Chapter Six
Captain's Log; supplemental. Negotiations have hit an unexpected snag. I have found myself locked in a... duel with one of the local aristocracy, a Prince Blueblood. Commanders Spock and Uhura are digging up anything they can on the ancient dueling traditions, aided ably by Princess Twilight Sparkle and her own assistant, Spike. Meanwhile, survey missions continue under Commander Sulu's supervision.
I am also continuing talks with the Princesses. Hopefully I will be able to... defuse the situation.
Spock sat at a table one of the Canterlot's Royal Library's study rooms, the table almost groaning with ancient tomes. He flicked through the pages, eyes missing nothing and brain categorizing everything he read.
Twilight walked over, three books floating beside her head. “Okay, I think this is everything the library's got on the ancient dueling traditions of the Unicorn Tribe.” She placed the books on the table. “Let's see, we've got 'The Dashing Duelist's Designs', Fencing for Fun and Faith', and 'Honorable Orneriness.”
Spock arched an eyebrow. “Fascinating.”
Twilight leaned forward. “What is?”
Spock picked up 'The Dashing Duelist's Designs' and opened it up. “Ninety-five point seven percent of all the books you have brought me have alliterative titles, your highness.”
Twilight slowly nodded. “Oh, right! It's a memory device to aid in remembering the titles. Complex spells have the same thing in their titles as well.” She chuckled. “It's so familiar to me, I gloss over it most of the time.”
Uhura walked over, her nose buried in a book. “Hmm, if I'm reading these and others right, Captain Kirk has the right to dictate what weapons used, as well as the rules.”
At that moment, Spike walked in, carrying a tray laden with mugs of coffee and setting it down on an end table. “Well, in that case, why not just use phasers at thirty paces and stun him with one shot?”
Uhura opened her mouth, but looked to Twilight before speaking. “Is that allowed?”
Twilight scratched her temple. “I... I don't see why not!” She suddenly groaned. “But then again, that would mean Blueblood would get a phaser, too.” She looked to Uhura's midsection and the phaser pistol hanging off of her belt. “How hard is it to learn how to use one of those things?”
Spock shook his head. “An admirable idea, Mister Spike, but Starfleet regulations forbid arming civilians with phaser weapons unless there is a dire need. I am afraid in this case, phasers cannot be used.”
Spike let out a groan and kicked at the floor. “Darn. Sorry, Mister Spock. Oh, and just call me Spike. No need for a 'mister' there.”
Spock arched an eyebrow. “There is no need for apology, Spike. Your idea, in other circumstances, would work.”
Twilight walked over, leaned her head down and gently nuzzled him. “Spock's right, Spike. That was a pretty smart idea there.” She turned back to the main table, but a giant yawn escaped her lips. She blushed and floated a cup of coffee up to her mouth, taking a large gulp. “Sorry,” she said after swallowing, “I guess it's been a pretty long day for me.”
Uhura looked around, spotting a window. Night had fallen, and the full moon shone brightly in the sky. “Damn, where did the time go?”
Spock flipped through another book. “Commander, by my calculations, the Enterprise should be entering its night cycle. And you do have a tour of Ponyville tomorrow morning. Perhaps it would be best for you to return to the ship for rest.”
Spike and Twilight looked to Spock. “Well... what about you?” Spike asked. “Don't you need to sleep, too?”
Spock shook his head. “Negative. My Vulcan physiology allows me to perform multiple tasks for an extended period of time without rest or even the consumption of food. I shall stay and continue the research for thirty-three more minutes. Then I shall attend a meeting with the Princesses.”
Spike blinked. “Whoa, cool.” He looked to Twilight and waggled a claw at her. “Don't get any ideas, Twilight. You're not a Vulcan!”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I know, Spike.” She dipped her head down and away from him. “Maybe that could change, though...”
“What was that?”
Twilight's head shot back up. “Nothing, nothing!”
Uhura sighed. “Yes, Mister Spock is half-Vulcan. But as Doctor McCoy would remind you, you're half-human.” She held up a hand. “And no, that's not an insult, but a statement of fact.”
Spock nodded slightly. “You are correct, Commander. However, I am still far from exceeding my physical capabilities. And Captain Kirk still needs any and all information we can retrieve from these books.”
Twilight spoke up. “Well, there's one big piece of advice I can give about fighting unicorns.” She motioned to her horn. “No matter how powerful a unicorn is, he or she still needs to be able to concentrate to perform even basic telekinesis. Hay, I've had my own magic disrupted by loss of concentration.”
