Where Nopony Has Gone Before

by Kane Magus

Arrival

Where Nopony Has Gone Before

by Kane Magus

Chapter 1 - Arrival

Red.

For a brief few seconds, Commander William T. Riker knew nothing but red. ‘Red… alert?’ he groggily thought to himself, as his senses began to return to him. Yes, the red alert klaxons were indeed blaring. He quickly realized that he was lying prone on the carpet in front of the chair in which he normally sat, to the right of the currently empty command chair, though it was in fact the captain’s chair in which he’d been sitting just a few seconds earlier. Reaching a hand up to grab the nearest armrest, he pulled himself to his feet and surveyed the situation. He shook his head to clear it and realized that the spinning wasn’t just in his head after all. The Enterprise itself was spinning. A quick glance at the forward view screen easily confirmed this, since the star field was swirling across the screen in a horizontal direction.

Lt. Commander Data was still firmly in his seat at the Ops panel. Ensign Gates was trying to pull herself back up into the Conn chair. At the back of the bridge, Lieutenant Worf was standing at Tactical, leaning forward and gripping the top edge of the panel. Given that this was the night shift, there weren’t any other senior officers on the bridge at the moment.

“Report!” Riker said loudly, making himself heard over the red alert. “What the hell just happened?”

“Sensors read that there was an energy discharge of unknown origin just off the port warp nacelle!” said the Klingon tactical officer. “It has knocked us off course. Damage and injury reports are minimal, though inertial dampeners are having difficulty adjusting to the ship’s rotational velocity.”

“Helm is not responding at all, sir,” said Gates.

“Commander, if I may make an observation,” said Data, swiveling his chair to face the first officer.

“Yes, Mr. Data?” said Riker.

“Though the impetus of our current movement seems to be of a much greater magnitude than before,” said the android, “this situation appears to be almost identical to when Q transported the Enterprise to sector J-25.”

Data’s words sent a chill down Riker’s spine as he considered the implications. He immediately tapped his combadge and said, “Captain Picard to the bridge!”

“Already on my way,” was the immediate response. Indeed, it was less than a minute later that the turbolift doors opened and Jean-Luc Picard stepped out onto the bridge. “Report, Number One,” said Picard as he strode to the center of the room.

“We’ve been hit by some kind of energy discharge and it has knocked us off course,” said Riker. “According to Mr. Data, it is very similar to when Q sent us to our first contact with the Borg.”

“Q,” said Picard with distaste. “Mr. Worf, shut off the bridge audio on the red alert.” He paused and looked around, as if waiting for something, and then continued speaking. “Well, if this is indeed Q’s handiwork, I expect we’ll be paid a visit by him soon enough. Mr. Data, can you get a fix on our current trajectory?”

“While our final destination is as of yet unclear,” said Data, “our current movement has already taken us out of the Alpha quadrant. It is difficult to measure our exact velocity, but it is much higher than it was when Q transported us to the J-25 system. If we continue along this heading, we appear to be moving toward the edge of the galaxy, at a point along the border between the Beta and Delta quadrants. There are no known star systems in our current path, although that region of space is still only one point three percent charted. Assuming no major changes in our current velocity, we will exit the galaxy entirely in approximately three minutes, and forty-seven seconds.”

“Exit the galaxy? That’s assuming the ship survives passing through the Galactic Barrier,” Riker noted.

“Given what we know of Q,” said Picard, “anything is possible. Assuming, of course, Q is indeed responsible for our current predicament.”

As if on cue, there was a burst of light and sound at the front of the bridge, just in front of the Ops and Conn stations. When the light faded, a figure in a burgundy Starfleet uniform was standing there.

“Speak of the devil,” muttered Riker.

“Q,” growled Worf.

“Very good, microbrain,” said Q, tossing off a jaunty salute in the Klingon’s direction. “Nice to see you have a slightly greater memory-span than that of a goldfish.” Ignoring Worf’s growls, Q turned to Picard and said, “Yes, I could easily get this ship through the Barrier if I needed to. However, we are fortunate in that we don’t need to go quite so far.”

