Discovery

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"... and we can see from the comparisons of the architecture in the Castle of the Two Sisters, the Ruins of the first establishment of the unicorns before the union of the three tribes and the newly rediscovered Crystal Empire, there is a shared underlying commonality that cannot be explained considering what we know of their individual societies."

Three images, illusion based magnifications of the photographs positioned on the table, were projected on the wall as the excited presenter continued her spiel. "My research on the matter continues to point to the idea that some outside influence worked its way into these cultures."

She cleared her throat before continuing. "Some of our oldest existing legends speak of a race of beings that descended from the stars, arriving in a massive flying city of stone and crystal, just as ponies were beginning to build society. Our ancestors called them the Teachers, as they taught the early ponies how to read, write, and so much more!"

"Miss Heartstrings," a weary voice spoke up from the dimly lit seats.

"Yes?" She gulped, turning to look toward the speaker.

"As interesting as your tale may be, it remains just that, a tale," he said. His horn glowed, and the lamps in the room flared to their brightest, chasing the shadows to the corners. Prince Blueblood tapped a hoof on the folder before him. "All your 'evidence,' and I use the term rather lightly, is anecdotal and depends on flimsy logic, old mare's tales and, dare I say, whimsy."

"Everypony said the same thing about Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon!" she countered. "The same goes for Discord. For Faust's sake, we had forgotten about the Empire until it reappeared."

"You forget, Miss Heartstrings, that while the more common versions of those legends were mare's tales, Nightmare Moon's return was foretold in prophecy, and there was the little fact of Auntie's face being emblazoned on the moon for a few centuries," Prince Blueblood shook his head. "Discord was imprisoned and under Auntie Celestia's watch, and the last remnant of the Empire was in her care as well. Solid evidence. In contrast, you have a few artistic stylings that are far more likely to be coincidence?"

"I know I can find evidence!" she protested. "I just need funding. With that, I know I can find something, maybe even the Teachers' city itself!"

"Regardless, Miss Heartstrings, I cannot in any good interest pledge the support of the Royal Expeditionary Society to your project." With that, he motioned to his aid, who started to gather the paperwork. "Personnel or funding."

Blueblood's statements seemed to be a trigger, the other ponies in the room, at least the ones who stayed for the entire presentation, also started packing up, making similar sounds of withholding support.

"I... understand, Your Grace," Lyra said with a sigh, bowing her head. "Thank you for your time." She turned away, quickly packing up her materials, a dejected look on her face. She pulled her saddle bags on, quickly trotting out of the auditorium, hoping nopony would call her crazy.

"Hold up, Lyra!" Bon Bon caught up before she could get too far, a supportive smile on her face. "Well, it wasn't that bad this time around. Nopony started laughing, for one."

"Thanks Bonny," Lyra said, giving a weak smile. "You know... maybe they are right... maybe it is all just coincidence..."

"Or maybe it isn't," Bon Bon said, giving Lyra a supportive shoulder bump. "Nopony's ever going to know unless somepony finds out. Maybe a cute mare with spunk?"

"Bonny..."

"Fine, I'll be good," Bon Bon giggled. She was still cheerful though. "We still have our trip to the Crystal Empire to look forward to. Didn't you say Princess Cadance was an old Canterlot High classmate of yours?"

"She probably won't remember me," Lyra said, waving her hoof dismissively, "I was always that weird filly who sat in the back of class. But you're right, maybe this trip is exactly what I need." She gave a bigger smile, nuzzling cheeks with the other mare.

"And you can put this let down behind you," Bon Bon nodded. She fished a paper sack from her own saddlebags and offered them to her companion. "Chocolate is the first step to recovery."

"Trying to fatten me up, huh?" Lyra asked, taking the bag in her magic. "I'm watching you, missy."

"Sassing? See, you're better already," Bon Bon teased.

Lyra giggled, shaking her head. "Are we all ready for the trip?" she asked, excitement bleeding into her voice. "I can't wait, Bonny! All that history!" She squealed, clapping her forehooves together like a school filly.

"Bags packed and everything," Bon Bon confirmed. She had made sure of it the night before while Lyra was distracted with preparing her presentation. "We just happen to have a few more hours to waste before our train leaves."

"Hmm... any ideas?" she asked, looking around. "Donut Joe's?"

"I heard Pinkie Pie recommends him, so he has to be worth it. I've never had a chance to try his donuts," Bon Bon admitted. "And maybe we can go to the museum after. You can tell me all the things they got wrong again."

"We always do that," she said, tapping her chin. "We could see if that new candy factory is giving tours. I bet you could steal their secrets," she teased with a playful smirk.

"You always know how to show a mare a good time," Bon Bon laughed. "Come on, let's go steal some candy secrets."

"Hay yeah!" she cheered, intertwining her tail with Bon Bon's. The two of them trotted off toward the candy factory, laughing all the way.

The air was buzzing with barely contained energy. Men and women checked and rechecked the equipment stacked and palletized in the rooms and hallways. Conversations in a dozen different languages filled the air. Technicians wove between them, all with purpose and intent. It made navigating an onerous task for the male pair.

It was subtle, but people seemed to defer to the woman with the short cut blond hair as she reviewed manifests and reports. When they approached, she looked up at them and smiled. "Daniel, General!"

"Hey, Sam," Daniel said, looking a bit put out by the greeting. Beside him, General Jack O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

"General?" Jack greeted back. "We talked about this."

"Sorry, Jack," Samantha grinned. "I'm just a bit excited about this!"

"I can tell," Jack nodded. "So... are we there yet?"

Samantha hid a half sigh, looking away from Jack. Daniel merely nodded. "Hmm. Good call back."

"Why thank you," Jack said proudly. "I do my best. So, what's the hold up?"

"Well, this is a splinter group of Ancients we're talking about," Daniel said, looking at the currently inactive gate. "Who knows if they booby trapped their gate."

"Gotta love those Ancients," was Jack's response as he rocked on his heels.

"Not to mention that the Concordia galaxy is a bit further from us than Pegasus is," Samantha added. She quickly started warming up to the topic. "We want to make sure our first connection is as efficient as possible. If we don't, we risk drawing more power from the ZPM than we need to. Look at it this way, the wormhole might not be in real space, but it can still be af-"

"Carter!" Jack held up his hands in a warding fashion, a slight look of panic in his eyes.

"Give us a few more minutes," Sam said, sharing a smile with Daniel.

"Don't worry Jack, we'll be fine," Daniel said. "And you have to know how long I've been wanting a chance to spend an extended time in Atlantis. Now I get a city of my own, Shangri-La." He said it almost longingly. "Possibly even the Shambhala. A group that left the Pegasus ancients after a clash of philosophical beliefs. Who knows what those ancients could have discovered since then. Without the threat of the Wraith, their society, culture, knowledge could be vastly different from what we have found in the Ancient Databases here in the Milky Way and Atlantis."

"Easy, Daniel," Jack wagged his finger at him. "You're drooling."

The intercom crackled to life. "Generals Carter, O'Neill. Doctor Jackson! We are almost ready to begin the dialing procedure!"

"Well, seems it's almost time," Jack said into the silence that formed in their little group.

"Jack, it's just going to be a year," Daniel said, laying a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "And we are taking a ZPM with us. We will be able to keep in touch."

"Just... be careful, okay? I don't need you ending up stuck halfway across the universe," Jack responded, the thought of his friends ending up like the Destiny expedition weighing heavily on his mind.

"We'll be fine," Sam promised, echoing Daniel's earlier statement. "You have all of Homeworld Command to worry about. We'll take care of these people."

"We won't do anything you wouldn't," Daniel added with a wry smirk. One that died when Sam and Jack both raised eyebrows at him. "I'll... I go check the thing..." he pointed in a vague direction. "The thing over there. Holler if you need me," he said before wandering off.

"That does not inspire confidence," Jack stated frankly.

"Alright, people!" General Jack O'Neill declared. The last minute details had been set in place and dealt with. Expedition members were crowded in the gate room and most of the halls branching from it. Hands were either on or near pallets and handles, ready to get them moving. On the level above, the two jumpers on loan from Atlantis were ready to take off at a moment's notice, in case Shangri-La's hangars were empty.

"How the hell did I get roped into this?" a rather squirrelly looking young man asked as he fiddled with a camera. "I could be making movies, but no..."

"Same way I did?" a dark skinned man behind him spoke up. "Right and/or wrong place at the wrong and/or right time?"

"Yeah well at least we're making history, right?" the young man said, hefting the camera onto his shoulder. "Name's Floyd, Floyd Hendrix, nice to meet you," he said, holding his hand out. "You uh... ever been through that thing before?" he asked, gesturing to the gate.

"Devon Manley," he said, returning the shake. "And... twice. Once to go to one of the research stations on a moon. Once more to come back. It was wild."

"You went to the moon?" Floyd asked, looking at him incredulously. "That's insane. I'm glad all I gotta do is record stuff..." he mumbled, getting the camera rolling. "What they got you doing?"

"A moon. A moon. Don't ask me the name. Some code with more numbers and letters than I care to remember," Devon said, shaking his head. General O'Neill, in his customary fashion, didn't talk long, and was all too happy to turn the attention to General Carter and Doctor Jackson. "I'm a technician with the RCAF. Well, from them. With the SGC now. Geomatics."

"They got me right out of film school," Floyd started. "Some government program. Thought it would look good on a resume, didn't think I'd end up in some crazy space odyssey."

"Did they test you for the gene?" Devon asked. "I overheard this guy from the Atlantis expedition mention that they wanted as many people with the ATA gene in the first few groups going through to help wake up the city and keep it from thinking we were bad news."

"They gave me some kind of test, I think it came back positive but they didn't say much after that," Floyd said with a shrug, sweeping the camera around. "I take it it's something important?"

"Like a security key for a lot of tech they expect to find on the other side of the puddle," Devon grinned like a happy fool, thinking about some of the stuff he had gotten to read about the Atlantis Expedition in preparation from this one. He only half listened as Doctor Jackson spoke about humans continuing to live up to the expectations of being the Fifth Race. "There aren't many of us, so expect to be called around to serve as a door opener or power switch a lot. There’s a gene therapy treatment to try and give it to other people, but it only works half the time."

"Joy," Floyd said with a snort. "Always happy to help. I just hope they don't seize my footage when this is all over. I want something to show for this."

"Walter!" General O'Neill's voice yelled. "Dial it up!"

Floyd turned to the gate as the inner ring started to spin. "Show time?" he asked, zooming in on the gate with his camera.

"Chevron one encoded!" CMSgt. Walter Harriman called over the alarms that were ringing as the inner ring made its first stop, marked by one of the orange points glowing, a faint tremor originating from the gate as it engaged. Walter continued to announce each chevron as the gate worked, the slower process borne from the home-brewed system only causing breaths to be held as anticipation built.

"Chevron seven encoded!" Walter called, excitement clear in his own voice as the inner ring started its final rotation. Not since Eli Wallace was brought to Icarus had a gate room been that primed and tense.

"Wait for it..." Devon whispered, similar phases being voiced by the less stoic members in the room.

"Chevron eight... locked!" The report of a dozen pounds of C4 going off would have paled in comparison to the explosion of sound that erupted from the room when the wormhole formed with its brilliant blue-white kawoosh before settling into the rippling shimmer of the event horizon. It took a while for the noise to die down, but when it did, General O'Neill was ready.

"Shangri-La Expedition, you have a stable connection," he announced. "You're clear to move out. Send the MALP."

"Anything I should know about before going through?" Floyd asked, casting a glance at Devon.

"Security teams 3 and 5, on the ramp, go through if the MALP reports viable conditions," General Carter ordered.

"Um..." Devon, to be honest, hadn't been on any real live missions through the gate himself, but he tried to remember everything he could from the videos Doctor Jackson made and all the reports he read. "Don't touch anything, slow down if lights start turning on, and you might want to brace yourself for the first step. A couple million light years is a doozy."

"I'll keep that in mind," Floyd nodded, watching as the security teams were given the go ahead and moved into the wormhole.

"We're all clear!" General Carter called, "Please proceed through the gate In an orderly fashion!"

"This is it, Floyd," Devon said, grabbing his allotted bag and the supply cart he'd been given and moving with the flow of people. "Hope you packed everything, because we won't be back for a while."

"Trust me, I brought everything but the kitchen sink." Floyd set his camera on a cart holding the rest of his equipment. "I guess I'll see ya on the other side?" he asked as they approached the gate.

"Sooner than you think," Devon replied. Figures vanished into the gate at a steady rate, and in short notice their turn came. One step through the shimmering portal spanned millions of light years, starting on earth and ending with an abrupt stop on the other side. The excited babble of voices was silenced for an instant, replaced with somewhat hushed sounds of awe and amazement interspersed with authoritative voicing barking commands and directions.

"Okay, that was the worst thing ever..." Floyd groaned, putting his hand over his mouth. He moved off to an empty corner, sitting against the wall to let himself recover.

"I heard the first time they did a cross network dial it hurled General O’Neill out," Devon grinned, seemingly oblivious to the little plumes his breath was causing in the cold air. "This one was absolutely pleasant in comparison."

Lights were still in the process of slowly coming on around the room and individuals spread out from the gate, partially in curiosity and partially as a requirement as more and more came through. Glass, crystal and silver-grey stone seemed to be the materials of choice, from the floors, patterned with glass and stone in some places, to the stylized pillars and the tall, though dark, windows reaching to ceiling height above.

"Keep it moving, people!" the loudest voice yelled. The voice in question belonged to Colonel Bowers, the officer put in charge of the expedition's military forces. Technically, he was second in command, with General Carter being above him, but he still oversaw the flow of people for the moment from his vantage point on the second level. "Don't worry about where you are right now! Find an empty spot and park there and keep the area around the gate clear!"

"Jesus, it's cold," Floyd mumbled, pulling on the jacket he had brought. He fiddled with his bags, pulling out a small camcorder. He flipped it on, scanning around the room.

"It's not that bad," Devon insisted. Already the room was getting slightly warmer, if only from the still increasing volume of people milling about in it.

"Hey... the gate's different," Floyd commented. "Should we let someone know?"

Devon, having been more interested in looking around the room on a whole, finally turned his attention to the gate itself, a pensive expression forming. "Huh, kind of reminds me of the Pegasus gates. They must have upgraded. Aesthetics, maybe? Ancients changed styles a lot over the millennia. You should take a peek in the jumpers we got. Two completely different control panels."

"Sounds annoying," Floyd said, getting to his feet. He absentmindedly placed a hand on the wall, only for it to light up with a holographic display. Floyd let out a yelp, jumping away from it, his eyes wide.

"Yeesh, Floyd, you're a natural, probably stronger than I have," Devon commended him, putting a hand on his new friend's shoulder as he tried to make sense of the characters scrolling across the screen. He wasn't fluent in ancient, but he could pick out a few words here and there. It was one of the reasons why he actually got approved for the expedition. "Let's see... matrix... array maybe? Yeah... I got nothing really."

"What did you do?" Fortunately, there were others who were fluent. Carter and Jackson materialized out of the crowd, likely having been checking likely places for controls and interfaces. The latter of the pair stepped around them. "Excuse me. Hmm... Seems like the city is starting to reestablish connections and bringing a few of its subsystems online." He glanced at Floyd. "Good work."

"Uh, thanks?" Floyd said, giving a sheepish smile. "I'll, uh, keep up the good work..." He stepped away from the wall, making a point not to touch anything else.

"Wait," Carter said, reading a bit more of the text on the screen, "It says something about a...'Crystal Heart,' any idea what that is?" she asked, turning to Daniel.

"... What? We've been here all of five minutes. It's going to take me a bit of time before I can start making proposals about what folklore and legend might have some grounding in the Shangrians' activities." Daniel sounded more amused than annoyed. He rubbed his chin for a moment, before he started talking again. "I can't really think of anything off the top of my head. Perhaps it was their name for the ZPM?

"Ah, crystals were linked with enlightenment in Buddhist culture, and from what we can tell the Shangrians had some influence on the development of human society in that regard. It's possible that Oma either knew the Shangrians' tradition or was one herself before her ascension. The 'heart' is often used to refer to the center of something, the core. Crystals are also known for purity. Ah, let's see, some traditions mention that Crystals promote good cheer and banish sorrow and misfortune. That they are... symbols of Peace, Wealth and Posterity." He was really starting to get into it, making hand motions and sweeping gestures, stuttering and stumbling over his words at times due to his rapid pace of speech.

"I thought he said he had 'no ideas,'" Devon whispered aside to Floyd.

"Hmm... Shangri-La and Shambhala are believed to be the same location. It was stated that a future king, er, ruler would vanquish dark forces and usher in a new age in their traditions as well. A Golden Age often refers to enlightenment. Right! Ancients in general needed to be 'enlightened' to achieve ascension, again, as Oma taught. Crystals were often used both for protection as well as for supporting the proper mindset for meditation. Perhaps another site like the 'Cloister' in the Pegasus galaxy..."

"We can figure this out later," Carter said, glancing around, "We should head down to the ZPM room, see how much power we're working with." She paused for a moment, "And somebody find a window, I want to know where exactly we are."

"Sorry, General," Bowers said, having come over to see what had attracted the attention of his superiors. "My team has yet to find a window that's not completely obscured from the outside, even with someone with the gene with them to get the lights on and doors open."

"The exterior doors are sealed as well," another security officer added. The last of the expedition team had come through the gate, then the two ‘puddle jumpers,’ small, short-range Ancient spacecraft designed to fit through a Stargate, drifted through slowly, settling on the ground, while people moved hastily to give way.

"General!" one of the science team members called out, coming over in a jog. "We are getting the systems online. We haven't interfaced our computers with them yet, but it seems as if the city is under a minor isolation lockdown."

"Oh, that's lovely," Carter sighed. She nodded at Floyd before turning her attention to the team member. "What did you find?"

"Voluntary quarantine it looks like," he said. "We'll know more when we get the computers up. We seem to have full access, so we know it wasn't the automated safeguards."

"And, as for where we are?" Jackson chipped in.

"Um... in an ancient city ship?" was the hesitant response. Daniel frowned at him and narrowed his eyes. "Um... I'll get right on that!"

Carter shook her head slowly, but tapped her radio. "Stargate command, this is the Shangri-La Expedition."

"Reading you loud and clear Shangri-La," came the response, "Everything good on your end?"

"All expedition personnel and equipment have arrived safely and in one piece. We've arrived in what, as far as we can tell, is a fully intact City Ship. Systems seem operational, even if it is a little bit nippy at the moment," Carter added with a small chuckle. She was back to business in a moment. "From what we can tell, there is at least one active ZPM in the city, though we cannot tell more until everything is brought fully online. A team will be heading down to the ZPM room soon, but between the ZPM we brought, our naquadah generators and an intact city, power won't be our major issue."

"General," a technician interrupted softly, handing her a tablet.

"Thank you," Carter said as she skimmed it. "Everything looks good on our end, Stargate Command. Assuming you have no last minute instructions for us, you may cut power to the gate."

"Roger Shangri-La, General O'Neill sends his regards. Good luck." With that, the gate powered down, the wormhole cutting off with a sudden 'whoosh.'

"Well," Daniel said, moving up next to her, "Looks like we're on our own now." He adjusted his glasses, "I'm going to try and see if I can't find the archives, you heading to the ZPM room?"

"Sounds like a plan," Carter nodded. "Bowers, have your men secured enough space that we can start moving people out of the gate room and into halls and so on?"

"Yes ma'am," Bowers nodded. "We've cleared three floors down, and up to the jumper hangar on the level above us. We have enough space to start shifting equipment and people around. We haven't found living spaces yet but..."

"But we just got here," Carter agreed. "I'll check on the power, Daniel will check on their history. Lets see if we can't get a better idea of where we are, and set things up for ourselves."

"You want to take the camera guy or should I?" Daniel asked, gesturing over to Floyd, who was checking his equipment.

"You'll likely need someone with the gene to get the archives running, if Atlantis' set up holds true," Carter said.

"Alright then, I'll call you when we have something," he said with a nod, walking over to nab Floyd.

"Oh, it's so amazing Bonny!" Lyra squeed, walking down the street with a spring in her step. "Everything is so shiny!" The locals didn't even seem all that bothered by her, just smiling at the unicorn's enthusiasm.

"I knew the Crystal Empire was made of crystal and read the reports and all," Bon Bon started. She was looking around just as bright eyed as Lyra, though without the squeeing and bouncing. "But I didn't expect everything to be actually made of crystal."

"It's so pretty!" She smiled, taking a moment to look around. "This is real living history Bonny, an archaeologist's dream come true." She let out a small sigh. "Come on, let's go see the Crystal Heart!"

"Not wasting any time, are you?" Bon Bon giggled. She took her tour book from her saddlebag and flipped through it. "I think it's kept at the base of the tower, in the center of the city."

"That shouldn't be too hard to find," she said, rubbing her chin. "You know, the crystal ponies are very welcoming, it's a lot like Ponyville," she commented, moving toward the tower.

"They're definitely not like Canterlot ponies," Bon Bon agreed. She made a slight face at the memories. "Too many of them are just snobs and look down on everypony else for no good reason."

"Oooh!" Lyra squealed. "There it is!" She pointed in the distance, a glowing chunk of crystal floating above the ground ahead of them. She rushed over to it, letting out a delighted coo as she looked up at it with wide eyes.

The Crystal Heart, the central object to the empire's culture and society, floated serenely at the base of the palace between two crystal spires, turning slowly. It seemed to glow slightly, lit from within. A hoofful of crystal ponies were making their way through the area, giving deference to the Heart, though apparently jaded to the wonder it was inspiring in its visitors.

"Wow, it's even prettier than I thought it would be," Bon Bon admitted.

Lyra trotted over to the Heart, staring up at it in awe. "And to think... This was all but forgotten..." She paused as the Heart gave off a green glow, and after a moment, strange screens appeared around it, unknown characters crawling along their surfaces.

"Connection to Shangri-La reestablished."

Lyra just blinked. It was some variant of the old language. The other ponies around them looked at the Heart with uncertainty, seemingly ready to panic.

The glow in the Crystal Heart increased, building into a steady pulse of blue-white light that rippled outward along the crystal roadways and out to the outskirts of the city. A slow stream of symbols crawled within the Heart itself, seeming to fall from the top of the crystal and vanish into its depths. Lyra's eyes widened as she recognized it, at least somewhat.

"Bonny," Lyra said with budding excitement. She placed a hoof on Bon Bon's shoulder and started nudging her rapidly. "Bonny... Bonnybonnybonny! I know that symbol!"

"W-what?" Bon Bon said, her voice quivering slightly.

"I've seen the symbol, or at least some like it before!" Lyra actually didn't seem to hear Bon Bon's response. "It was on the west wall mural in the Everfree Castle! The room they found the Elements of Harmony in! There's a tablet fragment in the Royal Museum with it too!"

"And what does that mean?" Bon Bon asked, feeling Lyra's excitement rub off on her. "Do you know what's going on? It doesn't look like they do," she said, gesturing to the gathering crowd. "And that's a-" She was cut off by Lyra grabbing her and kissing her. The kiss was done and over with and Lyra started skipping around the area.

"I was right! This is too much to be a coincidence!" Lyra sang out as she danced.

"Make way for the princess!" A loud voice called out over the din of the crowd. The mob of ponies parted, allowing Princess Cadance passage, flanked by a pair of guards.

The princess paused, surveying the scene, her eyes locking on Lyra. "Lyra? Lyra Heartstrings? I haven't seen you since high school!" She rushed over, giving the surprised unicorn a hug. "How have you been!?"

"I'm uh... g-good, Your Highness..." Lyra replied sheepishly, giving the princess an awkward smile. "And um... this is my marefriend Bon Bon."

"H-hello, Your Highness..." Bon Bon stuttered, bowing her head quickly.

"That really isn't necessary," Princess Cadance insisted, looking a bit embarrassed. She gave Bon Bon a lovely smile. "I would love to talk and catch up more, but I felt something odd with the Crystal Heart a moment ago."

"The Heart, it umm... it put up these weird screens," Lyra said, pointing at it. "Not only that but it has some form of ancient Equish all over it."

"The Heart... did what?"

Lyra nodded. "The dialect was odd but... I think it was talking about some place called 'Shangri-La.'" She rubbed her chin. "Does that mean anything to you?"

Princess Cadance was still a bit taken aback by the fact that the Heart had several screens floating around it. "I guess that would count as odd..." She cast a look at Lyra. "You read ancient Equish? You always did like history."

"It's not quite the same as ancient Equish..." she said, moving over to the Heart. She pondered it for a moment before reaching out to touch it.

"Lyra... do you think that's a good idea?" Bon Bon asked, a worried frown on her face.

"Relax Bonny, nothing is going to happen," Lyra said, putting a hoof on the Heart.

The Heart glowed again, building from the point she set her hoof on. She just watched in wonder, watching rather breathlessly. Magic swelled and a stream of light washed over not only Lyra, but Bon Bon and Princess Cadance as well. There was a humming sound, followed by a flash and the three of them were gone.

"W-what just happened?" Bon Bon asked, looking around in a daze. They certainly weren't in the Empire anymore.

The light deposited them in a large room in front of a tall pillar. A small gem resembling the Crystal Heart, save for being only one tenth the size, was set in it, the glow it had having quickly dimmed. Another telling feature was the room being occupied by strange bipeds, garbed in what could be a uniform.

A pair of startled technicians, crouched before an exposed crystal tray and fiber wiring, could only stare at the three in confusion and shock. It was the same device Floyd had inadvertently activated shortly after arriving in the city, set in a small nook in the gate room. As Atlantis lacked the feature, someone decided it was worth looking into while the General got the city off emergency power.

"Hopman... what did you do?" one of them asked, eyes fixed on the three life forms that appeared.

"I swear to God I didn't touch anything that could have caused this," the technician stammered when he found his voice. He had only been searching the programming, not activating it further.

