair, and a full beard. He wore black armor, emblazoned with four large blue circles, his mightiest weapon, the hammer Mjolnir, beside him.

“Ah, a messenger. What news do you bring from the mortal realms?” he asked. The messenger bowed before them both.

“My Lord and Lady, I bring news of Horus. He has returned.” He said.

“Ah.” Mab replied, her voice as calm as that of Titania, though there was an air of danger behind every word. “The bastard son of Lux has come back into the light of day. I wondered when that wretch would crawl out from his prison.”

“Yes.” Oberon said. “What care we that he has returned? He knows not to cross us.”

“That is not all, my Lord.” The messenger said. “One of his agents met me two days ago, and gave me a message to pass along.”

He took out a folded slip of paper, handing it to Mab. It was a letter, written by Horus himself. She read it through, before her face contorted into an expression of rage.

“What does it say, my dear?”

“He has the audacity to threaten our daughter.” Mab replied. “This letter reeks of Horus’ ego. He thinks himself invincible and infallible, and, in this message, demands we do what he wishes. To use his words, ‘I will have the Princess captured, broken, and made into my bride and slave. You will not resist, or you will pay dearly.’”

Oberon slammed his hammer into the floor, sparks of electricity crackling. “He dares think he can fool with us? Has he not learned the last time, from 10,000 years ago?!”

“Messenger.” Mab said. “Send a raven to Princess Titania, will you? Inform her that she needs to come home at once. There are we things we must discuss with her.”

“Yes, my Lady. And what of the Prince, Lightning Dawn?” He asked. “Should he be brought along, as well?”

“I leave that to my daughter.” Mab replied. “Now go.”

“At once.” He said, rising and departing the way he came.

Titania received the raven message soon after, the bird flying through an open window and landing on her arm. She took the slip of paper off the raven’s leg, unrolled it, and began reading. Once she finished, she wrote a reply, tied it to the leg of the raven, and send the bird on its way.

“What’s going on?” Lightning asked. He had entered the room soon after Walter, taking a seat next to Titania.

“That was a letter from home.” Titania replied.

“Yes, but what did it say is what he’s asking.” Walter replied.

“Take that tone with me again, and I will freeze the water in your eyes.” Titania hissed at him, bristling at the way he spoke to her, before turning back to Lightning.

“My parents, or at least, my mother, wish for me to return home. There are things she needs to discuss with me.”

“Hmmm?” came Bridge’s voice, walking into the library’s main room. “What sorts of things?”

“The letter does not say, and I have learned when Mother tells someone to do something, it is better to simply do it, and not ask questions.” Titania replied. Ten minutes later, the raven came back. Titania read the message, before burning it and sending the bird away.

“I asked if it would be allowed for me to bring all of you along.” She said to the other members of the team. “It is allowed.”

“SWEET!” said Nitro.

“Well, this should be interesting.” said Trini.

“I am curious.” Titania said. “How many of you think this will be an exciting adventure?”

“Me.” Nitro said.

Lightning raised his hand halfway.

Walter said nothing, as did Bridge.

Trini just shrugged.

Andromeda and Rosebud said nothing.

Titania said, amusem*nt in her voice, “You are more wise than I thought. This will not be fun. At least, not for any of you. Tell me: How much do any of you know about the Fae, aside from what I've told you?”

“I’ve read books on the Fae, if that counts.” said Nitro. Nopony else seemed to answer.

Then, Propheta spoke, reciting a part of a poem she had heard as a child, a poem that had always scared her.

"Up the airy mountain
Down the rushy glen
We dare not go a-hunting
For fear of little men…”

This sent chills up everypony else’s spines; even Andromeda, the hardest of mares, seemed unnerved.

“I know more about Faeries than anyone here, save for you.” Propheta said to Titania, having lied earlier about her perception of the Fae. “Horror stories about your kind made up a large part of my childhood.”

Titania nodded. “Good. Children who hear those stories are less likely to run into a Keeper.”

“What, exactly, do we need to be prepared for?” Trini asked, curious.

“First, I need to tell you what to expect when you meet my parents. They are King Oberon and Queen Mab, and if you value your lives, you will show them respect. Do not call them by their given names. When speaking to them, refer to Mother and Father as either ‘my King’ and ‘my Queen’, or ‘my Lord’ and ‘my Lady.’ Either is acceptable. Addressing them in any other way is a gross sign of disrespect, and they will react accordingly.”

“Is it true that if mortals eat Fae food, they’ll be cursed?” asked Nitro.

“Yes. Once you taste the food of my kind, you will never wish to eat anything else. No mortal meal will satisfy you again, and you will eventually starve to death, refusing to eat anything that is not of Nevernever.”

“Do your parents know of me?” Lightning asked.

“Yes.” Titania replied.

“Do they know of our...well…”

“Yes, and they do not wish to kill you for it.” Lightning only nodded. Trini raised her hand like a young schoolfoal.

“How are we gonna get to this Nevernever?”

“We will get to that soon enough.” Titania replied. “Now, another thing to note about my parents: They are both very, very prideful.”

“Like Horus-prideful?” Nitro then covered his sister’s mouth awkwardly. Titania glared at Trini, completely unamused.

“I’m sorry about Trini here. She just doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut.”

“I will show her mercy. Mother and Father will not. If you wound the pride of either of them, they will take it in different ways. Father will smash your face in, while Mother will smile, then stab you in the back later on with a poisoned blade. Both of them are dangerous, and neither of them should be trifled with. Horus learned that lesson the hard way, 10,000 years ago.”

“Really?” Lightning asked. “I knew something happened, but never got the full details.”

“As his war with your father raged on, Horus, I think, knew on some level he couldn't win. Not on his own. So, with an army of 100,000 demons and horrors at his back, he tore his way into the Land of Nevernever, intending to steal the power held by the Fae for himself, in order to turn the tide. His army clashed with the Faeries defending the royal palace, and the fighting was rather ferocious. However, Horus and his forces crushed the very minimal defenses with ease. If the sorcerer had been wiser, he would have wondered why so few Fae were defending their King and Queen.

Once he reached the gates, my Mother and Father emerged. They and Horus exchanged words. They commanded him to depart while he could. Horus refused. The battle that followed, known amongst the Fae as the Day of Blood, was catastrophic for Horus and his army. Unleashing their full power, Mother and Father slaughtered the invaders to a man. Father used his hammer Mjolnir, unleashing lightning and mighty storms on his foes, while Mother cast deadly spells, weaving fire and poison into waves of death. When the dust settled, the fields in front of the palace were littered with corpses, while Horus himself fled for his life. While they did not slay him that day, Mother and Father did leave a permanent mark on Horus; Mother drove one of her blades into his left leg as he ran, leaving the sorcerer with a permanent limp.”

“I always wondered why one of his legs looked lame in illustrations.” Lightning replied. “That explains it.”

“Indeed.” Titania said. “Now, we must depart. Come. There is an entrance near this place that leads to Nevernever.”

With that, she rose, leaving the room. Lightning, Bridge, Walter, and Nitro followed without saying a word. Andromeda and Rosebud did the same, the former waving goodbye to her aunt and Propheta.

Titania led them to a nearby forest. Within this forest, she walked into a small clearing, before approaching a rock in the center of it. The rock was covered in strange markings, and almost seemed to hum. Titania ran her fingers along each marking, whispering words in the Faerie tongue. After she finished, she told the team to put their hands on the rock. Andromeda and Rosebud did as she said, instantly vanishing as soon as their hands met the stone. Nitro and Trini went next, followed by Bridge and Walter. All that left was Lightning and Titania.

“Go ahead, Lightning. Touch it.” She said.

“...I’m scared, Titania.” To him, this was basically the supernatural equivalent of a boyfriend meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Only replace ‘girlfriend’ with ‘closest friend who he has casual sex with’, and you had Lightning’s situation in a nutshell. One would also have to replace ‘parents’, with ‘supernatural beings who hold absolutely no regard for Solaran morality or life, and could kill him with a twitch of their pinkie fingers, who just happen to be Titania’s parents.’

“Lightning...trust me.” She said, taking his hand in hers, before gently placing it on the rock. Within seconds, they had disappeared in a bright flash of light.

Beneath Tenebris, Horus sat on his throne, awaiting the creature that Cassiopeia had created through the Golem Ritual, an arcane ceremony in which a model was fashioned from stone or clay, and given life. In the meantime, a message arrived, carried by one of Mab’s ravens. The letter it carried was a response to his demands. He snapped the bird’s neck violently, then read the letter. “So, they will not give me the Fae as a bride, hmmm? Then I will take her by force if necessary.” he growled.

Erebus, who was standing near the throne, kept silent. He knew very well how bad of an idea it was to trifle with the Fae, but he also knew Horus would not listen to him. Kratos looked at the living shadow, and sighed.

“My Lord, I mean no disrespect, but when the Fae say no, they mean no.” the brutish earth pony said to Horus, bowing before him. This did not amuse Horus. At all. “M-my Lord…” Kratos stammered. “I-I said I meant no disrespect!”

“Silence, you uppity fool.” Horus growled. “Unless, of course, you do not care about your head staying where it is.” Kratos’ eyes widened, and he trembled before him.

“I do indeed care, my Lord…”

“Then keep your silence, Kratos.” Horus replied. “I do not keep you on hand because I need advice. I keep you on hand so you can crush my enemies. Do not think you have any other uses.”

“Yes...as you always say, my Lord...what use are teammates but tools?” Kratos replied. “Isn’t Cassiopeia supposed to be bringing her first monster out here?”

“Yes, she is.” Horus said, before bellowing, “CASSIOPEIA, YOU FILTHY WENCH! WHERE IS THIS CREATURE YOU PROMISED?!”

Cassiopeia entered, a rather amused look on her face. “Here it is, my Lord.”

Horus watched as the Golem she had created lumbered in. The creature stood at about fifteen feet tall, with with arms, two legs, and bird-like wings. The Golem had skin that appeared to be made of stone, with a large, round face. On the creature's face was a large, toothy maw, a short, almost unnoticeable snout, and four eyes, all of them jet black. The Golem’s form rippled with muscle, the creature clearly designed to be strong.

“Does it have a name?” Horus inquired.

“No, I actually never considered it.” Cassiopeia replied, filing her nails as she looked at Horus thoughtfully. “Do you have any suggestions, my Lord?”

“No. It does not need a name, for it is not truly alive.” Horus responded. “Why give a creature such as this a name, when it cannot think for itself?”

“What is the target?” Erebus asked, speaking up for the first time in a while. “Where are we sending this Golem?”

“We are sending it...to the Land of the Fae.” said Horus matter-of-factly.

Erebus, who had less reason to fear Horus than his companions, due to not being entirely tangible, was blunt when he responded.

“Are you out of your bloody mind?!” The living shadow asked. “Or have you forgotten how poorly your last invasion of the Land of Nevernever went?”

“I have not forgotten.” Horus growled. “But this time will be different. This Golem will succeed where I failed. Now, be silent, Erebus.”

Erebus obeyed, though he wasn't happy about it.

Titania, meanwhile, led her companions towards the royal palace of Nevernever. Andromeda noted how beautiful the Fae realm was. However, this beauty was deceptive. Wandering off to explore was a very bad idea, a point she had to remind Nitro of every time he tried to leave the group. Nevernever itself resembled a forest, albeit something was incredibly off about it. The entire realm seemed to be alive, and not in a metaphorical sense either.

It quickly became clear Faeries and sprites were not the only sentient inhabitants of the Land of Nevernever. The group passed a pair of Leprechauns, which made Andromeda raise a brow.

“Are those…?”

“Yes.” Titania replied. “They aren't very friendly to mortals, contrary to what you likely heard as kine.”

“Do they have pots of gold?” Bridge asked.

“Yes, and they will gladly let you take your weight in gold...for a price.” Titania replied. “Leprechauns, like Fae, love to make deals, and cannot, will not, do anything for free. Saying thank you to one of my kind after they do you a favor is considered to be a horrible insult.”

“Being polite is an insult?” Walter asked. “Bridge’s right: you do have some weird morals.”

“Words, to the Fae, are not equal to actions. If you owe one of us a debt, merely expressing gratitude is not enough. Every favor is repaid by a favor in return, and if the owed debt is not paid...the Fae who is owed will come to collect it.”

“That’s fair, isn’t it?” Lightning asked the others. “Eye for an eye and all that.”

“It's still odd, though.” Andromeda replied. “After all, what stops the Fae who helps you from doing very little, then demanding a pound of flesh as payment?”

“Then again,” Trini pointed out. “This is Lightning who’s telling us this.”

“True.” Andromeda said. Titania, meanwhile, had turned to the pair of Leprechauns, regarding them with stoic curiosity.

“Greetings.” She said amicably.

“Greetings, Princess Titania.” they greeted, Lightning noting that they had thick accents that sounded remarkably similar to that of the Emerald Isle’s. “How do ya do today?”

“I am doing well.” Titania replied. “It is good to be home again. There are certain amusem*nts to be found in the mortal world, but none can compare to Nevernever. I assume the pair of you are having a pleasant day, as well?”

“Of course, Princess. It’s always a pleasant day, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. Now, I must be going. Mother and Father are expecting me. Have a pleasant day, gentlemen.” Titania said, before taking a shiny gemstone out of her dress and flicking it to them. Like sniveling little halflings who had gotten possession of a deadly gold ring, the Leprechauns dove for it, screaming something about a ‘precious’.

“Come.” Titania said, gesturing for the group to follow her and leading them away from the pair of squabbling Leprechauns. Lightning would have made a snarky comment about how he did that earlier, but he knew better than to backtalk Titania.

As they walked along a wooded path, sprites emerged from a nearby bush, fluttering around the group. Titania watched the tiny creatures flutter about, her expression flat. “Oh, right.” Trini said. “You eat those.”

“Yes.” Titania said, before casually catching a sprite out of the air and biting its head off. That was the first time anypony had gotten a good look inside her mouth, and it became startlingly evident that Titania didn't have normal teeth. Instead, she had fangs. Lightning himself had always suspected something, but now it was confirmed. She had fangs, all right. Razor sharp ones too, by the looks of it.

Titania put the headless sprite in her mouth, chewing it up before swallowing. She looked at the others, who all had expression of disgust on their faces.

“What?”

“Erm...I’m no culinary expert,” said Bridge, coughing awkwardly. “But I’m pretty sure that’s called cannibalism.”

“Are you, now?” Titania asked, licking her lips clean. “You can speak to them if you like. The little pests will have plenty to say about me, I'm sure.”

“Erm...hello.” Bridge said to the sprites, waving awkwardly.

“Tell that brute to leave us alone!” one of them responded, her voice high and shrill. “She isn't welcome here!”

“She’s the Princess, so your argument’s kinda moot there.”

“She's not our Princess!” The sprite said, making sure she was out of Titania’s reach. “She's a monster!”

“Be silent, Krysta.” Titania said calmly. “Now.”

“I WILL NOT BE SILENCED! I AM THE MIGHTY KRYSTA, AND I AM INVINCI-” She was then interrupted by Bridge gripping her, and handing her to Titania.

“Normally, I wouldn’t condone this, but...bon appetit, as they say in Golden Fields.”

Titania, a wicked smirk on her face, pulled off one of Krysta’s wings. She took great satisfaction in the shriek of pain that followed. A moment later, the other came off, before Titania promptly devoured Krysta. Blood ran down her chin as she ate, much to Rosebud's disgust. Nitro looked on, morbid curiosity on his face. Bridge merely grinned.

“...I honestly just wanted her to shut the f*ck up. Egotism drives me bonkers, you see.”

“One should only boast and brag if one has the power to back it up.” Titania responded, wiping her chin. “That sprite did not, and she paid for it.”

They continued on their way. As they walked, it became clear that area around them was constantly shifting. Trees disappeared, then reappeared. The path would change in width, growing narrow, then widening, before growing narrow again. It was all very surreal. One moment, they were cresting a hill. The next, they were climbing another hill, without having reached flat ground. They were very lucky to have Titania guiding them.

Eventually, the palace came into view, and it was as magnificent and opulent as one would expect from the Fae. Though it resembled a medieval castle common to Solaran nobility, it seemed to resonate with the same alien energies as the rest of the realm, constantly shifting and changing shape as if on a whim.

Titania said, answering the unspoken question, “Every Fae can change and reshape the area of Nevernever they rule over at will in order to suit their needs. This palace, ruled by Mother and Father, is no exception.”

Titania led them to the gates of the palace, which opened once they got close. After that, they entered the throne room. In sharp contrast to how empty it had been earlier on when the messenger had come to speak with Mab and Oberon, the room was now very lively. Tables, littered with food, lined each wall. In the center of the room, musicians sat, playing drums and flutes, the sound of their songs very alien to the Solarans. Mab and Oberon sat on their thrones, watching the rest of the room.

What was even more alien and unnerving were the Changeling servants. They moved among their Fae masters, with some of them dancing, and others offering food and drink to their lords and ladies. They resembled Solarans, and yet, there was something very, very off about them.

“Greetings, my Lord and Lady.” Lightning said nervously, bowing before the rulers of Nevernever. “We are here on your request, or rather, Princess Titania’s request. I am Prince Lightning Dawn of the Solaran Imperium, and your daughter’s closest companion.”

Mab regarded him for a moment, her expression flat, before speaking, “Greetings, Lightning Dawn. My daughter has spoken of you in her letters. I know a fair amount about you already.”

“Including your escapades in the bedroom.” Oberon said, a small smirk of amusem*nt on his lips. “Do not fret, yungkine. I find it more humorous than anything.” He then went back to the same emotionless expression as his wife. “We have a very important matter to discuss, involving the fool known as Horus.”

“Yes, we do.” Mab agreed. “But, for now, we shall feast. After all, we need to give our daughter a proper welcome.”

Titania, meanwhile, was watching one of the Changelings dance. She was aware that they unnerved her Solaran companions, but, like most things related to morality, she saw the Changelings in a much different light. They didn't unnerve her in the slightest, and the fact that stealing Solaran children away in the dead of night could be considered evil didn't occur to her.

“Graceful, aren't they?” She asked the others after a few minutes went by, who were all sitting near her. Andromeda said nothing, while Rosebud merely grew a bit pale.

“Honestly? Yeah, they are graceful.” Nitro said, though understandably unsettled. Walter began to sketch them, not saying anything. Bridge didn’t comment, he was distracted at the moment by the Fae musicians. Lightning just took Titania’s hand, as if he were offering a dance himself.

“Shall we, my Princess?” He didn’t see Andromeda roll her eyes. Titania nodded once, getting up and walking out onto the floor with him. The two of them danced gracefully like the Changelings, Lightning being careful to match the beats of the musicians playing, or lack thereof to his ears, with his steps. Bridge nudged Andromeda after walking over to her, grinning.

“Jealous?” he asked her.

“Hardly.” She said, snorting. “If she wants him, she is more than welcome to have him.”

“Not even a little?” the yellow unicorn teased.

“Not in the slightest.” Andromeda responded dryly.

“You’re no fun, you know that?” Bridge said flatly.

“Have you forgotten where we are?” She asked, her tone lowering into a whisper.

“No, but what does that have to do with what I just said?” he whispered back.

“I am not joking around with you because I am busy trying to keep an eye on the Fae in this room. I don't trust them one bit.”

“Come on, Andromeda. They called us here for something very important. You need to stop being a soldier and start being a mare right now.”

“Command me again, Bridge…” Andromeda said coldly. “...and I will make sure no mare enjoys your company again. Is my meaning clear? I am a soldier to the core. It's all I have. Starfleet is the only family I've ever known.”

“...Duis amicitae fides, Andromeda. Starfleet values friendship, teamwork, and faith in yourself and those around you above all else. You and I both know that.” Bridge said. “As your fellow officer, I suggest you not make military life your only life. Friendship is magic, as the saying goes.”

