//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirteen - Explorers in the Old Fashioned Sense // Story: My Little Destiny // by BlackWidower //------------------------------// The stress on the shoulders of a military commander on an alien ship, billions of light years from home, was high. They were the only group of humans out this far, truly alone in an uncaring and hostile universe. Every day was a struggle to survive for the crew, and had been since they arrived, since they evacuated from Icarus Base, a Naquadria-rich planet in their home galaxy that uniquely held the power to dial the nine-chevron address that lead to this ship. That was over a year before they entered stasis. It felt like a lifetime ago. That first year wasn't so difficult to handle. The crew always tried to make the best of it. The stones helped, allowing them to occasionally visit loved-ones on Earth. But that was gone now. The only hope for the crew to release some stress, was the planet currently being explored by the small away team that had yet to return. As he completed some paperwork, a strange thought buzzed through the Colonel's head. What was the point? He had no commanders who would read it. They've had no contact from Earth since they left stasis, nearly a month ago. He never told the crew the truth, that he would have expected contact to be made by now, that there was little point in having anyone wait on the stones anymore. But it gave them hope. He had to let them cling to that idea, that they would one day re-establish contact with Earth. Even though he was pretty sure, it was a lie. The Colonel buried his face in his hands, trying to wipe the depression away. The radio crackled to life. "Colonel, we have an incoming wormhole." Young grabbed the radio to respond. "I'm on my way." He stood up and walked around the desk, leaving the paperwork behind and walking out the open door, hitting the button to close it behind him. Colonel Young placed his office very close to the gate room, so it took under a minute to arrive, just in time to witness the wormhole connecting. "Destiny, come in," came a very familiar voice over the radio. The Colonel responded. "Scott, I assume things went well." Boone was standing at the console, his eyes went wide. "Yes sir, it's uh...kinda hard to explain but we learned their language, and they've agreed to start discussing trade." "Great, what have you negotiated?" "Well sir...uh-" the radio quickly cut out. "Scott?" No response. "Colonel?" the technician said, staring at the console. Young walked up and looked at the screen. He could clearly see three aliens, one very tall, shining white with long, ethereal hair; there was also a shorter purple one, whose hair was cropped in what was clearly a bowl cut and she was talking to another dark blue winged creature. He was holding one of the away team's weapons, and one of their radios. "Scott?" he spoke into the radio. The blue creature fumbled with the weapon as he tried to hit the call button. "Yeah Colonel, sorry, one of the aliens was handling one of our weapons." The purple one appeared upset. "I was worried about accidental discharge." "Scott, we have you on Kino." He looked up at the camera. "Oh, right," he said nervously. "You probably want an explanation." "To start." "Um, well, sir, we think they have some type of technology that can alter brain waves and physical forms, Rush is looking into it." "Okay, that doesn't explain why you look like them." "Well, they wanted us to maintain a low profile while we're here, this appeared to be the best way to do it." "Is it safe?" "I think so, Greer went first, said he felt fine, was even able to turn back on his own. Can't be sure of any long-term effects though, but it seems safe." Young contemplated the situation. His away team was transformed into alien horses. In all his years in the Stargate Program, it was the most unusual thing he'd seen since...well... "Scott!" he eventually responded. "Have you asked them about Camile?" The Lieutenant paused for a second. "You mean her condition? No, sir, why?" "I need you to tell them everything you can about it. Ask if they can help." "Yes sir." He could see Scott float over to the other aliens, and talk with them. After several minutes of discussion, the radio quickly floated over to the purple one, encased in a red aura. "Colonel Young?" the creature spoke. