//------------------------------// // Chapter One- Welcome to Earth! // Story: STAR TREK: EQUESTRIA // by Alicorne //------------------------------// [center]STAR TREK: EQUESTRIA PRISM, PRISM EPISODE ONE WELCOME TO EARTH! Important things in our lives occur in threes, according to Sunny, that is. And the story of how Sunny came into my life is integral to the tale. That being said… That first event was my arrival on Earth. It was June 15, 2217 a.k.a. Stardate 1001.17. The Romulan War had been over for two years then and I had re-enlisted in Starfleet for the second time. I spent the War on a variety of ships, the last one being the first of Starfleet’s new Scout Class ships, the Hermes. I was an Ensign when I’d come aboard now I was a brand-new Commander. Not bad for a young Mare from a Colony! After the War Starfleet was getting back into the exploration business. To that end, a whole new class of ships had been designed. Heavy Cruisers able to go out beyond the Frontiers for five years at a stretch. Glorious vessels with awesome capabilities made to carry on the mandates that make the Federation great. But those ships were years away, just designs on the drawing boards back then. To tide the Federation over in the meantime some older ships were being refitted and reassigned to the Galaxy Exploration Command. The Patton and Marshall class ships were purely warships. It just wasn’t possible to rig them for deep-space exploration. Hermes was one of the first ships built using the advancements developed during the War, utilizing the radical new disk-and-nacelle design that worked so well that it promised to be the new standard for Starship construction for years to come. It had been in Refit for over a year and was ready to launch. …And I was to be its new Science Officer! I was going to be part of a new era in Starfleet. I was twenty-four Equestrin years old then and the Galaxy beckoned. I’d been stationed at the Starfleet Facility at Ghooran Base in Tellarite Space since the War, soaking up the advances in sensor technology that were to be applied to the refitted ship when I received my orders to go to Earth to join my ship. Re-join would be a more accurate term since I’d spent the last four years of the War on that very vessel. I was looking forward to coming back. I mentioned that I come from a Colony World. More specifically, I come from a world called Equestris circling a star called Nova Celestia by my ancestors, also known as 54 Draconis, 64 light-years from the world of my ancestors. Compared to Earth, it’s a warmer, rockier place. Nearly 75% larger with 1.8 times the gravity it would be labeled only marginally habitable by anyone else, it was all the Colonists had to work with and they tried hard to make a home of it. In the end, they succeeded but paid a heavy price at the hands of unscrupulous raiders, unfriendly neighbors, and the world itself. But they had an advantage most others in their position didn’t…they were Genetic Augments. They left Earth in 1991 as part of the Terra Colonization Initiative, less than a year before the Eugenics War devastated the world. Their designation was ‘Terra 3’, but they called their ship The Rose. Three hundred and seventy-six assorted Ponies, most of whom were in cryonic suspension, left with seeds, frozen ovum, and templates for all they would need to start life anew in a deep-space vessel outfitted with an advanced third-generation Fusion Drive. All the Colonists, of course, were, by the standards of the day, genetic ‘superponies’. Not megalomaniacs, not tyrants, not arrogant conquerors, just Ponies who wanted to prove that Augmentation was a viable option, that Magic wasn‘t necessary to make Ponies worthwhile. To that end, they left Earth with two goals in mind. To life their lives as they saw fit, and to make sure something of Earth would survive the cataclysm they saw coming. That is all I will say on the subject. I have no philosophical axe to grind and I definitely do NOT endorse the views of Khan, Green, Thorson, and the rest of those ponicidal maniacs who tried to set their hooves on the neck of an unwilling world. I am what I am, the children of Ponies who did what they could to ensure their children would survive and thrive on a hostile world. The upshot of all this was that I wouldn’t be confused with the natives! I stand a scooch over eight-and-one quarter feet tall (The Colonists, for reasons of their own, decided to retain the English units of measurement!) and mass more than four hundred and eighty pounds. My ancestors were Earth Ponies and I retain the large hooves and solid build of the Equines who were the backbone of Civilization on the Old Home Sod. My genetic template retains the same golden-brown fur and the ‘feathering’ on my wrists and ankles is pale