"Captain's Log: Supplemental. The Faustian Ideal, the transport bearing the wife of Orion Brownmane, has been located with the assistance of the entity Q, who seems to take an interest in the pony race. The transport has been captured by the Borg, and the crew and passengers taken for assimilation. We were able to locate Orion's wife, and Q has graciously allowed us to remain undetected by the Borg. We are planning a rescue mission to retreive Orion's wife before she is completely assimilated."
Picard is reviewing the plan with Orion in the briefing room, along with the members of the away team. "We will transport the team as close as possible to facilitate escape. We won't have much time before the Borg realize we're here, so we must move quickly. Go in, place the immobilizer on her neck, and activate the emergency transport. Are there any questions?"
"What happens if they try to attack us?" Orion asks, raising a hoof. "I'm very good at defensive magic, I'd be able to hold them off for at least a little while…"
"You'd only get one shot at least. After that, the Borg would adapt to whatever attack you use and either block it or turn it against you," Riker said.
"That may not be true, Commander," Data said. "The 'magic' that Mister Brownmane uses is organic in nature, and not as predictable as a phaser. It is quite possible he might be able to hold off the Borg for muhc longer than our weapons could hope to, even with rapid randomization of frequencies."
"You realize, Orion, that this is a very dangerous mission. There is a high chance you could be captured or killed. If you still wish to go, I cannot stand in your way, but I want to know for certain that you have weighed the risks to both yourself and to your Raven." Picard waited for Orion's answer.
"I have a duty, Captain. A promise to uphold. One I made on our wedding day. And I would be doing both of us a great disservice if I failed to keep that promise." He straightens his bow tie determinedly. "Shall we be off, then?"
Realizing any further discussion would be pointless, Picard nods. "Very well. Accompany the away team to Transporter Room 1." He taps the comm badge on his chest. "Bridge to Sickbay. Have Doctor Crusher and a medical team standing by in Transporter Room 1, prepare to receive assimilation victim. Out." He stands, as do the others in the room. "Good luck to you all."
The interior of the Borg cube was as bleak and mechanical as the outside, the Borg having little use for creature comforts. A faint green glow illuminated the ship, as drones passed along the walkways to perform their assigned tasks. It was into the middle of this that the away team, along with Orion, materialized. Keeping Orion in the center, the team formed a defensive circle and began moving down the walkway. Spotting their quarry, they slowly approached and attached the immobilizer. Pressing the button on the device, the assimilated Raven went limp.
This did not go unnoticed by the Borg. Several drones moved toward them, their weapons at the ready. "Orion, sir, if you're going to do anything, now would be a good time!" called one of the team members.
"I'm on it!" He faces the Borg drones, staring them down. "Nice timing, you lot... We have what we came for, there isn't anything you can do to stop us." His horn starts to glow, softly at first but brighter and brighter as he puts more power into his spell. "I want you to understand something. Remember this, keep it in your collective brains. This mare is -not- your servant, she is not your emissary. I pledged to protect her, and if I have to rip this universe to shreds to bring her home safely, then that's what I'll do! I'll send you back to the Delta Quadrant so fast it'll make your heads spin! She is my -wife,- and you WILL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!" His body glowing brightly with magical energy, he brings his fore hooves together and claps them once, sending shockwaves of raw power through the collected drones, powered by his fierce love of Raven. "LOVE FROM PONYVILLE, BOYS!" he shouts, voice echoing throughout the room.
A team member touched another button on the immobilization device. "Emergency transport active! Huddle in, we're getting out of here!" Before the Borg could adapt to Orion's magic attack, the away team were but mere shimmers of light.
On the Enterprise, Raven's unconscious form was strapped down on a gurney, restraints applied at all points. Doctor Crusher met the crew when they arrived in sickbay, at first shocked to see the patient. Taking note of Orion, she breathed a little easier. "I want to get a scan of you, to input your basic anatomy into the computer. This will insure we treat he correctly."
"But.. of course..." Orion replies, smiling tiredly to Crusher. "I'll need a cup of earl grey too... excellent restorative for extreme outpourings of magical energy..."
Doctor Crusher smiles. "Of course." She directs Orion to an empty biobed, and a few moments later the scans are complete. A hot cup of Earl Grey tea awaits him.
With a better picture of pony anatomy, medical teams are busy preparing various instruments. Doctor Crusher summons Orion to trhe treatment table where Raven lays immobile. "We will have you stay close, it seems your magic works better against the Borg than we had thought. We're going to wake her up now." She nods to an assistant, who removes the immobilization device.
Almost instantly, Raven's robotic eyes flicker open, red beams piercing the room, searching for targets. "I AM EQUUS OF BORG," came a voice that sounded nothing like the pony Orion loved. "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. THE PONY SPECIES IS INFERIOR. WE WILL INCORPORATE YOUR DISTINCTIVENESS INTO OUR OWN."
Orion takes a drink of tea, then jumps at the sound of Equus' voice, "The pony species is inferior, is it? Odd, considering you fell in love with a unicorn, Raven Shadow." He slides off the biobed and goes to the treatment table, taking her hoof in his own, as he always did.
"RAVEN SHADOW EXISTS NO MORE. I AM EQUUS OF BORG."
An alert medical technician yanks Orion's hoof away just as two tubes emerge from the metallic covering on Raven's hoof. "They use nanites to begin the assimilation process. That's how they inject them. I would advise not touching her for a while until we can get her disconnected from the collective."
"LOVE IS IRRELEVANT. LOVE IS A WEAKNESS. THE BORG HAVE EVOLVED BEYOND LOVE. YOU WILL BECOME ONE WITH THE BORG."
"No, I don't think so somehow... In fact, I refuse. I will not join your collective, not for all the tea in Trottingham." He leans in. "I know you're in there, Raven... a love as strong as mine for you is matched only by your love for me... and all the nanites in the universe can't erase that. Concentrate on my voice, Raven... remember yourself."
Raven struggles for a moment, her brain processing what Orion was telling her. "RAVEN IS...RAVE...RAVEN IS IRRELEVANT..." The Borg control semed to be slipping. "I AM EQUUS OF BORG...EQUUS... Orion…..help..."
"I'm doing the best I can for you, darling..." He kisses her on the lips, touching his horn to her forehead, and using Twilight's memory spell on her... images flash into her head, of all the times he and Raven spent together.
Doctor Crusher watched the readings on the monitor, amazed. "I don't know what he's doing, but it seems to be working. Get ready, we may be able to begin removing the implants soon."
Raven's eyes, now robotic and cold, close. "Orion ... I knew you'd ... find me. I ... .I love...you. Please ... don't hate me...if they can't fix me...please..." She starts to drift off to sleep.
"Oh Raven, my beautiful Raven... I could never hate you. Sleep tight, my darling." He tucks her in, kissing her hoof as he does, then looking to Crusher, "Alright Doctor, I believe she's ready."
Doctor Crusher confirms the readings on her monitor. "Yes, we can begin. This will take a while, so I'll have you escorted to the guest quarters. I promise I will notify you as soon as she's able to take visitors." She motions for a technician. "We'll take good care of her," she says with a smile.
"Thank you Doctor, I very much appreciate it." He smiles back, trotting with the technician to the guest quarters.