"Twilight, dear, will you please calm down?" Rarity asked, watching the panicked unicorn trot up and down the aisle. Princess Celestia had announced a press conference a few days prior and sent Twilight a letter this morning. The princess wouldn't say why she was summoning them, only that it would change the world.
"How can I calm down when we're about to hear world changing news!" Twilight cried, waving her hooves in the air. "This could be something serious, like war being declared on us!"
"I don't think somepony declared war on us." Spike rolled his eyes. "Besides, didn't the newspaper say Celestia invited a bunch of ambassadors and stuff?"
"Yeah, Twi, I think you're overreacting here," Dash waved off, reclining in her seat. "You need to take a chill pill."
"I do not," Twilight huffed, stomping a hoof.
"Sugarcube, take a seat," Applejack said softly. "It ain't gonna do ya any good t'get worked up over news ya ain't even heard yet."
Twilight sighed, taking a seat next to Spike. She pulled him close, mumbling under her breath. Spike just rolled his eyes, patting her side.
"Come on, Twilight, things'll be fine," he assured her. "Celestia would've warned you if the news was bad."
"I just worry..." Twilight sighed, perking up as the train's whistle blew and it started to slow down.
"Well, it's almost time to hear the news," Spike said, patting her side again.
"Let's head up to the castle," Twilight said, hopping off her seat. She levitated Spike onto her back, quickly disembarking. The others got out of their seats, following closely behind. They stepped onto the platform, and found a duo of guards waiting for them.
"Please follow us," one of them instructed. He turned, making his way through the crowds. The normally dense traffic of the city had turned into a clog, with ponies from all over the country trying to get in on this world-altering news. Fortunately, the guards were able to clear a small path for them, allowing them to get through the massive crowd relatively quickly.
"I've never seen Canterlot so busy," Rarity commented as they reached the castle gates. She looked back, glad they had avoided the heavy body contact of the crowd.
"Considering that there's such an important announcement today, it doesn't surprise me," Spike said. He turned to the guards. "Can you guys fill us in on the news?"
"The princess has been very secretive," One shook his head. "But it was important enough to require Princess Cadance and her husband."
"Shining's gonna be here?!" Twilight beamed, brightening up. "Oh, it's gonna be so good to see him!"
"Please, the Princess is waiting for you." The guard gestured to the gates. "Perhaps she will see fit to explain the situation." They all nodded and followed them into the castle. They walked through the halls, stopping at the doors of a sitting room. The guards opened them, revealing Celestia and Luna waiting for them.
"Welcome, everypony," Celestia greeted, rising to her hooves. "Punctual as always, Twilight."
"There was no way I was going to be tardy when you said you had world-changing news to share, Princess Celestia," Twilight replied with a bow.
"Greetings as well, everypony." Luna inclined her head. "'Tis good to see you all."
"It's good to see you too, Princess," Rarity greeted, bowing as well. "And we hope it is under good circumstances."
"The best of them actually." Celestia smiled. "Come, sit."
The girls all took seats around the princesses. "I told you there was nothing to worry about," Spike said, looking at Twilight with a grin.
"You can't blame me," Twilight pouted, getting comfy.
"I am tempted to tell you the news right now," Celestia said with a chuckle. "But there is somepony else who deserves the honor of breaking it to all of you. Just know that it will change the way you look at history."
"Hello!" Lyra burst into the room, a big grin on her face.
"And there she is," Celestia said. "Miss Heartstrings, would you care to share the news with these ponies now?"
"Glady." Lyra cleares her throat. "I, Lyra Heartstrings, have proven my theory on the existence of the Teachers. I have even been to their city. They were, in fact, aliens."
"What?!" Twilight gasped, jumping out of her seat. "You can't be serious! Please tell me you have some proof of this!"
"Of course I do! Floyd, Doctor Jackson, you can come in now!" Lyra called, looking at the door she had just walked out of. The two men walked into the room, the younger one throwing up a strange hand sign.