blonde. The end of my muzzle is white, as is the patch over my right eye. (Daddy always called me ’Blinky’…usually in public and if front of my friends!) My mane is very thick and is an atypically black color. (Genetic Augmentation doesn’t dictate every aspect of our physiognomy! We‘d never be able to breed at all otherwise!) My eyes set me farther apart from Terran Standard, being a pale hazel-green and are one of my best features as far as I’m concerned. Augmentation boosted my musculature, skeletal system, and the density of my skin as well as my immune system. Compared to most Ponies on Earth, I’m thick, I’m strong, I have a deep voice, I spend a few hours per day on a grav plate doing calisthenics, and I don’t float in water but I am NOT an ‘alien’! That being said… I came to Earth via the Equestria Space Elevator with all my worldly goods in a shoulder bag, wearing a baggy sweater made back on Equestris that went a long way toward concealing my more prominent attributes and a comfy pair of black slacks and set forth with stars in my eyes to do just a little sightseeing before I had to report to the Ship. For that time of year the weather was described as ‘warm’, bur I was glad I was wearing that sweater besides, having it around me was comforting. The weave was dense enough that it kept out most of the lower-than-Equestris temperatures so I blew off my discomfort and set off to do Tourist things. I was collecting quite a few stares from the Ponies around me because of the way I filled that sweater. (A generous bosom is a desirable Augmentation on any world, it seems!) I pretended not to notice as I consulted the local ‘Net for interesting places to see. I settled on a place called ‘Rodeodondo Beach’ NOT because I had any desire to swim (We confine ourselves to splashing in the shallows back home!) but, rather, on the theory that it would be warmer by the beach. I bought a not too garish pair of sunglasses against Sol’s brighter glare from a kiosk at the Downport (The Highport being the Space end of the Elevator.) and caught a Transit Car to the beach. It was just a long enough walk from the Terminal to the boardwalk to make me thirsty and I had just purchased the biggest cup of something called ‘Coke Cubed’ (Advertised as ’The 3rd time’s the charm!’) I could get and was forming a favorable opinion of the stuff when it happened… I wanted to sit in the shade but the chairs under the umbrellas didn’t have a hope in Romulus of holding me intact so I opted, instead to sit in the grass. I set my bag down behind me and relaxed to do some pony-watching. I took in the too-blue sky, the too-cool Sun, the children visiting the snack stand, and sniffed the strange saline tang in the air. One can’t be in Starfleet and not be just a touch xenophilic! All at once, I felt my shoulder bag stir. Suddenly, it was gone! I heard rapidly retreating hoofsteps… Twisting around, I saw a young Pony with an orange coat and a yellow mane charging away with all my possessions clutched in his hooves. He galloped into and around the Ponies nearby and was out of sight in a second! Starfleet training had honed my already Augmented reflexes and I surged to my hooves in just a fraction of a second. I fully intended to set off in pursuit but Earth’s lower gravity screwed me over. Instead of getting up and running, I ended up leaping straight up into the air about a yard. My running hooves hit only empty air and I lost a precious two seconds or so sprawling on the ground in an inelegant maneuver called, in non-technical parlance, a ‘face plant’. I regained my footing if not my composure and, with cola and chlorophyll all over me and charged off in pursuit. My impromptu aerial surveillance gave me a brief glimpse of my target. I could see him making his way to the street on the other side of the little park. “Come back here, you, you Rat! Hey! I’m talking to you!” I bellowed with all the lungpower I could muster. I got a brief impression of startled Ponies turning to look as I lumbered off in pursuit at full Impulse. I didn’t really expect him to stop and look but it was worth a try to get him to at least slow down. He did take a quick look behind him, though. The sight of a giant, angry Mare From Another World must’ve made an impression on him, judging by the way his eyes widened. … Unfortunately, the only thing I accomplished was to encourage him to run faster, damn it! None of us on Equestris are sprinters (By Earth standards, anyway.) but, once we get going, we can gallop with the best of them! He knew the terrain and I was being extra-careful not to plow innocent bystanders under so it was a pretty even race, all things taken into consideration. Whenever I had the running room, I was gaining a frightening (From his point of view!) amount of distance on him with my longer legs so it was only reasonable that he chose to duck into an alley between buildings. I rounded the same corner just a second or so behind him and caromed off the far side, collecting the first of a growing assortment of bruises and scratches that I planned to take out of his hide, and closed in with murder in my eyes and choice Tellarite cusswords on my breath! He led me a merry chase, taking every corner he could and leading me into ever-narrowing alleys whenever possible. I was hopelessly lost after the first two turnoffs and I managed to stay just out of reach. I couldn’t touch him with my hooves but I did my level best to strangle him with my words.