Sunset's Isekai

by Wanderer D

The Alicorn Project (Stargate SG-1 — Pt. 1)

"What do you mean 'repairs'?" Sunset asked, narrowing her eyes at Rarity. "How does a self-contained universe even need 'repairs'?"

"You have taken quite a few emotional hits recently, have you not?" Rarity said, shrugging slightly as she walked around the bar, examining the walls for some obscure sign Sunset herself couldn't see, and taking notes on her fancy silver clipboard. "It is reflecting on the stability of the bar. Why, you can see that the walls are barely holding as it is. It's not really… repairs exactly," she added, using her fingers to quote the last word, "think more of it like maintenance. The bar needs to rebalance itself and you need a break from the mundane. While you're here, directly affecting the bar, it cannot find that balance."

"Mundane?" Sunset repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, right. I see what you mean. Not a day ago, I just had a spar with Dr. Strange, Dresden, Urza, and Raistlin Majere at the same time. That is definitely 'mundane'."She finger-quoted."Happens quite often. I don't see why I bother." 

"Hm. Sarcasm does not become you," Rarity replied, bopping Sunset's nose with a finger. "Or as a rather large acquaintance of mine would say, not appreciated."

Sunset closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I get that my state of mind affects the bar, and I know I've had some tough visits, I just don't see the point. It's been a while since I last had a heart-break-moment of any sort, and even for those I had someone to talk to about. I'm fine."

"Well, you might think so, but the Isekai knows better," Rarity countered. "Poor Ori has been running around the core trying to do his best to help, but this kind of thing is not his specialty. We really should find him a nice, comfy, forest-world where he could make the most of it. But that is not relevant right now. At this time, he's informed me of the state of the bar, and after some investigation, I came to the same conclusion."

Sunset sighed. "So why do you get to stay in while I don't?"

"Because I'm Rarity," her business partner responded, "and you're Sunset Shimmer, and you should make the most out of the situation. The bar is safe and cozy, I know how you feel about it, but don't close yourself to the rest of the multiverse. You are essentially eternal now, Sunset, but it doesn't mean you're not losing out on time."

"How can I be eternal and lose out on time?"

"Chances pass us by, sometimes." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Why don't you visit your mother? I'm sure Celestia would love to have tea with you."

Sunset crossed her arms. "Seriously? We've had this conversation. She and I have a healthy relationship now as immortal peers. That's all."

"Yes, and no one believes you," Rarity countered. "Not even you."

"She's not. My. Mother."

Rarity sighed and massaged her brow with her fingertips. "Sunset. You know better than anyone that just because she's not your blood, it doesn't mean she isn't family. You have all but admitted it before. Whenever you visit her in the future of Equestria, how does she treat you?"

Sunset looked down.

"And when you visit her in the present?"

"She knows that—"

"...that you're great at being in denial?" Rarity interrupted, gently taking Sunset by the shoulders. "Sunset… I care for you. I really do. I love you like a sister, and as someone who cares, I have to insist: learn to accept that family that cares is a blessing, and something you shouldn't deny out of… a sense of inadequacy." 

Sunset's head snapped up and she stared at Rarity, who held her eyes without flinching. "Where the hell did you get that bluntness from?"

"If you already know, why do you ask?" Rarity countered, her lips twisting into a smile. "She is your family, not by blood as you say, and I agree, she never formally adopted you. But you do care for each other in that way, and I think it's healthy for both of you to explore that side of your relationship."

"Alright, alright!" Sunset threw her hands up. "I accept your challenge. I'll visit Celestia, we'll talk it over, laugh over tea at your notions, and then I can come back and tell you how she agrees with me."

The bar chose that moment to shake a little.

"It will be okay," Rarity said.

"I'm not afraid of talking to Celestia about this," Sunset replied. "I'm just afraid of wasting time I could be doing something else."

The bar seemed to shrink a little.

"Okay, I can take a hint!" Sunset called out. She waved her hand and her work clothes were replaced with her skirt and leather jacket. She marched towards the door. "I don't appreciate it when you guys gang up on me."

Rarity smirked. "Heaven forbid."