"Um... Hi," Lyra said with a strained smile, waving a hoof at them.

"Somebody call security!"

Discovery [Part 2]

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Dr. Jackson moved with a certainty and purpose that really raised the question of whether he had been to the city before. Despite the low lighting, the emergency power having only brought the levels up from 'dark' to 'technically acceptable,' the many-years-dead decorative plants, and the overall chill that lingered and clung to everything, he just had an air of knowing what he was doing and where he was going. He did point out a few features to Floyd and the security officer that accompanied them as they walked, which were, in his opinion, quite interesting.

"Six flights of stairs wasn't that bad, now was it?" he said, only lightly winded from the effort. He never did slack off from the workout routines he adopted while serving on Stargate Command's flagship team SG-1. Habits formed after nearly a decade were hard to break. "Once Carter and her team get the full power working we'll have access to the transporters for getting around, though."

They walked past two hallways before taking a sudden right, following some cues neither Floyd nor the officer recognized. Daniel's thick composition book, its pages filled with handwritten notes, printouts, and more, probably helped, as he checked it occasionally during the walk. "Okay, assuming the layout of Shangri-La is not too different from that of Atlantis, the archives room should be right about," he stopped by a door and pointed, "here."

It was largely unremarkable, looking like every other door they passed, with the only addition being the plaque with strangely geometric characters cut into it. "A 'Holographic Interface Room,'" Dr. Jackson translated. He waved his hand in front of the door controls, frowning at the three crystals when they didn't respond. It took two more tries before the unit glowed and the doors slid open with a soft hiss. "The Atlantis team took to calling it the Archives Room."

The room was, at first glance, unimpressive. A single podium was attached to a low platform composed of multiple metal framed glass hexagons. He smiled in a bit of a nostalgic fashion.

"Uh... doc..." Floyd spoke up, interrupting his thoughts, "looks like someone was here before us..." Floyd pointed at the podium, a figure slumped against the back of it.

Dr. Jackson swiftly walked over to Floyd and the body. Be it the cold that had claimed the city, the minimal life support, chance, or all of the above, it wa still fairly intact. He made a face and scratched at his cheek. "Ooo, I was afraid of this. We don't know what actually happened to the Shangrians. Considering everything we know about the Ancients, we didn't expect to find anyone alive in the city, barring another time travel situation..." He looked up at Floyd and the officer, who were staring at him in confusion. "Ah, long story. But the point is, it looks like Shangri-La wasn't exactly properly evacuated before they shut it down."

"But what about the system lock out they found?" the security officer, Graiden, asked. "Wasn't that to keep people from getting in? Does this mean it didn't work?"

"It depends. Were they trying to lock something out, or lock something away?" Dr. Jackson replied cryptically. He pulled on a pair of gloves from one of his pockets, and carefully eased the body away from the podium. "The Ancients eventually suffered from a plague, and that's aside from their conflict with the Ori, and the war with the Wraiths. We know that eventually they gave up fighting and decided to focus on either living out what time they had left, or ascending. Even assuming the Shangrians left before the war started properly, the plague might have caught up with them."

He tapped his radio. "Jackson to Carter, come in."

"Carter here," the radio crackled.

"We found a body in the Archives Room. Might be one of the original inhabitants," Jackson said.

"You're not the only one," General Carter responded with a sigh. "Looks like we will have quite a bit of... housekeeping to do."

"Fun," Dr. Jackson said dryly. "Anyway, I'd like to have Mr. Hendrix get the system running here. How's power coming?"

"Not long now," General Carter said with a grunt. "It's our bit of good news. A full set of Zero Point Modules, low on power, but not depleted. Enough power for most of our needs. We could even fly the thing if we needed to. We'll have full power up in a moment." The lights flicked and with a low hum flared to proper levels. "And that moment is now. Nice work, Jonsson." Someone in the background said something the radio didn't quite pick up.

"We'll let you know what we find out," Dr. Jackson nodded.

"Keep in touch. Carter out."

Dr. Jackson sighed, shoulders slumping. He nodded at Floyd. "Well, just step up to the podium and put your hands on it. It should activate in response to your gene."

Floyd nodded, stepping up to the podium. He cast a glance at the body, placing his hand on the podium. The podium glowed, springing to life, and Daniel motioned for him to step down now that it had been activated. A faint glimmer caught his eye, and as he turned he noticed a necklace on the body. He knelt down, getting a better look; it was gold, inset with a purple star-shaped gem. He reached out, tracing his fingers over it. He winced, pulling his hand back, as he felt a bit of a sting.

"Yeah, you might want to be careful about what you touch when you have the gene," Dr. Jackson warned belatedly. "The strangest things react to it in the strangest ways. You might want to take a few meditation classes if you find things in the city start acting up around you."

"I'll keep that in mind Doc, thanks," Floyd spoke up, reaching out and carefully removing the necklace. "Is it uh... alright if I keep this?" he asked, holding it out.

"I'm going to say... maybe," Dr. Jackson said. "New alien city. We have an idea of what everything should do, but not what everything is, exactly." A certain Wraith tracking device came to mind. "Once we've gotten settled, we can have someone look it over to make sure it's not hazardous, but assuming you don't mind keeping the necklace from a deceased Ancient, sure.

"Oh, and before you ask," he added quickly, "a lot of things that were harmless for Ancients can be deadly for us. Not everything, but you can never tell at times. They were more advanced, both technologically and biologically."

"Joy," he said, placing the necklace around his neck. "Well, let's hope I don't hulk out or something..." He stood up, running a hand through his hair. "OK... this thing is on..." He moved over to the bag he had brought with him, quickly starting to set up a tripod. "I assume you know what I'm supposed to be doing here?" he asked, getting the camera ready.

A figure appeared above the platform. If it wasn't for the faint glow to their clothes and skin, one wouldn't think they were a hologram. Male, he was dressed in pale robes, his features looking on the indian side. He looked towards the podium with a weary smile. "To you who have found our city... I welcome you to the Kingdom of Harmony, Shangri-La.

"Long ago our people dwelled among the stars of another galaxy with our brothers and sisters. We learned, we explored, we progressed. But in time, a rift grew as our ideals and theirs began to differ. Rather than fall into conflict more than we already had, we gathered our like-minded allies and departed the galaxy of Pegasus to hide away from those with whom we could no longer agree.

"Our journey through the stars brought us to a new galaxy, one we called Concordia, in hopes that Harmony and Friendship would be our new legacy, not conflict and reprehensible actions. As were our ways, we planted gates anew, spreading new roads between stars for exploration and curiosity, but with no intentions of arrogantly seeding life as we and our brothers did in the long past. We landed here on the world we called Shambhala, intending to better ourselves and seek the paths of Enlightenment, Harmony and Happiness, but always waiting should our brothers turn their backs on the horrors they fostered in turn.

"To our surprise, life was already here," another image appeared, this one of a blue coated, horse-like creature, coming up to his waist. It had large green eyes, its mane and tail yellow. "We call them the amaquinae. When we first arrived here, they were just beginning to form a society. Seeing the potential they held, we taught them: how to read, how to write, how to build, and we have helped them spread amongst the stars." He threw his arms out to emphasize his point.

"We, in turn, learned from them how to influence the forces of the universe at will. Feats that we thought impossible without our technology or the efforts of one far along the path of ascension, their little ones could perform with ease despite being far from advanced enough to ascend." A glowing orb formed in his hand and he was flanked by an image of the concordia galaxy. "An ability developed due to the unique nature of this galaxy, it was one that once learned, allowed one to draw minute amounts power from subspace, and influence real space with it.

"Originally we called it 'Mastery of Natural Forces,' shortened to Mastery, known as magia as its original name was preserved, even as language shifted. Our star was ascendant, our futures, those of our own and of the amaquinae, was shining. But it was not to be." His expression fell.

"Once again, the origin conflict of our people has found us. We, the Shangrians, are succumbing to the Plague. Despite the efforts of our brothers the Lanteans and the Alterans, we have found no solution. Not even our own research in magicks has borne fruit. Our time has come. We have cut ties with our allies and withdrawn in seclusion into our great city, our shield raised to prevent others from potentially being infected and hid us away. We will die, and the great sickness will die with us, whether here or at our original home.

"To you who have found our city; you are our kin, descendants. Shangri-La, the shining city, is your birthright. I only ask that you learn as we did, spreading Harmony, advancing knowledge, and lending aid to those who need it. Until that day, our city shall sleep, a hidden wonder waiting to spread light and hope once more."

The man lowered his head and folded his arms. The shifting of his robe revealed the same necklace Floyd was now wearing just before the hologram faded away.

"That was something..." Floyd commented, looking up from the viewfinder of his camera. He touched the necklace, which seemed to shimmer a little at the contact.

"Jackson, you there?" Carter's voice crackled over the radio.

"Wow... I mean yes, yes I'm here," Dr. Jackson said, a bit distracted by the story and the implications. "Just checking, but we did prove that the only way to get the plague was from a living infected ancient, right?"

"As far as I recall. Anyway, we uh... have a situation here in the gate room, and I could certainly use your help. You might want to tell Mr. Hendrix to have his camera ready, this is big."

"And I'm guessing it can't wait," Dr. Jackson said with resignation. "So since the lights are on, any chance the transporters are working?"

"Sorry, Daniel," Gen. Carter's response came. "We have primary systems up and life support, but my team has only just started on translating the secondary systems."

"Of course they are," Daniel sighed. "We'll be up as soon as we can." The radio crackled as Carter disconnected. "Well, did you get all the footage, Hendrix?"

"Yeah, I got it," he said with a nod, dismantling the tripod. "This is all going to be a nightmare to edit... eh, that's future Floyd's problem." He slung his bag over his shoulder, hefting the camera up.

"You're taking this awfully well," Graiden muttered to Floyd.

"I'm still not convinced this isn't just some dream. I just hope I don't end up like those guys from 'Trollhunter'," he mumbled as they left the room, dreading the coming gauntlet of stairs.

"N-now is this really necessary?" Lyra asked one of what she assumed were guards, pointing a strange black object at her head. "We uh... come in peace?" She held her hooves up, trembling, and gave a weak smile.

"I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and I demand to know what is going on!" Cadance glared, narrowing her eyes at the beings that had surrounded them, standing in front of the other mares protectively.

The two security guards standing between the three and the rest of the room kept their weapons carefully aimed, one of them tilting his head to speak into the block object on his chest. "Sir, they are speaking and seem agitated. Advise?"

The rest of the room was in a curious state. The two creatures that had been behind them had scuttled off, the section of the wall they had been working on having stopped glowing. The rest of their kind had drawn back and away from them, leaving the two almost-certainly-guards aiming what had to be weapons at them. They had a bearing more akin to the army or the military wing of the Wonderbolts than to the often-ceremonial royal guards. Shame they were left behind when whatever spell that was foalnapped them. Snatches of conversation came from around the room.

"...are intelligent! The indigenous life? But the city was clearly abandoned..."

"...don't make this be the wraith all over again. I left Atlantis to get away from that crap!"

"...the General and Dr. Jackson are on their way, keep working. See if this gate has a shield as well. And see if you can get a head start on whatever that thing is..."

"Teams three and seven are only a third of the way to the proposed points, no way we can interface the generators in time..."

"Do not fire!" That one made them jump. It seemed to come from the box on the guard's chest. Both their chests. "Circumstances are unknown at the moment, and treat them as such. Do not make the situation hostile. I'm pulling my team back to the gate room."

"Yes sir." The guards both lowered their weapons, though they did not put them away. The closer one motioned for the mares to move. "Step away from the device."

"Please," the other one added, a fleeting look of irritation, aimed at his companion, crossing his expression. "Could you step away from the device, please. Er, Princess Me-amoray Kay Denza, was it? We'll see if we can sort this out."

Cadance watched them carefully. "Stay close to me," she told the others as she moved to an empty part of the room. Lyra and Bon Bon followed quickly, with Bon Bon looking rather calm in the face of the situation. "And it's Mi Amore Cadenza." She snorted.

The guard could only shrug helplessly. He had never been in a first contact situation before. And this was definitely in top ten, maybe even top five first contacts the SGC had encountered. It was the downside of being in galaxies populated primarily with transplanted humans. Besides, he was just a security officer. He hardly had authority to make calls on something like this. "Well Mi- Princess Cadenza, I hope you don't mind waiting until our leaders arrive."

Names had been swiftly given to the areas of the City, for the sake of convenience. The Central Spire was mostly what they had explored so far. The layout of Stargate Operations in Shangri-La was almost identical to that of Atlantis. The large room that contained the stargate, a large open court of sorts, also contained the device the aliens had appeared from. The level above held an array of consoles and controls for the city. For convenience, the expedition members had already taken to calling them the Gate Room and Control Room.

It was in the latter that the technicians and scientist were trying their best to get Shangri-La's systems married to the interfaces and computers they brought from earth. The suddenness of the aliens' arrival was the major complication. They had not been in the city for long, far too short a period to get anything done. With the power only just being restored, and most of the systems still offline, what they could do was limited. Still, it would be for the best if they could gather what they could about what happened for the General to look over and access.

She was, after all, one of the greatest minds their world had to offer.

The awkward moment stretched on. The guards were unwilling to talk with the three for reasons of their own. The scientists, civilian members and others busied themselves with other tasks, trying not to stare too long. The Asgard were known to dislike being stared at. Humans were, too. For their part, the mares conversed in hushed tones they desperately hoped wouldn't carry too far.

"Lyra, you're the one with the interest. Any idea where we are?" Bon Bon asked, hardly looking flustered, though her eyes darted around the room. "Or what these ponies are? They obviously aren't ponies. But they don't look like minotaurs either. Or griffons. Or anything I can think of, for that matter."

"Nope!" Lyra said, a quaver in her tone. She pawed at the ground with her hoof. "W-wait..." She said, taking a look around, her eyes going wide. "Bonny... they look like the descriptions of The Teachers..." she said, almost breathlessly.

"The Teachers..? Didn't you do a paper on that back in school?" Cadance asked softly, not letting her gaze drift too far from the guards. Her horn glowed slightly as she covertly wove a subtlety spell around them. "I remember Quill Point wanted to throw it out for being based on myth but admitted it was well written."

"They said the same thing about Nightmare Moon and Discord," Lyra replied.

"Okay, but how? You're far from the first pony to touch the heart," Cadance hissed, trying to make sense of it. "How did we somehow end up mingling with your Teachers?"

Lyra thought about hard. "I... don't know. Maybe it sensed there was one pony who believed in them?"

"Hopefully we can get some answers," Bon Bon cut in, pointing at the door as a rather important looking figure walked in, flanked by guards.

"Are these them?" Carter asked, looking at the guards who were watching the equines.

"Yes, ma'am, this is uh... Princess Cadenza and her two comrades," one spoke up.

"Greetings Princess, my name is General Samantha Carter. May I ask how you got here?" Carter asked, trying to be as friendly and polite as possible.

'A military rank,' Cadance instantly thought. With her husband being a former captain of the guard, and she herself technically holding rank as a princess, she was moderately familiar with military structures. It made her somewhat uneasy, though she didn't let it show as she let the subtlety spell break. "We, that is myself and my companions, were investigating unusual activity in my nation's central artifact just before something teleported us here with a powerful spell."

"Well we certainly didn't do it," Carter said, looking toward the door as Jackson and his group came in.

"Is that a pink pegacorn?" Floyd blurted out, aiming the camera at Cadance, who didn't look happy at all, giving him a rather dirty look. Carter gave him one of mild reprimand.

"A horned Pterippus, or winged unicorn, depending on which mythology you look at it from," Dr. Jackson offered, his own gaze analytical. "I take it this is our emergency?"

"I'm an alicorn," Cadance snorted indignantly.

"Yes Daniel," Carter acknowledged with a nod, "This is Princess Cadenza and her two friends, who I don't think have been introduced yet."

"My name is Lyra Heartstrings and I'm an archeologist," she pulled Bon Bon close, "And this is my marefriend Bon Bon! She's a candy maker." She pulled away, gingerly stepping up to Carter, her head level with the woman's stomach. "Are you the Teachers?"

"The Teachers?" Carter echoed.

"Ah, I believe it's their name for the Ancients. You know, like ancestors, teachers of roads, gate builders, great ones," Dr. Jackson proposed softly. He cleared his throat. "No, we aren't. We know them as the Ancients. They did build this city though. And more like it, as well as a whole lot of other things that, I really don't have time to get into right now. They moved on though, reached a higher plane of existence. You could say we are their descendants though."

"But they did exist?" Lyra pressed, looking up at him with big eyes.

Jackson nodded, "I've met several, myself. Did you say you were an archaeologist?" A flash of understanding sparked in Dr. Jackson's eyes and he gave Lyra a smile. "No one wants to believe your theories on the Teachers?"

"No, I'm a laughing stock... but not anymore!" Lyra said with a smirk. "I was right and they were wrong!" She got up onto her hind legs, doing a little off balance dance.

"Lyra!" Bon Bon hissed, pulling her back onto her hooves, "This is no time for dancing!"

"You're just jelly." Lyra pouted, looking away.

Dr. Jackson laughed. "Believe me, I understand how she feels. I've been treated exactly the same way on my own planet. The feeling I had when my first theories were proven right? Still some of my best memories. And I've proven so many more since then. I have done a victory dance or two myself."

"Excuse me, General," Cadance cut in, "but I would like to know where we are at the moment."

"Well, the truth is, we're not really sure ourselves," Gen. Carter said. "We only recently occupied the city, and while we know how to run most of the systems, we haven't turned them on yet. Your visit was a bit of a surprise."

"How is that coming anyway?" Daniel asked, looking over at the techs who were busy with their computers.

"We just got the connection established, sir," the tech said, looking over his shoulder. "I'm going to try to bring up a status report on the city." He turned back to his computer, the keyboard clicking away as be worked. On one of the consoles, a diagram of the city appeared, with various lines of Ancient text around it. "Uh ma'am, you might want to see this," he said, waving Carter over.

"If you'll excuse me," General Carter said. "Daniel, if you'd take care of our guests?"

Dr. Jackson sighed and looked at the security officer. "Is the command office in the same place?"

"Yes, sir."

"Furnished?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay then," Dr. Jackson nodded. "If you three will follow me, we can sit and talk for a while until General Carter gets things a little more sorted out."

"Stay close," Cadance instructed the other mares as they followed Daniel up the stairs and out of the room.

"What do you mean she is missing, Shining Armor?" Princess Celestia asked, looking down at her former captain of the guard. She had come to visit her niece, only to find that the Princess of Love had gone missing.

"There was something wrong with the Crystal Heart and Cadie went to investigate." Shining gulped softly. "She and two citizens vanished suddenly and without any trace."

"Shining Armor, I'm not upset with you," Princess Celestia said soothingly to her nephew-in-law. "I'm only concerned that my niece is missing. Did anypony see what happened?"

"The guards that were with her did, as well as several civilians," he nodded, motioning for her to follow him. "I have them in one of the meeting rooms, unless you want to visit the Heart first."

"Yes, that would be for the best," Princess Celestia mused. It wouldn't do for her to appear bearing down on her subjects expecting them to hold all the answers. She may even learn something from visiting the Heart, though she was far from an expert in its capabilities, even before it vanished with the city, letting the fog of both time and the curse have its way with what she had known.

"It would be best if we avoided making a fuss over this. Our ponies are likely already stirred up by the disappearance of their princess." It was most fortunate it was the Heart itself involved, making it less likely for anypony to jump to darker fears rapidly. "A bare minimum escort. You and I only if at all possible."

"Of course," he said with a nod, moving through the hall. "Maybe it was a trap left by Sombra?" He wouldn't put it past the tyrant to booby trap the one thing that could kill him.

"It was one of my fears, yes," Celestia admitted as she followed Shining, her longer strides easily matching his pace without seeming to be more than a stroll. "But the Heart has been used at least twice since the Empire's return, not to mention the steady influx of positive emotions from the crystal ponies. Any enchantment he left behind should have long been eroded by the constant exposure to light and love magics, the antithesis to his abilities."

"According to a few witnesses, one of the ponies taken said something about the Heart being connected to a place called 'Shangri-La.' Does that mean anything to you, Princess? Nopony in the Empire seems to know anything about it."

Celestia's brow furrowed. The name stirred something in her, a memory long forgotten? A fillyhood tale perhaps? Her mouth opened, then closed hesitantly. She walked in silence for a few more steps. Shangri-La. That name was important for some reason. "I'm not sure, Shining Armor. Perhaps a discussion with my sister might yield results."

"Hopefully we'll find some answers from the Heart," he said as they came to it. It was still pulsing, with the strange transparent screens floating around it, "Those appeared right before they vanished." He nodded to the guards who had taken up positions around the Heart. "Nopony knows what the writing means."

The Princess stared at the characters in mute shock. For a fleeting moment, an image came to her. Somepony scrawling characters much like those on a board on a morning so very long ago, then it was gone.

"Princess?" Shining Armor asked a little worriedly, seeing her staring at the Heart. "Are you all right?"

Celestia blinked once, twice, three times in total before she recovered. Her expression was troubled, but she studied the writing some more under Shining's worried gaze. "This mystery... may be deeper than I feared," she admitted. "This language... scholars tend to call it one of the more obscure forms of unicorn cuneiform for the older dialects, but the truth is, it is far older. If I recall, it was old when I was but a filly... I fear I may not even recall how to interpret this fully." There were a few words she could still recognize, but not enough.

The Empire had always been a mystery, even before Sombra somehow worked that curse to muddle the knowledge of it. But this raised more questions than anything had since Discord himself ruled. "Shining Armor, has anypony used magic in this area since they vanished?"

"Not that I know of," he said shaking his head, "What are you thinking, Princess?"

"I'm thinking of finding them," Celestia said simply before igniting her horn. A brilliant gold light flared, obscuring everything with its brightness. It lasted for a few seconds before Celestia let it fade to a dull glow around her horn. As it did, colourful contrails wavered in the air, winding around all those present, some thick and strong, other wispy and fading. Celestia's eyes darted from one rippling band of colour to another.

"How far will you be able to track them?" he asked, his eyes moving from contrail to contrail, "They could have been taken anywhere, even across the continent." He frowned at the idea, wondering just who or what they were dealing with.

"Give me a few moments Shining Armor, and I shall find out." She intensified her spell, trying to find Cadance's aura. An alicorn's magic trace wasn't hard to identify. What worried her was that it wasn't where it was supposed to be. There was a small void in the area around the Heart. To use a mundane analogy, it was as if someone washed a slate with a cleanser. It was easy to find the traces of what was used, but what had been there was missing. The contrail of her niece's magic left to the Heart, then it was gone, a haze of magic she didn't recognize replacing it. "Shining Armor." She turned to look at the stallion.

"Yes?"

"Send for my sister, I believe this mystery will require the both of us."

"We have good news and bad news, General Carter." Despite not having the most experience with Ancient technology, Devon had found himself working with the team setting up and interpreting the consoles for the city. It was the way it worked out in the isolated bases and expeditions. They picked members who were adaptable over just simply skilled. Just being capable and having the gene got him assigned to connecting a few laptops to terminals. Of course, he wasn't the one reporting to her; that was one of the more senior technicians.

"Let's start with the bad news," General Carter said to the short and somewhat mousy woman. "Wilson, right?"

"Yes ma'am," Wilson smiled. "The bad news; because we were running a few diagnostics on the device when it activated," she motioned subtly in the direction of the conference room, "it's now locked up mid-process, and it looks like one or two of the receiving crystals might have gotten damaged in the process."

"Receiving crystals?" Carter said, looking up from the tablet she had been given. "So it's a transporter?"

"Part of the good news ma'am. We figured out it's a type of Ancient transporter device." Wilson paused. She looked down at her own tablet. "Should I continue the bad news?"

"Go ahead, Wilson," Carter nodded.

"Well, we've started getting preliminary readings from the city's sensors now that power is flowing again. The shields are running at minimal power."

"Please tell me we aren't at the bottom of an ocean," Carter said, closing her eyes and shaking her head. To be fair, Daniel had told her there were more sunken city legends than just Atlantis.

"No ma'am," Wilson quickly responded.

"A glacier isn't much better," Devon murmured. Realizing that Carter overheard him, he quickly added, "ma'am."

"So we are on a glacier?" The general wasn't exactly thrilled with that news.

"And somewhat in it," Wilson continued. "There's a buildup of ice around the city's substructure and around the shield. The city itself has only reported minor damage, so that's part of the good news. The rest; the environment is more or less habitable. Acceptable levels of oxygen and all the other required gases. The temperature is around five degrees fahrenheit, though."

"So going outside isn't recommended," Carter murmured. "Anyone else have anything of importance?"

"We're picking up some weird gravitational anomalies but we won't know more until we get more systems online," Wilson tapped away at her computer, "You may want to have a look at the gate ma'am, seems they changed a lot from the Pegasus network."

"The gate will have to wait for now," Carter admitted. It was their only lifeline back home at the moment, but there were other priorities. She said as much, "While being able to dial Earth is important, particularly for morale, so are other things. Suitable living quarters for everyone, for instance. Atlantis survived months without being able to make contact. A few days aren't going to hurt us.

"And then there is the matter of our unexpected guests. And if more will show up." She flipped through the information on the tablet and brought up the preliminary report on the device. "As cruel as it might sound, it may be a good thing that the device was damaged. It buys us time to get settled and figure out what's going on."

"Agreed, General," Bowers said, having finally made his way back to the control room.

"I may be able to help out with who they are," Floyd spoke up, having been reviewing the footage he had so far. "I know you can just go down to the archive room but I think this can save the trip." He clicked away at his laptop, bringing up the recording of the hologram, pressing play and turning the laptop for her.

It was mostly in silence that they watched the recording. True, the camera didn't give the hologram its full justice, but it was sufficient to get the point across. Soon most of the people in the control room where enthralled by the footage. The 'wow' factor was clear on their faces, though Carter and Bowers were clearly putting some serious thought into the matter.

