My Little Destiny

by BlackWidower

Chapter Sixteen - Morning Glory

It took a few days for the crew of the Destiny to adjust to Equestrian time.

When they first arrived on Destiny, Colonel Young insisted the crew keep their watches synchronized with the clocks on Earth. Twenty-four hours long, sleep during the night, work during the day. But once they awoke from stasis, without contact from their home planet, they had nothing to synchronize with. Young determined the time, almost arbitrarily, by saying the moment they woke was their first morning. But at the time, it did not matter one way or another. They were alone, on a ship in deep space. Day and night were meaningless out here. Artificial constructs he insisted they maintain for the sake of the crew's sanity. But now, things changed, and he decided to take advantage of it.

Equestria had a 24-hour day, much like Earth; incredibly lucky for them. But at the time they arrived at this new world, the ship's clocks were nearly eight hours behind Canterlot's. So Colonel Young did the logical thing and had Destiny's clocks adjusted to match. Unfortunately, it really messed up everyone's sleeping patterns.

But now, four days later, they were finally used to it. And at this moment, at 5:35 in the morning, several people on the ship were packing the bare essentials in anticipation of the Colonel's final decision.

A decision he still hadn't made.

A knock came at his door.

"Come in."

The door cog quickly spun, and came to a sudden stop before the door slid open, and Lieutenant Tamara Johansen stepped through.

"You're looking good, sir," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Not under some sort of mind control, T.J.," Young replied. "So that's my worst fears out-of-the-way."

He shuffled his hooves across his paper-strewn desk, sliding away the mission reports he was only tangentially regarding.

T.J. pulled out a stethoscope as she crossed the room, readying herself to begin a proper examination.

In order to fully test out the ramifications of this 'transformation spell,' Young made the executive decision that he would remain in pony form until he was fully assured there were no unusual side effects. This was his final opportunity to discover something wrong with the spell. He didn't want to disappoint his crew, by depriving them of the opportunity to visit this new and mysterious land. But he also didn't want to send them into danger. He was responsible for their well-being. Which meant he had to take every precaution to protect them. And right now, this bizarre procedure, the one that turned him into another creature with the wave of a horn, required every precaution.

T.J. placed her stethoscope on the Colonel's chest. "Deep breath," she said.

He did so as she intently listened to her commander's lungs. She moved the stethoscope around his chest, looking for any anomalies she could decipher. While she never listened to a pony's chest before, she determined a safe assumption would be to treat it just like a human chest, with the same ratios, and the same functions. Finding nothing unusual, she pulled the stethoscope out of her ears, and threw it over her neck.

"So, nothing unusual?" she asked.

"No," Young replied.

"Any pain or discomfort?"

He shook his head.

She stood up, and decided to pack her stethoscope away, in her medical pack.

"How are the wings treating you?" she continued.

The colonel shuffled nervously. "Fine," he responded. "Is this a normal part of the examination?"

She shrugged, "Well, Celestia estimates that a third of our crew will be getting wings, I think it's a good idea to know how well they work."

He nodded.

"Have you tried them out?" she asked.

He looked around. "It's not like there's a lot of room to fly around here, T.J. ."

She crossed her arms and gave him a shrug. "Well, you could probably just... hover."

Young considered her statement, and quickly slid off his chair before trotting around his desk to the centre of the room.

T.J. watched as the colonel got into position. He shuffled his wings, and slowly began to spread them out. Turning his head around to observe the new appendages, he quickly gave them a good flap.

Noticing there was nothing obviously wrong with the wings, he gave another flap. He wasn't trying to take to the air yet. Just examining them for any flaws, and testing their performance. He knew flying with what could only be described as bird-like wings, was quite different than flying in a much larger fixed-wing aircraft. However he still felt the use of his old fighter pilot training would come in handy for this. The standard flight inspection was always a crucial step in flying any aircraft, and he felt this was no exception.

Finally satisfied that his new wings were at their best, he was ready to take flight. He looked to the left. T.J. was still watching him. Fixing his gaze forward, he tried to suppress the nerves, and thought, this is an odd way to find out I get stage fright.

He took a deep breath... and another... and another... and realizing he was stalling, decided to just go for it.

Colonel Young closed his eyes, and flapped his wings. Finding he could still feel the cold metal floor of the Destiny on his hooves, he quickly gave another flap... and another... and very quickly he found himself floating up in the air, as if all the weight had left his body. As he continued to flap his wings, he noticed they weren't doing all the work. Something else was assisting them. It felt much like the last time he went on a space walk. Despite the fact that he was using mag-boots, holding him to the surface of the Destiny, he could still feel himself floating in zero gravity within the Ancient environment suits. And he felt a very similar feeling at that moment. It was more than just wing power that allowed him to fly.

He continued to slowly flap his wings, as he adjusted himself, turning slowly toward his chief medical officer, who just smiled in approval.

"Looks like it works," he casually explained.

A knock came at the door.

He turned around.

"Colonel?" Corporal Barnes said, peeking her head around the door frame.

"Yes Corporal, I'm still me."

"Yes, sir," she replied. "They're here."

"We'll be right there," he responded.

The corporal quickly nodded and left, as Colonel Young lowered himself to the floor.

As he continued to adjust his wings, T.J. asked, "so, you ready?"

He was still unsure. "I don't know T.J. ..." he explained. "Something about this doesn't sit right."

"You don't trust them?" she asked.

"No, it's just..." he paused a moment to gather his thoughts. "It's almost too easy, you know? I just keep on expecting the first shoe to drop."

"Personally sir, I think we're due for a break," she explained, quickly reminding him of all the near-misses and almost-disasters they've been through.

"It's not just that," he replied. "It's just..." he quickly re-examined things, "It's just too... weird."

"It's been weird since we arrived in this galaxy," she explained.

"...Since we arrived on this ship," he countered. "You think I'm worrying for nothing?"

"Well, sir. You know I'm excited to get off this ship as anypony."

Young perked up. "What?" he asked, turning toward the medic.

"Bit of the local lingo Chloe mentioned, thought I'd try to get used to it."

He nodded, returning to his thoughts.

They were offering time off the ship. They were offering supplies and man---or ponypower. They were offering anything they could possibly provide. It was too good to be true. Was it?

