• Published 16th Apr 2013
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STAR TREK: EQUESTRIA - Alicorne



In the Prism Universe of the 23rd Century the New Ponies take on the Final Frontier...

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Chapter Four- Everypony gets a chance


CHAPTER FOUR

EVERYPONY GETS A CHANCE

I woke up the next morning to discover that Sunny had abandoned her pillow in favor of something warmer and snugglier, her head lay on my left breast and she had a hoof draped across my tummy. She wasn’t doing anything lascivious, just lying there with a contented, quiet smile, snoring softly. I stroked her mane, fingers running lightly through her curls and simply loved her.

Her horn ended up just in front of my muzzle. Remembering just how sharp the thing was I was in no great hurry to do anything that might make her jerk her head around should she wake suddenly! This left me in something of a dilemma, especially since I had to pee just then! It would have been a shame to disturb her. She lay against my left side, as much of it as she could, snugly as a second skin with one of her knees hitched up on my left thigh as if she were going to climb onto me. She clung there so at peace like a little Filly hugging a beloved stuffed toy. Sunny’s bitter use of the word came back to me at that moment but it wasn’t in me to feel anything but affection just then. But if she climbed up any further she wouldn’t be improving my bladder situation…

“Sunny?” I said softly.

She mumbled something and squirmed closer, that horn of hers ducking under my chin and coming to rest alongside my right jaw line. Oh crap!

I went rigid, keeping absolutely still as I felt my pulse beating right next to her built-in bayonet. I cleared my throat and tried again a little more loudly.

“Sunny? Honey? Time to wake up just a little…please?” I jiggled her shoulder just a bit, conscious of that horn’s every movement.

Sunny made an annoyed noise and wriggled herself closer, burying her face in my mammary and actually climbing on board the rest of me. While she didn’t weigh much what weight she had was making life awfully uncomfortable! Even worse, she was one of those Ponies that hate to get up in the morning…

Keeping that wicked point off to the side, I leaned in closer. My free hoof slipped off her shoulder, down her back and poised near her bottom.

“Sunny! Wakey-wakey! C’mon, let’s go!” I gave her a soft, but firm, whack right behind the Cutie-Mark!

I felt her start, finally awake. After only a second she recovered her voice. “Here! I dinna do THAT first date or any! What’s th’ bloody time, anyway?” She looked around blearily.

I scooped her up in my arms and stood to deposit her back on the bed with a hurried kiss. “It’s time for me to pee! But I couldn’t figure out a way to wake you up without getting my throat cut by that spear on your noggin.” I hurried out of the room and had a few anxious moments with her too-tiny, utterly fragile-looking toilet. When I returned she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head hanging and her mane over her face, yawning.

“My turn!” She yawned and shuffled away like a zombie Pony I say in an old movie once. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers back for her.

“Six bloody fifteen in th’ mornin’!” She groused wearily, “Sure an’ if I didna love ye, Ye’d be feelin’ ma bloody hoof on yer bloody back side, that ye would.” She yawned tremendously and gave me a sleepy kiss when she climbed back in. “’N fer th’ sake o’ future reference…” She reached up and plucked something off the end of her horn. A small sheath that slipped over the end of the sharp tip. I hadn’t noticed it in the dim light! “Ah never go t’sleep wi’out ma U.P.D., ye see!” I let her replace the thing before I gathered her up and rolled onto my back with her sprawled atop me.

“And how the hay am I supposed to know what a U.P.D. is?” I asked, running one hand through her mane and letting the other rest on her bottom.

Sunny clearly liked the new sleeping arrangement. She plumped up my right breast like a pillow before snuggling back down, the rest of her seeming to melt right into place. She yawned again. “Sure an’ it stands for Unicorn Protective Device. Invented by a Unicorn named ‘Whit Pony’ or summat. Been around fer ages. Now…” She yawned again, “If ye wake me up as such an unholy hour again I’ll tickle ye silly, see if I don’t. G’night, Dear!” She kissed the closest part of me to her muzzle and I gave her a mock swat on her bottom. Alicorns!

