//------------------------------//
// What We Do In The Dark [Part 4] 
// Story: Stargate: Shangri-La 
// by Grey Ghost 
//------------------------------//

Floyd panted, his lungs burning as he and his squad zigged-zagged through the trees. His body tensed with each gunshot that he heard behind him. All around, trees exploded into splinters as bullets narrowly missed the group.  Keeping his eyes trained on Bon Bon's tail, he put as much energy as he could muster into his legs. He tried to concentrate enough to create a barrier to stall their pursuers, but between running and bullets sailing around him, he couldn't pull it off. Cursing under his breath, he let his adrenaline fuel a desperate push forward.

At some point, he didn't register when, the bullets and blasts from zat guns stopped flying and the group came to a stop. Doing his best to catch his breath, Floyd collapsed against a tree. "Well... that was fucked..." he muttered, looking at the others.

Lyra collapsed onto the ground, her legs splayed out beneath her. There were twigs and leaves stuck in her mane and her chest rapidly rose and fell. "Y-yeah, I can't believe they started firing on us." She looked up at Higgs, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Of course he does," Bon Bon trotted up to Higgs, glaring at him. Rearing up on her back legs, she gave him a hard shove. "He's been acting weird just like the rest of them, and I want to know why."

Higgs sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, some of the soldiers weren't on board with having Hallans take part in the SGC. 'Jaffa are one thing,' they kept saying, 'they're humanoid.' I kept trying to tell them they were being nuts, but obviously I didn't get through to them."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!" Bon Bon snarled, dropping back to all fours. "Do you have any idea how far Princess Celestia has gone to make your people feel welcome?! The entire world is going to explode over this! Wars are going to start! Over what?! Petty specism?!" She seethed, her back arched like an angry cat.

"You think I'm happy about this?!" Higgs shot back. "I've seen what happens when we let petty bullshit get in our way! I tried to get them to see reason! Tried to tell them that you all were worthy of wearing the uniform."

"Arguing about it isn't going to fix things," Devon pointed out, taking a seat on a fallen log. "We can't just keep running, especially not since they have all the Jumpers." Taking out his canteen, he unscrewed the cap, taking a long drink.

"Devon's right," Floyd agreed, straightening himself out while bracing against the tree. "We need to do something before they break out the Jumpers and outgun us. Maybe some guerilla tactics could work? Or, hell, find and take a Jumper for ourselves." A frown grew on his face, as the others gave him odd looks. "What? I pay attention."

Higgs patted Floyd's shoulder, "Good to know the lessons actually make it through that head of yours." He looked between the rest of the squad. "Floyd's right though, using stealth and grabbing our own Jumper is our best plan." He looked at Bon Bon. "Think you can help me scout ahead and see if we can loop back around to the base?"

"Of course I can." Bon Bon rummaged through her bags, pulling out what looked like taffy, "But I think I can do more than that."

"Uh, Bon Bon, why are you pulling out snacks out at a time like this?" Floyd asked, quirking a brow at her. "You got a blood sugar condition or something?"

Bon Bon smiled deviously, "It only looks like candy, Floyd. Something I cooked up myself: looks like food, packs a wallop."

"Huh, disguised weapons," Higgs said, eyeing the taffy. "Not bad, Bon Bon." He motioned with a hand, "You wanna take point and get a chance to use that?"

"I was hoping you'd ask." She grinned, tossing the taffy into the air, then catching it in her other hoof. "Just try not to slow me down, got it?"

Higgs chuckled, adjusting the strap on his P90. "I don't think you have to worry about that." He turned back to the others, "You three follow us, but keep your distance. I'll give you the signal when I want to regroup." Turning back to Bon Bon, he frowned when he noticed she had already left. "She certainly doesn't waste time, now does she?"

He started to jog, moving between the trees as he kept his body lowered.

A few moments later, Bon Bon slunk out of the bushes, looking over her shoulder. "He should be far enough away now. Come on, get yourselves together; we're heading out before he realizes I'm not in front of him."

Lyra looked between Bon Bon and where Higgs had gone, a confused look on her face. "Wow, talk about spy tricks. That was really slick of you, Bonny. But why do we need to be away from Higgs?"

"I didn't trust his word in this situation," Bon Bon responded, glancing back at her. "He knew this was coming, and didn't tell General Carter or warn the teams? No, he's in on it too." Turning back towards the camp, she hissed, "Come on, we have to get moving!"

"Sounds good to me," Floyd said, adjusting his own gun. "Though how are we going to capture a Jumper? All we have is the intars and your bag of Wonka candy."

Bon Bon chuckled, looking over her shoulder at him. "Don't sell us short, Floyd. We've also got magic from you and Lyra, and good old-fashioned ingenuity." She started trotting towards the camp, zigzagging between trees.

"Right." Floyd took a breath, nodding at the others, "Let's see if we can't pull off some action sequences." Plastering a smile on his face, he followed Bon Bon as best he could, pushing past his tiredness.

