//------------------------------// // Power // Story: Equestria's first warp drive // by CCC //------------------------------// Pog looked again at the Borg ship, through the viewscreen. It was huge – at least ten times as tall as his tiny trading vessel, and more than fifty times as long – but it didn't have the cubical shape common to all the Borg ships he'd ever heard of. It was a smaller, flatter craft, probably holding thousands of drones... and it had seen them. If it actually attacked, Pog knew, they wouldn't have a chance. Their only hope was to flee and hope that they could pass – and outpace – a more tempting target on their way... “Frem!” he yelled, into his comm. “Why isn't that warp drive working yet?” * * * Translator's note: The Borg refer to other species by number only (for example, the Ferengi are referred to as “Species 180”. For ease of reading, all occurrences of the phrase “Species 180” in the following document have been replaced by “Species 180-FERENGI”, and similarly for other species. NOTES: SPECIES 2187-PONIES Species 2187-PONIES is subdivided into five known subspecies: Species 2187-A-ALICORN: Greatly valued as potential Borg drones for their subspace manipulation abilities, flight, weather control abilities, durability, and physical immortality. No currently assimilated specimens. Assimilate with priority A+++. Species 2187-B-UNICORN: Greatly valued as potential Borg drones for their subspace manipulation abilities. No currently assimilated specimens. Assimilate with priority A+. Species 2187-C-PEGASUS: Greatly valued as potential Borg drones for their flight and weather control abilities. No currently assimilated specimens. Assimilate with priority A. Species 2187-D-NEGASUS: Greatly valued as potential Borg drones for their flight and weather control abilities. No currently assimilated specimens. Assimilate with priority A. Species 2187-E-EARTH-PONY: Greatly valued as Borg drones for the possibility that Species 2187-A-ALICORN, Species 2187-B-UNICORN, Species 2187-C-PEGASUS or Species 2187-D-NEGASUS DNA can be extrapolated from their genetic information; and for their physical strength. No currently assimilated specimens. Assimilate with priority A-. ASSIMILATION LOG: SPECIES 2187-PONIES ATTEMPT I: Foiled by class-Q entity Disqord ATTEMPT II: Foiled by time-travelling entity Dr. Whooves ATTEMPT III: Foiled by Species 2187-A-ALICORN entity Princess Celestia ATTEMPT IV: Commencing: Examples of Species 2187-B-UNICORN, Species 2187-C-PEGASUS, and Species 2187-E-EARTH-PONY successfully lured off-planet. Class-Q entity Disqord: ABSENT Time-travelling entity Dr. Whooves: ABSENT Species 2187-A-ALICORN entity Princess Celestia: ABSENT Note: Examples of Species 2187-B-UNICORN, Species 2187-C-PEGASUS, and Species 2187-E-EARTH-PONY are present only in very small numbers, and the ship in which they are travelling is small and fragile. The assimilation process must therefore take more care than usual, to ensure that specimens are not unduly harmed prior to full assimilation. Two members of Species 180-FERENGI are also present. Species 180-FERENGI only has an assimilation priority of C---. Damage to, or failure to assimilate, these specimens is acceptable. No other species in this area of space have an assimilation priority greater than B-. * * * “The focusing crystals look untouched!” Frem said. “Whatever those prisoners did, must have been really subtle. I'm going to have to refocus them manually, and that'll take -” “No time!” argued Pog's voice, from the communication link. “They look fine, great, I'm turning the warp dive back on again!” Frem screamed in frustration. “If the focusing crystals aren't properly aligned we'll all die! And we've been running at a loss!” “We're worse than dead if we stay here!” objected Pog, as the warp drive warmed up. “What, why?” asked Frem. “Borg.” said Pog. Frem screamed louder, this time in fear. He started flicking off the safety switches, allowing the warp drive's power curve to rise at dangerously unsafe speeds... And it was at this point that the Borg probe's beam hit. It did no physical damage to the ship, but the warp core suddenly lost all power, and the ship was forced to switch to emergency power; barely enough to keep life support, lights, and artificial gravity running. * * * *CLANG!* The grating shook as something hit it, hard, from the inside. It dented, but it held. *CLANG!* *CLANG!* On the third kick, the grating finally flew from the wall, the latches that had held it in place finally giving way and snapping. A pair of small yellow hooves drew themselves back into the gap, and after a moment, a small yellow filly's head appeared in its place. “So?” asked Sweetie Belle, from further in the duct. “Ah dunno.” said Applebloom. “It looks like someone's room. There's a door, but Ah can't see if it'll open or not.” “Well, go and see!” called out Scootaloo, from further in. “I'm sick and tired of this air duct!” “Ah dunno if Ah'd be able ta get back in here.” said Applebloom. “It's quite a bit down...” “Oh, come on!” objected Scootaloo. “This air duct is horrible! Anywhere would be better than being stuck in here!” “Yeah,” said Applebloom, “but at least here, we got a way ta move on. If we can't get back in here, we might not be able ta get outta that room. An' then we'd be stuck. Ah say we go on ta the next one, an' try there first.” There was some muttering from inside the tunnel, and then Scootaloo's voice said “I vote that as soon as we get a place with a bit more space, we make Applebloom go in front.” “Yeah,” agreed Applebloom, “that would probably be better.” “Hey,” said Scootaloo, “did anypony else notice that the breeze stopped?” * * * There was a clatter in the cells as a pile of wood re-formed into a timberwolf. With a snarl, it leapt at the space where a forcefield had been... ...but the forcefields were not powered by emergency power. The Borg's beam weapon had drained them. For the first time since appearing on the ship, the timberwolf completed its leap, landing in the corridor. It howled triumphantly, and then looked about at the wider spaces now open to it. Scent... there was the scent of delicious ponies in the air. They had left some time ago, but the scent trail led... that way. As the timberwolf trotted past the cell that had once held the changeling (on its left), there was a growl to its right. The timberwolf turned to look, and met the gaze of a fearsome manticore. Caution was evidently advised. A manticore was one of the creatures capable of knocking a lone timberwolf into kindling with relative ease, after all. But, for some reason, this particular manticore seemed unwilling to step out of its cell(1). The ponies' scent trail didn't lead into the manticore's cell. With a cautious growl, the timberwolf began to shuffle along the corridor after the delicious scent, hoping to bypass the manticore. Both animals tensed up, ready to fight or flee at the slightest provocation... It was at this point that, without warning, a Borg drone teleported into the corridor; several metres away from the timberwolf. (1) The manticore had only had to walk into the forcefield three times to learn to avoid it. Unfortunately for it, this meant that once the forcefield was down, the manticore was still trying to avoid it.