"So that's why Dr. Jackson was asking about the plague," one of them commented.

"So the lockdown was more an internal safety measure? Okay, check the access logs again, we have a better idea of what to look for," another said, turning back to his station.

"You do fast work," Carter complemented Floyd.

"Thank you ma'am," Floyd said with a smile, "But most of it is just luck." He turned the laptop back toward himself, "Going to be a pain to edit though. Also, I'd like to set up interviews with some of the crew when everything is settled, if that's alright?"

Carter's smile momentarily had an edge to it, but it faded quickly. "That shouldn't be an issue." He nodded, busying himself with his work.

"This is really the Teachers' city?" Lyra asked, looking out of the office, her eyes wide. "This is awesome!" She squeed, clapping her forehooves together, a big smirk on her face. "Please! You've got, got to tell me everything!" She bounded over to Daniel, placing her hooves on his lap. "Please?" She asked, giving him her best pouty face. Pony eyes were notorious for emotional manipulation, usually by foals on their parents.

"Lyra!" Bon Bon hissed, biting onto her marefriend's tail, pulling her away from Daniel. "You're embarrassing us!" She spat out her tail, glaring at her. "I'm sorry, she gets weird when she's this excited." Lyra stuck her tongue out, crossing her arms.

Inwardly, Daniel was glad that the other... mare stopped her friend. She was better at the eyes than Vala was. Even if he kept being reminded of himself from a decade and a half or so before. The terminology was interesting. Amaquinae called their females 'mare.' The translation must have taken some liberties. "'Everything' would take a bit too much time. The history of the Ancients, the Teachers as you call them, goes back some tens of millions of years. This city, for example, should be at least ten thousand years old, being very conservative. Likely more."

"Wow..." Lyra said, her eyes widening at the thought of so much history.

"Ten thousand years?" Cadance echoed with a gobsmacked expression. "That... that makes it far older than Equestria's recorded history... even older than most of our stories... pre-Discordian..." She lost some of her royal bearing as she looked about the room, no longer caring about the guards that had followed and stood just inside the doors. "But this place... it looks more modern than even Canterlot!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow and took a few mental notes. Canterlot? Did Moros once visit? Questions for later. "We tend to have the same reaction. The Ancients were basically The Race. The most powerful and advanced race for countless millennia. Even during their decline they were still a force to be reckoned with until they all, for the most part, ascended."

"Do you want to know anything about us?" Bon Bon asked, "You don't really seem to know anything about us, hay your guards couldn't even get the princess' name right," she pointed out, sitting next to Lyra.

"I think an exchange of information is a wonderful idea," Cadance agreed, "Since you've already told us about these...Ancients why don't you ask us a question? It would be wise for us to get to know each other."

That offer certainly caught Daniel off guard. He wasn't used to dealing with such candid individuals. Of course, an offer of a question didn't necessarily equate a promise of truth. Worse still, a dozen questions lay at the tip of his tongue. She called herself a princess. That implied a monarchy. Would her nation rise up against them for inadvertently holding an heir to the crown hostage? What significance were the horns? The amaquinae from the recording lacked them. Much more the wings. How exactly had they ended up in the city?

"Alicorn," he said, choosing a different question. "You called yourself an alicorn. The word is part of my people's mythology, but I don't think it means the same thing. What is an alicorn?"

"Alicorns are among the rarest types of ponies, and they have the attributes of all three of the tribes: the strength of an earth pony, the wings of a pegasus and the magic of a unicorn. There are only three in the world, myself, my aunt Celestia and her sister Luna, though I was originally a pegasus," Cadance explained, giving her wings a flap for emphasis.

"I'm just a unicorn and Bonny is an earth pony." Lyra pointed out, hopefully to make the point clearer.

"Now that's interesting..." Daniel said, his eyes slightly vacant as he processed the new information. Such as 'pony.' "Unicorns, at least horned horses, are fairly common in Earth mythology. There are also winged horses, well, one. Pegasus was the son of Poseidon. The commonalities... you call the Ancients 'Teachers.' That must mean they had an influence on your society as they did in ours, though in our case their mark is a bit more obvious." Daniel had stopped paying full attention to the trio as his thoughts raced. "Of course. The Shangrians didn't have a war fighting. They must have had more opportunities to travel back to Earth than the Lanteans did. And... wait..."

Daniel blinked and looked curiously at Cadance. "Did you say magic?"

"Yup!" Lyra chirped, her horn suddenly becoming surrounded by a golden glow. A nearby long dead plant became surrounded by the same glow, floating up into the air. "Tada!" she proclaimed proudly.

Daniel's face ran through a gauntlet of expressions. Raised eyebrows gave way to an attempt to point with his finger, then a tight lipped moment, before he licked his lips and scratched his cheek. He attempted to point again, but a pout aborted it halfway, and he had to settle for an open mouth stare. It wasn't that that sort of thing wasn't possible. For crying out loud, he had done it before when Merlin advanced his state of evolution, not to mention all the things he pulled off when ascended, but... magic?

"I take it your kind can't use magic?" Cadance asked, noticing his expression.

"I used to say there was no such thing as magic, but considering all I've seen, I just gave up." Daniel shook his head slowly.

"Oh, that sounds horrible," Lyra placed the plant back on the ground. She moved over to him, getting up on her hind legs and giving him a hug.

Daniel just blinked, looking down at the green unicorn that was hugging him. "Why are you uh... hugging me?"

"Because you looked sad," Lyra answered simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And the best way to get rid of sadness is with a hug!"

"I think that's enough, Lyra," Cadance said, pulling Lyra back gently. "Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile. "Ponies are very um..." she gestured with her hooves, "affectionate. Anyway I believe it's our question: how did you get here?"

"Well..." Daniel quickly assembled and censored the standard spiel. Considering the amount of experience they had doing that, it was little more than a beat. "We are explorers. My people are called humans. We come from a world called Earth. It was the first world the Ancients, the Teachers, settled when they came to this side of the universe millions of years ago. My people are actually the second evolution of their form. When they ascended to a higher plane, they left a lot of their history, knowledge and technology behind.

"Humans are a curious race. A couple of years back we found the Stargate, a device able to send you across thousands of lightyears in an instant. The large ring you saw was a Stargate, most likely the only one on the planet. The, er, Teachers made them and put them in at least four galaxies."

"Forgive me but, that seems a little hard to believe," Bon Bon said, frowning. "You're telling me that a whole race ascended into alicorns? That seems very far-fetched."

"Alicorns? Uh, no. An energy based existence of remarkable power," Daniel explained a little. "Knowing them, a few might be listening to us now. But they never interfere with the lower planes. It's 'beneath them' and against their 'rules.' A bit of a pain, to be honest."

"But you said they ascended," Lyra pointed out, "And alicorns only come from ascension."

"She's right, like I said, I was originally a pegasus," Cadance reaffirmed.

"Possibly a case of the same name for different processes," Daniel frowned. "I have ascended myself and I know for a fact I didn't get hooves and wings."

"Too bad, you probably would have made a great looking stallion," Lyra teased only to wince when Bon Bon socked her in the shoulder.

"I believe you have the floor," Bon Bon said rather flatly, glaring at her marefriend.

"Right," Daniel said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Let's go with this one, Princess Cadance, who is the queen of your kingdom?"

"Queen?" Cadance asked, the concept seeming rather foreign to her. "I don't believe Equestria has ever had a queen. I'm not sure about the Empire, we're still piecing together the Empire's history."

"So your culture's highest government figure is a princess. Not the strangest structure we have encountered. There are tribes where their most important leader is simply the 'Big Man' or 'Chief Chief.'" His hands, having been waving in the air, slowly lowered, the realization sinking in. "Which would make you one of your nation's rulers."

"Why don't we just give a run-down of Equestrian history?" Lyra asked. "Then you can share your people's history!" Lyra smiled, wagging her tail like an excited dog.

"I really don't think that's the best idea, Lyra," Bon Bon interjected.

"As much as I would enjoy that, your friend's right," Daniel said, setting his hands on the table. "Right now, it's more important to build a rapport between us while we see how we can get everything sorted out. To become friends, as it were. After, we can foster a proper relationship between our people, establish trade and perhaps an exchange of knowledge."

"You'll find that ponies are very easy to make friends with, it even saved us from extinction," Cadance said. "Anyway, I do believe that it is our question. Who is the leader of your people?"

"Locally? That would be General Carter," Daniel said easily. "You met her. She is the leader and commander of the Shangri-La Expedition. I head the Science and Research Department and represent the civilian population. Colonel Bowers is the military commander. Dr. Juan is our Chief Medical officer. You'll likely be visited by her sometime soon. Talking about the leaders of our world is a bit more complicated, and not particularly relevant this far from home."

Daniel had long since learned how to read people and their body language. He later learned how to apply those skills to the Goa'uld, the Asgard, the Tok'ra, the Unas, the Serrakin and even the Wraith. The Amaquinae, the ponies, were a bit different, but a lot of the cues were the same, their eyes particularly expressive. The ears and tail provided even further clues, and he was beginning to pick up on what they meant.

Lyra looked extremely fascinated with everything he was saying, hanging on to every word, her tail and foreleg twitching occasionally as she gave him her rapt attention. She was like a student in a particularly interesting class of her favourite subject. Bon Bon was listening keenly as well, but she was more reserved. He recognized the calculating look she thought she had hidden behind her expression. There was more to her than he had been told.

The princess' attention was polite and adequate. Though she didn't exactly hide her expressions and her reactions seemed honest, he could tell that there was some rather serious thought going on in her head, maybe more so than Bon Bon. It reminded him just a bit of Dr. Weir, to be honest, a comparison that reflected favourably on the princess.

"I think it would be best if I send a message to my aunt," Cadance said, nodding her head. "Do you have some paper and a quill?"

"Well, we've moved past quills, but I'm fairly certain we are unable to mail a letter. If we could, we would just send you back instead," Daniel said, raising his eyebrow.

"Humor me," Cadance commented, giving him a smile. Lyra had a similar expression on her face, though hers was more the smirk of someone who sees a joke coming and knows someone will be the victim.

"Well, no harm in that. Give me a moment." A pen was no issue. There was one in his top pocket. The paper was a bit trickier. He flipped through his book, looking for a blank sheet, but failed. A quick check of his pockets did eventually find a spare yellow pad. Tugging a leaf free, he slid them over to her.

"Thank you," she said, lifting both in her magic, scribbling away for a moment. Her horn sparked, the paper reduced to ash by a bright green flame, the ashes twirling around flitting out of the room.

Daniel watched her display, expression fairly stunned. Before he could voice his reaction, the ashes quickly returned and the sheet reformed.

"Well, horseapples," Cadance cursed, glaring at the sheet with disdain..

"I take it that was magic?" Daniel said, noting three things at once. The display really did seem linked only to their biology, and she was very precise with her telekinesis. He had never tried writing with his telekinesis when he possessed it, but he had heard Rodney McKay had been able to type on multiple computers at once with his. At the moment, there really was no word aside from 'magic' than he could think of to call it. And finally, her choice of swears. He noted it away for later study.

"Just what exactly was that supposed to do?" he asked.

"Send a message to my aunt," she said, sighing a little. "Looks like that idea is moot."

"I don't know what to say," Daniel admitted. He had been in this position before, both the side of the one cut off and the one who might help, but it never got easier, only easier to not be too despondent over. "Don't worry. Our people would rather have friends than enemies, and friends provide aid when needed.

"You did come at a bad time, before we were properly settled in, but we can still provide you a place to stay until we can get everything working." Daniel paused, remembering something he found in his search for the paper. He pulled it out and set it on the table, eliciting surprised reactions from not only the ponies, but the security officers as well.

"Is that..." Bon Bon sniffed the air to make sure the large rectangle was what she thought it was, "chocolate?"

"I've made a few good friends doing this, including meeting my father-in-law," Daniel chuckled slightly at the fond memories. "Took to keeping one on me a few years ago. It's become something of a tradition with me. Of course, it's missing the wood fire, but I think we can skip that detail. Would you mind sharing this with me?"

They glanced at the Cadance, who nodded with a smile. "I, we, would be honoured."

Daniel unwrapped the candy, broke it in four, and the new friends shared the confection. "It tastes..." Bon Bon searched for the right words, "old."

"Well if you work as a confectioner I suppose you'd be used to higher-quality chocolate than this," Daniel laughed. The ponies joined him. Everything really might be okay.

Discovery [Part 3]

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"So, this is the Stargate, huh?" Lyra asked, looking up at the strange device with a look of awe on her face. "I don't remember anything like this from our legends." She let out a sigh. "We lost a lot of knowledge during the Discordian era..."

"Discordian, discord, chaos I take it?" Daniel commented. "We've encountered more than a few situations where we believe a gate was buried and lost. Even our own world buried our gate and forgot about it for a few thousand years. You're taking this rather well. Better than I thought you would."

"Live in Ponyville long enough and you get used to stuff like this. I mean we had Nightmare Moon, Discord himself, that Ursa Minor. About the only thing we didn't have were... Changelings..." she said with a shudder, images of her time as a brainwashed pawn coming to her mind.

"Why does it have cutie marks on it?" Bon Bon asked, pointing to the symbols on the ring.

"Looks more like parts of cutie marks to me," Cadance said, rubbing her chin.

"Cutie marks?" Daniel glanced at them, and quickly came to the logical conclusion. "Is that the name for the... markings on your bodies?"

"Yes, that's right," Cadance nodded, "they represent what a pony is good at and only appear when a pony discovers his or her special talent."

"I got mine when I realized my passion in life was making candy," Bon Bon added helpfully. "Not sure why they're on this thing though." She reached out, poking the gate cautiously.

"Is that magicite?" Lyra asked, pointing at one of the chevrons. "I don't think I've seen magicite ore that well crafted."

"Uh, magicite?" Daniel asked. He didn't even bother to question the 'appearing' part.

"The stargate is one of the most perfect devices ever made," a new voice cut in. A short, dark skinned woman, only about five feet tall, joined them. "Almost thirty metric tonnes of naquadah, lovingly shaped, formed, and arranged into these amazing rings. Did you know the oldest known ring is over 50 million years old? And it still worked perfectly! Despite being frozen in ice! And then someone let it get blown up!"

Daniel sighed as the woman glared at him. "Let me introduce you to Jasmine Iwu. She is the head of our engineering department and one of the greater minds when it comes to the mechanics of ancient technology. And I'll remind you, I was ascended at the time."

"Exactly! You could have stopped Anubis from blowing up the third oldest work of art known to mankind!" she fumed. "Instead you just hung around and watched!"

The ponies just watched, not sure exactly what they were talking about.

"Iwu, I was ascended. I was bound by the others and their rules. I couldn't just interfere on the lower planes like that! I don't know why you keep bringing it up!" Daniel said, starting to sound a bit frustrated himself. "But I'm going to assume you didn't just come over here to do this."

She grinned. "Okay, you got me. We finished the diagnostics on the gate and the device these three adorable ones came from."

"Adorable?" Cadance asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'll uh... take that as a compliment."

"What did you come up with?" Daniel asked, clearing his throat. "I'm going to assume this network is based on the Pegasus network correct?"

"Pegasus network? No," Jasmine said, stroking one of the chevrons tenderly. "This darling seems closer to the original Milky Way setup with some flavour and flare of its own. Only 28 symbols. She can revolve like the Milky Way gates and has that satisfying chevron locking, but does the same 'chasing lights' that the Pegasus network does.

"They got into the gate database, and the network is the smallest one so far, aside from the few placed in Ida, which makes sense since this galaxy is smaller than the other two." She nodded with satisfaction. "The transporter reminds me a lot of the one Merlin and Morgan le Fay made. The bad news is that since they triggered it prematurely while it was under diagnosis, they fried a few of the relays. The control crystals are fine, though. We can replace the relays with a little bit of manufacturing, the issue is the resource. Don't have any."

"What exactly do you need?" Cadance asked, "We might be able to help you find it if you can provide a map."

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Jasmine responded. "We are getting our systems online, and the little bugs are starting to show in it. A City Ship might be made of strong stuff, but they are still pretty fragile. All those years in this block of ice with its shield on the lowest level?"

She shook her head slowly and Daniel tried to get her back on topic. "Do we have the means to fix it? Or at least get these three home? We brought the jumpers. So long as it's in this solar system a jumper can take them."

"Jumper?" Lyra asked.

"Jumpers, yes," Jasmine agreed. "Just not the way you are thinking. The Jumper Bay actually has a small fleet, so we'll have to eventually return Atlantis' pair, but the outer doors are jammed. Ice damage to the mechanism. Not a complex fix, but one that will take time.

"And princess, it's far too cold outside to go alone. Plus, the ground is permafrost. We don't have anything that can mine through it for the ore we need," Jasmine unstrapped her tablet and tapped away at it as she spoke. "The techs and control room prospectives did a couple scans of the surroundings. The mountains we are in don't have what we need either."

"But?" Daniel asked. If there was one thing working with Jack taught him, it was that there was always a but.

"But," Jasmine smiled, "They produced a list of three planets that, according to the database, should have what we need relatively close to the gate and easy enough to collect."

"Well, that was easy! When do we go?" Lyra asked cheerfully.

"I don't know if that's really a good idea, Lyra," Bon Bon said, rubbing her chin. "They have more experience with this stuff."

"Are we talking about... going to another world?" Cadance asked a bit uncertainly.

"Through the stargate, yes," Daniel said.

"Not right away," Jasmine added. "We need most of our personnel for getting the city and the expedition in gear. So far they have only cleared general areas, and it's calling for more manpower than we expected." She gave Daniel a grave expression. "They've been finding a few more bodies in the well secured areas. Doesn't seem like everyone was able to ascend their way out of this one."

Daniel closed his eyes sadly. After a moment, Lyra gave him another hug.

"Ponies hug a lot," Cadance explained to a surprised Jasmine.

There was a twinkle in Jasmine's eyes before she suddenly hugged Cadance. "Ha! Hugged an alien and a princess in one go. Two things to cross off my list."

Cadance giggled a little, hugging her back. "You can just call me Cadance, all my friends do."

"Anyway, General Carter would like to meet with you a little later about the distribution of forces," Jasmine said. "And she also wanted me to let you know that if you've finished your little tour, they found and cleared a mess, and the first proper meal in Shangri-La is ready, even if it's mostly military rations at the moment."

"Food sounds good, I'm starving," Lyra said, licking her lips.

"We would be most thankful for anything you provide us." Cadance said, bowing her head a little, pulling away from Jasmine.

"I could go for a nice hayburger right about now," Bon Bon said, blushing as her stomach growled rather loudly. "S-Sorry..."

"Hay burgers? Well, we can't promise you that," Daniel said, trying to picture that meal in his head, and also visualizing the agricultural practices and techniques they would employ. "But we can at least guarantee that it would be vegetarian and kosher."

"What's kosher?" Lyra asked, tilting her head curiously.

"It's... ah..." Jasmine faltered.

"It's a cultural standard of food preparation. Something 'kosher' has met the requirements that some religions hold to," Daniel explained.

"You don't have to go out of your way for us," Cadance said, waving a hoof dismissively, "A few salads should be fine."

"It's no trouble," Daniel said, beginning to lead them out of the gate room and towards the cafeteria a few floors down. "There are a few people on the expedition who request kosher or vegetarian meals for various reason."

"I am one of them," Jasmine added. "The SGC ensures that everyone is properly fed and watered."

"Well then, I eagerly await our meal," Cadance said with a smile, following after the two, Lyra and Bon Bon staying close to her.

Shining Armor was worn out by the time he was finally able to close court. The news that the Crystal Princess had vanished had spread, and with it, a strong feeling of unease had permeated through the city. It was only the fact that the Crystal Heart was what whisked her away that kept unease from blossoming into full panic. The population was already having issues adapting to being a thousand years displaced. But that was behind him now. All he had to do was keep from succumbing to the despair nagging at his own heart, and everything would be just fine.

Absolutely fine.

He walked a bit faster. With Princess Celestia already out of the castle, Princess Luna had too many duties to simply up and leave Canterlot, so it wasn't until well into the evening that she finally arrived. Having easily picked up on the urgency, she disembarked before her night guards pulling her carriage even attempted the final approach, instructing them to land and put the carriage away before teleporting directly to closest balcony to the private areas of the castle.

"SISTER!" Luna called loudly, her volume managing to rattle a few windows without actually making it to the 'Royal Canterlot' range. She pointed a hoof at one of the startled guards. "You there! Tell me where I may find my sister!"

The guard, a bit confused from seeing all four major members of the nation's royal family on what should have been a normal day, could only point a hoof. Luna nodded and galloped off, her stride covering large lengths of the hallway with ease.

It was at that speed that she barreled into Shining Armor. Or rather, into the shield he reflexively cast once he realized something large was charging towards him. Even so, she sent them both crashing to the ground, though to his credit, his shield didn't break.

"Er... greetings Shining Armor," Luna said, looking the stallion with a sheepish look on her face. "I uh... apologize. In my excitement I was not looking where I was going."

"No, it's fine Princess Luna," Shining said, stifling a groan. "Do you ever play hoofball? Or spar with your guards, any?"

"Yes I do. And we are family, Shining Armor, I insist that you not be so formal with me," Luna said, getting to her hooves, "Now, I believe we are trying to find dear Cadance."

Shining Armor nodded as he got up himself and pointed Luna in the right direction. "That's right. Prin– Ce... Aunt Celestia is resting in one of the sitting rooms." He wasn't quite comfortable with dropping titles all together. 'Aunt' was as casual as he was comfortable with. "She was waiting for your arrival."

"Then we should make haste and not keep her waiting much longer," Luna said, trotting off again. He sighed, quickly catching up with her, cursing Luna's longer legs, though he did wonder if Cadance would grow to the size of either of the two elder princesses.

They found Celestia surrounded by books, two empty teapots on the table, a third beside her, sitting on the cart in easy reach. She was too engrossed with the book she was reading to notice the duo's entrance. Shining Armor looked at Luna awkwardly. "She has been at it for hours."

"Truly?" Luna asked surprised.

Shining Armor nodded. "She tried maybe six different spells after the first one failed, before she calmly requested that I see to the Crystal Court and retired here. A few minutes later, she had the castle staff running in circles because she was teleporting from room to room collecting all these books."

"I see..." Luna took a few steps toward Celestia, clearing her throat. "Sister, I have come as you have requested."

"Luna..." Celestia said softly, looking up at the two. "Did I perhaps make a mistake?"

"What mistake would that be?" Luna asked, moving over, taking a seat beside her sister.

"Was it too soon? Did I force our niece into her role before her time? Is that why the Heart chose to take her away from us?" Celestia's voice was calm and even, but behind her gaze, her will was shaking. "Perhaps it was hubris, after watching Twilight grow into a strong mare, I just assumed my niece too was ready for the next step."

"None of this is your fault." She spread her wing, draping it across Celestia's back. "Now Tia, have you found anything in these books that will help our search?"

Shining Armor, feeling like the third wheel in the room, busied himself with putting some order to the books Celestia had cast aside. He did his best to remain unobtrusive as the princesses, his aunts, shared a moment. The cup of tea floated over to Celestia, caught up in her magic, and she took a meditative sip.

"Perhaps you are right, I'm merely letting fears colour my thoughts." Celestia exhaled slowly. "Tell me, what do either of you know of the Empire's origins?"

"I only know as much as you do sister," Luna said, tilting her head. "Though considering you have been delving into all these books, I imagine your knowledge has surpassed my own these past few hours."

"I'm afraid I don't know much either," Shining Armor admitted. "We have been spending our effort on learning what the Empire was before Sombra took over, and doing our best to bring it and the crystal ponies up to modern standards. And Sombra destroyed the records in the library and scrambled all the books as part of his curse. It's going to be months, maybe years, before we get it fully reorganized."

"I haven't learned much more myself," Celestia admitted. She waved a hoof at the books. "I recalled what Sombra did when he banished the city. The power of that spell, it must have been something he crafted for months for it to cloud even our own memories. I have searched these for clues, any hint of the origins of the Empire and the Heart itself, in hopes it would explain what happened to Cadance, but nothing..."

She didn't share her fear that it might have been one last lingering curse from Sombra, mostly because the evidence was against it, but the thought was still there, gnawing at her.

"Did you find anything on Shangri-La?" Shining asked, looking at all the books.

Luna blinked a little, scrunching her muzzle up. "That name... it seems so familiar... but I do not remember where I heard it..."

"It was one of the clues I searched for, but I found nothing of it either," Celestia sighed heavily. The fleeting memory of her early lessons came to mind. "No records in these books, no evidence from the Heart, no trace from my magic. The only real clue are the characters seen on the Heart, but they are older than we are, sister."

"There has to be some clue," Luna insisted with a frown, rather irritated that faded memories were dancing at the edge of her mind and yet unable to be recalled, "Perhaps a more thorough search of the library?"

"I am fairly competent in a library myself," Shining Armor added with a weak smile. "It's impossible not to be with Twilight Sparkle for a sister and Twilight Velvet for a mother."

"Then let us away!" Luna declared, getting to her hooves.

"Yes... it would be for the best," Celestia said, finally smiling. "But first, it's time to lower the sun and raise the moon."

"Oh yes..." Luna said with a sheepish smile, "Let us complete our duties." She moved out onto the balcony, lighting her horn, waiting for her sister. Celestia moved out after her, grasping the sun in her magic, gently sending it below the horizon as Luna coaxed the moon from its slumber.

In all the years and on all the worlds that Stargate Command had been operating, they had only met a handful of truly alien species. Thanks to the efforts of the Goa'uld in the Milky Way, the experiments of the Lanteans in Pegasus, and the gate network to allow for ease of migration, the human species was one of, if not the most populous race across multiple galaxies.