He sat down on the floor. The cold metal floor of the Destiny. The place that had been their home for well over a year, not counting the 27 years they spent in stasis. This ship was where they lived... laughed... and loved. But that was only because they couldn't go home... to their real home: Earth. So, perhaps 'home' was the wrong word to describe Destiny. Perhaps... it was more like a prison.

"Colonel?"

Young's body began to glow, as he shifted back to his human form. Standing up straight, adjusting his uniform, he was ready. He made his decision.

"Let's go," he said.

---

Dale Volker and Chloe Armstrong sat across from each other in the otherwise empty mess hall. Volker was excited. For the first time in nearly a year, he was finally making some progress on the markings from the obelisk on 'Eden.'

It was only a few months after they arrived on the Destiny, when the ship dropped out of FTL near a star that wasn't identified by the records sent back from the seed ships. The only explanation was that the star only existed after the seed ships had left the area; and given the star's apparent age, that could only happen if the star was an artificial construction. It meant the star was somehow built; by someone, some entity.

Only a single planet orbited the star. A planet which both him and Chloe, along with several other members of the Destiny crew, spent a month on, as the ship took a parabolic course around the star. The month they spent there was like a dream. It was almost paradise. But what interested Volker the most about the planet was the sole structure they could identify; An obelisk over 600 metres tall. Volker knew that made it taller than any building back home. But the most interesting point was the writing surrounding it.

He took as many pictures as he could, along with detailed notes and scans. Because, while he was sure that there was something more to this, he couldn't find a way inside. That left the writing as his only clue to the purpose of the obelisk.

But there was one hitch in this plan: he couldn't understand the language. No one could. How could they? It was a language from an alien species they've encountered neither before nor since.

But oddly, today was the day that changed.

"So it's a research base?" Volker asked.

Chloe nodded. "Mainly for stellar observations of a nearby nebula," she explained. "At least... I think."

His excitement was palpable. "This is brilliant, Chloe," he exclaimed. "We haven't even gotten a hint at what any of this stuff was until today." He started going through his folders, looking for more stuff she could translate.

"Dale," she exclaimed, slightly nervous. "You're missing the point: This makes no sense."

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't Equestrian," she explained, pointing at the document. "This isn't any language I've seen before."

Volker considered this for a second. "Well, Twilight did that... spell on you. Maybe it taught you other languages as well."

She paused, considering the possibility.

"I mean, how many languages did you know?"

She collected her thoughts for a second. "English, Spanish, bit of Thai, German..."

Volker found himself taken aback.

"... Nakai and Ancient."

"Well, maybe Twilight knew a few more languages as well."

Suddenly, a voice boomed throughout the ship. "Attention all crew; this is Colonel Young. All those willing to visit Equestria are to report to the gate room in ten minutes. I repeat: All those willing to visit Equestria are to report to the gate room in ten minutes. Provisions will be provided for on the planet, so please remember to pack light. That is all."

They looked at each other. "I think I know how to find out," Chloe exclaimed.

---

Moonlight and Scales sat in the elevator. Not a word passing between them. Scales had already spent half the morning styling her new mane, which slightly annoyed her companion. But she knew there was more to his frustration than her lengthy beauty routine.

"Look, I'm just surprised you chickened out," she explained.

"I didn't chicken out!" Moonlight exclaimed.

"Well what would you call it?"

He sighed. "I would call it 'just not wanting to see my sister.'"

Silence descended once again.

As Moonlight thought about the night before, he could only think about that pony, Nickel Rush. There was something odd about him; odd about the whole situation.

"Scales," he said.

She turned to face him.

"Do you trust Twilight?"

She thought about it. "Well, Shining certainly does. I don't know, I didn't know her for that long."

"But do you think she'd put... you... in jeopardy?"

She tilted her head. "I really doubt that."

He considered this. "Probably not without a really really really good reason."

She looked at her friend.

"... extremely good reason," he continued.

The elevator jolted to a stop. The doors opened on the ground floor, announced with a single chime.

Scales wanted to continue their conversation, curious about what he meant, but knew it would have to wait. They trotted through the door, and turned left to enter the lobby. Their plan was simple: get to the shooting location, and get to work. They had three scenes to film today, and knew there was the potential for each of them to take up most of the day. But they would only know once the work began, which they were eager to do.

Unfortunately, a wrench was immediately thrown in those plans, the moment Moonlight looked in the lobby. For within, he spotted the one pony he simply didn't want to see this day, or any day. But he realized there could only be one reason why she was here.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," he lamented.

Scales cocked her head. "Is that...?"

Moonlight decided to get it over with. He trotted toward the mare.

"Good morning, Moonlight," the princess said, with a modicum of annoyance in her voice.

"Cadance," Moonlight replied, his voice dripping with venom.

"Hello," Scales said, introducing herself to the situation.

Moonlight realized, with a sigh, that he was forced to do the honours. "Cadance, this is Bright Spotlight," he said, introducing the two mares. "Spotlight, Princess Cadance, my sister-in-law, I guess."

"I'm really sorry you couldn't make it to the wedding," Cadance replied.

"I'm not," Moonlight responded with an insincere smile.

"I know," she replied similarly.

"Pleasure to meet you," 'Spotlight' said, offering a hoof.

"Likewise," she said, grabbing her hoof, and quickly realizing how bad an idea it was, as she suddenly felt a crushing sensation in her fetlock.

"You're a really lucky mare," she said, with even more venom than Moonlight. "You know that?"

Cadance wrestled her hoof out of the pegasus' grip. "I'm sure."

"What are you doing here, Cadance!?" Moonlight asked, with a tone of pure annoyance.

The princess sighed. "I came... to give you this," she explained, levitating a scroll out of her saddlebag.

She passed it to Moonlight, who unfurled and quickly started reading it. Shock appeared on his face. "What in the holy hell is this!?" he asked, incredulously.

"This is your sister actually trying to help you."

"I don't need any help," he replied, shoving the scroll into her chest. "Not from her, and not from you."

"Oh really?"

"What is it?" 'Spotlight' asked with genuine curiosity.

"It doesn't matter, because we're not taking it," Moonlight explained.

"Take it," Cadance rebutted.

"I'm not taking your damn royal hoof-out."