“It's not my only life.” Andromeda replied. “Why do you think I teach? My students have no idea that I'm a Starfleet officer. To them, I'm just Ms. Aquila, the teacher who gets really excited about astronomy.”

“All I’m saying is you need to relax and not be so on your guard all the time.” Bridge said. “Is that so hard?” He gave a small, yet warm, smile.

“Let's kill Horus first. Then I'll consider it.” Andromeda snarked, though her lips twitched.

“Atta girl. I knew you’d understand.” Bridge said.

Titania, meanwhile, continued dancing with Lightning. They looked so calm, so peaceful in each others’ arms, like something out of one of those romance novels Lightning’s mother used to read. Mab watched them move across the floor, a small smile on her face. She, unlike most of her race, understood love, and it was clear her daughter, on some level, loved Lightning. Not in the ‘casual’ way that her letters described, either. As in true, romantic love.

The dance was interrupted, quite suddenly, by a Changeling stumbling, the jug in her hand spilling and drenching Lightning’s back with wine. Silence fell, with even the musicians going quiet. The Changeling seemed terrified, noting the expressions on the faces of the other Fae. Immediately, the poor creature fell on her knees, begging for forgiveness in some alien language, a garbled mixture of the Fae and Solaran tongues. Lightning said nothing, but merely gave a smile of forgiveness and extended a hand.

“It was an accident. You have nothing to be sorry for.” he said. “Here, I’ll help you clean up.” This came as a shock to the rest of the Fae in attendance, who had no concept of forgiveness as mortals understood it.

“You are just going to forgive her?” Titania asked, stunned. Lightning looked at her, and nodded.

“Of course. It wasn’t her fault.” he said simply. “It was just an accident, and that’s all that matters.” He then looked at the Changeling, and said, “I’m not going to hurt you, relax.”

“That is correct.” Titania said. “You are not going to hurt her.”

In an instant, she had drawn a knife, pulled the Changeling’s head back, and slit her throat.

“I am.” Lightning’s face changed into one of horror and anger.

“...You...you killed her for something she wasn’t at fault for…” he growled.

“Indeed.” Titania replied. “She brought embarrassment upon both herself and you through her fit of clumsiness. I could not allow a guest in our halls to be humiliated in such a manner.”

Lightning then did something that shocked even himself: he punched Titania in the face. When he saw what he had done to his closest friend, no, his lover, he immediately ran out out of the room, overcome with grief. Silence from the rest of the guests, until Oberon spoke up.

“He has the gall to not only forgive a Changeling, but disrespect my daughter?! I WILL PURSUE HIM TO THE ENDS OF NEVERNEVER, AND TEAR HIM LIMB FROM LIMB, ALL THE WHILE BATHING IN HIS BLOOD!”

Mab, at least on the surface, was far more calm, though it was quite evident she was just as enraged as her husband when she spoke.

“He dares spurn our hospitality by striking Titania? For this trespass, I want hishead.”

“...Wait!” Bridge shouted. “You can’t do that!” His tone was panicked and afraid, something his friends did not usually associate with him.

“And why not?” Oberon growled.

“B-because…”

“Because what?! Spit it out, mortal pony.”

“Because Lightning wants to marry your daughter!” This caused Walter to facepalm, and Nitro and Trini to go slack-jawed in shock. Mab stared at him, genuinely taken aback.

“...He wishes to-to marry my daughter?” Oberon said, just as surprised as his wife. On one hand, he wanted to forbid it. On the other, perhaps this could prove to be useful in ridding themselves of Horus. Titania being married, he thought, would convince Horus to reconsider his demands. “Mab, my dear, what do you think of this?”

“I. Want. His. Head.” She responded. “He will not wed our daughter. I do not wish it.”

“Neither do I.” he whispered. “But consider this: that fool Horus wishes to forcefully take Titania as his own. Perhaps if she marries Prince Dawn, that will convince that idiot to reconsider.”

This made Mab laugh. “Oh, my dear husband, that will not happen. Once the bastard son of Lux has his mind set on something, nothing will deter him from it.”

“That is true. But, as much as I wish to hunt for Lightning Dawn myself, I see this as beneficial at the moment. Think about your daughter, Mab. You understand love from the mortal standpoint, unlike I. Does Titania truly love this alicorn of Solaris?”

Their discussion was cut short by Titania herself, who said, “As beneficial as this may sound, what you were just told is a lie. Lightning Dawn has never expressed any interest in marriage.”

“And how do you know this, daughter?”

“I have known him for thirteen years. In all of that time, there is nothing that he hasn't told me. He has told me everything about his hopes, dreams, fears and doubts. Not even once has he ever mentioned a desire to marry.”

Oberon ruminated in his thoughts. His daughter never lied, he knew. But what other options did he have? He could not just let Titania be taken as a bride to Horus. On the other hand, he wanted to massacre a certain alicorn, but that would also mean taking away her daughter’s companion and dissatisfying her. What to do, what to do…

He never had to make a decision, for it was at that moment the Golem broke in, lumbering into the room. Once it reached the center of the room, a familiar voice spoke through the creature, one Mab and Oberon had not heard in 10,000 years. Horus…

“Hello, Oberon and Mab. Or, should I call you Mother and Father now?” he asked with a cold glee. “I am here to take your daughter as my wife.”

“I will never be your bride, you smug brute.” Titania replied.

“Oh, really? And who says you won’t?”

“Me.” came the voice of Lightning Dawn. “Yeah, I screwed up by punching Titania in the face, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to defend her.”

“And why is that, brother dear?”

“Because she’s my best friend. My confidant. And, dare I say it...my lover.” This sent Horus, and by extension, the Golem, into stunned silence in an effort to comprehend what he had just heard.

“A pleasant sentiment, Lightning.” Titania said. “However, I do not need a defender. This beast dies by my hand.”

With that, she summoned her ethereal blade, before rushing up to the Golem and cleaving off it’s head with one swing. Titania almost appeared bored by the whole affair, not even bothering to look at the Golem as it collapsed. Lightning could only stare, looking at Titania silently. She smirked at him.

“I thought you’d be pissed at me for what I did.” he said. “Believe me, I’m angry at myself more than anything.” He was interrupted, however, by Horus’ laughter.

“Fools! You cannot kill a Golem that easily!” he shouted as he forced the creature to get back up, grab its own head, and with a sickening crunch, snap it back into place. Titania stared the Golem down, completely unfazed.

“You will not have me, bastard son.” She said, her blade humming, her free hand crackling with magic. “I will never belong to you.”

“Who else will? Bastard Spawn?” Horus taunted, charging forth in the Golem’s body. “He does not love you.” The monster attempted a grab at Titania, but was stopped short due to the latter cutting the arm off of it with her sword.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Horus. I do love Titania. Not in the romantic sense, but she’s still my lover all the same. And she will kick your ass. GO GET HIM, TITANIA!” Lightning encouraged.

Titania obliged. The fight that followed was brutally one-sided. Titania was as skilled with magic as she was with her blade, making it very obvious why one of her titles was ‘Witch Queen’. Every strike with her sword cut deep, and the spells she cast were powerful enough to make the Golem stagger more than once. Titania was not restricted by the same amount of weight as the creature she fought, which made her much more nimble, allowing her to dance around the Golem, slashing and stabbing at its legs and easily dodging its attempts to smash her into the ground. She found it rather amusing how enraged Horus became as the fight went on.

“YOU WILL BE MY BRIDE!” he roared as he pounded the Golem’s fists into the floor like an impotent child. “OTHERWISE, YOU ARE OF NO USE TO ME!”

“Burn, wretched thing.” Titania spat, before setting the Golem ablaze. The creature fell in a fiery blaze, before as if it were a bomb, exploding.

“Did...did it just explode?” Lightning asked.

“I think it did.” Bridge agreed.

“AWESOME!” cheered Nitro and Trini in unison.

Titania kicked at the few pieces that remained of the Golem. “If there is a Hell, I am going to send that insufferable sorcerer to it.”

Lightning walked up to Titania, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Titania, I am so, so, so sorry for what I did. I know you won’t forgive me.”

What Titania did next was completely unexpected: She hugged him, before whispering three words.

“I forgive you.”

Lightning certainly did not expect that, his eyes wide. “I...I…” he stammered. “...I don’t know what to say.”

“Shhh…” Titania replied, putting a finger to his lips. “You don't need to say anything.”

He just continued to stare, absolutely bewildered by what was transpiring. Mab, from her place on her throne, did not bother to hide her smile. Perhaps forgiveness wasn't as alien a concept to the Fae as it was assumed.

“I have something I wish to say.” said Oberon. “Prince Lightning Dawn of the Solaran Imperium, I hereby give my blessing.”

“...What.” was the response from Lightning.

“Dumbass over here,” Nitro said, slapping Bridge upside the head. “Tried telling the King that you wanted to marry Titania after you stormed out.”

“That true, Bridge?”

“Yeah…” the unicorn said. “Sorry about that.”

“Oh, you’re going to be sorry. I’ll just wait for the right time to get back at you.” Lightning said, smirking devilishly.

Andromeda replied dryly, “Just don't kill him. The team needs bait after all, and Bridge is the most expendable member.”

“HEY!” Bridge protested.

“Sorry, buddy.” Rosebud said. “Andie’s right. If any member of the team is going to be bait, it's you.”

“If I may interrupt,” said Oberon. “Prince Dawn, will you accept my daughter’s hand?”

“I’m thinking about it. And, if I may be frank, I don’t think she and I are fit to be wed. At least, not right now.”

Titania nodded in agreement. “For now, I am content to be his friend.”

“Very well.” Mab replied. “If my daughter has seen fit to forgive you for striking her, Lightning Dawn, I will, as well. But if you ever do anything of the like again…”

“I am aware of what will happen.” Lightning reassured them. “I speak the truth. I will never hurt her, for as long as I live.”

“Given how long your father has lived, that is a moot point.” Oberon said bluntly.

“If you hurt her in any way, Lightning Dawn...I will make your curse your immortality.” Mab promised. “Now, all of you...go back to where you came from.”

Reality seemed to snap for a brief moment, before they were all sent back to the clearing where they had first entered Nevernever.

“Well, that was…” Nitro began.

“...something.” Trini finished.

“Indeed, it was.” Andromeda said. “Now, let's head back, shall we? I need something to eat.”

“Wanna head to the Palette?” Walter suggested. “I could use a hayburger.”

She nodded in agreement, and that's where the team went. They spent a while there, eating and enjoying each other’s company.

Erebus, meanwhile, who was on guard next to the throne of Horus, was beginning to regret his life choices, for he had to stand still and silent while the sorcerer raged at his defeat. It angered the shadow pony to no end that Cassiopeia was being punished in more ways than one for this outcome, despite the fact that where the Golem had been sent was not her decision to begin with. When Horus had finished brutally beating Cassiopeia, he stormed off, allowing Erebus to approach her.

“Are you alright?” He asked her, his tone much softer than usual.

“No. I am not, but thank you...for caring.”

“I want to kill him.” Erebus said calmly. “I want to tear him open and rip his guts out.”

“As do I. But we must wait for the right opportunity.”

He stroked her cheek gently, wiping away the blood leaking from an open wound.

“I feel...I feel pain every time he strikes you, every time he…”

“...I know. I know you love me.” she said. “But you must not show it. Horus despises the idea of love.”

“That is the beauty of being a shadow, my dear.” He replied. “My emotions are invisible.”

“Oh, how I wish you were whole once more, Erebus…” Cassiopeia said, tears running down her face.

“As do I. Maybe then I would be able to die.” He said, his tone so quiet it was barely audible.

“No...I don’t want to lose you.” Cassiopeia whispered, holding him close to her. They didn't have to worry about Horus returning; he never did after he stormed off. The sorcerer would not return for several hours. So, he embraced her without any fear.

“Shhhh….shhhh...it is alright.” He said. “I wish we both could cast off immortality. Settle down somewhere, live normal lives...start a family…”

“...perhaps be normal once more.”

But it was Kratos who spoke this time, not Erebus. “I am loyal to the master. But I want to satiate my bloodlust.”

“Then why don’t you?” Cassiopeia asked. Kratos pondered this fairly reasonable question.

“Because I have not found anypony worthy of being killed by my sword.” came the admittedly reasonable answer. “I would search for a worthy foe, but the master sees me as a mere tool, only to die at his discretion.”

“Then help us end him.” Erebus said. “Help us put an end to his wretched life, and you will be free to find your worthy adversary.”

“It is only fair. I only ask that you give me honor and respect, as I do to you both.”

“You are more worthy of honor and respect than any other.” Erebus said, bowing his head. “I grant this request gladly.”

“As do I, Kratos, warrior of Solaris.” Cassiopeia said, referring to the stallion by his former title. And so, a pact was made then. The three servants of Horus, motivated by resentment towards him for his cruelty, all swore to betray him when the time was right. Horus, as little value as he placed on kindness and teamwork, would only have himself to blame when the day of reckoning arrived…

----------------

Next time on Starfleet: MiB…

Erebus, Kratos, and Cassiopeia, bound together by their pact of betrayal, plot and scheme against Horus, with the sorcerer none the wiser. After all, in his mind, they could not possibly work up the courage to betray him, so why concern himself with outcomes he deems impossible?

Lightning continues to train under the harsh tutelage of Andromeda, chafing under her rather brutal training methods and no-nonsense attitude, until, finally, he snaps and demands to know why she is the way she is. Andromeda’s story, which she will only tell due to prodding from her fellow team members, who haven't heard it, either, is a tragic one, a tale that will finally lead to Lightning Dawn understanding his team leader and looking at her in a new light.

And, of course, there is the matter of his mother, an unresolved mystery that tugs at the back of his mind. Who, exactly, is she? What happened to her? And where is she now? These questions all have answers, but as Lightning begins to uncover them, he will learn that some mysteries are best left unsolved...

Whew! Now this was a fun chapter for myself and Gojirafan to write. We not only get to see where Titania comes from, but her motivations for coming to the mortal realm. We also get some (OK, a lot) of Ship Tease between herself and Lightning (in the original draft, we actually had Lightning propose to Titania, but we cut it out mainly because we didn't want accusations of shipping for the sake of being shipped), as well as some for Andromeda and Lightning too.

And, as an added bonus, we start to develop the villains as tragic figures.

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As always, feedback and constructive criticism are appreciated.

This Ain’t No Place For No Hero

Previously on Starfleet: MiB…

The Land of Nevernever, the twisted, alien homeland of Titania and her Fae kin, was not a place Lightning Dawn, Andromeda Aquila, and the rest of their Starfleet team ever imagined they would travel to. But fate, much like life, is a fickle thing, and that is precisely what happened. Summoned home in order to discuss demands Horus had made of Titania’s parents, Queen Mab and King Oberon, the Fae Princess guided the team through the various twists and turns of her home. The alien morality of the Fae became apparent during the time the Solarans spent in the royal palace, where Titania’s murder of a Changeling servant who had stumbled and spilled wine on Lightning led to him striking her. Fortunately for him, a creature, constructed by Horus, arrived before the vengeful Fae could hunt Lightning down. Intent on stealing Titania away to be his bride, the sorcerer received a nasty surprise when Titania easily killed the creature, ruining his plans for her. After taking out his rage on Cassiopeia, he stormed out of his throne room. Unbeknownst to Horus, his long record of abusing his three minions has finally pushed all three of them over the edge into rebellion. Now, Kratos, Erebus and Cassiopeia, the former driven by a desire to be free to find worthy foes, the latter two driven by love for each other, and a desire to be free from the shackles of immortality, became bound by the same purpose: Bide their time, then kill Horus when the day of reckoning came.

So, the three of them will wait, pretending to still be loyal, and Lightning Dawn will continue to train under the harsh eye of Andromeda…

-------

Five days after the failure of the Golem to seize Princess Titania, Erebus was pacing. Horus was not in the room; the living shadow could hear him loudly berating Kratos in another part of the fortress. So, Erebus was free to move about as he wished for the time being. For once, he noted with bitter humor, his suicidal melancholy had been replaced by boredom. He didn't even notice Cassiopeia enter.

“Hello, my love.” she whispered, stroking the spot where his mane would have been. “You seem bored. Is something the matter?”

“I am bored.” He said dryly. “Standing guard for five days straight wears down the nerves very fast.”

“As does having to put on a facade of vanity and applying makeup.” Cassiopeia muttered. “That’s all Horus thinks I’m good for, anyway…”

“What he thinks doesn't matter, my love.” Erebus said. “What matters is that you and I know there is more to you than that.”

“Like what?” she asked rhetorically.

“Well, there's your smile, which is the first thing that I fell in love with about you.” Erebus replied, well aware the question was rhetorical, but responding anyway. Cassiopeia smirked.

“Oh? What else?” she continued, this time taking a more playful tone.

“Hmmm...I love hearing you laugh.” Erebus said. “I could go on and on, but I am sure you get my point.”

“Indeed I do. Thank you for feeding my ego, darling.” she said half-jokingly, hugging him.

“Oh, my dear, it's what I live for.” He replied.

“I wonder why Horus is taking out his aggression on Kratos this time.”

“Who knows?” Erebus said, shrugging. “I doubt our esteemed master really needs a reason. At least, that's what he would claim.” Cassiopeia rolled her eyes as Kratos exited Horus’ chamber, bruised and bloody.

“...I...despise him…” he growled. “I did nothing wrong.”

“Of course not.” Erebus said. He didn't fear Horus overhearing them; the sorcerer never emerged from his chambers after a rage until several hours later. “He thinks of you as a dumb brute, Kratos, and nothing more, which shows just how little he knows about you.”

“It is the same with all of us.” Kratos said. “Reduced to only one trait in his mind.”

“Indeed.” Erebus said, snorting. “To him, I am a silent assassin, devoid of any emotion, Cass here is a vain, air-headed sorceress, and you are a violent, ignorant brute.”

“I am not the smartest one out of all of us, that is true.” Kratos said.

“But you are intelligent, Kratie, love.” Cassiopeia remarked. “When it comes to fighting and everything related to it, you know more than Erebus and I.”

Erebus nodded in agreement. “You do not deserve the brutal treatment Horus forces you to endure, my friend. Soon enough, he will bleed for it.”

“Yes.” Kratos nodded as well. “But we must plan first.”

“Of course.” Erebus replied. “For now, we bide our time, and play the parts Horus expects us to. We will plan in secret, and when the time is right…we end his miserable existence.”

Meanwhile, Lightning Dawn’s training continued. It was as harsh and brutal as ever, with Andromeda not relenting in the slightest. She and Lightning were sparring in the library once again. He could hold his ground a bit better, but he was ultimately still hilariously outmatched. He charged at her once more, attempting to use his wing to deliver a flying punch, but was knocked onto the floor by a block, then a punch, from Andromeda.

“Get up!” she growled after he didn't rise. “We're not done.”

“Yes we are.” Lightning insisted. “I’m tired, and I’ve been training non-stop for a week…”

“Get. Up.” Andromeda said, her tone eerily calm. “Now. Or I will cause you pain beyond your wildest nightmares.”

This would have caused Lightning Dawn to, under normal circ*mstances, bolt upright out of fear. Instead, he continued laying on the floor, not moving. This made Andromeda more than a little angry. It took a fair amount of restraint on her part not to begin kicking him.

“Do you think your enemies will care if you are tired, Dawn?” She asked him. “No, they won't. They'll use your fatigue to their advantage and cut your throat while you are unprepared.”

The alicorn prince, despite being tired, got up and back into a fighting stance. The next round of sparring didn't last long before he was knocked down again. Andromeda could sense the disapproving stares she was getting from the other members of her team, along with her aunt and Propheta.

“What?” She snapped at them.

“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady. You need to let him rest, Andromeda.” Libra said. “You’ve put him through the wringer long enough.”