"As if that would stop the likes of you," Sunset muttered, reaching for the door. She hesitated. "You'll be okay, right?"

"Don't worry, I have plenty of experience with things like these," Rarity said.

"Alright then," Sunset muttered, opening the door and stepping out. "Have fun."

She had been expecting a grassy field, or even the courtyard of Canterlot Castle. Instead, she found herself in a small room with a bunker bed. The moment she got her bearings she realized she had not been dropped off where she wanted to be and turned around. "Wait, Rarity, this isn't—"

The door was gone.

"Great," she said, turning to look around the room she was in. "Now what?"

The door opened and a familiar man stepped in, frowning when he noticed her. "Shimmer? I thought I heard someone. Nice tan."

Sunset blinked, immediately recognizing the leader of SG-1. "Jack, I—"

"Anyway, it's good that you're here, I thought you were coming back tomorrow," he interrupted. "SG-5 left earlier, but we need some extra hands for our next stop. Get in uniform and meet us at the Stargate, we leave in ten."

"But I'm not—" Before she could say anything else, he was gone, and she was alone in what seemed to be another Sunset's room. She groaned and tried to summon the Isekai, but it seemed Rarity was already working on 'maintenance', because the door did not appear as intended.

She glanced at the locker. "I really shouldn't." She took a deep breath. "I really, really shouldn't."

Jack O'Neill idly checked the straps on his uniform while the others talked. When the door opened, he looked up to just to confirm it wasn't General Hammond, and then looked down back at the loose strap he had found with just as much interest. "Thanks for joining us, Lieutenant Shimmer."

"Sir," she responded deferentially. There was something odd about her though.

"Still in vacation mode, Sunset?"

"Pretty much," the lieutenant replied, walking around the room as if she were trying to get used to her uniform again to greet Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam. "Any idea where are we going?"

"Well," Daniel spoke up, "Sam and I found references to a location that had fought off the Goa'uld millenia ago, and not only fought them off their world, they had such mastery of their star system that no alien invasions were ever possible after their first attempt."

"The Goa'uld were there long enough to set up a Stargate and create a connection, but through unknown means, it was sealed," Sam added, her lips pressing together in thought. "When Daniel and I went through some new possible planetary options based on the information we had, we discovered that the star system had shifted its orbit somehow, and that'd been the reason why the stargate was not functioning."

"Huh," Sunset said. "I don't think there's that many civilizations out there who could move their entire system."

"It is… beyond what the Goa'uld are capable of, Lieutenant Shimmer," Teal'c stated. "The methods are unknown, and since it is forbidden to speak of this location, I am afraid I have not been of much help in identifying any potential dangers."

"Just another Wednesday," Jack said.

"So, what did you find out anyway?" Sunset asked, surprising him. Usually once the basics of the missions had been stated, Shimmer had been content to follow orders. It was one of the reasons she remained mostly another name in Stargate Command, despite her rank in the Air Force.

"Oh, not much that makes sense right now," Daniel said. "Legends mostly, which we know might hide some truth… um, we have immortal god-rulers that control the skies, specifically the Sun and the Moon. The Moon-ruler sealed the gate, while the Sun-ruler destroyed their fleet and then made the star system disappear…"

"Y-you don't say."

"Apparently they also had another god figure with even more power who transformed their foot soldiers into random creatures."

"Shit."

"Something wrong, Shimmer?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sir, I don't think I should go wi—"

The doors opened and Jack snapped the order. "Ten-hut!"

"At ease," General Hammond said, nodding. "I see you found your backup member, Jack. Welcome back, Lieutenant Shimmer. How was Maui?"

"Strangely, more charming in person."

Hammon smiled, nodding. "I remember the first time Mary Anne and I went there back in 84. It's a lovely place."

"Oh, you mean the island..." Sunset muttered, earning a slightly confused glance from the others.

"General," the radio buzzed on before he could answer. "We are ready."

"SG-1," Hammond nodded at them. "Good luck."

With that he turned and left, heading presumably up to the Monitoring Station, and Jack relaxed. "Well guys, let's go!"

