"Want some more crystal berries?" Citrine asked, offering another plate to Floyd.
"Oh, no thanks, Citrine," Floyd declined with a smile. It had been a few hours since he had left Dr. Jackson, and he had been roped into spending time with a pair of crystal crafters.
Citrine was a translucent yellow pony with an orange mane and an infectious smile. "Are you sure? You can have as much as you like!" She placed the plate on the table, taking her own seat.
"I've already had two plates of the things, Citrine." Floyd chuckled and patted his full stomach. "You feed me more of them and I'm gonna burst."
"Citrine is just excited," her husband, Lapis Lazuli, explained. He was very much like his namesake, with a deep blue coat. His mane, however, reminded Floyd of moonstone.
"You're not gonna hear me complain," Floyd waved off. "I just don't want the two of you to clean up bits of me from your home."
"You humans look so much like the Teachers," Citrine reached out, touching his arm. "I can't even tell the difference."
"We're descended from them," Floyd reiterated. "It's the reason some of us can activate their tech."
"Is that why you have one of their amulets?" Lapis asked, pointing to the pendant hanging from his neck.
"Well, this thing kinda... called to me," Floyd admitted, putting his hand on the amulet. "It's sorta hard to explain."
"I... can't quite recall what they were for, but..." Lapis frowned, muzzle scrunched up in thought, "I do know they were important."
"I'm sure I'll figure it out at some point," Floyd assured him. "Until I do though, I'll just keep it safe." He looked between them, a smile growing across his face. "Hey, why don't the two of you show me a bit about how you work?"
"We'd be happy to," Citrine replied as she stood up. "The workshop is this way." Floyd rose up from his seat, hefting his camera over his shoulder. He followed after his hosts, getting ready to start filming. Citrine led him through a doorway into a room full of tools. There was a young mare already there whose color seemed to shift depending on how the light hit her. She hummed happily to herself as she used one of the tools on a ruby.
"Floyd, this is our daughter, Alexandrite," Lapis introduced, putting an arm around the mare. "Alexandrite, this is Floyd Hendrix, he's a human."
"Oh my, you certainly look unique," Alexandrite said, looking Floyd over with curious eyes.
"I get that a lot," Floyd chuckled, turning his camera on. "Is it alright if I record?"
"It's fine by me," Alex assured him. "Is there anything in particular you want me to do?"
"How about you walk me through what you're doing?" he asked, training the camera on her.
"I'd be glad to," Alex smiled brightly at him and picked up the ruby she was working on. "The very first step to crystal crafting is to inspect your material. See this ruby? I examined it to see if I could find any flaws in its color, density or luster."
"I take it you only want the finest quality ones?"
"Of course," Alex nodded, "if the material is inferior, the final product will be, too. But if you look closely at this ruby, it's a flawless specimen."
"What are you making?"
"I'm making a heart shape," Alex explained, grabbing her tool. "I'm getting an early start on decorations for the festival."
"The Heartsong festival is coming up," Citrine supplied the answer to the unspoken question. "It's a celebration of young love and lots of young ponies confess their feelings to their special somepony."
"Lucky for me, though, the festivities are open to ponies without a date as well," Alex chimed in with a laugh as she continued to work on the ruby.
"You don't have anyone?" Floyd guessed.
"No, I haven't found a stallion that's caught my eye yet," the young mare replied. Citrine gave Lapis a subtle look, gesturing to the pair. Her husband smiled softly and nodded.
"Do you have anyone, Floyd?" Citrine asked, moving to stand beside him.
"Nah, I was dumped a few months before I got the notice to join the mission," Floyd explained, zooming in on the ruby. Citrine smiled brightly, nodding at Lapis.
"Would you like to stay for dinner, Floyd?" Lapis asked. "We can talk more about our job and the Heartsong festival."
"I'll have to let my boss know, but I think he'll be okay with it."
"Perfect, and I'll be sure to give you something other than crystal berries," Citrine joked with a bright smile. "How does crystal stew sound?"
"That depends, are crystal berries in crystal stew?" Floyd asked with a chuckle.
"No, just some crystal vegetables and spices." Citrine rubbed her chin. "I could throw in some meat if you'd like."
"You don't have to do that just for me," Floyd waved off. "I can handle a vegetarian meal every now and then."
"We keep some around for griffon clients," Alexandrite giggled, putting the ruby down. "You'd be surprised how many of them we get up here."
"Then do whatever makes you most comfortable," Floyd relented. "I'm not very picky." Citrine nodded, trotting out of the room. Floyd turned back to Alex. "Can I get some more footage of your work before dinner is served?"
