//------------------------------// // The Unexpected Guests (Final) // Story: The DisQord Continuum // by ZoidbergIsBestPony //------------------------------// The Unexpected Guests Everyone stared up at the sky, where Twilight had vanished. As Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had returned to normal and drifted back to the ground, they searched for signs of their friend. The particle beam had ceased, and the Elements of Harmony were no longer active. Rainbow’s wings reappeared on her back. They all expected Twilight to reappear, but the longer they waited, the more it began to seem hopeless. They started to lower their heads in mourning, as tears flowed for the loss of their friend. Geordi and Will had lost too much blood and would die if they did not get treatment right away. Worf quickly tapped his communicator badge. “Worf to the bridge,” he said. “Bridge here,” Data replied. “Q has been defeated. Medical emergency. See if you can transport Commander Riker and Commander LaForge to sickbay immediately.” “Acknowledged.” Geordi and Will disappeared into the matter stream and successfully transported to sickbay. * * * The moment the Discord Statue exploded, the projector screen and the image disappeared in front of Princess Celestia and Captain Picard. Realizing what must have happened; Picard quickly raced to the front door and attempted to open it. He met no resistance as the door swung open. As soon as they were outside, the princess stretched her wings as wide as they could go pushing the blood through them, loosening them up. The captain had already started to make his way over to the farm, before she called out to him. “Quickly Jean-Luc, there is no time to waste!” she said, gesturing with her snout for him to get up onto her back. “Celestia, that isn’t necessary. We can simply-“ “NOW! Hurry!” she gestured again more urgently. He sighed and went back over to her. He climbed up onto her back as gently and quickly as he could. As soon as he was situated, she spread her vast wingspan apart and thrust off the ground, high into the air above Ponyville. Captain Picard was trying to say the transporter might have been faster if it was working now. However, as they soared toward the farm, he couldn’t help but feel the serenity and majesty of riding through the air. He loved to ride horses, but this was better than anything he had ever experienced before. He felt the wind wrap around him and almost knocked him clear off. He latched his arms tight around the princess and they flew over toward the farm. The ride only lasted two minutes, landing by the group gathered outside the farmhouse. They were quite shocked to see the captain riding on top of the princess. Rarity's jaw dropped from the sight of such an indignity befalling the princess, but bit her tongue. Geordi and Will had been beamed away moments before they arrived. “Well done my little ponies!” The princess called smiling at them. “Especially you, Twilight Sparkle! …Twilight?” She had not seen Twilight vanish from the sky after the projector had disappeared. The five other ponies looked up at the princess, tears flowing down their eyes in rivers. “No!” the princess cried, upon the realization Twilight was gone. “What has happened?” the princess asked, tears of her own starting to form. They told her what had happened leading up to Twilight bursting out of existence in a bright flash of light. The princess held her head down in mourning if only for a brief moment. She quickly regained herself and lifted her head with an air of authority. “Gather up all the dead. Bring them to the funeral home. We will hold a mass funeral for them tonight. Take all the injured to see the doctors in the Town Hall. Their victory was anything but sweet. All of the ponies regrouped to obey her Majesty’s orders, but none felt like a victory had been achieved. Picard had more crewmen brought down to assist with the funeral preparations. They gathered the bodies of men, women, and ponies throughout the town, yet not a single Bratak warrior could be found. Even those that had been captured had simply vanished. Members of the Royal Guard placed the Red Guard ponies in irons and stood guard outside of the Town Hall. Preparations for the funeral had been made. Most of the town would be in attendance as would many of the Enterprise crew. They agreed to hold a mass service together, before the Enterprise would leave orbit. * * * There weren’t nearly enough coffins readily available for such a tragedy, so most of the dead were wrapped in white cloth and laid on tables with their names and a picture of them. Since Twilight had vanished, a picture of her had been placed on an empty table with her name and a violet flower. While preparations were being made, a mint green hoof had slipped out its wrapping and dangled toward the floor. Derpy saw it and quickly pushed it back in. She was shaking as she did. She looked at the picture of Lyra staring back at her smiling. Tears poured out of Derpy's eyes. She paused only a moment longer, to leave a muffin for her, before going to assist more with the preparations. The viewing began just after Celestia had finished setting the sun. The hall was filled with ponies and people looking for their loved ones. Standing next to Angel's little body, Fluttershy was beside herself crying. She still couldn’t believe Angel or Twilight were gone. She even tried to make Angel his favorite Super Salad, but cherries were out of season. She placed the bowl in front of him bawling her eyes out. Spike sat on the floor in front of Twilight's picture with his head staring at the floor. He wouldn’t respond to anypony. He was holding a book. The last book Twilight ever gave him for his birthday. He had never read it. He hugged it tight to his chest and stared at the floor in silence. Princess Luna and Princess Cadence had been brought in for the funeral. Princess Cadence cried into her husband, devastated at the loss of Twilight. He hugged her tightly tears streaking down his cheeks as well. Princess