//------------------------------//
// What We Do In The Dark [Part 3] 
// Story: Stargate: Shangri-La 
// by Grey Ghost 
//------------------------------//

Celestia had spread herself out along the back seats of a Jumper, adjusting her legs in a vain attempt to get comfortable. By her side was Luna, who had taken up a spot on the floor.

"I believe we should attempt to fly to Shangri-La under our own power next time," Celestia suggested. "It almost feels like these ships get smaller every time we use one."

"You were the one who said they were faster," Luna responded, having given up on being comfortable. "We could have just taken a carriage, but no, you have to be urgent about everything."

"You received the same message I did," the solar princess shot back, rolling over to look at Luna. "Did it not sound like an urgent matter?"

"As I recall, the general said 'as soon as is convenient.'" Luna glanced at the pilot, who had been quiet for most of the trip. She wondered if he knew how lucky they were, to see the two of them acting like sisters, instead of royalty.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "I really need to teach you tact. The general was using the polite version of 'as soon as possible.'"

"Bah!" Luna shifted her weight, casting a small shield spell to separate the compartments. "Celestia, I have been thinking on those shadow ponies the general told us about."

Celestia's expression changed instantaneously, regarding Luna with a critical eye. "What is it, Luna?"

"You know exactly what it is, Celestia. They sound just like him." Luna cast her eyes down, recalling the stallion in question quite clearly. "That miserable black hearted cretin."

Celestia frowned and extended a wing to drape over her sister's back. "You're right, it does sound like him. Perhaps there is a society out there that let themselves fall to dark magic, though how they managed to access the technology of the Teachers is concerning."

"A whole society like Sombra?" Luna mused, frowning deeply. "If there was such a thing, I have a hard time imagining it not tearing itself apart. Even one was too much to bare."

"It is rather disconcerting," Celestia admitted, looking down at the floor. "Is there some sort of connection between them?"

Luna groaned, rubbing her head. "This would not be an issue if that chimerian cur hadn't tampered with our records." The thought of the mismatched spirit of chaos caused her blood to simmer. It was by will alone she didn't take a sledgehammer to his stone form.

"Easy, Luna, we don't know if our lost memories could shed some light on this matter," Celestia said, extending a wing towards her sister. "Perhaps searching the Crystal Palace will tell us more on these shadow ponies?"

Holding back a growl, Luna gave a curt nod in acknowledgement. "That wretch had to have kept a study or a laboratory, we should tell Cadance to scour her new home."

"We can visit her as soon as we're done our business in Shangri-La," Celestia assured, smiling softly at Luna. "It'll give you a chance to spend more time with your niece. Maybe you can finally get Shining Armor to call you Auntie."

This managed to get Luna's glare to soften. "He has been a rather tough nut to crack. His guard training has left him too beholden to the two of us as authority figures." Sending a furtive glance at the pilot, she continued. "It will be amusing to see his reaction, if your plan for Twilight works out."

"My plan for Twilight will work out," Celestia chided, unable to keep herself from puffing up in pride. "She has exceeded my expectations at every turn."

"Do not get too ahead of yourself, dear sister." Luna smiled, poking Celestia's side. "You shouldn't put all your ducks in a row."

"You're just jealous that you don't have an apprentice of your own," Celestia teased, sticking her tongue out at her. "Perhaps you should nurture a foal as I have?"

"Perhaps." Luna nodded her head noncommitally. "Let us focus on the task at hoof."

Celestia adjusted herself and stretched her neck down to give Luna a quick nuzzle. "Of course, and remember that I am always by your side."

"Always," Luna repeated, dropping the shield. She barely registered the pilot's voice, as he informed them that they had arrived. Luna was the first to teleport out, quickly composing herself. "Greetings General Carter, Doctor Jackson, it is always a pleasure to see you."

"A pleasure to see you again, too," Daniel said. "I hope the ride wasn't too uncomfortable."

"It was manageable. I think we'll take a carriage next time." Luna didn't bat an eye as Celestia popped in beside her. "I believe we have much to discuss."

"Yes, I've recently come across something that I knew you'd want to see," Daniel stated. "If you would follow me to the archive room, please." He turned on his heels and started walking out of the room.
The princesses stepped into line behind him, though Luna fell into a contemplative silence. Every hoofstep through Shangri-La brought another wisp of a memory to the edges of Luna's mind. A faint phrase, a lingering image, a phantom smell; each one making Luna more and more angry.

How much had been taken from them? When had the Teachers tutelage shifted into Starswirl's? Had their parents been here? These thoughts only served to sour Luna's mood. So inwardly focused was she that she almost walked into Daniel's back, if Celestia hadn't stopped her with a wing.

Daniel had stopped at a door, apparently having been in the middle of speaking. "I stumbled on it by complete accident. It's the only reason Carter's let me keep the lights on."  Opening the door, he motioned for the pair to follow. "Considering whose in it, we thought it best to show you."

