Star Trek Equestria: Reformatted: Wild Access

by Captain_Cosmos

Episode 13: Nightmarish situations

Sela was walking down the corridors of the USS Equestria, around her, lights were flickering all around her, sparks were flying, and Sela herself was holding a phaser pistol, searching for something. ‘What the hell happened...’ She thought as she made her way onto the bridge.

The turbolift door opened onto the bridge, and she saw much of the same. Sparks flying, screens and lights flickering, and debris everywhere. Upon closer inspection, Sela’s eyes widened when she saw bodies, motionless, lifeless bodies of her fellow senior officers. She was about to check on them when she heard groaning coming from the Captain’s chair. She dashed over to the Captain’s chair, and what she found scared her to her core. Proxima was in her captain’s chair, with her horn cracked, wings in disarray, and her legs were bending where they shouldn’t be bending.

---

“Proxi!” Sela exclaimed as she shot straight up in her bed, panting like she had just experienced something traumatic. She looked around with a look of horror. “Computer lights!” She ordered.

Lights came on and she saw that she was in her quarters, with nothing out of the ordinary. After taking a second to process what happened, Sela calmed down. “Another dream…no, a nightmare.” She said idly as she hugged herself. For the past two weeks, she had been having recurring nightmares. All of them were set in the same environment, the Equestria in tatters and the crew mostly dead. “What's happening to me…?” She asked, like a frightened little girl, she was shaking.

“Nightmare again Commander?” Sela suddenly heard Harmony ask, making Sela jump.

“Harmony?!” Sela asked, still jumpy.

“Sorry Commander. I didn't mean to startle you.” Harmony responded. “Unless I’m mistaken, that was the 13th Nightmare in a two week period.” She stated.

Sela groaned as she laid back in bed. “It was.” She admitted.

“I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure near daily nightmares aren’t good.” Harmony commented.

“No, they are not.” Sela responded.

“Perhaps it’s time you told Doctor Boimler, or perhaps Captain Maxima.” Harmony suggested.

“I am not sure Proxima would be able to help...” Sela replied, though admittedly not confident with that statement.

“Well, you really should try something.” Harmony replied. “Sleep Deprivation isn’t good from what I’ve read on the Federation Database.”

“I am aware.” Sela said. “But I just do not know how to make them stop. Ever since the incident during the Laminan First Contact, I keep having the same nightmare over and over again.” She explained.

“Might I ask what the nightmare was specifically?” Harmony asked.

“I...Do not want to get into it right now.” Sela replied.

“Think a Lullaby would help you fall back to sleep?” Harmony asked.

Sela was about to say that was ridiculous...but after some thought, she decided to answer differently. “Might as well play one Harmony.” She responded, figuring it wouldn’t hurt.

“Aye Commander.” Harmony responded before playing a soothing lullaby in Sela’s quarters.

As it turned out, it was the right call, whereas before, Sela did not believe she could go back to sleep when she woke up with a start. Within two minutes, she drifted back to sleep.

---

(Start to about 1:24)
Space: The final frontier. This is the story of the USS Equestria. A ship fresh out of construction, with a crew fresh from the Academy. Together they will embark on a mission of discovery, and evolution. They will explore a strange new frontier, seek out new life and a new civilization, and boldly go farther than anyone has ever gone.

---

“Personal Log Stardate 32120718.0830. Ever since I began being mind meld tormented by my former legal guardians, I have increasingly struggled to maintain my composure while on duty, with the latest revelation of them being able to target my subconscious, I fear that I may not have a future in Starfleet, or a future at all. I had believed myself to be rid of them when I reached the age of ascension, but as Captain Maxima and Doctor Boimler pointed out, people like them never go away unless the law steps in and convicts them, with any luck, they will not be able to sweep it under the rug this time, like every time before...”

In the morning, Sela was walking through the still fully operational USS Equestria, Heading to her first duty of the day in checking on Teletran and the Pod he constantly studied. Her thoughts however were firmly on the string of nightmares she had had the last two weeks, being more alert and awake to actually process them. ‘The same Nightmare every night...that cannot mean anything good...And I have yet to become numb to it...’ The mere thought inwardly terrified her, she feared that the nightmare was actually foreshadowing the future.

