//------------------------------// // 8 - The Prime Directive // Story: Metamorphosis // by PaintSplotch //------------------------------// "The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules. It is a philosophy, and a very correct one. History has proven again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous." —Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek:The Next Generation The light hurt my eyes. I felt sluggish and weak, like waking up from oversleeping. I found myself clenching the handle of Yuri's vest like a life raft in stormy seas. I was walking and he was guiding. We were following from what I recognized as Interstate 81. Coming to after a bout of deep depression can sometimes be sudden and unexpected. One moment, I was wallowing in a self-blinded misery and the next I was suddenly able to see again. Really seeing. I saw that it was bright and sunny and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. I didn't quite know how long I was out of it. For those that have never had a severe depressive episode, it's like this. The pain and misery of the moment becomes all consuming. It's all you can think about. It's all you can dream about. Everything becomes a hundred times harder. Just waking up in the morning feels like disarming a bomb. It's much better to just… go away for a bit… just so you don't have to deal with the intense feeling. The simple act of eating is painful and horrible. After all, how could I eat when that little baby would never get to eat again? It's thoughts like those that takes over all rational thinking. You just want to lay down and die. Fighting for so long makes you feel so tired. Now, I wanted to fight. I don't want to die. I just needed a little help. Yuri must have sensed that my automated shuffling had become more fluid. He turned his head around and looked me right in the eyes. I saw in them unbridled joy and... Wow, he has never looked at me like that before. He was looking. Not just observing, but looking. I could see the concern in his eyes turn into pure joy. He immediately whipped around with a loud and happy bark. He proceeded to nearly knock me and my cart over with the sheer force of his licking. "Ack, Yuri!" I put up my hooves to shield myself from the assault, but he barged on through anyway, tail wagging so fast it was a blur. I tried to pet him, but his happiness made it so he could not stay still. He just paraded around me in the circle, barking and grumbling as loud as he could, occasionally rushing in to lick my face. I still felt so sad; how could I not? But there was more warmth being thrown over me, stifling the cold feeling. "I'm sorry, Yuri," I apologized for the millionth time. Yuri stopped his prancing to tilt his head at me. "I haven't really been… all that there. I'm sorry. I must have made you worry." He sat and draped his paws over my shoulder. He then proceeded to fawn all over me, grumbling and licking. It is okay, he seemed to say. I smiled until my stomach let out a vicious growl. I didn't know how many days I was indisposed, but goddamn I was suddenly starving. "Are you hungry, goofball?" I winked at Yuri. He gave one short loud bark and licked his lips. I laughed and unhitched myself from the cart and proceeded to dig in the back for something to eat. Perhaps with Yuri keeping an eye on me, things will turn out alright. After all, I'm still alive. The smell told me where I was before I saw it. The scent of cocoa butter and sugar wafted in the air, most likely from several hundred tons of melting chocolate. I was in Hershey, also known as Chocolate Town for some folks. I was pretty happy about it. I love chocolate and I can only hope my body can handle it. Poor Yuri, however. Being a dog, chocolate is a very strict no-no, but there's bound to be peanut butter goodies there for him too. He could eat a whole jar of the stuff in a matter of seconds. Like always, the town was silent. I was used to it by now: the silence and the overwhelming pressure of wrongness one gets in a depopulated area. I may be used to it, but it doesn't stop my brain from getting weird from it. I could honestly swear I saw people in the corner of my eyes. I was sure I heard shouts and yells from the direction of the amusement park. Yuri, however, didn't react, proving it was all in my head. Great, that's just what I needed, to go fucking crazy. I knew it would have been only a matter of time before my brain began to conspire against me. All the medicine in the world can't treat loneliness based hallucinations. I did my best to ignore the movement in the edges of my vision, but it was startling and exhausting. Perhaps it's because I'm in a tourist town? It just feels like it just needs to be filled with people. Especially on a warm summer day like this, but the rides remained still and empty. We made a stop at Chocolate World outside the actual park. The cakes and other confectioneries have long since began to rot, but the candy still in packages were edible if a bit melted. I loaded up on all the chocolate I could carry. I needed the sugar as a pick me up. I can't drink alcohol so I make due with copious amounts of delicious chocolatey goodness. Mmmm. I used to have dreams when I was little about being locked in a candy store overnight and being able to go to town with no consequences. I felt like that now. I took just enough for me and that's it. I even found some little peanut butter and peanut candies for Yuri. Yuri enjoyed himself as he sniffed around the area. He could still probably smell the traces of hundreds of shoes left on the flooring. How he could smell anything through the thick smell of chocolate, I didn't know. We left that place behind. There's just no point in sticking around longer than