The others followed suit, the four silently moving among the trees. Bon Bon kept to the front, giving out signals to spread everyone out. She led them around the side of the camp, making sure to hide their path from Higgs and the other soldiers. Coming to a stop behind a large fallen tree, she held her hoof up. The others came to an immediate halt behind trees of their own, getting their weapons ready. Gesturing with her hoof, she motioned for them to join her at the tree. The three slowly moved from their positions, falling in to Bon Bon's side at the tree.

"What's the plan, Bon Bon?" Devon whispered, peering over the side to look at base camp.

"First we've gotta stay here and watch the camp," Bon Bon answered, peering over the side with him. "Once we get a feel of their actions and find a Jumper, you'll sneak in and silently take care of the guards one by one. Then, we'll have Floyd or you engage the cloak and fly us to the gate." Taking the taffy back out of her pack, she gestured to the other side of the camp. "I'll plant a few pieces of this stuff all over the place. Confuse the lot of em."

"So you're running a sabotage and distraction game," Floyd said, nodding his head with a grin. "Pretty clever, Bon Bon." He glanced over at the camp. "Just be careful in there, okay?" He winced as Bon Bon socked him in the shoulder.

"You be careful, Magic Man." She pulled some camo material from her pack, using it to cover her mane and tail. With that, Bon Bon vaulted from the tree, moving off into the brush. Within moments, Bon Bon vanished from sight; from time to time a brief spot of camo pattern  was visible, but never for more than a second or two.

Floyd glanced around, spotting another spot of brush along the camp. He turned to the other two. "You guys stay here, I'm gonna see if that brush section gives me a better view of a Jumper or something." With that, he carefully hopped over the tree and slunk towards the brush. He kept a close eye on the camp, making sure that he wouldn't be spotted.





"Discord? I have the tea ready." Fluttershy stepped out of her kitchen, carrying her tea set on her back. The spirit of chaos was more than a hoofful, and she suspected he suffered from some form of attention disorder.

Discord turned from the spot he was floating in. All around him were various pieces of her furniture, also gently floating around the room. "Ah, how marvelous." He stretched his neck out and took a whiff of the pot. "It smells fantastic."

"Would you mind?" she gestured to the furniture. "Please?"

Discord nodded and snapped his talons. In a flash of light, every piece of furniture fell to the ground, some of it piling together. "There you go, my dear."

Frowning, Fluttershy set the tray on the table. She pulled her comfy chair over, taking her seat. "You know, you're a lot more um, affable when you're not um... being mean to everypony."

"I am so glad you've noticed that, Fluttershy," Discord gave her a sweet smile, snapping his talons and making the teapot pour them a cup of tea. "I can be very, very nice," floating on his back, Discord took a bite out of his cup, "I just choose not to be."

"Well I think giving kindness is the best way to receive kindness," Fluttershy replied, holding out the tray of snacks with a smile. "It only takes one small thing to lead to something great."

Discord hummed, taking one of the snacks: a cucumber sandwich. "You know, Flutters, you would have made Zaeed proud." He took a bite out of it, crunching obnoxiously loud.

Fluttershy smiled brightly, putting sugar and cream in her tea. She motioned to the containers and after a nod, she prepared his tea as well. She grabbed a sandwich for herself and got comfy in her chair. "Would you care to tell me about Zaeed?"

"I don't know, Fluttershy," Discord rolled over, reaching out and pinching her cheek, "why ruin this little moment of peace between us, hmm?" Letting go of her, her opened his mouth wide, letting his sandwich fly into his mouth.

Fluttershy resisted the urge to rub her forehead and nodded at him. "Okay, then what would you like to talk about? It can be anything you want; I'm a very good listener."

Discord reached out and patted her head. "Oh I'm sure you are. But let's just chat for a while. How are things going with you lately?"

"Well." Fluttershy sipped at her tea, thinking for a moment, "I'm trying to help my new friend be a better pony." Putting on her sweetest smile, she glanced up at him.

He nodded, rotating his body to float upside down. He took a sip of his tea, the cup disappearing and leaving the liquid hanging in the air still in the shape of the cup. "I can only imagine how hard of a task that is. How is that shaping up?"

Fluttershy ignored his strange antics and took a small bite of her sandwich. "I'd like to think it's going well. I'd also like it for my new friend to make a lot of friends." Swallowing her bite, she took a chance, "Perhaps if we could get his anger out, he'd be nicer to ponies?"

Discord frowned, quickly popping the floating tea into his mouth. He started to chew, loud crunches filling the room. He swallowed and gave her a flat look. "And how would you recommend he do that?"

Shrinking from his gaze, Fluttershy stared into her cup. "I find talking about things helps. Nopony knows why you're angry, or why you did all those mean things." Taking a breath, she glanced up at him, "I don't think you want ponies to be afraid of you." Hiding behind her bangs, she added, "Unless you do..."

"There are a lot of things I want, Fluttershy," he snapped his talons and a flash of light surrounded them, only for nothing to appear when the light faded. "But even a spirit of chaos doesn't always get what they want."

"Um... what was that?" she asked, looking up at him. "You didn't do anything bad, did you?"

Discord snorted, tapping his paw against his shoulder. "When it comes to ponies, my actions have only ever been retaliatory."

"Okay." Fluttershy nodded, setting her cup down. "And why did you need to retaliate?"

