Captain's Log, Stardate 52608.5
After replenishing some of our secondary supplies courtesy of Mr. Neelix’s excellent negotiation skills, we are en route to rendezvous with the Delta Flyer.
Captain Katherine Janeway closed the console next her upon finishing her log entry. Her first officer, Commander Chakotay, a former maquis captain, was seated to her left. The Operations station behind Chakotay was manned by Ensign Harry Kim. The remote Engineering station on the wall to the right and slightly ahead of Captian Janeway was being run by Lieutenant B'lanna Torres, the chief engineer. The helm at the front of the bridge and Tactical station behind the captain were both controlled by junior officer's in the absence of the normal operators Lieutenant Tom Paris and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, respectively, who were on an away mission with Seven of Nine, a liberated borg drone, and the doctor, who was an Emergency Medical Hologram or EMH.
"I wonder what Mr. Tuvok and the others found out about the phenomenon we detected," said Chakotay.
Captain Janeway looked at the her first officer and replied, "Hopefully something to knock a few more years off our journey. These borg attacks are wearing us out." She turned her attention to the young man behind Chakotay. "Harry, any sign of the Flyer?"
"No, ma'am," he replied. "But their ion trail leads straight toward the phenomenon we detected three days ago."
"Helm, set a course to follow that ion trail. Warp 2," Janeway ordered. "I'll be in my ready room."
Neelix made his way into the galley to begin cooking dinner for the crew that was getting off their duty shifts in a few hours. As he began gathered the pans and ingredients he was going to need, something under one of the tables caught his eye.
"Naomi must've left her stuffed targ under the table again," he said to himself as he made his way over to the corner of the galley. "I'll just set it up on the-"
Neelix stopped short as he saw what was under the table: a small, yellow, winged equine with a pink mane and tail. He crouched down as far as he could so he wouldn't scare the shaking animal anymore than it already was.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you," he gently told it. "I may look unusual, well I kind of am, but I assure you that Talaxians are some of the most peaceful species in the Delta Quadrant. I'm going to call some friends to meet you. Will that be okay?"
The animal continued to cower under the table and when Neelix stood up, it took its hooves and covered it's head.
"Neelix to the captain," he said after tapping his arrowhead shaped comm badge.
"Go ahead," Janeway responded.
"Could you and Commander Chakotay come down to the galley?" requested Neelix.
"Is there a problem?" Janeway asked.
"No. Not exactly. But there's something here I'd like you to see," Neelix replied.
"On our way."
Neelix picked up an apple from the galley counter and returned to the terrified equine. "Here," he said as he extended his arm under the table and placed the apple in front of the animal. "It's an apple. I know Talaxian horses like apples so I'm giving you one in case you're hungry."
Neelix backed off from the table just as Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay entered the room.
"What's going on?" asked Janeway.
Neelix recounted the story to the two senior officers who both knelt down to see the small animal.
"Can it understand us?" Chakotay asked.
"I don't know," Neelix replied. "I was so worried about trying to get it calmed down that it never occurred to ask if it could understand me."
Captain Janeway knelt down where she was standing and softly asked the animal to nod her head if it could understand her. After a couple minutes of darting it's eyes around the room and backing away slightly the yellow equine slowly nodded its head.
"My name is Katherine. Do you have a name?"
The animal slowly nodded its head again before responding quietly, "I... I'm F-F-Fluttershy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy," Janeway told it. "This is Chakotay and you met Mr. Neelix."
"Wh-wh-where am I?" Fluttershy whispered.
"You're aboard the Starship Voyager," Janeway replied as Fluttershy continued to shake in fear.
"Y-you look like th-the creatures in th-the thing that crashed n-n-near P-P-Ponyville," Fluttershy shakily said.
"Ponyville? Where's that?" Chakotay asked as he knelt down next to Captain Janeway.
"It-it's in E-E-Equestria," Fluttershy told him.
"Neelix?" Janeway asked.
"I never heard of Equestria before," he replied. "It must be an extremely remote planet."
Janeway turned her attention back to Fluttershy. "You said we look like other 'creatures' from an object that crashed. Did they tell you their names?"
"No. They were asleep when I disappeared from Ponyville and reappeared here," Fluttershy said as her fear began to subside.
They seem like nice creatures. The one with the fur on his face gave me an apple and it would be awfully rude if I didn't eat it, Fluttershy thought as the three crew members talked among themselves for a minute or so.
"Miss Fluttershy, may I ask what you are?" Janeway said.
"I'm a pony. Well, I mean, a pegasus pony," Fluttershy told her. "Can you tell me what you and the one with the cutie mark on his face are?"
"Cutie mark?" Chakotay asked, slightly confused. "She must mean my tattoo."
"We're humans," Janeway replied before pointing to the third member of the group. "And Mr. Neelix here is Talaxian."
"Humans?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, we're from the planet Earth, in the Alpha Quadrant," Janeway clarified.
Fluttershy tilted her head to one side and lifted one of her eyebrows in confusion. While there were earth ponies in Equestria, she never heard of a planet called Earth and certainly never heard of an "Alpha Quadrant".
Seeing the look on Fluttershy's face, the three colleugues pulled up chairs as they attempted to explain their story to the small pegasus.
"Seven! Tuvok! Mr. Paris!" the newest creature shouted as it moved closer to the first three.
"Did this thing even see us?" Rainbow Dash asked as the bald creature continued to check the others.
Hearing the cyan pegasus, the conscious creature turned and looked at the group of ponies and the purple dragon.
"Who are you?" the thing asked.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and-" Twilight said as she pointed to each member of their group before realizing the final member was missing. "Where's Fluttershy?"
"She's right over... where'd she go?" said Pinkie as she pointed toward the door leading into the room they were standing in. "Hmmm. I'll go look for her."
"Is there anything we can do ta help, mister..." Applejack asked.
"Just call me doctor. I'm the Emergency Medical Hologram for the Starship Voyager," it replied.
"What's a hologram?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"I'm an image that is made up of photons and force fields. I can physically interact with non-holograms to treat wounds and socialize," The Doctor replied smugly.
"Sooo... you're a magical being?" Spike inquired.
"Well, no," The Doctor said.
"Hey, shouldn't Pinkie Pie be back by now?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Fluttershy, Captain Janeway and Chakotay sat and talked at one of the back tables in the galley while Neelix took part in the conversation as he was preparing dinner for the crew.
"So this Equestria, what's it like?" Chakotay asked.
"Well... it's not fancy like this and we can't make food from holes in the wall," Fluttershy told them in between bites of a Talaxian apple fritter. "This is really good by the way. It tastes just like ones my friend Applejack makes."
"So there's no technology there?" Janeway asked with fascination.
"Nope! Oooh this place is really cool and would be perfect for a party. What's your name?" came a new voice from the kitchen.
"Pinkie Pie?"