Uhura's face blossomed as she smiled. “That's a damned good piece of advice, Twilight.” She looked to Spock. “Maybe we should advise the Captain to have the rules be barehanded, or barehooved? Knowing him, he can get in close and punch that horn before Blueblood can do anything!”
Spike snapped his claws. “Yeah! That's a great idea, Commander!” He leaned back and punched the air. “Give him the old one-two!”
Spock bobbed his head slightly. “An interesting suggestion, and one I shall consider giving the Captain at the meeting.”
Twilight looked to the door. “Well, the librarian said you can stay here after-hours, Mister Spock. Just please make sure to sign out any books at the front desk, okay?”
Spock nodded to her. “I can assure you, your highness. I will make sure any and all books I take with me will be properly checked out before I return to the Enterprise.”
Spike looked to Twilight. “Hey, think we should check out if Sunset wrote back to you before bed?”
Twilight's eyes widened. She slapped herself in the forehead. “Oh, darn! I completely forgot about that!” Her horn glowed and Spike floated up onto her back. “If you two will excuse me, please?” Her horn flared, and she and Spike vanished.
Uhura unclipped her communicator from her belt and flipped it open. “Enterprise, one to beam up.” She looked to Spock. “I expect to see you back at the Enterprise sooner rather than later, Spock.” She looked back to the communicator. “Energize.”
Twilight and Spike reappeared in their castle, right in front of the mirror that led to the alternate reality. Spike hopped off of Twilight's back, but before he could say anything, he let out a deep yawn. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his back. “Twilight, is it okay if I hit the hay?”
Twilight's horn glowed and the door opened. “Go right ahead, Spike. And thank you again for all your hard work today. Sleep in tomorrow if you want, too.” She giggled as he hugged her, returning the embrace with her wings. They broke off and Spike walked out, waving to her even as he disappeared from view.
Twilight looked back to the mirror and book. Her horn glowed and the book floated over to her. Her brow furrowed as she read what was written in it. “Wait, what's this? What's 'Star Trek'? Who's 'William Shatner'?”
Captain Kirk leaned back, blinking slightly. He, Kang, and Mara sat with Celestia, Luna, and Cadance in some numbered conference room in Canterlot Castle. A magically-conjured map of the Equus System floated above the table. Celestia looked around the table before speaking. “Although I wish Mister Spock was here, I believe we should explain the unusual setup of our solar system sooner rather than later.” She looked to Kirk. “How long will he be at the library?”
Kirk opened his mouth, but any response was cut off as Spock materialized in the conference room. “I believe that answers your question, your highness.”
Spock stepped forward and bowed his head. “My apologies for my tardiness. I had several books checked out from the Royal Canterlot Library. I felt it prudent to bring them to the Enterprise first.”
Celestia's horn glowed and the final unoccupied seat slid out. “No problem, Mister Spock. I'm glad we're all here, now.” A small smile played at the corners of her lips. “And now, to sate your curiosity, our solar system.” She waved at the map, still floating above the table. “Yes, Luna and I control the movements of the celestial bodies around our planet. We use the gravimetric distortions you've undoubtedly detected to direct them.”
Mara leaned forward. “Your highness, those distortions aren't powerful enough to direct a star. However, there is another energy linking this planet to your sun and moon.”
Luna's right eyebrow quirked. “You're able to detect that?”
Mara's eyes widened. “You didn't expect us to?”
Luna shook her head. “There's no real scientific term for it. Consider it part of our essence, our soul.” She placed a hoof on her chest. “Celestia and I are not just what you see here. We have... evolved, beyond the physical.”
Kang clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it into the armrest. “Like the Organians, or the...” He snapped his fingers. “What was his name, Kirk, Trelane?”
Kirk nodded. “Right, Kang.” He motioned to the map. “Your highness, is it just control, or do you and Luna... embody the sun and moon?”
Celestia nodded to him, her smile widening. “An apt analogy, Captain. Yes, Luna and I do more than just control the celestial bodies. We're part of them, and them, us.”
Spock leaned forward. “Control of them must be difficult.” At their looks, he shrugged. “The speed of light, your highnesses. By my calculations, it would take the light from the star approximately eight minutes, fifty-seven point nine seconds to reach Equus.”
Celestia chuckled. “What a precise approximation, Mister Spock.”