"Of course, but, didn't you say you had to talk to your boss?" Alex asked, grabbing a few tools with her hooves.
"Yeah, I guess I'd better get right on that." Floyd grabbed his walkie talkie and pressed the talk button. "Hey Doc, is it okay if I stay out a bit longer? This family I'm getting footage of is offering me dinner."
"I suppose that's alright," Jackson replied. "Just don't get into trouble."
"You don't have to worry about that, Doc," Floyd assured him. "I've been on my best behavior. I don't think I'm gonna have any issues on my end."
"We'll be staying in the palace tonight," Jackson said. "When you're done eating, radio me and Princess Cadance can send someone to get you."
"I don't think that's gonna be necessary, Doc," Floyd chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I can find the giant palace on my own. And all the ponies here love us, so I'm not gonna be in any danger."
"Just don't do anything that makes us look bad."
"Rest assured, Doc, I've been a perfect gentleman this whole time," Floyd said with a grin. "And I plan on keeping it that way." He got his camera trained on Alex again, giving her a thumbs up. "Now, let's get started."
"Alright," Alexandrite said, chipping away at the ruby. "I'll create something spectacular for the sake of your recording."
"Mind narrating?" Floyd asked, making sure he wasn't in the way.
"I'll try," she replied. "But I'm not used to doing something like that so bear with me if it isn't very good." She cleared her throat and started to talk about her techniques and the tools she chose as she slowly but surely started to shape the ruby into a heart.
Soon enough it was finished, and not a second later, Citrine called them for dinner.
"Come on," Alexandrite said, putting her tools away, "you can record an average Crystal Empire meal." She smiled up at Floyd.
"I suppose I can." Floyd smiled back, following her to the kitchen. "I can't imagine it's any different from most meals."
"So your people have magic, crystalline vegetables too?" Alexandrite asked with a knowing smirk.
"Uh... no, no we do not." He set his camera down by the door, making sure to wash his hands. "So, got me there."
"Though I hope the table manners will be the same," Alexandrite said, washing her hooves.
"I assure you I have great table manners." He winked at her, smiling as he got a giggle out of her.
"That's good to hear, but we're not too uptight about that sort of thing in this house," Citrine told him, setting down bowls of stew around the kitchen table. "The only real rules are to clean your plate and compliment the chef." She giggled at her little joke.
"I can do both of those things." Floyd licked his lips, taking in a whiff of the stew.
"And how would you feel about a glass of crystal wine?" Lapis asked, grabbing a bottle from the pantry.
"I don't think I'm allowed to drink on the job..." Floyd looked at the bottle, not wanting to piss of either of his bosses.
"One glass won't hurt anything, unless you can't handle your alcohol or something?" Alexandrite looked up at him.
"If I get fired, I'm blaming you guys." Floyd held his hands up, finally relenting.
"Just say it was part of your cultural exchange," Citrine said with a giggle as Lapis poured four glasses of wine. Floyd took his, giving the wine an appraising sip.
"Hmm, this is pretty good stuff," Floyd said as he licked his lips. "Would almost make getting fired worth it." He took another sip, leaning back in his chair. "I might need to buy myself a bottle."
"I'm sure we could give you a bottle," Lapis said, starting to eat his stew. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all."
"I don't want you to go out of your way." Floyd let out a hum of delight as he took a spoonful of stew. "Damn, that's good."
"It's always nice to have my cooking appreciated," Citrine beamed as she began her own meal. "Though perhaps I should have you cook next time." She looked at her daughter.
"You know I can't cook," Alexandrite rolled her eyes. "I'd just end up burning everything again."
"It's never too late to learn," Citrine told her, sipping her wine. "I wasn't always this good. In fact, I was just as bad when my own mother taught me how to cook." Alexandrite just rolled her eyes, not bothering to give a response.
"I'd be interested in learning how to cook living crystal," Floyd chimed in. "It would make for some good footage, too."
"I'd love to teach you," Citrine responded with a smile. "Come on, Alexandrite, I could teach you both."
"Fine," Alexandrite relented with a sigh, though there was a small smile on her face. "I guess knowing how to cook will be useful." Citrine beamed, subtly nudging her husband. He nudged her back, their plan proceeding beautifully.
The rest of dinner went smoothly, and after giving his goodbyes, Floyd grabbed his camera and made his way back to the palace, a pleasant buzz filling his head and an unopened bottle of crystal wine in his free hand. He hummed softly, adjusting his camera every so often as he made it to the palace gates. The guards let him pass and one of them showed him to his room.