Luna considered Twilight her first and only friend since she returned. She was raised to never shed a tear, but her eyes were so watery, she struggled and failed to prevent them from eventually leaking out. Princess Celestia stood at the head of the room. She spread her wings wide for everypony to face her. “Today has been a difficult day for Ponyville. It has been a difficult day for Equestria. It has been a difficult day for us all.” She projected her voice across the room, but it was clear where the lump in her throat was, from the tears she was holding tight inside. “A terrible creature unleashed a terrible war and brought a level of violence and devastation unlike anything we have ever known. The ponies before you stood tall and defended our ways of life with their lives. The people before you gave their lives to help ponies they’ve never known. We will never forget them. They will be a part of us forever.” As the princess continued her speech, every pony and person listened intently to her words, soaking them in to help alleviate their sorrows. * * * Outside the Town Hall, the Royal Guard stood watch over their prisoners. One of the Red Guard suddenly screamed out in pain. The Royal Guard snapped his attention to the prisoner who appeared to be struggling. He was trying to clutch his chest while writhing on the ground in pain. All of the Red Guard started jerking and bucking from an unknown pain. Within their bodies, all of their hearts were being crushed by an invisible hand squeezing them. One by one, their hearts burst from the pressure. Within moments, every one of them was dead. * * * As the princess continued her speech, a small crackling noise started to appear. Few could hear it. But Fluttershy, who would not leave Angel’s side, started to look around for what was making that crunching sound. The salad in front of Angel’s body was being munched upon. Fluttershy was about to rip out the tongue of whoever would dare eat her gift to her dead friend, when an ear poked out from the bowl. It was long, with white fur and a pink inside. A second ear poked upward, as Angel’s head popped up through the salad, chomping away at a carrot. “ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Every pony and person looked at Fluttershy and saw the rabbit munching away. Then all of the deceased started sitting up on their tables and taking off their wrappings. The commotion rose until it became cries of joy as their loved ones were all returning to life. None of the dead appeared to have any injuries. Even those who were injured noticed their wounds healing before their eyes. The princess’s speech had been cut off, but she didn’t mind in the slightest. She happily stared in awe at the miracle before her. Fluttershy was kissing and hugging Angel so tightly, she almost killed him again. He gave her a soft smack and then hugged her back. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity started to look around for Twilight. They searched up and down, but realized, there was no body for her to revive from. Amongst all the cheers, the four of them still carried their sorrow. The princess too, quickly realized Twilight’s absence and started to search around. As her heart started to sink again, a small bubble popped right next to her. Twilight was standing right next to the princess as though she had been there the whole time. “Oh!? Hi your Majesty.” Twilight said, noticing where she was standing. The princess lost all control of her royal dignity. She grabbed Twilight and hugged her tight. Pinkie Pie spotted the pair of them and screamed out “TWILIGHT’S BACK!!!!!!!!!!!” Cheers erupted in funeral home in celebration. All the ponies and humans lost in the battle were now alive and well. What started as a funeral, was rapidly turning into a party. Pinkie quickly ducked behind a cabinet and pulled out a Party Cannon she had hidden away. She looked over at Rainbow, who saw her pulling out the Cannon. “I keep them stored throughout Ponyville in case of emergencies!” She said with glee. “Why would there ever be an emergency party needed in a funeral home?” Rainbow asked. As soon as the words escaped her lips, reality dawned on her. “Pinkie you may be the most random pony in Equestria, but you also happen to be a complete genius!” Rainbow said laughing and helping her pull out the cannon. They pushed the cannon out into the open to have the best spread. Together, they fired the cannon, launching balloons and streamers out into the crowd. Vinyl Scratch quickly ran out to grab her sound gear. Within minutes, the mass funeral had been completely converted into a massive party. Twilight was being bounced from pony to pony, hugging or shaking hands. She started getting dizzy from all the attention. Rainbow and Pinkie were dancing it up with Will and Geordi, who were up and about thanks to Dr. Crusher. Technically, they were supposed to be in bed, but were now happy they had convinced the doctor into letting them attend the service. Princess Celestia and Captain Picard had renewed their more professional tones, but were chatting together on the sidelines of the party. “I can’t thank you enough, captain, for helping us out,” she said. “It was nothing, your Highness. I’m glad everything worked out well.” “Before you leave captain, I was wondering if one of your crew would be willing to have a look at some of our old technology. They are getting on two thousand years old and require quite a bit of repair.” “I think I have just the person in mind. I’ll see to it he looks at it first thing in the morning,” said Picard. “Thank you captain.” She smiled at him and looked out into the crowd enjoying themselves. Lieutenant Worf had struck up a conversation with Fluttershy who, after twenty minutes of hugging and kissing Angel, finally let up and started to mingle. “Thank you for saving me today,” Fluttershy said. “You are a very brave warrior, for one so…” He could not bring himself to actually use the word, ‘adorable’. Fluttershy could read his thoughts though. She smiled and whispered