The room brought another series of hazy images to Luna's mind; looking up at a smiling face, hours spent with a tablet, arguments over notes. She fought off rubbing her head, feeling a headache starting to build. The room itself was bare, save for a pedestal and a circular platform inhabiting the center.

Carter stepped to one side, while Daniel walked up to the pedestal. "Alright, here we go. He tapped at a few buttons, causing the lights to dim and a pair of figures to appear on the platform.

Luna gazed in shock as one of the Teachers introduced Discord. This Discord was merely a foal, an innocent. Far from the tyrant he wo– Luna's eyes widened as her body spasmed. Excruciating pain coursed through her body, blurring her vision.

'You turned your back on them, Luna,' Discord's voice whispered in her ear, thick with malice. 'You don't deserve to remember them.'

Celestia cried out next to her sister, falling to the floor as her own body spasmed. Daniel and Carter shared a panicked look, before Carter tapped the button on her walkie talkie.

"We have an emergency in the archive room!" she boomed, eyes wide with panic. "I need a medical team here, now!"

Luna took in a ragged breath as the pain receded. Eyes darting around like a panicked animal, she scrambled to her hooves, wings spread and horn lit. A few silent minutes passed before the adrenaline started to recede, allowing higher thought to reestablish itself.

Celestia scrambled to her own hooves and her eyes flitted around the room. She then quickly composed herself and took a deep breath. She then turned to Luna with a concerned expression. "Did you hear his voice too?"

"Yes, I did," Luna huffed, trying to get her wings folded. "Even in stone, he continues to torment us. That mismatched..." Luna's rant bled into a long, shrill whinny. She snorted, starting to perform an angry prance.

"Luna, calm down," Celestia said, a firm tone in her voice. "We should focus on the meaning of Discord's words. He claimed we turned our backs on the Teachers. There seems to be an explicit purpose for his actions here besides mischief."

"The hypocrite!" Luna snarled. "He accuses us of betraying them, when it was he who spread misery among ponykind! He is lucky I do not fly to Canterlot and shatter him to a million pieces!"

Celestia's look hardened. "Luna, look at that image." She pointed a hoof at the frozen hologram of Discord. "Something clearly happened to cause a change in him. Perhaps something like the plague that ravaged the Teachers?"

Luna snorted, storming out of the room.

Celestia sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "Please, forgive my sister. She has always the more aggressive of us. All of this talk of shadow ponies and our lost memories..." Taking a breath, she smoothed out her feathers.

Carter shook her head. "No need to apologize, the two of you just went through a traumatic experience. And it seems that Discord has tampered with your minds."

"It doesn't surprise me. Discord rarely does the expected." Celestia took a moment to collect herself. "I should go talk to her. Hopefully, I can talk her down from doing anything extreme."

"Go right ahead," Daniel said. "We'll be right here whenever you two are ready." He then turned to Carter, adding, "You might want to call off that medical team."

Celestia stepped out of the room, doing her best to follow Luna. Without really thinking, Celestia navigated the halls, following some map she couldn't really picture. A few humans passed her, greeting her with kind smiles and bows. Replying in kind, she gave her practiced smile.  After a few moments, she found the younger alicorn in an empty room, shouting at the walls. Listening from the door, Celestia spoke up when Luna took a breath. "I'm sure the whole tower can hear you, Luna."

"I do not care!" Luna growled, her wings flared out and her chest heaving. "How are you so calm about this?! Discord tampered with our memories! How much do you think he's taken from us?!"

"Luna," Celestia stepped over, pulling her into a hug. "You need to calm down, exploding like this won't get us anywhere. I'm not pleased with this either; I fully intend to get answers from Discord. He will answer for his meddling."

Luna didn't respond for a few moments, reluctantly accepting the hug. Burying her face in her sister's barrel, Luna gave a muffled response. "I can only imagine what the Doctor and General must think of me right now."

Celestia smiled gently, stroking her sister's mane in a comforting gesture. "I'd imagine they think you're someone reacting to distressing news. It would be strange for you not to be upset about this."

Pulling away Luna composed herself, calming her mane, smoothing her feathers, controlling her breathing. "Still, my behavior is unbecoming. It would not do well for the humans to think their allies cannot control their emotions."

"Very true," Celestia agreed, straightening herself out. "But I think the occasional lapse will be forgiven."  Leaning her head down, she touched her horn to Luna's. "No matter what happens; we will get back what we lost, I promise."

"Oh, I will make sure of that," Luna replied, a smile on her face as she trotted to the door. "Even if I have to knock that chaotic wretch's other snaggletooth from his mouth." Stepping back into the halls, she retraced her steps back to the holoroom. The reactions of the various humans she encountered were not lost on her. They have most certainly heard her outburst.

Pausing at the door to the holoroom, Luna assured herself that her human friends wouldn't think less of her. "Forgive me," she spoke, stepping inside. "that was most unbecoming of me. I shall endeavour not to let it happen again."

"You don't have to apologize," Carter assured her, giving the mare a reassuring smile. "I know from experience how stressful it is to have your mind tampered with."