"Thanks, guys." He waved them off before putting his camera down and kicking his shoes off. He stripped down to his pants, climbing into the bed. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, his amulet shining in the darkness of his room.
The next morning Floyd was woken up by the sound of a crystal guard knocking on his door. He quickly went through his morning routine and followed the guard to the dining hall.
Despite being made of crystal, the palace didn't reflect light as much as Floyd thought it would. The dining room was huge, at least the size of an average high school gym. He found Daniel Jackson and their pilot, who Cadance had obviously coaxed into leaving the Jumper. The princess sat at one end of the table, next to a white stallion that Floyd assumed was her husband.
"Hey guys, I miss anything last night?" Floyd asked, taking a seat next to Dr. Jackson, trying to ignore his headache.
"I made some progress with the translations on the Heart," Dr. Jackson started. "I've even translated a couple of the words that are part of the branch dialect. It's fascinating stuff."
"Floyd," Cadance spoke up getting his attention, "This is my husband, Shining Armor." She gestured to the stallion next to her. "Shiny, this is Floyd."
"It's nice to meet you, Shining Armor." Floyd nodded at the unicorn stallion. "I'm sure you're glad to have your lovely wife back."
"I'm glad to have her back," Shining Armor agreed, wrapping an arm around Cadance and nuzzling her neck. "If she does something like that again, I'm going to glue her to the Crystal Heart."
"Pretty sure it was the Crystal Heart that got me in the mess in the first place," Cadance teased, kissing his cheek. "Plus, there's way better things I'd rather be glued to." She winked at her husband. She giggled at his blush, tapping her hooves together. "I hope everypony is hungry, the chefs put together some great treats for us this morning."
"After tasting what the average citizen eats, I'm looking forward to see what royalty here eats." Floyd licked his lips and looked towards the kitchen. After a call from Cadance, a pair of ponies emerged from the kitchen, each pushing a cart of crystal food. They moved along the table, setting out plates as they went.
"So, have you learned anything interesting about the culture during your filming?" Daniel asked, picking up his cutlery.
"There's a festival for couples coming up," Floyd absentmindedly rubbed at his head, grabbing what looked like an eclair made out of amethyst.
"Ooh, the Heartsong Festival!" Cadance chimed in. "I've been looking forward to it ever since I've heard about it. I've even added some modern touches to the festivities. Like a tunnel of love." She nuzzled her husband. "And Shiny and I are the couple of honor for it."
"Reminds me of Valentine's day," Floyd commented. He decided to just grin and bear the headache, not wanting to test his luck with alien medicine just yet.
"Would you like a cup of coffee or tea, sir?" a server asked, standing behind Floyd. Floyd jumped a little, glancing back at him.
"Got anything for headaches?" Floyd chanced, deciding to just say hell with it.
"Our Zebrican herbal blend tea is good for a variety of minor ailments," the waiter suggested.
"I'll take that then, please." The waiter nodded and walked over to take more orders.
"Are you coming down with something?" Dr. Jackson asked, a concerned look on his face.
"I just have a migraine," Floyd waved off. "I got goaded into drinking a cup of wine last night, but I only got a buzz."
"I've been goaded into drinking local alcohols several times myself," Jackson told him. "I'm just glad you stopped before you got really drunk."
"And get you and the General mad at me? No thanks." Floyd shook his head, taking a bite out of his eclair. "So, whatcha translate?"
"Bits and pieces so far," Dr.Jackson replied. "But some of it looks like a message to the ponies of the Crystal Empire."
"Yeah?"
"Judging from some of the context, it was a goodbye message," he explained. "I think the Crystal Heart was made to help the ponies of the Crystal Empire in case the plague took them."
"It's powered by the crystal ponies' collective goodwill," Cadance cut in. "A festival is held every year to recharge it."
"That makes sense," Floyd said. "That's probably the best energy source they could think of. I don't think you guys are going to run out of goodwill anytime soon."
"I'll be leaving for Shangri-La once we're done eating," Dr. Jackson said, taking a sip of his coffee. "It seems we had a stowaway on our survey mission and I've been asked to help smooth things over as we return him home."
"I take it I'll be staying here?" Floyd asked, taking a sip of his tea.
"Yes, you won't be needed for this mission," Dr. Jackson told him. "You'll be staying here until I give you another assignment."
"I can work with that." Floyd nodded, giving the doctor a smile.
"Just keep conducting yourself as you have been and there won't be any issues," Jackson replied.
"I won't let you down."
Daniel smiled and nodded and the meal continued with some light chatter. Eventually, Jackson and the pilot left, leaving Floyd with Cadance and Shining Armor. A pair of guards escorted him to the Jumper, more as a formality than anything else. Dr. Jackson and the pilot stepped into the ship and it took off for Shangri-La.