Discord growled in irritation, turning away from her, "I don't want to talk about that; I'd rather not get angry today." He thumped his tail, making it splash into the floor. "We're having a nice day, and I don't actively dislike you."

Fluttershy nodded, setting her cup down and fluttering up to Discord to put a hoof on his shoulder. "Okay Discord, I won't press you on anything. You're my guest and friend so that means making sure you're comfortable and happy." She flashed him a smile, "How about we do something you like?"

Perking up, Discord coiled around her. "Why, what an excellent suggestion, Flutters~!" When he uncoiled himself, Fluttershy found herself in a place she didn't recognize. The smell of sea salt filled the air and the walls didn't look like any architecture she had ever seen.

She craned her head around the room, trying and failing to figure out where she was. "What is this place, Discord? I've never seen anything like it."

"Welcome to Shangri-La!" Discord announced, throwing his arms out sending off fireworks behind him. "My old home!" He put his hands on his hips, letting out a sigh of content. "Feels good to be home!"

"Shangri-La?" she repeated, holding a hoof to her mouth. "You mean the city of the Teachers that the humans are staying in?" Glancing around quickly, she shrank into herself, "I-is it okay for us to be here?"

Discord scoffed, wrapping his paw around her barrel and pulling her close to his side, "I have more of a right to be here than anyone. This ship was made my home by the people who built it." He started to whistle a tune and led her towards a nearby door.

Fluttershy gulped, keeping herself still in Discord's grip, "W-well, if you say so."

Phasing right through the door, Discord stepped into the gateroom, watching all the humans busy at work. "Well, lookie here!" he announced, stepping onto a spotlight that had inexplicably appeared. "All the little Terrans, busy with their new toys." He slunk over to a woman working at a console, looking over her shoulder and nodding, "Oh yes, quite interesting." He then tapped at the console randomly with his talons, "Whoops, clumsy me."

The console flashed red, the screen giving the equivalent of a lockout warning.

The woman shot him a flat look, about to open her mouth to respond only for Discord to keep tapping away at the console. He flashed the woman a smile and said, "Don't worry, I can fix this!" A few more motions, and soon every screen in the room flashed the same warning. "Oh my, did I forget the right combination?" Giving a mock pout, he stroked his goatee in thought. He stayed like that for a few moments before pressing two buttons at once, "There, I think that should fix it."

The entire system locked up, each screen showing an image of Discord with something written in Ancient at the bottom. The image of Discord wagged a talon side to side while the message read, "You didn't say the magic word." Several humans around the room proclaimed something in frustration, mostly curses in various languages. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, fighting to keep the smile off his face. It had been too long since he had messed with mortals.

"Huh, I must be really out of practice," Discord noted, stroking his goatee. "Oh well, guess I'll leave it to you new pros." He put his hands behind his head and floated away from the consoles. At Fluttershy's gulp, he tilted his head back taking note of the numerous guards pointing weapons at him. "Oh please, what are you going to do, flash your toys at me?" He yawned, snapping his talons and turning the weapons into various balloon animals.

"Um, Discord," Fluttershy tugged on his tail gently, "aren't you being a little... mean?"

Discord opened his mouth to retort, only to close it as he stared at her pitiful look, "Now, now, Fluttershy. One doesn't go into another's house and just make themselves at home, now do they?"

"But they didn't know that this was your home," Fluttershy retorted, placing a hoof on his side. "They thought it was abandoned, so maybe ease up on them? Please?"

"Maybe," Discord relented, sitting up as he spotted General Carter making her way over. "Hello there General!" He gave her a salute, dressed in a stereotypical general's uniform. "I'm Discord, Lord of Chaos and Disharmony, and your new landlord."

"Nice to meet you," Carter said her arms crossed over her chest. Just the look on her face told him that she wasn't ready to deal with him. "I should've expected you'd have an advanced knowledge of city's systems." She rubbed at her temple, looking up at him. "So, what is it that you want from us?"

"Now that is the question isn't it?" Discord coiled around her, poking her head. After a bit of mind reading, he hummed softly, "What do I want? Well I don't know, maybe for you to stop squatting in my home? That would be a nice start."

"We can't do that," Carter dismissed, rubbing the spot he had poked. "We need full access to Shangri-La in order to deal with a threat we've encountered in this galaxy." Seeing that he wasn't actively hostile, she motioned for the guards to back off.

"Planning on blowing up some suns, are we?" Discord asked, looking into her eyes. "Or maybe you want to mine some alicor? Shambala was doing just fine before you showed up, Terran. No one invited you all here."

Carter forced herself not to flinch at the mention of the sun, keeping herself collected. She then managed a small smirk. "The SGC has a bad habit of inviting ourselves in. Now that we're here though, we're going to help the people that are being terrorized by shadow ponies."

"With what? Your handful of ships?" Discord tsked, shaking his head. Taking out a handkerchief, he dabbed at his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear about the Asgard. Always wanted to meet them, though I don't think they'd have liked me all that much." Tossing the cloth away, he scowled at the humans arrayed around him. "They're called 'Umbrum,' by the way."

Carter ignored the obvious mind reading and quirked a brow at him, "How do you know about them?"