you had to. I found that if I was smart enough, I could walk on three legs and eat a candy bar at the same time. The bar itself had long since melted into a smooth goo in the wrapper. So I just bit holes in the wrapper with my fangs and sucked out the chocolate like some weird vampire. We made our way through. I didn't feel much like stopping to look at anything. It would most likely make things worse for me; getting out of there was probably our best best. I consulted my map. We would need to cross the Susquehanna River after entering Harrisburg. From there, it was mostly a straight shot. It looked easy on paper, but to actually hike it? That's a different story. When it began to grow dark and our paws and hooves were tired, we stopped to make camp for the night. It was routine by now. Breaking into houses got a little physically and psychologically easier with each instance. It was deceptively warm outside and I briefly entertained the thought of sleeping outside. But I didn't know what was out there. There may be no people, but there was bound to be other forms of life. Roving dogs and cats would be the least of my worries. I found a suitable house and there I set out food and water. Without the millions of lights polluting the sky, the stars and moon shone brightly through the windows. I looked up at them. It was so clear… I could even see the outer rim of our galaxy: the Milky Way. “Hey, Yuri,” I broke the silence. Even now, hearing my voice was strange to me. Yuri looked up from his bowl of kibble expectantly. “Do you think we'll be okay?” He looked at me and wagged his tail. His answer was a quick lick to my nose and a pleased grumble. I smiled. “Thanks, Yuri.” We spent some time after that, looking out of the windows and watching the stars move with the rotation of the planet. For now, the hallucinations were quiet and still. For now, everything was okay. "Mr. Sulu, anything to report?" I leaned back in my captain's chair. A chicken sat on my lap and I idly stroked it with a hoof. She purred loudly and occasionally let out a soft meow in pleasure. So far the bridge was orderly… as much as it could be. Yuri reclined in the second in command chair, his uniform tailored perfectly to suit his doggy form. He was eying my chicken with a hungry glint in his eyes. The four brass studs on my uniforms collar glinted in the light. Mr. Sulu swiveled around in his chair from his position at the helm. "Nothing serious, Captain," he spoke. "Though there is a level 2 naked in class scenario coming up on the port side." "Level two, you say?" I pulled on the sleeve of my uniform. "Can we navigate around it?" "Of course," he replied. "It would only take maneuvering around a few patches of tea time with Grandma and Mother's apple pies. It should be easy." I nodded. "Make it so! Let's go at warp five for a spell." Mr. Sulu saluted me, turned around and began hacking at the controls with a fencing sword. His shirt disintegrated from the sheer force of his stabbing blows upon the controls. I sighed. "Data, you better take over. He's doing that thing again." I facehoofed, careful not to disturb the chicken on my lap. The android went right to work and soon, the starship entered warp speed. I watched the stars come and go on the large bridge screen for a little while, just enjoying the view. Instead of just inky blackness, space was alive with a rainbow of colors. Colorful nebulas and shining neutron stars decorated the vast expense. All around me, various crew members blurred in and out of existence. The actual bridge was fairly stable, but the further out you went the more the area became fuzzier and blurrier. Still, what was there was good. This was going the most awesome dream ever. I frowned as I looked over my crew. "Constable Odo! Lieutenant Worf! Why is Wesley Crusher here, on my bridge? He's suppose to be in the brig!" "Apologies, my Captain." Odo grumbled as Worf put Wesley in a headlock and began to drag him, screaming and kicking, down the hallway. "He must have gotten out again." "Go down and make sure everything is locked up tight." I frowned. "If anything else escaped, I want them caught and locked up again! Bring in Tuvok and Chekov if you must. They cannot escape." Odo merely nodded and watched as Worf was forced to suplex a struggling Wesley into the carpet of the bridge. He eventually went over to help Worf subdue the most awful ensign ever. With that matter taken care of, I figured I could at least relax and enjoy some sightseeing. "Captain! There is… a being hailing us!" Uhura exclaimed, headset firmly around her ears. "What?" I blinked and leaned forward. My chicken squawked and ran away, startled by my sudden movement. "Is it the borg?" "No, Captain." Data's careful voice echoed in the bridge. "It is a creature outside of the ship. It is hailing us." I mentally prepared myself; who the fuck was out in the middle of space? "Okay, bring it on screen." The screen beeped and flickered as an image of a very familiar face appeared on the digital display. "Permission to come aboard, Captain?" Princess Luna winked. I blinked as my crew looked to me for what to do next. I was flabbergasted. I was angry. How dare she come back here! "Wha..." I managed to squeak. Luna gave me a look. "Please." Her tone was again firm but with a hint of gentleness. "I know you must still be very cross with me, but we indeed need to talk. May I come aboard and speak with you?" "Can't you just come in here anyway? Whether I want it or not?" I grumbled. I rubbed my eyes with a hoof. Yuri glanced over at me with a look of worry. "I dare not, not with a mind such as yours. Even so, it is your choice.” I thought hard as I looked at her face on the screen. Yes, I was still very pissed. I was still very