"Nice place," the pilot spoke up.
"I agree, the people are nice, the architecture is interesting, and we didn't have a single weapon pointed at us. That puts it among the best places the program has led us to," Dr. Jackson replied.
"That guard the princess had keep me company was a pretty interesting guy. Didn't think I'd ever see a pegasus."
"Or unicorns," Dr. Jackson added. "So what did you and that guard talk about? The weather?" He chuckled a little at his joke.
"That's putting it mildly. Guy actually walked on a cloud. Hell, he flew up, grabbed one, and brought it down to the ground."
"...This is easily the strangest planet we've ever visited," Jackson said. "And that's saying something. Did you catch this guard's name?"
"Guy said his name was Flash Sentry."
"So he's a guard with a synonym of guard in his name," Jackson commented. "These ponies are certainly spot on with their names."
"As long as they don't try to suck the life out of me, everything's good."
"You won't have to worry there, these ponies are vegetarians. They're on a strict no life-force diet," Jackson joked.
The rest of the trip went by quietly, with the two men only partaking in sparse small talk. Once they landed, Jackson headed for the control room, where he was greeted by a tired looking General Carter.
"Daniel, you're finally here," she said, a soft smile on her face.
"Much to the disappointment of my hosts," Daniel leaned on a counter. "So... you wanted me to help take a kid back?"
"His name is Razor," Carter said.
"Ooh, what's that?!" A small voice in the distance asked, followed quickly by a crashing sound.
"He's a little more... energetic than the other children I've kept an eye on," Carter said with a sigh. "I originally asked Lyra, when we thought he was a pony, to have her help take him back to that village. But when she found out he was a changeling, she had a panic attack."
"Lyra was also asked to go to Canterlot for the Shangri-La announcement," Jackson said. "I don't think she can be two places at once, even with magic."
"I'll send her to Cadance as soon as she's calmed down," Carter assured. "Apparently, the changeling queen that tried to depose Celestia brainwashed her."
"Sounds like she has PTSD," Jackson commented with a frown.
"Maybe," Carter shrugged. "Either way, things should calm down once Razor is back."
"Here's hoping you didn't just jinx us with that comment," Daniel said with a sigh.
"They're ready to leave whenever you are."
"All right, I'll head on down." Daniel quickly turned on his heel and exited the room, headed back to the Jumper bay. Higgs was waiting for him, Razor curled up in his arms.
"Hi!" Razor chirped, waving at the newcomer.
"And you must be Razor," Daniel smiled and approached Higgs. "I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson; it's nice to meet you."
"We're ready to go whenever you are, sir," Higgs gestured to the awaiting Jumper.
"I'm not military, so you don't have to call me 'sir,'" Dr. Jackson pointed out as he walked onto the Jumper. Higgs shrugged, following him on.
Several moments later they got the okay from Control, the Jumper descending into the gateroom. The chevrons lit up one by one until the seventh locked into place. The wormhole was established and the Jumper passed through the gate.
"That's weird!" Razor complained, shivering a little.
"Yeah, the cold feeling passes quickly," Higgs assured, petting the changeling on the head.
"Razor," Doctor Jackson spoke, getting the changeling's attention. "How mad are your people going to be?"
"Uh..." Razor paused, tilting his head in thought. "I dunno, this has never happened before."
"Oh this'll be fun," Dr. Jackson sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Let's just hope that Razor's mother listens to the little guy when he explains things to her," Higgs offered.
"I'll do my best!" Razor proclaimed confidently, puffing his chest out.
"I know you will, little buddy," Higgs smiled and rubbed the top of his head.
"Don't worry Doc," one of the soldiers spoke up. "If things get ugly, we got you covered." It was then Dr. Jackson realized they were all armed with Wraith stunners.
"Good choice in the non-lethal force, everybody," Dr. Jackson said, smiling a little at the soldiers. "This is a diplomatic mission after all."
"We're almost there," the pilot informed. Razor brightened at the news while the soldiers all made last minute adjustments to their equipment.
"I'll take the lead," Dr. Jackson informed as the Jumper landed in front of Razor's cave. "I even brought chocolate this time," he joked, patting his vest.
"You'd be better off thinking about your loved ones," Higgs chimed in. "Changelings feed on emotions and love is their favorite."
"Right." Dr. Jackson stepped out of the Jumper and found himself missing having more than just a pistol. He cleared his throat, stepping up to the cave's mouth. "Uh, hello! One of your young ones snuck back to our home with us. We brought him back, safe and sound."