"Seriously sir, I might not be the best company for this one," Sunset said to him nervously as they stood side-by-side, watching the iris open.

"Nonsense, Shimmer," he replied, grinning when she squirmed in defeat. "You know your way around a fight, and you're familiar with everyone in SG-1, I think you'll be fine."

She sighed before taking a deep breath and nodding. "I guess we'll find out," she said as the Stargate activated with a hum that made everything shake for a moment.

Jack shrugged and strode forth into the wobbling, water-like surface of the Stargate.

The moment she reached the other side of the Stargate, Sunset knew where they were. The ruins of the Everfree Castle lay within sight, while the unmistakable vegetation of the forest itself loomed nearby, close enough to give her pause, but somehow still keeping clear of the gate's platform itself.

"Seed Stargate confirmed," Sam said, studying the device, then walked over to the smaller symbol-covered device close to it. "And it seems the dial is also in working order."

'I should've stayed back,' Sunset thought morosely, 'I'm a potential hazard here, depending on when this is.'

She was wrenched out of her thoughts when Daniel spoke up. "This is interesting, the area around the Stargate is completely free of dust, plants, animals… and yet everything around it is completely overgrown."

That nagged at her brain. She looked around the place. Daniel was right. The  pedestal where it had been built was spotless, but that didn't make sense. The Everfree Forest was aggressively active when it came to growth. You only needed to look at the non-protected areas of the Everfree Castle to notice— "Oh crap. Stop!"

Jack, who had been taking a step forward from the edge of the platform almost followed her order on time, but his foot touched the edge and the whole platform was suddenly crackling with a buildup of energy.

Daniel and Sam worked feverishly on the dial, but it didn't seem to respond to their commands. "Jack! The dial is not working! We're trapped!"

Jack tried slamming the force field with the butt of his assault rifle, but nothing happened other than him getting blasted back a few feet by angry blue-white lightning. It was then that Teal'c took aim with his Ma'Tok staff and shot. The energy blast slammed into the shield, which rather than bounce it back, absorbed it.

It was then that the voice of none other than Luna spoke out in Ancient Equestrian, and Sunset felt her breath catch. This was definitely not good.

"Daniel?" Jack asked, almost hiding the urgency in his voice.

"I-I have no idea, I've never heard that language before!" Daniel said as the message repeated itself. There was no way they were getting out of this one without some help, and Sunset couldn't just stand idly by and do nothing. 

"Dammit all," Sunset muttered, stepping forward and reaching out to the barrier.

"Lieutenant, don't!" Jack warned, but she didn't have time to follow orders. They had seconds before the others died. Luna's spell was powerful, but it was just a variation of a traditional forcefield spell. It was tied to the Stargate, which meant that it would power up automatically when it was used, then deplete over time. The more the gate was used, the longer the shield would last. If the Stargate wasn't in use long after, it would recede into wherever she had planted the core. Brilliant, in a way, and mostly harmless. The problem was the additional spell that Luna had added.

If a certain species was detected, it would not only stop them, but it would also eliminate them. It was probably Teal'c's weapon that had activated this second spell. Without additional time, she wouldn't be able to simply dispel the shield as it was. It occupied too large an area to quickly disarm it, but she could slow it down.

"Guys, look around and on the Dial, there should be a different symbol somewhere on it, when you find it, you have to destroy it, but don't use the Ma'Tok staff. It's probably engraved in regular rock, just break it apart!"

"Why?"

"Because if we don't the shield will fry us all!"

"Sounds like a good reason as any, get on it, Daniel," Jack said, walking up to stand near her as the other worked. "What are you doing? Has SG-5 encountered something like this before?"

"Yeah. Forcefields, all the time right?" Sunset joked as Teal'c also came closer. "Please don't touch the forcefield. I'm trying to stop the flow from completing and releasing a death ray in here."

"Lieutenant, there's something you're not telling me. I've read all of SG-5's reports and nothing mentioned any force fields like this one. I saw how you reacted when you heard that voice. You know what it said." As if to confirm Jack's words, Luna's message repeated itself.