A ‘holier’ hour for Sunny turned out to be 9AM. My internal clock was still running along Tellarite time and the seventeen day trip to Earth was on a Civilian Transport that had not adopted the Stardate system. In light gravity I’m happy with five standard hours of sleep so I was quite rested when I roused Sunny earlier. Still, cuddling a sleepy, beautiful Alicorn to your breast isn’t a bad thing and I occupied myself by dozing, listening to the sounds of the harbor, and, finally, with a book from her collection. I was halfway through ‘Nine Ponies in Amber’ when I was startled to hear a series of chimes from what I assumed was the Public Address System on the yacht. “Bing, bong, bong, BING!” I put the book open and face down back on the shelf when the sounds repeated.

Sunny stirred and looked up blearily, smacking her lips a few times and yawning. She poked the breast she wasn’t sleeping on a few times. “Time t’git up, Starry-ma-Dear! Up an’ at ‘em an’ all that!”

“I’m up here!” I growled good-naturedly, administering another swat to her bottom which only made her giggle.

“Aye that ye are. …But some of th’ more fun bits start down here!” She wriggled up and gave me a good-morning kiss before she bounced off to the shower just ahead of another swat!

I had laid out my clothes for today when she re-emerged wearing just a damp residue of water and toweling off her mane

“Ye know, that was some o’ th’ best sleep I’ve ever had.” She mused, “Just like a water bed but wi’ more support!” She smiled brightly.

“And your better than any blanket I had since I was a foal.” I countered. I had shucked my gown waiting for the shower and I gathered her up and held her close for a somewhat damp kiss, then another…

I was uncomfortably close to flinging my inhibitions out the porthole when my stomach rumbled loud enough to make me blush!

Sunny giggled into my mouth then broke away. “Saved by th’ dinner bell.” She sighed and began rummaging her closet for clothes. “I’m doin’ me best t’ honor yer wishes, Dear, but ‘twould seem I’ve set meself up for a harder task than I reckoned. Ye’ll let me know th’ very instant ye’ve made up your mind, right? Now ye go ‘n shower while I see about gettin breakfast arranged. Scoot now!” She shooed me away and I took my shower, several degrees cooler than I liked!

She was finishing brushing up her mane when I returned, dressed in a pale brown skirt and silken yellow blouse with a lacy collar and half sleeves that showed off the feathering on her wrists. I put on dark slacks and a loose, blue top and let Alice brush my own mane. Breakfast, though I would have thought of it as brunch, was fried haycakes, muffins, apples and pears and cups of black breakfast tea served on elegant white china with genuine silverware that must have cost more than two month’s wages…even for a Commander!

Once she fully awake, Sunny was her bright and chipper self. She kept up a flow of small talk that centered around all the places she wanted me to see and ponies she wanted to introduce me to. It allowed me to pay the food the attention it deserved since all I needed to do was to make encouraging noises whenever she paused for breath. I was put just a little bit off by the presence of the filly in black and white who quietly kept the plates full. I’ve never been waited on before and it took a little getting used to.

I really hated to bring it up, but it would have been cruel not to. I cleared my throat deferentially and Sunny paused. “Um, look, Sunny this sounds like fun and all…” I took a breath and forged on. “But in just a few weeks I have a ship to catch. Should we be making, uh, long range plans?” The thought of having to leave her cast a gloom across my heart, but it was something we’d have to face.

Sunny, I could see, was putting a brave face on things. “All th’ more reason t’ make th’ best o’ what time we have, Dear.” She said softly. She reassumed her bantering tone after a second. “In a month’s time I’ll be aboard th’ Hermes an’ ye’ll be Goddesses know where…oh, dear! Did I say summat wrong?”

I’d dropped my laden fork with a clatter making a mess of the snowy-white tablecloth and eliciting an anguished look from the maid. I swallowed and tried to keep the quaver out of my voice.

“Say what now?” I managed. “What ship?” I was frantically going through the names of ships I knew, trying to remember if Starfleet had another Hermes on its roster.

Sunny knew something was up, her lavender eyes locked onto mine as she answered patiently. “Th’ Hermes, Dear. ‘ Tis in orbit right now …” She pointed straight up. “…Bein’ set up for travel. …Why?”

“Hermes NCC-585? The refitted Scout from the War? That Hermes?” I asked, wanting to be absolutely sure that I’d heard correctly.