“Yeah.” Nitro agreed. “He can’t train 24/7, otherwise he won’t be able to fight.”

Andromeda let out a frustrated sigh, sitting in a nearby chair.

“I should have told the Grand Ruler to go f*ck himself. Why should I be saddled with a new recruit, green as grass, when I also have to deal with the return of Horus?” The pressure from having to train non-stop for a week had caused Lightning untold amounts of stress, but that statement finally made him crack like an egg.

“Who are you to disrespect my father the way you do?! YOU DON’T CARE, YOU JUST WANT TO KILL HORUS AND BE DONE WITH IT, DON’T YOU?! THERE HAS TO BE A REASON FOR THAT, HUH?! TELL ME, OFFICER AQUILA, WHAT REASONS DO YOU HAVE FOR PUTTING YOUR DUTIES BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE? AS YOUR PRINCE, I ORDER YOU TO SPILL THE BEANS!” Lightning was never one to excise his authority except when necessary, but his exhaustion had made him incredibly temperamental and on-edge.

Andromeda was silent for a moment, before she drew a knife and slammed it into the arm of the chair she sat in.

“I do not care that you are the Prince of the Imperium. If you command me again, Lightning Dawn...you will be f*cking your future bride with a wooden co*ck. Understand? I do not give your father respect because he does not deserve it. He has done nothing for me. Nothing.”

“...And that just proves my point, Officer. You care for nothing but your duties and yourself. All I want to know is ‘why?’ What made you into a jaded shell of a young mare?”

Rosebud cut in before Andromeda could speak, her tone unamused, “Do not imply that she doesn't care about anything but herself and her duties. You don't know Andie. Not like I do.”

“Must we argue like this?” Titania interjected, the three birds she had adopted sitting on her shoulders. “Can we be civil, and give everyone here a chance to speak without being attacked?”

“It’s ‘everypony’, Titania. But she has a point.” Trini replied. “So let’s all just calm down, and talk like civilized ponies.”

Titania blinked, but didn't reply. Andromeda sighed, crossing her arms.

“Very well.” She said. “I haven't told any of you much about myself, have I? Rosebud already knows the tale. She and I grew up in the same neighborhood, after all.”

“You did?” Bridge said. “I never knew you were from Redwood Meadows, Andie.”

“Indeed, I am. The place is a sh*thole.” She said. “Unless you live in one of the fancy mansions owned by the rich stallions and mares who staked their claim on the best real estate, Redwood Meadows is a terrible place to live.”

“If I may ask,” said Lightning Dawn. “Did you grow up in one of the mansions?”

“No, she didn’t.” Libra said. “Despite the beauty of the place, no doubt due to how it has a stranglehold on the florist enterprise, it's absolutely terrible.”

“And even then, only the rich have flowers.” Andromeda said. “I didn't see my first flower until I was 12.”

“So what happened?” Bridge asked. “How’d you get involved with the Adeptus Spatium and all that?”

Andromeda leaned back in her chair. “I suppose I should start by telling you about my parents. Or, at least, my mother. I never knew my father. You see, I have the honor of being the child of a whor*. My mother was a whor*. As you can imagine, growing up in that particular household wasn't easy.”

“It was not. My sister, her name was Aquarius, didn’t care that she had a daughter from one of her clients. All she cared about was screwing whoever paid her, mare or stallion.” Libra elaborated.

“As you can imagine, I was picked on a lot.” Andromeda said. “I remember one particular day, one incident that really stands out. This was the day I met you, Rose. Remember?”

“I do. Several colts were teasing Andie, calling her things ranging from ‘geek’ or ‘nerd’ to more vulgar and personal insults like ‘Mommy’s little slu*t-in-training.’”

Andromeda chuckled a bit. “You got to witness me snap, didn't you?”

She turned to the others. “I was 11 years old, then, but make no mistake, I was far from harmless…”

-----

Andromeda Aquila, dressed in a ratty old sweater, moth-eaten pajama pants, and unwashed, smelly shoes, walked through the rain. Her mother had kicked her out of their small apartment ten minutes earlier, giving Andromeda a few coins and sending her out, welcoming in a middle-aged stallion who smelled of sweat and piss. Andromeda was young, but she was far from stupid. She knew very well what her mother did for work. She could hear it through the paper-thin walls while she tried to sleep.

Andromeda shivered, her clothes providing very little warmth. There was a stallion a few blocks from the apartment building she lived in that sold bread and cheese. Her stomach growled at the thought. It wouldn't be much, but she hadn't eaten in almost two days, and food was food.

Then, she heard footsteps from behind. Of course. She should have expectedthemto follow her.

“Oh, lookie here, boys.” a colt three years older than her, with pink fur, blonde bangs covering his eyes, a wide smirk on his face. He was dressed in a black jacket with a skull pattern, which showed off that typical ‘edgy’ characteristic of young stallions his age. The fact that his fur was pink did nothing to make his bullying ways less effective. “It’s Andie the Nerdy slu*t. I wonder where she’s off to?”

“Leave me alone, Blaze…” Andromeda said softly. “I'm just going to buy food.”

“I’m not letting you go anywhere. That is, unless you show me what you’re mom’s been teaching you.”

Andromeda knew what he meant. She knew the things her mother did for money. She also knew how angry her mother got if Andromeda was seen or heard by the clients that came to the apartment. Her fists clenched.

“I'm not doing anything of the sort, Blaze.” She said flatly. “Why don't you have one of your buddies do it for you instead? I'm sure they'd enjoy it.” Blaze’s smirk turned into a frown, and he shook with rage.

“...You’re askin’ for it now, filly…” he growled out, raising his fist. As he moved to punch her, Andromeda caught his arm, snapping it at the wrist. She then drove her knee into his balls. Blaze let out a yell of pain, alerting the stallion who she’d been going to in the first place.

“...I should’ve known it was you, Blaze Brand…” the stallion, named Sourdough Loaf, said flatly. “And frankly, I say you deserve it.”

What Andromeda did next was a little less deserved. She pushed Blaze to the ground, before getting on top of him and beginning to beat his face in. The building resentment that his years of bullying had caused finally exploded. She was restrained after a solid minute of this, by Sourdough and a filly she didn't recognize, leaving Blaze a broken, bleeding mess, but not before she bent her head down, tearing out a chunk of skin from his right cheek with her teeth. Sourdough kept her restrained as he called for an ambulance to take Blaze to the hospital.

Andromeda spat out the chunk of skin, turning to the filly who had pulled her away from Blaze.

“Who are you?” She asked.

“Rosebud Flora.” the red filly responded. “Nice to meetcha.”

------

“Yeah.” Andromeda said, chuckling as she sat back in her chair. “It wasn't the most traditional first meeting between future best friends, was it?”

“Nope. Though, Sourdough said your actions were ‘uncalled for’. As if Blaze didn’t deserve it.” Rosebud laughed.

“He ended up overdosing on ‘floor polish’ two years after that, if memory serves.” Andromeda responded, a smirk still on her face.

Lightning winced. “Dead at 16...rough way to go…”

“Yup.” She said, her tone making it clear she felt no sympathy for Blaze. “Killed himself with heroin. He must have been taking it to dull the pain. He never did quite recover from what I did to him.”

“...Heroin...as in...opiates?” Lightning questioned. “How a kid like that got his hands on that stuff, I’ll never know.”

“Trust me, you don’t.” Rosebud said. “Anyways, Sourdough was angry at Andie, but he hated her mom even more.”

“So, instead of telling her what I did, he sent me on my way. I went to another part of town to find food, and Rose here tagged along.”

------

Andromeda, fifteen minutes after nearly killing Blaze, was, once again, trekking through the rain. Now, however, her hands were covered with blood, she had a metallic taste on her tongue, and she had a companion. Rosebud Flora. Andromeda wasn't sure what to make of her.

“So…” she said. “How did you happen to come across me beating the piss out of Blaze Brand?”

“I live a bit further down, and I had heard that little horseapple shouting for you not to hurt him.” Rosebud explained.

“Ah.” Andromeda responded. “So...um…I suppose you'll be on your way then, right? You helped me, did your good deed, and now you're off.”

“...No. You’re my friend now, Andie. And friends don’t turn their backs on each other.” Rosebud said firmly.

Andromeda was stunned. She had never had a friend before; No one had ever called her ‘Andie.’ Not even her mother, who preferred more...rude names for Andromeda. She pulled Rosebud into a tight embrace.

“Thank you.” She whispered. She didn’t notice the latter blush, but Rosebud hugged her back nonetheless.

“Thanking me? For what? Being a decent pony?”

“For being my friend.” Andromeda replied. “I've...never had one before.”

“You haven’t, huh?” Rosebud said. “Well, I’m glad to be your first.”

Andromeda smiled, before pulling away from her.

“Come on. I would like to eat, and I'm sure you do, too.”

“Yeah, I do. Where’re we gonna go?”

“I know a place that has really good food. It's not far from here.” Andromeda replied. “You and I are going to steal as much as we can carry.”

“Wait...stealing?! But that’s wrong!” she protested.

“Which is worse: Stealing enough food to fill our bellies, or starving because our so-called loved ones don't care enough to feed us?” Andromeda retorted.

“I guess you have a point.” Rosebud said. “Let’s go.”

-----

“We then did just that.” Andromeda said. “We stole enough food to last us weeks. Rose distracted the mares who ran the place, while I took as much as I could carry from their kitchen.”

“Boy, did we feast, she and I.” Rosebud said. Andromeda grinned.

“That, we did.” She replied. “That, we did. I felt quite sick when I finished, but I would take that feeling over intense hunger any day. I'm sure you agree, Rose.”

“And how.” she said. “Now, I’m sure Lightning here is wondering how you and I got involved in the Adeptus Spatium...now that’s quite a story.”

“It is. It's also a story he isn't hearing yet.” Andromeda said. “I feel I should tell you all about the fate of my mother. It was rather fitting, if I do say so myself. One of her clients shot her in the head, then turned his weapon on himself.”

“What’d he use?” Bridge asked.

“Laser blaster.” Rosebud said matter-of-factly.

“When I was told what had happened, I remember my response: ‘Good.’” Andromeda said flatly. “By that point, I hadn't stepped foot in the apartment for almost five years. Rose and I were sixteen when it happened. By that point, we were stealing a lot more than food. If we could grab it, carry it, and sell it, we took it.”

“We were living on the streets, but with the money we were making, that wasn’t too big of an issue.” Rosebud explained.

“I tried cocaine, which we sold a lot of, for the first, and only, time not long before my mother died.” Andromeda recalled. “That was an interesting experience.”

“Yeah, it was!” Rosebud cheered. “Then we kinda...sorta...experimented…”

Bridge, who had finished brewing some tea for himself, did a spit take. “Say what?!”

“We experimented.” Rosebud repeated, her blush growing deeper. “I mean, I already knew I liked mares at that point, but I still wasn’t so sure.”

“We were young, hormonal, and living free of rules.” Andromeda said simply. “This turn of events really isn't all that surprising. I wasn't quite sure which I preferred at that point, stallions or mares. I knew I liked Rose a lot, though, and the bit of cocaine I did removed my inhibitions for a while.”

“I thought you said you were as straight as a ruler, in your own words?” Libra asked, grinning mischievously.

“That wasn't a complete lie. I do prefer stallions for the most part. Rose, however...well...let's just say she was an exception to that rule.” Rose grinned.

“Awww, thanks, Andie.”

“Yeah, yeah, don't let it go to your head.” Andromeda grumbled. “Anyway, we practically ran the streets by that point. Nothing happened without us knowing about it. Every drug deal, every murder, every mugging…Rose and I learned of it within minutes of it occurring. How, you may ask? Street urchins. We learned that not only are colts and fillies practically invisible to stallions and mares, but they'll do just about anything if you feed them when they're hungry. We kept them fed, the little ones spied for us.”

“Ruling Redwood Meadows single handedly was fun while it lasted, but then we met Libra and Propheta.”

“That didn't change a damn thing, though. It wasn't them that pushed us to join Starfleet.” Andromeda snorted. “I told the two of them as much the day we met.”

-----

Andromeda, not long after her sixteenth birthday, learned something quite surprising: She had an aunt, an aunt who lived in one of the mansions that loomed above Redwood Meadows. Andromeda learned this after one of her filly spies came back and told her that a mare named Libra was looking for her, claiming to be her aunt. So, she met Libra in the center of town, taking Rosebud along with her.

“So, you're my aunt, huh?” Andromeda said, the three of them seated at a table.

“Yes. Your mother and I never got along, though I’m still saddened by her death.”

“I'm not.” Andromeda said bluntly. “I'm only sad it was quick.”

“For somepony your age, you’re quite jaded, aren’t you?”

“Not all of us get to grow up in fancy mansions.” Andromeda spat. “I've had to fight for survival my entire life.”

“I can see that.” Libra said. “But what if I could get you out of this damned place into somewhere better?”

“Interesting…” Rosebud muttered. By this point, she had developed into a shapely young earth pony mare, with curves and the right amounts of muscle in all the right places. “What’s in it for us?”

“A nice home, clean beds, hot meals…” Libra began. “...and a place in the Adeptus Spatium.”

“...And what of the other ponies here?” Andromeda asked. She had also developed a lot by this point, her form lean and muscular, with curves that could draw any eye. “What of the young colts and fillies we keep fed? I can't just abandon them. The gangs here will rip them apart if Rose and I aren't here to keep them safe.”

“I have connections in the Administratum. I can get them into the best Solaran orphanages where they can find good homes.”

“Thanks, but I'll pass. Take your offer with you and f*ck off.” Andromeda said, venom in her tone.

“What is wrong with my offer?” Libra asked, her tone reasonable yet inquisitive.

“Where were you when my mother was whoring herself out while I was trying to sleep? Where were you when she beat me? Where were you when I was nearly raped[/i ]by colts two or three times my age because they thought I was a slu*t like her, huh? Tell me, auntie. Where the f*ck were you?!”

Libra stared at her silently. “...You’re right. I wasn’t there when you most needed me. Why should now be any different?” she said apologetically, then began walking away. “My offer still stands, though you will not need it for now.”

Andromeda snorted, before giving Libra a crude hand gesture as a farewell.

------

“Part of me still hates you.” Andromeda told her aunt. “I think part of me always will.”

“I understand completely, and I don’t blame you.” Libra said. “Part of me, no, all of me will always regret not being there for you sooner.”

“We never did take you up on your offer.” Andromeda recalled. “We were focused more on each other for a while than anything else. Sound about right, Rose?”

“Oh, yeah.” she replied, before kissing Andromeda on the cheek. Andromeda blushed a bit, grinning widely and putting an arm around Rosebud.

“Now, you want to hear about Starfleet, Dawn?” She asked. “I'll tell you about Starfleet. The day that changed everything, the day that set Rose and I on the path to becoming Starfleet officers...the day I killed for the first time...was the day the stallion who would become the closest thing I have ever had to a father arrived in Redwood Meadows. Any guesses as to who I am talking about?”

“...Cortland Andrus.” Libra guessed.

“Wait.” Lightning interrupted. “Isn’t he dead? He was incredibly old the last time I saw him.”

“I met him for the first time nine years ago.” Andromeda replied. “I met him for the last time three years ago, just before he set out on his last mission. He was quite old, yes. However, age, as I quickly learned, didn't dull old Cort’s senses one bit…”

-----

About a month after Andromeda first met her aunt, a grizzled old earth pony stallion named Cortland Andrus walked into Redwood Meadows. He wore a black trench coat, trousers, and boots that went about halfway up his shins, with a wide-brimmed hat resting on his head. His fur and mane were both a steely grey, and a jagged scar crossed the left side of his face, running from his chin to just above his eye, which was a milky white. The only clue anypony looking at him would have about his allegiance was a small patch on the right arm of his coat, bearing the symbol and motto of Starfleet. Another symbol, just below the Starfleet one, marked him as an officer. He strolled through the streets, idly chewing a wad of tobacco as he went.

Rosebud had been eating a peanut butter, jelly, and daisy sandwich when she had seen Cort strolling along the streets. “MMMFFFF!” she greeted him with a wave and her mouth full of food.

Cort snorted. “Well, isn't that a greeting?” He said dryly, his tone deep and rough. Rose chewed her food, then swallowed.

“Apologies, sir.” she said. “I was just saying hello.”

“Next time you greet a stranger, I would do it when your mouthisn'tfull of food.” Cort replied dryly. “My name's Cortland Andrus, miss. Greetings.”

“Greetings, Mr. Andrus. My name is Rosebud Flora, but everypony calls me Rose. What brings you into town?”

Cort spat onto the ground near his feet, but before he could answer, he heard footsteps behind him. It was more than one pair of feet, and to his trained ear, they didn't sound very friendly. He turned around, curious to see who was approaching. A mugger, drunk by the looks of it. “OK, popssshh…” he slurred. “Hand over yer sh*t, and you don’t get hurt…”

His group of friends, Cort noted, looked less drunk, and more angry. He snorted, before speaking, “You all look unhappy to see me. What is it you don't like? Is it the hat? The coat? Or my officer patch?”

“Your whole stinkin’ body.” a mare replied, spitting at him. “Why don’t you go preach about friendship and rainbows, or some other babysh*t?”

“Oh, what's the matter, love?” Cort asked mockingly. “You don't want to be my friend? I'm hurt. Really, I am.”

“Oh, you’re gonna be hurt after I’m through with you, One-Eyed Willy.” the mare replied, cracking her knuckles.

“Alright, you lovely bastards, I'll cut this short. I'm not here to preach about friendship and harmony. I'm also not afraid of picking fights, so if you don't sod off and stay out of my way, you'll be eating food through a plastic tube in a hospital bed for the rest of your lives.” Cort said, his tone no longer containing any amusem*nt, mocking or otherwise. “I'll give you all one chance to depart. Otherwise, this will get ugly, and believe me, you don't want it to.”

“Oh, really?” the drunk stallion challenged. “Try *hic* usshh…”

“Yeah, what are you gonna do?” another stallion asked mockingly. “You're old, and there's only one of you.”

“By the gods, are you rhyming?” Cort asked, his tone incredulous. “Why are you rhyming!?”

“I rhyme because I am good with words. Who’s to say that they are like songs of the birds?”

“SHUT THE f*ck UP, RHYMEY!” the mare shouted.

“Are those stars in your mane?” Cort asked her, his tone mocking once again. “I suppose your parents named you something witty and original, right? Let me guess: your name is Starla. Am I close?”

“Starla Shine, yes. My drunk coltfriend here is Lightning Dawn.” she lied. As if he were the Prince, Cort thought with a snort.

“Nice try, but the Prince is a fair bit younger than your penis of the month here. Also, he doesn't smell like dog piss.”

This made ‘Lightning Dawn’ try to punch Cort. For his troubles, he ended up on the ground, both of his arms snapped cleanly at the elbow. Cort had barely moved.

“Anypony else?” He asked as the drunk stallion howled in pain. “I haven't had a good scrap in days, so if you wish to fight, it's your funeral.”

The others backed away, running off like a chicken with no head. That was, until they were all hit with a strange bout of courage. After all, maybe the old stallion had just gotten lucky? He couldn't possibly take them all on at once...right? Starla and the others charged at him, roaring. A fight broke it, and it went very poorly for Starla and her companions. Rhymey, who was better suited to writing bad poetry than fighting, ended up getting his lower jaw and three of his ribs broken. Starla lost several teeth and had her skull fractured. She would live, and make a surprising recovery, but she would never be able to look at the Starfleet symbol again without shaking in fear.

The closest any of them came to killing Cort was near the end of the fight, when a stallion named Arthur, nicknamed Artie by his friends, tried to shoot him with a laser blaster. Before he could fire, however, an arrow pierced his throat. He burgled briefly before collapsing. Andromeda stood just up the street, a bow in her hand.