(Daddy always said that I have an awful temper once I’m provoked. …All those years of being called ’Blinky’, no doubt.) I frankly called him every dirty name in the lexicons of Equestris, Tellar, and the Federation Military with all the sincerity of a Vulcan Diplomat. I threatened the little thief with Jail, Romulan torture techniques, and a good old-fashioned bucking so bad his Granpa would feel it! I don’t believe it was just emotionally satisfying on my part. The look of panic in those eyes whenever he glanced back made it clear that he well and truly believed his life as a thief was coming to a swift and messy end could I just lay one hoof on him! I really thought I had him when the chase led us into a dead end in a narrow alley sealed off by an old fence made of actual wood that was probably natty and neat looking back in the days of Archer. I suppose I had a carnivore’s feral grin on my face as I thundered in. I was already taking up most of the room in the alley. The only way out was either straight up or through me and he was no Pegasus. I was just beginning to slow down just a smidge so I didn’t just pulp him on impact like a rogue asteroid when I noticed he wasn’t slowing down at all! With swift Equestrin justice just yards away, he skidded to a halt and yanked furiously on the bottom of the fence with desperate urgency. The sagging boards lifted and he darted through the opening! DAMN it!!!!! I picked up the pace, put my shoulder down and went through that fence like the Romulans went through Starbase One! I suppose there was a resounding crash but I never heard it, I was too occupied with my panic as I ended up in empty air, tumbling and rolling like an out of control drone. I do remember collecting a number of scratches and slivers when I hit and rolled, though. I remember that the ground felt almost soft and rather damp. I picked myself up and realized I was sprawled in sand! I was in the shade (Earth was conspiring to keep me cold!) though there was abundant sunlight on either side of me. There was some sort of roof over my head being held up by large wooden pilings that led down…to…the…water! I was underneath a pier! From the salt smell, I knew that I was just a few dozen yards from the Pacific Ocean. I was at the beach! The water lapped and gurgled softly to itself, alien in its limpid blueness and intrinsically frightening. Instinctively, I plowed to a halt. On Equestris, nasty things live in the sea! Stinging jellyfishes, parasites, toxic algae, and assorted, bad-tempered little fish with big appetites for Augment meat make every Equestrin avoid the sea like Discord! The little so-and-so had opened up quite a lead on me, having sped through the shallows. As I watched, he splashed his way through a foot-and-a-half of water until he’d cleared the rocks under the pier and ducked behind them, presumably back toward the shore. I pushed off once again, my hooves slipping a little in the pulverized rock. I noticed there was a slight tugging sensation as I started moving. I had snagged my damn sweater! Oh was he gonna GET it! Running in sand took a lot more concentration than charging along a surfaced street, running through the sea being merely an exercise in panic, and I lost more irreplaceable seconds slogging my way up to where he made his turn. I made my way into the open and plowed to a halt yet again, pausing to shade my eyes (I lost my sunglasses going through that bloody fence!) and looking around. Two things caught my attention. Firstly that my thief was speeding his way up and away from the water and, secondly, that there were lots of Ponies in the vicinity…and they were naked! If the thief had intended this as a distraction, he couldn’t have done much better. (I haven’t seen so many Cutie Marks since Basic Training!) I, grudgingly, had to hand it to him. We aren’t exactly prudes on Equestris but public nudity isn’t something we go in for. I gaped, and was gaped at, for a few more seconds before I returned to the chase. Dry sand was even more tedious than the damp variety. Even so, I worked my way up the beach in short order…just in time to see