"Oh, you think that's what this is?" she replied. "Twilight destroyed your film rolls, and now she's trying to fix it, and you just call it some type of hoof-out!? This is her trying to make amends."

"Emphasis on 'trying.'"

Cadance's frustration was growing. "Yeah," she explained. "'Trying' because you'll still have to do the filming work. Is it perfect? No. But at least you'll be able---you'll be capable, of finishing your damn movie."

Moonlight let out a chuckle of exacerbation.

"And you know, at least she's trying to fix things. She's making an attempt. When have you ever tried!?"

He released another laugh.

"... for the benefit of another pony."

Moonlight turned his head, and locked eyes with his enemy. "Oh Cadance," he said. "You have no idea..."

"I'm sure I don't..." she replied.

They stared at each other, for what felt like an eternity. Scales could feel the tension in the room. This was the first time she saw Moonlight interact with his sister-in-law. She knew they didn't really get along, but she didn't know it was to this extent. It was clear to her, the fact that they were in a public place was the only reason they were both still breathing.

"It's either this," Cadance explained. "Or your company goes bankrupt."

Moonlight, in his anger, grabbed the document in his magic, and crumpled it up in a little ball. He continued to stare at her, hoping she would flinch... but it didn't matter. Because this was one of the many reasons he hated Cadance; no matter what they were arguing about, nine times out of ten, she was right... about everything... and this was not one of the tenth times.

"Damn it!" he said, through gritted teeth. "When's the next train to Ponyville!?"

"You got two hours."

He uncrumpled the document, and quickly rolled it back up. "Spotlight!" he exclaimed. "I need you to go to the location, get Red, tell him to meet us back here."

"Why?" Scales asked.

Moonlight turned back toward the elevators. "Because we have to do a bit of location scouting," he explained, removing her saddlebag and placing it atop his own. "And I need to promote Red to Director so he can finish filming without us. And after all that, I need to punch my brother in the gut for siccing his wife on me."

"Get in line," Cadance responded with a plastered smile.

He turned to his friend. "Go."

She quickly proceeded out the front doors.

The irritated unicorn trotted to the elevators, quickly entering one that was already being evacuated. "And Cadance!" he shouted, getting the princess' attention. "Eat me!"

"You first!" she replied with a smile and a look he hadn't seen in a very long time.

Moonlight shivered as the doors closed.

---

T.J. kneeled against the cloning pod, and brushed a bit of condensation off the window. The interior was just an opaque, yellowish-white sludge; The nutrient-rich fluid that would provide the materials needed for the clone to develop. The biodegradable scaffolding was in place; which would guide the clone's tissue to develop properly, in the right shape. The ship's power was providing energy to the bio-electric stimulators; which would accelerate growth, keep it alive, and ensure the new body didn't suffer from muscle atrophy. The built-in neural interface was installed, which wouldn't actually be used for another two years. And earlier that morning, T.J. finally placed the early-stage cloned blastocyst into position, which would eventually grow into a new, fully formed human body.

For all intents and purposes, her work was done. All they had to do was wait.

"So, Eli, excited?" She asked, turning to face the illusion of her friend.

"Yay..." Eli responded, boredom in his voice. "New body..."

"Sorry, I thought you'd be happy but..."

Realizing he sounded ungrateful, Wallace walked over to the medic, and tried to explain himself. "No, no... no, T.J. ... it's not that I don't appreciate this. I do..." he began. "I mean, you're making me a clone body, that's... I mean, A: that's cool! And B: thank you."

She gave him a smile of appreciation.

"It's just..."

His gaze shifted over to the other side of the room, where a similar pod lay. T.J. worked on both of them simultaneously. So, her work on this clone was also complete. And that's what troubled him.

"You're saying I should've just forgotten about her?"

"No, it's just..." he paused to collect his thoughts. "She's still stuck in quarantine, T.J. ..."

"Well, you have two years to get her out," she replied. "Plenty of time."

"But that's just it, I already worked on this for 27 years," he explained, as a touch of anger hit his voice. "I know, it's easy for you to forget that, since you were asleep the whole time."

T.J. bowed her head, as a tinge of guilt hit her.

"But I've been awake, alone, working on this for 27 years."

"I thought you made progress-"

He laughed. "Yeah, but I'm not even halfway," he explained, with pure frustration. "There are dozens of really complicated security locks I still have to crack, and a lot of them... I have no idea where to even start!"

"Eli!"

He turned to look at her.

"You'll figure it out."

He scoffed. "Well I'm glad you have faith in me."

"Eli," T.J. began, standing up and approaching her friend. "Before we went into stasis, you were the smartest person on the ship. Now, you're a part of the Destiny, and possibly the smartest... anything in the universe. If anyone can figure this out, it's you."

"And if I can't? Then what? No one will?"

T.J. didn't know how to answer that.

"... that's what I thought."

He vanished. Leaving the medic alone with her thoughts.

She turned her attention to the other cloning pod. Hopefully, Eli was wrong, and by the time the body was ready, Ginn's mind would be free, and she'd be able to enter it.

But until then... all they could do was wait... all they could do was hope...

---

The Ponyville Library was intended to be a place of quiet contemplation, and education. But since Twilight Sparkle, and her loyal assistant Spike, took up residence in the building a mere two years ago, quiet was not a word that could always be applied to it.

Bustling music blared from the Victrola in the corner of the main room: acoustic guitar, percussion, and a groovy bass line. And a young dragon was sure to pattern his chores to the beat.

High up on a ladder, with a feather duster in his claw, Spike dusted the shelves in time to the music. And in order to truly enjoy himself, allowed his voice to join in.

"I came upon the crossroads yesterday..." he sang, shaking his hips. "I met her on a ship just west of Sweetroll Bay... We ate crepes and we played on some old-time piano... She said 'you can call me baby if you let me hold your soul.'"

Spike rolled the ladder across to the next shelf. Spreading his arms wide.

"But it's because she's wonderful, the colts, they look her way!"

But, since he was too absorbed in the music, and his dusting dance, to actually notice the world around him, he didn't see a young filly enter through the front door.

"She's some kinda big shot!!! Well, she's some kinda wonderful; She makes a mean cake, it's an eyeful; My baby, she's some kinda wonderful to me!" His voice dropped an octave. "She's some kinda wonderful to me!"