"Live long and prosper, ladies," Floyd greeted.
"You couldn't resist, could you?" Daniel sighed in exasperation, but couldn't keep the slight smile off his face.
"I think we both know the answer to that one," Floyd replied with a chuckle. He then turned to the group. "I'm Floyd Hendrix and..." His eyes locked onto Dash. "Wow, Flash was not kidding about you ponies coming in every color of the rainbow."
Dr. Jackson cleared his throat. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson."
"I'm Twilight Sparkle," she replied, blinking a few times. "It's uh... a pleasure to meet you two as well."
"And you said my theory was poorly researched," Lyra nudged Twilight's side, smirking at her.
"I have to admit, I was wrong," Twilight said. "Congratulations on finding out the truth in your research."
"Okay, can somepony please explain what's going on?" Dash asked, pouting.
"The Teachers were a race that came from far away," Twilight explained. "Until just now, I thought they were only the stuff of legend. The stories said that they and their city descended from the sky."
"We know the Teachers as the Ancients," Daniel added, slipping into lecture mode. "We don't exactly know where their home galaxy is, but we know they colonized the Milky Way around fifty million years ago."
"Ah'm still tryin' t'wrap mah head around a city comin' down from the sky," Applejack said, tilting her hat back.
"Ah, Shangri-La is actually a starship; it just happens to look like a city."
"Wait, it's a starship?!" Twilight beamed, her eyes shining brightly. "I have so many questions about this!"
"I know you do, Twilight." Celestia smiled, looking up as a maid walked in, carrying a tray of tea. "There is one last pony I wanted you to meet."
"Who else could you want us to meet at a time like this?" Rarity asked, tilting her head.
The maid burst into green flames, revealing herself to be Elmis. "Greetings. I am Queen Elmis."
The six mares and baby dragon all shared a look of shock. "P-Princess Celestia, w-why is there a changeling queen here?" Fluttershy asked, poking an eye out from under one of the couches.
"That would be on us," Jackson admitted. "Due to some... complications, we had to evacuate Elmis' hive and a pony village."
"I have heard about what happened to Princess Cadance and her husband from Doctor Jackson and some of the other humans," Elmis chimed in. "I assure you that my hive does not conduct itself in that manner. We do not harm ponies or any other being that we get our love from."
"We thought it would be best to announce Elmis' presence now before anypony gets the wrong idea," Celestia clarified.
"And it might dissuade Chrysalis from trying anything. But," Luna gestured to the girls, "only Twilight has introduced herself."
"Sorry 'bout that, what with all the surprises, Ah plum forgot mah manners," Applejack said with a laugh. "Y'all can call me Applejack. Ah'm pleased t'meet ya."
"I'm Fluttershy," Fluttershy mumbled, hiding behind her bangs.
"I'm Rarity, charmed to make your acquaintance," Rarity greeted, flicking her mane over her shoulder.
"I'm Rainbow Dash!" Dash zipped into the air, doing a few tricks. "The fastest pegasus alive!"
"I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie beamed, vibrating in her seat. "I'm super excited to meet you!" She shot off her seat, hugging Floyd tightly. "I'm so glad you're finally here! I didn't think we'd ever get to this point!"
"Uh, I'm excited to meet you too," Floyd said, stumbling a little and returning the hug. "And what are you talking about? What point did you think we'd never get to?"
"It's not important," Pinkie waved him off. "Kindred spirits always find each other."
"Uh..." Floyd blinked owlishly, looking over at the other girls.
"Don't," Twilight warned, "Nopony can understand Pinkie Pie."
Spike cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "And last but not least, I'm Spike, the dragon." He struck a little pose from his seat.
"Huh." Floyd pulled away from Pinkie, moving over to examine Spike. "I wasn't expecting a dragon to look like you."
"Well, I'm still technically a baby dragon," Spike admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"You know, your mark looks a little like Shining Armor's." Floyd glanced at Twilight's flank, noting the purple star.