The Asgard, Unas, and perhaps the Wraith outside of armour were about as alien as the SGC personnel had seen. Additionally, most of the people on the Shangri-La Expedition had had zero interaction with any of those species; the first was now extinct, the second was rare even on the few worlds they inhabited, and the last considered humans to be simple prey.

To the large group of certified space explorers, the ponies were the best thing they had laid eyes on since first seeing the stargate activate in person. While the ponies were not mobbed, most people being too professional to do so, there was a lot of interest directed at them. Lyra was energetically babbling to anyone who would spare an ear, and a few who wouldn't, her endless curiosity far from sated. Cadance, with a smirk, and Bon Bon, whose expression could only be termed "resignation," followed, more often than not issuing apologies on the part of their companion. Jasmine followed, ineffectively attempting to serve as something of a buffer.

"They are handling this better than I hoped," Daniel admitted to Sam, walking from one side of the room. "I did make sure they were seen and could interact with people, but it's as if something about them just makes people more willing to open up, to trust them."

"I heard Iwu call them 'cute,'" Sam chuckled. "And she's apparently not the first person to use that word for them."

"Did I tell you Lyra hugged me?" Daniel asked with a small smile.

"Really?"

"Twice in fact. Her reasoning? I was sad." Daniel cast a glance at the unicorn in question. "She uh... she reminds me a lot of myself. Seems so long ago, doesn't it?"

"We've done a lot since then," Sam agreed. "Some of us more so than others."

"Yes, yes we have." He looked at the ponies again, watching as they ate. Lyra and Cadance used their magic to levitate their utensils, while Bon Bon somehow held hers with her hoof. "I am really glad this first contact is going well, so far at least. You know they call themselves 'ponies?' They even refer to their females as mares. I think they're the basis of many of our uh... equine based legends."

"It's amazing how jaded being a part of the Stargate Program can make you." Sam sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Is there any part of mythology that isn't based on some alien species or technology?"

"Most likely our legends come from the Shangrians that visited Earth. I doubt any of the ponies actually came to Earth," Daniel said, stroking his chin.

"We've been able to surmise the origins of the Pegasus humans based on mitochondrial DNA, proving they did come from Earth stock, so who knows what could have happened," Sam pointed out, watching Cadance entertain a few questions. "Stranger things have happened."

"True," he said, nodding his head, "I can only imagine what their culture is like. Just from these three, I can tell it has its similarities with ours, which is no surprise given their interaction with the Ancients. In fact... I do believe this is our first encounter with a sapient quadruped species."

"The first with fur, too," Sam agreed. "You know, we never did meet a furling."

"Jack's still waiting for us to find one," Daniel said with a smile, "There is one thing I am worried about. Cadance is a princess, and her people may assume that we've uh... kidnapped her..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "That's going to be an issue..."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time we kidnapped the leader of a people," Sam tried to joke, but Daniel's expression clearly told her she failed. "Sorry. Hopefully she will only have good things to say about us."

"I think the chocolate helped, it always does. I think it's safe to say that we can secure an alliance or at least friendly relations."

"One of our better first contacts," Sam agreed. "Still, it's amazing to think a hooved species evolved a tool using society. Even with the Ancients assisting."

"I'm no biologist but I'm pretty sure Earth equines can't move their bodies like these three can."

"Humans have a wider range of motion in our limbs and wrists than chimpanzees do, so maybe it's something similar?" Sam offered. She watched as the small group around the princess broke out in laughter, idly wondering what set them off. "I really wish I could lower the shield and get a jumper out there to get a look at where they are from. "

"Jasmine said the outer bay doors were frozen shut. If someone can find a map in the database they might be able to tell us where we are. It's a long shot, but it could be worth it."

"I'll see what we can turn up," Sam nodded.

"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the equines.

Sam picked up her tray with its less than appealing MRE, and nodded. "Lead the way."

He grabbed his own tray, heading over. "Mind if we join you ladies?"

"General Carter!" Lyra waved excitedly despite being right before her. "Sure! Come sit! We were just sharing stories about school. You humans go to school for a really long time, don't they?"

"I take it you don't?" Daniel asked, taking a seat next to the excited unicorn.

"Not nearly as long," Cadance replied. "Foals don't seem to stay in school as long as you do, or spend as much time there once they are grown and earned their cutie mark."

"So... getting their cutie mark is a sign of maturity?" Daniel cast a glance at Cadance's mark. "If it's not rude to ask, how did you get yours?"

"I got mine in somewhat unusual circumstances," Cadance admitted. "It was after I proved able to not only resist the dark magic powered by hate, greed and jealousy, but also an affinity for love energy."

"Love... energy?" Carter asked, raising her eyebrow slightly, "What exactly is love energy?"

"It's one of the most powerful magic forces in all of Equestria!" Lyra gushed excitedly.

"Lyra!" Bon Bon chided, glaring at her marefriend.

Lyra wilted sheepishly. "But it is..."

"She's not wrong," Cadance giggled. "Love is in fact one of the more powerful magical forces. A pure expression of both magical and emotional energies, united into one." Her horn glowed pale blue, a few pink hearts drifting from it before popping like soap bubbles. "It has a natural restorative effect and counters dark magics. Harmony magic is one of the few that are more powerful."

"I see," Carter said, nodding her head, "Princess, if you wouldn't mind, would you allow our doctors to do some tests? Nothing invasive, we just want to make sure neither of our peoples can get the other sick."

"Would that be the Doctor Juan, you mentioned earlier Dr. Jackson?" Cadance asked.

"Yes, that's correct," Carter said with a nod, "I know Dr. Juan would love to get to know you."

"Sure, meeting new ponies is fun," Lyra said, waving her hoof dismissively, more interested in examining the utensils they had been given.

"Couldn't Dr. Jackson do those tests?" Bon Bon's tone had a slight distaste to it at the word test.

"I'm flattered but I'm not that kind of doctor," Daniel said, pausing his meal, "Though if you want me to be there during the tests I don't think Dr. Juan would mind."

"What kind of doctor are you?" Bon Bon asked suddenly. "You said you were an archaeologist like Lyra is?"

"I'm a doctor of archeology and linguistics," Daniel explained. "Doctor means more than just medicine to us." That bit of information surprised him, he would have thought Lyra had their version of a Ph.D., though Cadance did say their children didn't go to school as long as humans did.

"Really? Hmm... Doctor sounds like one of the old words for The Teachers," Lyra commented, looking up, the fork floating in her magic.

"Doctor comes from Latin, 'to teach,' Latin itself being a derivation of the Ancients' language," Daniel prattled off. "A good portion of our languages are actually based on the languages of other races, most notably the Asgard, Goa'uld and the Ancients."

"Thanks to The Teachers and the Age of Revival after Discord, most ponies speak Equestrian, which is based on the Teachers' Tongue. Our languages must have so many parallels!"

Bon Bon sighed, covering her face with her leg as Daniel and Lyra got going. "It's nice that Lyra found someone to talk to about those things, but I think that they've both forgotten that the rest of us are here."

"Daniel gets like this sometimes, and it's rare that he finds anyone who can keep up with him. An alien who can? He's like a child with a new toy," Sam chuckled, stirring her food, somewhat grateful for the distraction.

Cadance giggled as Lyra and Daniel's discussion got even more animated, the pair seeming completely oblivious to those around them as they discussed the more obvious marks the ancients left on their respective cultures. "Do you think his cutie mark would have been in ancient history like Lyra's?"

"Cutie Mark?" Sam asked.

"Oh! You weren't there for that explanation," Cadance held her hoof to her mouth before quickly explaining.

"I see," Sam said, looking at the images in a new light. "If that's how they work, then almost certainly. I have never met anyone as passionate about history as Daniel."

"You might have now," Bon Bon smiled fondly before she blinked and turned her attention back to Sam. "But we're getting distracted. What sort of tests are we talking about?"

"Nothing too invasive," Sam promised. "A simple battery of tests to determine your health and learn a bit more of your biology. Assuming the techs were able to get the infirmary online, which they should have since it was one of our priority tasks and they have had all this time, it should pass quickly."

"I can't speak for them but I will submit to these tests as a show of good faith," Cadance said, slipping into the diplomatic training Celestia had painstakingly drilled into her head, "Then perhaps we can discuss this 'stargate' of yours."

"Well... if the princess is okay with it... so am I." Bon Bon nodded, giving Cadance a quick glance, narrowing her eyes a little.

"I understand your concern," Sam admitted, thinking back to the times when she and her team were the ones on the other side of the table. "To be honest, this has been far more casual than our standard means of operation would call for. My people fully intend to stay for a while, and I would much rather we have a welcoming relationship with the locals. Your safety and wellbeing, Princess Cadance, is just as important to me as that of any member of my team."

"Thank you General Carter," Cadance said with a smile, "I know you'll get along swimmingly with my aunts."

"And they would be alicorns as well?" Sam asked.

"That is correct, though unlike me, they were born as alicorns." Cadance explained, "They have been ruling the nation for centuries."

"What are they like? If you don't mind me asking," Sam asked. Based solely on the three ponies present in Shangri-La, Sam suspected that their rule was far from the standard set by the Goa'uld in the Milky Way, but she wanted to get it from the horse's mouth... so to speak.

"Celestia is very approachable, very maternal. She is also, how did Shiny put it?" She tapped her chin. "I think he called her a troll. She likes to play pranks. As for Luna well... she only returned about two years ago, so she's still transitioning to modern life."

Sam instantly thought of Egeria, though the similarities were fleeting to nonexistent. "She considers her subjects as... family?"

"She sees all her subjects as her 'little ponies'," Cadance said with a giggle. "She's very informal once you get to know her."

Sam nodded slightly, idly listening to Daniel and Lyra as they shared their experiences with their respective academic communities. "How long have you been ruling?"

"Only for the past month or so, when the Empire returned," Cadance admitted with a sheepish smile, "Celestia however has been ruling for the past thousand years."

"The meeting with her will be an interesting one," Sam mused. As pleasant as Cadance was, the fact that she was still being held against her will still weighed on her mind. "I heard you tried to make contact with your aunt and failed?"

"She tried a faefire spell, but it immediately returned," Bon Bon said, speaking up.

"Something was blocking the spell," Cadance admitted. "I'm not sure what, but the spell rebounded and just sent the letter right back to me."

"Without knowing how your magic works, I would hesitate to speculate, but it's possible that the shield protecting the city is what is keeping your magic from working," Sam proposed. It made sense. The Ancients were known for adding precautions to new dangers. Like the countdown and gate lock-out on Destiny, and the ATA requirement. If magia, or magic was as common to the races on this planet as the video and these three suggested, it was quite likely that they came up with countermeasures.

"So we really are stuck here, then?" Cadance asked with a sigh, "Shiny is probably losing his mind with worry." Cadance groaned, letting her head fall onto the table, looking a little tired.

"Stuck for now at least," Sam admitted. As much as she would have liked to lower the shield, if at least to allow Cadance to make contact with the other leaders of her nation, the state of the city didn't allow it. City ships depended on their shields not only for their defensive needs, but for structural integrity. The buildings that composed most of the city ships, although extremely artistic and far stronger than their delicate looks would imply, were still susceptible to damage.

Many of the buildings were encased in a shell of ice that would likely collapse in on the city itself once the shield was deactivated. At the present time, Shangri-La's shield was operating in a manner similar to the jumper's passive field or Aurora class warships shield; a field contoured to the city's structure itself. The current plan was to expand the shield to full size, rather than that thin layer, forcibly shattering the ice and pushing it, and likely much of the ice pinning the substructure, away.

However, Sam had put that plan on hold until she could get her teams to run full diagnostics on all ten emitters. They had been running, albeit it at low power, for thousands of years. If even one emitter had a fault in the change over, the damage done to the city by the ice might prove crippling for months, years to come, even. Atlantis still dealt with the lingering side effects of damage from micrometeorite strikes it suffered years before, and that was even with the city's self repair functions working at it. In fact, Rodney had listed those same damages in his report on why Atlantis was almost stranded between galaxies on its return to Pegasus.

Sam was determined not to let her city suffer that kind of avoidable damage just to accomplish something faster. She smiled a little. Only a day and she was already considering Shangri-La hers. It helped that Shangri-La was remarkably similar to Atlantis in layout, more so than any of the other city ships they had discovered. It brought back fond memories. Perhaps, if they did move the city, she could have them land on the sea somewhere. She could be the one to invite Jack over to fish for a change.

"General Carter?" Cadance's voice startled Sam from her introspection.

"Oh, what?" Sam blinked in surprise, before smiling. "I'm sorry, I got a bit distracted. And you can call me Samantha."

"Samantha," Cadance tried the word on her tongue before shaking her head with a chuckle. "Well, 'Samantha,' your people really do have odd names."

"We think the same, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Sam laughed.

"Any ideas why?" Bon Bon asked.

Lyra and Daniel both turned with a smile. "We were just talking about that..."

Discovery [Part 4]

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"Don't touch anything!" the familiar warning came. The speaker was a somewhat heavy-set man, his mass more from thick bones and exercise than flab. Donald Thorne was one of the more decorated engineers on the expedition, and he wasn't about to let his team fall into simple pitfalls. "You know how the Ancients were. No telling what some of this stuff will do. We are just mapping out the city, matching rooms, locations and purposes with what they send us!"

"Yes, ma," the call came back. It wasn't that the advice was bad. Only that they had heard it every third door they opened. Considering the slow progress in translating the city's system and weeding information from the database, all they had to work with was the rough outlines of the sections.

"This one looks like another suite of rooms," Jane Faroe, the only female on the team, reported. "Five rooms this time and what might be a closet."

"Is it a-"

"No, it's not a transport booth," she sighed, rolling her eyes as she checked off the list.

"Alright. Looks like this sector is a good area for general population." Thorne nodded. "Anything better than what we found so far? We still need to earmark someplace as the diplomatic quarters."

"The suites on the 74th floor still top the list. This one isn't bad though," a seedy male said, slipping out from one of the rooms. Despite his appearance, Calvin Higgs had proven to be a worthy SGC member for four years running now, particularly in matters of logistics and diplomacy. "Got their own bathrooms. Tubs, not showers. Everything on this level is more spacious too. Might be better for our new friends than the ones on 74th. More width, less height. There is a transport booth not three minutes away, and a large atrium that Newman says was once a green room."

"How else would you explain the amount of dead plant material?" Newman said slowly. Though their military escort, he dabbled in botany after spending six months assigned to an off world research team working with various plant species. He was also known for his measured speech.

"Enough chatter, people," Thorne called, waving a hand in the air. "We still have the other half of this sector to check. It looks like it's another block of rooms, possibly secondary labs, but we need to make sure."

As the team moved down the hall, a small ball of fuzz stirred, sprouting wings. It opened its eyes, revealing two green orbs. It buzzed its wings, gazing around the room, a hungry gleam in its eyes...

The infirmary wasn't exactly a hub of activity, but the medical staff still had work to do. Stocks of medicines and other supplies needed to be stowed away, equipment needed to find new homes, space needed to be organized and arranged and a few bandages needed to be handed out for the bumps and bruises a few expedition members had gotten. Someone had more or less ordered Hendrix to the infirmary to get himself assessed, as a precaution against the off chance he did get something from the body he encountered. When he was cleared, they kept him around. As he had been warned, having the ATA gene tended to get you volunteered to be a living power switch.

"Anything else you need turned on, doc?" Floyd asked, sitting down on a chair, having been passed around a few times in the past hour. He ran a hand through his hair, glad he even had the chance to sit down.

"I think you can take a breather, Mr. Hendrix," Dr. Juan, a rather grizzled yet jovial-looking man, assured him, looking up from his clipboard. "You've saved us a lot of time today."

"I'm just glad I didn't get any weird space plague," Floyd responded as he fiddled with the amulet, which glowed faintly. "I really need to get this thing looked at."

"They could probably get a look at it when they get the science labs running," Dr. Juan nodded. "There's not much the equipment here can tell aside from confirming it's not giving off harmful radiation of any kind."

"Well, it did shock me..." Floyd responded, giving it a bit of a shake, which didn't really do anything, "Eh, I'll figure it out..." he said, shrugging a little.

"The shock didn't seem to do any damage to you that I could detect, but I put you down to have further blood work done. Mostly for the record." The doctor set his clipboard aside and gave an easy smile.

The doors to the infirmary hissed open, admitting a curious group. Led by Dr. Jackson and accompanied by Jasmine Iwu, the three alien visitors, at least one of them giddy with excitement and curiosity, trooped into the room.

"Ah! Dr. Jackson! And our guests!" Dr. Juan beamed at them. "You must be here for your checkups!"

"Dr. Juan, may I introduce Princess Cadance and her companions Bon Bon and Lyra," Daniel smiled. He motioned the mares towards the doctor. "This is Dr. Juan, head physician for our expedition."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, doctor," Cadance said, giving a slight bow. "I understand you're to run a few tests?"

"Nothing too complicated," Dr. Juan said jovially. "Or too invasive. They were kind enough to focus on getting the infirmary's systems more or less on their feet, so the medical scanners are working fine. The worst will be dental checks and taking a blood sample."

"I'll go first," Bon Bon said, moving over to Dr.Juan. "Test away!" She couldn't exactly let the princess go first, not until she was sure it was safe.

"Excellent, excellent!" Juan motioned for Bon Bon to follow him to the waist-high medical scanner. It was a rectangular device, bearing the typical aesthetics of ancient technology: a body somewhere between metal and stone, the top a translucent crystalline substance that had some give in it, so it was less like a solid surface and somewhat like a padded one, with an arm hanging over it. It was long enough that even a tall man could lay on it without issues.

"We can start with the easy one! Can you climb up and lay on the scanner please?" Juan requested.

Bon Bon, who was at eye level with the table, reared on her hind legs and pulled herself up, laying with her legs tucked underneath her. "Is this good?"

"Perfect," Juan said. He typed a few keys on a nearby computer, causing both the table she lay on and the arm the hung over it to glow. "Don't mind the light," he said absently as the arm slowly made its way down the length of her body. "It will be done in a bit."

Bon Bon watched it intently. "What's it doing, exactly?" She didn't feel anything, but it had to be doing something.

"To put it in simple terms, it's taking pictures of your body both inside and out, and using them to give me a better idea of your general health," Juan replied. "Of course, there are some things that it won't tell us, and some things that I prefer to find out the old fashioned way, but it's a wonderful place to start."

"So its like an X-ray machine?" Lyra asked, looking at the machine, "Like, it shows bones and stuff?"

"Oh no, it's an Ancient X-ray machine," Daniel quipped. "There's a difference."

Juan chuckled softly and shook his head. "Well, I can't say how advanced your people's radiology is, but to compare this with one of our X-rays would be like comparing a black and white photo to one of those new 3D Blu-ray movies."

"They wouldn't exactly know what that means," Daniel pointed out.

"Right. Still, the information this machine gathers is more than just what your bones look like," Juan said as he read the information. "It can tell me what your bones are made of, map out blood vessels, show me organs..."

"Oooh... can I see?" Lyra asked, trotting over to him, her hooves clopping on the floor softly.

"Sure," Juan shifted enough to let Lyra see the screens. Daniel, after a moment, joined them. Bon Bon's scans were displayed, accompanied by a mix of English and Ancient text. Of course, it was medical English and Ancient, which was more or less its own language. The images had little resemblance to the mare on the scanner; just faint outlines with differing details, one showing bones, another showing organs in various colours, a third showing a network of red and blue blood vessels.

"Well, I can only assume this is natural, but I've never seen such a high level of naquadah in a biological system. Even higher than the Goa'uld," Juan commented.

"What's naqublag?" Lyra asked, looking up at Juan curiously.

"I think he means a type of alicor," Cadance spoke up, "It's a rather common mineral. Most living beings have it in their systems, it helps to conduct magic."

"We call it naquadah," Daniel said. "It's one of the cornerstones of our more advanced technology. The stargates are made out of it."

"And you say it's common?" Jasmine asked. "Exactly how common?"

"Common enough that unicorn horns are made out of it," Cadance said, tapping her horn gently, "The raw version is mostly used in the construction of magical artifacts and in more mana intensive spells."

"Fancy yourself a doctor, princess?" Juan joked, comparing Bon Bon's results with the standard for a human.

"Oh no, but it's my job to know the details," Cadance said with a grin. "At least that's what my aunt always says... and I picked up a few things when I foalsat Twilight."

"Excuse me, princess? Is it alright if I record this?" Floyd asked, having taken out a camcorder, though it was off at the moment

"Medical records remain private and are kept primarily between the patient and her medical practitioners," Juan politely chastised. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you not to record this, as important as it may be."

"No prob, doc," Floyd responded, taking the battery out and putting it on the table. "Maybe an interview later, princess?"

"So, uh, what do the tests say?" Bon Bon asked suddenly shifting the conversation back to herself, "Anything I should be worried about?"

"As far as I can tell, you are perfectly healthy," Juan aside after a moment's contemplation. "The system, which I assume is matching your records with what it has in its database for your species, is coming up with all greens. Green is good, by the way," he added as an afterthought.

"That would be fine," Cadance smiled softly at Floyd.

"Me next! Me next!" Lyra chirped, hopping onto the table as Bon Bon slid off, all the while wagging her tail with a bright smile. She lay down, giving Juan the happiest smile she could.

"Calm down, Lyra, it's just a medical exam," Bon Bon scolded, rolling her eyes. "I mean really, you get so weird sometimes."

"Stop trying to bring me down!" Lyra shot back, sticking her tongue out playfully, "Besides, you've never complained about my... enthusiasm." She gave a seductive smirk, her eyes half-lidded.

"Lyra!" Bon Bon hissed, her eyes going wide and her cheek fur actually turning red.

Cadance couldn't help but giggle, bringing a hoof to her mouth. "You two are adorable, you know that?"

Juan chose not to comment. "Would you rather go through the full test, Miss Bon Bon, or let Miss Lyra have her go on the scanners first?"

"You can uh... let her go." Bon Bon said, looking away, letting out a cough as she tried to hide her blush, getting Lyra to snicker at her marefriend's discomfort.

"Well, you have already climbed up, Miss Lyra," Juan smiled. She smiled back, adjusting her position and laying down. The machine started up more quickly the second time. Juan did have the gene, but it was an artificially activated one, not natural, and near the lower end of the chart. He didn't have that knack or connection with the devices those ranked higher did.

Lyra's readouts started popping up and Juan hummed thoughtfully at them. "It seems the naquadah, ah, alicor you called it? Well, it's far more concentrated in you than in Miss Bon Bon. Mainly in the skull and primarily in the horn, with the rest of your body having comparatively trace amounts. Miss Bon Bon's readings had high levels cross the entirety of her body."

"Oh, that's easy," Cadance spoke, "Each tribe uses their magic differently. Earth ponies like Bon Bon are the strongest and have a deep tie with nature. Unicorns can directly manipulate their magic via their horns, and Pegasi use it in their wings, and can use it to control the weather."

"That's interesting," Daniel commented, half to himself as if he were only voicing a theory as it came to him. "Peak physical capabilities and increased awareness and empathy of and with the environment, telekinesis and energy manipulation, and control over weather... those are all abilities we've documented various near-ascended beings performing. No wonder the Ancients were surprised when they first met your people."

"And that's just ponies," Cadance said, "Most of the races of our world have a connection with magic."

"Races? As in... not just ponies?" Floyd asked, raising his eyebrow.

"There was a slight reference to other races in the recording," Daniel nodded. He looked curiously at Floyd. "You didn't notice it?"

"Not really," Floyd said, shaking his head. "Can you tell us about them?"

"Certainly," Cadance said with a smile, "there's the zebras, the griffons, the yaks, the buffalo, the dragons, the deer, and the horses."

"And minotaurs, the old kentaur empire and the changelings," Lyra added helpfully.

"That's... quite a lot of races," Daniel managed. He recalled the issues the SGC had just trying to get the Tok'ra, Jaffa and humans to get along. This sounded impossible in comparison, yet it had worked for thousands of years apparently.

"There are also two other groups of ponies, both of which joined Equestria after its founding: the Strigoi, and more recently, the crystal ponies," Cadance piped up. "There may be more, but we haven't met them yet." She turned to Juan. "Is it my turn?"

"I think the doctor should finish the tests on me first," Bon Bon said, as she moved over to look up at Juan. "I'm ready when you are, doctor."

"Tell me, what does your medical science include? Do your people draw blood?" Juan asked. He motioned to one of the nurses. "That's what we will need to do for the last tests."

"Yes, we draw blood," she said with a nod, holding her hoof out. "Other than that, I can't really help. I'm a candy maker, not a doctor."

"You at least know the concept," Juan reassured her. The nurse appeared at his side with a push cart filled with equipment. Juan himself reached for a wheeled chair. "Now, I'll need to take a few more vials that I normally would. Still far before what I estimate would pose a threat to your health. The same goes for all of you," he added, including Lyra and Cadance in the conversation. "If only because you are the first of your race we have encountered, and we will need to perform a wider suite of tests on it."

"That's fine, doctor," Cadance said with a nod, "I trust it won't be anything too invasive, I hope?"

"It will involve a needle in one of your veins, which the scanner already identified, and letting blood pressure fill the different vials. After that, we'll perform the tests on them at a later date." Juan held up one of the vials as an example.

"Allow me to go first," Bon Bon said, still holding her hoof out, smiling at him.

"Will you be comfortable in that position?" Juan asked. "It can take over a minute to draw the quantity we need, and you can't be moving around while it's being done."

"I'll be fine doctor, I assure you," she said with a smile, sitting on her haunches much like a dog. She held her arm out, wincing a little as the nurse stuck her with the needle, surprisingly getting it right on the first try, even with the alien anatomy, taking her blood. They filled nine vials altogether, Juan deftly swapping out one for another with practiced efficiency. The needle was removed and quickly replaced with a cotton ball they tied down with a strip of bandage.

"First sample of blood from an indigenous species," Juan smiled happily. "I'll have so much fun studying this."