“Where are you taking us this time?” asked Picard, both warily and wearily.

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough,” said Q. He walked over and sat down in the chair normally used by Counselor Deanna Troi. He waved to the two empty seats next to him and said, “Please, have a seat. No need to be so tense.”

“Q, enough of this foolishness already,” said Riker, who chose to remain standing along with Picard.

“Foolishness?” said Q, placing a hand on his chest. “Moi? When have I ever engaged in foolishness during my visits with you?”

“How about every single time,” muttered Worf, just loudly enough to be sure that he was heard.

“Mr. Worf,” said Q, swiveling the chair partially around to look at him. “My nature can be described as whimsical or mercurial, but never foolish. The sheer magnitude of your lack of a sense of humor causes me almost physical pain. However, I think you’ll be cured of that soon enough when we reach our destination. Then again… you are a Klingon. Hmm.”

Picard had had enough. “Q, either tell us what your business with us is about, or return us to our original location and leave us be!”

Q swiveled the chair back toward the front of the bridge again. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to drop you into the path of another Borg ship, if that’s what you’re concerned about. No, the place we’re headed to is a lot more lively and fun than the Borg could ever be.”

“Somehow,” said Riker, “that doesn’t lessen the sense of looming dread I feel whenever you put in an appearance. If anything, it does the opposite.”

“I’m serious,” said Q. “I think you’ll get a real kick out of this place. Ah, and look, we’ve arrived already.” As he spoke, the movement of the ship slowed quickly and then ceased altogether. He was looking at the forward view screen, and the others followed his gaze. On the screen was a rather Earth-like planet around which the Enterprise was now in orbit. White cloud swirls, brown and green continents, and blue oceans. The landmasses were clearly different, but beyond that, they could have been looking at Earth itself.

Picard watched Q for a moment and then, when it was clear that the entity wasn’t about to be forthcoming with any useful information, he turned toward the Ops station. “What can you tell us about the planet, Mr. Data?”

“Sensors register the planet as Class M,” said the android. “There are signs of civilization on the surface. Initial scans seem to indicate a largely pre-industrial level of technology, though there seem to be limited areas with somewhat higher levels of technology present as well. No indication of extra-planetary capabilities.”

Riker nodded and said, “And what is our current location with respect to Federation space?”

Data touched a few keys on his panel and replied, “As I previously surmised, sir, we are currently on a point along the demarcation plane between the Beta and Delta quadrants, just on the Beta side, nearly at the edge of the galaxy. We are approximately forty-three thousand, seven hundred light years from the closest starbase. If we were to maintain a speed of warp nine for the duration of the journey, it will take us roughly twenty-eight years, nine months, twenty-five days to return to Federation space.”

Picard and Riker looked at one another, and then they both glared at Q. After a few moments, Picard shook his head and said, “Well, I remember what happened the last time we were in a similar predicament and we ignored Guinan’s advice to start back immediately. I suppose the sooner we get started, the better. Ensign Gates, lay in a course back to the Federation. Warp nine. Engage.”

Ensign Gates tapped some keys on the Conn panel, which replied with sounds indicative of there being an error of some sort. “Helm is still not responding, sir.”

“Oh, please,” said Q, rolling his eyes. “Picard, did you really expect I would let you leave that easily, after I went to the trouble of bringing you all the way here?”

“It was worth a shot,” said Riker, still glaring at the entity in annoyance.

Q stood up and walked toward the view screen. “Well, I’ll give you a little hint about what is going to happen here. Simply put, I am not going to allow you to return home until you beam down to the planet there and do what you do best: explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go… well, I’m sure you get the gist. Besides, in this case, that last one isn’t entirely accurate anyway.”

Not having a clue what Q was rambling on about there at the end, Picard turned his eyes to the view screen. “Q, as I am sure you are well aware, our Prime Directive explicitly prohibits us from interfering with developing cultures.”