"Shining Armor is my big brother," Twilight said with a grin. "Do you know him?"
"He's been hosting me in the castle. Great guy. Though, both your marks look like this thing." Floyd reached into the shirt, lifting out the amulet.
"Whoa, what's that?" Dash asked, hovering over to get a better look. "Looks like a pretty fancy necklace."
"I got it off a skeleton," Floyd chuckled, dropping it back into his shirt.
"If it's alright with all of you, I'm going to do another sweep of the castle," Elmis said as she resumed her disguise.
"Just be sure to be at the press conference on time," Celestia said as she trotted towards the door.
"Of course." She flashed a smile before slipping out.
"This is all so fascinating," Twilight said. "I don't even know where to begin with my questions."
"Try not to talk their ears off, egghead," Dash teased. Twilight shot her a glare and pouted.
"We'd be happy to answer any of your questions," Dr. Jackson told her.
"Just keep in mind, we only have a few hours," Celestia reminded.
"I'm sure we can answer all of her questions in that time," Floyd said with a smile.
"Y'all don't know Twi," Applejack chuckled.
"You make it sound like I have a problem," Twilight huffed. She then turned to Floyd and Dr. Jackson. "Anyway, can you tell me more about your species? You match a basic description of the Teachers from the legends."
"We get that a lot," Floyd said.
"The reason for that is because we are descendants of the Ancients," Dr. Jackson added.
"Doc knows more about it than I do," Floyd pointed out. He flopped down on a chair, grabbing a cup of tea.
"It comes from reading the materials in their archives," Dr. Jackson offered.
"I'm just the camera guy," Floyd clarified.
"You've read their archives?!" Twilight gasped. "Does that mean you can speak the Teachers' language?"
"Well, I mostly studied the Atlantis database. The Shangrians have a different dialect. Though I have been learning more about it after studying the Crystal Heart."
"Hey! I gotta question." Dash waved her hoof around.
"Yes?" Dr. Jackson asked, looking over at her. "What is it?"
"How'd you guys get here? Got a spaceship or something?"
"Well, humans do have spaceships now," Dr. Jackson began, "but that's not how we came here. You see, the Ancients left more than just their city ships behind. They also left behind a series of devices that we call Stargates. These allow anyone who knows how to use them to travel between stars almost instantly."
Floyd checked out of the conversation, letting his facade fall. He felt like shit. His body ached, his head pounded, and he swore his hands had been glowing when he woke up. He tried to hide his discomfort by looking out a nearby window and leaning his head on a hand.
A part of him knew he should be telling the Doc, but the bigger part of him was more afraid of what was happening to him. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, trying to ignore the pounding in his head. He took another sip of his tea, wishing it was that zebra flavor he had been getting at the Empire.
"Floyd?" Dr. Jackson's voice cut in. "Is everything alright?"
"Huh?" Floyd blinked, shifting his gaze to the doctor.
"You've been staring out the window for a while now, and you've been pretty quiet. Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah ,Doc, I'm fine." Floyd put up his best easy smile, hoping he'd buy it.
"Alright, just let me know if you need a break," Daniel said, turning back to the conversation. Floyd sighed, looking down into his tea cup. He fiddled with his amulet, trying to take his mind off things. The conversation continued for some time, until Celestia had to use her magic to stop Twilight from talking and inform everyone that the press conference was about to begin.
"Time flies when you're having fun!" Pinkie giggled, bouncing toward the door.
"I need to get my notes in order!" Lyra beamed and galloped out of the room. She ran to her room, only to collide with Bon Bon, who was just stepping out. Lyra picked herself off the ground and shook her head. "Oh, hey ,Bonny!" Lyra beamed. "Sorry to bump into you like that. I was just getting ready for the big announcement!"
"I was coming to get you." Bon Bon got up, brushing herself off. "Here." She passed Lyra a folder. "I organized everything for you."