Kirk grinned. “I've found Mister Spock's approximations to be more accurate than other's concrete measurements.”
Mara spoke up. “I have found him rather knowledgeable as I've worked with him.”
Celestia waved a wing back at the map. “Well, since a part of me is in the sun, control is not as difficult as you'd think, Mister Spock. I–”
A voice boomed out in the room. “Oh, come on, Celestia. Why all the boring technical babble? You use magic to control the sun, Luna the moon. Let's get onto the fun stuff, like Kirk in a shirtless fight with that boneheaded Blueblood!”
Kirk, Spock, Kang, and Mara all rose to their feet, looking around. Spock held his tricorder up and activated it, Mara following suit. “I am unable to detect the source of the voice, Captain.”
Kirk looked to the princesses, who were both blushing and shrinking down in their seats. “Something tells me you... weren't expecting anyone else showing up?”
Celestia groaned and leaned forward. “To be honest, I was wondering when you'd show up, Discord.”
Kang's hand went to the disruptor in his belt-holster. “'Discord'?”
A flash of light lit up the room as Discord teleported in, floating right in front of Kang. He bowed, spinning about in midair. “Why hello, Captain!” he stopped spinning and, upside down, extended a hand. “How positively delightful to meet you!”
Kang crossed his arms. “I presume you are Discord.” He looked him over. “What species are you?”
Discord rolled his eyes around in their sockets. “Oh, dear.” He rotated around once more, ending right-side up. “Although the technical term is draconequus, I don't like to limit myself in such a stultifying manner. I'm Discord. I'm unique!”
Luna rolled her eyes. “You're a royal pain in the flank.”
Discord turned and pointed at her, but stopped. “Eh... you've got a point, Lulu.” He snapped his claws. A lit cigar appeared in Luna's mouth, and a bottle of wine appeared on the table in front of her.
Celestia forced a brittle smile on her face. “Captains Kirk and Kang, Mister Spock and Miss Mara, this is Discord, a being that embodies chaos and randomness. Beyond that... he's somewhat hard to describe.”
Discord waved an arm in the air and bowed. “My dear Celestia, a higher compliment you cannot pay to me!”
Kirk's jaw canted to the right. “Well, it's... certainly an interesting way to introduce yourself, Discord.”
Discord spun around to face Kirk, his head twisting around several-dozen times. He finally held his front limbs up and pressed them to the side of his head, stopping it. He turned his head to face Kirk. “My dear Captain Kirk, you have no idea how glad I am the Federation made contact when it did.”
Kirk looked Discord over. “Really?”
Discord nodded and leaned in close. “Dear Princess Sparkle was about to lock herself up in her castle's library with Spike and do some sort of massive reorganization or something for minuscule amounts of efficiency.” He rolled his eyes around in his head, the orbs falling out of his mouth, bouncing on the floor and back up into his eye sockets. “Chaos knows what I would've had to do then.”
Spock arched an eyebrow. “Fascinating, Captain. He does not register on my tricorder.”
Mara held up her own scanner. “Nor mine, Spock.” her head shot to her left as Discord was by her side. She shouted, let go of her scanner with her right hand, pulled out her disruptor and fired it at Discord's head.
A stream of water shot from the emitter, washing over Discord's face and matting his fur and beard down. He held a hand to his forehead and swooned. “Oh, my dear Mara! I had no idea you felt that way!”
Kang placed a hand on Mara's disruptor and pushed it down. “A good shot, Mara. Not a good idea to take it, though.” He looked to Celestia and Luna and bowed his head. “I take full responsibility for her actions.”
Celestia and Luna exchanged a look. Celestia turned to Kang and Mara and shrugged. “Truth be told, if I had a bit for every time I wanted to shoot Discord, I could buy both Earth and Q'onos and have enough left over for some cake.”
Discord held up a claw, but stopped and shrugged. “Eh, can't blame you too much there, Celly dear.” He looked to Kirk and Kang. “I bet you two have so many questions! Where do you even start?”
Spock arched an eyebrow. “Fascinating, Captain. He is rather reminiscent of Trelane. At least in his level of maturity.”
A teacup and saucer appeared in midair. Discord snatched the cup, took a sip and then spat it out. “Me? Reminiscent of that bratty little half-pint? Please! I'm the picture of refinement and maturity.” He pulled back part of his fur and reached into a dark hole. “And if you believe that, I have the deed to Sherman's Planet here somewhere.”