"Is she, now?"

Spike froze. He turned his head and saw Apple Bloom standing in the middle of the library, with a large smile on her face, likely satisfied to see Spike sufficiently embarrass himself.

"Um..." he replied, hoping she would forget what she just saw.

"You're in a good mood!"

He slid down the ladder, and walked over to his friend. "Yeah," he said. "My scales have finally cleared up."

She looked at the dragon's complexion, and it was back to its original purple hue. "Great!" she exclaimed. "So no real damage then!?"

"Nope," he stated proudly. "I'm as healthy as a horse!"

She giggled. "Well then, I guess it hadn't ruined your appetite," Apple Bloom explained. She reached onto her back and grabbed a box, wrapped in twine, in her teeth, and presented it to her favourite dragon.

But all my neighbors, and friends, say my mare is a little bizzare

"Is this for me?" he asked, in awe, grabbing the box.

I know her eyes are crazy, and the spines stay where they are

"Yep," Apple Bloom replied. "I hope you like it."

But it's because she's wonderful, the colts, they look her way
She's some kinda big shot!

He opened the box and looked inside. "An apple pie," he said, with a touch of disappointment.

"Actually, the truth is, we ran out of apple fillin', so I thought I'd make a special pie for you. It's apple and Zebran Obsidian."

His eyes went wide with shock. "Really?"

She nodded. "I had Paradigm check it out. They're not radi-active or anythin'," she explained, waving a hoof in the air. "The obsidian neutralizes it or... somethin'."

He stood there, in shock and awe, staring at the pie. "Apple Bloom," he said, looking at the filly. "I think this is the nicest thing anypony has ever done for me."

She's some kinda wonderful
Forget the heartache, she is in my soul
You just say she's wonderful, and then be on your way
She's some kinda wonderful, you see

Apple Bloom stood there, frozen in shock. "R... really?" she asked.

"Yeah... thank you," he said. A smile slowly crept onto his face.

He ran past her, into the kitchen, leaving the young mare behind. Joy filled her heart. She smiled, and ran after him.

Spike was already cutting the first slice with a diamond chef's knife. He quickly placed the slice on a plate, and started digging in.

He took the first bite. A smile reached his face, as he moaned in pure pleasure. "This is amazing!"

"Glad you like it," Apple Bloom replied.

He ate the rest of the slice, polishing off the plate. After putting the plate down, he quickly reached over and gave his favourite filly a hug. "Thank you so much."

She's some kinda wonderful
She makes a mean cake, it's an eyeful
My baby, she's some kinda wonderful to me
She's some kinda wonderful to me

"It was my pleasure, Spike," she said, returning the hug.

Spike broke away, and quickly closed the box. "I'm saving this!" he announced, before running over and placing it in the fridge. He then reached over to a drawer, and pulled out a marker pen, which he then used to write something on the box.

"So... Spike," Apple Bloom explained coyly. "You know, I was planning to head on over to the clubhouse after this. You wanna come?"

"Bit early," he said, walking back to her. "Don't you have school?"

She laughed. "It's the weekend, silly."

"Is it?"

"Yeah," she explained with a smile. "If you left the library more often you'd know that."

"Yeah," he replied with a nervous laugh. "I guess I would."

"Sweetie Belle said she's plannin' somethin' big!"

He looked up at her, and her hopeful, beautiful eyes. She really wanted him there.

My baby she's some kinda wonderful to me
She's some kinda wonderful to me

"I would love to come," Spike replied.

She's some kinda wonderful, you see

As the music died down, Apple Bloom smiled.

---

The crew of the Destiny were all packed in the gate room; all eager to explore this new world, this new civilization; which left Celestia quite surprised. She half-expected most of the crew, who had never encountered magic before, to be more weary of her request. But it seemed they were absolutely okay with it, Colonel Young's precautions notwithstanding. But she did get the indication his caution was more a professional obligation, and it was his optimism that she was ultimately appealing to.

The Destiny crew had been through a lot. Since they arrived on the ship, afraid, alone, and stranded from their home; they had been through more trials than she could ever imagine any of her little ponies experiencing.

She heard many of their stories. From the moment they arrived, running out of air, and having to rebuild the Destiny's life support systems; to the moment they were attacked by enemies from their home galaxy, following them across trillions of light years; to the point where they were nearly all killed by a virulent infection, only to be saved by alternates of themselves, with messages sent across time.

Then there was the time they met the robotic drones, which started a war they carried across an entire galaxy; the time they tried to dial their home planet of Earth, only to be stopped by another time travelling alternate; and the time they were forced to refuel in a star too powerful for the ship to handle easily, which cost them their garden, and the sight of one of their crew members.

Then, there was their final encounter with the drones, which cost them 27 years.

Celestia found these aliens inspiring. All the trials, torment, and pain they experienced, and yet... they still seemed to understand the joy in life. It hadn't broken them to the point where they assumed Equestria was going to become just another horror they'd have to face. Instead, they were still optimistic... they still had hope.

As she watched the crew, some were mingling with excitement, planning what they were going to do when they arrived in Equestria. Others were reorganizing their supplies into some of the empty saddlebags Celestia brought through. But they all understood what was required of them, the rumours had spread through the ship already. Celestia was going to cast the transformation spell on all of them.

"This ship is eerily beautiful, sister," Luna said, as she approached the solar regent.

Celestia turned her head, as she watched her sister approach. This was Luna's first visit to the Destiny, which was why Sergeant Greer decided to give her a brief tour. Celestia could tell they also took the opportunity to visit the mess hall, as a half-eaten fruit the Destiny crew dubbed a 'space-apple,' was floating beside her.

"Glad you liked it," Greer responded.

"It is a wonderful ship," Celestia replied. "I can only hope your commander takes up our offer to let us assist in repairs."

"I'm sure he will," Greer said, with a smile. "Assuming this isn't some trick invasion."

Celestia replied with a smirk, "If this was some trick invasion, Sergeant, I wouldn't make it this obvious."

He laughed at the Princess' remark.

"This is weird," came a comment nearby.

Greer turned to look at Adam Brody, who was leaning against a console. "What is?" he asked.

"You, speaking a different language."