"Aww, you're the best, Bonny." Lyra took the folder in her magic and nuzzled Bon Bon's cheek. "What would I do without you?"
"Forget to bathe, brush your teeth, eat..." Bon Bon listed off, grinning.
"That was a rhetorical question," Lyra pouted at the other mare. "And I'm not that bad. I did all those things when I was in Shangri-La while you were here."
"Maybe there's hope for you yet." Bon Bon leaned in, placing a kiss on her lips.
"Hmmph, you're lucky I love you," Lyra started, turning her nose up. "Otherwise I'd leave you and try my luck with one of those humans. I bet I could get pretty creative with those hands of theirs."
"You'd come crawling back," Bon Bon replied with a grin. "Now come on, we're going to make everything late."
"Then let's hurry!" Lyra beamed and galloped down the halls. They made their way to the main balcony, where the Princesses were waiting for them.
"Our sister shall begin this conference," Luna whispered to Lyra. "Just sit at our side until she gives thee the signal." Lyra nodded, taking a seat next to her. Bon Bon sat at her side, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Lyra noted Floyd, who was standing off to side, fiddling with his camera. Lyra grinned at the sight, thoughts of asking him for a copy of the footage bubbling up in her head.
Celestia then cleared her throat and began to speak to the gathered crowd. "It is an honor to see you all today. My sister and I have called you all to share news that will change history as we know it."
Celestia looked out at the sea of faces, taking in their expressions. Most were anxious. "And I would like Miss Lyra Heartstrings to share this news," Celestia waved a hoof over to Lyra. "This was her discovery."
Celestia stepped aside, casting a voice amplifying spell on the unicorn. Lyra took a calming breath, standing up from her seat. She trotted up to the podium, ignoring the camera flashes.
"Thank you, Princess." Lyra inclined her head before facing forward. "Some of you may have already heard the rumors coming from the Crystal Empire. They are, in fact, true. A little over a week ago, Princess Cadance, Bon Bon, and myself were indeed taken from the Empire, teleported by the Crystal Heart." Murmurs started to erupt from the crowd. Lyra cleared her throat and continued. "The Crystal Heart took us to an ancient structure. This structure was the city of Shangri-La, nestled in the heart of the pony homeland, which now lies deep within the Frozen North."
A reporter shot her hoof up. "Do you have any idea as to why the Crystal Heart would do something like that?"
"The Crystal Heart was a gift from the original builders of Shangri-La, the Teachers, a race that has long been thought of as myth. Myself and other like-minded archaeologists have theorized about their existence for years." Lyra shifted slightly. "The Heart is connected to a similar device inside the city." She then grinned. "And now, it is with great honor, that I present to you, Doctor Daniel Jackson from the planet Earth."
Dr. Jackson stepped out from behind the doorframe of the balcony, Celestia casting a voice amplifying spell on him as he stopped at Lyra's side. "Hello, people of Equestria and beyond. I am Doctor Daniel Jackson, a representative of Stargate Command and Earth. I speak for all of us when I say I hope that we can have a long-lasting friendship."
"Doctor Jackson's people were kind enough to host us until Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came to retrieve us," Lyra explained. A hush fell over the crowd, their jaws hanging open as they tried to process what they were seeing.
Princess Celestia stepped forward, clearing her throat. "Everypony, a piece of history long lost to us had returned." She spread her wings, giving a bright smile. "Our brothers and sisters spread out amongst the stars, and though we are now distant, I hope to one day reconnect with them. As a first step, I would like to formally welcome Queen Elmis to Equestria."
Elmis stepped out onto the balcony as well, casting her own voice amplification spell. The audience seemed unnerved by her. "I understand your hesitation at the sight of me. But I hope that my children and I can prove to you that we are peaceful. It is our hope to prosper alongside you."
"I know you all must have questions." Celestia looked out at the crowd. "So please, allow us to ease your minds."