“Aye, I s’pose ‘tis th’ one. I never bothered wi’ ship numbers. Why? D’ye know of it?” A slow, wonderful smile was lighting up her lovely face…

I leaned back in my chair and dropped my hooves into my lap. It creaked alarmingly but I was too numb to care! So help me, I couldn’t talk for a few seconds. I turned to look at Sunny and opened my mouth. Nothing came out. I swallowed and tried again, afraid that it somehow wouldn’t be true if I said it. “I’m your Science Officer!” I squeaked.

Sunny was positively radiant! “Sure an’ I’m yer Medical Officer! Oh, Starry!!!”

I never saw her coming! Before I knew it, she was in my lap and hugging me fiercely. It was too much for the chair which signaled it defeat by emitting a loud CRACK! I stood up, cradling the Alicorn that I love in my arms, feeling like I’d taken a direct hit by the Romulans. I shook my head slowly, wondering if this was a dream…

“I…I just don’t believe it!” I repeated again and again.

Sunny lifted her face from my neck and fixed my with her lovely eyes, damp with joyful tears.

“Starry, Love! ‘ Tis Fate, ye cannae argue wi’ Fate. Oh, thank ye, Celestia n’ Luna both!” She hugged me like she’d never let go again. I squeezed her to me, dazed but finally able to move again. I began to make my way back to the bedroom, stepping carefully. If this was a dream I didn’t want to jar myself awake.

Sunny lifted her head and wondered. “Where’re we off to, Lass?” As if she didn’t know!

“I need to lie down.” I said, solemnly. “And I don’t want to do it alone. I’m done trying to buck Fate! If I’m dreaming I want to make the most of it!” We headed down the hall and I had to bend my knees so Sunny could open the door as my hands were pleasantly full.

She let go with a war-whoop as we entered. Some sort of victory cry, I guess. Alicorns!

* * *

We would have been there the rest of the day had the Comm not chimed. As it turned out, we were taking a breather. Well… I was anyway, Sunny could have gone on far into the night! Then again, she knew what she was doing and I was just a newbie. Our clothes were, frankly, scattered all over the room and the covers were bunched up at the foot of the bed. I wasn’t tired as much as I was overwhelmed…yes, that’s the word! Sunny was sprawled on top of me again idly toying with my upper bits thereby keeping me from drifting off to sleep. I reciprocated by reaching under her tail and massaging her lower bits, thinking about how I would try doing that tongue thing she just showed me…

The Comm chimed three times before we noticed it. In all fairness I have to point out that the poor thing was buried under an untidy pile of discarded clothing that muffled it quite a bit, since it was mine and my clothes are, well, bigger!

Sunny frowned direfully at it and a shimmering white field of opalescent telekinesis (Alicorn and Unicorn ‘magic’ is actually a form of psi. …They just don’t want to admit it!) enveloped the clothing and moved it aside unceremoniously onto the floor. She rolled off me and reached for the console and I eeped and grabbed up a couple of pillows to cover myself with. Sunny, thoughtfully, blanked the pickup, though.

“This had better be good, Laddie!”

“Beg pardon, Mum.” Said the voice of Cedar. “But a call has come in from the local Police regarding Ms. Starry-Eye’s …predicament. I have them on hold, Mum.”

“Oh!” Sunny blinked. “Well switch them through then, and thank you, Cedar. Didn’t mean t’ snap, doncha know!” She waved me over to the Comm. Rather than risk the bed, which had been through enough already, I got up and circled around.

“Sure and don’t mention it, Little Lassie!” Cedar’s tone grew softer. “Here tha goes!” His voice was almost instantly replaced by a firmer, no-nonsense sort of voice.

“Is this Ms. Starry-Eyes?”

“Speaking.” I said in my best Officer tones.

“I need to verify your ID, ma’am. Can you enable your visual?”

“Hold one moment, please.” Sunny had already sprung into action, fetching my robe and draping it around my shoulders. She slipped into hers as I secured it, caught my eye and activated the pickup when I nodded.