“ANDIE!” Rosebud shouted, hugging her friend. Andromeda hugged her back, before drawing another arrow, pulling the bowstring back to her cheek.

“Does anypony else wish to die like him?!” she shouted.

The others fled, all without saying a word. She put the arrow back in her makeshift quiver, slinging the bow across her back. Cort was impressed.

“I came here looking for recruits.” He said. “Would either of you be interested in joining Starfleet?”

Andromeda considered it. “As long as you give me your word the colts and fillies here will be taken care of.”

“Ah, so you are protective of innocents, are you? Admirable. You have my word.” Cort said, and the two shook hands. Andromeda and Rosebud formally joined Starfleet two days later.

-----

“And that, as they say, was that.” Andromeda said. “We left Redwood Meadows behind, and joined Starfleet. It was informal for the first two years, as the official recruitment age is eighteen, but for all intents and purposes, we were officers-in-training.”

“I was a bit younger, but I know where you come from. Granted, I didn’t pay attention…” Lightning said.

Rosebud snorted. “Oh, we know...it was brutal training under Cort. He slapped me when I called his transformation device a ‘changing doohickey.’”

“Humor the Fae who has no idea what you are talking about.” Titania interrupted. “What is this transformation device?”

“All Starfleet officers get them when they complete their training. It’s how they get those color-coded uniforms on.” Lightning explained. “From what I understand, they’re all personalized, but nopony knows how they work exactly, other than they’re voice-activated.”

“Getting back on track, training under Cort was, indeed, very brutal.” Andromeda said. “You never got to see his ugly side, recruit. I still remember when he would have us walk across hot coals...barefoot. Ring a bell, Rose?”

“Oh, yeah. I actually asked him what it has to do with friendship, teamwork, and faith in yourself.”

“I heard the smack to your ear from the next room.” Andromeda replied. “You were bleeding for quite a while. I was balancing a board with bricks at each end on my head when you were crossing the coals, I remember. What was it he said to you after he hit you?”

“‘You will learn about what the core values of the Adeptus Spatium are all about in time, maggot.’”

“Ah, yes. The old ‘maggot’ nickname.” Andromeda said. “That was part of the reason Cort was so legendary. He called everyone maggot if he was teaching them something.”

“Remember our first lesson in teamwork?” Rose asked. “Now that was brutal.”

“Yep.” Andromeda replied. “It was.”

-----

Andromeda, six months after joining Starfleet, was locked in a room with Rosebud. This was, Cort had said, their first teamwork lesson. They were to find the key that unlocked the door as quickly as possible, and would have to work together to find it. Andromeda knew it wasn't that simple. With old Cort, it never was. So, when the room gradually began to flood, she wasn't all that surprised.

“sh*t.” was her only verbal response to what was happening.

“...What we we gonna do?” Rosebud asked, eyes widening.

“We have to find the key that unlocks the door.” Andromeda replied. “Come on, let's look around.” Rosebud nodded, and began looking in the same directions as her best friend. The waters steadily rose, and the two mares were soon knee-deep, their shoes and socks completely waterlogged, their trousers quickly becoming soaked.

“Come on.” Andromeda said. “There has to be something we’re not seeing.”

“Hmmm…” Rosebud pondered, looking in the nooks and crannies of the room. “Cort is incredibly crafty.”

Soon enough, the room was completely flooded, the two mares forced to hold their breath. Then, Andromeda realized something: One of the light fixtures, which they couldn't reach before, was loose, and could be pulled off by hand. They would have to work together to get it off. She began pulling on it. Rosebud followed her example, and pulled on the light until it came off, catching the small gold key hidden inside. This didn't unlock the door, but it did fit in a small drawer on the ceiling, which they had to work together to find due to their dwindling oxygen supply. This drawer contained another key, which unlocked the door. The mares were swept out of the room as the water flowed out, and were left, coughing and gasping, on the floor in the hallway. Andromeda smiled tiredly at Rosebud after catching her breath, gently kissing her lips.

“We did it.” She said after breaking the brief kiss, still smiling.

“You can say that again.” Rosebud replied, kissing her once more. The footsteps of Cort interrupted them.

“Good work.” He said, standing next to them. “You've learned your first teamwork lesson: Sometimes, like it or not, working alone isn't an option. You try it, you die. Now, you two lovebirds go and get some rest. I'll see the two of you in the morning.”

----

“It was rather funny.” Andromeda said to Rose. “Despite how long we had been underwater, your lips still felt very warm when we kissed. I find that amusing.”

“T-thanks.” Rosebud replied.

“Don't mention it.” She said, before turning back to the others. “Cort was very brutal, yes, but his often sad*stic methods served a purpose.” Something began to click in Lightning’s head, and his lips twitched into a grin.

“...Just like your methods.” he told Andromeda. “They’re brutal, yes, but they have a purpose.”

Rosebud rolled her eyes. “Ding, ding, ding! We got a winner, folks!” she proclaimed with an unrestrained amusem*nt in her voice.

“Yes, we do.” Andromeda said dryly. “Did you figure that out all on your own, recruit?”

“Yes.” Lightning Dawn replied. “After hearing all that, I finally get what you’re trying to do. Starfleet is less ‘being a goody-two shoes’ hero, and more of ‘being a hero, but having to be a soldier.’”

Andromeda snorted. “You missed your calling. The propaganda division could use someone like you.”

“I appreciate the offer, but no thanks.” Lightning snarked back.

“I wasn't being sarcastic. If I wanted someone to preach things at me that I already know, I would go look at the ‘motivational’ posters scattered around.” Andromeda replied. “I've seen enough of them to last a lifetime.”

“I’m sure you have, but that isn’t my point.” Lightning replied. “I’m sorry for snapping at you the way I did, and I will take my punishment like a stallion.”

“Hmmm…” pondered Rosebud. “How should we punish the recruit for backsassing you, Andie? I was thinking an extreme exercise regimen.”

“You're lucky I'm not Cort.” Andromeda said to Lightning. “He wouldn't have had a conversation with you after you snapped at him like that. He would have lashed you until you couldn't move.”

“That’s true.” he replied. “But getting back on track, how will I be disciplined?”

“I think a few days without any food should help the lesson you learned sink in.” Andromeda said. Lightning’s eyes widened, but he gave a small nod. He did say, after all, he would face up to what he did.

“Of course, that's not the end of the story I am telling.” Andromeda said. “I haven't gotten to the fun parts yet.”

“Fun parts?” Walter asked, raising a brow.

“After Rose and I finished training, we began our proper work as Starfleet officers.” Andromeda replied. “It was around this time that I learned something about myself: Not only am I good at fighting, I also really, really enjoy it.”

“Oh, boy…” Trini muttered with a big grin. “Here we go…”

“This was supposed to be a routine mission.” Andromeda said. “A baptism by fire, if you will. Rosebud and I were sent after a bandit gang known as the Crimson Hands in order to prove ourselves. We were to get in, steal as much information about them as we could, kill their leaders, and get out. I assume you remember this too, Rose.”

“Oh, do I. The mares were pretty cute.”

“Glad to see you had your priorities straight.” Andromeda snarked. “Anyway, it didn't go exactly as we planned…”

-----

Andromeda, 19 years old and a freshly-minted officer of Starfleet, dove behind a rock to dodge laser fire. This was supposed to be a routine mission. She and Rosebud had two very simple objectives to achieve. But, as a wise stallion once said, “No combat plan survives contact with the enemy.” This plan was no exception. The Crimson Hands encampment had been more heavily guarded than expected, and she and Rose had gotten ambushed. Now, they were trapped behind cover as hostile bandits rained laser fire down on their position.

“Well…” she said dryly, nocking an arrow in her bow. “This is quite the sh*t show, isn't it?”

“No kidding.” Rosebud replied, lathering her whip with a fresh coat of poison. “Being a Starfleet officer is hard, but somepony out there needs a hero to inspire them.”

“I'm not worried about being a hero right now, Rose.” Andromeda responded, shooting a Crimson Hands raider who had come around the rock they were hiding behind in the throat. “I'm worried about staying alive. Save the encouraging words for later, will you? I'll gladly hear them during the sex we're going to have if we make it out of here.”

Rosebud grinned. “You got it, boss!” she said. “I’ll try and get one of them close so I can hit ‘em easier.”

Andromeda carefully peaked around the side of the rock, trying to catch a glimpse of just how many enemy combatants they were dealing with. “f*ck. There's more than thirty of them out there, all armed to the teeth and loaded for bear. I don't think our current weapons will cut it.”

“When all else fails…” Rosebud said. “Lasers.” She then pulled out a laser blaster, firing at several of the raiders. Andromeda noted with morbid humor just how wrong the depictions of lasers seen in movies was. The shots Rosebud had fired caught the raiders by surprise. One unlucky stallion lost his left leg, the laser fire that had hit him blowing it clean off just above the knee. A mare near him had her mane and fur set on fire, the laser rounds melting the skin on her face. The other raiders that had been shot suffered similar gruesome deaths.

“Nailed it.” Rose bragged. A moment later, the other raiders resumed firing at them, forcing Andromeda and Rosebud into cover once again. After a few minutes, the laser fire lessened slightly, giving Andromeda an opening. She began firing arrows at the raiders with deadly precision, each one hitting its intended target, either killing the enemy in question or leaving them badly injured. Once her quiver emptied, she slung her bow across her back, drawing a pair of blades from sheaths, one on the inside of each leg. Andromeda gave them a few twirls, before turning to Rose.

“Time to go to work, and give the device I was given a try.” She said, before pressing a button on the left arm of her uniform. Instantly, Andromeda vanished, the cloaking device she had activated working perfectly.

“Wish me luck.” She said to Rosebud before exiting cover and disappearing. She snuck in behind the bandits, catching brief snippets of conversation as she crept closer.

“What’ll we do, boss?! They’re creaming us!” a stallion said to the lead raider.

“We keep shooting. They have to run out of ammo eventually, and when they do, we-”

He was cut off, quite literally, by Andromeda. She had moved up behind him, before decapitating the lead raider in one clean strike. She caught his head as it fell, holding it up for all his underlings to see, before she dropped, drew her second blade again, and began slaughtering raiders. As Andromeda did this, her blades cutting through flesh, muscle and bone like a knife through butter, she felt an unexpected emotion: joy. She began to laugh as she massacred the raiders, relishing the thrill of combat, moving gracefully among their numbers and casually dodging laser fire as she did, her blades opening up throats, stomachs, and skulls. In no time at all, the battlefield was strewn with the entrails of Andromeda’s foes, the mare herself coated in blood.

“LET THIS BE A LESSON, CRIMSON HANDS!” Andromeda shouted. “DEATH IS A DEBT NONE CAN AVOID PAYING!”

The remaining raiders ran like the wind, terrified for their own safety. Andromeda let them go. Her hunt would continue another day.

------

“So, while our mission did not go the way we expected, that particular band of Crimson Hands ceased to be a problem.” Andromeda summarized. “After that, I went after the rest of them, and spent several months hunting and killing all of their leaders. By this point, I had a few new recruits along for the ride.”

“Namely Bridge, Walter, and me.” Nitro said. “Trini didn’t join until later.”

“Trust me,” said Bridge. “Our first few missions were pretty gory.”

Andromeda nodded. “After all, you were helping me and Rose wipe out the Crimson Hands. I was more than a little brutal towards them, especially their leaders.”

“And that’s putting it lightly.” Walter said. “You gave me their blood to use as paint.”

“I also mounted their heads on that gunship I, ahem, ‘borrowed.’” Andromeda responded.

“Wait, you guys had a gunship?!” Lightning said, practically squealing.

“Yep.” said Rose. “The Dai-Gurren.”

“Of course, since that was a sh*tty name, in my humble opinion, I renamed it.” Andromeda said. “It was a prototype Wraith-class stealth gunship, armed with a top-of-the-line cloaking device and the most advanced weapons system money could buy. I called it Crimson Bane.”

“What happened to it?” Lightning asked.

“Orcs. Orcs happened.” Rose muttered. Andromeda nodded.

“That was quite the sh*t-show, wasn't it? The two of us were shot down by a band of Orcs, and ended up having to blow up the gunship in order to keep them from stealing and repairing it.”

“Oh, yeah...Orcs are basically huge green scavengers.” Lightning said. “Hell, even their language is scavenged.”

“On a different note...you want to know why I'm such a jaded, cynical, hard-assed bitch?” Andromeda asked him, her tone suddenly somber and a bit sad. “Well...this is actually really hard for me to recount, you know. But it was the day you and I took the first steps towards ending our relationship, Rose. Remember? There was more to it than that, but this event is a big part of it.” Rosebud immediately began tearing up, and held onto her best friend, tears flowing down her cheeks.

“I-I’m sorry…” she whispered. “It was all my fault…”

Andromeda held her close, before turning to the others. “It was a normal enough day, I suppose. At least, in the beginning. Then, everything took a sharp turn for the worse…”

------

Andromeda, age 23, a veteran of three wars, part-time teacher and astronomy enthusiast, was making coffee for herself and Rose. The two of them shared a home when not on duty. It was rather modest, as they weren't exactly rolling in money, but the two of them made it work.

“Morning, Rose.” She said as her best friend entered the room a minute later. “Coffee?”

“As always.” Rose said, pouring herself a cup. “So, what’s the plan for today?”

“Well, I have a couple of classes to teach this afternoon, but other than that, I'm free for the day.” Andromeda responded.

“Oh, really?” Rose smirked playfully, sipping her coffee.

“Really, really.” Andromeda said, smirking back at her. Rosebud put down her coffee and kissed Andromeda with fervent passion. The rest of the morning was very enjoyable for them both. That afternoon, Andromeda went to teach her first astronomy class of the day. She sat at her desk, waiting for her students to enter. Her students entered quietly, sitting at their desks like obedient little soldiers. She frowned at this; Andromeda had always prided herself at keeping her no-nonsense soldier personality out of the classroom. She only acted that way towards her students if she was pushed too far. After all, she wanted them to be able to get the most out of their education, as she had never been able to get the most out of hers. As she had never taught this particular group before that day, she supposed they had heard of her from previous students of hers that disliked Andromeda.

“Hello, students.” She said. “Welcome to my astronomy class. Now, I'm Ms. Aquila, but you can call me Andromeda, or Andie, whichever you prefer. Calling me by my last name makes me feel old.”

“Heh...heh…” one colt muttered. “Ass-tronomy…” Another proceeded to hit him in the back of the head. Hard.

“I remember when I was your age.” Andromeda said. “When you are young, sexual innuendos are the highest form of humor. Anyway, a question for all of you: How many of you are actually interested in learning about astronomy, and aren't simply here for the science credit?”

Only a few raised their hands, including the young stallion who’d slapped his friend. Andromeda sighed.

“Really? That many of you don't enjoy astronomy? Wow.”

“HEH, HEH! ASS-” the immature colt who’d spoken before, but this time, his friend punched him hard enough to knock him out.

“You were saying, Andromeda?” the other asked.

“That many of you are just here for the science credit?” She asked. “I must say, that stings a bit.”

“Yeah…” the stallion, grey coated and with an orange mane that appeared to have a yellow streak through it, replied. “Nopony appreciates good studies anymore.” He appeared to be a senior, on the cusp of graduation. Before Andromeda could even think of a reply, an explosion ripped through the school. This happened so quickly Andromeda had little time to react, and she was thrown headfirst into the wall behind her, the impact knocking her unconscious instantly. When she came to, there was a hole in the roof above, rainwater gently landing on her face. She was pinned down by a wooden beam and bits of debris, and her left leg hurt like hell.

Slowly, she was able to push the debris off of her, wincing as it brushed across open cuts on her legs. Once she was freed, she tried to stand, but cried out in pain, instantly falling to her knees. Andromeda was forced to crawl after that, moving through the devastated, burning remains of her classroom, trying to find her students. She found the colt who made the rather bad joke about astronomy buried under a few feet of rubble, a section of the wall he was sitting near having fallen on him. She felt for a pulse. Nothing. His eyes were open, but did not see. She hoped he wasn't awake when it happened.

Andromeda found his friend a moment later. The poor colt, so close to graduation and adulthood, was dead, as well. His head had been crushed by a chunk of falling debris. She felt her eyes welling up with tears. He didn't deserve this. Her other students had met similar ends, she discovered. All of them had been crushed under debris, or lacerated by broken glass, or impaled on sharp bits of rebar, or...she couldn't bear to look anymore. Her hands cut to the bone, her mind permanently scarred, Andromeda blacked out.

------

Andromeda stared at her hands, not knowing what else to say after that.

Lightning, without question, pulled her into a tight embrace, now crying himself. The others had followed suit, turning it into a group hug. This was a bad idea, as Andromeda was currently suffering from a post-traumatic flashback, which Rosebud knew enough about to avoid hugging her. Being embraced so tightly by so many ponies at once made Andromeda panic.

“GET THE f*ck OFF ME!” She shouted. “ALL OF YOU, GET AWAY!” Frightened out of their minds, the rest of the team obeyed. Bridge recognized what was going on immediately upon seeing Andromeda’s face, and went to go get her something to breathe into.

His name, she remembered, was Bringer. Legend Bringer…

Why couldn't I have died in his place? She thought. Why didanyof them have to die, while I lived? She remembered, oh so clearly, how devastated his marefriend, one of the school’s top athletes, a yellowish earth pony with blue and red hair, had been. Andromeda didn’t know her name, only that others called her ‘Ath-Lita’ for her sportiness, and go-getter attitude.

“She killed herself two weeks later.” Andromeda muttered. “Ath-Lita killed herself two weeks later. The last fatality caused by that damned bomb…poor thing…”

Bridge soon returned with a brown paper bag. “Breathe, Andie...breathe…”

She took it, breathing into the bag until she felt a bit better. After she finished, Andromeda said, “It was a bomb, as you may have guessed. I still have no idea who planted it or why, but thirty-five students and seventeen teachers died in the explosion, with countless more injured. Five more students would commit suicide in the following days, not wanting to live without a friend or lover they had lost.”

“...Is that what caused you two to...you know…” asked Nitro quietly.

“Yes and no.” Andromeda said. “We both decided we were better as friends the day I attacked her with a chair during one of my...episodes.”

“...It was my fault...I accidentally pushed your button…”

“She startled me.” Andromeda explained to the others. “I didn't want to risk that happening while we were making love, or cuddling, or anything like that, so we broke off our romantic relationship. We both wanted to wait until I recovered a fair amount, and then see how things went from there in terms of where we stood.”

“I’m so sorry…” Bridge whispered. “I never knew you had, for lack of a better term, a mental illness…”

“It is alright.” she said softly. “As for how this day made me more cynical and jaded? I realized that death, much like life, isn't fair. It doesn't care one whit about your age, or your hopes, or your dreams, or your fears...it will snatch you away from the ones you love in an instant without any mercy. I also realized that the organization I fought and bled for wasn't as infallible as citizens like to think. That bomb could have been stopped before so many students were killed, but Starfleet. Did. Nothing. They did nothing but preach at the funerals about how the grieving ponies there needed to find it in themselves to forgive whoever planted the bomb that killed their loved ones.”

“...So, you hate Starfleet, then?” Lightning asked. “I can understand if you do, but what I can’t understand is why you’re still a member if they did nothing.”

“I don't hate Starfleet.” Andromeda said. “Without it, the Imperium would collapse within days. I just learned then that their ideals of harmony and friendship and believing in yourself are a load of dog-sh*t in reality.”

“You’re not wrong,” Lightning said. “But those values are inherent in everypony.”

“They didn't save my students, did they?” She retorted, her tone bitter. “Friendship didn't save Legend Bringer. Harmony didn't keep his marefriend from hanging herself two weeks later. Believing in myself didn't help when I was cradling the corpse of a five year old filly who came to visit her sister at school as a surprise.”