the little recreant make his way through a steady stream of fully clothed beachgoers on their way back toward the city. I locked on to the exit and was just about to reacquire my quarry a Stallion in the outfit of the local Police barred my way. “Hold on, Lady! Where do you think you’re going?” I couldn’t very well just knock him over and chase down the culprit; I am a member of Starfleet, after all! It wasn’t as if I couldn’t have taken him in a straight fight, either. I had a good two feet and about three hundred pounds on him, besides, he didn’t seem to be armed… but I didn’t want to spend my Shore Leave in a Prison Cell, either! Time to break out the diplomacy… “Please, Officer! I’ve been robbed. That, that…rat bastard stole my bag. We can still catch him if we hurry he can’t have gone too far…” He silenced me with an upraised hoof. “Just hold on a minute! Ok, you might have been robbed…” “Might, hell! I WAS robbed! And he’s getting away, for Roddenberry’s sake! Look, he‘s got my comm, my credit chip, and my…everything!” I pointed accusingly at the entrance to the street beyond. “All right! Calm down! I’ll call it in, but there’s no way you’re going anywhere in public in that get-up!” He pointed delicately at my upper torso with a determinedly professional expression. “What? “ I looked at him blankly, completely taken aback at what I thought was a non sequitur. Then, for the second time in as many minutes, two things became distressingly apparent. One was that I noticed that it was even cooler to my non-acclimated senses, than before. The breeze played with my mane and seemed to have gotten below the hem of my sweater somehow. Then the second apparent thing revealed itself when I glanced down to notice that all I was wearing above my waist were a couple of sleeves and a raveled collar! “Oh…My…Goddesses!” I wrapped my arms around me and managed to cover up the naughtiest bits, a furious blush blazing on my muzzle, my ears, and across my….. Just then, everything grayed out and I staggered. I didn’t lose consciousness, at least, not completely. I dimly remember the poor buck latching onto my arm and steering me toward a bench that mercifully didn’t collapse under me. (Though it did creak ominously!) “Oh, crap! Lady! Hey, Lady! Stay with me! It’ll be okay, just stay with me! I’m calling the First Aid Station, don’t worry. Everything’ll be a-ok!” He must have fumbled his comm out of his pocket and muttered under his breath. “Never fails! This kinda thing always manages to happen right at the end of my shift…!” He was urging my head down with the idea of putting it between my knees, no doubt. Unfortunately, my, uh, pronounced mammalian anatomy made that practically impossible. I was just about to make a comment I would have regretted later when a feminine voice spoke up from nearby and the second Important Thing that day happened. I met Solar Cross. “Can I help? I’m a Doctor, doncha know.” I raised my head and saw a pair of slim hooves in a pair of expensive-looking sandals. Her ankles were feathered with long, golden hair. Her tail, I noted, was long and white and golden yellow. I followed a shapely pair a legs up, my gaze pausing for just a moment at the flash of pink skin low on her belly that would have led me to even further distraction had she not been standing with her body turned ever so slightly away from me. I spared a curious second looking at the golden Celestial Cross that blazoned her thigh, but was more urgently attracted to the sight of her frankly small, but exquisite pink breasts. After a moment, I took in her face and head. She was an Alicorn. I’d never met one before but I was a big fan of Amber Alicorn movies. (There are a LOT of female Alicorn movie stars, come to think of it!) Though this particular Alicorn was not nearly as well built as she, (Don’t tell her I said that!) she was still a looker! Her mane was a glorious sunny gold with streaks of rose-red made up of large curls that tumbled down over her shoulders. I saw that the feathering on her wrists was longer than that on her ankles and gave the impression of flowing sleeves… Out of her forehead rose a gently twisting horn of golden-white. It must have been a foot and a half long if it was an inch! On it dangled some sort of jewelry, a bangle made up of a rainbow of colors like a multicolored metal ribbon draped over the third fifth of the length in a couple of lazy twists. Her eyes caught and held my attention, though. They were large, limpid, and lavender! …I never knew that eye color even existed in Nature! The only thing she wore beside the bangle was a pair of amber-tinted sunglasses, now pushed high up on her forehead up against that improbable horn. Her voice was soft and her accent had a certain almost musical lilt to it and was almost arresting