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I think we can help your friends with their illness...Colonel?" Scott explained, "You have to release the..." "OH!" As the radio clicked off, Young responded, "Thank you Miss Sparkle. Our medic hasn't had much luck." "Well, it does sound familiar, and if I'm right, we should be able to put a cure together in a matter of minutes." He could see the aliens discussing amongst themselves, when the Colonel realized something. "Is the mike broken?" he asked Boone. The technician turned from his position, leaning against the stairway that sat next to him. "Uh..." he said, approaching the console. "Colonel," Twilight eventually came back. "We request permission to come aboard." "Stand by," he responded. Turning a knob on the radio, he spoke into it again. "James, I need a security team in the gate room." "Yes sir," the Lieutenant responded. He turned the radio back and responded to the alien. "How many?" "Oh, Chloe and Ronald said they wanted to come back, though they are taking a while, and Her Majesty, Princess Celestia, requests an audience to begin trade negotiations, and discuss future relations between our people." Young saw her mile-wide smile through the Kino footage, as Scott gestured to use the radio. "Sir," said the Lieutenant as he floated away from the others. "Celestia is their nation's ruler, she's pretty much in charge of everything, she also appears to be pretty powerful." "What do you mean?" "Sir, they have some type of...telekinesis, and apparently, she's the best at it." "Do you think there's a risk, letting her on board?" "I don't know sir." At that moment, the Kino picked up two more aliens entering the frame, another purple one, this one with brown hair; and an orange one. "Sir!" James' voice echoed through the room. She approached, weapon in hand, backed up by five more soldiers, similarly armed. "Lieutenant, this is just a precaution, I want all weapons at low ready." "Yes sir," she said. "They're diplomats, Lieutenant." She paused before continuing. "Yes sir," turning to her crew, she quietly gave orders. The six member team split into two, each half holding guard on the opposite sides of the path that led to the gate. Young returned to the radio, "Twilight, permission to board granted, you may step through." The Colonel took his position in the middle of the path, directly in front of the main exit, to properly greet the dignitaries. This was the first time since they arrived on the Destiny, that he wished they brought through a dress uniform. There were plenty of spare uniforms to go around, but none of them would have been appropriate for the situation. Neither were the clothes he was wearing then, but they would have to do. The two aliens came through the wormhole, side by side, followed closely by two more, whose identities Colonel Young was almost certain of. The taller of the two dignitaries had a coat of pure white, as well as several pieces of jewellery, a crown, chest plate, and golden slippers. Her hair flowed freely, despite the fact that there was no wind in the gate room. However it was her face that particularly caught the Colonel's attention. It was an expression of awe, as if she could not believe what she was seeing. It was a look of amazement and curiosity he had not seen since they welcomed a group of colonists from the planet Novus. A world settled by the crew's time travelling temporal duplicates, two thousand years ago. It was sights like these that made him proud to command the Destiny. The shorter one seemed more focused. Her eyes still drifted, but it was as if she was forcing herself to keep an eye on the Colonel. The gate shut down with a flash, and the two new arrivals had their attention grabbed by the sudden release of CO2 from the gate. The purple one turned back, cleared her throat and said, "Colonel Young? My name is Twilight Sparkle, allow me to introduce Her Royal Majesty, Princess Celestia of Equestria." "Miss Sparkle, Your Majesty," Young responded. "I'd like to welcome you both to the Destiny." "It's a pleasure to be here Colonel," the taller one declared as her eyes focused on the commander. "I believe we have much to gain from each other." "Likewise, Lieutenant James will show you to the infirmary-" "Where Volker, Varro, Morrison and Wray are suffering from a magical illness!" she declared proudly. The Colonel was taken aback, he didn't have time to ask, so he quickly moved on. "Yes, you said you could help, and I'm afraid time is of the essence." "We will do our best Colonel," the Princess responded. "This way," James said as she started down the corridor. The Colonel stepped out of the way, allowing them to pass. "I'll be with you in a few minutes." The dignitaries left, and Colonel Young turned to the two other aliens. "Sergeant?" he said, addressing one of them. "Sir," Greer's voice came from the orange one. "Do you want to explain to me why you volunteered for such a procedure?" "Colonel," Chloe's voice came. "We went there to explore, we couldn't do that locked-up in a warehouse." He looked at the two of them. "Are you sure it's safe?" "Yes sir," Greer said. "There's a safety feature," Chloe explained. "We can turn back on our own anytime we want. Uh...here." At that moment, a glow encompassed the brown-haired creature. She started to float up in the air, as the other started glowing as well. The white figures began to shift in shape as Colonel Young took a step back. Some of the guards in the gate room aimed their rifles while others stood in awe. Young held up a hand, a subtle order to lower their weapons. They landed