The mare from before shot her hoof up. "This Queen Elmis looks different from the changelings reported from the wedding incident. What is the reason for that?"
"I think I can answer that one," Jackson spoke up. "Most likely both types of changeling share a common ancestor and at some point the groups diverged. Elmis's branch adapted to a different world and environment."
Another hoof shot up. "And what about this Teacher city? What all can you tell us about that?"
"Shangri-La is what my people call a city ship," Jackson began. "It came to your galaxy over ten thousand years ago."
"So the Teachers are aliens too?" the mare from before asked.
"Yes, one of the most advanced races in the known universe."
This caused more murmurs amongst the crowd. "And what happened to these aliens?" the mare questioned. "Why was such an advanced spaceship abandoned?"
"From the message they left behind, a plague was ravaging their population. They sealed their city so it wouldn't infect the rest of the planet. They doomed themselves in order to save you."
"Now that the city is unsealed, is there any danger of this plague resurfacing?" Another reporter inquired.
"We haven't seen any evidence that it's still active." This seemed to ease the crowd slightly. The questioning continued for some time.
After fielding a few more, Celestia spread her wings, silencing the crowd. "I thank you all for your questions and I thank you all for coming. I would like for all our esteemed guests to join me in the castle." She gave a bow, trotting back into the castle. Lyra, Elmis, Dr. Jackson, and Luna followed after her and the crowd dispersed.
"That seems to have gone well," Floyd commented, shutting off his camera.
"It did," Twilight said, trotting up to him. "And people seem to have taken the news of Queen Elmis pretty well. Though we'll have to wait and see on that end."
"We can only hope." Celestia smiled, looking at Lyra, "You did an excellent job."
"You have no idea how hard it was to not rub the discovery in my detractors' faces," Lyra said with a giggle.
"I'm glad you didn't." Celestia lead them into the castle, heading to the long disused war room.
"I dunno, it might've given me some good footage if she did," Floyd offered with a grin.
"And made her look immature," Bon Bon retorted.
"Yeah, no need to let everypony know how immature I am," Lyra said with a giggle.
"We will have some time before the dignitaries begin to arrive," Celestia commented, stepping into the room. Torches burst into flame along the walls, bathing them in flickering light.
"So what do we do until then?" Floyd asked, taking in the room. It was circular in shape, its walls decorated with murals depicting various scenes of battle. A large table dominated the room, big enough to seat at least twenty people.
"There is the matter of finding a new location for Shangri-La," Luna said.
"We would like to offer safe harbor in our eastern coast." Celestia took a seat, gesturing for them to do the same.
"That sounds perfect," Dr. Jackson said, taking his seat. "The city ship should be able to float."
Celestia nodded. "I want to ask this now, since you are here in place of General Carter, did she give you permission to negotiate?"
"That's a tricky one," Jackson admitted, "Last time Carter dialed Earth with a status report, we were told the IOA was going to send over someone to formalize everything. That's the International Oversight Advisory, a civilian organization composed of several countries from my world to make sure that my country's military does not abuse its control of the Stargate."
"Then we will operate under the assumption that nothing we say here will be final," Luna said with a nod.
Floyd left the higher-ups to talk, busying himself with setting up his camera. A few moments later, Cadance and Shining Armor walked in.
"I hope we didn't miss anything important," Cadance said as she took her own seat. She turned to Lyra. "And you did great at the conference."
"Thanks Cadie," Lyra beamed, swishing her tail.
"Oh, and I heard that a certain professor was going to be attending the conference," Cadance said with a grin.
"Who?" Lyra asked, tilting her head.
"Professor Otto!" Cadance beamed.
"Really?" Lyra beamed, nearly leaping out of her seat. "I haven't seen him in ages!"
"I'm sure he's as excited as you that your theory has been proven," Cadance said.
"I can't wait to see him again." Lyra swayed a little, letting out a happy hum.