Q impatiently blew air through his lips. “Bah! Don’t bore me with that Prime Directive malarkey. I don’t care a whit about that. It’s true that this civilization may not have developed space travel, but is that really the only criteria you use for determining the worth of a culture? In many ways, the beings down on that planet are more advanced by far than even you humans are. It’s part of the reason I want you to meet them. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two. Besides, as I said, I’m not going to let you leave this system until you do. Sure, I could just whisk you down there myself right now, but I’d rather sit back and observe how you go about the whole thing, standard procedures and all that, as long as they aren’t too boring, of course. So, there you have it. Your choices are to rot here on this ship, locked in orbit around this planet for the rest of your days, or to beam down there and take a look around. Meet the locals. Maybe have a party.”

“You’re not helping your case,” grumbled Worf.

“Oh, Mr. Worf,” said Q. “I’m particularly interested in seeing your reaction when you see what the people of this planet are like. You really need to learn to lighten up.”

Picard sighed again, and then threw up his hands. “All right, Q. You obviously leave us with no meaningful alternative. But before we go down there I want you to tell us everything we need to know about these people. How do we blend in? I don’t want to contaminate their development any more than absolutely necessary.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” said Q. “It would spoil the surprise. I’ll tell you this much, though. You’re not going to be able to just put on a fake rubber forehead in order to pass as one of them. They’re definitely and immediately going to know that you’re not from around these parts. Besides, I feel that they need as much of a shake up as you do.” Q turned to Data and placed a hand on the back of his chair. “Data, do that little scan thing again and let us know what you can glean about the inhabitants of this planet, particularly their physical make-up. Oh, but wait, let me pick the best spot first.” Q turned back to the view screen and held his hands out toward it. While moving his hands as if he were sculpting clay, the planet began to turn on the screen. Picard could tell from the subtle movements of the ship, however, that Q was actually moving them in relation to the planet, rather than moving the planet itself. “Ah, there we are,” said Q. “I’d suggest starting with that area directly below the ship.”

Data scanned again. “There are several areas that appear to be towns or cities in this region, though a good portion of the land is either devoted to agricultural endeavors or have been left to nature. Life signs primarily appear to be…” at this point, he paused and then turned to face toward Picard and Riker. “…equine in nature.”

“Horses?” said Riker, raising an eyebrow.

“Not horses,” Q corrected. “Ponies.”

“Q, what kind of game is this?” said Picard, exasperation clear in his voice.

“No games, Jean-Luc,” said Q. “Well, not yet anyway. What? You don’t think that ponies can be intelligent enough to be the dominant species on the planet? You believe all sapient life in the galaxy is humanoid in nature? How very narrow-minded.”

“We believe no such thing, and you damn well know it,” said Picard, getting more annoyed with each passing second, though he wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed at Q or at himself for allowing Q to get under his skin so easily.

“Look,” said the entity, “if it makes you feel any better, I used to be… shall we say… very close, personal friends with one of the rulers of the nation directly below the ship, and the people there are very friendly. I’m sure you’ll receive a warm reception.”

“I find that hard to believe,” said Riker. “If anything, creatures that could be friends with you are creatures that I think we should definitely be wary of.”

“Believe what you want, Riker,” said Q. “You’ll find out soon enough. Anyway, when you beam down, I would suggest starting with this area here.” He pointed toward the view screen, and a glowing red dot appeared on the screen where he was pointing. “The smaller town, there.” He made a circular motion with his finger and the red dot traced a thin line around one of the smaller settlements. “However, I would advise that you avoid the forest to the west. Very nasty things live in there. Also, for future reference, the seat of government is here, but I’m not going to let you go there just yet.” He pointed to a mountain that was a moderate distance to the northeast from the town he’d earlier indicated. There was clearly a larger city built into the side of this mountain. Q held up a hand and added, “Oh, and one more thing. I’ve already taken the liberty of tinkering with your universal translators so that you will be able to understand the languages spoken on this planet. No need to thank me.”

Picard and Riker shared another look. “Opinions, Number One?” asked Picard.