"Me next?" Lyra asked, sitting up much like a human would, letting her hind legs dangle off the side of the table.

"Well, if you would climb down," Juan suggested, "one of the nurses can take your blood and we can have the Princess scanned."

She nodded, hopping off the table and trotting over while Cadance took her place. The same nurse that assisted Juan with Bon Bon softly gave her instructions and started on drawing her blood.

"Shall I remove my regalia?" Cadance asked, gesturing to herself.

Juan considered the question for a moment before he gave his response. "I would advise you to do so. While the scanner can operate through clothing, I'm not sure what, if any, effect your regalia and crown would have on it."

She nodded, letting her horseshoes fall to the floor and placing her crown and necklace on a nearby chair. "You may test away doctor." Bon Bon frowned as the monarch disrobed, looking rather uncomfortable.

Daniel noticed her discomfort, but didn't directly comment on it. "Bon Bon, would you watch over Princess Cadance's regalia until she is ready to don it again?" Bon Bon nodded, gathering up the horseshoes then trotting over and placing them on the chair with the rest of the regalia.

The scanner took longer to work on Cadance than it had on the other two, but in time her results were added to the database as well, though her scans were more complex than those taken of Lyra and Bon Bon. Daniel tapped a finger at one line that came up in ancient, slipping through the translation program completely. "It seems alicorns really are considered further along the path to ascension than the average person. Er, pony."

"How so?" Cadance asked, tilting her head.

"Well, I don't know," Daniel admitted. "There are a lot of factors that I admittedly don't remember, and don't fully understand. Juan and the other doctors would have to give this information a full analysis before we can get a real answer."

"If we can get such an answer," Juan added. "There are some things that our understanding of science still cannot make heads or tails of. Perhaps it has something to do with being able to express the traits of all three tribes at once."

"I can tell you, it was weird when I first ascended, I kept using too much force with my hooves and my magic surged whenever I was suddenly surprised," Cadance spoke, rubbing her chin. "And I was still a filly at the time."

"It might be something we study for a long time," Juan remarked.

"MALP telemetry reads viable atmosphere," the gate technician announced into the radio as the gateship lowered itself gently from the bay on the top level, coming to a hover just before the gate. "Looks to be before daybreak planetside. No immediate evidence of civilization in the vicinity of the gate. No radio frequencies detected either."

"Copy that, command," Major Marshal replied. There were seven people in the jumper: Major George Marshal, the officer in charge of the team, Captain Wendy King, their primary pilot, Captains Jason Samson and Frederick Anderson for additional military might, Doctors Moriah Hill and Michael Moore to properly identify and supervise the collection of the resource they need, and finally, Devon.

As a military officer with both training on the science and research side and high ratings on jumper simulations, Bowers assigned him to the team as a support officer. Carter took over the line. "The database indicates that this world should be uninhabited, and the surface rock should have high amounts of the mineral we need so you shouldn't have to dig much to get it. Between the jumper's sensors and the ones Dr. Hill has, you should be able to get enough of the pure mineral we need and be back before long. Our best estimate places it within fifty miles of the gate, but no other planet was more promising."

"Understood, General."

"Good. While our guests might not be a burden, and they don't have an issue being in our care, it would be best for diplomatic relationships that we restore communications with them as soon as possible. Jumper 1, you are clear for departure."

"We'll be back before you know it," Marshall replied. With that, the jumper slipped through the event horizon.

Carter watched the MALP's feed as the jumper emerged from the other side and arced to avoid the tree line as it went to a spiraling ascent so its sensors could have better range. "Shut it down. Redial in an hour to check up on them and to retrieve the MALP."

"Understood, ma'am," the technician said, shutting down the gate.

"Ma'am, I got a report that team 6 has finished their assessment of the emitter. It's operating within acceptable margins at 94%," another told her.

Carter nodded absently. Things were falling into place. That was the seventh of ten emitters checked. One needed a few minor tweaks, but those were being taken care of, and the other five were good so far. The chill air had warmed to a more moderate, though still cold, temperature as the life support did its thing. The musty smell of age and time had also been cleared away. It still wasn't pine fresh, or the faint salt scent of Atlantis, but it was a major improvement either way. Things were looking up.

"Command, this is Thorne," the radio crackled. "We have something... interesting to report."

She should have known better. She hid her sigh. "This is Carter. Go ahead, Dr. Thorne."

The peach coloured ball of fluff with too-big orange eyes floated in the air on two pairs of buzzing wings, chirring happily at the team and trying to nuzzle Higgs, who was doing his best to ward it off with a pen. "What do you want from me? Jesus!"

"We found... something alive. About the size of an apple, flying, I think four legs, round with huge eyes," Thorne reported. "It has an interest in Higgs for some reason."

"Something alive? In a city that was sealed for thousands of years?" Carter's voice, though level, still had a tone of bemusement to it. "Does it seem dangerous?"

"It seems..."

"Cute?" Faroe offered.

"... Cute," Thorne grunted.

"God dammit!" Higgs yelled as it ducked under his waving pen and nuzzled at his chest. Faroe laughed as he chased it away, fumbling at his pocket.

"It definitely has a thing for Higgs," she said, joining the conversation. "Hey, you got anything on you that that thing wants?" she asked, looking at the fuzzball as it nuzzled Higgs' pocket.

"Only thing I got on me that it might want are some protein bars," Higgs complained, managing to catch the critter between his hands, careful not to pin its delicate wings. It smiled at him, chirping happily.

"Try not to antagonize it," Carter instructed. "We've dealt with seemingly harmless entities that turned out to be dangerous when provoked before."

"Think our guests know what it is?"

"Would they?" Higgs asked, eyeing the creature carefully. "We found it in the city, after all. Could be another ancient experiment." Faroe walked over and deftly picked his pocket. "Hey!"

"Just getting it what it wants, Higgs," she said, wagging the protein bar she took. The creature stared at the bar and chirped rapidly. "General, any objections to feeding it? It seems to have an interest in the protein bars, and it should be plenty hungry after all this time..."

Higgs grumbled, not happy about the theft. The creature chittered, nipping at the packaging, looking up at Faroe with pleading eyes.

"I don't see why not," Carter said after a moment. "Thorne, how far along is your progress?"

"We've mostly completed this section, ma'am. It's clear and habitable, though the large atrium we found could use some new horticulture and landscaping," Thorne said promptly. "Sizable living quarters for the most part."

Faroe eagerly opened the wrapper and held it out to the creature. It made short work of it, chomping off big bites and swallowing with little chewing, much like a bird would.

"Okay, Higgs, Faroe, take the creature up to the biolabs. The team should be mostly set up there," Carter directed. "Thorne, you and Newman can finish the assessment before returning. We should have cleared enough living space for most all of the expedition to at least find a place for the night."

"Understood ma'am, Thorne out. Alright, you heard the General, let's go," he ordered.

"Come on cutie, let's see what you are!" Faroe said, gently guiding the creature onto her shoulder, patting it. It nuzzled her hand, cooing softly.

Leaving Thorne and Newman to their task, Faroe and Higgs retraced their steps, heading to the transport booth they located earlier in their search. Higgs was content to no longer be the subject of the creature's attentions, casting wary glances at it as it rode on Faroe's shoulder, buzzing happily as she continued to feed it pieces of food.

"Are you sure you should be feeding it so much?" Higgs asked. "Aren't you afraid it will, I dunno, pop?"

"That's ridiculous," Faroe chided. "What sort of critter could do that?"

"The Priors' beetles ate until they killed themselves," Higgs commented harshly.

"I doubt this little cutie could do that," Faroe said, rolling her eyes, "What if this little guy is some lost pet? He's probably been so lonely here." She fed the little thing the last piece of the bar, smiling at it.

"Lost pet, just hanging around for a few thousand years," Higgs muttered under his breath. The sad part was that it was still far from the strangest thing the SGC had come across. Not even the strangest that year. He waved his hand in front of the sensor when the arrived at the transport booth and motioned for Faroe to step in first.

She got in, petting it. "Oh come on, it could have been hibernating," she argued, giving the little fuzzy thing a scratch on the head. It chittered happily, buzzing its wings.

The booth filled with the white flash as it transported them up and across the tower. "Fine, I'll give you that. Maybe they wanted a pet that could live as long as they did. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Oh come on, how can you hate this little guy?" she cooed, giggling as it nipped at her fingers.

Higgs looked at the peach ball with wings, blinking its too big insect eyes at him and chirring. "It's not that hard. Bug eyes aren't supposed to blink."

"Maybe it's not a bug," she argued. "It could be some weird mammal."

"Maybe we should leave that for the biologists to decide," Higgs retorted. "Either way, I don't like it."

"Scared of a tiny little fluff ball?" she asked as they moved through the corridors, keeping an eye out for anything else.

There were more signs of activity in that section of the city, from crates and storage containers to other expedition members going about their business, a few casting curious glances at the pair. Higgs kept focusing straight ahead. "You're not going to change my mind."

The HUD unobtrusively marked the major terrain shifts between the data from the database and what lay before them as the jumper ate up the distance between the deposit field and the gate at a leisurely cruising speed. Trees and stark rock vanished outside their view as Captain Wendy smoothly piloted the craft over them. Numbers along the right edge of the display shifted as they tracked various variables.

Altitude, velocity, temperature, drive output, field strength, dampeners, Devon mentally labeled. His side dash was taken up with the tablet linked to the system, the rapidly updating map steadily rendering as he gave it commands, the Ancient systems leaping on his thoughts.

"How long until we land?" Dr. Hill asked from behind him. "The mineral traces are steadily increasing."

"Just another minute or so," King answered. "Any particular spots we should be looking for?"

"Caves or silt deposits would be best," Dr. Moore called out from where he was fiddling with the equipment packs sitting in the middle of the jumper's rear compartments, paying particular attention to the small drone reminiscent of the Mark I MALPs. "I'd rather we didn't have to dig if we can avoid it."

"I'd rather we not walk through mud if we don't have to," Marshal added wryly.

"I hope it's a cave, always wanted to go spelunking," Devon chuckled, looking up from his tablet. "I never had the chance as a kid, we didn't have any caves."

"Either way we'll have to carry it back to the jumper," Marshal smirked. He laid back in his seat behind King, more or less relaxed considering the nature of the mission. "Not a bad draw for our first off-world mission."

"If the remote works as planned and the terrain allows, we can load it up and just drive it back to the jumper." Dr Moore seemed to have done all he could or wanted to and left the supplies alone.

"I really hope it works," Devon said, returning his attention to his tablet, "I'd rather not have to carry large chunks of rock. How much do we need exactly?"

"We don't need a large amount to repair the transporter," Dr. Hill admitted. "The relays won't take much palladium hydride to be replaced. Purity would be the main concern about how much we gather, but we decided it would be best if we got as much as we can on this trip."

"Ah! Here we go!" King called, "you wanted a cave, well you got one." She cast a glance at Devon, smiling. "You bring your mining helmet?"

"It's better than mucking through the mud," Devon laughed as the jumper started it's descent. "How many things use this mineral? I hear about naquadah, trinium and neutronium a lot, I don't remember palladium."

"Palladium hydride," Dr. Moore specified, if somewhat stuffily. "It, like with carocev and olesian ore, is one of the lesser known components that are used in different parts of Ancient and Asgardian technologies. They don't normally suffer wear or get seriously damaged often, but when they do you just have to replace them."

"The big three dominate the resource market, but it's still good to have the others in your supply," Dr. Hill added. "Case in point: the damaged transporter. The fix is little more than pulling out the damaged relays and replacing them, but we need the palladium hydride to manufacture it. Once we have it, it should be working again in a day or two."

"Whenever you are finished with your lesson," King interrupted suddenly. "We've landed."

"You heard the lady," Marshal said. "Time to go look for our hidden treasure."

"So..." Lyra started with a casual drawl. With the aid of a security officer Carter sent along, Daniel was escorting the three ponies to the rooms that had been set aside for them... and he had been expecting this. "Now that we've been checked out by the doctor and all..."

"You can't go through the gate," Daniel said, skipping to the end of her proposal.

"Hey! Who said that was what I was going to ask you about?" Lyra pouted, tossing her mane in a show of affront. "I don't appreciate you jumping to conclusions."

"I... uh... can I go through the gate please?" Lyra pleaded, trotting sideways so she could look at Daniel as she did.

"Lyra," Bon Bon said with a somewhat strained expression. "Just let it go."

"You know, I'd like to go through it as well," Cadance said with a large smile on her face. The idea of going to other worlds was something she didn't want to pass up if she had the choice.

"Come on, doc. Can you really say no to these guys?" Floyd commented, having tagged along to get Cadance's interview.

"Perhaps later, when our people and yours can officially begin relations," Daniel continued, sticking to his response. With Princess Cadance missing from the perspective of her nation, allowing her offworld on top of that would be a disaster. "Besides, we've only ever used this gate twice. We know nothing about this galaxy."

"But that could be forever!" Lyra whined. Their escort hid his laugh with a cough as she stomped her hooves.

"Lyra, don't you want to go back and rub it in everypony's face that you were right?" Bon Bon asked, trying a different tactic. "You can come back and go through their gate after."

"Can't we just, I dunno, go for a five minute trip or something?" Floyd asked, scratching the back of his neck, "You can send Bowers and me along to make sure they stay out of trouble."

"Yeah! We'll be on our bestest behavior!" Lyra agreed, nodding her head up and now, giving a big smile, her biggest actually.

"General Carter ordered gate usage limited to emergencies," the escort chimed in. "Right now the only mission approved was to attain the resources to repair the transporter."

"It will possibly be a week or more before we are ready to establish regular gate usage," Daniel continued. "Between sweeping, clearing and securing the city, which is a massive endeavour on its own, allocating space for all of our various departments and living space, simply finding accommodations for you three took a few hours, and general unpacking; ensuring your safety offworld, particularly yours Princess Cadance, is not something we are quite able to do at this time.

"I've been shot at on far too many supposedly 'safe' worlds to count. And we only have a couple thousand year old database to judge from." Daniel shook his head slowly. "At the moment, only the safe return of you three ponies can ensure a proper relationship with our new neighbours. A pleasure trip through the gate will have to wait until much later."

"I am flattered that you are so worried about my safety, but I can hold my own quite well," Cadance spoke up, "I was able to keep Sombra out of the Empire for days with my shield."

"I won't question that, Princess Cadance, but we have seen shields which held back an entire ocean for ten thousand years get pierced by enemy weapons in a matter of hours," Daniel commented soberly. His thoughts flashed to some of the things he had seen on SG-1 and what the Atlantis Expedition encountered. "And that isn't considering what we may find in the city itself. The last city ship we populated had so many hidden dangers that we stumbled across them years later."

"You really kept Sombra out for days?" Lyra asked, a bit of awe in her voice.

"I did," Cadance said with a hint of pride, "but keeping a shield that big up for that long is exhausting, I passed out several times and eventually, I just couldn't keep it up anymore. Thankfully, Twilight and Spike were able to find the Crystal Heart in time."

"That sounds rough," Floyd commented, trying to picture the scene on his mind, picturing some horrible demon horse attacking a herd of child-friendly ponies.

"It was the second worst time in my life," Cadance responded.

"Maybe you and the Princess can talk about that as part of your interview," Daniel suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Floyd said with a smile, absentmindedly fiddling with his amulet, which glowed faintly at his touch.

Cadance smiled as well, though she did glance at the amulet with fleeting interest. "Thank you again. You've made this far less troubling than it could have been."

"Think nothing of it," Daniel said dismissively, "Anyway, here is your room, princess." He came to a stop, opening the door for her.

"This is gonna be like a sleep over!" Lyra said excitedly, quickly rushing into the room.

"Lyra! You're supposed to..." Bon Bon started in a belated attempt to stop her friend. She sighed before finishing lamely, "let the princess go first."

"No, it's fine," Cadance giggled. "She really hasn't changed much since we were foals."

"Hey Daniel! How do you work the sho-Yipe!" Lyra yelped suddenly as the sound of spraying water started up. "Cold, cold, sweet Celestia this is cold! Nevermind! I figured it out!"

"I'll try to keep them out of trouble." Floyd saluted Daniel, walking into the room to set up his camera.

"Have fun, Hendrix," Daniel said with a little wave. "But not too much fun. Call if you get lost when you're done."

Crosscurrent

View Online

"Okay, state your name for the camera please," Floyd instructed as he framed the shot. It hadn't taken him long to set up and get rolling. He had decided to start with Cadance first, who was sitting on her bed, wearing a soft smile.

"My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza but my friends call me Cadance," she responded, adjusting her wings.

"Alright Cadance, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

"Sure! What would you like to know?"

"Well, you said you used to be a pegasus, could you tell us a little about that?"

"Oh certainly!" She flashed a smile, clearing her throat, "I'm an orphan, I was found in the woods as a baby by an earth pony family who took me in and raised me as their own. When I was about twelve a pony named Prisma, jealous of the villagers, used a necklace to steal their love."

"She stole their love?" Floyd clarified, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes, and I went to confront her. I managed to reverse her spell and return the love to its rightful owners and turn Prisma away from her horrible ways. At that moment, I was transported to a very strange place. It was empty and filled with mist. I met Princess Celestia there and she adopted me as her niece. She cast a powerful spell and returned me to Equestria, but as an alicorn."

"Huh, you should talk to Dr. Jackson about that, he'd probably find it interesting."

"Because of his past experiences?" Cadance asked. "Or curiosity?"

"Probably both," Floyd cleared his throat, "Can you tell us about your country? You've mentioned an Empire before and an 'Equestria,' would you mind sharing anything about them?"

"It's something of a difficult topic to explain, but I'll do my best," Cadance said. She looked pensive for a moment as she organized her thoughts. "Equestria is the largest pony society in the modern age. My aunts have been leading it ever since Discord was defeated, and it has prospered. The Crystal Empire, on the other hoof, was a small colony in the far north, as far as we have rediscovered.

"It seemed to have been much larger than it is now, but shortly before Discord's rule it seems like it declined, and after Discord's reign, though he focused more on the south, it never recovered." Cadance closed her eyes. "At some point about a thousand years ago, a unicorn named Sombra took it over and enslaved the crystal ponies. We don't know how long he ruled, but when my aunts found out, only one city remained, the one around the castle and the Crystal Heart.

"They tried to free what remained of the Empire from him, but failed. We don't know how, but he somehow cursed the entire empire, and it was lost until just a few years ago." Cadance shuddered, her feathers ruffling somewhat. "Everything about him seemed like hate. Hate and greed. The Crystal Heart seemed to destroy him when crystal ponies and I connected with it. Part of his curse affected knowledge of the Empire, which is why it's been about impossible to find out what exactly happened during his reign, and the ponies that were under him… it's clear they were scarred. We don't want to force them to remember just because we are curious."

"I see," Floyd nodded, tapping the amulet as he thought up his next question, "Discord. Can you tell me about him?"

"Discord, he's probably one of the few beings in existence with enough magic to rival my aunts," Cadance admitted. She lit her horn and let the blue glow add to the room's lighting. "Being an alicorn, I have much more power than any unicorn, earth pony or pegasus, far more than I did before I ascended, but I'm still weaker than my aunts are. He is a draconequus, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, and in some ways he's even more powerful than they are.

"Actually," she said, looking over the Bon Bon and Lyra. "They might be able to tell you more. When he escaped his prison he was most active in Ponyville."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, you probably already talked to Doctor Jackson about this, but what can you tell us about your aunts? Just so the leaders back home know what to expect when they can finally meet."

"Hmm… Well, I might not be the most impartial of sources but I'll try," Cadance admitted with a giggle. "I've known Aunt Celestia far longer than I've known Aunt Luna, so I'll start with her. For the last era she's been the ruler of the majority of ponykind. She is… harder to describe than I realized, honestly. She's been as much a mother to me as she has been an aunt, and when she calls others 'her little ponies,' she really means it. But that doesn't mean she looks down on any of the other species. Equestria has long had good relationships with the minotaurs, zebras and griffons and she makes sure to keep those connections amicable.

"Aunt Luna is still coming out of her shell and finding a new place for herself, but there are times when she can be a bit more forceful in negotiations than aunt Celestia, mostly because she's adjusting to the modern climate." Cadance smiled a bit ruefully at a particular memory. "But her political hooves are just as firm as her sister's. A minotaur trade minister thought he could play her for a foal, but she proved him wrong in short order."

"What exactly happened?" Floyd asked, gesturing for her to continue the story.

"It started out simple enough. Aunt Luna had just started running her court again when minister Bronzed Bond thought he could weasel the deal in the minotaur's favour. Aunt Luna didn't even need a minute before she saw through his intentions. She is a master of subtle dealings, having to aid ponies through their nightmares and difficulties at night, and when he couldn't just talk her into going his way, he tried bullying her." Cadance winced in sympathy. "Aunt Luna's voice can be quite... impactful when she lets loose."

"She's also amazing at Nightmare Night!" Lyra piped up with a bright smile.

"Nightmare Night?" Floyd asked, moving the camera to her.

"It's a night where ponies dress up as scary things and go door to door for candy! It was made in, I don't want to say honor but uh… how would you guys describe its connection to Nightmare Moon?"

"Tribute?" Bon Bon offered. She had been hanging back, unobtrusively keeping an eye on the other three.

"That works," Lyra agreed. She warmed up to the subject. "It started from the idea that the spirit of Nightmare Moon might escape on that one night of the year. The idea of costumes was so she would pass you by as she looked for victims. The candy was to give her something to eat so she didn't get too curious.

"The original cause was far darker," Lyra admitted when as she continued. "When Nightmare Moon was first sealed, ponies were always afraid she would break out. So for a while nopony would leave their homes at night in some places. Others would only leave if guards were around, or disguised as somepony, or something else. Princess Celestia eventually stomped down hard on the fear, from what I read, being distraught that ponies were still afraid of Luna's night, so it mostly died out. It came back sometime later from parents using it to discipline foals."

"Huh..." Floyd commented, rubbing his chin, "Sounds like a holiday we have back on Earth called Halloween. The original belief was, during the fall, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead would thin and on one night a year, it became so thin that spirits could freely walk the world. People would dress up as monsters to either trick the spirits into thinking they were one of them or scare them away completely."

"Really? That's amazing!" Lyra did a little trot in place. "Nightmare Night takes place in the fall too. The Teachers really must have had some influence on both our societies. After a certain point, coincidences become a pattern. I might get a stained glass window for this!"

"Don't get overly-enthusiastic," Bon Bon quickly chided.

"But the thing I want to know is, who is Nightmare Moon?" Floyd asked, trying to get them back on topic.

The conversation between Floyd and the ponies continued on for a while, shifting from topic to topic as the conversation flowed naturally. Eventually Floyd had to cut it short, having filled up his tapes, and it was getting rather late.

"Doc is going to love going over all this stuff." Floyd disassembled his tripod, placing it back into his bag. "It'll probably make his week." He zipped it up, dusting his hands off. "Well, good night ladies." He hefted it over his shoulder, moving over to the door.

"You too Floyd!" Lyra smiled, waving. "This was a lot of fun!"

"Yes, fun," Bon Bon said, eyeing Cadance who had been trying to hide her yawns.

"Hopefully we'll be able to go home tomorrow." Cadance stretched out, letting her shoes clatter to the floor. "I'm so worried about Shiny…" she sighed, removing her regalia, placing them on the night stand.

Bon Bon, who seemed to have taken it upon herself to act as Cadance's handmaiden, was the last one by the door when Floyd left. The door shut on her slightly frowning face, leaving Floyd alone in the hallway.

"What's gotten into you Bonny?" Lyra asked, looking at her. "You've gotten all frowny." Lyra slid off her bed trotting over to her. "Is everything ok?"

Bon Bon stared at the door in silence before sighing. "No, no it's not, Lyra."

"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling her into a hug, "You know you can tell me anything right?"

"Lyra, I know this is an amazing thing for you, finding out about an entire city of The Teachers, meeting a whole new kind of pony, it's a great adventure," Bon Bon huffed frustratedly. "But not only are we dependent on these humans' goodwill, but Princess Cadance is tied up in it too! I've done things like this, and they don't normally turn out well. The only one who tends to make these situations work out is Daring!"

"You're worrying over nothing Bonny." Lyra rolled her eyes. "Everything will work out fine. Just try and enjoy it okay?"

"That's generally when everything goes to Tartarus," Bon Bon grumbled.

"Bon Bon, Lyra is right," Cadance spoke up, adding her own opinion. "You don't need to make more stress for yourself than you need to."

"But Princ-"

"Cadance," Cadance correctly gently. "Just Cadance is fine. As wondrous as this place has seemed, the humans here don't seem that much different from us ponies. And they are trying to get us home just as much as we want to get home."

"Yeah!" Lyra added with a smile. "We'll all be fine!" she nuzzled Bon Bon’s cheek, pulling away and heading back to bed.

Bon Bon still looked reluctant, but Cadance giggled, smiling at her. With a sigh, Bon Bon at least made the effort to put her concerns behind her. Despite the soft bed and covers, she found it harder to relax there than she did even when hunting the escaped bugbear.

In spite of Dr. Jackson's parting remark, the route back into the other occupied areas of the city wasn't a difficult one. Like Atlantis, the more residential areas of the city were connected with wide passageways that made Floyd's walk to his room that much easier.

"And he said it would be hard." Floyd smirked to himself, opening up the door and heading inside. He placed his bag on the floor, stretching his shoulders out. "Nice place…" he mumbled to himself, taking in his surroundings.

In terms of temporary housing, it wasn't a bad room. Good enough to keep even when they expanded the cleared areas of the city.

"Eh… I could use a shower." He pulled his shirt off, moving to the bathroom. He blinked, noting a small ball of fuzz on the sink. "The hell?" he asked, reaching out to touch it.

The ball of fuzz shifted when his finger poked it. Two startlingly blue eyes revealed themselves just before a mouth opened and teeth clamped on his digits.