Kirk rolled his eyes and leaned heavily on the table with one hand while massaging his forehead with the other. “I hope your antics will be somewhat... limited, Discord. Or at least relatively... harmless.”
Celestia shrank down slightly in her chair. Discord snorted. He disappeared, reappearing inside a witness stand. Another version of himself stood in front of him and held out a book. Discord placed one paw on it and held the other up. “I won't lie, Captain. I was a vicious, sadistic monster. Other sapient beings were my playthings. I twisted reality around like it was taffy. All for my banal, base amusement. I offer no defense for what I did.”
Kang crossed his arms. “I note you used the past tense there, Discord. That and Celestia and Luna are not in a blind panic, either. You are... better?”
The witness stand and other Discord disappeared. Discord held a microphone up to his mouth as applause sounded out. “Johnny, tell him what he's won!” Discord suddenly dropped his arms. “As seriously as I can, Captain, I suppose I am. I learned all-too-well what it was like to be the victim, to be on the receiving end. A bit of friendship and kindness from those who had every reason to abandon me has put me down a... better path. I'm still a bit wacky, and definitely chaotic, but I limit myself to mostly-harmless pranks nowadays.”
Spock arched an eyebrow. “Fascinating.”
Discord chuckled. “Probably the best reaction I could get from you, Mister Spock.” He held up a paw. “No worries. I won't try to break your emotional control. I'm not a Platonian, for Chaos' sake. I'm a lot better than I used to be.”
Spock nodded. “I am rather grateful for that.”
Kirk waved a finger in the air. “So, Discord... how chaotic... are you, nowadays? Or even back then?”
Discord steepled his digits together and leaned forward. “Oh, quite a bit, Captain. I'd be all over the place, literally! Even now I can go off here and there and everywhere!”
Kang snorted. “Like a child vying for attention.”
Discord turned to face him. He moved forward, but stopped. “Well... yes, I suppose.”
Kirk exchanged a look with Kang, then looked at Discord. “I... doubt you're as chaotic as you claim, Discord.”
Discord's head snapped around. “What?”
Kang barked a laugh. “You're right, Kirk. If he was as chaotic or random as he makes himself out to be, would he even be coherent? You play with some random gags and tomfoolery, but it's all to get other's attention.”
Kirk nodded and waved a finger at Discord. “Yes, Kang. You're right. This... avatar of chaos is really just playing the fool. There's probably quite the... calculating mind underneath his jibes and all these random acts. Although they're not so random, are they.”
Luna arched an eyebrow. “Very astute observations, Captains.” She turned her head. “Well, Discord?”
Discord held up a paw, but lowered it. “Quite astute,” he finally said. “You're right. I do so love the attention. And when I didn't get it, I would... force others to pay attention to me. Against their will and all that. Quite horrid of me, on reflection.”
Spock spoke up. “You mentioned earlier that you felt what it was like to be on the receiving end of such torture, Discord.”
Discord straightened up, his unruly hair replaced by a hairdo eerily similar to Spock's own. “Very good observation, Mister Spock. I was–”
Celestia spoke up. “Discord, you don't... have to say anything.”
Discord slowly looked to Celestia, a small, genuine smile forming. “I do, Celestia. These gentlebeings deserve to know who and what they're dealing with.” He held his hands up and a window appeared above him. The image of Tirek appeared inside it. “I betrayed Equestria and all its citizens to aid a monstrous demon known as Tirek. He was attempting to acquire all the magic in Equestria.”
Mara spoke up. “To what end?”
Discord shrugged. “As it's been said, some people just want to watch the world burn. In the end, he tricked and betrayed me, stripping me of my own chaotic magic and imprisoning me.”
Kang snarled. “Honorless coward, stabbing his allies in the back. May this Tirek rot in Gre'thor for all time.”
Discord grinned. “He is, Captain. He is.” The image changed to that of Twilight Sparkle. “In the end, Twilight freed me, despite having no sane reason to, other than it was the right thing to do.” He lowered his hands and the window disappeared. “And now I'm just trying my best to make up for past misdeeds.”
Kirk and Spock exchanged a glance. “Well, it is rather... admirable of you to do that,” Kirk said. “I just hope you don't take too much offense if we remain... on our guard.”
Discord grinned. “I'd be insulted if you didn't, Captain. I may pop onto either of your ships. Or I may not. Either way, I'll be seeing you.” A door flashed into existence behind Discord. He tipped a hat that was suddenly on his head to everyone before opening the door, walking through it and closing it behind him. The door vanished, along with Discord.