"Anyway, we were just talking about a new place to have Shangri-La be situated," Celestia chimed. "Though nothing will be finalized until another representative of Earth arrives and looks things over."
"I just hope everything stays friendly," Daniel added, smiling.
"I am confident that our people will have a good relationship going forward," Celestia said.
"Auntie!" Blueblood trotted in, a pout on his face. "Why was I not informed of all this?"
"I wanted Miss Heartstrings to be the one to tell you the news," Celestia replied with a smile. "Considering the choice words you had for her theories."
"Yes, well." Blueblood cleared his throat, inclining his head toward Lyra. "Forgive me, I was wrong." Lyra had a large grin on her face, leaning her ear towards him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you. Could you repeat that?"
"I said I was sorry." Blueblood straightened up, taking a seat next to Celestia.
"It's fine, Blueblood," Lyra said, her tail swishing behind her. "I mean, the evidence was technically on your side at the time. I won't hold you calling me crazy against you."
"Your Highness." One of the guards stationed at the door peeked in.
"What is it, Sergeant?" Celestia asked.
"King Aspen has arrived."
"Excellent, see to it that he gets an escort," Celestia said with a smile.
"Shall I do so for all the arriving dignitaries?" The Sergeant asked.
"All except the minotaur leader, he'll insist on escorting himself anyway," Celestia replied. The Sergeant nodded, closing the door behind him. "It seems that you two will be meeting several leaders and new species today."
"That was the plan, sister," Luna reminded.
"Quite," Celestia said with a chuckle. "I think Bronze will like them." She turned to Daniel and Floyd. "Just be careful with his handshakes."
"Bronze?" Floyd asked.
"Bronze Brave is the name of the minotaur leader," Luna explained. "He can be a bit… boisterous."
"And this King Aspen?" Dr. Jackson asked.
"He's the king of the deer," Celestia explained. "His people inhabit the Everfree Forest. It's not too far from Canterlot."
There was a knock at the door. "Announcing King Aspen!" The door opened and a white buck with brown fur along his back and face walked into the room. He wore a golden necklace with a large heart-shaped ruby in the center.
"Greetings, Princesses of Equestria," the buck greeted, nodding his head to them.
"We are glad you could make the journey." Celestia bowed her head.
"You act as if I had to come such a far distance," the buck said with a dry chuckle.
"No, but we know how much you hate leaving the forest," Luna replied.
"I think I can manage for the sake of important news," the buck said as he took his own seat.
"We shall save introductions for later, if only to save time," Celestia informed.
"That makes sense to me," the buck said, giving her a nod. The group sat in silence as more dignitaries flowed into the war room.
"Hello there, Celestia, Luna!" A tall, copper-colored minotaur greeted, closing the door behind him.
"It is always good to see you Bronze," Celestia greeted. Bronze Brave stood at at least ten feet tall, not counting his horns. Along his horns were several golden rings. He was wearing an open jacket with long tassels that hung off his arms and silken pants. "Please sit." Bronze nodded and took a seat, careful not to hit anyone with the tassels.
"Sorry I'm late, I got turned around in the never-ending hallways of this place." Bronze laughed.
"You didn't miss much," Celestia assured him.
"We are still waiting for more guests," Luna added.
"Announcing Princess Ember of the Dragonlands!" A blue dragon stepped into the room, horns curving off the side of her head. She was wearing golden armor and had ruby colored eyes.
"Dragon Lord Torch sent me in his place," Ember explained. "In his own words, Canterlot is too puny to hold him."
"You are most welcome, Princess Ember," Celestia nodded gracefully to the dragoness. "We are just waiting on a few more guests before we begin." Ember nodded, adjusted her armor and took a seat next to Aspen.
"Announcing High Chief Zazu of Zebrica!" A zebra with ornate golden rings around his neck and legs stepped into the room. His mane was done up in a mohawk and a mask was tied to his back.
"I bid you welcome, oh princess of the sun," Zazu greeted with a bow.