on the deck, as the glow faded, revealing Chloe Armstrong, and Sergeant Ronald Greer, in their original forms. Colonel Young took a deep breath. "I'm afraid I'll have to place you both under quarantine, regardless." "Colonel?" Armstrong said, surprised by this turn of events. "To be quite honest, I can't be certain you are who you say you are. Until I am convinced, you will be confined to quarters, is that understood?" Greer responded, "Yes sir." "Airman," the Colonel turned to his right, where Dunning stood. "Escort them to their quarters, I want a two-man detail on each of them." "Yes sir," the soldier replied. Young quickly left to catch up with the alien dignitaries. Hoping his caution was unnecessary. A clump of Volker's hair was surrounded by a red glow as it moved out of the way, revealing half his face. He looked directly at the alien in front of him, who had an obvious look of curiosity. "Do you have any string?" she asked. "Uh..." TJ turned to a table behind her, opening a top drawer, she pulled out a roll of twine. "Here," she said, tossing it Twilight's way. She grabbed it in a red aura and quickly went to work, collecting all of Doctor Volker's hair, and tying it back with the twine in a tight double knot. Using a nearby pair of scissors, she cut the rope and let her magic release. Everyone's eyes were on the twine, as it sat there, silent. "What are we looking at?" Brody asked, his impatience growing. Twilight held up a hoof. "Just a second, if I'm right..." At that moment, Volker's hair developed a faint, light blue aura, and the twine quickly snapped. The hair settling itself around Volker's face. "Just what I expected," she explained. "It's resisting any conventional method to counteract it." She trotted over to Morrison, scrunching up her face, as she observed him. The scientist leaned back under the alien's intense gaze. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you." "HONK!" he screamed. Twilight's hair blew back, and she recoiled from the force. "Oh," she said. "Well, it looks like I was right." "So, you have seen something like this before?" Young asked as he entered the infirmary. "Yes Colonel, I have!" the alien exclaimed. "It was a few years ago, me and my friends...we...um...were following a Zebra named Zecora into the Everfree Forrest. We stumbled into a bed of blue flowers, but we didn't notice it at the time. The next morning we all woke with some weird symptoms, everypony else thought it was a curse Zecora cast on us, but I knew better, I mean there's no such thing as a curse, the very idea is laughable." "Yeah," Volker said. "Curses are completely ridiculous." "Exactly," Twilight said, unaware of the irony. "We eventually caught up with Zecora, and she told us it was actually just the blue flowers, called Poison Joke. What we thought was a curse were just little jokes it played on us. So Zecora gave us a cure, a simple herbal bath." "Are you sure it's the same thing?" Brody interjected. "I mean this plant was found on another planet. The odds of the same plant evolving on two different planets is astronomical." "Did you not say this Stargate can transport objects between worlds?" Celestia asked from across the room. "Perhaps the Poison Joke migrated through at some point." "Well, it would have had to have been turned on at some point, and without a remote I don't see how." Twilight levitated the plant sample over to her, still wrapped in plastic. "Well, it looks like Poison Joke," she said. "Pretty hair!" Camile exclaimed, as she lay on a cot next the Princess. Her hand reached out and began running her fingers through the ruler's long, ethereal mane. "Um...Princess?" Twilight asked, nervously. "It's alright, Twilight," The Princess turned to the curious patent. "What is her condition?" TJ started walking over. "It's a bit of an odd case," she explained. "At first she was merely vocalizing every thought that entered her head, then she started acting like she was drugged." Twilight trotted to the patent. "Perhaps she came down with something else." "Another mysterious magic plant?" Brody said. "But her Poison Joke symptoms wouldn't go away," Twilight continued. "Unless..." "What is it Twilight?" the Princess asked. "Maybe the joke stopped being funny." "What do you mean?" TJ asked. "Well, if you're playing a prank, and something goes wrong, they get hurt, you don't continue the joke, you try to stop it." "You're saying the plant didn't think Camile's thoughts were funny anymore, and decided to just stop?" "Or find a new joke," Twilight explained. Celestia responded, "it certainly seems rational, Twilight." "You're kidding right?" Brody asked. The princess locked eyes with the engineer. "...Your Majesty," he continued. "TJ," the Colonel said. "Can you confirm that these two plants are the same?" "If I can get a sample, definitely," the medic explained. "I know exactly where to find them," Twilight said proudly. "I can go back to-" "-Twilight," the Princess interjected. "I believe I'll need