"There were a few things we wish to discuss with you," Luna started, more than happy to change the subject. "Are you familiar with the name, King Sombra?"

"Yes, Cadance talked about him briefly during her time here," Carter explained, curious of where the princess was going with this. "He was the former ruler of the Crystal Empire."

Celestia moved to speak, only for her words to die when her eyes locked onto the pedestal. "May I?"

"Oh, go right ahead," Daniel said, waving a hand to the pedestal and stepping back so she could use it.

Trotting up to the device, Celestia lit her horn up as if to cast a spell. The pedestal responded, a crystal emerging from the control panel. Lowering her head, she touched the tip of her horn to the new exposed crystal. A new image appeared on the platform; a tall black stallion, clad in grey armor and a red cape. His eyes were a sickly green, giving off purple smoke. A curved, red horn angrily jutted from his head.

Taking a step back, Celestia gestured to the unicorn. "Behold, King Sombra, the Crystal Tyrant."

"He does look a lot like the shadow ponies we fought," Daniel commented, scrutinizing the hologram. Having never seen this feature in Atlantis's holoroom, he could only assume it was a Shrangrian addition. Given their research into pony magic, it was only natural that the city would be upgraded accordingly "There might be some relation between them."

"Do you have any idea how earth ponies and pegasi would become this way?" Carter asked, moving to stand next to Daniel. "Have you seen other ponies like him?"

"General, Sombra is the only 'shadow pony' we have ever encountered," Luna peered over her shoulder. "He may have been the only one on this world. Nopony knew his origins, only that he was found out on the tundra as a foal."

"Not very helpful." Daniel couldn't keep the frown off his face. They were going off so little information, it made him recall the early days of the Stargate program. He didn't really miss the blind groping into the unknown.  It couldn't be helped he supposed; with or without information the umbrum weren't going to leave them or the galaxy alone. Which meant sending out teams and scouring every planet they could access for anything that was useful. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

"My sister and I should apologize," Luna replied, bowing her head. "In all our time since Sombra's reign, we've never pursued much information about him."

"We've shared most of what we know already," Celestia added, her eyes lingering on the stallion. "He was found as a foal and grew up an orphan. We didn't hear about him until he...shattered Princess Amore."

"You've done plenty already," Carter assured, looking between the two princesses. "We've got plenty of talented researchers  that can study these shadow ponies once given the opportunity."

"There is also the subject of Discord." Celestia sat on her haunches, looking between Luna and the humans. "I had already been planning on trying to reform him, but seeing him when he was so much better than he became just solidifies it. Upon my return to Canterlot, I will transport Discord to Ponyville and have the Elements free him."

Luna snorted, a neutral expression on her face, "I will defer to your judgement on this." She looked up at her sister, "Perhaps we should let a human representative be present? Judging by the footage here, Discord may want to know the fate of the Teachers."

"Of course. Needless to say, you are both welcome." Celestia gave the humans her best smile. "Not many ponies get to see the Elements at work, and no human has seen them yet. I'm certain you'll want to observe them yourselves."

Daniel chuckled and smiled at Carter. "Too bad we're down a cameraman to record the event for posterity's sake."

"I'm sure we can get someone else to fill in for Floyd," Carter responded. "I'll make sure to clear up my schedule, Princess."

"I will let you know the instant I arrive in Ponyville," Celestia told her, bowing her head. "I am hopeful that this reformation will go well." She raised her head and smiled at them. "There are a few matters we'd like to discuss before we leave, if you have the time."

Luna cut in before Daniel or Carter could respond. "A moment sister, a thought has occured to me. With the return of Shangri-La and the emergence of these 'shadow ponies', perhaps there is a way to learn more of Sombra."

"Ah!" Celestia's face lit up in understanding. "I believe I know what my sister is suggesting. Luna's choice of words before were not mere euphemism. When Sombra took the throne, he petrified Princess Amor, making a public display of shattering the poor mare. From what we could gather from various refugees, the cretin hid her pieces. If, and I do mean if, we could find all of Amor's pieces, we might be able to restore her."

Carter and Daniel exchanged an odd look, seeming to have an unspoken conversation. The two looked away from one another and Carter spoke up, "Normally I'd say that even if we found her pieces that reviving her would be impossible. But, given magic was involved and how little we know about the biology of crystal ponies I'd say it's worth a shot."

The sisters bowed her head, with Luna speaking up. "Thank you both. We will instruct Cadance to begin searching the Crystal Palace. If there are any hints, that's where they will be."

"I'll offer up whatever we can spare here," Carter added, crossing her arms over her chest. "With the training going on, it won't be much, but that should be wrapping up soon." Gesturing towards the door, she headed out of the room. "What else did you wish to discuss?"

Celestia followed, a bit of a pep in her step. "Well, it's about the media..."





"Carry the two..." Twilight muttered quietly, furiously working her chalk over the blackboard. The entire board was full of complex equations, which wasn't exactly new for Twilight. Even as she added the last few calculations, her mind was already working on the next, running down the list until she got to her sum.