Kang reached up and activated his communicator. “Pride, this is Captain Kang.”
“Commander Kina here, sir.”
“Kina, Mara and I have just encountered a... a being known as Discord.” He growled. “He's one of those semi-omnipotent godlings that have begun popping up. Give word to the crew that if he's encountered, he is not to be attacked. He's immune to our weapons, and if angered, would be very dangerous. Remember your Kahless, Kina.”
“Understood, Captain. I'll make a ship-wide announcement immediately. Anything else?”
Kang looked to Mara. She shook her head after a moment, and he spoke once more. “Negative, Commander. We'll keep you informed. Kang out.”
Kirk turned to Spock. “Well, if I may borrow a catchphrase, this has certainly been a... fascinating turn of events.”
Spock nodded slightly. “Indeed, Captain. One would call it interesting.”
Celestia slid off her chair and walked around the table. “Captains, Discord may be annoying, but he's also right. Luna and I could bore you with technical details about gravimetric distortions and transwarp sensing, but the simple truth is, Luna and I use our innate powers to move the sun and moon around our planet in stable orbits. There's a path that leads from the sun to Equus that lets any changes be seen by the populace instantly. Due to our connections, we can detect any changes or problems nearly instantaneously and work to correct it. We weren't the first to do so, we may not be the last to do so.”
Luna rose and also walked around the table, opposite the direction of Celestia. “In the meantime, we maintain the system's orbital mechanics for those living here. It is our duty, and one we gladly perform.”
Kang looked from one to the other, then to Kirk. “I suppose that is the best explanation we will receive on this matter. At least for now.”
Kirk half-smiled. “Well, at least it's an explanation.” He bowed to Celestia, then Luna. “Thank you for speaking with us about it.”
Celestia smiled, returning the bow. “You're more than welcome, Captain. Spock, Mara, you both are more than welcome to continue your research. Ask any questions you wish to, conduct any scans you feel necessary.”
Mara held up her tricorder and flipped it on. “I will definitely take you up on the offer. Princess, may I take a scan of you?”
Celestia cantered about to face Mara. She leaned forward, tilting her head from side to side. “It won't tickle, will it?” At Mara's look of confusion, she winked. “Kidding, kidding!” She let out a snort and shake of her head. “When you've lived as long as Luna and I have, a little fun is needed to break the monotony.”
Luna barked a laugh. “Yes, 'fun'. I have rather come to enjoy fun over the past few years. It does tend to relieve stress.”
Kang grunted. “I know the feeling. I think all those with power and responsibility do.”
Kirk slowly nodded. “Spock and I have encountered other beings that... express the same desire.” He looked to Spock and waved his hand about. “At the... amusement park planet. The more advanced the mind, the greater the need for play.”
Spock slowly nodded. “Not your exact phrasing at the time, Captain, but it does convey the original message.” He looked to Luna and flipped his own tricorder open. “With your permission, your highness?”
Luna stretched her wings out. “Proceed, Mister Spock. I am actually quite curious to hear what your device will tell us.”
Spock held the tricorder up and slowly waved it across Luna's wings. “I would have to download the scans into the Enterprise's computer for a thorough analysis. However, I am detecting high levels of energy flowing through discrete channels in your wings, horn, and hooves.”
Mara turned her head at Spock's words. “As am I.” She turned back, continuing to wave her tricorder over Celestia's body. After a few minutes, she snapped it shut. “Thank you, Princess. This will be most illuminating.”
Celestia's brow furrowed. “Mara, was that a joke?” She slowly smiled. “If so, it was a good one.”
Kang leaned his head back and laughed. “We Klingons are not as joyless as some would make us out to be.”
Kirk walked over to Celestia's side. “Your highness, as Discord brought up earlier, concerning the... upcoming duel with Blueblood. Are you... sure there's nothing you or Luna can do to dissuade him from this course of action?”
Celestia's head drooped, while Luna unsuccessfully tried to stifle a nicker. “I'm afraid not, Captain. You remember me mentioning the Three Tribes earlier?” At his nod, she continued. “To put it briefly, before Equestria, the ponies were mainly divided along racial lines–earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. They eventually unified into Equestria, and eventually Luna and I came to rule over them.”
Kang spoke up. “Did Discord have anything to do with you two coming to power?”