as her lovely eyes. She stood just a little taller than the Policeman (Though more than a foot shorter than Yours Truly, horn included!) and looked at him with a mild expression. The Officer straightened up, comm in hand. “Look, Miss, everything’s gonna be ok. I’ll just give the Lifeguard a call and…” She cut him short, though. “Oh, pish-posh! The Lass isna a-drowning, now is she? In my professional opinion she’s got a wee touch of exposure n’ a great, huge case of modesty. All she needs is a bit o’something t’ eat and a bit of something t’cover her. We can verify my identity if I can borrow your comm.” She put her hooves on her hips and furled her wings just a bit, and treated him to a smile. “I’m no carrying me own at the moment. My name is Solar Cross, Doctor Solar Cross. I’m with Starfleet Medical. Go ahead! They’ll verify me voice print.” She let loose with a positively sunny smile and waited. Alicorns must have that effect on ponies, I guess. The Policepony just looked at her and chewed the inside of his lip a moment before relenting. “Awright, then. Lady, (No ‘Miss’ for me, apparently.) if you got no objection I’ll let her have a look at you. Do you feel up to giving me a statement so I can call this in?? I began to get up but Solar’s slender hoof pushed me back down. “Just sit there a wee bit and don’t stir about. I’ll be back in just a tick, doncha know!” I was treated to a smile this time. “I’ll be right back, Constable!” With that, she put her glasses back on and sped off toward the concession stands. We both watched her leave. Just for the record, it was the Officer who stopped looking first. He cleared his throat and produced his comm and I gave him the story of my first couple of hours on Earth. His expression softened somewhat afterwards. “You’re Starfleet, eh? Helluva thing to happen to somepony who helped stop the Romulans! Well we’ll get the word out and try to cancel your chip before the perp can drain it, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope. They’re pretty good at this, I’m afraid. Hopefully we can get your clothes back, at least.” He interfaced with the unit and set the electronic wheels of justice in motion with a flurry of one-fingered inputs. He sighed and regarded me a little more sympathetically. “Look, if you want I can take you back to the Station when I get off shift. I’m sure we could get you a blanket or poncho or something….” “All taken care of, Laddie!” Dr. Cross returned at that moment with a hideously purple garment of some sort draped over her arm and, so help me, an ice cream cone wrapped in a big, blue paper napkin in each hoof! She proffered one of the dusky-colored treats to me. I noticed her credit chip dangling from one wrist. She must have retrieved it from somewhere “Now then! Get yourself around that lot and we’ll be a-takin’ it from there. Thanks awfully, Constable, I believe we’ll be all right now!” She threw him a couple hundred watts of smile and hurried to start on her cone. The Policeman gave her an irritated look. “Hey! What about giving her an examination? Ain’t you gonna look at her, even?” “Oh, there’s no worries there, Constable! See…?” She pointed at my chest. All of us turned to look and I fought down an urge to cover myself again, although it was way too late to be modest by then. “Her breathing is slow and regular. She isnae even panting after running all that way! Also, if ye take a wee look at the corner of her eyes, ye’ll note that th’ membranes are normally colored. If she were going t’ faint they’d be pale or blue. As ye can see they’re as pink as ...” She flourished her finger in the general vicinity of my mammaries then pointed at…”th’ inside of her ears!” The Good Doctor finished with the hint of a sly twinkle in those improbable eyes. I didn’t know whether I should smile or give her a paddling. The Officer gave up trying to not look too long and hard at anything in particular and just straightened up and pocketed his comm. “Awright, then. I’ll take your word on that, uh, Doctor Cross.” To me he said, “Ok, Miss Starry-Eyes, (He had my name from my statement.) I’ll be going on the rest of my rounds. If you need me for anything, I’ll swing around this way at the end of my shift. We hear anything we’ll advise Starfleet.” He tipped me an apologetic salute. “Welcome to Earth, Commander, from the rest of us!” He nodded to Solar and set off. “I have to wonder…how many strings does somepony have to pull to get a clothing-optional beach on his beat?” she smirked and took a couple more rather distracting licks. “You’d best hurry, Dearie, you’re a-dripping’!” I snapped out of it in a hurry, as I noticed the cool stickiness on my fingers. “Uh, yes!” I declared brightly. I brought the ice cream up and gave it a careful sniff. “Um, what flavor is