Her time at the facility so far had been amazing. The human scientists had been more than happy to explain things to her that she didn't understand. Particularly the science behind the Stargate. She'd give anything to see that in action.

While not given her own lab, she was given free use of the equipment. Most of it was beyond anything she had back in the library, and she had taken to it all like a foal on Hearth's Warming. Her current assignment had her running through various equations regarding alicor.

Dr. Freeman came up behind her, looking over the equations and nodding. "Miss Sparkle, I have to say I'm impressed. You're doing great work." She picked up a piece of chalk, giving the work another once over.

"And, done~" Twilight sang, setting her chalk down. "I live for this kind of thing. It may not be magic theory exactly, but it's still math!"

Dr. Freeman smiled and put her piece of chalk down. "Loving math is why I went into engineering. I live for getting the maximum amount of energy output from a closed system engine while minimizing entropy. I can't find anything wrong with your equations, by the way."

"Thank you," Twilight beamed up at her. "I feel the same way, honestly." For Twilight, it felt like she was back at Celestia's school, working with some of the best unicorn minds of the nation.

Dr. Freeman's smile grew, looking down at a tablet in her hand and tapping away at it. "I think we're close to starting work on an actual prototype of the generator. Looks like we might actually be able to do this within our deadline."

"That's wonderful news!" Twilight smiled. "You know, I haven't had this much fun since my friend Moon Dancer and I did late night study sessions."

"I'll leave you to it then." Dr. Freeman tapped at the screen of the tablet in her hands and held it out towards the blackboard Twilight was working on and snapped a picture. She turned on her heel, tapping at the screen again. "I'm going to run these numbers."

Twilight nodded and turned back to her own work. Her tongue poked out of her mouth as she thought, pulling over reference materials to help jog her thought processes. "Divide by 7.3.... Carry the two..." She let herself get lost in her own little world, the chalk squeaking ever so slightly as it darted across the board. It almost felt like the numbers and equations were floating before her eyes, the answers filling in after a moment's thought.

"There!" Twilight proclaimed, putting a finishing mark on the board. She stepped back, going over her work. Her eyes flitted over each line, grabbing a calculator in her magic to double and triple check for errors. Once she was satisfied nothing was at fault, she sighed happily and relaxed for a brief moment.

This was what Twilight lived for: spending her days solving equations and learning a whole new branch of science. When she wasn't working on numbers, she was either absorbing everything she could on Naquadah and its applications, or learning how to write in English. The writing system was rather odd, a mixture of curved letters and ones with sharp angles. Apparently there was a more formal style of writing that emphasized the curves, though Dr. Freeman had told her that learning that style was better left for later, and mostly was only used for signing one's name these days anyway.

Still, Twilight enjoyed the almost constant mental stimulation, even if it meant an extended stay outside of Ponyville. Her friends could get by without her for a month or two. Really, there was only a ten percent chance that something catastrophic had happened during her absence. Maybe twelve. Enough for her to worry and send letters every day, but not enough to dominate her thoughts.

It would probably be a million times worse if she had joined the expedition. The princess had explained to her that, due to her status as one of the Element bearers, she was too important to risk. It hurt, but she understood the reasoning.

Twilight normally wouldn't consider herself the jealous type, but she'd caught herself frowning at the idea that Lyra got to travel among the stars. She had consoled herself by reminding herself that her work with the research team would help all of Equestria. She shook her head, forcing those thoughts to leave her. She turned and trotted over to the pieces of Alicor, planning on running more tests on it.

"Alicor is a very interesting mineral," a monotone voice spoke from behind her.

Twilight turned around, seeing a gray mare with a purple mane staring blankly at her. She was wearing a labcoat with a gray frock underneath it.

Twilight recovered quickly and responded, "I know, and to think it's a more powerful variant of one used by the Teachers themselves!"

"There's also an even more powerful variant, Naquadria," the mare explained, trotting over to the table. Leaning down, she sniffed at one of the pieces before biting down on it.

Twilight was about to say something about biting the samples but decided against it. "Yes, the humans told us about it at the beginning of the project. The SGC even tried using it in their spaceship engines for a while, but apparently they stopped when they realized how unstable it is."

"These samples are below standard quality," the mare commented, lifting her head up. "I'll get you some better ones." She turned, making her way towards the door.

"What an odd mare," Twilight muttered, watching her leave. "But she does seem knowledgeable about geology." Glancing back at the samples, she raised her eyebrow. Nopony could tell the quality of Alicor from tasting it. Could they? She thought about testing it out, but decided against it. There was no way that energy amplifying minerals were tasty. Or hygienic, for that matter.

The strange mare trotted back into the room, a container on her back. "These should do." Placing her cargo on the table, she scooped the original samples up. "You can do your tests now."

"Thank you for that," Twilight replied, picking up one of the new pieces in her magic. "This will really help me out. What's your name, by the way? I'm Twilight."