Fluttershy backed up as Discord's visage changed; becoming sharper, darker and generally more feral. "Because I was here when that traitor unleashed them. Little parasites, taking what was left after he killed everyone like a coward."

"Who is this traitor?" Carter asked, resisting the urge to turn away from his intimidating gaze. "Did a Shangrian cause this? I need more information, Discord. If you really think we're unprepared for the Umbrum, then we need your help."

Discord stared at her for a long moment, eyes boring into hers. "Grogar," he finally spoke, filling the word with as much hate and venom as he could muster. The world around them shimmered and changed; gone were the expedition staff, replaced by the still bodies of several Shangrians.

Carter spun around, taking in every detail of the projection she could. "Grogar," she repeated, working the name over in her mind. "That's not the name of an Ancient, is it?"

The sound of hooves caught the general's attention, and she turned her head up towards the door. It took her a moment to process just what exactly she was looking at; a goat, she concluded. One sporting a blue coat, and an almost emaciated frame. Lanky legs carried it down the stairs, giving her a good look at its bright red eyes, which glowed constantly. A strange bell-like device was affixed to its neck, though Carter could only guess what it was for.

The goat's natural expression seemed to be a glare, and a smile was obviously a stranger to his features. The goat stopped at the railing, gazing down at the gate. It snorted, a sickly purple miasma leaving its nostrils.

After a moment, Discord dropped the projection, smoke rising from his nose. "That goat brought down the Shangrians, and his pets stole their cities and ships. Everything they do is for their great master Grogar."

"His bell, did it serve some sort of purpose?"  Carter asked, her head spinning as she tried to regain her bearings. "Grogar didn't seem like the type to accessorize."

Discord flexed his paw, extending his claws. "What do you think it is, Carter? Just like everything else about him, it's just a twisted mockery of everything the Shangrians stood for. That bell feeds dark magic into his body, and with it he can rival an alicorn in power."

Carter's eyes widened in realization. "So it's like a dark magic equivalent to the amulet that Floyd has."

Discord frowned at the mention of Floyd, swaying back and forth. "Yes, mister camera man." Stroking his beard, Discord tapped his talons on Carter's head, "Perhaps I should pop over to Tallon and say hello?"

"Can that wait?" Carter asked. "He and his squad are in the middle of training exercises and you could distract-"

Discord put his paw to her mouth, resuming his more docile visage, "Oh come now, you just don't want me to ruin that little surprise you have for them. Great prank idea by the way, let's just hope no one does anything rash like last time, hm?"

Carter had to hold back a frown, keeping her mind clear in hopes of avoiding the draconequus' apparent telepathy. She pushed his paw away, her face a blank slate. "I assure you, every precaution has been taken."

Chuckling at her attempt, Discord flicked her nose, "I've already read your mind, Carter. With one little poke, I know everything you know. Every little memory since well, you can remember. But!" He held a talon up, suddenly clad in a business suit. "As I said before, I am your legal landlord now."

Carter sucked in a breath through her nostrils. "I figured as much." She rubbed her temple, staving off a forming headache. "What do we need to do in order for you to let us stay in Shangri-La?"

Discord tsked, placing a pipe into his mouth. "Now, when did I say I was going to let you stay? Hm?" Glancing down at Fluttershy, he asked. "Did I say that, Fluttershy?"

"With your power you could easily teleport us all out of this city at any time," Carter noted, her arms crossing over her chest. "The fact that you haven't yet leaves me considering two possibilities. One, you just want to toy with us, or two, there is a way for us to stay. So which is it?" Her frown deepened as Discord pulled out a file and started working on his talons.

Discord hummed a tune, his suit bursting into bubbles and floating up to the ceiling where they popped. He continued filing his talons for a moment before blowing the shavings in Carter's direction. "Could be column A, maybe column B, or maybe even a little bit of both. Why don't you take a guess?"

Carter brushed the shavings off of her shirt, the corners of her mouth twitching and threatening to tug downward. "I've never been a fan of guessing games, but I'll hedge my bets on there's a chance for us to live here. You've seen my memories so you've seen what the SGC has done."

"I have," Discord nodded, turning away from her. "I know every little shady thing you're aware of, General Carter." Clasping behind his back, Discord tsked, "I'm not at all sure you deserve the legacy of this city. I mean, you take after the Lanteans quite well. Flutters, be a dear and remind me later to go have a talk with those Lanteans over how they treated Oma."

"Um, who are the Lanteans?" Fluttershy asked quietly, hiding behind her mane as she stole glances at the weaponless guards.

"I'm glad you asked!" Discord leaned back in his rocking chair, suddenly dressed as a stereotypical grandmother and holding Fluttershy in his lap. "You see, Flutters, the Lanteans and the Shangrians used to be one people. But the Lanteans became more and more unethical and immoral. So, the Shangrians took Shangri-La and came here. Good thing they did, too," Discord nodded sagely, "because the Lanteans got their asses handed to them by primitive bugmen."

"We have our faults, Discord," Carter admitted, balling her fists at her sides, "but we have always tried our best to save people. Frankly, I don't care what you think, my team will still work to fight the Umbrum." She stumbled back, Discord suddenly pressing his forehead against hers.