Greer shared a look with the royal sisters, before turning back to Brody, and sending him a few choice words in Equestrian.

"Sergeant," Celestia responded in the local tongue. "That is just rude."

"What?" Brody reacted. "What he say!?"

The three of them shared a laugh, before Twilight interjected. "He just asked Princess Celestia to say he's being rude."

Realizing he'd just been taken for a ride... again, Brody grimaced, and decided to just walk off. "I got a saddlebag to fill," he said, carrying his backpack with him.

"Twilight!"

The unicorn turned around, and spotted two of her newest friends walking towards her, Chloe Armstrong and Dale Volker, both carrying saddlebags already filled with materials.

"Chloe! Dale!" she exclaimed. "Excited?"

"Yeah," Volker replied. "Sorta."

"Twilight," Chloe said, holding up a sheet of paper. "Can you read this?"

She peered at the document. "Yeah, it's in your language."

Chloe took a quick look. "No, not that." She pointed to a particular part of the page. "This."

She examined the section closely. "No... why?"

She pulled the paper down in frustration. "Because I can."

"... What?"

"Last time I saw this writing, I couldn't understand a word of it. Then, this morning, I was just glancing over Volker's shoulder, and could read every word."

The three ponies looked at each other.

"I thought it might be caused by the language spell."

Greer reached over. "Let me see," he offered.

Chloe passed the document to the Sergeant.

He examined it closely.

"Anything?" Chloe asked.

Greer looked up, and merely passed it back with a single word, "Nah."

"What could've caused this?" Twilight wondered.

"Magic?" Volker replied, with a slight tinge of sarcasm.

"I know of no spells that could do this," Luna explained.

Princess Celestia interjected. "May I?"

Chloe passed it over, and Celestia levitated the document in front of her. She examined it closely. "Where did this writing come from?" the princess asked.

"About two galaxies away," Volker explained.

"I think you're worrying over nothing," Twilight explained. "Maybe it's just some side effect. Maybe knowing enough languages just makes it easier to process new ones."

"But then, wouldn't it also work on you?" Chloe asked.

Luna interjected. "Perhaps you are just smarter than Twilight, Miss Chloe."

"Look," Volker explained. "It's not like it's dangerous. I'd say this is brilliant! I mean, we haven't been able to translate any of the writing on this thing since we found it. And now we can. How is this a bad thing?"

Chloe was quick to explain. "If this happened, what other side effects don't we know about?"

"Is there a problem?"

Volker and Chloe turned around to see their leader, standing there, in need of an explanation.

"Well, Colonel--" Chloe began.

But weirdly enough, Twilight interrupted her. "Chloe thinks there might be some weird side effects from the language spell."

Young was confused. "... such as...?"

"I can read this, the obelisk text," Chloe explained, holding up Volker's notes. "Now, I couldn't read this stuff a week ago. The only explanation would be the language spell, except I'm the only one."

"So what I'm hearing is that it's actually working better than intended."

"Colonel, this could be an indication of something else."

"It could also be an indication of nothing."

Chloe rolled the paper up, and placed it in her saddlebag. "I just think it's better to err on the safe side," she said, with an obvious note of frustration.

Young then turned to the least-biased person in the area. "Volker, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think it's fine, Colonel," he replied with a laugh. "If anything, this is great. I mean, who knows what other languages she picked up."

The Colonel looked at the collection before him, and considered this new information.

"If you wish to delay this procedure, Colonel," Celestia interjected. "I'm sure everyone would understand."

The Colonel paused for a second, but knew he didn't need to. "No. We're going ahead."

"As you wish," Celestia replied, before both her and Luna quickly flew up to the mezzanine above the gate room.

He approached the young mathematician. "Now, if you experience any other side effects, we'll deal with them."

Chloe nodded.

"Look, if you want to step out---"

"No-I... it's fine, Colonel," she explained. "I'm probably just being paranoid."

He nodded.

---

Moonlight stood in his hotel room, magically shuffling through the various documents he had just removed from storage. He knew it was going to be a long day, and the sun had only barely finished its journey past the horizon. He had script notes, staging plans, and concept art to go through. As well as several stills he still had from Pensacolta.

Beyond that, all he had was four names for possible replacement crew, as well as full funding for the reshoots with no strings attached. But there was still a lot of work to do.

The odds of successfully finding all the locations they would need was slim. Some were incredibly specific. After all, what were the odds that they'd find a massive bakery made to look like a gingerbread house, or a library that was built into a tree!? Neither of those were common landmarks, even in Equestria.

He would probably have to improvise; possibly even do some minor rewrites. So he needed as many notes as he could find.

A large cylinder sat on the bed. He quickly opened and pulled out the massive rolled up sheets within.

With a quick unfurl, he rolled out the massive prop diagrams he was going to have to rebuild. But what he didn't expect was an additional prize, as a small rectangular device bounced across the mattress, impacting the headboard, and falling back down.

He dropped the diagrams, and trotted over to the device. He recognised it very quickly. He lifted it in his magic, and examined it. He could see through the window on the side, words clearly etched on the cassette within:

Moonlight Mix
From: Your Favourite Dragon

"I thought I lost this," he mused. A smile slowly creeped onto his face. The first true smile he felt in a very long time.

He trotted over to his saddlebag, sitting on the floor, and carefully placed the tape deck within. He suddenly thought, Today's gonna be a good day.

A knock came at his window.

---

A soft wind blew through the grassy landscape. A bright yellow sun bared down on the ground, providing light... but little heat. In the distance, Eli could see trees, surrounding the space he built. Behind him, several metres away, a Stargate sat. The one he walked through several minutes ago.

This was not one of Eli's more complex simulations. Nor was it intended to be any sort of artistic masterpiece. It had a single function; and that function stood in the middle of the meadow.

A large structure, as big as a building, stood there. Silent. It was almost shaped like cylinder. A large, nearly hollow cylinder. There were holes throughout, bended parts, gears and blocks. It was a complicated system.

Spaced throughout were panels, and sliding compartments, each representing one of the 34 security seals that Eli still needed to crack.

He walked up to one: a single handle on the side of structure. It was one of the simpler components.

He pulled it open, and a large vertical drawer came out. Within he could see a few glowing components, and several metal gears.