"Maud," the mare replied in the same monotone that she hadn't broken from once. "I'm one of the interns. If you need anything else, just let me know." Maud turned, carrying the subpar samples out of the room.
Twilight smiled, taking her new sample and going over to the pieces of equipment so she could run through various tests. The tests proceeded rather uneventfully with Twilight jotting down her findings. Nothing jumped out at her about her findings, but they could still prove to be useful later, she reasoned.

Her ears twitched, letting her know that Dr. Freeman had returned. "Did everything check out?" Twilight asked, looking back at her.

Dr. Freeman tapped at the screen on her tablet again before looking down at Twilight. "If the projections are accurate, then your equations work perfectly, Miss Sparkle. Work on the prototype can begin first thing tomorrow."

"Yes!" Twilight cheered, prancing in place. "Oh, this is so exciting!!"

"I agree, I can't wait to see what our reactor can do," Dr. Freeman replied, chuckling at the mare's reaction. "Keep up the good work."

Twilight beamed, blushing at the praise. "It wasn't that good..."

Dr. Freeman chuckled again. "It's nice to see a modest little genius. If you'll excuse me, I have to check on the work of the other team members." With that, she turned and walked to another corner of the room, talking with an earth pony stallion.

A familiar voice stopped Twilight from resuming her work. "Well, if it isn't Purple Smart herself? How have you been, Twilight? Castle hasn't been the same since you left."

Twilight turned, seeing a black pegasus stallion in the golden armor of a royal guard. A stylized badge with the emblem of Equestria denoted his rank. She gasped, rushing over to the stallion. "Air Razor, it's so good to see you again!"

"When is it not good to see me?" Air Razor chuckled. "Still as excitable as ever, I see." He held up a hoof to cut off any torrent of words. "I'm not here on a social call, Twilight. The princess needs you in Ponyville. Top priority."

Twilight frowned, holding back a comment. "It has to be if she's pulling me away from this. What is it?" Air Razor's reply caused Twilight's eyes to bulge and her mane frazzle. "D-discord?!" Her exclamation caused everyone in the room to stare at her, so Air Razor led her into the hall for privacy. "Please tell me you're joking!" she pleaded.

"Twilight, I take my work very seriously," Air Razor glanced at her, a firm edge to his voice. "Princess Celestia feels that reforming Discord is worth the risk. I shared similar concerns with her, and she felt the threat was outweighed by the potential gains."

Twilight paced the hall up and down, a manic look in her eye. "Okay, yes, having an immortal that's capable of warping the fabric of reality with ease would be an undeniable asset." She turned to face him, her pupils dilated, "But at the same time that immortal tried to take over Equestria! Twice!"

"Twilight," Air Razor grasped her by the shoulders, shaking her, "you need to relax."

Taking a breath, Twilight felt a wave of calm wash over her. It wasn't all that strange, Air Razor just had that effect on ponies. She sighed, looking up at him with an unsure look. "I guess if Princess Celestia believes it will work, I can have faith too. I mean, we can always just use the Elements on him again if it doesn't." She cracked a weak smile.

"That's the spirit!" Air Razor patted her shoulder, releasing her. "Now, I've got a chariot waiting outside. I informed the proper people about your leave of absence. I'll be waiting for you outside." With one last smile, he turned, trotting down the hall.

"Things were going so well, too," Twilight lamented, hanging her head.





Twilight frowned, pacing on a random hill outside of Ponyville. The other Element bearers were gathered with her, each as apprehensive as she was. She didn't like questioning the princesses' judgement, but freeing Discord was something she would never see as a good idea. She had no idea how to go about even attempting Discord's reformation. He delighted in causing chaos and misery wherever he went. The worst part was that to her it seemed like it was for no reason. How was she supposed to reform someone who didn't want to change?

"Twilight, you're going to create a rut in the ground," Spike joked, watching her as she paced back and forth.

"I'm just trying to get my thoughts in order, Spike," Twilight replied, not looking back at him as she continued to pace. "There's a lot on the line here."

"When aren't we saving Equestria?" Dash asked, zipping around the area. "We're the Elements of Harmony! We can do anything!"

"Rainbow darling, this is different than anything we've ever done before," Rarity reminded, a small mirror floating in front of her as she adjusted her mane. "We're not just using our elements and calling it a day. This will require time and tact."

"Um... I think I see them coming," Fluttershy spoke up, pointing towards Canterlot. Out of all of them, she was the most nervous. It would be her task to reform Discord. Her. Plain, ordinary, quiet Fluttershy. The thought of it was enough to make her nearly faint. Every primal part of her was telling her to run. Run and stop only when she collapsed from exhaustion. She couldn't do that, though, not when her friends and her country were counting on her to do a good job.

After a few moments, Princess Celestia's chariot arrived. Along with her normal complement of guards, the princess had also brought along a pair of humans, one of whom was Dr. Jackson. The princess levitated Discord's statue out of the chariot, placing it on the grass.

Celestia smiled down at the girls and nodded her head. "It's very good to see you girls." She gestured with a wing towards Dr. Jackson and his companion, "You remember Doctor Jackson, right?"