“...I see your point, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop being an idealist.” he fired back. “You may have given up the ideals we live by because you’ve been dealt a bad hand, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t too late to rediscover them.”

“I have little regard for the ideals of Starfleet, but I am committed to protecting those who cannot protect themselves, no matter how much it hurts, or how little difference it makes.” Andromeda replied. “I don't need to be an idealist to be able to do good.”

“Sometimes, a little idealism goes a long way.”

“Save it, recruit.” Andromeda said. “I don't need a pep talk.”

“Yes you do.” Lightning said firmly. “Do you know what I see right now? Not Andromeda the cynic. I see an Andromeda who’s been crawling through sh*t her whole life, and is angry at the world because of it. I see a mare who’s in desperate need of not only teammates, but friends as well. I see you for who you really are underneath the shell: somepony who just needs a shoulder to cry on. Well, guess what? I’m happy to lend you mine, Officer.”

“And do you know what I see right now?” Andromeda asked him. “I see a naive young stallion who has never known pain. I see a stallion who has been pampered his entire life, and has never had to worry about starvation, or having his throat cut while he sleeps, or being raped by ponies twice his age. I see a recruit, green as grass, who has no idea what the world is truly like, and has no knowledge of what it truly means to fight a war. I see somepony who has been spoon fed the idealistic propaganda pumped out by Starfleet his entire life, and has been convinced that friendship and belief in yourself will solve every problem.

Guess what, recruit? That is a lie. Having friends is great and all, but it won't stop those friends from dying horribly without you being able to do a damn thing about it. I do have friends, Dawn. My teammates are my friends. Hell, they're family. We have fought and bled and nearly died together. So, do not sit there like the hack psychologist Starfleet shoved down my throat two years ago and pretend I'm some fractured, weepy mare you can say a few magic words to and I'll magically open up and be your best friend.”

“She has a point there, Lightning.” Rosebud said. “Trust me, friendship can’t solve everything.”

“Yes, but you can’t throw it away either.” Lightning said. “But I understand what Andromeda is saying, and I will respectfully stand down.”

“Good.” Bridge said. “Because trying to convince Andromeda is like trying to convince an Orc that ‘the red ones do not go faster.’”

“Or like trying to melt a glacier with a lighter.” Propheta chimed in.

“Or like trying to explain love to a Fae.” Titania said dryly. “Or like trying to explain to me why you mortals say everypony instead of everyone.”

“Alright, I get it.” Lightning stated.

“Seriously, why do you mortals say that?” Titania asked.

“Nopony knows.” Trini shrugged.

Andromeda got up, stretching. “Well, this has been fun, but I need food.”

“Yeah, I’m feeling hungry myself.” Rosebud said. “Who wants some salad?”

“I DO!” cheered Lightning.

“Eh, I’m not hungry right now.” Bridge said.

“And I have half of a hayburger I started yesterday.” Walter said.

Nitro shrugged. “Why not?”

“I'll go with you, Rose.” Andromeda said. “I'd like to have a chat, anyway.”

The former nodded, walking into the kitchen. Andromeda followed her, sitting on one of the counters as Rosebud made the salads.

“I didn't think I'd be dredging up those particular memories today.” She said.

“Neither did I…” Rosebud said. “You know I still love you, right?” Her voice lowered into a whisper.

“I know, Rose.” Andromeda replied. “And, if I'm honest…well, do I even have to say it?”

“...No.” Rose said, kissing her passionately, rubbing her hands up and down Andromeda’s back. Andromeda returned the kiss, pulling Rose close. After several minutes, Rose pulled away, euphoria in her eyes.

“I missed this.” Andromeda whispered.

“So did I…” Rose whispered back.

Andromeda smiled at her, before kissing Rose again. The latter did the only thing she could, no, wanted at that moment, and kissed back. Considering the two of them hadn't enjoyed each other’s embrace in two years, what happened next was quite natural to them, and quite unexpected for the others, who were still waiting for salad. At first, it sounded like Andromeda and Rosebud were screaming bloody murder, which, naturally, caused a bit of a panic. Bridge, Walter, Nitro, Trini, and Lightning went to check on them, only to immediately back away without saying a word. A wise move on their part; the sex Rosebud and Andromeda were having was quite good for the both of them, and it was unlikely they would appreciate being interrupted.

Meanwhile, on Tenebris, Horus had come out of his chambers. Erebus stood perfectly still by the throne, silent and unmoving. “What is your plan for this week, my Lord?” Kratos asked.

“The creature Cassiopeia is crafting will be sent after Andromeda Aquila, the wretched whor* with the bow.” Horus replied, sitting on his throne. “At the moment, her pathetic emotions are dominating her. She will be quite vulnerable when this creature arrives to kill her.”

“What, exactly, is this creature?” Kratos asked, but he got his answer as soon as Cassiopeia entered with her Golem. This one looked much different than the previous creature. It had thick skin, covered with white and black fur, four legs, each ending in a foot with five clawed digits, four leathery wings, and a large round head. The Golem had a chin that rounded to a point, a nose resembling that of a pig, a jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth, and two eyes, each of them white as snow. Horus looked the creature over, nodding once.

“Very good. Perhaps you aren't as much of a failure as I thought.” he said to Cassiopeia, much to the annoyance of Erebus.

“Thank you, my Lord. I promise that my Golem will not fail you this time.”

“It had best not.” Horus said dangerously. “For if it does, you will not like the punishment I will inflict upon you.”

Cassiopeia nodded, but she mentally cursed Horus out. Erebus, for his part, had to resist the urge to draw one of his blades and drive it into the back of the sorcerer's skull. Kratos had to urge to stab him in the stomach. Horus, of course, knew none of this. For all his boasting, he was unable to read minds, and he was blissfully unaware of the treacherous thoughts his underlings were having. Cassiopeia looked at her Golem, and sent it on its way.

Andromeda, meanwhile, was eating a salad. Sex always left her quite hungry, and this time was no exception. Rosebud sat next to her, eating her own salad.

“I love you, you know that?”

“I know.” Andromeda said, grinning. “You've told me that five times in the past hour.”

“Do you think we could...you know...get back together?” Rosebud asked softly. “Not at this very moment…but soon?”

“I think the fact we just had sex kind of answers that question, don't you?” Andromeda replied. “And why not now? I love you, and you love me.”

Rosebud looked at Andromeda. “I just don’t feel ready yet. I love you, Andie, but I need some time to know if I’m really making the right decision.”

“We broke up two years ago, Rose.” Andromeda responded, a bit hurt. “How much more time do you need?”

Rosebud sensed Andromeda’s hurt tone. “Don’t worry. We’ll be together again soon enough. I promise.” she assured.

Andromeda snorted. “Whatever. Why did we bother with f*cking, then? What was that, a free sample? Trying me out to see if I'm still as good as you remember, without the messy commitment of a real relationship?”

“N-no...I...I…” Rosebud stammered, panic on her face. Andromeda sighed.

“I'm sorry, Rose. That was uncalled for. I just...I've been waiting two years to have you in my arms again. I don't want to wait any longer.”

“I know you can’t. I can’t either, but I’m scared it’s gonna bite me in the ass.”

Andromeda snorted. “The only thing that will be biting your ass isme, Rose.” She snarked. “Come on. You and I, we're badasses. After everything that has tried, and failed, to kill us, what could possibly go wrong? Just keep me away from any chairs, and we'll be good to go.”

“Are you sure you want to go through with it?” Rosebud asked. “Like,absolutelysure?”

“More sure than I've been about anything else in my entire life.” Andromeda said sincerely. “Trust me, Rose.”

“Then...Andromeda Aquila, will you be my marefriend?” Rosebud whispered. “...Again?”

“I will.” Andromeda replied. “I won't leave you again.”

“Promise?”

“You have my word, Rose.” Andromeda said. Rose’s response was yet another passionate kiss. Andromeda purred, pulling Rosebud close and kissing her back. She moaned slightly, grinning against the kiss. Their embrace was suddenly interrupted by an alarm going off. Something was outside. Something big. The rest of the team ran out to see what was going on, and came face to face with the Golem. Andromeda ran outside as well, Rosebud right behind her. She stared the Golem down, completely unfazed by it being there.

“Hello, Horus.” Andromeda said flatly, knowing the sorcerer was listening.

“Hello, whor*.” the sorcerer greeted. “Are you ready to face death?”

“Are you?” She asked. “I don't fear death, bastard. Can you say the same?”

“Oh, I cannot die. I will not allow myself to do so.”

“You fancy yourself a god, don't you?” Andromeda responded, snorting. “There are no gods. You, just like your father, are a stallion with an a f*ck-ton of power. Nothing more and nothing less. I look forward to gutting you.”

“I! AM! HORUS!I! AM! GOD OF ALL!” Horus roared through the Golem, charging at Andromeda. She smiled serenely.

“All of you, go inside.” She said calmly, before drawing her blades and leaping at the Golem. The rest of the team resisted the urge to jump into the fray, and did as Andromeda commanded. Her blades plunged deep into the Golem’s face, blood spraying from the wounds. The beast roared, blindly trying to grab at Andromeda as red liquid spewed forth from it like a geyser. She pulled her blades free, this causing even more blood to spray from the wounds. Andromeda hung onto the Golem’s snout as it thrashed around, trying to throw her off. The beast kept roaring in frustration, more and more blood spewing out of it as it kept trying to grab at its target.

“HEAR ME, HORUS!” Andromeda screamed, plunging one of her blades into the Golem’s left eye. “I AM ANDROMEDA AQUILA, THE CRIMSON BANE, DESTROYER OF ARMIES, BREAKER OF ORCS! YOU WISH TO KILL ME?! GOOD LUCK!”

“TELL ME, AQUILA!” Horus challenged. “IF YOU BELIEVE THAT FRIENDSHIP IS USELESS, THEN WHY DON’T YOU ALLY YOURSELF WITH ME?!”

“That is where you are wrong, Horus.” She responded, her voice suddenly calm, though it was quite evident she was angry beyond belief. “I do not believe it to be useless. If I did...I would not have fallen in love with Rosebud, my marefriend.”

This sent Horus into a rage, as he had incredibly outdated views on relationships, which was rather ironic considering his views on love itself. He began spewing curses and slurs at Andromeda in every single language he knew, all the while trying desperately to make the Golem attack her harder. Andromeda casually avoided each attack, continuing to taunt Horus by describing every time she and Rose had had sex in explicit detail. This made Horus even more enraged, as the idea of sexual relations between two mares angered him to no end. It soon became clear Andromeda wasn't taking him seriously at all; she wasn't even attacking the Golem anymore. All she was doing was taunting Horus. The Golem eventually bled out, falling over...and then somehow exploding, possibly from Horus’ rage.

Andromeda spat on what remained of the Golem. “Go to Hell, Horus.” Rosebud ran out, and hugged her marefriend.

“Are you OK, Andie?” she asked, looking her in the eyes.

“I'm fine.” Andromeda replied. “I just want to disembowel that smug sorcerer and stick his head on a pike.”

“So do I. But as long as he’s in that damned moon palace of his, we can’t do a thing.”

“I know.” Andromeda said, sighing.

“Come on. Let’s get inside. You need some R&R.”

“You're right.” Andromeda replied. “Rest does sound nice.” Rosebud smiled, and led her back into the base.

Lightning Dawn, meanwhile, pulled out a small holocommunicator, and was trying to get in touch with his father. Something was on his mind, and he needed answers. After a few moments, the Grand Ruler answered.

“Yes, Lightning? What is it you need?”

“Well, two things. First off, I think I learned something today: it’s better to appreciate your teachers’ methods than argue with them, because a lot of the time there are good reasons as to why they have those methods in the first place.” Lightning said. “Though, that isn’t the only reason I wanted to talk.” The alicorn prince paused for a moment, trying to choose his next words carefully. “...Dad, what happened to Mom?”

Silence for a moment, then his father replied, “...That is a very simple question with a very complicated answer. I'll start by saying this: Your mother isn't Solaran.”

“She isn’t?” Lightning asked, a mixture of shock and realization hitting him.

“No. Your mother, Lightning...is one of the Fae.” Lightning very nearly dropped the communicator, his mouth wide open. That explained why Titania had suddenly appeared after his mother had left when he was only five; it couldn’t be, no,[ i]wasn’t a coincidence at all.

“I met her in a forest.” his father said. “I was going for a stroll, trying to get away from all the pandering nobles and advisors under me. As I walked through the sunlit woods, I saw her. She was stunning, and I was taken by her beauty almost instantly. It took me a while to earn her affections, but my efforts paid off, and she became pregnant. If I am honest, I wasn't even sure at the time whether having a child with her was possible. But, it was, and you were born, healthy and whole. She doted on you, you know. She loved you dearly, but as you have likely learned with Titania, the whims and fancies of the Fae are ever changing, and she eventually grew restless. On your fifth birthday, as you know, she left, but promised that someone would come after her departure, someone who would be a companion and friend to you. A few days later, Titania arrived, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Lightning listened intently, then thought about what he should do. On one hand, he wanted to see his mother again. On the other, what if she didn’t know who he was, much less care?

“I can see the turmoil within you, Lightning. Part of you wants to find her, but you're also worried she won't remember you, right?”

“Yes, Father.” he answered. “To say I’d be worried is an understatement.”

“I think you should do whatever you feel is best, my son.” The Grand Ruler replied. “If you wish to leave this mystery unsolved, I will not fault you. But I get the feeling you won't rest until you get answers from your mother, will you?”

“No. I won’t. I intend to venture to Nevernever once again so that I can find her.”

“Bring Titania along. She will guide you.” his father said. “Good luck.”

“Thank you. Goodbye for now, Dad.”

His communicator shut off, the call over. With that, he went to inform Titania of his..rather unexpected return trip to Nevernever. She led him back to the portal stone in the forest, and the two of them placed their hands on it, venturing into the unknown together.

---------------------------------------------------

Next time on Starfleet: MiB…

Lightning returns to the Nevernever to meet his mother after 13 years of being apart. Horus, however, is not content with letting either the Fae or his younger brother be. Deciding to forego the Golem strategy, Horus ventures into the land of the Faeries himself for a confrontation with Prince Lightning Dawn. However, can Lightning Dawn put his training to the test against a 10,000+ year-old sorcerer?

This chapter. This chapter, I think, is one of the most emotional things I or my co-writer have ever written. The cameos by Legendbringer's OC and Ath-Lita (AKA "Mykan Demonizes Cherry-Lei") were the most emotionally draining scenes to write, mainly because A) I consider the users in question to be some of my closest friends here on FimFic, especially the former, whom I met when I still supported Mykan and B) I feared these "Death by Cameos", as TV Tropes calls them, would be seen as unintentional Take Thats. So, I ran the idea by them, and both of them liked it, especially Legendbringer.

But, getting back on track, this chapter is one of the most emotional things I've written. Ever.. As an sidenote, we finally find out what happened to Lightning's mother, and the next episode will not only explore that idea, but also show Lightning actually doing something! :D

-------------------------------------------

As always, feedback and constructive criticism is welcome.

Faerie Childe

Previously on Starfleet: MiB…

After the stress of training for an entire week gets to him, Lightning Dawn demands to know why Andromeda is so brutal. Through flashbacks, it’s revealed that she has had far from the best life, which not only makes Lightning Dawn see his teacher in a new light, but sparks memories of his own foalhood and adolescence, one without a mother. Deciding to contact the Grand Ruler for more information, Lightning discovers a startling revelation about himself: he is half-Fae. Going with what his heart tells him, the prince of Solaris ventures once more to the Land of Nevernever in the hopes that he may see his mother once more…

------

Titania led the way through the twisted woods of Nevernever, strolling through the thick and tangled underbrush with familiar ease. It quickly became clear Lightning was fortunate to have her with him; he would have gotten hopelessly lost otherwise. He smiled at her, taking her hand gently.

“You know, Titania. I’m glad you’re my friend.” Lightning said with a smile. “As well as my lover...wow, it still feels so odd saying it out loud.”

“You are most fortunate we are friends.” Titania replied. “Nevernever is not a welcoming place for mortals who stumble upon it without a Fae to guide them.”

“You’re telling me.” Lightning chuckled. “Where are we headed, anyways?”

“We are going to find your mothri, your mother.” Titania replied. “The journey to her abode is a very twisted and treacherous one.”

“Where does she live, exactly?” Lightning wondered. He was incredibly nervous, though he didn’t show it.

“It is...difficult to explain. Geography, much like time, works much differently in Nevernever than it does in the world of mortals. We will simply arrive there when we arrive there.”

“That still doesn’t calm me down one bit.” Lightning said.

“You are in the realm of the Fae, Lightning.” Titania replied. “You are not supposed to be calm. Many of my kin would, if you wandered into their domains, make you dance until your legs were worn down to bloody shin bones, or drag you underwater until your lungs burst, or fill your eyes with dust and make you claw them out at the roots. This is not the Imperial Palace of your father. Nevernever is not safe for your kind, and it never will be.”

“Guess that’s why it’s called Nevernever.” Lightning joked, then looked down as Titania gave a disapproving glare. “...Sorry.”

“Tell me something, Lightning: How old is your father? If you do not know exactly, guess.” Titania said, changing the subject.

“Well, I know he’s immortal, and he’s ruled the Imperium for millennia…” Lightning pondered, looking up at the ever-changing sky in thought. “...You know, even if I guessed, I still wouldn’t know the answer. My father is very secretive of his past.”

“My parents are ancient, as well, though Mother is far older.” Titania said. “She claims to remember what your father was like in his youth, if that tells you anything.”

Lightning’s ears perked up in curiosity. “She does?” Now this was intriguing.

“Indeed, she does, though as I am sure you are aware, we Fae are quite fond of twisting words. I would be careful when asking her what she knows.”

“Oh, I will, lover dear.” Lightning replied, deliberately sounding like a husband who had resigned himself to his wife’s demands. Titania smacked him on the back of the head, unamused. “...I swear, you Fae can’t take a joke…”

“Most Fae do not tolerate being mocked, joking or otherwise.” Titania replied. “My reaction to your ‘jokes’ is restrained compared to what some of my kin would do to you if you told them some of the same things you tell me.”

“...Right.” Lightning said, before immediately shutting up. They soon came across a group of sprites. It amused Titania to see the egotistical one known as Krysta among their numbers again, evidently having been brought back through some primitive sprite ritual.

“Oi!” Krysta called. “Lookee here, if it isn’t Princey-Prince and the bitch who ate me!” This got a reflexive chuckle from Lightning Dawn.

“I wouldn’t test her if I were you.” he warned.

“He is correct.” Titania said. “I am in no mood to be mocked.”

“Why are you here?” Krysta asked.

“That does not concern you.” Titania snapped. “Begone.”

“No.” another sprite said. “We’re curious as to why your ugly mugs are here again.”

“...Not I.” a female sprite replied. “I just wanna be left alone.”

“Well, if you must know, we’re going to see my mother.” Lightning informed.

“Your mother? Your mother’s a Fae?” Krysta began to laugh, before being grabbed by the neck by Lightning, and handing her to Titania.

“Here you go.” he said casually. Titania grinned, her razor-sharp teeth exposed to the light.

“Hello again, little sprite.” She said to Krysta, her tone remaining as calm as ever. Krysta began frantically buzzing her wings in an effort to escape, but it was no use.

“Ah, what is the matter?” Titania asked mockingly. “Are you afraid, little sprite? Good. I wonder: Which wing should I tear off first? The left...or the right?”

“N-neither.”

“Oh, where is the fun in that?” Titania replied. “Which one should I take first, little sprite? You must choose.”

“Ummm...can I say both and be done with it? I’ll just get revived again, anyway.”

Titania snorted, before igniting a fire spell in the hand that was holding Krysta. The little sprite screamed, but not for very long, and she was fried. The other sprites scattered, and Lightning looked at Titania.

