//------------------------------// // A Brief Historical Intermission // Story: Equestria's first warp drive // by CCC //------------------------------// Princess Celestia was not the only alicorn who had occasional tea with the Admiral; though in Luna's case, the Admiral had to stay up late(1). “AND HOW FAR AWAY DIDST THOU SAY THOU WERE?” “Several hundred lightyears.” said the Admiral, quietly turning down the volume on his speakers. “AND THIS DEVICE TRANSMITS THY IMAGE TO ME?” “Exactly, yes.” nodded the Admiral. “PERHAPS THE DISTANCE IS WHY IT APPEARS SO BLOCKY, THEN.” suggested Luna. “Um... blocky?” “INDEED! THY IMAGE IS MADE OF TINY BLOCKS OF COLOUR!” “...ah. That's a limit of the technology; we make the blocks so small that we can't tell them apart individually. They're called pixels, and if you can see them so easily, you must have very good eyesight.” There was a knock at the door. “Luna?” called Celestia's voice from outside – with the volume on his speakers turned down, the Admiral failed to hear it. “Ah, Celestia! Come in, dear sister!”(2) Luna opened the door and stood aside for Celestia. “Thank you,” said Celestia, stepping into the Admiral's view(3). “And good evening, Admiral. I would not disturb you but for the fact that I have just received news of my little ponies from Spike. Tell me, please, Admiral, have you ever heard of a people who call themselves the Borg?” “The Borg?” asked the Admiral, feeling very glad that he hadn't had a mouthful of tea when Celestia had asked that question. He decided a quick sip to steady his nerves was probably in order. “I have met those scoundrels before.” said Luna(4). “Really?” asked Celestia. “When was this?” “'Twas just over a thousand years ago.” said Luna. “Didst thou never seek out the source of my armour, the identity of the entity known as Nightmare Moon?” “I did,” said Celestia. “I didn't find anything.” “Who,” said the Admiral, “or what, is Nightmare Moon?” Both alicorns turned to look at the screen. “Thou didst not inform him?” asked Luna. “I thought that was your tale to tell,” said Celestia. “Ah, I see.” said Luna. “In that case, perhaps I should tell thee both the tale of how Nightmare Moon came to be, a thousand and a one years ago...” * * * “A thousand and two years ago,” Luna related, “I was about my duties as the Princess of the Night, seeking out nightmares among my subjects and aiding them in dealing with that which distressed them.” “Wait... nightmares?” asked the Admiral. “You mean, as in... bad dreams?” “Quite.” said Celestia. “My sister has the ability to travel through dreams. It is a part, as she says, of her duties as Princess of the Night.” “As I wandered about, through the dreams of ponies,” continued Luna, “I felt a far larger dream, albeit a dim and distant one. Nonetheless, it was an unquiet one, and so I reached for it, and found myself inhabiting the dreams of the Borg. They are... strange. Many beings, forced mostly against their will into a single mind. I did not, of course, understand immediately the nature of these beings; I knew only that the dreamscape in which I had found myself was vast indeed, and shuddered with a deep terror that I could not at the time name. And 'twas mere moments later that I met her; one of those who did not merely obey the Borg hivemind, but gave it direction, a voice. The Borg queen.” Luna took a deep breath. “I had some slight resentment toward my sister at the time; for our subjects froliced and played in her day, but hid themselves indoors during my night. The Borg Queen did discover and play upon this resentment of mine, leading me by small steps from a slight resentment to a greater one, and thence to considerations which shame me to this day.” Celestia extended one wing over her sister, and hugged her. “Though 'tis true that the Borg Queen showed me the path,” said Luna, “'tis my everlasting shame that I didst walk upon it of my own will. Still, the Queen spoke to me with an offer; that I could partake of something that she offered me – I believe she called them 'nanoprobes' – and thus gain the power to impose my will by force upon thee. She told me that it would grant me also dominion over a number of her people; that I was one of the few worthy to become a Borg Queen myself. I expressed hesitation, and she modified her offer; she said that she could prevent the nanoprobes from taking effect until such time as I gave a signal, by causing an eclipse with my moon. I... confronted you... in our throne room...” “Shhhhh. I remember.” said Celestia, nuzzling Luna. “I caused an eclipse.” said Luna. “And 'twas at that moment that the nanoprobes did take me. I found the thoughts of the Borg did impinge upon mine own thoughts; I considered only power and conquest. From that moment, I was one of them – a part of a larger, more powerful mind, and all through mine own resentment. I... I attacked you...” “Shhhh. I know.” “Had thou not turned the Elements of Harmony upon me, I would have doubtless conspired to ensnare our own subjects in the same trap in which I had found myself,” continued Luna. “The Borg had ships which sailed through the eternal night between the stars, and they would have taken us in... and there would have been no more Equestria. No more Griffonia. No more dragons, no more cockatrices. We would all be absorbed by the Borg; and our memories, our very identities, would have been wiped away. All through my fault.” (1) Due to the slight difference in the length of a day between Earth and Equestria, in about a month's time the Admiral would be having tea with Luna during his day and tea with Celestia during his night. Both alicorns found this a source of amusement. (2) The Royal Canterlot Voice is never used when speaking to someone of equal noble rank, i.e. another alicorn. (3) The Admiral, seeing that Celestia's mouth was moving but no sound was immediately apparent, quickly turned his volume up again. (4) With a superhuman effort, the Admiral managed to avoid spitting out any of his tea.