you to remain here." The purple one turned her gaze to her mentor, slightly confused. "But Princess-" "Others can recover the Poison Joke, and the components for the cure. We must stay to continue trade negotiations, which, Colonel, I believe we should begin immediately." A smirk appeared on Colonel Young's face. Things were looking up. The halls of Canterlot Castle were barely lit as Shining Armor trotted through. It had been several hours since the incident. Since his sister destroyed his brother's work. He didn't know what to do, at the time, or at the moment. There was nothing he could say to Moonlight to get the stallion out of his grief, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. When he left the hotel room, his brother had barricaded himself in the bathroom, and Shining Armor had no idea what he could do. But there was another party involved: His sister. He knew she had been trying to talk to Moonlight, and repair their relationship for the past several days. She'd really grown as a mare since she moved to Ponyville and met her closest friends. But the sins of the old Twilight still haunted her. Sins she tried to atone for, but it was all wasted the moment that filmstrip hit the burning embers. He hated seeing his siblings like this, but he had no idea what he could do. Shining Armor had never felt so helpless. But at the very least, he could talk to Twilight, try to reassure her, but he had to find her first. "Armor!" He recognized the voice instantly. Looking up the Captain saw the smug face of one Commander Nightshade, of the lunar guard. "Commander," the Captain responded, eyelids lowered. "What's up!? Aren't you off today?" "...yes," he said curtly. Nightshade stared for several seconds. "So...why are you here? Shouldn't you be at home?" "I am at home Shade." "No you aren't, not at this end of the complex." Shining sighed deeply. "Fine, if you must know, I'm looking for my sister." "Twilight?" He put a hoof to his chin. "Yeah, I heard she was in town. Well, knowing her, she's probably with the princess, or near a bunch of books...or both." "Thanks for the uncanny observation Shade," the Captain said, trotting past the Commander. "Come on!" He declared. "Princess Luna ordered me to report to the royal library. It's the best place to find her." He stopped in his tracks and sighed deeply once again. He would have to spend time with Commander Nightshade, his least favourite Commander. But he was right about one thing... The Captain turned around, "Lead the way." he said. "They're like gecko feet," Rush explained. "Gecko?" Scott asked. "What's a gecko?" Rainbow responded. "It's a type of lizard from Earth, our home planet," the scientist continued. "They have a sticky property that allows them to climb even the flattest of surfaces. They can climb pane glass." "So with these...hooves," Scott clarified. "We can climb walls?" Rainbow lowered her eyelids. "No, no, no, geckos are much lighter than us, all we can do is pick objects up. No need for fingers." Scott looked at his hoof. "Why do you seem so surprised?" Rainbow asked. Scott explained, "Well, this is all new to me, I've never been an alien horse before." "-Pony," she interjected. "What?" "We're called ponies." Scott paused for a minute. "Humans," he said, bringing a hoof to his chest. "We're humans." "Humans..." she pondered the word for a few seconds. "Sorta rolls off the tounge doesn't it?" "Sure..." he responded with a smile. "Rainbow?" A voice asked from behind the mare. She turned around, as two stallions entered the room, one she recognized as one of Luna's more unique guardsmen. His fur was a dark grey, his cat-like eyes were bright red, and his leathery wings were folded tightly against his body. But the other she could identify a bit more readily. "Shining!" she exclaimed. "What's up!?" "Have you seen Twilie?" he asked. "Um...yeah," the pegasus responded nervously. "Great!" he exclaimed. "Where?" "Um..." "Commander Nightshade," announced Princess Luna, as she stepped through the security gate on the other side of the room. "...and...Shining Armor? What brings you here?" "Your majesty," Shining replied, as he bowed in reverence. "I was looking for Twilight," he continued, returning to his hooves. "Have you seen her?" "Yes...yes I have." The princess' horn glowed as the main doors to the library slammed shut. "What I am about to tell you is to remain top-secret. Under royal order, you are not to tell anypony about this. Understood?" Commander Nightshade responded. "'Bout what?" "We've just been visited by dignitaries from another land." "...Okay..." Shining said, expecting more. "I should introduce you to Doctor Rush, and Lieutenant Scott, two of their people." Shining looked at the two stallions, one of which had his face buried in a book. "Good evening Doctor, Lieutenant," he said, giving a slight bow, as Scott responded with a wave. "I'm sorry," Nightshade interrupted. "But why exactly does this need to be kept secret?" She sighed deeply, "a few years after the founding, an artifact was uncovered by a group of farmers, in what was known as the Blue Pine forest. It was a large ring embedded in a stone dias. It has since been kept secret in a secure location. We didn't know what it was, what it did, or who built it...until today." The princess took a deep breath before continuing. "It appears to be some type of transportation device, and just a few hours ago, they stepped through it." Scott smiled at them, as Rush flipped a page. "Transported from where?" Shining asked. "Very far away, another world, circling a different sun." "It's so awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "They're aliens! We just met aliens!!" "Humans," Scott interjected. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." "...Okay." Nightshade walked up to dark blue pegasus. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He held out a hoof, and Scott responded with a bump, the same gesture that Rainbow taught him a few minutes ago. "Lieutenant Scott?" "United States Air Force," he explained. "Okay," Shining interrupted. "So, where's Twilight?" "She's on our ship, the Destiny." "Twilight and my sister are discussing trade between our people," Luna explained. "We are hoping we can learn much." "Alone?" the Captain asked. "No, they are with each other. Also, I just received a message from Twilight. She explained that she needs a sample of a plant called Poison Joke, as well as the ingredients for a cure located in a book called 'Supernaturals'. Commander, could you retrieve this plant?" "Yes, ma'am!" the Commander declared, raising a salute. "Very good, but beware, this plant is very dangerous. I suggest you don't touch it directly and wrap it in some type of cloth." "Not a problem!" "Poison Joke?" Rainbow asked. "Why does she need Poison Joke?" "It's an odd name for a plant isn't it?" Scott responded. "I believe several of your crew mates have been affected by it," the princess explained. "So, it i a plant from here?" "That's impossible," Rush said, finally looking up from his book. "The odds of the same plant evolving on two different planets is astronomical." "We saw kiwis and apples out here, what're the odds of that?" Rush's gaze suddenly softened, as he tried to think. "Where is this plant?" the impatient Commander asked. "In the Everfree forest," the princess explained. "Your majesty, it's a big forest." "I can get it!" Rainbow said, flying halfway to the ceiling. "I know exactly where to find it! I'll be there and back in-" "No, Rainbow," the princess explained. "You must remain here." She stood there confused. "Okay?" the pegasus replied. "Well, Rainbow," the Commander interjected. "Where is it?" "Uhhhhh..." she put a hoof to her chin, trying to remember. The Captain navigated around the two of them, and walked straight toward the lunar princess. "Your majesty," he said. "I wish to see my sister." "Well, it's just a matter of stepping through the Stargate, but you'll need to get approval from Colonel Young, their commander." "Yes ma'am." "Lieutenant, do you mind showing the captain the Stargate and directing him in the use of your radios?" "Sure," he replied. His gaze turned to Rainbow, who was still talking with the commander. He told himself, when he got back, to remind the pegasus of her offer. As he trotted down the hall, Shining quickly started following. "Shining Armor!" Princess Luna trotted up to the captain. "I almost forgot." She touched her horn upon the soldier's forehead, and a bright glow was released. "There," she said, before trotting back to the main library. He turned around to follow the human, more confused than ever. The Destiny flew at top speed toward a yellow dwarf star ahead. Shields were at maximum strength for the very dangerous refuelling manoeuvre; and from the ship's observation deck, the gaze of Princess Celestia flowed out over the metal behemoth. "It's an amazing ship Colonel," she said. Her eyes focused forward. "Isn't it dangerous, to fly into a star?" Twilight asked. "Well, the shields are designed for this kinda thing," Colonel Young explained. "It's the only way it can keep flying." "By flying into a star, collecting a portion of it, and using the power contained within," Celestia explained, distantly. She closed her eyes, and bowed her head. "My little ponies can offer you and your crew much, Colonel: food, water, information, entertainment, room to stretch your legs, whatever you need." "Thank you," he responded. "Unfortunately, I don't know what we can offer you." She turned her head, and looked at the Colonel, before turning her gaze back out the window, and smiling. "I'm sure we can think of something," she said. The Destiny dove into the star's photosphere. Commander Fentin walked through the corridors of his ship. His crew was busily working about. Manning consoles, investigating artifacts, and just simply working. He generally didn't concern himself with every little job every single crew member had. In fact, for the most