She didn’t have much time to think about it when she turned the corner and ran into a Trill engineering ensign. The two crashed into each other and both stumbled back. “Oof. Hey! Watch where—“ The Ensign started before she saw who bumped into her and her attitude changed. “Commander Sela. Uh, apologies.” She apologized.

“No. It was my fault, I was not watching where I was going Ensign.” Sela responded. “You ok?” She asked.

“Yes. You?” The ensign asked.

“I...Am fine.” Sela hesitated. While the crew had been informed about the new security policy of beaming Sela to the brig at the first sign of acting strange, they were still kept in the dark about the finer details. A decision Sela herself was now questioning. “...As you were Ensign.” She said before she walked off, as did the ensign.

In a smaller lab which housed Proxima’s pod, Teletran was plugged into an interface port on the craft, still attempting to rip its flight plan from its logs. “Come on you piece of junk, just give up that flight plan already so we can confirm once and for all that Maxima is--” He stopped when the door opened and he saw Cmdr Sela walk in. “Ah. Good Morning Commander Sela.” He said.

“Good morning Teletran.” Sela responded. “Any luck with this pod?” She asked.

“Nada.” Teletran responded. “I’ve been hacking away at this thing since we started this voyage, and so far all I’ve managed to do is confirm that this thing does NOT give up info so easily. Seriously I am starting to wonder what ELSE is stored in this thing if there’s this much encryption on it.”

“Keep trying Teletran.” Sela responded.

“I will not stop until this thing gives it all up.” Teletran responded. “No matter what it takes, or how long.”

Sela nodded, before they heard a paging. “Cmdr Sela, report to the Captain’s Ready Room.” The computer said.

“Acknowledged.” Sela replied. “Report in when you have something.” She told Teletran.

“Aye Cmdr.” Teletran responded as Sela left.

---

In Proxima’s ready room, she was standing there with the President of Nivar himself when Sela eventually walked in. “You wanted to see me Cap--” She paused when she saw the Nivar President standing there. “Mr President?!” She asked, surprised and confused.

The President nodded in response. “Indeed. You are commander Sela?” He asked.

“Y-Yes sir.” Sela responded, glancing to Proxima for an explanation.

“President Serak here is Nivar’s Premiere Expert on Mind Melds.” Proxima explained. “As it turns out, he has been talking to Admiral Vance and Ambassador Starscout and Alphabittle.” Proxima explained.

“Indeed I have.” Serak responded. “I have been informed of the details of your conflict with your parents Cmdr.” He said. “And I assure you I will help however I can.”

Sela’s blood ran cold. The president of Nivar knew about the situation. She cleared her throat. “P-Please accept my apologies for you needing to be brought into this sir.” She responded on autopilot at the moment.

“No need to apologize Sela.” Serak responded. “A Mind Meld is a sacred and intimate process. To use it in such a heinous and despicable manner as your parents have is sickening and I intend to see them brought to justice.” He said

All Sela could do was nod. Wondering just how much Serak knew while the President continued. “So, based on what I have been told, you are looking for a way to block Sela’s mind from her parents. Correct?” He asked.

“Yes sir.” Proxima responded. “We have come to the conclusion that magic might be the only way to do such.” She explained.

“That is an accurate assessment, captain.” Serak responded. “There is no medical or physical way to stop a mind meld. I am working with Alphabittle to find a solution. However, I wished to contact you to advise you on the potential consequences of blocking a mind meld.” He said.

“What consequences might you be referring to sir?” Sela asked.

“I shall begin with the most obvious consequence, Sela losing the ability to mind meld at all.” Serak responded, to which Sela and Proxima shared glances with each other. “As you both probably know, the ability to mind meld is an integral part of Vulcan Physiology, and I do hope you can see how it might be useful during your current mission. If something was done to disrupt this ability, it could be disrupted permanently.” He warned. “Other consequences include what humans refer to as Alzheimer’s, Retrograde Amnesia...” He went on explaining several different side-effects. Sela and Proxima continually glanced at each other, Sela could tell that Proxima was thinking the same thing. ‘Serak called to make sure we knew what we were getting into and make sure we knew what the risks were.’