He grabbed one of the gears, and turned it. Suddenly, a noise came. He looked up. A large section near the top started spinning, as another section in the middle spun in the opposite direction. He turned the gear back, and a different section began spinning.

Then, the whole thing stopped moving.

He grabbed another gear; and turned it a full 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

Three different sections started spinning. And suddenly, one of them stopped, and fell into the section below it. He smiled, laughed, and thought finally, progress. At least until one of the other spinning sections broke apart and split into two, spreading upward.

He cringed, and placed his head against the panel.

Behind this system was the woman he loved; the one whom he already lost twice: Ginn.

Ginn was a member of the Lucian Alliance; part of the team that invaded the Destiny several months after Eli, and everyone else from Icarus, arrived. The invasion failed, and Ginn was the one who initiated their surrender. Most of the attackers were off-loaded on some random planet. But Ginn was one of a dozen or so who remained on the ship so they could provide intel on the Lucian Alliance to the people back on Earth. As time went on, she revealed her skills as a mathematician, while remaining the most cooperative former Alliance member. That was why Camile suggested she work with Eli, to help find a way to dial Earth while Destiny recharged inside a star. As they worked, they grew to respect each other, then to like each other, then to love each other.

But their relationship did not last long.

Ginn died; was murdered by one of her own, an Alliance member named Simeon. She died while connected through the Ancient Communication Stones to Doctor Amanda Perry. As Ginn was on Earth, providing intelligence against the Lucian Alliance; Doctor Perry was on the Destiny, helping Rush with a bit of subterfuge, as he was trying to keep Destiny's bridge a secret. With Ginn's death, Amanda Perry went with her. Everyone assumed they were gone forever. In his grief, Eli wanted to hunt her killer down, across the desert planet he tried to escape to. But Rush beat him to it. Their deaths were avenged, but it didn't bring them back.

No... it was a few months later when that happened.

It was a glitch in the Communication Stones. The device on Earth was malfunctioning, and while Destiny waited to regain contact, Colonel Young ordered that someone had to remain connected to the Stones at all times. Chloe was on stone duty when she fell asleep; and when her consciousness relaxed just enough, it allowed two more consciousnesses, still connected to the Stones, but disconnected from any physical form, to finally find a host. The minds of both Ginn and Amanda Perry began to share Chloe's body... but they were fading... quickly. So Rush had an idea: use Destiny's Neural Interface Chair to transfer Ginn and Amanda's minds into Destiny's memory banks, preserving them; much like Eli later did to save his own life during the 27 year journey.

So they were saved. They had returned. Eli's love was back. He was happy... for a while.

It was a glitch in a simulation programmed by Doctor Perry. She naïvely misjudged how Destiny's programming would react to her own subconscious desires. As a result, Doctor Rush was trapped. His consciousness was uploaded through the Neural Interface Chair, and into a simulation that could not end. There was only one way Eli could fix the problem; only one way he could save Doctor Nicholas Rush: He had to lose the woman he loved. He was forced to transfer the entire block that stored Doctor Perry's consciousness into quarantine in order to end the simulation. Unfortunately, the memory block that stored Doctor Perry, also stored Ginn. As a result, they were trapped behind 58 complex security seals. And now, he wanted it to end. He wanted her back.

He had to save her. He had to pull her out. Even if it took him 'til the end of eternity. He had to keep trying. But if he kept backtracking like this, even eternity wouldn't be enough.

He punched the interface panel. The glass portion cracked. It made him feel better, but not by much. This wasn't the actual security lock he had to solve, this was merely an interface. Even if he did physically destroy it, it wouldn't help him break the lock.

This interface was designed to make the problem easier to understand. The spinning sections of the cylinder were there to represent the collective progress in all remaining security seals. The various panels and gears represented potential inputs into the security protocols. The overall structure was designed to demonstrate how the inputs affected the other intact security seals. It was an effective design, but in terms of simplifying the problem, it didn't help much; or at least, it didn't help as much as he'd like. It was still ridiculously complicated. He looked up, at the cylinder, and the progress he had yet to make.

He turned another gear.

---

Destiny had many labs scattered throughout the ship, each with its own purpose. Some were used for biological analysis, some for weapons tests, some for hydroponics, and some for long-term cloning projects. They all had the ability to be reequipped, with modular equipment being moved from one location to another. And right now, one of those labs was specially equipped for one thing, and one thing only: Analysing an alien corpse.

"This isn't working," Boone lamented, as he leaned over his computer. "We tried every possible method of activation, and still can't get this cloak to work." He gestured to the dead Nakai, lying on a table in the middle of the room.

"There has to be a way," Morrison replied.

"Well, there isn't."

"It worked when this... thing... activated it on the planet!"

"Well... I don't know..." Boone replied, getting frustrated. "Maybe it needs to be connected to a living Nakai to work."

"If we don't get it activated, we can't even start to work on a countermeasure."

Boone just shook his head, and closed his computer, before sliding it into the saddlebag at his feet. "I'm done," he explained. "Effective immediately, I'm on vacation."

"Hey, Boone!" James said, cheerily, as she entered the room. "Heading off to the 'Magical Land of Equestria'!?"

"Who isn't?" he replied, rhetorically, clearly excited for the event to come.

"Well, the Colonel, me... Captain Grumpy over there," James explained, pointing toward Morrison.

"I'm not-" Morrison began before being cut off by his own coughing. He quickly reached into a small tin he left on the console he was working on, fishing out some green leafy material, one of T.J.'s medicinals. It contained something similar to menthol. It tasted terrible, but was enough to soothe his throat from the damage done by his last encounter with magic. He started chewing on it. "I'm not grumpy... I just want nothing to do with that 'magic' crap."

"Are you serious?" James replied, confused bafflement in her voice. "It's the magic planet of ponies and rainbows! You're not the least bit curious?"

"You're not going either," Boone replied.

"Nah, I'm going later," she explained. "Technically, I'm still on stone duty." She walked over to the alien corpse. "Besides, if I left Morrison and the Colonel here alone... I mean, someone has to stop them from killing each other."

"Yeah, that's funny," Morrison said, clearly not amused. Then he realized... he looked up. "You are kidding, right?"

James raised an eyebrow.

"Well..." Boone said, picking up his saddlebag. "I'm gonna go."