"And I you." Celestia returned his bow. "I believe we are just waiting for the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia and the Sheik of Saddle Arabia."
"Announcing the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia!" A pair of ponies stepped into the room, both of them wearing ornate headgear.
"We apologize for our tardiness," the mare spoke. "But our train was delayed."
"Fret not," Luna assured. "Now all we need is the good Sheik, Haakim."
"Good ol' Haki," Bronze chuckled, leaning back in his seat.
"Announcing Sheik Haakim!" A tall, slender, brown stallion with a swept back blonde mane stepped into the room. He was wearing a blue outfit with orange trimming that extended into a sort of mask that hung loosely from his face. Along the side of the outfit was a blue and yellow pattern with a crescent moon and a star at the bottom.
"A pleasure to see you again, Princess Celestia. You as well, Princess Luna." Haakim bowed his head.
"The pleasure is all ours," Luna replied. "And now that all are present, we can begin the introductions."
The introductions took a solid few minutes, at which time, Celestia began the proceedings. "My sister and I called you here today to introduce a new race and planet to us all," the solar princess started. "They are an advanced race called humans."
"I assure you, we have no intention of causing any harm," Dr. Jackson spoke. "Our intentions are to share knowledge between our peoples," he continued. "Things like medicine, technology, and history. We want a mutually beneficial relationship."
"Please do keep in mind, that while Dr. Jackson is representing his people, he does not have the authority to finalize any negotiations," Luna stated, gazing across the table.
"So we'll be hearing a lot of empty promises?" Ember asked with a snort.
"I wouldn't say empty," Dr. Jackson countered. "Just not formalized."
"I am intrigued by the prospect, please show him some respect," Zuza chided the dragon representative, motioning for Dr. Jackson to continue.
"Thank you. I won't lie to you, dealing with Earth can be a bit of a pain. The governing body that oversees our off-world activities is made up of multiple nations. They don't always act in our collective best interest. The only thing they'll most likely deny you outright is weapons." Dr. Jackson held back the 'at least until you have something they really want.'
"Well, I don't think I'll be asking for any weapons," Bronze said. "Peace has been maintained between the groups you see here for quite some time. There's no need to scramble for military superiority."
"Then we're already at a good start." Dr. Jackson smiled.
"I am more interested in your medicine," Zazu started. "Please, fill us in."
"Ah, well, I'm not that kind of doctor, but I'll try to answer your questions as best I can."
"I wish to know for what forms of malady you have made a remedy," Zazu said.
"We've gotten rid of most of the deadliest diseases on our world," Dr. Jackson explained, "At the moment we're focusing on replacing missing limbs and eliminating the two remaining major diseases."
"That is music to my ears, you seem to be ahead of us by years." Zazu smiled at him.
"A lot of our recent advances came from technology we recovered through the Stargate."
"What is this Stargate you're talking about?" Ember inquired, leaning forward in her seat.
"The Stargate is a device created by the Ancients. You may know them as the Teachers. There are at least four networks that we know of, including the one in this galaxy."
"And what do these devices do?" Ember pressed.
"When one gate is connected to another, they allow for near-instantaneous travel between them, though the greater the distance, the more power is required. The furthest connection we've made required us to tap into a planet's core." He left out that the connection caused the planet to explode. "There is also a minimum distance that can be used to connect Stargates; they are designed for interplanetary travel, not intercontinental travel."
"Now that certainly sounds interesting," Haakim noted. "I can only imagine how easy maintaining trade routes would be with a system like that."
"We have yet to fully understand the technology," Dr. Jackson shock his head. "They are incredibly durable, the oldest one on record was over fifty million years old. Your idea to use it for trade is not without merit, either," he continued. "In the Pegasus galaxy, there is a vast trade network that relies on the gates." Some eyebrows were raised at the name of the alien galaxy, but no comment was made.
"Truly an impressive species to be able to create wonders that far back in time," the Duke of Maretonia commented. "We do not even have any hints of a civilization that old."