"Well, General, you've convinced me." Pulling away, Discord showed off his new devil costume, complete with pitchfork. "Care to make a Faustian bargain?" He held his paw out, grinning at  her.

Carter held her hand out hesitantly but didn't quite touch Discord's paw. "What are the terms of your deal?"

Discord wriggled his talons, conjuring up a top hat. He held it out, so the head hole was facing up. "Inside of this hat is the name of every human in your expedition. You're going to reach in and pick five. For the next five days, I'm going to choose one of them and tempt them with what they want the most. If each of them can make it to the end of the day without caving, you can stay. Heck, I'll even cooperate with you and Sunbutt."

Carter took a deep breath, reaching into the hat, "I'll take you on that bet, Discord." She felt around the hat, silently hoped to pull out her own name or Daniel's. She could tell that no matter what Discord offered them would be taken away the instant he gave it to them. Eventually she gripped a slip, pulled it out and held it out to the chimerical mess.

Discord took the slip of paper, adjusting a small pair of spectacles that were suddenly sitting at the end of his muzzle. "One Sergeant Hamura, this should be interesting."  He shook the hat again, a devious smile on his face as he held it out to the general again. "Come, come, you've got four more names to pick out."

Carter reached into the hat four more times, frowning when each one had a name that wasn't hers or Daniel's. "There, we have five now-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Discord put a paw to her lips, putting the hat on his head. "We need to go over some rules. You can't tell them what's going to happen, so don't think you can just order them to ignore me." Grinning, he tapped his pitchfork against the floor. "Not like temptation wouldn't get them anyway but, we should at least try and be fair."

"Fine, then I have a stipulation for you as well," Carter said, clenching her fist at her side. "You can't shapeshift into someone close to your targets in order to make your deal. You have to present yourself as you really are. Fair's fair after all."

Discord pouted, narrowing his eyes at her. Studying her face for any tells, Discord's smile returned. "Very well, General, we have ourselves a deal." Holding his hand out, he continued. "Now, let's seal the deal, I'm sure we both have places to be."

"Deal," Carter said, thrusting her hand into his paw and shaking it. There was a flash of light and an ethereal chain wrapped around both of their wrists before fading from existence. As the chain faded, a mark appeared on both of them.

"Our words are binding, General," Discord spoke, his costume gone. "Almost as binding as family. Do tell that to Celestia and Luna next time you see them, won't you?" Reaching down, he scooped Fluttershy up and tossed her over his shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'm going to see how dirty my room has gotten. Tata~!"

Fluttershy gulped, mouthing the word 'sorry' to the assembled humans as she made no effort to struggle against Discord's grip. 'Twilight's going to be so upset...' She hid behind her hair, hoping it would shield her from her friend's ire.





Floyd crept along the brush, keeping the camp in his sites. Despite his searching, he hadn't been able to find a Jumper. He was starting to worry that the soldiers were keeping them in cloak to prevent them being stolen. If that was the case, Floyd would have to change his tactics. He laid flat on his stomach, considering his options for finding the ships while they were invisible.

"Note to self, ask Sunburst about detect invisibility..." Floyd muttered to himself, peeking out of the bush he was using as a hideout. "Because that would be really useful right now." His heart sank at the thought of Sunburst, "Oh no, please tell me that Sunburst is okay." He grit his teeth, trying not to picture the worst case scenario. "They've probably just restrained him or something."

Floyd tried to clear his mind of those negative thoughts, though he had a new goal in mind besides getting a Jumper. He scanned the camp, debating over where the soldiers would have hidden Sunburst away.

'Maybe I can magic him out?' Floyd thought to himself, gazing down at his hands. Nodding to himself, he took a breath and called upon his magic. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture Sunburst appearing in front of him. 'Come on, Goatee, gimme something here.' His hands twitched as his stamina started to take a dip. Though he couldn't see it, he could feel the aura around his hands glowing brighter.

"Come on," Floyd hissed, gritting his teeth. "Just give me one break today, will ya?" His concentration faltered, his aura flickering and threatening to die out for a moment. He took a deep breath, recalling some of the magic focusing techniques Sunburst had taught him. "Where are you, Sunny?"

Floyd's aura flared up for a moment before winking out. A bright flash appeared in front of him, turning the darkness of his eyelids red for an instant before his strength nearly left him entirely. Swaying slightly, he let himself fall back onto the grass. He cracked an eye open, finding a slightly singed and bound Sunburst before him.

"F-Floyd?!" Sunburst asked, his eyes darting around in panic. "You teleported me!? I never taught you any teleportation spells!"

Floyd managed a weak smile, summoning up what meager strength he had to pull himself and Sunburst into the closest bush. "Yeah, I sorta just winged it. Now, would you mind keeping it to whispers? I really don't want to get shot at right now." Grabbing the knife from his boot, Floyd made quick work of Sunburst's bindings. "Glad to see you're alright, Goatee," he added, slipping his knife back into its sheath.

"I-I'm happy to see you as well." Sunburst smiled shakily, getting to his hooves. "Are the others alright? Nopony got hurt, right?" Glancing at the man, his eyes darted around to and fro.