“Of course, those are only potential consequences, and of course it is entirely possible that if any of these were to come to fruition, it would only be for as long as the block remains in place.” Serak said. “But I felt it necessary to contact you with this warning. I would hate for you to regret your decision later on.” He said.

“We appreciate the concern Mr President.” Proxima responded. “Rest assured we will consider all the risks.”

“I am glad to hear it.” Serak responded. “In that case, I bid you good luck. And Sela, do not worry, I have assigned a Nivar Intelligence taskforce to assist in bringing your parents to justice. They WILL be found.” He assured Sela.

“I appreciate it sir.” Sela responded as the connection was cut and Serak disappeared, leaving Sela and Proxima alone.

Silence, silence filled the room as Sela and Proxima processed what just happened. “So...That happened.” Proxima commented.

“Indeed it did.” Sela replied, still reeling. She would be the first to admit that she did not Mind Meld all that often so the ability was pretty much wasted on her, but she also agreed with the president that it was better to have it and not use it then to need it and not have it. Her thoughts however drifted back to her parents and she questioned how much longer she could deal with their torment.

For Proxima, She was the only magic user on the ship, thus it would fall to her to place the block on Sela. And while she would do it if her best friend asked her to, it now dawned on her what she could potentially take away from her first officer if they went through with it. And that was assuming it was even possible. “Sela.” She finally said. “Serak is right, we need to be absolutely sure about it, YOU need to be sure.” She told her.

“Yes Captain.” Sela responded. “It admittedly never occurred to me that there were risks to our plan. I am grateful that Serak called to warn us.” She said.

“You need to consider everything.” Proxima said. “You need to ask yourself if you’re willing to risk losing part of yourself.”

“Captain, I have come to terms with the knowledge that I will never be a normal Vulcan by the standards of my people. So to me, it is more a matter of how useful mind melding is to our mission.” Sela responded. “We simply do not know what might come in the future.”

“Agreed.” Proxima responded.

“I shall ensure I am making the best choice, but I would like to know. Would you go through with it if I asked?” Sela asked.

“If you ask me to implement the block, I shall do so.” Proxima responded. “We both know your history with unscrupulous individuals. And I would not ask you to endure them when you don’t need to.” She said.

Sela nodded. “I am truly blessed to call you my friend Captain.” Sela responded, before sighing. “There...Is something that you should know.” She said.

“What’s that Number One?” Proxima asked.

“For the last two weeks, I have been having recurring Nightmares, in every case, it is the same, I find myself in the wreckage of the Equestria and surrounded by the corpses of our crew.” Sela responded. “And every time it would end with me finding you...” She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

Proxima seemed to get the message. “You’ve been having this nightmare for two weeks? Why did you not say anything before?” She asked.

“Because it could have ended up being nothing. But, after two weeks, I am no longer confident in that assessment.” Sela responded. “I am not sure if it is a result of my parents or maybe some vision of the future, but in either case, I fear these nightmares might have overarching effects on us all, especially given my parents’ ability to attack my subconscious.” She stated.

“Which is why you felt the need to inform me of it.” Proxima concluded. “Have you told Doctor Boimler yet?” She asked.

“I was planning on visiting him in the medbay before you called.” Sela responded.

“Let him know about this Cmdr.” Proxima said.

“I shall do that captain.” Sela responded.

“Dismissed.” Proxima said. Sela nodded and left. Once she was alone, Proxima facehooved on her desk and let out an exasperated groan. She had zero doubt that Sela’s parents were responsible for causing her nightmares. She remembered a conversation she had with Boimler once they knew that Sela’s parents were going to be a problem. “Sela has spent 18 years under their thrall. She’s endured 18 years of torment. She’s made progress towards healing from it but with them back in the picture, that progress will start to be undone. She’s going to need help to fight this war against them. And we need to be there when she needs us.” She agreed with the doctor wholeheartedly. But she wished that there was more they could do. As it stood, all they could do was keep Sela from doing any damage, and keep monitoring her vitals. “Too bad we aren’t on Equis right now, nightmares wouldn’t be a problem for her there...” She commented, before her eyes widened in realization. “Dream Crystals!” She exclaimed, an idea coming to her. She pressed a button and a trunk appeared in the Ready Room. She opened it and started rummaging through its contents. “Come on, I know I brought it...Aha!” She pulled out a small diamond shaped crystal with a whole for her horn. “Just need to reset and make a necklace out of this thing and Sela can kiss her nightmares goodbye.” She said excitedly as she put the trunk away and called up her HUD, accessing the Federation Database.