He shouted out a string of choice obscenities, flailing his arm around and smacking the thing against the sink until it released his fingers. "The hell?!" he asked, clutching his fingers, looking at it.

The small creature was dazed, but it shuddered, as if shaking itself. It licked the trace of Floyd's blood from its jaw and brought its transparent wings to life, the buzz and its chirr combining into a hum as it darted towards him.

"Gah!" he darted away, running out of his room, still clutching his fingers. "Doc! We have a problem!" he shouted, racing around turn after turn. He had no idea if the doctor was even in this section of the city but he figured the shouting would bring someone running.

It was a big city, and Dr. Jackson had a lot of responsibilities that were keeping him away from potential rest the moment, but the yelling did attract the attentions of others. A few doors slid open after Floyd raced past them, their confused occupants more than interested in what was driving someone to disturb the peace. Most of them were unaware of the discovery Thorne's team had made, so the sight of a man and a flying pink ball that seemed steadfastly attracted to him only confused them further.

Someone must have called up to the control room about the issue, for it wasn't long before the radio crackled. "Hendrix, what's going on?"

"Some thing just… bit… oh come on…" He came to a stop, his eye twitching. During his run, he had moved into one of the unexplored sections of the city. Lying there, at the end of the hall was a skeleton, his bones covered in more of the fuzz balls. "We have a very, very bad problem…" he spoke softly into the radio, taking a few slow steps backwards.

"We have a list of them," the voice called back. There were a lot of gate room technicians, it was just one of many Floyd didn't yet know. "What did you find?"

"How about a swarm of hungry fuzz balls?" He kept backing up, praying to whatever deity was listening that they didn’t wake up. Unfortunately, he forgot about the one that was chasing him. It buzzed up behind him, sinking its jaws into his shoulder. He swore, smacking it away, before freezing up. The smell of blood wafted over to the sleeping creatures, all of them opening their too-big eyes, wings buzzing. "Please tell me we have a flamethrower?" he asked, rapidly back up, panic starting to set in.

"Swarm of hungry... Oh, so there are more of those things that they found?" the person on the other end of the line sighed. "Toss them a candy bar or something. They seem to calm down if you feed them. Though, I'm not sure if it would make them swarm you more or not."

"One of them just bit me twice… and I found a swarm of them surrounding a skeleton… uh… I think they smelled the blood…" The fuzzies, now that they were fully awake, seemed to lock eyes on him. They buzzed their wings, rising up as one, darting toward him. He turned on his heel and ran, losing himself rather quickly in his bid to escape the swarm.

"They what?" There was stunned silence. When the radio sounded again, it was a call for security teams.

"That doesn't help me at all!" Floyd shouted, not even bothering to actually use his radio. Up ahead he spotted another skeleton, this one picked clean as well. The skeleton was useless but the pistol-like weapon wrapped in its bony fingers was looking rather useful. Floyd dove for it, losing his radio in the process. He landed on the floor with a thud, groaning softly. Shaking himself out of it, he wrenched the weapon away from the skeleton.

"Please work," he begged before rolling onto his back, aiming what he hoped was the business end down at the swarm. The weapon hummed to life under his touch, various pieces of it lighting up. The swarm was descending on him as he fumbled, trying to find the trigger. It stung his fingers, but didn't seem to do anything more. One last desperate check finally caused the weapon to discharge, a burst of electricity erupting from the barrel. The swarm, which had almost reached him, was quickly fried, the roasted bodies dropping to the ground smoking. Floyd collapsed to the ground, too relieved to care that his radio was going off.

"You know," Devon commented as he chipped away at the cave wall laced with streaks of gold with his pick. It had been a while before the doctors found a suitable deposit, and he hadn't been thrilled to find that the cave exploration turned into mining. "I never imagined I would visit another galaxy, only to moonlight as a prospector." The chunk of rock finally broke free under his attentions, and fell to the ground to join the other chunks that he and the others had been chipping free.

"It could have been worse," Dr. Hill commented as she examined the rocks, placing the ones that made her standards separate from those that didn't. "We lucked out finding deposits that are so easily accessible. I was afraid we would have to use the C-4 to get to the usable palladium sources."

"As entertaining as that would have been," Marshall spoke up, returning from the most recent load he had carried to the jumper, "I prefer not having had need to use our C-4 supplies yet. Where are Doctors Moore and Anderson?"

"Exploring the cave a bit more," Devon said, a trace irritated. "Moore asked me to help Dr. Hill collect supplies while he did a rough assessment. Anderson accompanied him for safety."

"Dr. Moore suspects that there might be a larger palladium deposit deeper in the cave," Dr. Hill chuckled, amused at their team's youngest member's mood. "While we can get enough palladium from the trace deposits in the cave wall, we could potentially mine this location."

"And send the excess back through the gate to give the IOA something to be happy about," Marshal commented dryly. A short distance behind him, the remote that trailed him clamoured to a stop. "How is our progress?"

"With all that Lt Manley has dug out, we should have more than enough to get the transporter back online, with enough leftover to make replacement components for at least a few more things. If we need to, that is," Dr. Moore replied quickly.

"Thank god, my arms are killing me," Devon groaned, setting the pick down. He blinked and quickly added, "sir."

"No need for you to be self conscious," Marshal smiled. "I'm a bit worn out myself hauling all that rock back to the jumper." He pulled out his radio. "Moore, Anderson, come in."

There was a delay before slightly distorted voices responded. "This is Dr. Moore. Go ahead, Maj Marshal."

"I hope you've gotten enough spelunking in," Marshal said, frowning at the frying on the connection. "We are going to be packing it up."

"With all due respect, Major," Dr. Moore responded, his irritated tone carrying over even with interference, "we can easily put in a few more hours and collect a much larger supply for our stores."

"I'm not debating that point," Marshal calmly responded. "But at the moment Dr. Hill assures me we already have enough to repair the transporter and possibly a few more jobs of the sort in our future. Getting our royal guests back home is the priority. We can always come back later."

"I... suppose," Dr. Moore reluctantly agreed. "Very well."

"We'll meet you at the jumper, sir," Anderson added, his own voice no clearer. "Maybe thirty minutes, based on how long it took us to get this far."

"Excellent." Marshal cut the connection and raised an eyebrow at his companions. "Thirty minutes?"

Devon merely shrugged, a sentiment Dr. Hill shared. With nothing further to do, and the official order to pack it up, they cleared out everything they could and needed. Packing up their light sources and tools before loading up the remote with as much as it could hold, they manhandled the rest out of the cave back to the jumper.

Their task was only just beginning back at the jumper, though. They not only had to get everything back inside, but also account for all the ore they collected while still leaving space for the human cargo. It was an experiment in space management for them all and before they knew it the thirty minute window had come and gone with no sign of their missing two members.

"Beginning to think we should go look for them, sir," Captain King called out from the cockpit. "They might have gotten lost down there."

"And what's to keep us from getting lost as well if they did?" Dr. Hill comment as she ran her sensors over the samples, making the best of the time by ranking the chunks based on purity. "You can always try the radio if you're worry about them."

"Anderson, Moore," Maj Marshal tapped his radio. "How long?"

"Sorry, sir," Anderson's voice came back, sounding a bit short on breath even over the slightly frying connection. "We took a wrong turn."

"Told you," Capt King smiled softly from her side. Beside her, Devon chuckled silently.

"There is some weird green... stuff on the walls though..." Anderson continued. "We are backtracking now. Just a few minutes more."

"Don't take too long," Maj Marshal sighed. "We are burning daylight as it is."

"Moving as fast as we can, sir," Anderson responded.

"I'm collecting a sample of the residue for the biologist to take a look at. They will like that," Dr. Moore added.

Maj Marshal shook his head slowly. "Next time, remind me to give them a ball of string and some chalk."

"Sir, you might want to put the cloak up," Samson's voice cut in suddenly. The last member of their team had been on watch duty. "You've got two locals heading in your general direction. More ponies, if you'd believe it."

Capt King, after a sharp nod from Marshal, took the recommendation, quickly hiding the jumper and its occupants from sight, the door closing. The Major's expression had turned stern. "Are you getting that, Anderson?"

"Copy that, sir, orders?"

"Hold position for now," Marshal replied without much hesitation.

"They will be on top of you shortly," Capt Samson reported tersely. "Two unicorns, I think. They are smaller than the one in the city."

"Foals?" Devon offered questionly.

"Keep out of sight and maintain position, Samson," Marshal ordered. "Anderson, Moore, keep in the caves." Both parties responded with affirmatives. "Everyone else, sit tight."

Tensions were high as they all waited, but in time the two ponies appeared. It was pretty clear Devon's guess of foals was spot on, their proportions clearly off from the adults back on Shangri-La, and their faces youthful, as alien as they were. They both lacked marking on their flanks as well. Even from inside the jumper it was easy to make out what they were saying.

"I really don't like this," the cream coated and slightly smaller of the pair said as they looked around fretfully, red mane bobbing. "Mother always said not to come here unless it was earth-blessing..."

"What mother doesn't know won't hurt," the other, having a matching mane colour but with a chocolate coat, said firmly. "We just want to see if we can get a blessing too!"

"But what if the mantis gets us?” the smaller one asked, a hint of fear in his voice. It was easier to make out their gender now that they were closer.

"Sir, they might walk right into the jumper," King murmured. "Just because we are cloaked doesn't mean we are out of phase."

"I heard the mantis isn't real. It's just something they made up to scare foals from wandering!"

"Like what we're doing?" he asked, even more fearfully than before. "I changed my mind! I-I don't mind not having a blessing! Can we go home now?"

"Skitter-leaf," the girl taunted, turning on him with an air of bravado.

"Yes!" the colt agreed, nodding, tears in his eyes. "I'm a skitter-leaf. A big nose one! Can we go now!?"

"The engines," Devon said quietly.

"No way! Not till we get a blessing!" she said firmly, stomping her hoof.

"What?" Marshal asked, eyes on the scene taking place outside.

"I just wanna go home," the colt wailed. "Before mother realizes we snuck away from morning chores!"

"You're not leaving me here, and I'm not leaving!" His sister grabbed his tail and started dragging him, heading directly towards the jumper.

Devon put a hand on the console, and for a brief moment the jumper responded to his impulses, the drive pods whining to life. The effect was immediate. Both foals started screaming and literally high tailed it out of the clearing the jumper was parked in. The others stared at Devon.

"Sorry sir," Devon swallowed. "I figured scaring them before they could find the jumper was the best bet. And they already seemed skittish… They were kids, sir."

"Sir, looks like the two of them are gone, ran all the way out of range," Samson reported over the radio.

Maj Marshal nodded slowly. "Good thinking, lieutenant. Anderson, Moore, it seems we are in the clear. Continue outside. Jumper is waiting. Samson, keep up your watch in case they come back."

"Yes sir!"

"Not so uninhabited after all," Dr. Hill commented.

Maj. Marshal sighed. "That's for Gen. Carter and Dr. Jackson to handle. We already have one first contact to deal with."

"From what we can tell, the internal body structure is remarkably simple, with a large portion of its cells being undifferentiated, and a good portion of the rest being pluripotent," Dr. Heyman, head biologist for the expedition, reported. He was down in the new and still-being-organized biolabs, but was in contact over the city coms. Gen Carter, along with Dr. Jackson who had been dragged from his workstation where he was poring through the database, were both in the medical bay where Floyd found himself for the second time in less than a day. "It not only makes them extremely adaptable, but also prolific, voracious and able to consume just about anything organic."

"And what does that mean for us?" Dr. Jackson asked. "And what was with the swarm that attacked Hendrix?"

"Well, from what I could tell, these creatures are willing to consume anything organic, but will normally settle for non-living or plant matter. However..." his voice trailed off a bit. "Apparently they undergo biochemical shifts depending on certain external stimuli and conditions. In this case: shifting from omnivorous to almost solely carnivorous."

"Can you describe what they looked like again?" Gen Carter asked. "To compare it with the sample we have."

A bright flash filled the room, as Cadance and the other ponies appeared in the room.

"There was screaming, is everything alright?" Cadance asked, her eyes going a bit wide when she saw Floyd, who was sitting on a table as one of the medical staff stitched up his shoulder.

"They can teleport?" Dr. Jackson asked, staring at the trio of ponies as they swarmed around Floyd.

"Sorry…" Bon Bon gave a sheepish smile. "I tried to tell them that everything was fine but they just had to see for themselves..."

"It wouldn't be the first time we encountered a being able to teleport, Daniel," Gen Carter commented, keeping her cool despite the sudden arrival. "You used to be rather fond of it yourself."

"Right," Dr. Jackson said slowly, shaking his head. "Anyway. Remember when I said we don't know what surprises might be left in the city for us? Well, we found one!"

"What?" Cadance asked, leaving Floyd to suffer Lyra's cuddles. "Nothing too dangerous I hope."

"Dangerous? Yes," Dr. Jackson said, looking in Floyd's direction. "Too dangerous? We don't know."

"We can't be sure," Gen Carter added.

"I would hedge my bets on 'too dangerous'," Dr. Heyman spoke up. "On their own an individual is not that much of a threat, for all their voracity, but combine that with their swarming and ability to asexually procreate once they have amassed enough biomatter by ejecting a mass of rapidly maturing totipotent cells? It's potentially as devastating as R-75 proved to be if not controlled."

Dr. Jackson leaned closer to Gen Carter. "Ah, which one was that again?"

"Prior Bug," she whispered. "How's Hendrix?"

"Aside from needing a few stitches, he's fine," the nurse said. "Nothing strange in his blood work or in the traces of residue on his skin. No turning into a bug for him either."

"That sounds like…" Bon Bon looked up at Dr. Jackson. "These… things, are they small, big eyes, four insect wings?"

The human eyes in the room turned to her. Gen Carter was the one to break the silence. "I take it you've heard of these before?"

"They're called parasprites," Bon Bon started, nodding her head, "They normally inhabit the Everfree Forest but sometimes a few wander out. By themselves, they're harmless but if you feed them enough they puke out another one. They've been known to eat whole regions out of food. They aren't normally carnivorous unless they have no other food source."

"Oh Faust," Lyra pipped up, sitting in Floyd’s lap, "I remember those things, it was a nightmare!"

"Great, so this galaxy has its own prior bugs, and they come with wings," a new voice grumbled over the com. "New galaxy, same old problems."

"If you don't mind, General Carter," Dr. Heyman took over, "my team and I will focus on devising an insecticide that will work on them. At least the first of the two we have doesn't seem to have the carnivorous traits."

"You don't have to hurt them!" Lyra hopped off Floyd's lap, looking at them in horror.

"Parasprites can easily be corralled by music," Bon Bon added helpfully, "Usually big band music."

"So, sorta like the Pied Piper?" Floyd guessed. "I think I could manage to do something like that."

"Oddly specific," Dr. Jackson murmured, softly enough that it could be mistaken as a comment not meant to be overheard. He clasped his hands together with a wry smile. "Okay, so do we have band music around?"

"We can lead them pretty much anywhere in the city with the intercoms," Gen. Carter contributed to the subject. "Assuming we can find a place to contain them. And music they would follow. I don't know about you, but I left my concert track back in Colorado."

"Well, it doesn’t have to be big band," Cadance shook her head, "Any sort of music will do as long as it has a good rhythm. If you can get them into one location I can deal with them."

"Deal with them?" Dr. Heyman asked after his prolonged period merely listening. "How do you propose to do that?"

"Crystallize them," Cadance said simply. "Well, not really, but I can trap them in crystal until they can be released back into the Everfree."

"Really? You can do that?" Gen. Carter said, true interest sparking in her eyes. The nurse treating Floyd's wounds raised an eyebrow, having only heard secondhand about the so called magic of the ponies, teleportation entrance notwithstanding.

"I may have to protest the last part of that plan," Dr. Heyman interjected.

"If you're worried about the parasprites, don’t be." Bon Bon shook her head. "They’ll go into hibernation very quickly, and judging by how long these ones have been here, I think it's safe to assume they can handle being encased in crystal."

"The crystallization is hardly, well, not my primary concern," Dr. Heyman said to Bon Bon, a slight hesitation as he amended his initial response.

"No way you're letting those things back into the wild!" the second voice spoke up again. Heyman's voice could be heard indistinctly as he tried to shush her. "I don't care if you've seen their type before, these buggers are a couple thousand years out of place with the rest of the ecosystem! Do you know what kind of- HEY!"

"If you would," Dr. Heyman said, apparently taking back control. "Gunter is right though, if you can contain them, it's best we keep it at that, at least until we can safely determine how to dispose or relocate them."

The three ponies just stood there silently before bursting out into laughter.

"T-the ecosystem hasn’t changed in a thousand years! We ponies take great pride in the maintenance of our weather." Cadance giggled, putting a hoof to her mouth. "Honestly, I’d suggest not bringing that up with any pegasi, they’d be rather insulted with what you're implying."

"Weather smeather! I'm talking about introducing an unknown number of potential carnivores into an established biosphere!" Gunter was clearly not speaking into whatever they were using down in the lab, just talking loud enough to be heard. Nor did she seem to care about the weather comment, whether from indignation or the grapevine reports on what ponies did was her secret. "Species displacement! Overpredation! Ancient diseases! Extinction of competitors! Cats and Dogs living together!"

"Well, that's why we’d put them back into the Everfree," Lyra spoke up, "The only time we ever have problems with them is when one slips out. Do you have any idea what that place is like?" she asked, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

"Why don’t you tell us, so we can stop yelling at each other." Floyd rolled his eyes.

"The weather does what it wants, the animals fend for themselves, it's a madhouse!" Lyra shuddered, as if those were the most horrible things ever.

"Oh, that's horrible," Dr. Jackson sassed dryly. His expression turned apologetic when Gen. Carter frowned at him. "Sorry. Now, biology and weather might not be my focus, but that sounds normal."

"As hard as it may be for you to believe, no other civilization, or planet that we've been to has that level of control over their environment," Gen.Carter picked up.

"There was the touchstone on Madrona, but even… that..." Dr. Jackson found himself on the receiving end of another one of Gen. Carter's frowns. "Nevermind. Not important."

"That sounds... horrible. Not knowing if it’s going to be a bright sunny day or a snow storm..." Lyra shuddered even more. "At least since Twilight came to Ponyville we’ve been able to get Winter Wrap-up done on time..."

"We’re getting off topic," Bon Bon cut in, "There really isn’t a problem releasing them back into the Everfree considering what else lives there. Manticores, cragadiles, timberwolves... and I think an Ursa Major and Minor live there..."

Gunter snorted in derision, loud enough to be picked up. "Someone clearly knows nothing about biodiversity."

"Dr. Gunter! That's enough," Gen. Carter said firmly.

"General! They eve-"

"I said enough. For now, we will focus on corralling and containing the parasprites, as they call them." Gen. Carter took control of the situation. "What we do with them will be decided later. Heyman, I'd like you and your team to continue your work. Call it a plan B. In the meantime, I'll see if the control room can find a way to determine how many of these we have to deal with. Dr. Jackson, I'd appreciate if you could ensure all of our teams are back in secured areas."

"Yes ma'am," Dr. Heyman acknowledged.

"I can see if they found any good places to direct them to as well," Dr. Jackson added.

Gen.Carter merely nodded. "Mr. Hendrix, I want you out of danger for this. You've already gotten yourself wounded. If you are up to it, I'd like to put you and Lyra in touch with our communications team and see if we can't find something that might bait our little bug problem."

"I can do that... there's bound to be something in the thousand songs I brought with me..." he muttered something to himself in a language other than English as the nurse dabbed a cotton swab on his wound.

"Good," Gen. Carter responded. "I know it's late, people, and we already had a fairly long day, but it doesn't seem as if it's ending yet."

"Just tell me where you want me." Cadance nodded, a determined look on her face.

Crosscurrent [part 2]

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The city was under a self-maintained lockdown. General Carter’s voice was heard throughout, calmly requesting that expedition members comply to the best of their abilities, remaining in whatever rooms they may have been in. Hallways were to be kept clear of personnel and use of them was limited to specific teams and members, outside of emergencies. While part of the reasoning was to ensure the safety of expedition members, considering Hendrix's less than fortunate encounter, it was also to make the task of the control room technicians as easy as possible.

The city-wide lifesigns detector hadn't been activated yet, so while that project was unexpectedly bumped up the work queue, they were trying to determine alternate means of locating and hopefully getting a count of how many parasprites they were dealing with. Daniel and a few others were gathered in the large room he had claimed as his office and research space, including Thorne and his team, who were rolled out of bed for the task. Daniel had likely chosen the room due to the banks of shelves built into one wall, after poring over images of the city floor plans, debating the pros and cons of various rooms.

However, the team experiencing the most success would likely be the communications group. Composed of a mix of civilian military contractors and SG staff, their original mandate was to document and record most things, placing them more as a support team for the expedtion. An encounter that called for them to play a near primary role within a day of arrival certainly wasn't expected. As such, technicians were hustling around the room to get the interface between Earth technology and the Ancient systems running even as they searched for an appropriate beat to tempt the parasprites; Lyra joined them, as she was the closest thing to a resident expert they had.

"The 'Imperial March' would be weirdly fitting," Ronald Price, a military non-commissioned officer, commented as he flipped through his options. "But I doubt it's 'upbeat' enough for that, by what our unicorn friend described. Maybe some Weird Al... or Polish polka..."

"Well, Cadance said 'good rhythm,' not upbeat specifically..." Floyd muttered, going through his list. "Lavender Town?"

"Lavender Town?" Lyra asked, looking over his shoulder. "What kind of song is that?"

"Well…" Floyd hit play on his laptop, letting the old eight bit music fill the air. Lyra made a few uncomfortable faces. before letting out a cry, covering her ears.

"Make it stop!" she whimpered, shooting Floyd a pleading look. He quickly cut the audio, looking at Lyra in horror.

"Okay, make a note of that, ponies suffer from Lavender Town Syndrome." Floyd gulped, looking down at Lyra. "Y-you ok...?"

"Y-yeah I'm okay…" Lyra rubbed her ears, giving her head a shake. "I didn't think music could hurt so much... what horrible monster made that!?"

"Let's just move on…" Floyd turned back to his computer. "Any other ideas?"

"If I understand it right, these parasprites were attracted to the melody and beat of the song?" Krysiline Malaki asked, her stylus dancing between her fingers. The Filipino woman had the looks that placed her firmly in the 'exotic beauty' category.

"Uh huh," Lyra nodded, bouncing back quickly from her music-induced pain. "Pinkie Pie strapped a bunch of instruments to herself and led them out of town like a one-pony band.

"So what we really need is something with a solid underscore," she continued. "Something simple and catchy. The type of song that makes someone tap their feet and want to dance."

"Da Funk?" Floyd asked, looking over his shoulder. "I mostly have metal songs on here and I doubt that would end well."

"They might get overexcited or something," Jace Coleman, a seasoned military reporter who never quite grew up, agreed. "I can't believe they fed them. Did no one watch Star Trek? Gremlins? Placid Lake?"

"At least they didn't try to eat you," Floyd glared slightly. "We need to pick something quickly before we resort to the normal human way of solving a problem."

"Throwing wads of money at it?" Ronald quipped. "Oh, wait, that's the North American way. Okay... slow enough pace, chipper enough beat... this should not be this hard. Maybe a Disney song?"

Floyd paused, tapping his chin. "Moonlight Sonata?"

"Classical music, slow and steady beat with a distinct vigour." Malaski mulled it over.

"Classical?" Lyra asked

Jace started laughing, kicking his chair away from the shared table. "It's like Ride of the Valkyries and the military. Worth a shot." He swiveled in his chair, tapping on the taunt mesh rests. "How is that marriage thingie coming? Can we do a sound check?"

"The interface dock is almost ready," the strained voice of the technician, who had been on the wrong end of Jace's banter for too long, responded.

"Yeah; that marriage thingie," Jace repeated with a shameless smirk. "Five minutes sounds good?"

"This isn't exactly plugging an amplifier into a speaker," she said, popping up to fiddle with a few more cables, then slotting a crystal headed optic cable into the base. A green light blinked on the black bar set in the center of the table. "And it's ready…"

"Ah, the feeling of uselessness," Floyd joked. "Reminds me of breakfast with my parents."

She clipped a spare cable into the tablet she pulled from its velcro pouch on her back and checked a few things. "The interface dock is working fine, though it's not the permanent one for this station. You can plug all your stuff in regularly, it will do the necessary conversions, though there will be a slight lag. Rush job, and all that. Control will still have to patch you into which part of the coms you need." She gestured vaguely to the large Ancient console standing in the corner, its crystal keys lit but not active. "We didn't have nearly enough time to get your full access running."

"Okay..." Floyd got up, moving over to the console. He grabbed his laptop, swearing to himself in his native language. "Alright... I think I got it right..." He pulled his earpiece, an upgrade from his radio, out of his pocket, shoving it in his ear. "Uh, control, we're ready on our end."

"Good to hear. We are still having a bit of trouble tracking these things. They don't show up on scanners while hibernating, and they are too small to get a proper fix on with regular sensors."

"We are going to try a small scale test," General Carter took over. "We identified a small cluster of them on the sixty-seventh floor, so we will see how well our Pied Piper idea works."

"I have our song ready, a bit of classical to liven up the place. Just gotta hit play." Floyd smiled to himself. "Let's just hope it doesn't open any hidden passages."

There was a pause. As if in response to an unasked question, Dr. Jackson, who had apparently been patched into the connection, spoke up. "I'm reasonably sure Janus never visited this city. He was exactly the type of the person they disliked."

"Aha!" Luna's voice came through the library, getting Shining Armor's attention. He had in no way been falling asleep, no way at all. He got up, stretching his limbs out, trying to get his blood flowing again.

"Did you find something?" Celestia asked, having teleported to Luna's side, a desperate look in her eyes. Luna, who had been going through the oldest tomes in the library, the ones all the way in the back, just rolled her eyes.