“What?” She asked, biting off Krysta’s charred head. “I like them crispy.”

“...Of course you do. Come on.” Lightning said. “Let’s get moving.”

Titania began walking again, and they continued to make their way through Nevernever. Eventually, Titania began to hear a very familiar sound: Her mother’s flute. Lightning listened for a bit, before walking towards the noise, Titania’s hand in his. They found Queen Mab seated on a chair made of branches and brush, playing a tune on her flute that was beautiful and eerie.

“Hello again, my Queen.” Lightning said, bowing before her. “Apologies for interrupting, but I’ve returned to your kingdom for something rather important.”

“Oh?” Mab said, pausing. “Do tell.”

“I am here to see my mother, whomever she may be.” Lightning said. “Titania has also informed me that you knew my father in his youth?”

“I did, yes.” Mab replied.

“What was he like? Where did he live before he created the Solarans?”

The Faerie Queen set down her flute, before regarding Lightning for a brief moment.

“This information is not something to be given away lightly. You desire deeply to learn it, and I simply cannot tell you this without expecting a favor in return. That is how these things work.”

“I understand how these things work. What do you seek in return?” Lightning asked carefully. “I will provide whatever it is you desire, to the best of my ability.”

“The thing I desire from you will be made clear in the near future.” Mab replied. “For now, have my word that it will not be a lethal task. I am Mab, and I always keep my word.”

“Understood, my Lady.” Lightning said. “As you were saying, you knew my father in his youth.”

“Indeed, I did. He was hardly as mighty then as he is now, though that does not mean he was harmless. Far from it.”

“Was he born an alicorn, like I was?”

“No.” Mab replied. “He was born without wings.”

“...So, in other words, a unicorn.”

“Indeed.” She said. “When I met your father, he was rather intriguing to me. Not because of what he was then, but what he would one day do.”

“Which was create the Solaran Imperium.” Lightning said. “But what of before then?”

“Before then?” Mab asked. “How long before then?”

“...Before 10,000 years ago.” Lightning answered. “That is the only way I measure time when it comes to my father.”

“I presume you are asking for me to tell you what he accomplished before then. I will tell you this: There is a reason many worship him as a god, and it has to do with more than just the creation of the Solaran Imperium and the banishment of Horus.”

“Is that all?” Lightning asked, his mind racing. What could his father have accomplished before staking his claim in the galaxy, he wondered.

“Among other things, he fathered three of my children in the distant past.” Mab said. “He does not recall this, but I do.”

“Does that include Titania?” Lightning asked, understandably uneasy.

“No.” Mab responded. “Titania was born of my husband’s seed. You are not sleeping with your own half-sister, Lightning Dawn.”

“Oh, thank Lux.” he said. “What I wish to know is this: where did my father come from, and how did he become the Grand Ruler he is today?”

“He was born in a rather colorful valley, located on a world that is hardly worthy of notice.” Mab replied.

“A valley? Did it have a name?”

“Yes.”

“What was its name, if I may ask?”

“Dream Valley.”

Lightning snorted a bit. “Let me guess, it was a paradise.”

“It was...until I placed a curse upon everyone there.”

“What sort of curse?”

“Every firstborn was seized by the Keepers within a week of birth.”

“...Why? Why would you do that?” Lightning asked, horrified.

“Why? I will tell you why. I was mocked. Those mortal ponies thought to play practical jokes on me when I stayed in their town for a night. Their children tormented me, so I chose to torment any new parents in return.”

“...Titania was right: you can’t take jokes. I’ll admit it was wrong for them to prank you, but stealing their children is too extreme.”

“I am Mab.” She said firmly. “I always keep my word...and I always repay my debts.”

“But they were just pranks…”

“Enough.” Mab said coldly. “I will speak no more of the matter. What more do you wish to know about your father?”

“Is...is Lux even his real name?” Lightning asked, a bit afraid now.

“No.” Mab answered. “At least, it is not his birth name.”

“What is his birth name?” the Solaran prince asked.

“Truthfully, I cannot say.” Mab responded. “It has been lost to time.”

“I understand. My father was also not born with the body he has now, am I correct?”

“Yes.” Mab replied. “Now, I am certain you must be curious how, exactly, he and I ended up having children together. Or am I wrong?”

“I am, indeed, curious, as to who my technical siblings are.” Lightning replied matter-of-factly.

“Their names are Miranda, Prospero, and Puck.” She informed him.

“Fascinating. I will have to meet them sometime.”

“I am certain you will.” Mab said, pausing briefly, before continuing, “Love is a very strange thing, is it not? So many terrible things are done for love. I learned that from a species known as Man. For love, men will mutilate themselves and murder rivals. For love, even a peaceful man will go to war. For love, man will destroy himself, and do so willingly.”

“Exactly as my father said it.”

“He and I learned a lot from each other.” Mab replied.

“I can see that. Do Miranda, Prospero, and Puck dwell here in Nevernever?”

“They do.”

“Perhaps I will meet them later, if I have the time.” Lightning said.

“Perhaps. I would be cautious, however. They do not know you exist, and all three of them are quite prideful.”

“I understand completely.” Lightning responded.

“Good.” Mab replied. “Now, are there any other matters you wish to inquire about?”

“...Hmmm…” Lightning pondered the question, then shook his head. “No, my Lady.”

“Very well.” She said. “Go on, Lightning Dawn. Find your mother.” He nodded, looking at Titania. She took his hand, guiding him away from Mab. The Fae Queen was gone when he looked back a moment later, her chair empty, as if she had never been there at all. Lightning held onto Titania’s hand, a slight smile on his face as he walked with her.

“I remember my youth here.” Titania said. “I spent my days in the flower fields and by the flowing streams. I always have loved the sound of moving water. It is so very peaceful.”

Lightning nodded. “Do you miss it here at all?” His tone was curious, but with a slight sadness to it.

“Every Faerie that leaves Nevernever has a desire to return home.” Titania said. “I feel it frequently when I am in the mortal world. You are worried about me abandoning you, Lightning. Is that correct?” He nodded.

“You’re my best friend, Titania. You have been for 13 years, ever since my mother left without a trace.” Tears began to form in his eyes. “I...I love you…”

Titania blinked. That genuinely caught her by surprise. “Are you speaking of familial love...or romantic love?”

“...I don’t know.” Lightning replied. “I see you as my family, but at the same time, it kinda dawned on me the last time we were here that you had some kind of feeling for me. And besides, we have, to put it bluntly, f*cked. Have we not?”

“I do not know how I feel about you.” She responded. “Fae cannot feel love in the usual sense. Mother and Father care about me, and would kill to protect me, but that is not love in the same way mortals understand it. Similarly, I care about you, and I would kill to keep you safe, but I do not know if that is love in the way your kind understands it.”

“Love is an odd thing sometimes.” Lightning observed. “Nopony can really understand it, I think.”

Titania nodded. “I am not a pony, and I do also do not understand it. To me, as I have said previously, it is meaningless, a curiosity and little else.”

Lightning said nothing as he walked alongside Titania, merely observing the beautiful view. Birds flew nearby, singing and chirping. He could hear, just out of sight, the gentle rumble of a river. The scents of various flowers hit his nose, the variety making a lovely mixture of smells. Lightning took a deep breath, and sighed contently. He looked into Titania’s eyes, his smile not fading. She continued to walk with him, humming to herself. Lightning hummed along with her, though it sounded alien to him. They made their way through Nevernever, the landscape shifting and turning around them. It was once again quite clear to Lightning that without Titania, he would have been hopelessly lost.

Soon, the two of them began to hear soft singing coming from nearby. The voice was female, her song soft and pleasant to the ears. Lightning was half-tempted to investigate, but at the same time his gut feeling told him not to. Titania began to lead him towards the sound, anyway.

“That is the voice of Miranda you are hearing.” She said. “I thought you might like to meet your half-sister.”

Lightning only nodded, becoming more entranced by the sound. They soon found Miranda. She was in a field of flowers, softly brushing her hair as she sang. She, much like Mab, had icy blonde locks, with light skin, not quite as pale as that of her mother, and grey eyes. Miranda wore a white, shimmering gown and nothing else, her feet and hands bare, her blonde hair free to fall down her back. She didn't notice Lightning and Titania.

“Should we say something?” the former asked. Titania nodded.

“Hello, Miranda.” She called. Miranda stopped her singing, turning towards the two of them.

“Greetings, Titania. Who is this you've brought with you?”

“I am Prince Lightning Dawn of the Solaran Imperium.” Lightning greeted. “...I am also, as I have found out from the Queen herself, your half-brother.”

“Are you, now?” Miranda asked. “An interesting, but not entirely unexpected, development.”

“Given that we share the same father, is it not unsurprising?” Lightning asked. “I extend my humblest greetings to thee, Miranda.”

“And I accept thy greetings, Lightning Dawn.” She replied.

“You resemble your mother, though I sense a bit of Lux himself in you as well.”

Miranda had the sharp, refined features of nobility, which both Lux and Mab had passed down to her. She snorted.

“I am sure you do. I have never met him. I am sure Mother told you why.”

Lightning nodded. Miranda gestured for him to come closer and sit next to her. After some hesitation, he did, and looking at her even more up close, he could see the resemblance between them more clearly.

“Half-Fae children are a curious thing.” Miranda said. “When the child reaches a certain age, they must make a choice: Stay in the mortal world, and die as such, or venture into Nevernever and become one of the Faeries.”

“It’s obvious you chose the latter, sister.” Lightning remarked.

“No.” She said, shaking her head. “My siblings and I are different. We were born in Nevernever, so we were born as Fae.”

“So all three of you are immortal, like I and our father.” Lightning continued. “Immortality is...a rather tender subject with the Grand Ruler, you know. Living for millennia among what you call ‘mortals’ can take a toll on one’s mental health.”

“I wouldn't know.” Miranda said. “For the Fae, time passes like a flowing stream. It goes by quickly, and none of us are affected by it.”

“I’m sorry to say, but I would suspect my father envies you in that particular regard.”

Miranda nodded in response. Outside of Nevernever, meanwhile, Andromeda was sitting with Rosebud on a park bench, the two of them enjoying the fading sunlight. The former exhaled, closing her eyes.

“This is nice, isn't it?” She asked.

“Mmm-hmm. I still can’t believe we’re together again, Andie. It feels...nice.”

Andromeda smiled. “It does, doesn't it?” Rosebud gripped her hand gently.

“I love you.” Andromeda told her. “I think I have since the day we met.” Rosebud snorted slightly with a smirk.

“You actually believe in that ‘love at first sight’ stuff?” she asked.

“I don't know if I loved you romantically, but I know that I quickly became quite fond of you.” Andromeda responded. “It didn't take long for me to properly fall in love.”

“I love you too, Andie. Always will.”

“Good.” She replied, smiling. “I missed holding you like this.”

“I missed it too.” Rosebud said, kissing her softly. Andromeda kissed her back, pulling Rosebud closer. As the sun set, the moon rising in the sky, it created a rather beautiful sight out of a romance film. The two of them made sweet, gentle love in the moonlight, melting into the other’s embrace. Who cared if it was in public, Rosebud thought. Nopony was out at this hour, anyway. Andromeda certainly didn't care. She was enjoying herself too much to think about anyone seeing them. After they finished, she held Rosebud close, panting.

“Damn. I haven’t done anything like that in years.” Rose purred. Andromeda smirked.

“I'm glad I could be of service.” She said. “I do hope you didn't wake anyone up. You were quite loud.”

“You bet I was.” Rose said, grinning. Andromeda kissed her cheek, chuckling a bit.

“Let's go back.” She said. “I'm tired, and sleep sounds awesome right now.” Rose got dressed, carrying her marefriend like a bride. Andromeda snorted, before getting down.

“Thank you, but I'm no blushing bride in a romance movie. I can walk.” She said, taking Rosebud’s hand and beginning to do just that. The former pouted.

“You’re no fun.”

Andromeda grinned, before picking up Rosebud and carrying her. “Is this better?”

“Yes.” Rosebud replied, her pout turning into a grin. Andromeda kissed her softly. They soon arrived at Andromeda’s home, the two of them having decided to stay there together for the time being. The others were staying at the library until they could find some good, affordable homes. Andromeda set Rosebud down once they were inside the house, flicking on a light. Her home was modest, but liveable. She didn't need much in the way of luxuries.

“I have classes to teach in the morning.” Andromeda said. “So, I should probably get to bed.” Rosebud sat on the couch, flicking on the TV.

“I’ll try and be quiet.” she said. Andromeda kissed her briefly, before saying good night and going to sleep in her bedroom. When she woke up in the morning, she smiled as she noticed that Rosebud was snuggled up against her. She awoke, before smiling back at Andromeda.

“Good morning, love.” Andromeda said, kissing her nose.

“Good morning.” Rosebud replied. “I need to get ready for work, sooo…”

“Oh, so do I.” Andromeda responded. She got out of bed, going to the bathroom and showering, before getting dressed and heading to the kitchen to get breakfast. Rosebud followed her, enjoying the view of the sun as it rose over the chrome-plated skyscrapers of Spectropolis. Soon after, Andromeda left, traveling to the school she taught at. It was the same one that had been bombed two years earlier, now rebuilt and looking as sturdy as the day it had been built. Still, the scars remained. Students and staff who were there when it happened still remembered that terrible day, and several of them refused to enter certain rooms. A memorial dedicated to the students that had died stood outside the school, and students would often leave gifts at its base. Andromeda noted, with deep sadness, that the sister of Legend Bringer was kneeling at the foot of the monument when she arrived. She walked over to the younger mare slowly.

“Hello.” She said softly, not knowing how else to begin. “I don't believe we've been intrigued properly. I'm Andromeda Aquila. I was your...brother’s teacher. He was in my class when…”

“...It isn’t your fault.” she whispered, tears in her eyes.

“I know, but it doesn't make me feel any better.” Andromeda replied, before asking, “What's your name?”

“My name? Story. Story Bringer. Our parents have a knack for the written word.”

“I can tell.” Andromeda replied, before adding jokingly, “We Solarans aren't very creative when it comes to names, are we?” This cheered Story up, and she laughed.

“No, we aren’t.”

Andromeda thought for a moment, before snapping her fingers. “I knew your name sounded familiar, and now I know why. You're in my first class today, aren't you? I thought I saw your name had been added to my roster.”

“...I love astronomy, and I wanted to make my brother proud.” Story said with a small grin. “Your name is made up of two constellation names, in fact.”

“Ah, a mare after my own heart.” Andromeda replied, patting Story’s shoulder. “Most of my students don't catch that. I think you and I will get along just fine.”

“Thanks, Miss Aquila.”

“Please, call me Andromeda, or Andie. Either is fine. Calling me Miss Aquila makes me feel old.”

“Old?” Story asked. “You’re what, 25? I’m 18. There’s a 7-year age gap between us. That isn’t old.”

Andromeda hesitated a bit, before replying, “I also don't like being called that because it reminds me of my mother.”

“What happened?” Story asked as they walked into the school. Andromeda considered how much she wanted to reveal, before deciding that Story deserved her honesty.

“We didn't get along very well. In fact, my mother was quite cruel.” She told the younger mare.

“While neither I nor Legend were raised in that kind of home, I understand completely.”

“...She was also a whor*.” Andromeda added, her tone flat. “And I mean that in the most literal sense.”

“Pardon my language, but that is f*cked up.” Story said, putting a hand over her mouth.

“My language isn't exactly squeaky clean when I'm not teaching, so you're all good.” Andromeda replied. “Technically, I shouldn't be telling you any of this, but you deserve honesty after everything that's happened.”

“Thank you, Andie. I need honesty after what happened.”

“Which is why I'm going to tell you something none of my other students know…” Andromeda began, right before the bell rang. “...right after class. Come on.”

She walked to her classroom, entering and sitting at her desk. Story sat at the front, awaiting the lesson. Andromeda waited for the rest of her students to file in. A few minutes later, they had all arrived.

“Good morning, class.” She said. “We have a new student with us today. Her name is Story Bringer, and yes, that last name should sound familiar.” A silence fell over the room. She cleared her throat after a few moments.

“Anyway, how many of you saw that meteor shower last night? I thought it was pretty cool.” Andromeda said. She got no response. “...Anyone?” Story awkwardly raised her hand.

“Good on you. It was quite the light show.” Andromeda said, smiling a bit. “What did you think of it?”

“Absolutely breathtaking.”

“It was, wasn't it?” Andromeda replied, looking at the rest of the class. “I can't believe the rest of you missed it. I mean, even you, Moonbeam? And you, Stardancer? I thought you two liked astronomy stuff.”

This was addressed to a pair of identical twins sitting in the back, both of whom had jet-black fur, much like Andromeda herself, though their coats seemed to have more of a shine to them.

“We did, but we both fell asleep before it finished.”

They had spoken in unison, Andromeda noted, much like they often did. It was rather odd, but she didn't question it. The rest of the class went well. At least, it did until the room shook a bit. It wasn't nearly as bad as the detonation of the bomb two years earlier, so Andromeda knew it couldn't have come from inside the school. She looked out the window, and saw something rather odd: There was a large hole in the ground not far away, and she could vaguely see several strange creatures crawling out of it. All of them were bipedal, and none of them looked very friendly. She walked over to her desk, taking note of the alarmed looks on the faces of her students, before pressing a button hidden on the bottom. A small, hidden compartment opened, and Andromeda took out a laser pistol, casually co*cking it and setting the weapon down on the desk in front of her.

“...” Story’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide. Andromeda took an earpiece out of her bag of teaching supplies, putting it on.

“Any of you listening?” She asked, trying to connect to any member of her team she could reach. “We've got a problem.”

“Reading you loud and clear.” came Rosebud.

“...What’s the sitch?” Bridge asked, sounds of drinking tea coming from his end.

“Either of you seeing any holes in the ground, by chance?” She asked, walking over to the window again. “I've got a big one here. There are creatures coming out of it, and none of them look friendly.”

“...Now that you mention it, I did see some holes in the ground earlier. Big ones too.” said Bridge.

“sh*t.” Andromeda said, startling her class once again, as they had never heard her curse. “sh*t, sh*t, sh*t. Rose, are you working right now?”

“Yeah. Dafodil’s helping me today. Why?”

“Make whatever excuse you need to in order to get out of work and go get your gear. I need you to search for other craters, along with any more of...whatever these things are. Bridge, once you've finished your tea, I need you to inform the others of what's going on and tell them to be ready to go out and deal with the situation if the need arises. I'll keep you informed. Andromeda out.”

With that done, Andromeda turned back towards her class, before noticing how they were all staring at her. “You might as well ask what you want to ask.” She said.

“Are you a Starfleet officer?” Story asked. “Because that’s awesome!”

“Yep, I am.” Andromeda said. “I have been for nearly ten years.”

Rosebud, meanwhile, made an excuse and asked Dafodil to watch the store for her. As she ran out hurriedly, she attempted to contact Lux, as this was...an unusual situation. Unfortunately, the Grand Ruler was a bit preoccupied. Similar creatures had emerged in the Palace, and he was busy fighting them off. “Just what are these things?!” one of his guards asked.

“These creatures are part of the Infestatio hive mind.” Lux replied.

“...T-the Infestatio...you mean those bug creatures you fought during the war with Horus?”

“Yes.” He said. “Their Queen nearly killed us both.”

“Where, exactly, did you banish them to? Because I recall you sparing them.”

“Queen Pinsar is unkillable.” Lux admitted. “The stories say I spared her, but I couldn't kill the Queen if I tried. I only banished her by making use of a desperate ritual that required a fair amount to be sacrificed for it to work.”

“You mean you sealed them within the planet?!” the guard replied, both astonished and terrified.

“I did.” The Grand Ruler replied. “The ritual was flawed, of course, and I never expected it to last forever. The fact the barrier it created is failing around the same time Horus finally returned is a very cruel coincidence.”