Celestia looked to him, smiling slightly. “Yes, he did.” She looked to Kirk once more. “When Luna and I assumed power, we negotiated certain compromises with those still in power. Legal checks on what we can or can't do. And we will abide by those. One of them is... concerning formal duels.”
Kirk's jaw canted to the right. “Formal duels... such as the one Blueblood challenged me to.”
Celestia's ears folded against her skull. Her cheeks flushed red. “There hasn't been a formal duel like this in a very long time, Captain. As loathe as I am to say this, it just... slipped through the cracks.”
Kang barked a laugh. “It is good to see that the monolithic bureaucracy is a universal constant.”
Celestia half-smiled. “Too true, Kang. Too true.”
Kirk held his hands out. “Well, thank you for explaining, Princess. I'll just have to... do my best against Blueblood when the time comes.”
Kang's brow furrowed. “Do I sense trepidation or even... fear from you, Kirk? This is an honorable duel against a foppish idiot.” he reached over and smacked Kirk on the shoulder. “It won't be the most glorious battle, but it should be quite entertaining to see you win!”
Kirk stumbled a bit. He nodded to Kang, even as he rotated his arm around and massaged his shoulder and upper back. “Thank you, although I'd prefer to... not have to duel him in the first place.”
Celestia waved a wing at him. “As I said before, Captain, no matter the outcome, it will not affect negotiations with the Federation. Blueblood challenged you after insulting Rarity. It's on his horn.” Her expression softened. “Just... go easy on him, all right?”
Kirk motioned to himself. “Me? Go easy on him?”
Spock spoke up. “Captain, you have dealt with far more dangerous opponents. I estimate you have a ninety-three point seven-six percent chance of defeating him without causing any permanent or fatal injuries to him.”
Kirk looked to Spock. “Spock, you do remember I grew up on a farm, right? I know what... horses can do if they manage to connect with a kick. It's not pretty. Add in any innate unicorn powers and this won't be easy.”
Kang smiled. “Nothing worth doing is easy, Kirk.”
Kirk looked to Kang, merely returning the smile and nodding.
Spock continued. “I do, Captain. That is why I place your chances so high. I have also been conversing with Princess Sparkle about how to negate unicorn magic. I should be able to prepare a brief training regimen for you tonight.”
Kirk walked over and slapped Spock on his left arm. “Thank you, Spock. I'm sure it will be a most thorough briefing.”
Luna cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. “Is there anything else, then?” She waited a moment for any objections before continuing. “Very well. I call this meeting to be adjourned. Captain Kirk, Captain Kang, we'll see you tomorrow at nine o'clock. Conference room five, this time.”
Mara held up her tricorder. “Mister Spock, I shall be over to the Enterprise tomorrow, 0900 hours. I have a feeling we will have much to discuss.”
Kang stepped over to Mara's side. “I shall be there, Princess.” He activated his communicator. “Pride, two to beam up.” He looked to Celestia, then Luna, then Kirk. “Tomorrow I shall begin to show you the wisdom of allying with the Klingon Empire, and the glory that would await you by our side. Energize.”
Kirk pulled out his own communicator and flipped it open. “Enterprise, two to beam up.” He bowed to Celestia, then Luna. “Good night, your highnesses. Tomorrow I shall show you... our side. And what we have to offer.” he looked back down at his communicator. “Energize.”
Luna waited until Kirk and Spock had disappeared before walking over to Celestia's side. “Sister, I do believe they feel we have to choose one or the other.”
A teacup floated up and over to Celestia. She took a slow sip before speaking. “I do believe you're right, Lulu. We're going to have to nip that in the bud and show them a third option.”
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No! No turning yourself into different species Twilight!
I did think that Discord might have mentioned being turned to stone for 1000 years thing, it wouldn't hurt to be shown what the ponies (well the elements of harmony) can do to their enemies.
And in the Continuum, a certain Q isn't sure whether to feel insulted or amused by the entity who shares his voice.
Anyway, a nice transitory chapter. Some questions are put to rest, while a very big one gets up and clears its throat. I get the feeling that Twilight and Sumset are in for a very interesting conversation, to say nothing of the diarchs' plans for handling the spacefarers' implicit exclusivity expectations
I'm surprised that no one's thought to pick a 'duel' that uses something other than weapons.
Like taking advantage of the fact that Kirk is a master at 3D chess.
I expect Sunset Shimmy to come bursting through the portal
CAPTAIN KIIIIIIRK! AHHHHH!!!!