"No, Celestia, I didn't find anything. I just shouted 'aha' because I was bored." She shook her head. "Yes I found something. A map!" She used her lap, spreading out said map. It was old, showing the Empire at the height of its power.

"Is that..." Shining Armor peered around Luna, a yawn half smothered behind a hoof even as his eyes widened, "is that our empire? What it used to be, I mean?"

"Yes it is, at its very peak... but... that is not why this is important, this is." She moved her hoof up and left. "Behold Shining Armor, we are the first ponies since the Great Exodus to view our homeland in any form."

Indeed, displayed prominently were the lands of the tribes, three nations clustered together. Next to them was what appeared to be a great inland sea... with a city floating on its waters.

"This doesn't make any sense, that... doesn't look like the," Shining paused and changed his wording. "Actually, that city in the water looks a lot like the Crystal Palace..."

"It should," Celestia murmured. Her expression was torn between horror and distraught. "This castle was made to honour that city, the home of the teachers. How... how could I have let myself forget the Teachers? Filly at the time or no..."

"I believe we have Discord to thank for that." Luna snorted, a look of anger on her face. "That cur stole our own history from us. But this does raise the question... why have they been quiet until now?"

Celestia had closed her eyes, in deep thought, thinking back to long forgotten years. Shining Armor looked between the two sisters in confusion. "Pri- ah, Luna, I'm lost. Who are the Teachers?"

"They, my dear nephew, are the most important race to ever walk the lands of our world. They came from the stars and found ponykind when we were barely more than animals. It was they who shaped us into what we are, and to think... they have been forgotten for so long...” Luna said, gazing at the city in lament.

"The Teachers were rare. Ponies knew of them; in truth, most of the races of our world did, but by the time I was old enough to warrant their tutelage, their numbers were... significantly diminished," Celestia recalled. Things were coming back to her from the haze of her long forgotten past. "I... Luna was one of the last ponies taught by the Teachers directly before they vanished, and..." Celestia looked down at the map and ran a hoof over the map, as if afraid to touch it. "The tensions between tribes began not many years after and the windigos started to consume the homeland."

"I... believe they called their city Shangri-La..." Luna looked up from the map. "It is extremely possible that they have dear Cadance."

Shining Armor switched to 'Captain of the Guard' mode. It was either that or have his head spin from the heavy 'prefounding of our nations' knowledge being tossed around. "Okay, so there is a city that predates the Hearth's Warming stories," he left the 'and our immortal princess' part unsaid but implied, "and you think Cadance might be there? Okay. But why?"

"Amore once told us that the Heart had been a gift from the Teachers, something to protect the city. The Heart took her and Shangri-La is the only possibility." Luna flexed her wings, shifting on her hooves. "Sister, do remind me why we never sent expeditions into the North to recover anything of value?"

"Before we took the throne, ponies feared the frozen lands and the possibility of the windigos still lurking." Celestia sighed, her wings drooping heavily. "When we did take the throne, we had too much on our hooves, and the ponies that did venture there? Past the Crystal Empire and into the frozen north? Too many died."

"I believe we have to change that." Luna gestured around them. "A piece of our history has returned to us. We cannot allow ourselves to live in ignorance. Once we reclaim Cadance I will personally lead an expedition. Maybe we can reclaim that which was lost to us..."

"We still need to discover how," Celestia sighed.

The first chords of the sonata's first movements echoed through the halls of the sixty-seventh floor. In the control room, all eyes were fixed on the screen, watching the simple two dimensional representation of the floor's layout and the cluster of dots that marked the parasprites. Everyone was waiting for any signs of movement, as were more seeing the same image down in the media office.

"So," Jace asked when the dots barely twitched. "How long should this take?"

"It worked pretty fast when Pinkie started playing," Lyra admitted.

"Mr. Hendrix, you're using Moonlight Sonata," General Carter spoke up. "Could you progress it to the 2nd movement?"

"You got it!" Floyd tapped at his laptop, skipping forward in the song. "That doin' anything?"

"I think it is," General Carter replied. Her next statement was to someone in the control room rather than to the media group. "Narrow the display to the room."

The display shifted as whoever was in control zoomed it in. The dots became more distinct, making it clear there was quite the number of them in the room. But more important was the fact that they were starting to respond, the entire mass starting to shift from side to side.

"It looks like it's working." There was a smile evident in General Carter's voice. "I think we actually got something on the first try. Hendrix, put this on a loop for me."

"You got it." He tapped away again. "We're good to go, General. Let us know when you need us for anything else." He turned back to the others. "So, anyone got any ideas how to pass the time? Stories maybe?"

"What kinda stories?" Lyra asked, sitting next to him, an eager look on her face.

"Well, I got a few uh... stories about questionable behavior." Floyd coughed, seeming to confuse Lyra. "Like uh... that time me and my cousin made moonshine…"

"Shouldn't we, you know, pay attention?" Roland asked, giving the younger man an annoyed look.

"There is no reason we can't have a conversation and be on alert," Floyd argued, looking back at his laptop. "Besides... the silence would kill me…"

"We did our job. Found a song that works," Jace reclined in his chair. "The rest is up to the ones in the control room. Right? Right."

"Hopefully." Floyd nodded, leaning back in his chair. "So. Stories? I know I got a few good ones… and Lyra has to know a good story or two."

"Oh, do I have stories!" Lyra grinned. "Like that time Pinkie Pie cloned herself or when Twilight went crazy and made the whole town fight over a doll!" Floyd blinked, giving the others a look.

"Those are more friends of yours, right?" Jace asked.

"Yup!" Lyra beamed. "Pinkie Pie is the town's party pony and Twilight is the librarian. We went to magic school together!"

"Magic School," Jace broke out in laughter. "The more I hear about this place the wilder it gets. Damn, I thought the Nox were bad!"

"You met the Nox?" Krisline remarked. "Only ever read the few mission reports on them."

"Hey!" Lyra snorted, looking a big indignant. "It took a lot of time and effort to get into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns! Do you know how hard it is for a foal to learn magic?"

"Hard, I take it?" Floyd asked, trying to soothe the mare.

"Well, yeah, it was hard, and I'm not even that good at it." Lyra nodded, taking a breath to calm herself.

"Still, it's something you choose to pursue?" Krisline asked.

"A unicorn's skill level is tied directly to their cutie mark. Some, like me, have finer control of their telekinesis while others, like Twilight have magic as their special talent! She's even Princess Celestia's personal student!"

"Gonna take more than just a one day gossip primer before I get what that means," Jace admitted. "But it still sounds impressive."

"They said Princess is your highest authority?" Ronald asked on the tail of Jace's comment. "She takes students? I'm trying to imagine the president having a student. It's an odd image."

"Well, Twilight did hatch a dragon egg and turn the baby into a giant," Lyra recounted, tapping her chin. "All I did was play a harp. Y'know… I wonder if Luna has a student..."

"Dragon?" Jace asked before bursting out in a fresh peal of laughter. "God! This place keeps getting better and better!"

"Hey! Spike's a friend of mine!" Lyra snorted, sounding much like a horse. "It's not nice to laugh at people!"

"Idiot," Floyd scolded, socking Jace in the arm. "Stop pissing off our guest!" Lyra huffed, turning away, looking rather offended.

"I've been in the SG program for a while. The boys and girls in communications don't see action much, but we hear about it a lot," Jace grinned on, unashamed and unabashed. "Most of it is some of the wildest stories you'll hear. But this place has been blowing everything out of the water. Talking ponies, magic, dragons...

"This is pretty much the only time all the weird stuff is actually the weird stuff, not just someone with enough tech and more than enough ego blowing it out their ass," Jace laughed again. "And to think I was going to stay at Homeworld Command for a shot at being part of the big one!"

"You'd think being in public relations would have made you better at dealing with people," Ronald muttered neutrally.

"I save it for official things," Jace smiled, watching the screens through the corner of his eye. "I'm off the PR clock."

"You do realize that she's like a princess's best friend right?" Floyd asked, giving Jace a bit of a glare.

"I've been part of details for diplomats, generals, liaisons and even one of the president's visits. Most of them appreciate the more casual and human approach when they aren't working." Jace leaned back again. "You get stiff playing the stiff all the time. Plus, I heard the princess insists on casual tones too."

"Still, apologize to the… mare…" Floyd insisted, gesturing to the still pouting Lyra. "Please? Ponies seem to take friendship very seriously."

"Seriously?" Lyra spoke, though it was easy to tell that she wasn't very happy. "Friendship is the most important thing ever!"

"See?" Floyd turned back to Jace. "You gonna be that guy who started an intergalactic incident?"

"I should apologize for finding this planet great?" Jace asked with a smug smirk.

"What?" Ronald questioned.

"Should I apologize for finding this planet great and thinking it's one of the best we've hit for a while?" Jace repeated with the same smug expression.

"So… you weren't laughing at my friend?" Lyra asked slowly, giving Jace a cautious look.

"God, no. I'd love to meet a dragon," Jace sighed. "The only one we, as in the SGC we, came across was another ancient hologram. A very realistic one that spat fire, caused a cave in and swallowed a few blocks of C4, according to the reports, on the other end of a literal time dilation maze, but still a hologram."

"Well then… I'm sorry I overreacted," Lyra moved over, giving Jace a hug. She pulled away with a bright smile, wagging her tail much like a dog.

"And… we got way off topic," Floyd coughed a bit. "So! Who wants to hear about that time and my cousin made moonshine and ended up burning a barn down? Or that time I saw a yee naaldlooshii…" Floyd shuddered a little, the memory sending a shiver down his spine.

Cadance took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She knew she could do this, crystallizing parasprites wasn't that hard… except… if something went wrong the swarm would most likely eat them.

Cadance and two human security officers were stationed on a balcony that overlooked the main space of the large chamber the humans had directed her to, several body lengths up. She tried not to let her nervousness for what was coming show. The plan was to direct the parasprites into the room through the larger entranceway on the far side where they would hopefully gather around the stand of loudspeakers they set up. That way, they would be in a large cluster to make it easy for her to target them en masse. There were a few grumbles about the risk of losing the speakers since they didn't have many of them, but those voices had been quickly hushed.

Her guards seemed at ease, their weapons, guns she reminded herself, held loosely before them and their expressions mostly detached. She tried to mimic them. Afterall, if anything went wrong, there was the door just a few hooves away they could duck out through.

"Nervous, Princess?" the human on the left asked, catching Cadance as she glanced at the door for any needed emergency retreat.

"Only a little," Cadance admitted as she tried to recall the name. Female with the short cut mane, narrow eyes and pale skin and an accent that reminded her of the neighponese... Kim! There were so many new and strange names in the short while they had been there. Of course, she noticed the name sewn on the uniform just after remembering it.

"You were the one to suggest the plan," Kim continued.

"Only a bit of jitters," Cadance insisted with a little laugh. She called on her best princess poise, burying her jitters as best she could. "I've faced worse than a few parasprites."

"I've faced off with replicators. These things sound close enough to creep me out," the male security officer commented casually. Bryson was his name. He adjusted his hold on his gun. "Considering the final count is well into the thousands, I think a little nervousness is called for. Are you sure you can handle this, princess? We are in a city ship. They could, I don't know, seal this room and pump out all the air or something."

"I'm sure." While she hadn't quite mastered the reassuring tone Aunt Celestia used, Cadance was still confident in her own. Even if her wings did tremble slightly.

"Princess Cadance, Sargent Bryson, Lieutenant Kim, are you ready?" General Carter called over the radio. "We are about to send them your way."

"We are!" Cadance reported without hesitation.

"Confirmed," Sergeant Bryson added as Lieutenant Kim pulled out a life signs detector instead. "We are already in position and ready."

"Fingers crossed then," the General said in a parting comment. Cadance took a deep breath, charging her horn up, the hallway becoming bathed in a light blue color. At the same time the loudspeakers came to life, chords of an instrumental piece pouring out from it as the doors opened.

Cadance waited for the parasprites to flitter out of the room before firing a beam of energy at them. As soon as it made contact, a wave of crystal started to spread over them, and in mere seconds, the swarm was encased in a shimmering indigo prison.

"Well, that worked out," Cadance smiled, letting the glow fade from her horn. "That was all of them, right?" she turned to her two companions, both sporting rather shocked looks on their faces. She couldn't help but giggle, shaking her head. "I'm going to get a lot of these reactions, aren't I?"

Bryson gave her a numb nod before he found his voice. "And you were nervous?"

"Hey, those may or may not be carnivorous parasprites. I'm immortal, not invincible." Cadance rolled her eyes, looking at the parasites, whose eyes were still moving, though they were unable to really move. "Those were all of them? I didn't miss away?" She carefully moved around the Crystal, peering into the room.

"That's all of them. At least, we're not detecting any more," Carter radioed in, allowing Cadance to fully relax.

"Only a few thousand more left to go!" Cadance chuckled, letting out a small groan. "At least it's not Sombra..." she grumbled, ruffling her wings.

”We're going to lead you to the other swarms," Carter spoke again, ”Whenever you're ready princess."

Cadance sighed, taking in a breath to prepare herself. "Lead the way."

"I do believe this is Shangri-La," Celestia muttered, unflinching as the ceaseless blizzard tried desperately to subdue her. Luckily, it was fairly easy for the dawnbringer to keep herself comfortably warm. Luna was less lucky.

"And I had hoped the city was still intact…" Luna frowned, looking across the tundra. To the untrained eye, the land before them was filled with nothing more than a collection of oddly shaped ice pillars. The sisters knew better of course, each of those pillars was a building, a building taller than anything Halla had at the moment.

"It might just be the outside," Celestia countered, her eyes moving up to the massive spire in the center of the city, "It's entirely possible that the interior remains habitable."

"Possible," Luna stressed, pulling her winter gear ever tighter around her. "Though, how exactly do you propose we get in?"

Celestia smirked. "I have an idea." Without further conversation, she spread her wings, flying over to the spire. She landed gracefully, tapping her hoof against the ice. It had to be several meters deep, which would make her plan slightly harder.

"You know I hate it when you don't tell me what you're planning." Luna frowned, quickly landing next to her.

"Luna, do you remember where the doors were?" Celestia asked, trotting around the area, poking at the ice every so often.

"As if I would remember such a detail," Luna rolled her eyes. "You might as well just melt the entire roof."

"Well then," Celestia smirked, her horn starting to light up. Her mane and tail changed from their normal colors to a deep red and orange. "Let's turn up the heat, shall we?" Luna just groaned, facehoofing.

"Whatever you say, sister." Luna spread her wings, migrating to one of the nearby buildings. It was going to get very hot very quickly. "I pray that Cadance is safe…" she whispered, watching as Celestia ignited herself, a lone flame against the endless cold.

Crosscurrent [Part 3]

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"That's the last of the small pockets ma'am," Wilson spoke up, looking to the general, who had taken to sorting out other pressing matters, "I'll do one last scan but I think the tower's clear."

"Excellent," Carter replied, nodding her thanks. She reached up, tapping her earpiece. "This is General Carter. It looks like you can take a breather, Princess, we think that was the last of the small groups."

"That's a relief," Cadance's voice spoke over the radio, relief evident in her tone.

"We're going to start scanning the unexplored portions of the city," Carter informed her, looking at the image of Shangri-La on one of the larger screens. "Don't want any more nasty surprises. Lieutenant, you can return to the control room."

"Right away, General," Lieutenant Kim began to respond, though a sudden rush of noise drowned out the rest of her reply. Carter turned, watching as the stargate started to light up.

"Wilson, raise the shield."

Wilson didn't need to be told twice, activating the gate's shield just as the wormhole connected. "We're receiving Major Marshal's IDC."

Carter let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. "Let them through." Wilson nodded, deactivating the shield.

"Uh ma'am, we have a problem." Wilson frowned, turning her attention to a flashing screen.

Carter barely contained a groan, starting to feel the beginnings of a headache. "What is it, Wilson?"

"We're detecting a major buildup of heat just above the jumper bay's outer door." Wilson paused, studying the screen intently.

"What?" Carter asked, moving to look for herself.

"The ice covering the outer doors is melting," Wilson repeated, a frown growing across her face.

"Which would mean we could use the bay, if the doors weren't damaged," Carter muttered, looking up as the offworld team came through the gate, which promptly deactivated behind them. "Wilson, send a message to Iwu, I want a team working on the outer bay doors as soon as possible."

"Right away."

"Bowers," Carter tapped her earpiece, switching to the colonel's frequency, "I want two security teams in the jumper bay."

"Ma'am?" came Bowers' confused reply.

"It looks like we may be getting some more uninvited guests," Carter informed him.

"I'll take care of it," Bowers acknowledged, beginning to pass out orders.

"Major Marshal," Carter turned turned her attention to the Puddle Jumper as it moved up into the bay. "I want that jumper unloaded and the civilians evacuated from the bay in the next ten minutes."

"Right away, General," Marshal responded.

At least they could be prepared this time. She registered a flash in the corner of her eye, gazing over to see Cadance had teleported in, though judging by the looks her guards were sporting, they hadn't expected it.

"Sorry," Cadance spoke up sheepishly, looking between her companions, "I didn't want to walk."

"It's alright, Princess," Lieutenant Kim assured her, straightening up.

"Sergeant, Lieutenant," Carter cut in, getting their attention, "I want you to go up to the jumper bay and assist Major Marshal."

"Yes ma'am!" They saluted before moving out of sight.

"Samantha, is something going on?" Cadance asked with a frown. "Please tell me it's not more parasprites."

"Something is melting the ice covering the jumper bay," Carter explained, glancing upward, "Do you know of anything that could do that?"

Cadance thought for a moment before her face lit up. "That has to be Celestia!"

"Let's suppose it is her," Carter gestured for her to come over. "How is she putting out enough heat to do it?"

Cadance giggled, bringing a hoof to her mouth. "My aunt is directly connected to the sun, this weather is just a light flurry to her." Cadance got serious, dropping her hoof. "Though, I've never actually seen her go all out, I can only imagine it's terrifying."

"Connected to the sun how?" It wouldn't be the first time a ruler presented themselves as having some supernatural power, hell that's all the Goa'uld did. Though, there was always the possibility that said boasting was true.

"That, my friend, is something you should see for yourself." Cadance smiled mischievously.

"If it is her," Carter began, frowning down at her, "would she see us as a threat?"

"I'm not going to say that the situation looks all that good," Cadance admitted sheepishly, "but I think if I'm there, things will calm down."

"Right," Carter noded, a plan forming in her head. "Are you good with confined spaces?"

"And you never got caught?" Roland asked, giving Floyd a skeptical look.

"Nope," Floyd shook his head, looking up from his laptop. "Everyone assumed a coyote had just knocked over a lantern or something."

"How did you get into the program, again?" Krysiline glanced at him, a frown on her face.

"Dad's a suit," Floyd explained, stretching out. "He works with the pentagon or something. Personally, I think he got me the job as an apology."

"What's a suit?" Lyra asked from nearby, looking at some pictures of Earth with Jace.

"It's a set of clothes," Floyd responded, making Lyra roll her eyes.

"I know that. I was asking why you called your dad a suit."

"Oh, that." Floyd leaned back. "It's just what you call people that work for the government."

"I... don't get it," Lyra admitted, frowning.

"People employed by the government normally dress very formally, usually in some type of suit," Roland answered. "You know, I'm actually surprised you know what clothes are."

"Ponies wear clothes," Lyra giggled. "Although we normally only wear them during special occasions, or for protection. It really just depends on the pony, I suppose…"

"I dunno, I kinda figured they'd be too hot to wear, I mean, with the fur and all," Floyd gestured, scratching his neck.

"Sometimes it can be," Lyra nodded before looking at Floyd curiously. "Hey Floyd, what was that thing you said before?"

"That's... not very specific."

"The, uh…" she tapped her hoof a few times. "You said 'yee something.' I don't know of any word like it in modern Equestrian."

"That's because the language we're conversing with right now is English," Floyd explained, absentmindedly toying with his amulet. "Yee naaldlooshii is a word in Diné bizaad, the language of the Navajo."

"You're Navajo?" Krysiline asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"One half," Floyd nodded. "I spent a lot of time in the nation, normally summers."

"That's nice and all but it doesn't exactly answer my question," Lyra complained, poking Floyd's leg.

"Geez, relax will ya?" Floyd shook his head. "The most direct translation is 'skin walker.'"

"That... doesn't sound so nice."

"It's not. Most Navajo don't talk about them. Skin walkers are people who have gained the power to turn into an animal by wearing its skin."

"Humans can do that?" Lyra made a face, the thought being utterly horrid.

"No," Roland assured her, "It's just a belief, humans can't just turn into animals."

"Yeah, well, I saw one," Floyd insisted, scowling.

"Let's just talk about something else shall we?" Krysiline suggested, doing her best to defuse the situation.

Salvation came when General Carter's voice crackled over Floyd's earpiece.

"Hendrix, come in."

Floyd didn't respond right away, taking in a deep breath before letting it out. "Yes, General?" he asked, turning away from the others.

"I need you and Lyra up in the Jumper Bay," Carter instructed. "Bring your camera."

"Copy that." Floyd got up, peering at the mare. "Come on Ly, the General wants us." He stopped, looking at Jace, the older man having grabbed his arm.

"Don't let things like that get to you, yeah?" Jace encouraged, releasing his arm. "Nothing's impossible right?"

"Thanks." Floyd managed a smile before making his way out of the room.

As the steam cleared, Luna raised her eyebrow at the sight of the tower. Instead of just having a normal door on the roof, the doors were set down into a short shaft and took up the entirety of the roof. Not to mention the shield was up, though unlike its normal dome, it seemed to be acting as a second skin to the city.

"I don't understand," Celestia muttered, frowning at the doors while the shield reacted to each step they took, "Why would they leave the shield in such a way?"

"It seems that they didn't want anyone to get in," Luna commented, adjusting her gear, "What's your next bright idea?"

"Just... let me think," Celestia huffed, trotting away from her. What was she supposed to do now? Shangri-La's shield was supposed to be impenetrable, and she didn't exactly want to just start blasting at it.

"We're not going to get anywhere just standing here, perhaps there is another way in?"

"No," Celestia shook her head quickly. "If the shield is up, we won't be able to get in." Luna said nothing, just giving her a flat look. "Don't give me that look, Luna, I had no way of knowing that the shield was active."

"Tell me sister, do you actually plan things out, or do you just make it up as you go along and hope for the best?"

"Luna, is this really the best time for this?" Celestia scowled, returning Luna's flat look.

"Celestia, you're the one who dropped everything and decided to just come here," Luna countered.

"It would have taken us months to mount a proper expedition!" Celestia protested, fluffing her wings in agitation. "Cadance can't wait that long."

"I know that, what I'm saying is that you dragged us up here without any plan whatsoever, like usual." Luna snorted, fluffing her own wings. Celestia opened her mouth to reply, only to stop as the doors started to slowly slide open under the shield. They both lit their horns, peering down into the darkness.

After a few tense moments, one of the Teachers' flying craft rose up, passing through the shield. Celestia gazed through the window, freezing up momentarily. Memories flooded her mind as she stared at the pilot, obviously one of the teachers.

"Auntie!" Cadance's voice cut through the tide, drawing Celestia back to the real world.

"Cadance!" she shouted, nearly reaching the Royal Voice. The younger alicorn had appeared next to the Teacher, waving at them.

"I'll be right out," Cadance spoke, her voice projected by the machine. She disappeared from sight, reappearing from the opposite end. Only once had Celestia ever felt this kind of relief, the day Luna returned to her. Celestia darted over, pulling Cadance into a bone crushing hug. "Ack! C-can't breathe..." Cadance wheezed, squirming futilely.

"Sister," Luna spoke softly, putting her hoof on Celestia's shoulder, "If you do not release Cadance then our reunion will be very short lived."

"O-oh yes, of course," Celestia muttered quickly, releasing Cadance. "I apologize Cadance, my emotions got hold of me..."

"I-it's fine, Auntie..." Cadance coughed, rubbing her throat.

"Are you well, Cadance?" Luna asked, looking her niece over. "They treated you well, yes?"

Cadance took a long deep breath before responding, "Yes, Luna, I'm fine. I've been treated very well." She held up her hoof, cutting them off preemptively. "I'll explain everything once we're inside. I'm not exactly dressed for the weather."

"And we are supposed to climb into..." Celestia frowned, trying to recall the name of the vehicle. Her hazy memories were starting to become rather bothersome.

"General Carter called it a 'Puddle Jumper,'" Cadance quoted, gesturing to it. "Now come on, I'm freezing." Celestia and Luna exchanged looks, taking a moment before following Cadance inside of the Jumper. It took them a few minutes to get inside, as Celestia was slightly too tall to stand normally, forcing her to lay on her belly, with the other alicorns taking a bench to either side of her.

The hatch behind them closed, and the Jumper descended back into the tower.

"Cadance, I must ask about the people of this city," Celestia spoke, making sure the pilot couldn't hear. "A general is not something the Teachers would have."

"Well..." Cadance bit her lip, choosing her words carefully. A bit of panic shot through the young monarch, a misphrased statement could seriously hamper any potential diplomatic relations Cadance had already begun. "The Teachers... are gone."

"What?" Luna asked first, her eyes narrowing as a very disturbing look began growing on her face.

"Okay, hold it," Cadance quickly shook her head. "They've been gone since before the Great Exodus. Some kind of sickness took them. They put the shield up around the city so it wouldn't get out, so it wouldn't infect us."

"Then, why does that one look like them?" Celestia asked, her tone and expression unreadable.

"They call themselves humans," Cadance began, recalling what Dr. Jackson had told her the day before. "They come from a planet called Earth, a galaxy away from us. They are, more or less, the Teachers' descendants."

"We shall see," Luna snorted, her expression having softened slightly.

"Please, just give them a chance, they've been nothing but kind to me and the others," Cadance pleaded, looking between them. The Jumper rocked a bit, signaling their arrival.