Andromeda, meanwhile, was casually answering questions from her students...while also shooting the creatures emerging from the hole with her laser pistol. The creatures, tall grasshopper/bee-like beings, flew towards Andromeda. She shot each of them down, laughing a bit.

“YES! COME ON, YOU sh*t-CHEWING f*ckSTICKS!” she shouted, before calmly saying, “I'm sorry, Stardancer. What was your question?”

She was letting her students ask whatever they wanted, in order to help them stay calm.

“...Why do Starfleet officers have color-coded spandex as armor? Isn’t that a bit counterproductive?”

“It keeps attention on the rest of our bodies, so that our enemies don't shoot us in the head.” Andromeda replied. “We can't make our faces attack-proof, so we wear uniforms that draw enemy attention to other parts of the body.”

“I know what part of the body I’m attracted to.” a sophom*oric colt said, grinning. Andromeda rolled her eyes.

“I know.” She said dryly, shooting off one of the creature’s wings and sending the insect crashing to the earth. “I'm quite used to having my ass stared at. You are all also welcome to ask about my life before Starfleet. I'll tell you, I haven't lived a boring normal life.”

“What was your life like before all this?” Moonbeam asked.

“I grew up in the sh*thole disguised as paradise known as Redwood Meadows.” Andromeda replied. “My mother was a whor*, I've never known my father, and I beat a colt two or three years older than me within an inch of his life when I was 11. He overdosed on heroin two years later.”

“Damn.” Moonbeam said. “You go, girl!”

“I bit a chunk out of his cheek.” Andromeda said dryly. “You know, blood doesn't taste as bad as you'd think. It's just very coppery.”

“Still, you don’t take sh*t from no stallion.” Moonbeam said.

“Ummm...sis, I hate to be ‘that mare’, but your grammar is incorrect.” Stardancer said. Her twin blushed in embarrassment. Andromeda rolled her eyes.

“This ain't grammar school, kid.” She said dryly, shooting one of the insect creatures in the eye, causing it to shriek in pain and flee. “We Starfleet officers don't give a damn about proper speech.”

“Sorry, Andie.” Stardancer apologized.

“I say that because you two have potential.” Andromeda replied. “The life of a Starfleet officer is not for everypony, but I encourage you two to try, if you wish to.”

Suddenly, one of the creatures landed on the window, grabbing Andromeda by the arm and pulling her out of it. She responded by drawing a knife and repeatedly stabbing the creature in the throat, getting it to let go and fall. She managed to hold onto the window and avoid falling with it, before climbing back inside, her clothes stained with green blood.

While the creatures of the Infestatio hive began to emerge in Spectropolis, Horus’ minions had the thankless task of going to meet with Queen Pinsar. The sorcerer, Erebus noted as they descended into the cavernous depths of Solaris, had experienced a rare moment of cunning, and had decided to try and get the Queen on his side. Since, of course, Horus didn't wish to leave Tenebris and draw his father’s attention, he gave the task to his underlings, who accepted it with stoic obedience.

“You know, I never thought I would be descending into the innards of Solaris.” Erebus said flatly as they went deeper, searching for the Infestatio hive. “It's about what I expected: Rocks, water and darkness.”

“Why Horus doesn’t get off of his throne and do it himself is beyond me.” Cassiopeia replied.

“I will say, however, that this is probably the most intelligent thing he has done yet.” Kratos said.

“Indeed.” Erebus replied. “Horus is a coward, but he is not an idiotic coward.”

“Sociopathy presents a higher intelligence than most, after all.” Cassiopeia said.

“How he can dismiss you as a stupid, vain sorceress is beyond me.” The living shadow replied, shaking his head. “You're one of the most intelligent ponies I have ever met.” She blushed heavily.

Soon, they reached a massive underground cavern, the only way across the chasm in tbe center being a narrow ledge near the three of them. Before any of them could move, however, the buzzing of wings could be heard, and three creatures resembling giant wasps emerged from the chasm, their stingers large enough to skewer a pony. Erebus remained calm.

“We are here to speak with your Queen.” He said. “Can you take us to her?”

The wasps flew behind him, Kratos and Cassiopeia, grabbing the three of them with their long legs, before taking to the air and beginning to fly over the chasm. Cassiopeia crossed her arms, silently discontent with the entire situation. Once the wasps let them go, Erebus hung back a bit as Kratos and Cassiopeia walked ahead. He couldn't help but admire his lover as she moved, and took a brief moment to look her over. She wore a silky, almost see-through robe that accentuated her already massive bosom. He began walking to catch up with them, very glad that being a living shadow meant he wouldn't be seen blushing.

It wasn't long before they entered the Infestatio hive, and it became frighteningly clear just how massive the number of creatures Queen Pinsar had under her control was. The buzzing and fluttering of wings was almost deafening. Erebus felt unnerved for the first time in a long while. Cassiopeia felt fearful. Horus would have, in his misogynistic views, chalked it up to a “feminine” fear of bugs. There was more to it than that, though. It felt like the entire hive was one, massive organism. Which, to an extent, it was. Even the walls felt alive, Erebus noted. They seemed to inhale and exhale as the three of them walked through the massive caves that made up the hive, massive insects scurrying in and out of holes in the rock.

“I don't like this place.” He said softly.

“Neither do I.” Cassiopeia replied.

They soon reached the center of the network of caves, standing on a slab of rock overlooking a rather large and deep circular cavern. Erebus estimated it to be two or three hundred feet deep, and just as wide. After a few moments of silence, Queen Pinsar emerged from the darkness. Erebus was taken aback by her sheer size. The Queen of the Infestatio, who resembled a nightmarishly massive wasp, having wings, six legs, sharp jaws, and a stinger, was easily two hundred feet long from head to stinger tip, and one hundred feet tall from her leg bottoms to the top of her body. She climbed up the cave wall opposite them, each ascending step making the stone walls quake.

“Why have you come here?” her voice whispered in their minds. “What do you seek?”

“We seek to ally ourselves with you. Or, rather, Horus does.”Cassiopeia replied.

“Horus?” Pinsar replied, her tone scornful. “That arrogant sorcerer sent you? Pathetic. He did not dare face me himself, so he sends his pets to do it instead.”

“We are not his pets, Your Majesty.” Erebus said. “In fact, we seek to kill him.”

“Ah. The three pawns seek to topple their king. A most interesting development. What brought about this particular change of heart?” Pinsar responded, turning her gaze towards them.

“Years and years of abuse.” Kratos answered simply.

“He dismisses you as a mindless brute, but I can see your mind, Kratos. You are much more intelligent than he realizes. All of you are...which is why your betrayal will catch him off guard if it is planned well.”

“Which is part of why we came here.” Erebus said. “We wish to form an alliance with you.”

“Hmmm…” Pinsar considered it, buzzing her wings. “Very well. I wish to see Horus dead, as well, so our goals align. Return to Horus and tell him I will be joining his cause...until, of course, your coup begins, and I betray him along with the three of you. Now, go.”

She disappeared into the darkness again, and the three minions of Horus returned to Tenebris to inform him of his new ‘alliance’ with Queen Pinsar.

Titania, meanwhile, was walking with Lightning once again. They were approaching the home of his mother, but there was still a fair distance to cover. Titania was unconcerned by this, content to walk at a leisurely pace. Lightning was exhausted, but kept walking at a brisk pace. He had enjoyed spending time with his half-sister and promised her he’d visit Prospero and Puck after his mother.

Soon, the two of them came across a moderately large manor, the walls and roof crafted from white marble, while the windows were clear, shining glass.

“That is where your mother lives, Lightning.” Titania informed him. “She is among the nobility of the Fae.”

“Wow…” Lightning said, in awe of the manor. She gave him a gentle nudge.

“Go on. Knock. Talk to your mother. I'll wait out here.”

Lightning knocked on the door slowly and softly. After a few moments, the door creaked open, a Changeling servant peering out.

“Yes? What is it you need?” He asked.

“Does the lady of the house know a ‘Lightning Dawn’? For I am he.”

A pause. “One moment.” The Changeling said, before shutting the door. A minute later, he returned.

“My Lady will see you.” He said, gesturing for Lightning to enter. He did so, slowly looking around. He stood in a foyer, facing a flight of stairs flanked by a lavish living room with a roaring fire on one side, and a large dining hall on the other. After a moment, his mother emerged at the top of the stairs, looking down at him.

“Hello, Lightning.” She said, her voice a low, pleasant purr. “Titania has brought you to me at last.”

“...Mother?” he whispered, tears in his eyes. “Is that really you?”

“I am here, my child.” She said. Her hair was dark brown, much like his, the locks reaching her mid back, her eyes were bright blue, and her skin was very pale. She wore a light green dress with a long skirt, the sleeves almost transparent. His mother descended the stairs, before approaching Lightning and placing her hand on his shoulder. Lightning, tears now streaming down his face, embraced her tightly. She held him close until the flow of tears stopped.

“Come.” She said, leading him to the living room, sitting Lightning down in a chair next to the fire. She sat in a chair across from him, beginning to idly move the burning sticks with a poker.

“I’m...I’m just happy to see you after 13 years.”

“The tears told me as much.” his mother replied. “I knew you would come, sooner or later.”

“Father misses you.” Lightning whispered.

“I am sure that is true.” She replied, her tone unchanging. “However, I cannot say I return the sentiment.”

“Oh, right. Fae and all.”

“I did enjoy our time together while it lasted.” She said. “But, like all things I have enjoyed, I grew bored, and I departed. I did, however, do him one final service: I sent Titania to protect you.”

“I figured as much.” Lightning said. “And I couldn’t be happier. But why the Princess of Fae, of all people?”

“She is a mighty spellcaster and a fearsome combatant. Titania saved your life several times before you turned ten. She did it in such a way you never knew you were in danger.”

“Really?” Lightning asked, intrigued. His mother nodded.

“While Horus was still imprisoned then, his dark power still influenced the minds of Solarans. Many adopted his mad philosophy, and several of those souls attempted to assassinate you while you were a child. Titania killed them all.”

“...Thank the stars.”

“Indeed.” She said. “Titania did her job well, and you gained a friend in the process.”

“And a lover as well.” Lightning said.

His mother nodded. “Many mortals have written poems about how good at making love the Fae are.”

“But they never have lovers for long. As you very well know.”

“I do.” She said. “We Faeries are easily bored, and are not often satisfied with the same object of affection for long. Which is why your bond with Titania is rather remarkable.”

“I love her, but I’m not exactly sure where I stand on that. I want to remain her friend and mutual lover for now, until I can get myself sorted.” Lightning replied. “Though I can tell she loves me.”

“I doubt that.” His mother said. “At least, I doubt that she loves you in the same way you love her. To Titania, you are a curiosity, someone that has earned her affection, and kept it for a long while. However, that does not mean she loves you in the romantic sense as mortals describe it. I would be very careful with assuming you know for certain how she feels, Lightning. Even the most civil Fae are prone to violence if their pride is wounded, or if they grow bored and become irritated with the one they ‘love.’”

“...I see it in her eyes, Mother. She truly feels something for me.”

“I have known her for a very long time. She also ‘felt something’ for a Changeling once. She thought herself in love with him, and he seemed to love her, too. Their little tryst went on for a while, until, inevitably, boredom set in. She grew tired of, and annoyed by, the Changeling’s pandering words and touches. Titania ended up snapping his neck. The only emotional response she had to what she did was surprise at the sounds he made as he died. After that, Titania returned to her immortal life of flowers, flutes and magic, and her lover was forgotten. I very much doubt she even remembers his name, now.” his mother said. “Lightning, I am not attempting to destroy the feelings you have for her, and I am not saying that she does not feel for you. I am merely advising you to be cautious.”

Lightning nodded, deciding to return to that inquiry later. “What have you been doing since you’ve returned to Nevernever?”

“I have various things I do to amuse myself.” She replied. “Playing instruments, picking flowers from the nearby fields, reading books from my vast collection of tomes, venturing out into the mortal world to kidnap children, painting, and singing.”

Lightning’s eyes widened a bit at the mention of kidnapping children, but given he had grown up with Titania since he was a young colt, he was somewhat used to it. “...Why didn’t you take me with you?”

“Would you have wanted to spend your childhood here?” his mother asked. “From what you have seen of Nevernever, would you truly have wished for me to have taken you with me when I came home?”

“Given the erm, rather odd habits Fae sometimes have...no. And besides, I would have missed Father dearly. But at the same time, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave your side, Mother.”

“Leaving was not a choice I made lightly.” She responded, continuing to prod the logs in the fireplace. “However, I either had the choice of leaving you with your father, or taking you home with me. The former was wiser.”

“I understand. Horus would have released himself from his prison sooner or later, and he might have come after the both of us had you chosen the latter.”

“That is not what I meant. At least, not entirely. Horus, above all else, is a coward. If he does not think he can win, he will not get involved in battle, or will flee if the tide turns against him. He fears the King and Queen, and would not dare invade their domain himself unless he had some sort of advantage. No, I am referring to the realm itself being unsafe for you.”

“Oh.” Lightning said, mentally facepalming for his own stupidity.

“Now, you are grown.” his mother said, looking at him and really noticing it for the first time. “You look nothing like the scrawny child I left behind thirteen years ago.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Lightning said, before realizing she called him ‘scrawny’. “...Hey!”

She chuckled. “Come now. You know it is true. You were scrawny.”

“I was not!”

“Whatever you say, yungkine.” his mother responded.

Lightning immediately burst out laughing. She raised a brow, not knowing the reason he was so amused: Titania sounded the exact same way when she gave up on arguing with him when Lightning was being stubborn. “Apologies. What you just said reminded me of Titania.”

“I am sure there are many things that remind you of her.” She responded. “If there is one thing I know about love, it is that when someone loves another, they will be reminded of the object of their affections by many sights, sounds, smells and even tastes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She replied, nodding. “I am certain you have noticed many things that bring Titania to mind as of late since these feelings emerged.”

Lightning scratched his chin in thought. “...Now that you mention it…”

“Go on…” his mother said, her tone encouraging. Lightning kept thinking more and more.

“Music, for one. Nature too.”

“She loves her flute.” his mother said. “Music is one of Titania’s favorite things, as I am sure you know well.”

“Yes, I do. Though my taste is more in the popular music of Solaris.”

“I am sure you will admit, however, that her music is more unique and alien to the ears than any song created by a Solaran.” his mother responded. “In any case, I do not blame you for developing feelings for her. She is quite beautiful, even by Fae standards.”

“Yeah.” Lightning agreed.

While the two of them were having a peaceful conversation, Andromeda was fighting for her life. The insect creatures were emerging in force, and she was barely holding them off. Her students still hid behind her, forced to listen to the sounds of combat.

Andromeda activated her earpiece again. “Where the Hell are all of you? Are you dealing with the same sh*t show I am at the moment?”

“Yep.” Walter reported. “Nitro and Trini are frying these bug-eyed bastards.”

“What the f*ck are these things?” Andromeda asked. “These creatures remind me of the stories I’ve read about the Infestatio.”

“...Holy sh*t, Andie. I think you might be right.” Walter replied, his tone urgent, as if the idea had suddenly clicked in his head. “I need you to contact Professor Leap, ASAP. He might be able to confirm your suspicions.”

Andromeda normally would have reprimanded Walter harshly for telling her what she ‘needed’ to do, but she let it slide.

“Professor Leap?” She spoke into her earpiece, hoping he was using his. “Come on, damn it. Are you listening?”

“Yes, Andromeda?” From the sound of his voice, he was slightly drunk. “What do you need?”

“Oh, you've been drinking. That's just dandy. Anyway, we've got insect creatures coming out of holes in the ground here. I think they may be Infestatio.”

Immediately, Leap’s tone became dry and humorless. “Infestatio, you say?”

“Yep.” She said, slashing at one of the creatures as it tried to enter the room, causing it to withdraw. “They're quite vicious.”

“I’ll ask Nitro and Trini to bring me one of their corpses so that I can dissect it.”

“You do that.” She responded. “I'm going to keep killing them. Andromeda out.”

With that, she took her transformation device, which she had brought with her that day just in case, and spoke the words to activate it. In an instant, she was in her Starfleet uniform, and she felt the familiar weight of her blades, sheathed on her thighs. Andromeda drew them, before leaping out the window, landing on one of the creatures and stabbing her blade into its spine. The Infestatio worker drone screeched as green blood spewed from its innards, and it fell, dead. She leapt to the next one as the creature fell, repeating the process of stabbing it in the spine, before beginning to use her embedded blade to guide the creature around, slashing others apart with her second blade. From the window she had leapt out of, her students watched. One of them, a colt, whistled.

“Wow, I never thought she could be so hardcore.” He said.

Stardancer nodded, as her sister offered her some popcorn. “...Where did you get that?” she asked, raising a brow quizzically. Moonbeam shrugged. Story, however, took the popcorn happily. Andromeda turned back to them, waving casually.

“SAVE SOME OF THAT FOR ME, YOU LITTLE sh*tS!” She shouted, before yanking her blade free and leaping to another one of the drones. This one, she disemboweled, blood and guts spilling out. She held on as the creature fell, standing up on its corpse once it reached the ground.

“Come on, you ugly bastards.” Andromeda said softly to the approaching drones. “Come and get me…”

With that, battle began again, and Andromeda continued killing.

Meanwhile, Lightning’s mother continued to talk with him. “I assume your father has never told you how he and I met?”

“No, I don’t think he did. At least, not beyond vague details.” Lightning replied, deciding to poke the logs in the fire this time. “How did you two meet?”

“We met in a forest. Your father was strolling through a wooded glade, his mind clearly elsewhere, when he first saw me. He told me later on that he was instantly enraptured. This was mostly due to the fact that I was wearing nothing but a crown of flowers on my head when he first gazed upon me.”

“...I do not wish to picture you naked, thank you very much.” Lightning said dryly. “Anyway, what happened then?”

“He attempted to have his way with me. I danced away from him, and ran into the forest. Your father spent the next week after that in pursuit of me, while I danced just out of reach. Eventually, I let him catch up, and we made love in a flower field. That, my son, is when you were conceived.”

“...I was conceived in a flower field?”

“Yes, yungkine. It was very romantic, your father said afterwards.”

“I’m sure it was.” Lightning said. “And then I was born sometime later, as is the course of nature.”

“Indeed.” She replied dryly. “Your father and I disagreed a fair amount on naming you. I wanted to give you a Fae name. Your father did not.”

“What did you want to name me?” Lightning asked, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity. “I very much like my normal name, but you wishing to name me something else makes me wonder.”

“I considered a few names, such as Alfrigg, Aelfdane, Dain and Brokk.”

“...Why did my father suggest Lightning Dawn? It’s an admittedly badass name, but I never understood its’ significance.”

“He never told me.”

“Me neither.” Lightning shrugged.

“He always did like my name.” his mother responded. “Shaylee.”

“That is a beautiful name.” Lightning replied, hugging his mother again. She embraced him tentatively. It was affectionate, but also very distant, as one would expect from a Faerie. Lightning slowly pulled away.

“It is wonderful to see you again, mother dear.”

“The feeling is mutual, yungkine.” She replied, smiling a bit.

“I will always remember thee as family, even when we are far away.”

“Has Titania taught you how to speak our tongue?” Shaylee inquired. “I am curious.”

“No, but I would like to. I know ‘yungkine’, at the very least.”

“I am sure Titania would be more than willing to teach you.” She replied. “I cannot truly say whether she loves you, but she does care a great deal about you. I'm sure there is little she would be unwilling to do if you asked.”

Lightning nodded, holding up a finger, the ‘hold that thought’ sign among mortals. His mother raised a brow, but complied. He stepped outside, walking over to Titania. “Titania, I would like to ask a favor of you, a rather small one.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” She asked.

“I would like to learn the Fae tongue.”