The face of a dark brown Earth Pony with an incongruous apple-green mane wearing the uniform of a Sergeant of the Rodeodondo Beach Police Department flashed onto the screen. He quickly took in my appearance, his gaze roaming the room reflexively and taking in the, um, disarray without comment. Very professional. Sunny sat down next to me, patting her mane back into shape.

“Sorry to interrupt, Ladies.” He deadpanned. “I’m Sergeant Pounds of the RBPD. Ms. Starry-Eyes, would you state your name and rank please to establish your identity?”

“Certainly, Sergeant.” I waited a moment until he touched an offscreen button. He nodded to me. “ I am Commander Starry-Eyes of Starfleet, S-8-5-4-7-6-9-F-7-9-8-1-9-5. …Is that sufficient?”

Pounds regarded something off to the side for a moment then nodded slightly. “Turn in profile, please.” I did and he flicked his eyes to me, then offscreen again. He nodded more emphatically. “Yep, over ninety-nine percent match. Thank you, Commander.” He cracked a little smile. “Again, sorry to intrude. But we were given this comm-number to contact regarding your lost property.” I gave Sunny a look that just dimpled. Pounds continued, “We have someone here who, ah, found your belongings…” A note of sarcasm found its way into his voice. “…and turned them in this morning. We were wondering if you’d like to come down here and…thank him in person.” ‘Before we can arrest him.’ I finished in my head. Well, the legal niceties must be observed.

“I’ll be down at once. Thank you, Sergeant Pounds.”

“My pleasure, Ma’am. Have a good day.” He switched off and our screen went on stand-by.

“Sunny? Can I bother you for a ride? I think they caught my thief. …Back Home they’d call me in to give the little so-and-so a medium set of lumps and let me toss him out in the alley. What’s the protocol here?”

Sunny busied herself fetching a fresh pair of towels and took them to the bathroom. She’d slipped out of her robe again in preparation for another shower, distracting me from most of my thoughts of righteous revenge.

“Hmmm… Well, if it is yer thief he’ll be arrested for sure. Since we’re going t’ be on ship soon he might not come up for trial in time. I daresay they’ll record a statement from ye t’ use then. Then th’ poor Laddie will be shipped off t’ Prison. Should ye be wantin’ t’ press charges, ye ken.” She made a face like she’d tasted something sour.

“’Poor Laddie!?’ He robbed me! I hope they put him in a Penal Colony!” I fumed.

“Aye, robbin’ anypony tis bad enough. Th’ Courts really frown on messin’ wi’ Starfleet personnel, though. He’ll be a-getting th’ hard way t’ go, t’ be sure. Ye’ll be in yer Rights, sure enough.” Her voice was carefully neutral and she was scrupulously looking anywhere except right at me.

I just gaped at her! “Well I’m not about to congratulate the little slime! He’s gonna get what’s coming to him. I’m the victim here, damnit!” I would have stomped a hoof but I had a feeling I would have done the floor some real damage had I done so.

“As ye say. Well, let’s have a bit o’ a wash an’ get this over with, doncha know.” Sunny sad a little sadly. I was left with the distinct impression that I’d just lost some points with her. I shut my mouth and ground my teeth, refusing to feel guilty.

We both, in the interests of saving time, squeezed into the shower. It was a tight fit, but taking a shower with Sunny was fun (It’s nice having somepony scrub your, uh, back! ) and the both of us were feeling less resentful of the other by the time me got out. But a tension remained and Cedar took up to the Station in silence, each of us looking at the scenery and wrapped in our own thoughts.

Police Stations look pretty much the same on any world, it turned out. Not surprising, I guess. They aren’t intended as works of architectural art. They’re functional, limited-access facilities designed to hold prisoners and the administration that deals with them after all.

All the uniforms made it seem like being on a Ship. The windows were all sealed and could have been high-grade holographs for all I could tell. We saw a different Sergeant when we arrived and were escorted to a waiting room and offered coffee and tea. I sat on a flimsy chair and concentrated on not moving much. There were a couple of generic tablets on the table next to the seats and we amused ourselves scanning through Net entertainment services. I was about to ask Sunny what it was with the prevalence of Alicorn Video Stars when Sergeant Pounds came in . I blinked. Wow, he looked a lot taller on the Comm!