part, he had no clue what most of his crew did. He relied on his lieutenants and department heads to deal with that. Fentin never saw himself as a great commander, or even a mediocre commander. His skill level was just a bit above good enough, which was good enough for him. He didn't need to be great, he just needed to get by; and as long as he aimed low, he was less likely to fail. This was his life, commander of one small ship in the Nakai fleet. A position he wasn't even sure he wanted. He never set goals for himself, he never tried to achieve anything. Well, except for one thing, one simple thing: the Destiny. Right now, it was his only goal. The ship they had been chasing across twelve galaxies. He wanted that ship in the possession of his people. But as time went on, the Nakai commander grew less and less hopeful. Was it personal for him? Probably. His father's brother was killed in cold blood by one of the Destiny's crew members. But he didn't really know Kitnis enough to really care that he died. His father took it hard, and went on a bit of a crusade, until he led the Kornas and two other ships right into a trap, only the Kornas managing to survive. His father was overthrown from his position, placed in the infirmary, and declared mentally unstable; as his second-in-command orchestrated a temporary alliance with the Destiny. Something Fentin's father would have never done. Commander Fentin arrived at his destination: the artifact room. The door closed behind him as he pressed the control panel inside. Not much was contained within, all the more valuable artifacts were held on Admiral Voltas' flagship: The communications module, and the soul-switching stone, among others. But the artifacts they did have, Fentin was proud of. A small drone weapon sat in the middle of the room, connected to the ship's control systems. It was the only way their army of drone weapons could be controlled, by connecting to one directly. But off to the side, was a more interesting artifact. The Destiny crew called it a Kino. A floating sphere that contained a camera, among other sensors for analyzing a planet's atmosphere and temperature. A probe used to see what was on the other side of a wormhole. Fentin picked up the artifact. All the important data was already downloaded into the Kornas' memory banks, but something perplexed Fentin. Lieutenant Grevas claimed the sphere attacked him, but such complex movements should not have been possible, given what he knew about the artifact. The solution eluded him. How could this sphere have attacked his second-in-command? "I think I might be able to help you with that dilemma," a voice came from behind the commander. He spun around quickly. He should have heard someone enter, but didn't. He was supposed to be alone! But the mere pretense of this voice wasn't the most shocking thing to Fentin, it was the appearance of the voice's owner. It was a tall creature, but that was the most certain thing Fentin could say about it. He was almost serpent-like, but had arms and legs, and horns atop his head. But the most confusing thing about this creature was it's asymmetry. His right arm was different from his left arm, His right leg was different from his left leg, and the same was true of his horns. It was a perplexing creature, a creature that shouldn't exist, but it was standing before Fentin, he was certain of that. "Who are you!?" he demanded of the creature. "What are you!? How did you get on my ship!?" "Oh, none of that is important," he said with a wave of his paw. "What is important is this: I can help you." Fentin was still in shock. This creature was acting like he was in charge! But that certainly was not the case. "I don't think so!" the commander quickly proceeded to the nearest alarm bell. "Ah, ah ah...I wouldn't do that," the creature replied, his pitch wavering. As Fentin's hand touched the panel, he asked, "Why not?" "Because you're the only one who can see or hear me. You'll look like a maniac if you tell them I've been running around this ship, when you have no proof, don't you think?" He let his fingers slip off the panel and walked toward the creature. "What can you help me with?" he asked hesitantly. "That's the spirit!" The creature declared. "It's simple: I can help you get the Destiny." His eyes went wide. "How?" "I know exactly where it's located. I know the best way to board it. I can help you find the time when the crew is at its minimum, and the ship is at it's most vulnerable." Fentin placed the sphere on its pedestal. "Very well. Give me the coordinates, we'll-" "Ah, ah ah...not so fast, commander. You don't get something for nothing," the creature said, waving a finger. "Then what do you want in return?" "Something you can give me very easily: A planet. A simple planet, with a primitive population. Specifically, my home planet." The creature flew over to Fentin, on a pair of asymmetrical wings. "My dear commander, the offer is simple: You give me Equestria, I give you the Destiny."