"Nice to see you again," Daniel smiled, holding a hand up. "This is my assistant, Amelia."

"Nice to see ya again, too," Applejack greeted, tipping her hat to the pair. "The circumstances could be better, though."

"Whenever you are ready," Celestia stepped back, giving the girls the space they needed.

Twilight took a deep breath, and the jewel in her tiara started to glow. The other jewels followed suit, as the girls levitated into formation. A rainbow emerged from either side of Fluttershy's jewel, the two lines linking to the others' jewels around the circle before they reached Twilight's tiara. The rainbows then shot out from the tiara, the two bands spiraling around one another before striking Discord's statue. A rainbow ring surrounded the statue, slowly going down until it reached the bottom of Discord's neck.

The statue cracked and shook before finally exploding in a shower of stone. Discord let out a long cry of relief, cracking his joints. "Ahhh! It's about time somepony let me out of that stone prison."

"Discord," Celestia began, a disarming smile on her muzzle, "so good to be able to speak face to face again."

"If only I felt the same way, Sunbutt," Discord responded, turning to glare at her. "It would make this little reunion much more enjoyable."

"Oh come now, can't you even pretend you're happy to see me?" Celestia asked. "Especially since I have a wonderful proposal for you."

"That would be a lie, Celestia. I'm not at all happy to see you." He popped away, reappearing next to Fluttershy. "You think this little wallflower can change me?" Snapping his fingers, Fluttershy was changed into a sunflower, her face in the center of the flower. "Please don't insult me."

Fluttershy let out a squeak, wriggling around with a pair of leaves along her stem moving up and down.

"Hey!" Dash flew up into Discord's face. "Change her back, Discord!"

Discord rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers and causing a muzzle to appear on Dash's face. He glanced back at Celestia as Rainbow struggled to remove the device preventing her from talking. "Honestly, I'd be angry if this wasn't so sad." With a wave of his paw, Fluttershy returned to normal. "Pathetic, all of you."

"Are you done venting?" Celestia asked, still calm despite her smile fading. "Because I would like to offer terms at some point today."

Discord blew her off, floating around Daniel. "Well, well, well? What have we here? One of the little Terrans, come to play with the big boys, hm?" Before Daniel could respond, Discord touched a talon to his head. "Mhmm..." Discord nodded, a blur of images rushing over his eyes.

Daniel staggered for a moment once Discord removed the talon from his forehead and he rested a hand on the spot. "What was that? And how did you know we were from Terra?"

"Just a little mind reading," Discord replied, floating on his back. "As for how I know, being stone doesn't make one deaf. I've heard everything that came out of Celestia's mouth. Most of it was inane nonsense." He sat up, reaching out with his paw. "Why, Daniel my boy, what's that behind your ear?"

"Really, going from turning someone into a flower to the oldest trick in the book?" Daniel snarked as Discord waved his talon around and reached behind Daniel's ear. Daniel's bemusement turned into fear as Discord pulled his hand back, holding a live Goa'uld in his paw.

"Aw, what's wrong Danny boy? Aren't you happy to see your old friend?" Discord asked, glaring down at the man. "I went through all the trouble to get him here."

"Which one?" Daniel asked, taking a shaky step back from the wriggling parasite.

"What was his name again?" Discord frowned, stroking his beard. "Apricot? Amos? Ah! Apophis! That's the one!"

Amelia's eyes widened, the camera in her hand dropping to the grass. "There's no way that's Apophis! He's dead!"

Discord threw his head back, cackling like a madman, "Time and space are my playthings, girly!" He snapped back to a more annoyed expression, tossing the parasite over his head. It hit the ground, turning into a stuffed animal. "I will admit, reaching out of the galaxy takes more effort, but it was worth it."

Celestia sat on her haunches, staring up at Discord. "The fact that you're here at all instead of on the other side of the planet by now is telling me that you're considering the deal."

"Oh? You really think so, do you?" Discord was suddenly on Celestia's neck, much like a scarf. "See, that would imply that I respect you, or at the very least, forgive you."

"Forgive me for what?" Celestia asked. "Oh, wait, I can't remember because you tampered with my memories!"

"You got what you deserve!" Discord snapped, letting out a feral hiss. "You betrayed me! For them!" He threw his paw out at the other ponies. "So don't try to guilt me."

"Oh, like you're not trying to guilt me right now?" Celestia asked, irritation slipping into her words as her feathers ruffled. "I can't even refute you because of your tampering."

"You should be happy that's all I did."

"Um, excuse me?" Fluttershy asked, her mane obscuring her face as she trembled slightly.

"What?" Discord asked, turning his head around unilaterally.

"C-can I at least try to reform you?" Fluttershy tried to make herself small, her hoof pawing at the dirt. "I-I don't know why you're so mad at Princess Celestia, but maybe talking things out with me over tea will help?" She started to say something else, only for her to trail off into an indecipherable whisper.

Discord opened his mouth to say something dismissive but quickly shut it. He stared down at her, watching as she shivered and hid her face. Pretending to go along with her idea could prove to be entertaining. He smiled, snatching her up and pinching her cheeks. "Only because I find your horsey cheeks so pinchable!"