“Thanks for coming down, Ms. Starry-Eyes. Ma’am.” He nodded to Sunny who gave him a strained smile. “If you’d just follow me we can get this wrapped up in a jiffy, ok?” He held the door open for us. There was an embarrassing moment when I began to stand only to discover that my chair had clamped down onto my bottom. Pounds diplomatically looked elsewhere while Sunny tugged it off. I could tell that she was just aching to say something witty but the warning look in my eyes made her think better of it.

The Sergeant led up through corridors and down a short flight of stairs before holding another door open for us. I went in first, ducking my head momentarily to get inside. When I straightened up it was in a large room with a conference table surrounded by minimal chairs made of tube steel and orange plastic. I refused to even consider trying to sit on one. An officer stood to one side of the doorway at parade rest with his stun baton prominently displayed in easy reach. He was jadedly regarding the figure who sat at the table on the far side of us.

My eyes flicked to my shoulder bag sitting on the table then shot up an locked onto the figure sitting behind it. The orange-and-yellow Pony jumped in his seat and sat up straight when I came in. His eyes met mine and widened in alarm. The last time he‘d been this close to me I was thirsting for blood! He looked away quickly. Alice stepped up next to me and laid a hoof softly on my arm, saying nothing.

For my part I just stared. …Crap! He was just a friggin’ Colt, for Luna’s sake! Here in the heart of the Station he looked so small and skinny. I could stuff him in a cupcake cup with one hoof. Hell, just a couple of fingers would be enough! Against my better judgment, some of my rage sublimated away.

Pounds cleared his throat quietly. “This is Mr. Racer, Ms. Starry-Eyes. The ‘gentlepony’ who,” He ‘ahemed’ discretely, “…found your stuff and brought it in out of the goodness of his heart.” He ended, flatly. “He’s been here before.”

“Is that so?” I asked quietly. Then, to the Colt. “Where’d you find it, kid?”

Racer gulped and started. His voice was high and cracking. (Daddy would have observed that his balls hadn’t even dropped yet!) He hurried to get it all out.

“I found it outside one of the fences around the nudi-uh, private beach this morning. I looked around inside it, just to see if I could find an ID you understand! I-I found the Starfleet stuff and figgerd I should see you got it back.” He finally met my gaze. It was shaky, but he held it there by sheer guts.

“I had an Uncle and a Cousin die in the War…” He trailed off and looked down, miserably.

“Uh-huh.” Said Pounds. “So, what do you think, Commander? Is this the Pony took your stuff?”

Ok. The Law was on my side. All I had to do was give the word and this…Colt…would go to Prison, he looked just old enough to be charged as an adult. …And do what? Learn how to be a better criminal at the hooves of real pros?

When I was just a filly I once saw a documentary about how the brain works. The makers had likened its function to a little pony sitting in a control room inside the head. The image stuck with me for the rest of my life. It always pleased me to imagine a little Me in the control room. When I joined Starfleet that control room became a Bridge and the little Me sat in the Captain’s Chair, Just then The little Mare at the Bridge in my head read a display and facehoofed! Oh you are NOT gonna let him go!

But I’m Starfleet. We’re not Police, though our job can call on us to make judgment calls where whole worlds are at stake. The letter of the law is one thing…but Ponies, not statistics in a database but real by-Luna Ponies…are another. Everypony gets one chance. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath. I let it out and shook my head slowly in negation and bemusement of myself.

“Lotsa orange Ponies out there. Lotsa yellow manes, Sergeant. The one that took my stuff was …older.”

The cop at the door quirked an eyebrow but held his peace. Pounds gave me a long, searching look.

“You’re sure about that, Commander?” Yeah, he’d seen it all. I’ve seen a lot, too. I just had a different vantage point.

“Yes. Quite sure, as a matter of fact.” I looked back at him levelly.

He nodded wearily with a ‘hope-you-know-what-you’re doing’ expression on his face. “All right, then. Just take your stuff to the desk and sign a receipt. Kid, you must have a four-leaf clover as a Cutie Mark! You’re free to go. Just remember, this kind of luck is a once in a lifetime sort of thing. You’d better thank this Mare every day for the rest of your life.” He gave Racer a hard look then turned a more speculative one on me but held his silence.