Riker glanced at Q, and then looked at the view screen. “Well, as Q has already made it very clear that he’s not going to return us to Federation space until we do as he says, and as much as I hate to jump through hoops for his amusement, I have to admit that I am very curious as to what makes this particular planet so special that he would bring us all the way out here.”

“That’s the spirit, Riker!” said Q cheerfully.

Picard studied the view screen for several moments, before finally tugging at the waist of his uniform and nodding. “Very well,” he said. “Assemble an away team and beam down. However, try to remain undetected for as long as you can. Any reconnaissance will be helpful before formal first contact, even with the limitations Q has imposed on us. Oh, and I recommend bringing Counselor Troi along with you as well.”

Riker nodded. “Mr. Data, Mr. Worf, you’re with me.” He tapped his combadge and said, “Counselor Troi, please report to Transporter Room 4 immediately. We have an unplanned first contact situation on our hands.” With that said, Riker, Data, and Worf entered the turbolift.

Picard watched as some junior officers arrived a few moments later to replace the departing command staff, and then he turned to Q. “I want to have a word with you, Q,” he said, gesturing toward his ready room, “in private.”

Q nodded. “But of course, Jean-Luc.” He waved a hand and both he and Picard disappeared in a burst of light and sound. They reappeared in the ready room, with Q lounging in Picard’s chair and his feet casually thrown up on Picard’s desk while Picard himself was left standing on the other side of the desk. “What do you wish to discuss?”

The captain let out an exasperated sigh, but otherwise chose to ignore Q’s flippancy for the moment. He walked forward and leaned toward Q, his hands resting on the desk. “What are you trying to accomplish here? What do you really want? Are you trying to teach us another lesson in humility or something similar?”

Q shrugged. “I thought I already made that clear. For now, I only want you to beam down and meet the citizens of this planet.”

“But to what end?” asked Picard. “What do you get out of this?”

Q smiled and said, “Simply put, Jean-Luc, as Riker himself already noted, I get amusement out of this. Don’t feel too bad, though. As I said before, I sincerely do think you’ll like this place. As to what end? Well… I merely wish to establish a connection between your world and theirs. This isn’t like when I introduced you to the Borg. I’m not trying to impart any wisdom this time, though I’m sure you could learn a lot from the ponies down there, and they from you. In any case, I don’t intend for this to be some grand adventure with perils to overcome or villains to defeat or other nonsense such as that. I’m much more interested in observing the… slice of life, as it were.”

“And how long do you intend to keep us trapped here?” asked Picard.

“Oh, I haven’t decided yet,” said Q, steepling his fingers and gazing down at them. “Also, that’s sort of up to you, you know? But don’t worry. I don’t intend to keep you here for decades or anything like that. I doubt it’ll even be years, for that matter, or even months. But I really can’t stress enough that once you meet those ponies down there, you won’t be so quick to want to leave.”

“Well, Q,” said Picard, standing up straight again. “It’s obvious that I’m not going to get any straight answers out of you as to what your true goal here is. I should have expected as much. So be it. You say you intend to observe what’s going on down on the planet? Perhaps you should get to it, then, and leave my ship in peace.”

“Jean-Luc, are you implying that I need to leave the ship here in order to do that?” asked Q, with mock surprise. “Trust me, I already have things well in hand down there. Or perhaps I should say… well in hoof.”

“And just what do you mean by that?” asked Picard, more than a little concerned.

Q smiled enigmatically. “I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.”

---

A burgundy earth pony stood on a hill overlooking Ponyville from the south. He shook his dark brown mane and took in the vista before him, from the Everfree Forest in the west over to the Whitetail Woods in the east. Near the base of the hill was Sweet Apple Acres. In the far distance, shrouded in a bit of haze, was the mountain on which the city of Canterlot rested. And there, in the center, was Ponyville itself.

The pony glanced down at himself and raised one of his front hooves to examine it. Nodding to himself that everything was in order, he glanced back at his flank. His cutie mark was one that no pony in Equestria had ever seen before, but that would change soon enough. The away team was on their way, after all, and they wore the very same symbol on the breasts of their uniforms.