“I am more than willing to teach you, Lightning. It is not an easy tongue for mortals to learn, but if you wish to do so, I will help you.”

“In exchange, I will give payment.” Lightning said. “As is customary.”

“Indeed.” Titania replied, smirking a bit. “I am sure you will enjoy this payment just as much as myself.”

“Oh, I will.” Lightning said, immediately catching on with a smirk.

Horus, meanwhile, was observing this.

“Disgusting.” he growled, a small snort escaping him. “They are letting love dominate their thoughts.”

“What do you suppose we do, my lord?” Kratos growled. Erebus noted, as he stood in his usual spot by the throne, that Kratos played the part of the mindless brute well.

“We? We will not do anything. I will deal with this.” Horus responded, standing up. “I am going to teach my dear brother about the futility of emotions such as love…”

With that, he disappeared in a flash of smoke and fire. Erebus exhaled, turning to Cassiopeia.

“You can put away the makeup and mirror now, my love.” he said.

“Thank the gods.” she sighed. “I do like keeping my appearance neat and tidy, but only when I want to.”

“We are not going to kill him yet, but, well...our dear Lord is quite fond of wine, and I may or may not have taken the opportunity to spike every bottle with laxatives. Horus will be sh*tting himself for quite a while.” Erebus said, amusem*nt in his tone. Kratos snorted, as sophom*oric humor always amused him. Cassiopeia, though not sharing this juvenile sentiment, thought it was a rather well-executed, if overused, practical joke.

“I can see you rolling your eyes, Cass.” Erebus told her. “This isn't the harmless joke you're thinking it is. This laxative is quite unpleasant. Even when he has nothing left to sh*t, his bowels will still force him to try. This will be quite painful for dear Horus. It will also be quite deadly for the servants who bottle the wine, but sacrifices have to be made.”

Cass nodded, conceding her point. “I suppose you’re right. After all, what’s the point in being ‘evil’ if you cannot have a bit of fun?”

“Exactly.” Erebus agreed. “Now, to be honest, I did not think Queen Pinsar would accept our proposal. I feared she would simply kill us and send our corpses back to Horus. I suppose I underestimated how cunning she can be.”

“Indeed you did.” Kratos snarked.

“Oh, do not attempt to say you were not afraid, Kratos.” Erebus replied dryly. “I could see you quivering when we were walking through that hive.”

“I was afraid.” Kratos pointed out.

“A rational fear, considering we were surrounded by thousands of massive insects that are quite capable of disemboweling a pony with minimal effort.” Erebus responded, before turning to the orb of glass Horus had used to observe Lightning and Titania.

“Now, let us watch this little confrontation, shall we?” He asked. With that, the three of them gathered around the orb, watching as events unfolded.

Titania, meanwhile, was interrupted as she was speaking by a soft noise. She paused, looking around. She looked over Lightning’s shoulder, and her eyes widened. Before she could move, a beam of energy shot out from behind Lightning, hitting Titania and freezing her solid. A moment later, cold laughter echoed. Horus had arrived. Lightning turned to face him, his eyes narrowing and teeth grinding. “...Horus…” he muttered. “What are you doing here?!”

“What? I cannot visit family?” The sorcerer asked, cackling.

“Do not act facetious, Horus. You and I are not family, as far as Father and I are concerned. I will ask again - why are you here? It is an incredibly stupid move on your part, considering how Oberon and Mab feel about you.”

“Ah, but it is not as stupid as you think, brother. You see, I sent the two of them a gift. One of my Golems will keep the King and Queen busy while you and I chat.” Horus replied.

“...We aren’t going to ‘chat’, Horus.” Lightning said, his horn starting to glow. “You and I? We are going to duel.”

“Oh, good!” Horus said gleefully. “A duel. I never was very good at those, you know.”

This was punctuated by Horus-the real Horus-striking Lightning from behind, knocking the Alicorn head over heels into a nearby tree. The Horus he had been speaking to was a decoy.

“Perhaps it is because I don't believe in fighting fair.” the sorcerer said, shrugging. Lightning groaned, getting up and charging at his brother, fist outstretched and wings beating heavily. Horus stood still, smiling crazily, before catching Lightning’s fist when he got close. This was followed by Horus headbutting Lightning. His head met the bridge of his brother’s nose, and the crack that followed was quite loud and painful sounding. Wincing, Lightning gripped his bleeding snout, in immense pain from the force of the headbutt. Horus then slammed his fist into his brother’s chest. The blow, made even more powerful by a bit of magic, sent Lightning flying backwards. Landing in a sprawling heap in the dirt, Lightning silently began crying, tears flowing down his cheeks.

Horus cackled again, slowly approaching Lightning. Before he could do anything more, he heard something. It was a soft, quiet sound, but it made him pause, all the same: The cracking of ice. Titania was beginning to break free from being frozen, and, after another minute, the ice shattered, shards flying everywhere. The Faerie Princess glared at Horus, eyes burning.

“Ah, you’re awake.” he said, psychotic glee in his voice. “And just in time, too. I’m about to finish Loverboy Dawn here. So sit back, watch, and kiss him goodbye, Princess Titania.”

Titania didn't say a word...but the sky spoke for her. Storm clouds rolled in, as an icy rain began to fall, and lightning flashed across the sky. The weather, it seemed, was reflecting her mood, and that mood was rage. Titania flicked her wrist, and a long, sharp blade appeared in her hand. She raised her arm to the sky, and lightning flashed, striking the tip of her sword. Electricity coursed through Titania, the power of the storm crackling at her fingertips. She continued to watch Horus, the scent of ozone permeating the air around her.

“Even the storm answers to me here, bastard son.” She said, her tone as cold and dangerously serene as the sky above. “I am Titania, the Witch Queen, and if you wish to have a dance of magic, then I will be happy to oblige.”

“Then let us dance.” Horus replied, casting his most powerful spells. Titania dodged each one with contemptuous ease, before striking at Horus, sending a powerful blast of electricity his way. This attack struck the sorcerer in the chest, bringing him to his knees. Titania struck again, this time rushing at Horus. Horus struggled to get up, but by then it was too late; Titania was already pounding him into the ground, shouting curses in the Fae tongue. Each curse was punctuated by a stab to the throat, chest or stomach. Getting stabbed was bad enough, but each strike also electrocuted Horus, causing him to twitch uncontrollably. By the time Titania was finished with Horus, he was a bleeding, cut-up, and constantly spasming mess. The Faerie spat on him.

“Killing you now would be mercy, bastard.” She hissed. “I will, however, leave you with a mark to remember me by.”

With that, she caught his flailing right arm, and severed his hand. Horus let out an ear-piercing shriek, causing Lightning to groan again after several minutes of saying nothing. Titania tossed the severed appendage aside, walking away from the sorcerer, who was now weeping. She hurried over to Lightning, kneeling at his side.

“Oh, yungkine, what did he do to you?” She whispered softly, stroking Lightning’s head. “Hold still, Lightning Dawn. I will repair the damage that bastard sorcerer has caused.”

Titania then began to softly sing, her hands glowing. She placed them gently on each wound, the healing magic working quickly and painlessly. Before long, she finished, and Lightning was in much better shape. He got up slowly, and immediately held her close to him. “Thank you.” he whispered.

“It is no trouble.” She said, turning around. Unsurprisingly, Horus was gone, having fled back to his fortress.

Erebus, meanwhile, stood in his usual position as Horus staggered in. The living shadow suppressed a smirk at the sight of the bloodied, battered sorcerer. “If you need me,” he said. “I will be in my quarters, taking my medicine.”

Erebus, who knew well that this ‘medicine’ was a bottle of wine, nodded. Not long after, loud, vulgar curses were heard, coming from Horus’ quarters, or, more accurately, his bathroom.

Cassiopeia snorted, which then turned into squealing laughter. Kratos soon joined her, his laughs deep and hearty. Erebus opened a bottle of his own, pouring wine into three glasses.

“This one is from my private stash.” he said. “It is clean, I promise.” Cassiopeia stifled her laughter, raising a glass.

“I propose a toast to our great master.” she said, her sarcasm evident. “May his plans be ever fruitful and successful.”

“Hear, hear.” Erebus said dryly, raising his glass as well. “And may our plans be ever the same.”

Kratos then added, “But ours will actually be successful.”

“I am aware.” The shadow pony replied. “After all, Horus was right on one count: I am a schemer, and my schemes are deadly.” Cassiopeia kissed his cheek, then downed her wine in one gulp. She then promptly gave a loud belch.

“What? You can’t expect me to be a vain, proper lady all the time.”

This made Erebus crack up, and he began howling with laughter, his pent-up amusem*nt spilling out. Kratos continued laughing until he could no longer stand. Erebus walked over to Cassiopeia, pulling her close.

“He is quite something, isn't he?” The shadow pony asked dryly. She nodded, smiling softly.

“I love you, you cold, unfeeling shadow.”

“And I love you, you vain, egotistical harlot.” Erebus responded affectionately, continuing to watch Kratos laugh.

Andromeda, meanwhile, knelt in the dirt, using one of her blades to stop herself from falling over and passing out. She was exhausted, battered, and bleeding, but alive. The Infestatio drones had fled.

“f*ck…” She muttered, spitting out a glob of saliva and blood and sitting down. “That sucked…”

After taking a few moments to catch her breath, she rose to her feet, staggered a bit, and walked inside the school, heading to the room her students were in. She entered, walked over to her desk, and sat in the chair, exhaling shakily.

“Are you alright?” Story asked hesitantly.

“Yes.” Andromeda replied, taking a flask out of one of the pockets in her uniform, removing the cap and taking a large sip. “I've been through worse.”

Story could only nod as Moonbeam and Stardancer watched her chug what appeared to be alcohol. Andromeda grinned humorlessly.

“This is exactly what you think it is, girls. Best whiskey on Solaris. Good stuff.” She said, taking another sip. “Believe me, once you've seen what I have, alcohol will be your best friend, kids.”

“Joooy.” muttered Moonbeam.

“Hey, last I checked, I just saved your scrawny asses.” Andromeda replied. “I think you'll live if I have a drink.”

“That’s true.” Stardancer replied.

“Glad we can agree.” Andromeda responded, putting the flask away. “I'm guessing the fact that I'm a Starfleet officer took you all by surprise?” They nodded silently.

After a few moments of silence, she turned on her earpiece. “Anyone listening?” She asked. “Those damned bugs ran. Any of you seeing them right now?”

“Nope.” Bridge said.

“Negatory.” Nitro said.

“Nullum.” Trini replied.

“Nada.” Rosebud confirmed.

“Good.” Andromeda said, leaning back in her chair. “I think I surprised my students when I revealed that I'm part of Starfleet. I suppose my little teacher facade worked better than expected.”

“It sure did.” Moonbeam snarked. “OW!”

“...Shut the f*ck up, Moon.” Story muttered.

“Hey, kid, watch your f*cking mouth.” Andromeda said dryly. “I don't allow profanity in this classroom.”

“...You just contradicted yourself, Andie.” Story replied. “A bit hypocritical, hmmm?”

“Indeed, it is.” Andromeda responded. “What was your first clue?”

“...Touche.”

Andromeda chuckled, speaking to her team again, “Ah, I like these kids. They'll make fine Starfleet officers one day, if they go that route.”

“Lucky.” Rosebud commented.

“Indeed. Unlike the two of us, they actually get to choose what they want to do.”

“We chose to be Starfleet officers, Andie.”

“Yes, but what other options did we have? It was either that, or stay in Redwood Meadows forever. Starfleet let us get out of that sh*thole.”

“I see your point.” Rosebud replied.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” said Trini. “But I think we should ask Grand Ruler Lux about this ‘Infestatio’ business.”

“You're right.” Andromeda said, sighing and rubbing her eyes. “He'll probably have a better idea of what we're dealing with.”

“I’ll open comms with him as soon as I can. Rosebud, out.”

Titania, meanwhile, was sitting with Miranda, the latter braiding her hair. Miranda had arrived not long after Horus had left. She hadn't specified why she had come, but Titania didn't mind that she was there. Miranda hummed to herself as she braided Titania’s hair.

“I would braid your hair, little brother, but I do not think you would enjoy it.” She said to Lightning.

“Yesh, I wouldn’t. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“Think nothing of it.” She replied. “Now, I have considered a certain matter, and I think I will go with the two of you when you depart Nevernever, if that is tolerable.”

This took Lightning by surprise. “...You mean...you want to see the mortal world for yourself?”

“Yes.” Miranda replied.

“But...isn’t it better here? You get to while your days away for eternity.” Lightning pointed out.

“I will admit, I am motivated by curiosity. I wish to see what it is like for you mortals. I wish to see what life is like for those who are actually bound by things such as the fear of death.”

“That isn’t unreasonable, I think.” Lightning said. “Besides, I would like to know my half-sister better anyway.”

“I am glad you are not opposed to the idea of me coming along.” Miranda responded, finishing her work on Titania’s hair. She had woven flowers into the locks of red, turning Titania’s head into a kaleidoscope of reds, blues and yellows.

“You look beautiful.” Lightning observed. “Well, moreso than you already are.”

“Thank you.” Titania said, standing up. “Lightning, if there is anything more you wish to say to your mother, now is the time. We depart soon.”

“Mother, I am sorry I must leave like this. I wish I could stay.”

Shaylee had stepped outside of her home after hearing the combat going on outside. Now, she stood by the three of them, and nodded once upon hearing Lightning speak, before handing him a small object, wrapped in cloth.

“That, my son, is a scrying mirror. I have a matching one. Whisper my name into it, and you will be able to speak to me.” She informed him.

“Thank you, Mother. I’ll treasure it as if it were my own child.”

“Good. Go on, now.” She said, waving to him as he departed with Titania and Miranda, heading back to Solaris.

Andromeda and the rest of her team, along with Professor Quantum Leap, meanwhile, sat with Grand Ruler Lux, who had met them all in their base. Andromeda had told him everything that she had experienced that day. Lux listened silently, his hand on his chin.

“What are we going to do, sir?” Quantum asked.

“For now, you must do all you can to suppress the Infestatio wherever they emerge. Kill them, fill in the craters, and burn any nests they build. I, meanwhile, will be doing my best to keep the barrier that contains Queen Pinsar from failing.”

“What did I miss?” Lightning asked as he entered the base, then noticed the serious looks on everypony’s face. “...This is serious, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.” his father, replied, before noticing that Titania wasn't the only who had followed Lightning in. “Who's this?”

“Father, this is my half-sister, Miranda.” Bridge promptly dropped his tea, shattering the cup.

“...You have a sister?” Rosebud asked.

“...Welcome to my world.” Nitro muttered, Trini slapping him.

“Hey, I think it’s exciting.”

Lux raised a brow, “So, your mother had another child?”

“No.” Miranda replied. “She did not. Hello, father.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Rosebud said. “You had another kid, your majesty? With whom?”

“...Queen Mab.” Lightning answered.

“I...I don't remember this event…” his father said softly. “What is your name, child?”

“Miranda.” She replied. “I am also not the only child that was born of your union with Mother. I have two siblings: Puck and Prospero.”

“...I almost misheard that as Fu-” Nitro said before Trini smacked him again. “OW!”

Miranda added, “You do not recall this, Father, because Mother placed a shroud over that portion of your memory. She wished for you to forget until the time was right.”

Lux could only nod, stunned into silence.

“So, ummm…” Rosebud began. “What brings you to Solaris, Miranda?”

“Curiosity.” Miranda responded simply.

“Just like Titania!” Trini replied.

“Yes.” Miranda replied. “I suppose that is correct. I wish to see for myself what the lives of you mortals are like.”

“As much as I would like to discuss our new friend here, we have more important matters to attend to.” Quantum said. Nitro and Trini caught Lightning up to speed, his expression becoming more and more afraid. This was a stark contrast to Miranda and Titania, both of whom appeared unfazed by this news. If anything, the former seemed to be unsettlingly indifferent.

Lightning turned to his father, his voice a hoarse whisper:

“...What are we going to do? It’s bad enough we have Horus to deal with. Add to the fact that I’m only starting my training, and you have a recipe for disaster.”

“For now, we must keep the Infestatio contained wherever they emerge. I will do my best to keep Queen Pinsar contained.” Lux said.

“I apologize, but I fail to see why you are all so worried.” Miranda stated calmly. “You mortals do not live long as it is. Why does it matter if some of you are killed now?”

“...You realize how incredibly callous that sounds, right?” Bridge muttered.

“...Alien moralities, remember?” Walter reminded him.

“Oh, yeah…”

“You have seen Changelings, I presume?” Miranda asked. “The things we do to break them, mind, body, and soul, would likely drive you mad if you caught a glimpse.”

“I bet.” Bridge replied, shuddering.

“I dissected one, once.” She responded. “I wished to see what makes their bodies tick, so I chained one of my servants to a table, acquired a knife, and began to cut. The bones were a bit difficult to break apart, especially the ribs and skull, but I managed, and my, did I learn a lot during that endeavor.”

“Like what?” Rosebud asked, about to vomit.

“The heart still beats when exposed to the outside world, for example.” Miranda replied. Nitro listened with disturbed fascination. Andromeda, who had seen her fair share of horrors, felt nothing but a faint sense of disgust, her expression flat. Walter shut her out, concentrating on sketching an outline for a painting. Titania hummed to herself, the three birds she had adopted flying into the room and landing on her head. Lightning sat by her, unconsciously holding her hand. Titania continued to hum, leaning against him.

Erebus, meanwhile, was laying in a bed, Cassiopeia next to him. Being turned into a shadow had robbed him of many things. The ability to please his lover, he noted with a bit of smugness, was not one of them. Cassiopeia snuggled into him, panting softly.

“Satisfied?” he asked, smirking.

“Oh, that is an understatement.”

“I am glad.” Erebus replied, kissing her head.

“I love you.” she whispered.

“I love you, too.” he replied, holding her close to him. “To Hell with Horus and his philosophies. I love you, and I am not afraid to say it.”

“Neither am I.” Cass replied. “Horus is a sociopath, plain and simple.”

They could still faintly hear Horus screaming from his privy. The laxative was working well, it seemed.

“IT’S NOT FUNNY!” he screamed. “MY ASS IS ON FIRE!”

The servants who bottled his wine were quivering. They knew well that once Horus emerged, he would have death on his mind, and they would be his first targets. Erebus, laying in bed with Cassiopeia, knew this, but couldn't quite bring himself to care. Neither could she or Kratos. They were, after all, just tools according to Horus. What did they have to lose?

Next time on Starfleet: MiB…

The plotting continues, as Erebus, Cassiopeia and Kratos continue to bide their time as their murderous conspiracy deepens. Miranda’s presence will prove to be more troublesome than expected, as her alien, often sociopathic morality plants the seeds of resentment in the minds of some of the other members of the team. And of course, there is Queen Pinsar, who is gradually growing in power and chipping away at the barrier keeping her imprisoned. Soon enough, she will send a powerful agent, a creature that will prove to be more formidable than anything Andromeda, Lightning and the other members of the team have faced so far...

Apologies for the long wait, I was taking a long break after putting out the first three chapters assembly-line style.

There isn't much to add here, aside from the first nightmare fuel-drenched appearance of Queen Pinsar, who is not only a composite of King Pinsar and Queen Ladybird from Starfleet Magic V, but has received a complete overhaul in appearance: she is now a behemoth of an insect, communicating telepathically with those who come in direct contact with her. Pinsar will provide more variety in terms of MOTWs, since the Infestatio are much more insectoid (being controlled by a hive mind) than the Insectos were. We also add two new supporting characters in the form of Miranda, Lightning's half-sister by way of Queen Mab and Shaylee, Lightning's birth mother.

A bit of Lux's backstory is revealed here: he was born a unicorn in Dream Valley,
AKA the setting on G1 MLP.

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As always, constructive feedback is welcome.