"Have fun! Bring me back a souvenir!"

Boone just chuckled lightly as he left the room.

"You were kidding, right?" Morrison asked, slightly more insistently than before.

James rolled her eyes, and walked out of the room, leaving Morrison alone with his research and his thoughts.

"She was kidding..." he said, trying to reassure himself. "She was kidding..."

He focused on his work.

---

"So, is everyone here?" The Colonel asked.

"Yes, sir," Greer replied.

"James and Morrison haven't turned up," Barnes countered. "Neither has Boone."

"Well, James is on the Stones, said she'll head over later today," Young explained. "I think Morrison's just scared, and Boone just walked in behind you."

Barnes turned around and saw Dr. Elliot Boone enter the Gate Room, taking a position at one of the consoles.

"But everyone else is here?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded. "Okay."

"So... are we ready?" Twilight asked.

"I guess so," he replied. "Get in position."

Twilight nodded, trotted over to the nearby stairway, and began to negotiate the process of climbing it. Young, in turn, quickly moved to the third step on the opposite stairway, and began the briefing.

"Can I have your attention, please!" The Colonel announced.

The entire crew turned to look at him. His gaze scanned across them, his people, his crew, his friends.

"As you all know, Princess Celestia has agreed to grant us access to her kingdom, her planet, and her people. This is a great opportunity, and one we may never experience again. So I know you all want to take advantage of it. But as I'm sure you're also aware, maintaining a low profile is a major condition of this opportunity. Now, since everyone here is aware of SGC procedure, I don't have to remind you of the concept of secrecy. However, there's more to it than that. Because in order to maintain a low profile, she has also required that we submit to something called a 'transformation spell,' in order to disguise us as members of the native population."

He watched the crew, to gauge their reactions. Many were slightly confused, but most seemed to already know about it. He expected this.

"Now, I've been assured that this procedure is perfectly safe. However, as most of you know, I don't take anyone's word for anything."

He noticed a few people smirking at that comment.

"Which is why I submitted myself to this procedure last night, and after experiencing no unusual side effects, both myself and T.J. have determined that it is safe. However, that being said, this is not a normal situation. This is a technology and a force we've never encountered before, or even understand. Which is why I'll say now that anyone who is not completely comfortable with this... this is your opportunity to leave."

He watched the crew. He could see a few were considering it. They all looked around, waiting for someone to make the first move. Waiting for someone to leave... but no one did.

"Okay then... Twilight."

As Young began to climb the stairs all the way to the top, Twilight's horn started glowing. Every door leading out of Destiny's gate room closed, and she began her part of the briefing.

She quickly cleared her throat. "In order to cast this spell most efficiently, we have decided to flood the Gate Room with the necessary magical energies," Twilight explained with pride. "All you have to do is stay calm. The process may be quite startling and a bit disorienting, but I assure you, it's all perfectly normal." She smiled, but her smile quickly faded, as she started to sense a touch of skepticism in the room.

One of Twilight's hooves briefly slipped off the stair she was sitting on. The stairway was quite steep, and not something she was used to.

She righted herself before continuing. "Now because of how we're casting this spell, it does mean that once it's begun, we won't be able to stop it until all the energies have dispersed. However, once it's done, you will still be able to return to your previous form on your own, just by thinking about it. Also, we estimate that a third of you will become unicorns, a third of you will become pegasi, and a third of you will become earth ponies. I know none of you will be used to any of that. So, if anyone wishes to have any lessons on your new form, such as basic levitation magic or simple flying, they will be provided once we arrive in Equestria. Other than that you should find walking on four hooves relatively easy." She gave the accumulated aliens a brief smile, before slowly turning around, with a hoof on the railing to maintain her balance. She then proceeded up the steep stairway, taking extreme care not to fall off and lose the crew's confidence in her.

Colonel Young continued. "Once the procedure is complete, we will dial the gate and proceed directly to Equestria. Once there, everyone will have free reign, as long as they maintain a low profile, and stay safe. Now, because it's unlikely that backpacks will fit on your new bodies, Princess Celestia has provided spare saddlebags. So, if you want to fill one up, now's the time."

As a few members of the crew started reorganizing their stuff, the Colonel turned to the three ponies beside him. "So," he asked. "How long is this actually going to take?"

"Should only take less than a minute, Colonel," Celestia replied.

He then considered something for a second. "If you're going to flood the gate room..."

"You'll be unaffected up here."

He nodded.

Luna observed the shuffling below, and spotted something. "Are some of them bringing weapons?"

"I have agreed to allow them only small weapons, sister," Celestia replied, gaining a look of surprise from her sibling. "It'll only be for their personal protection."

"I'm only allowing a few of my people to be armed, Your Highness," Young replied. "They're all highly trained, they won't do anything stupid. They know what's at stake."

As the commotion died down, Colonel Young addressed the crowd. "Alright, if everyone's ready..."

He turned to Princess Celestia and gave her a quick nod. Her horn began to glow. Luna and Twilight quickly followed suit.

On the floor of the gate room, a golden mist started to from, followed quickly by similar mists of blue and red, all starting to mingle with one another.

T.J. lifted her hands, and watched in astonishment as her body started to glow.

Wray watched as the people around her slowly began to glow.

Boone stood at the back of the room, near the gate's main console. And as the multi-coloured mist reached his feet, he looked down and saw his body start to glow.

This was only the first step; as their bodies absorbed the magic.

Greer could see his hands begin to get blunter, as his fingers were absorbed into his body.

Brody felt his neck get longer, and his body get shorter.

Chloe fell down on all fours, when suddenly, she began to cringe in pain.

Volker fell down next to her, and wrapped his slowly changing hands around her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She put a hand to her head, and shook it.

Colonel Young and the three unicorns observed the slowly shifting forms of those below them. But their attention was caught by Volker and Chloe. They all knew something was wrong.

Young turned to look at Princess Celestia. The shock on her face confirmed it, she did not expect this either. But clearly Chloe was the only one. Why?

He took a step down the stairs, before being stopped by Celestia's foreleg. He then realized, the spell was still active. If he went down there, he might disrupt it. He had to wait for the energy to disperse.

Chloe held in her cries. She knew it was a sensitive situation, and didn't want to disrupt that. Especially since it was too late to stop what had already started.