"That's gweat!" Fluttershy enthused as Discord smooshed her face around.

Discord dropped her, looking at the others. "Welp, we should probably get going before we start yelling again."

Fluttershy flapped her wings to help get back onto her hooves and looked up at Discord with a smile. "Then I think we should go to my home. I'm sure you'd like to be in a comfortable environment right about now."

"See you all around!" Discord threw Fluttershy over his shoulder, strutting off towards Ponyville.

Rainbow Dash looked around the group, a confused look on her face. "Uh, we should keep an eye on them, right?"

"That would be wise, Rainbow Dash," Celestia agreed, rising to her hooves. Smoothing her feathers, she let out a long sigh. "I think it would be best if all of you kept your Elements on, at least until we can be sure Discord has taken to his reformation."

The girls nodded, watching as Discord strolled into the town proper. As expected, a loud shriek of horror came from the flower sister trio and everypony scrambled for cover. The girls shared a sigh and trotted after the pair, making sure to keep their distance.





Floyd wiped his forehead, leaning back against a tree. SR-1 had begun the first of their 'trial run' missions. Higgs had explained that each of the gate teams would be sent to different locations on the planet, each running a different training mission. Apparently, they were on rotation, so each team would run each mission at least once.

This particular trial mission was a mock combat excursion which meant a lot of walking and a whole lot of waiting. It wasn't exciting by any means; in fact Floyd had been bored to tears for the better part of it. The only bright side was that it was going off without a hitch.

An ear flicking in the corner of his vision told Floyd it was his cue. Crouching down, he moved up to the others, joining them behind some bushes. "Whatcha see, Bon Bon?" he whispered, peering out at their target.

"Target's behavior is unchanged," Bon Bon answered in a whisper. She pulled a spyglass away from her eye and offered it to Floyd, "I don't think they know we're here yet."

"If they did, they'd probably be shooting at us already." Floyd held the spyglass up to his eye, squinting slightly.

He spotted a group of six soldiers around a makeshift camp. Two were acting as watchmen and had stunners at the ready. The others were milling about, performing various tasks with P90s slung on their backs.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Passing the spyglass back to Bon Bon, he turned to Higgs. He kept a hand on his weapon, doing his best to ignore his nerves.

"We're gonna split up into two teams and take up a pincer formation," Higgs answered quickly. "They have a slight advantage in numbers, so I'll toss a smoke grenade to disorient them. Once I do that, I want you all to be ready to take a shot and make your mark."

"Right." Bon Bon reached into the belt around her waist, pulling out a few multicolored balls. "Just say the word."

Higgs nodded, "Alright, Bon Bon, you take Floyd and find a good position."

Bon Bon nodded, making her way out of their hiding spot. Floyd followed suit, the two of them staying low and out of sight. Once they were a few meters away from the camp, she turned to him. "Okay Floyd, stay low and find some cover." She looked among the group of people, spotting one of the sentries. "I think we should take out the sentries once Higgs gives the signal."

"Hold on." Floyd held his hand up, magic flickering over it. He focused on the sentry's radio, eyes locked on the on switch.

"What are you doing?" Bon Bon hissed, watching his aura flicker around his hand. "This isn't part of the plan."

"I'm turning off the dude's radio," Floyd whispered back,letting the magic fizzle out. "What? I'm trying to be proactive."

Bon Bon nodded, relaxing slightly. "Alright, just be careful. The last thing we need is for them to figure out we're here." She motioned with her hoof, indicating a spot where Floyd could take cover.

Floyd nodded, moving over to the spot. He glanced back over to her, bringing up his rifle. His heart pounded in his chest, and he reminded himself it was just a training mission. Applying his hunting experience wasn't that hard, helped him keep focused.

She gave him an approving look before stalking low to the ground and finding cover in a patch of tall grass by the camp. With a drab cap covering her mane and the face paint coated on her muzzle, she blended right in.

'Just like old times,' Bon Bon thought to herself. Her ears swiveled to pick up every little sound, eyes never staying in one place too long, all the while observing the sentries' every move. After a few minutes of silence, a canister dropped in the center of the camp, getting the attention of the group. Just as they realized what it was, smoke came billowing out in their faces.

Bon Bon struck, leapt into action, tossing a hoof ful of the colorful orbs at the sentry. They exploded on impact, expanding and encasing the poor guy in some type of goo. She leapt over to him, tapping a hoof to his face, winking at him.

Floyd sucked in a breath and squeezed the trigger on his rifle. A moment later, the other sentry's chest was struck by red energy. More shots rang out as the remaining targets fired blindly through the smoke screen. Diving behind a barrel, Floyd reached a hand out, a shield flickering to existence around Bon Bon.

She grinned, charging towards the smoke screen as energy bursts battered against her newfound shield. Grabbing more of the colorful orbs, Bon Bon started tossing them as she entered the thick cloud.