The pony then looked up at the sky, where he knew the starship was hanging almost directly overhead, though his currently limited pony eyes couldn’t see it. He didn’t need to see it, however. Why should he? He was, in fact, currently on board the ship, sitting in the Captain’s ready room, just as he was down here on the planet surface at the same time.

With a chuckle to himself, Q trotted a few steps toward Ponyville and then disappeared in a burst of light and sound.

---

“Ponies, you say?” said Counselor Deanna Troi. She and Riker were standing next to the transporter console.

“That’s what Q claims,” said Riker.

“And he says he’s adjusted the universal translator,” said Troi, “meaning that these ponies are able to talk?”

“That is a reasonable assumption to make, Counselor,” said Data. He handed Riker and Troi each a tricorder and then began inspecting his own.

“Well, this should certainly be interesting,” said the counselor.

At that moment, Worf entered the transporter room. He had a Type-II hand phaser stowed in his uniform. He handed another Type-II to Data, and a Type-I to Riker.

“Do you really think all of us need to be armed?” asked Troi with mild distaste as Worf held another Type-I out to her. She reluctantly took it and stowed it in her uniform.

“This is a scenario devised by Q,” Worf said. “It is better to be prepared.”

Riker said, “I agree. Though, knowing Q, he could very easily disable the phasers if it suited his whims.”

Troi shook her head. “I just hope we won’t need them at all, regardless.”

Riker nodded and said, “I agree with that as well. So then, are we all set?”

Data completed the inspection of his tricorder and stowed it in the appropriate pouch on his uniform. “I believe so, Commander.”

“All right,” said Riker. He walked up onto the transporter platform and turned to face away from the wall. When the others had joined him, he said, “Energize, Chief O’Brien.”

“Energizing, sir,” said Transporter Chief Miles O’Brien, who until that point had remained silent, simply listening to the away team as they discussed their mission. He watched as the cascading beams of light enveloped them and then faded away, leaving the transporter room once again empty, except for himself. “Ponies, eh?” he muttered to himself. “This ought to be rich. I wonder if any of them will be paying us a visit here.”

Comments

[izanoslayer]

I love these kinds of fics. Fun reads- you get less and less of them nowadays. Looking forward to reading the rest in the morning.

[Menoshe]

Q teleports the Enterprise to Equestria.

Hilarity ensues.

[Link-kid]

awe yea PONIES IN SPAAAAAAAACE!

[DiscordsAdvocate]

Read the first chapter. Liking it so far. Characters are well written and the interactions are masterfully done. You've got me hooked, sir.

[Warman1138]

This is way cool. HaH!

[mint20]

I must say, I hope to one day be as great with characters as you are.

[paladinwolf]

Enjoying this too much to be healthy! Toward the end, the whole thing made me think of this pic...
s3.amazonaws.com/bronibooru/dfacf2314befbda5afcda7bb1415fb49.png

[Kevin Lee]

6028083 God, that picture's hilarious! I hope someone writes that story--it'd be great to see Riker get a bit competitive with a certain azure pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail...

Oh, just noticed Troi's cutie mark: PsiCorps!

[Bronzer]

In many ways, the beings down on that planet are more advanced by far than even you humans are.

Their social advancement seems to be the same as Picard-era (yes, I call it that) humanity, albeit with less drive and curiosity and courage. Their technology isn't worth mentioning. Their culture is pretty much synonymous with their social level. Their magic, when not used by an alicorn or Shining Armor or a magic specialists (which appear to be rare) or a villain, has been shown to be too weak and inflexible to be more than a curiosity to even ancient humans. The unicorns seem to be mostly limited to their special talent when using more than telekinesis unless specialized or talented in magic.

[harts fire]

just the start of this story hade me in tears.
this is going to be good.
you nailed this story line perfectly.

[Teraunce]

6457366

6028083
I'd love to read a story based on that.