"My squad is safe, no one's taken any hits, though just barely." Floyd leaned back, resting the best he could against the bush. "What about you? They didn't rough you up, did they?"

Sunburst shook his head, stepping out of the ropes dangling from his hooves. "No, I wasn't. I was just knocked unconscious and woke up bound in one of the buildings." Eyeing Floyd carefully, he frowned. "Are you alright? I can't imagine teleporting me was easy on a novice like you."

Floyd waved him off. "I'll be fine, Goatee. I can rest when we're back in Shangri-La. But first thing's first, we've gotta find a Jumper." He quirked a brow at the stallion. "You wouldn't have happened to overhear where they stashed one?"

Glancing back towards the compound, Sunburst nodded. "Yeah, actually I did. They have the jumper you came in hidden behind the mess hall. Needless to say, I think they put the cloak up."

"Behind the mess hall is good enough," Floyd assured, turning his head towards the building in question. "I'm going to try and get my hands on it, you just stay right here." Before Sunburst could reply, he started to creep towards the base.

Keeping low and out of sight, Floyd tapped the button on his radio. "I managed to get Sunburst, hows not important. Told me they have our Jumper behind the mess hall. Over."

"Copy that," Lyra's voice came in over the radio. "Can you give me a fix on Sunburst's position so we can keep an eye on him? Over."

Floyd gave a quick reply as to where he had left Sunburst, making sure to keep his voice low. Once he was done, he stopped dead in his tracks to take a look around. After a few moments, he was satisfied that no one had spotted him and he continued toward his destination.

'Okay, if I was hiding Wonder Woman's invisible jet, where would I put it?' Moving up behind a building, Floyd watched a few soldiers mill about. 'Maybe I can feel around with telekinesis?' He tried to connect to his magic, only or a sudden headache to split right through his skull. He grit his teeth, forcing himself to stay quiet. 'Shit, teleporting Sunburst like that took too much out of me. Guess I'll have to find another way to find it.' Floyd glanced around, an idea striking him as he spotted a small mound of loose dirt.

He bent down, picking up the dirt and tossing it up towards the back of the lunch hall. He watched the particles for a moment, seeing if they settled on the air. Floyd held back a fist pump as some of the dirt stopped in mid air. Deciding to chance the ramp being down, he bolted over to the cloaked ship. He didn't slam headfirst into a wall so he knew that his luck was continuing to brighten. He never thought he'd miss the sight of a Jumper's interior so much. He walked over to the pilot's chair, sitting in it with a slump and tapping the button on his radio.

"Guys, come in. I've managed to secure us a Jumper," he radioed, ignoring the headache. "I'll come pick you guys up—" Pain erupted from the back of his head, causing his face to acquaint itself with the control console.

Floyd was quickly yanked out of his seat and forced back onto his feet by a soldier that he didn't recognize. He had a rifle pointed at his chest in an instant. "You're not going anywhere," the soldier snapped. "Ditch your weapons, now."

'Dammit, did my luck have to run out just when we were nearly out of this?' He tried not to let agitation show on his face as he removed his weapons and placed them on the floor in front of the soldier. 'Okay, probably a bad idea, but maybe I can force out some magic?' He sucked in a breath and concentrated on knocking the soldier out.

"I said all of your weapons." Reaching out, the soldier grasped Floyd's amulet and with a yank, broke the string holding it. "I'm not stupid, magic boy."

Floyd felt the magic slip away, like so much sand in a sieve. Teetering for a moment, a numbness spread through Floyd's body, sending him to his knees. The other moved from one direction to the next, never giving Floyd the chance to steady his perception. There was a churning in his stomach as his vision became fuzzy. It took every ounce of his willpower not to collapse and vomit on the spot.

"Asshole..." he managed to mutter out, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Quit hamming it up, Houdini," the soldier said, forcing Floyd onto his feet again. Floyd crumpled again, leaning against the wall. The soldier huffed, pulling Floyd back up and putting his arm around his shoulder. After making sure Floyd was stable, he adjusted his rifle so Floyd couldn't reach it. "If you throw up on me, I'm kicking your teeth in."

"Don't tempt me," Floyd muttered, still seeing double. He went quiet as the soldier started to lead him out of the Jumper. 'God, this is worse than a hangover. Fuck, I feel like I'm dying.' Floyd closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain in his head. The lack of sensory information did help a bit and he was able to focus on something other than his splitting head. 'I hope Bon Bon is having a better time of things than I am. She's probably waiting on my signal, which I can't fucking send. Thanks, G.I Jackass.'

Based on the increasingly louder sounds of marching boots, Floyd judged his captor was leading him back into the compound. His mind went into overdrive, trying to think of ways to grab his amulet and get away from the soldiers. He had to fight the urge to groan in frustration as nothing came to him. Even if he could think of anything, he wasn't in any shape to actually enact any sort of plan. A door opened and Floyd was tossed to the floor. Before he could react, the soldier grabbed his hands and bound them behind his back.

"You don't have to toss me around like a sack of potatoes," Floyd complained, doing his best to glare. "Not like I can actually take you in a fight."

"That saved time," the soldier replied, closing the door again.