Nothing happened for a few minutes, an intense quiet settling over them. Daniel gazed around anxiously, his hand moving toward his side arm. A flicker of movement caught his eye and he turned to see an changeling glaring at him. A rock to his left exploded into green flames, transforming into another, angry changeling.
All around them, various objects and plants transformed into changelings, hissing and snarling at the humans.
"Give us Razor!" one of the drones demanded, their moth-like wings fluttering in agitation.
"Siblings, it's okay!" Razor shouted, hopping out of Higgs' arms. "They fed me and everything!" The drones looked amongst themselves.
"Razor is telling the truth," the first one said.
"Yes, he seems to have fed on plenty of love," one agreed.
"We took great care of him." Jackson looked between them, giving his best smile.
"We shall take them to mother," another said, turning around. "She will want to hear all this."
"No need for that, my child," a distorted feminine voice spoke up. A changeling rivaling Celestia in size stepped out of the cave, gazing at the humans with deep violet eyes. Like the others, she resembled a moth, but unlike them she had human-like eyes, a long horn and an actual mane that was the same violet as her eyes. "Come to me, Razor," the obvious queen said, tapping the ground in front of her with a hoof.
The younger changeling obeyed, galloping over to her. "I'm sorry, mother..." he hung his head, his antenna drooping. "I got scared and hid as a rock. They didn't mean to take me." The queen let out a sigh, sitting down and scooping her child into her hooves. She nuzzled him, their antennae rubbing together.
"I believe you, my precious little king. I will do nothing to these strange creatures. You, on the other hoof, are going to be punished." She gave Razor a pointed look. "The village will not be seeing 'The Mantis' for quite some time."
Razor pouted, nuzzling into her fuzz. "Yes, mother..."
"We are very sorry for this misunderstanding," Dr. Jackson said, bowing his head to the queen. "We were only trying to examine minerals and materials on this planet. We were completely unaware of your people's ability to shapeshift into anything."
"Razor is safe and you don't seem to be lying." The queen looked them over, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I have never seen creatures like you before..." Realization dawned on her face. "You came through the portal."
"We call it the stargate," Daniel confirmed with a nod.
The changelings around them hissed, getting rather agitated.
"Uh, is there any reason that they're hissing at us?" Higgs asked, adjusting his stunner.
"Only the Adjudicator's people come through the gate." The queen rose to her hooves, placing Razor onto her back.
"We could teach you how to operate the gate if you'd like," Dr. Jackson offered. "Consider it an act of goodwill to further our peoples relations."
"And bring death upon my hive?!" The queen scoffed, backing away from them. "You're mad."
"What do you mean by that?" Dr. Jackson asked with a confused look.
"The Adjudicator is known to raze entire villages for even touching the ring."
"Seems we'll have to have a word with this Adjudicator," Higgs commented, his face contorting into a frown. "We'll leave and come back with something other than stunners."
"Hey uh, Doc," one of the other soldiers spoke up.
"What is it?" Dr. Jackson asked, turning toward the soldier.
"Did the General say anything about sending backup?"
"No, she didn't... why?" Dr. Jackson asked, worry creeping into his voice.
"Because I see at least three Jumpers heading this way," the soldier responded.
"Ma'am, may we take cover in your cave?" Dr. Jackson asked, looking at the queen with widening eyes.
"Quickly." The queen nodded, ushering the other changelings into the cave. The humans didn't need further instruction, running in after them. The strange Jumpers flew over them, completely ignoring the group.
"Does anyone have an explanation about that?" Higgs asked, looking between everyone.
"They're heading to the village," the queen explained, her voice full of sadness.
"But how are they operating the Jumpers?" a soldier asked. "They'd need the ATA gene to do that. Is it the Ori?"
"The Ori are gone," Jackson assured them. "Carter will dial in when we don't check back. We just have to wait until then." He turned to the queen. "Do you know anything about the ones in those ships?"
"My grandmother told me of them," the queen recounted, leading them deeper into the cave. "They are ponies made of shadow."
"This still doesn't explain the Jumpers," Higgs frowned. "Things are finally starting to look like a typical SGC mission around here. Guess it couldn't be sunshine and rainbows forever." Before anyone could respond, a sound could be heard in the distance. One of the soldiers peered out of the cave to see that one of the strange Jumpers had landed not too far from their position.
"Shit, we've got company," the soldier cursed.
"And now I wish we brought actual guns," Higgs lamented, readying his stunner.
"I did," Daniel said, readying his pistol. "But I don't know how effective it will be against shadow ponies."
"Looks like we'll find out, huh?"