Not to be outdone, Higgs, Devon and Lyra charged out of their cover and towards the camp. Devin and Higgs moved from cover to cover, while Lyra ducked and dodged incoming fire. Her eyes were half closed, a faint glow covering her horn.

Floyd pulled himself from cover, using his other hand to surround Higgs with a shield. Sweat formed on his brow and his body trembled for a moment from the strain. He held the shield for a few seconds, allowing Higgs to move up a few feet. The shield dropped not a second later, and Floyd could already feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. He ignored the pain; it could be dealt with it once he was back in the bunkhouse. The only thing that mattered was making sure he did his part.

A few more shots rang out before Higgs called out. "Anyone hit?"

The smoke settled and all of the members of the camp were shown their arms held up in the air.

"I think only the targets have been hit," Devon observed.

"I did." Lyra was sprawled out on the ground, a dazed look on her face. "Got me in the shoulder..." Pulling her hooves under herself, she got up unsteadily. "I'm good," she assured, shaking her head.

"Good news for you, only lethal areas count as an elimination here," Higgs told her, putting his P90 down. "So we can count this mission as a complete success. Good work, everyone." He turned to Floyd. "You've done a lot of improving, Hendrix. Those shields worked like a charm."

"Still need aspirin afterwards," Floyd complained, rubbing his head. "Thanks for the confidence, though." He gave an easy smile, doing his best to keep the headache in check.

Bon Bon trotted back to the ensnared sentry. "Hold still a moment, and I'll get you out." Giving a few hard taps to the hardened goo, she smiled as it cracked and crumbled away. "Good as new!"

Lyra, having mostly recovered, lit up her horn. She fired a quick beam and shattered the goo surrounding the other trapped soldiers. "Yup, no more goo!" A turn of her head quickly got her face to face with an irritated Bon Bon. "Oh uh, hey Bonny."

"Lyra, I told you back at the compound, you don't know enough Standing Way to just waltz through a battlefield without getting hit. Hay, most practitioners can't." Bon Bon poked Lyra's  shoulder a few times. "You're lucky it was just paint this time."

Lyra nodded at her shoulder. "You're right, I was seeing if my Standing Way was up to snuff." She rubbed at the still tingling spot, "Obviously I need to up my training with it. The last thing I need is to feel what an actual gunshot is like."

Bon Bon gave an exaggerated sigh. "Just don't do it on missions, training or not." Nuzzling Lyra's cheek, she gazed into her eyes. "I don't need you getting hurt out here, got it?"

"Trust me Bonny, there's no way I'd be that reckless on a real mission," Lyra assured her, returning the gesture.

"You shouldn't have been that reckless to begin with." Bon Bon gestured at Floyd. "Floyd's a bigger dork than you are, did you see him showing off?"

Lyra glanced at Floyd before looking back at Bon Bon. She sighed, knowing what the other mare wanted to hear, "No, he took cover and provided support with his magic."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Bon Bon repeated pulling away from her. "Anyway, I think we did a pretty good job today."

Devon nodded, holstering his pistol. "Yeah, we worked well together. Let's hope we keep this up for the real thing."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Higgs cautioned, holding a hand up. "We still have a few more of these to run through, I will say, however, we got through this one rather quickly."

Floyd walked over to the others, rubbing his head. "That's good to know. I'd hate to disappoint General O'Neill by flunking outta boot camp."

"If we keep this up, there's no chance of that," Higgs told him. "Now, let's get back to the jumper. We should have at least a few hours before the other teams clear their missions."

Floyd turned to Devon, "You wanna drive back, or should I?"

"Might be best if I do it. Last time you tried with one of those magic headaches, we nearly crashed into a tree."

Floyd snorted, scratching his neck. "I can't argue with that. Magic headaches that keep me from thinking straight aren't good when I'm behind the wheel of something with thought-based controls." Despite the headache, their little mission had gone off without a hitch. Perhaps the General wasn't that far off about this job? A small smile graced his face as he looked at his team. Despite being full of crazies, he knew they'd have his back.

The trip back to the compound didn't take longer than twenty minutes, most of which was spent with Lyra trying to explain what exactly Standing Way was. The best he could make out was that, it was some form of unicorn martial arts. Using undirected magic, a user would 'go with the flow of the universe.' It sounded like something from a kung fu movie, but it seemed pretty effective given the way Lyra was dodging bullets. He'd have to ask Sunburst about it during their next lesson.

Higgs stood up, as the Jumper set down, standing by the door. "We got a few hours to kill, people. Just make sure you're ready when it's time to head out, alright?"

Everyone gave him a quick affirmation and piled out of the ship, looking forward to their downtime.

Bon Bon felt something wrong the moment she stepped off the Jumper. A glance around the area, and she marked at least a dozen humans in hiding, each holding a weapon. She tensed, ears pricked and swiveling. "I knew they were up to something," she muttered bitterly.

Without a second thought, she threw down another small ball, which exploded into a wall of smoke. "Go!" she barked, practically shoving Lyra towards cover. It looked like their trial by fire had begun.