sad. I was still a lot of things. But could I just ignore her? I felt like if I did, she'd only just keep coming back until I agreed to talk. I suppose it was best to just get this over with. I sighed. “Okay. I'll tell my crew to beam you aboard. I'll meet you in the transporter room.” She gave me a small smile. “Thank you.” With that, the screen went blank. “Data, Mr. Sulu, keep us on course. Yuri has the bridge until I return.” I stood up from my chair as Yuri sat up straight in his. He began to literally bark orders to the crew as I left. I trudged my way to the transporter room. I wondered if Luna really wanted to talk or perhaps punish me for the outburst I had a while ago? I said some things that I believed were not tolerate being said to royalty. Still, I buttered my bread, it was time to eat it. Princess Luna waited just as she said. She stood by the transporters, wearing—to my surprise—the old school yellow commander's uniform. The golden bars on her sleeves glittered in the blue light of the transporter room. Captain Kirk would be proud. “Why am I not surprised?” I said aloud. I stood in the entrance, looking up at Princess Luna with disdain. “I wished to remain in the spirit of things.” She touched the shimmering walls with a hoof. “I am very impressed, it is rare I find one who dreams so vividly and lucidly as you do.” She seemed to flicker around. For one second, I saw her as a man and then that man seemed to morph and change. Was it possible that my dreams were somehow affecting Luna? Was she just nothing but dreams? “Well, dreams were mostly all I had for a little while.” I gestured for her to follow me. “Come on, we'll talk in the conference room.” She nodded and followed me as I lead her to the lift. We endured perhaps the most awkward three minutes ever as awful, cheesy elevator music piped out of the walls. None of us spoke a single word until we arrived at the conference room. It was fairly simple. Plush carpet and red velvet swivel chairs were arranged tastefully around a large polished glass and wooden table. One wall was made of solid glass, so we could see the stars and nebula pass us by. A few potted plants stood in the corners, shifting species as soon as I stopped looking at them. I gestured with a hoof. “Well, have a seat.” I sat down at the head of the table. I was captain of this vessel, I get to have the best chair. “Thank you.” She took a seat beside me. Somehow, she managed to get her horse butt into the seat without it breaking. Perhaps she was using cheat codes or something. I cleared my throat. “You wanted to talk to me, yes?” I tapped my hooves together and rested my chin on them. “Yes.” She nodded. “You were, again, not in a very good… state when we last conversed. But I wish to know, have you thought about the question I asked you?” I sighed and closed my eyes. “Yes. I decided that, well… I want to live. I like being alive.” She smiled. “But,” I added, giving her a harsh look, “it doesn't excuse what you for what you did.” “For preventing mass extinction?” she tilted her head. “I fail to see how that is a bad thing.” She flickered for a moment and opened her mouth.“How we deal with death... is at least as important as how... we deal...with life” came the voice of one Captain James T. Kirk. I raised my eyebrow, but I still ground my teeth so hard I swear I saw sparks. “It is a bad thing.” “Perhaps if you allow me to explain, you will see why we were forced to involve ourselves in the matter.” “Sure, by all means.” I could barely keep the contempt out of my voice. “Explain away.” Her horn lit up in a blue light. I watched as she began to lay down lines in the air, drawing in three dimensions with her horn. When finished, she pulled her horn away from her creation, but it remained lit. Before me was something akin to a hologram, illustrating the milky way galaxy. The planets and stars moved around on the little map without much worry or care. “Your people have always fascinated mine.” She looked fondly at the arm of the galaxy that contained the Sol system. For one split second, I could swear I could see the arm explode into a mess of stars and fires. When I rubbed my eyes, it was back to normal again.  “My people… everything we are and what we can do is because of magic. It is us and we are it. Everything else spanning the universe has some magic and it shapes the beings and objects that occupy it.” She waved her horn, until a hologram of Earth floated above the table. “Except for yours. You have made your own forms of magic—We have... found all life forms—You have made medicines that combat the most terrible of diseases. You have split the atom. You have touched your moon. You have built wonderful machines and cities. All without true magic—in the galaxy are…. capable—You have done it all on your own, with the sweat of your brows and the dirt upon your hands.” —of superior development—  I listened carefully. It is true, human beings are pretty awesome. “We were content to watch and observe. Until we noticed something quite alarming.” The hologram changed once again to the galaxy view. A visible wave of… something rushed towards the arm of the Milky Way. It chilled me to look at it. “Death was swiftly approaching. Your people were born not from magic and as a result, your people cannot make contact with it. It will kill you and every other human being on your planet.” “Well, how do you know it was going to kill us?”  