Floyd groaned, managing to sit upright. He glanced around, finding himself in a storeroom, shelves of food all around him. "Dick." Leaning against some shelves, Floyd took a breath. "Right, so, no magic, no gun, and no radio. Come on, Floyd. You can MacGyver your way out of this... maybe." Testing his bindings, it became clear there wasn't any give he could use to slip his way out. He tsked, turning his focus to the room he was in.

It was a basic rectangular room with most of its space dominated by metal shelves. Light poured in form a small skylight, giving him at least some ability to see. He groaned and settled against a shelf. There were no real options to escape that he could outright see, though he guessed that's why they threw him in here.

"Come on, think." Floyd banged his head against a shelf, trying to jolf out an idea. A worsened headache was all he ended up with after a few attempts. "This blows." The pounding of his head kept him from thinking straight. If there was a way to jury rig an escape, his scattered thoughts weren't able to piece it all together.





Bon Bon placed the last of her explosive candy, shaping it for maximum damage. Her last target: the armory. A few ice mints took care of the lock and as long as no one touched the door knob, no one would be the wiser. With a quick glance around the room, she made sure that the guard was still nowhere to be found. Satisfied, Bon Bon slipped out of the armory and made to reconvene with her squad.

"Lyra, Devon, Floyd, this is Bon Bon, do you copy?" she whispered, holding the button on her radio while she stuck to the shaded wall of the building. "I'm done making my candy delivery, how's our transportation looking? Over."

"We're here, Bonny," Lyra responded, her voice sounding a little odd through the device. "We haven't heard from Floyd for a while. He never arrived with the jumper."

Bon Bon scowled, holding the button down again. "Magic's been stolen. Hang up and unplug. Go for op." Without waiting for Lyra to respond, she turned off her radio. 'Probably listening in on us. You just had to get caught, Floyd, didn't you?' Reaching into her vest, Bon Bon produced a small red disk. "Let's see how much you guys like taffy." Crushing it between her hooves, she waited for the first boom.

She didn't have to wait long, the medical office went up first with an explosion that echoed out towards the forest. The mess hall was next, the kitchen being reduced to splinters. The explosion from the armory was accompanied by dozens of lesser explosions, as bullets went off from the heat.

A smile couldn't help but find its way on Bon Bon's face as she watched several soldiers scramble around and try to put out the fires that threatened to spread through the camp. Silently creeping through the camp, Bon Bon began her search for Floyd. A nagging voice in the back of her head hoped that he hadn't been placed in one of the buildings she had rigged to explode. Shaking her head, Bon Bon forced that thought away and made her way towards a building.

"Think about it later, mission first," Bon Bon reminded herself. Spotting a pair of soldiers rounding a corner, she let time worn tactics take over. Dashing forward, she delivered a punch to the first's groin before roundhouse kicking the other in the chest. Both men collapsed, the first letting out an embarrassing squeak. With one last well placed kick, the soldiers were unconscious, leaving Bon Bon to continue forward. Reaching into her vest, Bon Bon pulled out a couple more mints and forced open the lock on the door in front of her. She poked her head in, taking a quick glance to make sure there were no soldiers.

"Floyd? Are you here?" The lack of response gave her a few possibilities, more than a few she didn't like. Quickly closing the door, she shook off the morbid thoughts before they could fester. Resuming her search, Bon Bon knocked out a few guards before coming to what was left of the mess hall. One of the doors was still fully intact despite some scorch marks on it. Deciding to take a chance, Bon Bon opened it to find a storage room.

"Hey!" Floyd's voice called through the door. "Someone out there!? What the fuck happened!?"

Bon Bon sighed in relief, rushing towards the sound of Floyd's voice. She found him in the fetal position on the floor, his hands tied behind his back. "Having fun, Hendrix?"

Floyd rolled over, relief palpable on his face. "No, I'm not having fun, Candy Ass. If you don't mind, please untie me. I got enough problems without being helpless."

Bon Bon nodded, leaning down to start working on his bonds. While she worked, she couldn't help but notice something. "Floyd, where's your amulet?"
"I lost it," he replied curtly. "And it sucks not having it. I feel like I'm coming off a bad trip; can't even stand."

"You really are having a bad day," she sighed, undoing the last knot. She nudged her head under his arm, supporting him. "Come on, I'll help you out of here."

"Just when I was starting to get used to the whole magic man schtick, I go and lose it," Floyd grumbled, letting Bon Bon lead him out of the ruined building. "I'm such a fucking idiot."

Bon Bon didn't comment, letting him vent his frustration. With the compound in chaos, it was rather easy to get Floyd out of sight. A part of her wanted to agree with him on the matter, but she knew that he was already well aware of his mistake. The patch of tall grass where the others were waiting quickly came upon them, and the pair managed to slip into cover without any difficulties.

Setting him down at the base of a tree, Bon Bon obliterated their tracks. "Okay, we need to link up with Devon and Lyra." Glancing at her bare neck, she frowned. "We'll have to make do without your magic."

"Yeah, already knew that much," Floyd replied, rubbing at his own neck. "Luckily, I found a Jumper before I was hogtied so if they haven't moved it yet we've got our way out. Just, uh... don't expect me to be the one flying it."