As her body changed, she could feel the headaches getting stronger.

Volker looked around. Everyone was too concerned with their own transformations to notice Chloe's condition.

... all except one...

Sergeant Greer kneeled down on his hooves next to the two scientists. "What's going on?" he whispered.

Volker shuffled his slowly-emerging wings nervously. "I don't know," he said. "I think she's getting a headache."

Chloe adjusted her hand, as a purple horn started growing out of her head.

"What is this?" Colonel Young asked.

"I don't know, Colonel," Celestia responded.

"The spell shouldn't be causing that," Twilight explained. "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"You mean the moment you cast your spell, a member of my crew just happens to fall down in pain?" he continued, maintaining a whisper.

"This didn't happen last time."

The spell continued its work.

Varro shuffled around on his new hooves, as he felt his now-pointy ears migrate to the top of his head.

Doctor Inman sat on the deck, as she shuffled her hair around her new horn.

Doctor Park sat down, feeling her body's form shift around her; and as her flank hit the deck, she could feel vibrations emanating from the ship's reactors. She turned her head to face them; however she could not see it, at least, not with her eyes; but she could feel it... and she could hear it.

The light died down, the spell dispersed, and Colonel Young looked down at the sea of ponies below, his crew... transformed.

He raced down the stairs, directly to Chloe Armstrong. He leaned down to address the new unicorn. "Are you okay?" He asked in a whisper.

She shook her head.

"Can you walk?"

She nodded.

"Alright, come with me," he said, getting her to her hooves. "Doctor Boone!" He announced. "Dial the gate!"

Elliot Boone stopped examining his new wings, and quickly went about determining how he was going to do that without hands.

Twilight quickly opened all the doors, as Young escorted Chloe Armstrong into the nearby hallway.

The gate started spinning.

Chloe leaned against a wall, hoof still on her head, and collapsed to the ground.

Young kneeled down beside her. "What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know," Volker replied, his wings having dropped to his sides. "We started glowing and then she started grabbing her head."

"You alright?" Greer asked, with genuine concern.

Her head started rolling around, and she gave a short nod. "I'm feeling a little better."

"I don't understand what happened," Twilight interjected, clearly distressed.

"It's just a headache, Twilight," Chloe said. "It's fine."

"I'm not too sure," Celestia replied. "This is too coincidental."

"Maybe this is my fault," Twilight suggested. "When I cast the language spell on you, I forgot the stabilization component. It's possible that it's having some long-term side effects."

"Regardless, it's too late to do anything about that now," Young explained.

Celestia came to a decision. "Perhaps we should abort this whole endeavour, Colonel."

"Well, you already cast the spell, and whatever this is, it looks like Chloe's the only one affected."

"And what if she isn't?" Volker asked.

Young considered his options, as the Stargate came to life.

He looked at the gate, looked at his nearby crew members, and finally looked at her royal highness, Princess Celestia. "You said you wanted to lead the way," Young explained.

"If you are certain, Colonel," Celestia replied. Still slightly nervous.

He nodded.

"Very well."

She proceeded through the gate room. "I ask that you follow, two at a time," Celestia explained, before stepping through the event horizon.

As his crew proceeded through the Stargate, Colonel Young turned his attention back to the unicorn beside him. "Chloe, if you're feeling uncomfortable, you don't have to go."

"No, it's fine," she replied, getting back on her hooves. "It's gone away, I think it was just temporary."

"You should probably see someone."

"Well, T.J.'s going to the planet too, so there's not much point in me staying here."

"I'll come with you," Twilight suggested. "One of our doctors could check you out."

"Do they have much experience with humans?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, come on. How different could it be?"

Twilight led Chloe to the gate, as Young turned to address the two remaining ponies.

"You sure about this, sir?" Greer asked.

"Not, really, no," the Colonel replied.

"It's probably nothing." Volker rebutted.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he stated, contemplating. "Still, keep your eyes open. If this happens to anyone else---"

"You'll be the first to know, sir," Greer replied.

He nodded.

Greer and Volker trotted toward the gate, meeting up with the last remaining crew members, grabbing their saddlebags along the way.

As Young watched the last of his crew leave, he noticed Princess Luna, standing in the door frame, watching him, with concern in her eyes.

She turned around, and scanned the now-empty gate room, before quickly trotting through the Stargate, just as it closed behind her.

As the gate let off a blast of CO₂. Colonel Young stood there, alone, hoping all these new worries were unfounded.

"Guess the first shoe has finally dropped," he mused. "Good timing."

Author's Note:

Some Kinda Wonderful originally written and performed by Antoine Sicotte and James Renald of Sky.

Comments

[Aariadon]

11828723

Ah it's been a while since my last SG rewatch marathon. I guess Destiny can do that stuff, I forgot. Of course giving our heroes the ability to use this mechanism is another matter entirely.

I'm a no spoilers guy, thanks

On to the next chapter, then!

[Aariadon]

Read the new chapter!

I don't really have any comments on this one. Except it'll be interesting to see what happens with Chloe. Almost thought she was gonna be an Alicorn at first. That would have been difficult to blend in as.

[BlackWidower]

11828741
It's not specifically mentioned, but heavily implied. The ship knew TJ would likely experience a mental breakdown once she learned her child died, and created a dream scenario so she'd believe that didn't happen. It also knew Young was experiencing a crisis of confidence, so it put him through a trial by fire, with the plan to ensure he's stronger when he comes out the other side. The ship can analyze the psyche of the crew and help them get through their issues, in a very slapdash way. And if it can inject hallucinations into anyone on the ship, it's not a stretch to think it can read their minds.

But I don't see a reason for Eli to actually use its mind-reading ability... someone else, on the other hoof...

[Okie Brony]

Okie dokie, I'm caught up. I can tell that you've grown as a writer since the first chapters. I look forward to the crew's adventures in Magic Talking Ponyland. I can just imagine someone accidentally turning human in public, causing everypony to scream "Monster!" and panic and run away.

I hope this story is finished by 2030. 2035 at the latest.

[Burrrr]

I've been waiting for years for an update to this, can't wait for more :D

[Turquoise pony]

And I'm all caught up great story, and I'm wondering just how unstable Chloe is?