She gave me a look that echoed both sadness and seriousness. “Trust me, we know how. It is a painful and horrible death. You live just long enough to contemplate the horrors of it, before you perish—Intuition, however illogical, is recognized as a command prerogative.” I swallowed. Wow. “It is much like this.” The hologram changed as she wove a new picture. “Imagine a world of water and there, against all odds, is a single island. It is a beautiful island full of unique life. On the island live humble little ants. Hardworking and industrious, they make their own little society.” I watched as she illustrated her explanation. In blue and white lights, I saw little ants building cars and cities and going about their lives as the fish below observed their work. “Now imagine that a wave is swiftly approaching to drown all the little ants. “ I watched the hologram as a tsunami rose above the little island, ready to snuff out all lives upon it. “Risk Is…” “So what, you turn them all into fuckin' fish?” She blinked. “Yes. If it meant they would survive.” “There's another... way to survive. Mutual trust… and help.” Man, hearing two voices intermingle was weird and unsettling. I groaned loudly. “No offense, Your Majesty, but that is the biggest crock of shit I have ever heard.” She looked taken aback, her nebulous mane pausing for just a second. “Explain—Explain.” “Listen. I mean really listen.” I gestured with my hooves. “Earth is no stranger to mass extinctions. The K-T event, the dinosaurs, megafauna… all wiped out. All gone. Humanity was heading for an eventual extinction too. Either we were going to blow ourselves up to kingdom come or a new disease or a friggin' comet slamming into the planet would have done the job. The point is, nothing lasts forever here. With each extinction, something new and beautiful arises from the ashes.” Luna stared at me, the hologram flickering as her concentration was on me. She was James Kirk. She was a pony. She was both. She was nothing. “Risk Is…” “Sure, this magic missile shit would have wiped us out. But instead of letting us die with dignity, you robbed the planet of its next creation. Who knows what would have followed us after humans died? What great civilization would have arisen now that we weren't the dominant species? That chance is now gone.” I pointed a hoof at Luna, fire in my eyes. “INSTEAD, you and whoever else decided the best course of action would be to turn us into your species. You have forever altered this planet and took away it's ability to rebuild itself.” Luna with equal fire, responded, “You said that you were glad to be alive. Surely if you are glad of it, there are many more that would be grateful to be able to still draw breath. Not one hundred percent efficient, of course...but nothing ever is.” “Oh my god!” I held my head in my hooves. “That is a fallacy! If I were killed by this wave of magic, I wouldn't be alive to give an opinion! I would be dead! Nobody would be alive to give an opinion!” “Risk Is…” “Plus, there are people that are going to be in a worse mental state than I am. There's going to masses of suicides. There's going to be murder. There is going to be more Tylers. You can change our bodies, but you can't change our minds. So instead of a quick death, we get to drag it out.” “Child.” Luna's voice took on an edge. “One of the advantages... of being a Captain... is being able to ask for advice... without necessarily having… to take it.” “No, no you listen to me. This is my planet.” I snapped back. “What if we humans saw your species and decided the best thing to do was to turn you all into humans? Would you and your people be happy about that? What if we made most of you vanish, so that you get to find babies starved to death in their cribs?” She looked at me, her visage steely. “Risk is part of the game if you want to sit in that chair.” “I will not apologize for what we have done to save your species,” she finally spoke, her voice everything like I imagined a princess to be. “What is done, is done. It cannot be reversed or altered. It is what it is.” “A little suffering... is good for the soul.” “Well then. I just sincerely hope then you think hard before you pull this on another species.” I licked my fangs. She and I stared at each other for a bit, unwavering and steadfast. Her, with every grace and intimidation of a monarch, and I, with the stubbornness and sarcasm that marked my species. She may be some intergalactic winged night god horse, but this is my brain. This is my planet. This is my life. She looked like she wanted to say something, but I cut her off. “There's a little something humans came up with. It was mostly found in the show I based my dream off of, but it applies to real life.” I gestured to the window outside, showing the passing planets and star systems. “It's called the Prime Directive. Pretty much, you don't meddle in the affairs of a 'lesser' species. No matter how tempting and no matter how good the intentions. You leave them alone. But you're right in that what's done is done. The only thing we can do now is try to live with what your people have done. ” She rose to her hooves. “I will keep that in mind.” “Another dream that failed. There's nothing sadder.” With that, she faded away into blue and white sparkles, vanishing completely from my conference room. I sat there for a spell, contemplating. I hoped I got through to her. She probably thought I was a huge asshole, but that's fine. I'm sure whoever else she talked too wasn't going to be super pleased with what she did with 'good intentions'. I was, also, terribly confused and unsettled. Hell, I wasn't even sure she was real yet, and not just some figment of my damaged mind. “Christ,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. I got up to the replicator and put in an order for the biggest chocolate milkshake that could fit in the damn thing. Might as well try to enjoy the rest of the dream while I still could. The bridge needed its captain, after all. I wasn't lying when I said I was happy to be alive. I just hope it will stay that way.