"The Ancients only found your world ten thousand years ago. They split off from the main branch in the Pegasus galaxy. And unfortunately, the Ancients, or Teachers as you'd call them, are no longer with us. It's made understanding some of their technology, language and even culture difficult at times."
"And just where is this Stargate?" Ember asked.
"This planet's Stargate is in the city ship of Shangri-La," Dr. Jackson replied. "And it's where we have based ourselves during our stay here."
"So you control the only means of accessing other worlds?" Aspen asked, raising his eyebrow.
"We can share the stargate with you," Dr. Jackson offered, "And teach you the means to operate it. Luckily, the Stargate is not like a lot of Ancient technology, it has no genetic lock on it."
"We may have a solution that will please everyone," Celestia offered.
"Go ahead and share it," Bronze said with a sweep of his hand. "The floor is yours."
"Thank you." She bowed her head graciously. "This will of course depend on Doctor Jackson's leaders, but I propose that each of our nations be granted a partnership on the humans' expedition."
"I can see if that can be arranged," Dr. Jackson said. "We've had non-human personnel take part in the SGC since the beginning. I recommend nominating either your best soldiers, or your brightest minds to join us during expeditions."
"We have already offered Shangri-La safe harbor in our eastern waters," Celestia said.
"Perhaps Shangri-La can have a designated area within each of our countries?" Haakim asked. "That way none of us can accuse the other of monopolizing easy access to the stargate."
"I'm afraid the city is designed to float on the open ocean," Daniel shook his head.
"Well, that would preclude about half of us from giving you an area," the duchess said.
"A most vexing situation," Aspen agreed.
"Maybe not," Dr. Jackson said. "We can allow all of you easy access to the gate thanks to our communication methods and transportation."
"Such as?" The Duke asked, gesturing for him to continue.
"We have several means of long distance communication that should be okay to share with you," Dr. Jackson explained. "And we can transport you in a ship we call a Jumper. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza can attest to their effectiveness."
"They are very cramped," Luna clarified.
"If you're saying that then I'd doubt I'd fit in one," Bronze said.
"The gates are just under seven meters in diameter, and the Jumpers are designed to fit through them," Jackson admitted. "We can figure something out," he assured the minotaur.
"A lot of the older dragons wouldn't be able to fit in one of those either," Ember added. "Perhaps just an escort would work for us. I'm sure we'd rather get there under our own wingpower anyway."
"I don't think elder dragons would fit through the gate." Celestia turned to Ember. "Unless they consented to a temporary shrinking spell."
"Despite dragon pride, I think they'd agree to that before letting one of the adolescents risk their lives on a distant world," Ember replied. "But I can't speak for them. I will bring these matters to their attention and let them decide for themselves who our representatives will be."
"Of course. I think the Princesses' proposal will go better with the IOA if you give them definite benefits of such an arrangement." Dr. Jackson looked between each of them.
"I take it you mean the skillset of the people we nominate to represent us?" The Duke asked.
Jackson gave a glance to Floyd, who nodded and stopped recording. "Let me be frank. I mean, what do you offer that benefits Earth? The IOA has always been extremely self-centered, though I'll save us all the time and not list off the times they almost screwed us all over."
"Well, dragon scales are some of the toughest and most resilient things on the planet," Ember said. "Our scales are capable of letting us dragons survive submerging in lava. We could give you discarded scales."
"Deer potions can grow entire tree groves in days," Aspen offered.
"Zebra cures for magical ailments could be yours," Zazu chimed. "And there is very little our brews cannot do."
"Can you give me an example?" Daniel asked.
"There is a brew that when drank brings the past into view," Zazu replied.
"All of those sound very useful." Dr. Jackson leaned back, nodding his head.
"We can only hope that this IOA representative feels the same way," Luna spoke up. The meeting continued for some time, the topic moving onto the timetable for Shangri-La's transfer to the ocean.