this, exactly?” She paused in mid-lick and giggled. “Why, chocolate, of course! The perfect pick-me-up! …Is there something wrong?” I had made a face without quite realizing it. I could feel another blush coming on but was beyond caring at that point. “Well, I don’t much care for the flavor. Thanks anyway b…” “What?!” She exclaimed. “How can ye no like chocolate? Everypony likes chocolate! Th’ very idea!” “Welllll” I stammered, completely on the defensive, “Some Ponies tried selling it back home but it just didn’t catch on. Too bitter!” I almost cringed at the look she shot me. “Bitter? How could it be bitter? …Unless, oh dear, they simply served up cocoa as chocolate! I seem to have heard about that, doncha know? Some Rigellian merchant chappies got hold of some cocoa and set off t’sell it as chocolate in foreign parts. Hmph! A hanging offense, to my way of thinking! A slander to the very name of chocolate everywhere! Look, Dearie, just give th’ Real Thing a taste then ye can chuck it in th’ waste bin if ye like and I’ll get ye another of whatever. Go ahead! See if I’m not right!” She tipped me a wink and went back to work on her own. I gave it another, closer sniff, and I have to admit it did smell very, very tempting. It was an Orion trader that sold that load of ‘chocolate’ to a bunch of unsuspecting, nostalgic Equestrins back in the day but it didn’t seem worth the effort to correct her. I gave it a lick to keep the excess from running all down my hoof…and the flavor exploded on my tongue! Two more licks and two bites later, it was gone. I was scrubbing my hoof off with the napkin when I noticed Solar laughing quietly, almost strangling in an effort to be polite as a matter of fact. I rolled my eyes and shrugged helplessly, the motion making me acutely aware that my sweater was now just a fond memory. I was still collecting a lot of looks, but she was making me feel a lot less self-conscious. I was having an ice cream cone with a naked Unicorn on a nude beach on Earth and it didn’t matter a bit! “Ok, ok! So I was wrong about something for once in my life! My only defense is that I’m not from around here. I’m finding more about this planet to like by the minute!” My smile might lack the megawattage Solar can pack into one, but it was sincere nonetheless. Solar, for her part, took a delicate bite out of her cone (When she got her breath back!) and smiled… this time mostly with her eyes, giving me an absolutely thrilling look from beneath her long, lovely lashes. “Well I figured as much!” She giggled again, “Yer eye color isna found among any Terrestrial Pony I know of. And, when I touched yer shoulder, I noticed that yer skin is verra dense, almost hard. And when ye move, ye move all of a piece wi’ nary a jiggle. …Though ye do sway a bit, in an eye-catchin’ way to be sure. Physics are physics no matter where you come from, what? Not that I have that kind o’ problem!” She waved her free hoof at her own chest with a comical what-can-you-do expression that elicited a chuckle from me. She took another nibble as I cocked my head and regarded her. “What is that accent? I’ve never run into it before. The closest thing I’ve ever heard to it was this Pony who came from a place called Pennessee, but that wasn’t nearly like yours.” Curiosity, the bane of Science Officers everywhere! “Oh, Dear! Well, it does bear a bit of explaining, doesn’t it?” She used her tongue to get at the ice cream in the bottom of the cone and I nearly lost the thread of what she was saying. My eyes snapped back to her face when she resumed speaking. “My Family come from Byreland. I was raised there but I’ve spent a good many years in th’ U.K., Canterda, and elsewhere so I’ve picked up bits o’ everything from everywhere doncha know?” She dimpled and smiled and I wished for something cold to drink…or maybe wear! A bucket of ice water, maybe… “I’ll take your word for it! Wow! I could listen to you speak forever…” I facehoofed myself suddenly! “Good Goddesses! My name is Starry, Starry-Eyes. I come from Ponyton on the Equestris Colony. I’m in Starfleet, too, and I’m…very…pleased to meet you, Solar!” I offered my hoof and she let me grasp hers and our eyes met for an instant and the third thing happened… Before this, I always treated the old cliché about that ‘spark’ that zaps down your spine when you meet That Perfect Someone as so much poetic license. I will say this, though,…I’ve worked in a mine on Equestris, spent four years getting shot at by Romulans, and tumbled my share of Stallions and Fillies…well…one of each in between but I’ve never felt anything like what I felt with Solar just then. What’s more, I knew for a fact that she felt it, too. We were still there when the Officer showed back up. He took one look and sauntered off. Yep, everything was gonna be A-OK!