"I took a class on it when I was younger, so my understanding isn't that great, but the gist of it was, 'Behold your doom, worms, that you might serve as a warning to your species to never step hoof into our world again'," Sunset said after a moment.

Jack crossed his arms, ignoring the energy buildup around him. "Forgotten Ancient Alien Languages 101, huh? That's an odd class to take."

"It was an elective?"

"It seems this civilization was well prepared to defend itself from Goa'uld incursions," Teal'c said, seemingly taking her response in stride. "I still find it odd that it did not react like this until I shot it."

"I think it would have reacted the same way if it had been you, and not Jack, who touched it," Sunset said. "You might've died on the spot too, Luna wasn't known to be particularly merciful back in the day."

"Who?" Jack asked, casually crossing his arms.

"Found it!" Sam called out before he could get his answer.

"Break it!" Sunset called over her shoulder, just as a tingling sensation went through her. She heard a dull thud, and the shield's integrity shook under her fingers. Another thud, and finally a third, followed by a crack. Immediately the shield disappeared, the lightning dispersing into the air.

Sunset stumbled forward and would have fallen if Jack and Teal'c hadn't caught her arms. She regained her footing and nodded at them. "Thanks, I'm okay."

Jack nodded to Teal'c and they let Lt. Shimmer go. She bent down, taking a deep breath of relief. The mystery was getting a bit annoying, but he wanted to either get back to Earth, or at least a secure location before he could question her.

"Um, guys?" Daniel spoke up in that tone of voice that guaranteed he was going to make Jack angry. "Are you seeing a bunch of pegasi and unicorns around us?"

Sunset's head snapped up as Jack and the others stared at the horse-like creatures arranged around them. The pegasi were carrying staffs of some sort, while the unicorns stood at the ready, all watching them warily and ready to act.

"Does anyone know how to tell them we come in peace?" Jack said, slowly raising his hands.

Someone spoke, and it took a moment for him to realize who it had been. He had not understood a word, but the tone had been commanding and firm.

The horse that had spoken was taller than the others making it look more and more like it was a horse among ponies, and sported not only the wings of the pegasi, but the horn of a unicorn. The voice was female, strong, and confident. She wore a crown and other decorations, including fancy horseshoes, which probably meant that she was probably in charge, and she was looking none too pleased at seeing them.

"Hi,"  he said, drawing her attention to himself. "I'm Jack O'Neill, from Stargate Command. We are not allies of the Goa'uld. This is Teal'c, he used to be one of them, but joined the rebellion and our team to fight the system lords. These are Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Captain Samantha Carter, and our loaner from SG-5—"

The creature interrupted him, saying something in her language while facing Lieutenant Shimmer, voice hard. And if he was any good at sensing the reactions of horse-like species, the other horses in golden armor seemed suddenly more aggressive.

When Lt. Shimmer responded in the same language, it was all he could do to keep himself from asking her what the hell was going on.

"Daniel?" Jack stage whispered instead, "what are they saying?"

"No idea… their language is not something I've encountered before… sounds a little like High Dutch, but the words don't make sense. It's also not the same language as earlier, although it bears some similarities." He adjusted his glasses. "I wonder what class she took."

"I always thought that Lt. Shimmer had gone straight into the Air Force as soon as she had graduated high school. It seems like an unusual elective to take while there," Carter said.

"Yeah, I don't know much of her other than the couple of times we worked together with SG-5," Jack added. "She was a lot less chatty than today."

"And she seemed distressed at the thought of coming here, when Daniel described what little we knew of this world," Teal'c pointed out.

"Let's keep the discussion for later," Jack muttered. "Something is about to happen."

Sunset had stepped between them and the bigger winged horse, saying something to them. The larger horse seemed unimpressed, however, and simply nodded in their direction.

The next thing Jack knew, he was standing in a small, damp prison cell that looked like it belonged in one of the medieval worlds. There was no sign of his weapons and gear. He walked to the door and slid his arms through the bars, resting them where the cross bar was.

Across from him, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c approached the doors of their own cells. Of Lieutenant Shimmer—if that's who she really was—there was no sign.

"Well," he said, glancing at the others. "I did say it was a Wednesday."