"Lucky for you, Devon's got the gene so you can just rest up once we get to the Jumper," Bon Bon assured him, sitting on her haunches and looking out at the compound. "You okay to keep walking? I'd like to get the buck out as quickly as I can. Looking at what my candy's done has lost its flavor, too."

Unsure if Bon Bon was trying to back a joke, Floyd merely responded with a groan. Today was shaping up to be one of the worst he'd had so far, and it looked like it was just going to continue in a downward trend. The only real idea he had was to just lay on the ground until it all blew over. He knew he couldn't, though; they weren't out of the woods yet.

Grimacing, Floyd braced himself against the tree, slowly rising to his feet. Nodding at Bon Bon, he allowed her to lead him through the foliage. Neither of them spoke, either out of necessity or lack of motivation, Floyd didn't really care. The sounds of the camp made up for their lack of conversation, cries to put the fires out drifting over the wind. It was slow going, but they eventually found Devon, Lyra and Sunburst. The mint unicorn grinned from ear to ear and latched herself to Bon Bon.

"Bonny! You're back!" Lyra nuzzled the mare's neck, beaming ear to ear. "I was so worried. When the explosions went off, we were afraid you wouldn't make it back."

"No need to worry about me, I'm a controlled demolitions expert," Bon Bon assured the enthusiastic unicorn, a proud smile on her face as she returned the nuzzle. "I set it up for damage and mayhem, not fatalities." Pulling away, her gaze was turned to Devon. "You're going to have to fly the jumper, got it?"

Glancing at Floyd, Devon nodded. "Yeah, I can handle that. Just get me in the seat of one." Getting Floyd back to his feet, the two humans followed after the trio of ponies. Pausing at the edge of the compound, Devin turned his attention to Bon Bon. "Alright, what's the plan?"

Opening a pocket, Bon Bon scooped out a hoofful of jawbreakers. "We make a break for it while they're still getting things under control. These should cover our flanks. Sunburst, I want you to stick with Floyd and Devin. Lyra, stick with me. Use some of those flash spells."

"Charge in and hope for the best, sounds like a plan I'd make," Floyd snarked, watching the trio of ponies. He did sign up for this, Floyd reminded himself, already picturing worse scenarios that could have occurred. Biting back the thought, General O'Neill's words replayed in his mind.

"Unless you've got a better one, criticism isn't appreciated," Bon Bon shot back, glancing over her shoulder at the pair. "Take a breath, count to five and let it go. That five is all your gonna give to fear, because you have better things to do."

Biting back a retort, Floyd continued to follow her. The group moved silently through the grass, the sounds of the camp becoming clearer.

Bon Bon held her hoof up for a moment before rushing out of cover. Throwing a few of the jawbreakers, each of the candies exploded into smoke. Most soldiers erupted into coughing fits, leaving them totally unprepared for Bon Bon's assault.  Lyra added to the confusion, her horn giving off blinding flashes every few seconds.

Floyd kept his head down, not wanting to be blinded along with the soldiers. He kept his eyes trained on the trio of ponies' hooves, relying on Devin to steer him. A few shots rang out through the chaos, but Floyd took the lack of reaction from his squad eased his racing heart somewhat. "For the love of god, please let jumper still be there..."

Somehow, the group managed to come to a stop and Bon Bon turned back to Floyd. "Alright, we're behind the mess hall like you said, can you remember where the ship was?"

"Somewhere out there," Floyd replied weakly, giving a vague motion with his hand. "Just feel around for it."

"That's not very helpful," Bon Bon replied, sucking in a quick breath through her nose. "Okay, how did you find it last time?"

Frowning, he thought for a moment. The searing pain in his head made it difficult, but he managed to recall what he had done. Grabbing a handful of dirt, he tossed it in the direction of where he was most confident the Jumper was. A smile tugged on his face as some of the dirt stopped in mid-air. "Good news, the Jumper's still here," he said, turning to Bon Bon with a proud smile.

"Thank Faust." Bon bon gestured with her head. "Get the thing open, Devin. We need to leave. Now."

Nodding, Devon passed Floyd over to Sunburst and dashed over to the cloaked ship. After a few minutes of fumbling, a ramp lowered down to reveal the inside of the Jumper. The group scurried into the Puddle Jumper, closing the hatch on some approaching soldiers. Devon didn't need to be told to take off.

Devon grit his teeth, flying as close to the treeline as he dared, another Jumper appearing on the ship's sensor. Pushing the ship as fast as he dared to, he made a beeline for the gate and started dialing. Once he hit the last button, Bon Bon tapped at a pony friendly version of the GDO. A few moments later and the activated gate came into view. The group braced themselves as Devon flew the jumper though.

What the group wasn't expecting, was an assembly of people waiting for them. General Carter stood at the foot of the stairs, Higgs standing besides her. "Congratulations, SR-1. You passed with flying colors." The general's voice crackled over the radio. "I'll meet you in the jumper bay for your debriefing. Over and out."

"Yeah... flying colors..." Floyd curled up on the bench, trying not to vomit out his breakfast. If the general wanted anything out of him, he'd need his amulet back. And some painkillers. Anything and everything else could wait.