Dressed in her finest star trek cosplay
8122063
Alternatively, Discord decides to take a humanoid form in order to tweak Federation types more effectively and becomes...Q.
8122139
Or challenge Blueblood to a thumb war.
8122151 Would pay to see that!
With Sunset Shimmers message, I suspect a discussion of the multiverse is up next.
8122061 Hey, it worked for Breezies....
That third option, eh?
Activate Friendship Cannon: YES/NO
8122071 ...meh. Mythbusters proved that it wouldn't work.
8122151 ...that would be awesome.
8122147
Celestia has to properly inform Captains Kirk and Kang that she does not speak for all on the planet.
Equestria is a good fit for the Federation's philosophy, but the Gryphons and Minotaurs and Diamond Dogs might actually prefer the Klingons.
(And when they encounter them, the Gryphons and the Ferengi will either become very good business partners, or the biggest economic rivals in this half of the galaxy.)
Spike's pretty smart and Discord brought up some good points.
Good story so far. Can't wait to see the duel.
One little nit-pick though.... I don't ever recall a Klingon using the phrase "Energize". I always thought that was a human thing. I could be wrong though!
Nice worldbuilding!
And Spike had a good idea - just the Prime Directive throw a spanner on it...
8122151
That would be awesome (there a good fan art on the idea!) (can you imagine Sunset's reaction if she manage to get beamed into Enterprise?
)
And it would lead to an interesting situation - in the Discord sense: in the anime Re:CREATORS (where fictional characters came to the real world and try find their creators), an illustrator ended spoiling a characters of upcoming twists in their story - since Sunset is a fan of Star Trek... can she help herself and don't spoil the future history of the Federation (The Next Generation)???
So the events of the fic happen in what would be the timeframe for "What About Discord?" - so in Sunset's timeline the Friendship Games are still to happen, right?
Really looking forward to it!
Maybe Kirk could look into exemples of duels and see what kind of weapons are favored? There's probably a 'piping hot pie at ten pace' one in there! I mean it's pretty much how the Mild West was settled
8122139 "I challenge you to a children's card game!"
8122240 Clever!
OK so one thing I don't like seeing in fanfics are impossible or improbable coincidences.
By that I mean something that happens in the story that is so coincidental it breaks immersion (at least for me).
So, for example, let's say our fic (any fic) villain is going to take the train to Canterlot and destroy it or something (yeah stupid example, but think of this as a car analogy except MLP doesn't have cars). But coincidentally, the train derails so the villain is delayed, allowing our heroes to show up in time. Train derailments are rare, and if neither the heroes or villain were responsible--it's just an unrelated event--it would strain credulity. On the other hand, if the villain showed up late because the trains were running late, that is a more common thing that would be more believable. Stupid example but it's simple enough to get my point across I guess.
One specific coincidence I hate is seeing a work of fiction represented both as a work of fiction AND reality, in different universes. There aren't really too many explanations that can explain what is otherwise a staggeringly impossible coincidence (of them, maybe someone created the fiction based off of the reality, but then it's usually a major plot point and I haven't seen this one done well at all). So I don't really like the idea of Star Trek being represented as fiction in this story, especially since it doesn't seem important to the story.
Another coincidence is simply the existence of the Equestria Girls universe in tandem with any crossover featuring humans, since the existence of both sets of humans is typically coincidental. So I tend to prefer when EQG stuff is ignored in fics unless the story is an EQG fic in the first place (heck, the main TV series ignores EQG).
So yeah that's just my thoughts. I'll keep reading of course. :)
Discords Mostly Harmless, 42 times a day.
Welcome to the madness that is Equestria Mr. Spock. Wait till you see how many horse puns abound.
Have both combatants wear heavy armor and fight him hand-to-hand, magic forbidden.
BB is a spoiled A-hole in this story. Kirk is... Kirk, the badass. Kirk just has to 'dance like a butterfly' until BB wears himself down, then 'sting like a bee' with a quick neck-pinch. Assuming Kirk can pull it off... Shatner apparently had a hard time even getting the Vulcan hand sign right.
EDIT: Oooo! Of course! Kirk can say they both must fight in ANTIMAGIC armor! Since he gets to say what the armaments are, he can ask for such a thing and put it on long-term delay as they find out if it can even be constructed. And if a means already exist, then he still wins out!
Oh the look on her face when she finds out she's a fictional character in OUR universe. And gets a look at all the clop.
So many thoroughly broken pony minds... I shall become all-powerful from the madness I can consume!