Meanwhile, Sela walked down the corridors of the Equestria to the Medbay, her mind reeling from what had just happened, and she was going through all her options. ‘I could go through with it, have a block on my mind, but lose the ability to mind meld, which might come in handy later on in our mission. Or I could not go through with it, but then have to suffer through my parents’ torment for Surak knows how much longer until they are caught.’

“Which will be never. We are hidden somewhere no one will ever find us.” Sela suddenly heard her father say in her mind. She stopped and her breathing quickened. “Why the hell can you not just leave me alone.” She whispered, almost pleadingly.

“Because Sela. We will not have such a blemish like you in our family, we will mold you into our vision for a perfect daughter. And no one will get in the way.” Her mother said.

Sela wanted to fire back with the possibility of outright disownment, which would remove her from their family. But she had a feeling that that would just incite further torment. “Just leave everyone else out of this. They do not need to be involved.” She whispered again.

“You already got them involved when you ratted us out.” Her father responded. “You should have stayed quiet.”

Sela took a deep breath, before she just started walking again. Refusing to respond to a line that her parents had used on her every time they managed to weasel out of any investigation brought forth by her telling those around her what was going on, and the punishment she would receive right after. She braced herself for something to happen, just like it always did. ‘I must resist...for everyone’s sake.’

Much to her surprise, nothing happened. She just kept walking, and she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She let out a small smile as she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. ‘They will be back.’ It was an inevitability that her parents would come knocking again, but for the moment, she would take solace that for once, they broke tradition.

She didn’t get too much farther when she heard a group of officers bickering. “Go on. You ask her.”

“Why not any of you?”

“You were last for the nosey thing. Come on, it's not even that bad. Just ask.”

“Alright Alright. Jeez guys.”

Sela couldn’t help but wonder what she was about to be asked, but she had a feeling it was something dumb given the interactions. “Commander Sela sir.” She heard someone say. She turned and saw the Engineering ensign she bumped into earlier, and a trio of other officers hanging back.

“Ensign Freedough.” Sela acknowledged. “Was there something you wished to ask me?” She asked.

“Well, we were wondering if, during the next Energon resupply mission, we could use one of the Equestria’s phaser arrays to carve the ship’s name and registry into an asteroid.” Ensign Freedough asked.

Of all the things she could’ve possibly been asked. Sela genuinely didn’t see that one coming. “Might I ask why you want to do this?” She asked.

“Well, mining operations are typically straightforward and mundane. A lot of the crew end up with time on their hands. We felt it could be fun to leave a mark for someone else to find. Like a little nod that we were there.” Ensign Freedough explained. “A morale thing of sorts.”

“I see.” Sela responded, admittedly not sure how to answer that. “I...will consider it.” She said. She figured it was a harmless endeavor, but she was going to bring it up with the captain beforehand.

Ensign Freedough nodded. “Alright sir. Thank you for your time.” She said as Sela left.

Freedough’s three friends came up beside her and one of them smiled. “I didn’t hear a no. Did you?” She asked.

“It wasn’t a yes or a no.” Another remarked.

“Still. That’s better than a straight no.” The third said. “Now come on, let’s go design the carving.” They said.

“Yeah!” The four of them said as they went back to their duties.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note:

Not really that much to say about this one. Sela's parents continue to be assholes. Proxima might have a way to deal with Sela's Nightmares, and now the President of Nivar is involved.

THX FOR READING!

Comments

[midnight arrow]

great chapter

[Booster Spice]

Every time those two say theyre hidden where they will never be found, I want to check under her bed.

Better be careful with Kilroy Woz Ere, it could be a top insult to some combatative civilisation, and leaving your ID behind can lead them right up your exhaust port.

[Bronycommander]

nicely done! hope you are well lately

[harts fire]

plans are made and the hunt is on..
the hunt is going to be fun.

a amazing chapter.