I didn’t have to explain myself. But I felt I should say something.

“We fought the War for Everypony. Not just the ones we like. Every Pony. Hell, If Starfleet can cut the Romulans some slack how can I treat one of our own any differently?”

Pounds chewed that over for a few seconds. “Yeah. Well, all I’m going to say is that…” He looked me up and down, on the verge, I’m sure, about saying something about the way Augments do things. I turned toward him, fully intending to loom over him the way I did. He stood his ground, looking up fearlessly at me. “…Starfleet can afford to cut slack. Me, I’m doing what I can here. Hope you’re right.” He held the door for us and didn’t say a single word again.

Fair enough. I gathered up my bag and slung it over my shoulder, wrinkling the hell out of my new outfit but not caring a damn bit. Racer tagged along behind us at a discrete distance. Sunny gave my arm a squeeze and didn’t let go until we were outside. Only then did I notice that she was positively beaming!

“Uh, hey.” Racer hung back until we started making out way to Cedar and the waiting chariot. It was obvious, when I turned to look at him, that he had something he wanted to say. I regarded him coolly. The colt shuffled nervously. “I just wanted to say…thanks. And …I’m sorry for, uh…”

“Robbing me?” I speared him with my eyes until he writhed. I sighed after a moment. “Look, I can’t forgive you for that but what’s done is done. If you’re really sorry just Don’t Do It Again, got me?” Ok, so I’m not one to hold a grudge. I looked at him again and took in the disheveled clothing and the general air of shabbiness about him. “You got a job…Racer? Or is this what you do for a living?” He began to stammer something but I cut him off. “Forget it, none of my business. Give me your chip for a minute, ok?” He fumbled his out of a pocket and I docked it with mine. I transferred three hundred credits into it. Hell, Sunny spent way more than that on me already. “Look,” I said. “A lot of Ponies and Allies died to keep all this…” I waved a hoof at the City around us. “… around. I took a gamble just now thinking you’re better than what you are. I like to think that I’m right. Make a liar out of Pounds and clean up your act. In a couple of years you can join United Earth or even try for Starfleet. Make it worth all those lives, ok?” He took the chip back numbly and didn’t say a word. Teenage bravado fought against something even more primal in his eyes. I was this close to giving him a hug, I swear!

Sunny cleared her throat delicately and opened her handbag. “In th’ meantime, in th’ interest o’ keepin’ body n’ soul together, doncha know, ’tis me understandin’ that there’s a position available for a deckhand over at Harbor. ‘ Tisn’t much but it offers room n’ board in addition t’ modest wage. Ye should give a call as soon as possible. Dinna ken how long positions open an’ ‘twould be shame t’ pass up a chance like this fer a deservin’ Laddie like yerself.” She gave him a card and gave him a double dose of Lavender encouragement. Poor kid never stood a chance…

Racer took the card moving like he was having a paranormal experience. Maybe he was. I don’t know what sort of life the colt had up to that point but I didn’t doubt for a nanosecond that nopony had ever shown him such unsolicited kindness before. I gave him a handout, Sunny gave him a job. Together we gave a colt a chance.

I did give him a hug then and held him there for a quivering moment. Sunny laid a hoof on his shoulder. He gave a sort of muffled sob and clung there, his hooves around me as far as he could reach. Silently he broke away, not quite staggering down the street. He looked back once as if the reassure himself that it all really happened. We watched him go until he turned a corner.

“Are we nuts or what?“ I wondered aloud.

“Aye, well ‘tis a wholesome enough insanity.” She tugged me down and gave me a kiss. “I am so proud o’ ye, Starry, lass! Ye’ll make a bonnie sort of mother some day!”

I rolled my eyes. “Uh-huh. If you haven’t noticed by now,” I gave her a poke in the ribs. “My inclinations don’t make that a possibility. The job was a nice touch. Good idea!”

“Och! ‘ T’was a small enough kindness. “Captain Bollard can always use another hand ‘round boat. Which reminds me, I have t’ make call t’ him!” She got out her comm and made the arrangements as we walked to the chariot. Cedar be damned, I held the door for her when she got in.

How can you not love somepony like that?

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