(And so, it is revealed that Alondro is an Insaneling! He feeds off people's insanity to fuel his magical powers!)
One could say that they're quantum entangled with aspects of the Sun and Moon... which is rather how I suspect subspace communications in "Star Trek" would have to work since they're instantaneous across hundreds of light-years... just as quantum entanglement has proven to be. The best direct measurement of the effect places a MINIMUM speed of 10,000 times faster than light.
And now, as I predicted, there may indeed be a way to utilize it. It won't be easy or inexpensive, and horribly inefficient at first with a high error rate. But it will permit communication over vast distances at incalculable speed. That's the only thing that really matters when one needs to speak across galaxies.
Ah yes... "What About Discord"... yes... can I add my 30+ pages of rants to yours?
Yes, as Alondro and I had been discussing, what we humans currently understand as physical constants: such as speed of light, gravity, existence of and technological suppression of magic...all of which may or may not be variable, but...
probably because the Q Continuum invented the idea of monolithic bureaucracy, and thus it's a permanent fixture in every dimension of the multiverse!
You left the really interesting implication to the very last sentence of this chapter! The implication that the Equestrians... or more accurately the Royal Pony Sisters... are far more in the driving seat than the Klingons or the Federation ever realised!
All caught up now. I really appreciate the implications you left the chapter on. This is really getting interesting...
Sorry I'm so late in responding to this...I have seven updates in my backlog, actually, which I plan to get to today. But this one was first. because Star Trek.
Hmm...while I'm pretty sure it's common to refer to a Lt. Commander as just "commander", I'm not certian if Spock would be as casual.
Discord, you know full well why. It's a Trek tradition.
Well, she's definitely Klingon.
Give me control of a Star Trek series, and I will one day write an episode that has every single God-like alien I can find in the canon appearing. Q, Organians, Trelane, the Douwd...
...he says, ignoring that Discord just admitted to having done the exact same thing to Equestria. I mean, not that I necessarily disagree with Kang's sentiments (they're very Klingon), but it seems odd that he wouldn't notice the first bit there.
One of my favorite episodes of TNG is The One Where Riker Is a Klingon Commander (whatever it's called). Specifically I like the bit where one of the Klingons informs Riker that he had always been told that, and thought of, humans as being joyless and dour, with Riker saying as much as well since his only real impression of Klingons was from Worf (who is not a typical Klingon).
Maybe young ponies have problem with concentration when levitating. For mature unicorns it's like walking. Rarity can levitate tens of items at once without a problem. Twilight is even better. You would have to hit them in the horn to interrupt it, like Swietie Belle did to Rarity.
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They arn't trying to ally with a planet. They are trying to ally with the strongest nation on the planet. It was mentioned few times in the story.
Ally with the Romulans.
I love how he instantly treats Discord and overpowered wank-beings in general as the obnoxious nuisances that they are.
*Sigh* A complete misunderstanding of Discord. IMO, a consistent course of action is complete anathema to him. He is totally incapable of being either a "good" guy OR a "bad" guy. I remember once on Animaniacs, Chicken Boo was "The Gunfighter With No Personality" & "once saved a puppy from a burning building while robbing a bank" That's Discord. You don't like the way he's behaving? Just wait, it will change.
8244774
And Starlight is even better than her.
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Except that the comics show that the elements are not really as all powerful as people think. Discord turns himself into a being of order and threatens to take over Equestria. The elements had no effect on him whatsoever.
Cakebutt strikes again. Mmmm, cake...dangit now I want to make a cake, but the cleanup is such a bore!
William Shatner is Grand Pear. I know of course that the perfect pear hadn't been shown when this was written but I feel like saying it anyway.
8586605 That's been jossed by the tv show timeline. Even attempting to be orderly causes Discord to start to fade out of existence. Becoming a being of Order is the antithesis of what he is.
How does "What About Discord?" make it hard to take his reformation seriously? He's a total jerkass, but IIRC he didn't do anything particularly horrible in that episode. Messing with Twi's head is not the same as breaking reality (and people) for personal amusement.
BAD idea. The average human has about 1.2 hp. Some athletes can achieve 2.5 hp for brief intervals. The average horse has over 14 hp. -over 11x as much. Sure, ponies are probably significantly less, but Blueblood is almost certainly WAY stronger than Kirk.
I point to Maud smashing a Boulder in the episode Maud Pie
Neutral party's benefit both makes more sense, no matter who wins any conflict they have support for both sides.