something into Worf’s ear. “No. That would be inappropriate,” he quickly retorted, his eyes wide. The very idea had made him uncomfortable. “I think you’d like it. Pretty please?” Fluttershy blushed as she asked Worf. Worf was struggling with himself. Finally, he sighed and nodded curtly. Fluttershy led him through the crowd, hand in hoof. Applejack was handing out leftover Zap-Apple jam that had not been used during the battle. The princess let her know that the royal family would be taking care of the bill for the Zap-Apple jam this year, much to Applejack’s delight. Rarity was busy trying to catch the eye of one of the Royal Guard at the party. He was busy keeping an eye on the royal family, but that didn’t stop her from trying. Twilight was dancing with her brother and Princess Cadence. She was still a terrible dancer, but no one seemed to mind one bit. Everyone and everypony were having the best time of their lives. Geordi, who had been dancing, suddenly spotted Worf and Fluttershy together on a couch in the corner of the room. He couldn’t believe the position he was seeing the pair of them in. Fluttershy was laying her head on Worf’s lap. Worf was stroking her soft pink mane. Both seemed to be in sheer bliss. Worf even growled in an almost purring effect as he smiled. As Rainbow and Pinkie danced, a question dawned on Rainbow. “Pinkie? How could you think of all those traps you setup if you didn’t know what Discord’s game was going to be?” Pinkie stopped dancing for a second and thought. Shrugging, she replied, “I guess I just get how Discord thinks!” She laughed and started boogieing to the music again. In the back of Pinkie’s mind, Discord could be heard laughing maniacally. The party lasted until Princess Celestia and Luna had to leave to bring the dawn. * * * The following day, as Captain Picard made preparations to leave, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay had been beamed down to have a look at the princess’s old technology and make repairs. One of the guards escorted him down to the secret room, hidden within the palace. “Th-Th-Thank you…um…Private,” he said to the guard, nervously. He couldn't stop staring at the guard. He had never spoken to a pony before. “Thank you, Reg. And please, call me Crystal,” the guard replied. “It’s not often we get company down here.” She smiled at Barclay, making him so nervous he dropped his tricorder. “I…um…okay…C-C-Cr-Crystal,” he finally got out. As he worked on the repairs to their sensors, he started to think to himself of a good holodeck program he could create from this experience. * * * "Captain's Log, Stardate 44166.8: The Enterprise is ready to break orbit as soon as repairs can be completed to Princess’s aging equipment. She is looking to eventually open relations with the Federation, but only after their society is ready, which may not be for a long time. Q has yet to make an appearance following his defeat. However, the Unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, has stated he is alive and well and just unable to appear in the physical realm for some time. While time is irrelevant to the Q, I hope that in our timeline, it will be a long while before we cross paths again. All material related to monoceros particles has been mysteriously wiped from our databanks. All Mcp. shield devices have also vanished. Our sensors have been reset so the particles can no longer be detected. No evidence has been found as to who may have tampered with the logs, nor how the logs were tampered with. It is my opinion that the Q Continuum does not wish us to possess this technology. We could attempt to recover that information. However, I believe the log tampering and vanishing equipment was a warning, from the Continuum, not to pursue this scientific area of exploration. I would take that warning seriously. We will break orbit in the next hour and head for Starbase DS4 to rendezvous with the saucer section of the ship.” * * * “Dear Princess Celestia, The Magic of Friendship has taught me, that peace and friendship have the power to stop wars; the power to learn and discover the universe; the power to protect your loved ones from harm. Whether it’s standing in front of an arrow to save your friend, showing caring and kindness to those left with no alternative to violence, or saving an enemy’s life; friendship is more powerful than any magic or technology could ever hope to be. I will be sad to see Geordi and the Enterprise people leave, but am now happy to call them my friends. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle” * * * Deep in the Ever-Free forest, where the parasprites could roam free, a mysterious creature had appeared. It was nothing more than a living ball of fur. But it purred softly. One of the parasprites took notice and flew over to it. The parasprite purred back to its new found friend. They chatted with each other merrily as they feasted together on any food they could find. The following day, Fluttershy had ventured into the forest to find some rare vegetables to treat Angel to, now that he was alive and safe again. She hummed merrily as she frolicked through the trees. She was too content to even be bothered by the fact that she was in the Ever-Free forest. As she came to a small brook, she saw some of the radish roots she was looking for, growing by the water. She started to pull them from the ground, when a purring noise startled her. “Oh my!” she said softly. Before her eyes, was a small little ball of brown fur. It appeared to be moving. It purred again. “Aren’t you cute!” Fluttershy examined the little creature. The fur-ball turned to face her, opening its eyes and looking at her. Its eyes were eerily similar to that of a parasprite. It purred at her smiling with an extremely tiny mouth. “Awwww!” she swooned over the animal. “Are you hungry? Would you like to come home with me?” The ball of fluff bounced into the air, happily squeaking, which Fluttershy took to mean ‘yes’. She scooped up the little creature and put it in her bag to take home… The End…?