"One moment please, and we can all get out of this tuna can," their pilot joked, lowering the rear hatch. Instead of going through the time consuming process of getting out one at a time by walking backwards out of the hatch, the three alicorns took the most logical course of action – teleporting out.

Luna let out a small gasp as she took in the surroundings, this time being the one assaulted by old memories. Glimpses of figures and the echoes of words long forgotten washed over her. It was Celestia who threw her a life saver.

"Are you General Carter?" the eldest princess asked, gazing intently at the human closest to them.

"That would be correct," General Carter nodded. "I take it you are Princess Celestia?"

"That would also be correct, General." Celestia gazed behind the General, noting the dozen or so guards behind the general. Off to the side were Lyra Heartstrings and... Agent Sweetie Drops. The two locked eyes for a moment, with Sweetie Drops giving a barely noticeable nod. Next to them stood another human, holding what looked like a camera. Her eyes stopped, resting on the amulet hanging from his neck.

"Where did you get that?" Celestia asked, causing the human to jump.

"Uh... I got it off a skeleton..." he admitted, reaching up to touch it. Celestia raised her eyebrow, watching as it glowed ever so softly.

"Please, Your Majesties," Carter spoke, getting their attention, "we have a lot to talk about, and I imagine we'd all like to do it somewhere more comfortable. If you'll please follow me, my colleague Dr. Jackson should have the conference room set up." She turned, quickly moving out of the room.

"Were you expecting them to be so... tall?" Daniel whispered, leaning ever so closer to Carter. The ponies in question were seated across from them, more or less grilling Bon Bon and Lyra about their time in the city. Floyd was seated on the human side with his camera set up and rolling.

"Honestly, I was expecting them both to be around Cadance's size," Carter replied. Celestia was the taller of the pair, standing at at least six and a half feet, horn included, while Luna was slightly taller than Cadance. Both, for reasons unknown, had flowing manes and tails, which moved in a non-existent wind. Luna's was more on the ethereal side, her mane like the night sky.

"I would like to thank you," Celestia spoke, her voice soft and reserved. "My subjects tell me that you have treated them very well."

"I won't lie, your Majesty," Carter replied, meeting the alicorn's gaze, "we weren't exactly prepared for their appearance, but our people would much rather have friends than enemies."

"I feel much the same way," Celestia agreed with a nod. "From what Cadance as told us, it seems you intend to claim the city for your own."

"Thieves!" Luna snorted, flaring her wings out. "What right do you have to—"

"Luna, calm yourself," Celestia chided, sipping at the tea their hosts had graciously provided. "Such outbursts are ill-suited for talks such as these."

"Sister, they wish to—!"

"Luna," Celestia frowned, her magic clamping Luna's mouth shut, "this is not the Empire. There is no dictator to slay. If it is true that the Teachers died out, that would mean that the city has sat here, unclaimed. Equestria has no land here, and if they intend to claim it, we have no legal right to stop them."

"About that," Daniel cleared his throat, "do you know exactly where we are?"

"Of course," Celestia nodded, releasing a clearly angry Luna. "We are in a region known as the Frozen North." Celestia levitated a map out of Luna's gear, laying it out in front of the humans. "It was once the pony homeland, but it has since become an uninhabitable frozen waste."

"Right," Daniel nodded, scanning the map. Several names caught his eye, mostly the ones that seemed to be equine-related puns of locations back on Earth. "This is incredible," he noted, continuing to scan the map. "So many places seem to have names that mirror locations on our world."

"Doc," Floyd started, looking at the map, "those are a bunch of pun names."

"I know, it's fascinating," Daniel replied, ignoring how unimpressed the young man sounded. "I mean, Baltimare is a harbor city just like our own Baltimore. The fact that they parallel each other warrants further study."

"If I may, doctor Jackson," Celestia spoke, setting her cup down, "I assume you came through the..." she paused, looking at the stargate.

"Yes we came through the stargate," he explained, curbing his enthusiasm slightly.

"Is that what you call it?" Celestia asked, returning her gaze to him. "The Teachers' name for it continues to elude me."

"Well it's been given many names during our travels," Daniel offered. "Chappa'ai has been a common one, and ring of still waters is one we've heard a few times that is an apt description. 'Stargate' is our translation. We got it from the Gau'uld, who got it from the Ancients name 'Astra Porta'. The operation of the device is keying in several coordinates in space and finally inputting the symbol for the point of origin. Earth's point of origin symbol is this," he pointed to the SGC logo with the pyramid and sun.

"If I remember correctly..." Celestia levitated over a sheet of paper and a pen, quickly drawing out what looked like a tree, its snaking branchings resembling a star. "This is Halla's symbol, the Tree of Harmony."

Daniel peered down at the drawing, taking a moment to think. "Princess... have you been through the gate before?"

"I..." Celestia paused, a far away look spreading across her face. "I believe so. Forgive me, my memory of that time is foggy at best."

"It's alright, Princess," Daniel said. "I only ask because Earth has several legends and myths about things like pegasi, unicorns and other beings from your world. The far east even has an equine creature known as the qilin."

"How did you find our world?" Luna spoke up, glancing between the humans.

"We found reference to Shangri-La in another city," Sam answered. "It took us a little longer to find out the address."

"And an address is how you refer to the coordinates in space you have to input, correct?" Celestia asked, her interest piqued.

"Exactly," Daniel agreed, "It sort of came to me after reading about Shangri-La."

"This is all truly fascinating," Celestia told him. "It seems we'll have much to learn from you during your time here." She cleared her throat. "I want to formally thank you for taking care of Cadance and her companions. I cannot tell you how worried we were for her safety."

"It was no trouble at all," Daniel said. "One of the SGC's primary goals has always been to ensure friendly relations with the inhabitants of other worlds and to learn from them as well as they from us." Of course, he left out the bit about collecting technology for Earth's defense.

"Cadance has assured me of that," Celestia nodded. "I do hope our people can be friends."

"We're hoping for the same thing," Sam said. "Once this facility is fully operational, we'll work on establishing formal relations. From there, we can discuss the future between our races."

"If I may hazard a guess, you plan on expanding the shield to free the city of ice?" Celestia asked, a smile on her face.

Sam blinked, not sure what to make of that statement. "Yes, that was our plan. Did Cadance tell you that as well?"

"My own deduction," Celestia smirked, "You can't lower the shield until you remove the ice and the only way to do that is to expand it."

"Well Princess, you're absolutely right." Sam said. "We should be able to do that rather quickly if we don't run into any unforeseen circumstances. Shangri-La should be free of ice in less than a day."

"To see the city again in all its glory." Celestia closed her eyes. "Don't you agree Luna?"

"It will certainly be a sight to behold, sister," Luna agreed, closing her own eyes. "It is not one that I thought we would ever see again."

"You've been here before?" Floyd asked, peeking past his camera.

"Yes," Celestia said. "When we were just fillies. I remember only a little of our time here, but I do remember being in awe of what we were seeing."

"I... wasn't expecting that..." Daniel frowned, looking between the princesses.

"Neither did we, until we heard the name Shangri-La again," Celestia replied. "Something seems to have tampered with our memories. I wouldn't be surprised if Discord was at least partially responsible."

"General" a voice crackled over Carter's earpiece.

"What is it?" Sam asked, putting a finger to the earpiece. "Did something happen?"

"The shield emitters are good to go," the voice replied, "We can expand the shield whenever you're ready."

"You are clear to expand the shields," Carter told him. "Let's get Shangri-La clear."

"Right away ma'am."

"Looks like the emitters were in better condition than I thought," Carter relayed to the others, smiling. "In a matter of minutes, Shangri-La will be cleared away of ice. Then, we can send you home."

"That is wondrous news," Luna said. "I can hardly wait to see it." All of a sudden, a series of rumbles started to run through the city, alerting everyone.

"Probably should have warned us about that..." Floyd muttered, holding his camera steady.

"I wasn't expecting it either," Carter said. "But think of it this way, it beats digging the city out by hand," she offered, a certain incident in Antarctica replaying in her mind.

"That's it, General, the shields are at full.

"I suggest keeping it up," Celestia spoke up, "I'd rather we not find out if the windigos still lurk in the tundra."

"And I thought this place was all sunshine and rainbows," Floyd muttered.

"That's why you have to learn to keep your guard up," Carter told him. "Even something that seems completely innocuous can turn out to be dangerous. Just like those parasprites."

"It's just, I wasn't expecting a world of magical ponies to co-exist with a native american spirit of cannibalism," Floyd spoke, yawning softly.

"And did you think we expected to find out that the ancient norse gods were actually the famous Roswell Greys?" Daniel asked with a chuckle. "First rule of gate travel, always expect the unexpected. Especially when it comes to our myths and legends turning out to be real."

"Did you say... cannibalism?" Lyra spoke up, a horrified look on her face.

"Yeah, the legend of the wendigo starts with a man committing the horrific act of cannibalism," Floyd explained. "Once he has tasted the flesh of man he becomes a hideous beast."

"I would hope such an act is rare?" Luna asked, eyeing Floyd.

"Yeah, cannibalism is seen as one of the most despicable things someone can do," Floyd said. "And I'm not quite sure of the exact number, but I do think it doesn't happen very often."

"Before we continue," Daniel spoke up, getting everyone's attention, "We've all been up through the night, perhaps we should get some sleep?"

"I could go for some sleep, the fuzzballs kept me up," Floyd mumbled, glancing at his fingers.

"Very well, we shall retire for the night and reconvene in the morning," Celestia said, standing up and stretching out a bit. "Once we wake up I can take Cadance, her companions, and all of you to the Crystal Empire. I am sure that Dr. Jackson will immensely enjoy seeing it."

"Good night everypony!" Lyra waved, getting to her hooves.

"I can show you to some empty rooms, Princess," Carter spoke up, standing and looking between Celestia and Luna.

"I think we can find our old rooms." Celestia smiled. "Though I would understand if you assigned us escorts."

Carter nodded, grateful for the princesses' understanding. She turned and motioned to a few guards that were standing by the door. They came up to her and snapped to attention. "Please see to it that the princesses make it to their rooms."

"Night guys." Floyd waved. He blinked, watching as Luna stepped past, the alicorn studying him for a moment. "Uh... can I help you?" he asked, not sure what to make of the look she was giving him.

"That amulet once belonged to our mentor," Luna explained, her eyes locking onto the pendant hanging from his neck. "If you are to wear it, we ask that you keep it safe."

"That was the plan, Princess," Floyd told her, putting a hand on it. "I can't quite explain it, but it's like this thing... called out to me."

"Then perhaps you are worthy of it," Luna smiled cryptically, trotting out of the room.

"Yeah... that wasn't weird at all," Floyd muttered, his hand dropping from the amulet as he began walking toward his own room. "And to think, I almost said no to going through the gate."

"That was... odd..." Daniel commented, turning to Carter.

"Daniel, we've dealt with odd things for about a decade now," Carter reminded him. "That doesn't even crack the top ten. But, it does bear looking into."

"Right," Daniel nodded, getting to his feet. "Try not to stay up too late."

"I could say the same to you," Carter shot back, getting up with him. "I saw the way your eyes lit up when you read that map. That look usually comes before you pull an all night research session."

"The way I see it, we're going to have a busy day tomorrow," he replied, walking to the door.

"I'd be disappointed if we had walked through the gate and there was nothing for us to do," Carter offered. "As it stands, we've struck metaphorical gold on this find."

"You just know the IOA's going to pull something," Daniel sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"We've dealt with them before and we can deal with them now," Carter said.

"Let's not forget, they removed you from Atlantis for being too good at your job."

"I'm not going to let that happen again," Carter told him with a frown. "Even if I have to pull every string I have at my disposal."

"Lets hope it doesn't come to that." He turned, looking at her, "Night, Sam."

"Good night, Daniel," she replied, parting ways with him to go to her own room.

"I was worried you were going to bite that young stallion's head off," Celestia commented, looking around their old quarters.

"I was half-tempted to when I saw the amulet he had so brazenly taken," Luna replied, laying comfortably on her bed.

"But you didn't," Celestia pointed out, taking her own bed.

"You once told me that you felt Twilight Sparkle's potential the moment you saw her," Luna began, looking over at her, "I believe I felt the same thing."

"Hmm, these descendants of the Teachers are rather interesting," Celestia mused with a smile. "We will have to watch the young stallion and see if you were right about him."

"I hope we are right about them..." Luna muttered, laying her head down.

"I do not think we have anything to worry about this particular group of humans," Celestia offered. "Though I do not know about any others."

"Cadance and her companions gave them high praise."

"True, just call me paranoid," Celestia said, laying her own head down. "Let's hope that our dealings with the humans continue to be pleasant ones."

"Good night, sister."

"And pleasant dreams to you," Celestia replied, letting out a yawn as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Crosscurrent [part 4]

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"I'm sorry to bother you, General, but they insisted," Lt. Kim apologized, standing in the general's door.

"It's fine, Lieutenant," Carter assured her. "What did they want at this time of day? The sun's not even up yet."

"They uh..." Kim scratched her cheek. "They claim they need to lower the moon and raise the sun."

"...I need to see this," Carter said, walking out of her room. "It's impossible for them to be able to do such a thing," she muttered to herself. "Even with magic they can't just override a star's superior gravity."

"Might just be superstition," Kim suggested as they moved through the empty hallways.

"It doesn't make sense though," Carter said. "They don't seem like they want to play gods like the Goa'uld. Did they sound earnest when they made their request?"

"They were very insistent, General," Kim explained, "Princess Celestia claims she hasn't been late once in the last thousand years."

"Okay, so they obviously believe they're really doing something," Carter nodded. She concentrated, running through all the possibilities of what the two could actually be doing. "I do have a hypothesis," she said slowly, a satisfied smile on her face. "Perhaps this planet is tidally locked!"

"Ma'am?"

"Tidal lock is something that occurs with our moon back home," Carter explained. "The rotation speed matches the orbit speed so that one hemisphere always faces the celestial body it orbits. The princesses aren't literally raising the sun and moon, they're affecting the rotation of this planet."

"That's a quick answer," Kim commented, looking back at her.

"I'm not just a General, Lieutenant," Carter told her with a chuckle. "I earned my doctorate in astrophysics."

"Right." Kim nodded, "They're in the jumper bay, waiting for us."

"Alright, and I may not bring up this little revelation to them," Carter admitted. "We've only just met the princesses and I'd hate to offend them." Kim nodded, leading her up into the jump bay. Celestia and Luna looked wide awake, chatting with their escorts. "Hello, princesses," Carter greeted. "Lieutenant Kim tells me that you wanted to lower the moon and raise the sun this morning."

"It is a duty that has been entrusted to us for a thousand years," Luna spoke, nodding her head.

"Well, that does sound important," Carter replied. "Do you mind if I watch you two do it?"

"Of course not," Celestia assured with a smile, "Though, we will need to be on the other side of the shield."

"Then we'll need to get you in a jumper," Carter explained, motioning toward the nearest ship. "That's the only thing that can pass through the shield."

"I do wish the Teachers had made their carriages larger," Luna grumbled, shooting one of the jumpers a look of disdain.

"They have to be this size," Carter said. "Otherwise they wouldn't fit through the gate." She opened the door to one of the jumpers, ushering the princesses inside. Luna sighed as she moved inside, laying down on one of the benches. Carter nodded to their designated pilot, moving up to the front compartment, Celestia laying down on the floor. The pilot took the controls and the jumper hovered in the air. The pilot took the jumper past the shield and landed it on a nearby flat part of the tundra outside.

Celestia and Luna teleported outside, bracing themselves against the blizzard.

"Not the most pleasant place we've ever performed our sacred duty," Luna grumbled, her body shivering even after the brief exposure to the cold.

"Would you rather the world panic?" Celestia asked, raising her eyebrow.

"You know that I do not wish for such a thing," Luna sighed. Luna lit up her horn, then Celestia lit her own horn up, closing her eyes. In a matter of moments, the moon started to dip below the horizon. The sun then started peaking up, taking the moon's former place in the sky.

"There." Celestia smiled, opening her eyes. "Not even the Frozen North can stop us."

"If Discord couldn't do it, then I doubt a little cold weather could," Luna replied with a chuckle as she walked back to the jumper.

"Keep that up and you'll jinx us," Celestia joked, letting Luna get in first.

"Well, you've already been stopped once before," Luna teased, a smirk on her face. "Cadance told me all about what happened at her wedding."

"At least I didn't sleep through it," Celestia shot back, laying down on the floor.

"You're right, I would've liked to have seen it in person," Luna replied, laying down next to her.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Celestia asked, turning her attention to the humans.

"It was certainly something to behold," Carter replied. "Seeing that really reminds me how far away from home I am." The jumper picked up again, taking them back into the hangar.

"I know that feeling, I spent a very long time away from home," Luna spoke, looking away.

"Spending a long time from home is part of my job," Carter told her. "It took some getting used to that, but going out into space was a dream of mine since I was just a little girl."

"If only I had been so lucky..."

"So, now that it's officially morning, how about we have some breakfast?" Carter asked, wanting to change the topic and hopefully lift the mood. "We've got plenty of food here."

"I think that sounds lovely," Celestia responded with a smile.

"Sounds good then," Carter replied. "Let's get back in the city and get something to eat. I think I should introduce you to some human breakfast foods. Namely, cereal."

"I assure you General, we have cereal."

"Then I guess we'll just have to show you ours, and next time you can show us yours," Carter said with a chuckle. The princesses teleported out of the jumper, letting the others walk out.

"Can humans eat oats?" Luna asked, gazing at Carter's stomach for a moment.

"Humans are omnivorous," Carter explained. "We've got a pretty varied diet that includes grains of various kinds, fruits and vegetables, and a need for protein that some of us use meat to fill but others of us just eat certain plant matter like tofu in order to get it."

"Sounds very handy," Luna commented.

"It is for the most part," Carter replied,. "It's certainly made human cuisine quite varied. Not just on our own planet, either."

"I cannot wait to try my hoof." Celestia grinned, fluffing her wings.

"Glad to hear it," Carter replied, beginning to lead them out of the bay. "We might as well exchange cuisine on top of everything else."

"I can think of a few ponies that would be eager to try different human food," Celestia said, chuckling at the thought of a certain pink pony.

"I pray that the food here is nothing like Canterlot's." Luna shuddered, her stomach groaning at the idea of ingesting the wretched substances that passed as food in the capital.

"I keep telling you to avoid the places that have been reviewed by that tasteless pony Zesty Gourmand, but you refuse to listen to me," Celestia told her with a roll of the eyes. "Every time I offer to disguise the two of us so we can have a quiet meal at my favorite places you always pass."

"I am this close to arresting her for crimes against good taste," Luna huffed, "she obviously has none."

"Luna, we're not creating food based laws just to get rid of a talentless hack of a critic," Celestia scolded. "Even if she is awful..."

"Bah!" Luna pouted, looking away from her.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the ponies of Canterlot will come to the conclusion that Zesty wouldn't know good food from her own plot at some point," Celestia assured with a chuckle. "They can only stomach so much of that drivel she forces her approved restaurants to make."

"We shall see, sister."

"Well, it certainly seems like you two have strong feelings about food," Carter commented, chuckling a little at their back and forth.

"Most food is better than moon rocks," Luna replied.

"And better than Jack's melted arctic ice," Carter added.

"You didn't actually eat moon rocks," Celestia spoke, a look of horror dawning on her face. "Did you...?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Luna replied cryptically. "It's not like there was any hay or flowers on the moon."

"Oh, Luna..." Celestia turned her head away, unable to look at her sister.

"None of that, sister." Luna sighed. "What's done is done. We cannot change the past, even when it hurts." Luna gazed at Carter, who wore a confused expression. "Though I do believe we have lost the General."

"Yes." Carter nodded. "I'm sorry but… you've been on your planet's moon before?" she asked carefully.

"Aye." Luna nodded solemnly. "We were banished there for the last thousand years."

"And you were able to survive there?" Carter asked, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. "Does your moon have an atmosphere?"

"It was more... I was trapped inside of it than on it."

"And you were conscious the entire time?" Carter inquired. "Or were you put into some form of stasis or hibernation?"

"Technically, Nightmare Moon spent most of that time stewing in her hatred, squirreling her power away until she could free us."

"This is all very interesting, but I think it's best if we change the subject," Carter said, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"I agree." Celestia nodded. "I'd rather not dwell on past mistakes."

"I am interested in learning more about your world," Carter suggested, walking into the mess hall, "It must be hard with so many races all on one planet."

"In the past, things were rather tense at times," Celestia admitted. "Even the three different pony tribes were at each other's throats at one time. But things have greatly improved. Our little ponies have learned to work together in harmony and we even have good relations with most of the other races of this world." Celestia frowned. "Of course, there are a few that we are not friends with."

"That sounds rather impressive," Carter said. "Things back home have greatly improved between our different cultures as well. I guess finding out we're not alone in the universe had a way of bringing us together."

"We could give you the 'crash course' as it were," Celestia offered.

"I'd like that a lot," Carter agreed. "If we're going to be working on this planet for an extended time, then we'll need to learn about all of its various inhabitants." The princesses nodded, allowing Carter to fill their trays. "I decided to give you various types of our breakfast foods to see what you think," Carter told them, holding their trays out for them before moving to fill her own up.

"Thank you." Celestia smiled as she and Luna took their trays from her. Carter quickly grabbed her own food, purposely avoiding the meat in an attempt to not make the princesses uncomfortable. She took a seat at the closest table and motioned for them to join her. They trotted over, sitting down. "Who would you like to know about first?"

"I've heard the word griffon mentioned before, let's start with them," Carter said, taking a bite out of her food.

"The griffons are a..." Celestia frowned, trying to find the right words. "A very difficult people."

"And very greedy," Luna added.

"But they are not without their positive traits," Celestia assured. "It usually just takes getting past a quite rough exterior to find them."

"Until you ask a question of them. Then they start demanding bits."

"Guess we'll have to get some of this planet's money before we try dealing with them," Carter lamented. "What about another race?"

"You should also know, the griffons no longer have any form of government," Celestia warned.

"No wonder less than ideal traits have shown up," Carter commented. "They're living in an anarchy."

"As far as I am aware, they were always like that," Celestia corrected, "It was only once they found a mystical artifact that they united previously."

"Huh, we'll have to look into that," Carter admitted. "I'm sure Daniel will get a kick out of learning their history."

"Just make sure he has loads of bits."

"We'll work on that," Carter replied. "Though he does still have chocolate on him. Would they take that instead?"

"Not that we know of."

"That's a shame," Carter lamented. "Guess it can't be helped though. So, what about the other races?"

"The deer live in the Everfree," Celestia started, beginning to eat.

"Deer?" Carter repeated, caught off guard by that. "I wasn't expecting to hear those being here."

"Doctor Jackson didn't tell you?"

"It must've slipped his mind between everything else that we had learned yesterday," Carter said. "Still, I guess it makes sense that there'd be deer here. We have ponies back home too. Well, at least what you'd call earth ponies anyway."

"You have Earth Ponies?" Luna asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"Well, we have an animal that has a passing resemblance to Earth Ponies," Carter clarified. "Their intelligence isn't nearly as high as any of yours and their coloration isn't quite as varied."

"And you have deer as well?" Celestia asked curiously.

"Yes, they're pretty common in my country too." Carter nodded. "They live in a lot of our wooded and rural areas. I'm guessing your deer are smarter than ours too."

"They hold a small kingdom in the Everfree forest." Celestia took a bit of toast. "Besides a rather brave zebra, they are the only ones daring enough to make the forest their home."

"...Did you just say zebra?" Carter asked, blinking. "There are zebras here too?"

"They aren't native to the Equestrian continent, but yes there is a sizable population in our country."

"This day is getting stranger and stranger and breakfast isn't even over yet," Carter muttered. "There are zebras on our planet as well. They live on a continent we call Africa."

"Zebras are mostly tribal in nature, and by tradition, speak in rhyme."

"Sounds like they'd be good friends with Dr. Seuss," Carter commented, chuckling slightly.

"Who?" Luna asked, tilting her head.

"He's a famous children's book author from our world. He used a lot of rhyming in his books," Carter explained.

"I would be rather interested in reading some of his work." Celestia smiled. "I must ask General Carter, do you have any legends about... changelings?"

"I believe we do." Carter nodded. "Though I couldn't give you the specifics on any legends. That's Daniel's area of expertise, not mine. I'm guessing changelings are a thing here too?"

"They are an insect-like race of ponies," Celestia spoke, a torn look spreading across her face, "They live in hives, led by queens. One such queen, Chrysalis, nearly toppled our nation."

"Then there are other hives that might not be hostile?" Carter inquired.

"A few, one in Trottingham. I have tea with the queen every so often." Celestia nodded with a smile.

"Well, if this Chrysalis shows up and tries to topple Equestria again, our technology might be able to help you."

"That would be very kind of you." Celestia bowed her head slightly. "But, if it were a mere war of arms, we wouldn't have come so close to defeat. Changelings are shapeshifters, able to fully change into their target, replacing them and feeding on the love directed toward the one they replaced."

"Sounds like a useful ability," Carter said. "Would the queen you have tea with mind giving us a DNA sample? I'm sure our biology team would have a field day studying this."

"You could ask her yourself," Celestia offered, "I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

"I'll take you up on that offer," Carter answered. "Just make sure to coach me on proper etiquette around her. I'd hate to offend her in some way."

"We still have a few other races to go over," Celestia stated, sipping at her drink.

"Then what about minotaurs?" Carter inquired. "I remember them being mentioned yesterday."

"Loud, brutish creatures." Luna snorted.

"What she means to say is that the minotaurs can be a bit boisterous," Celestia said, shooting her sister a quick look. "They can also be a bit stubborn, which is where the term 'bullheaded' comes from."

"Are you on good terms?" Carter asked, looking between them.

"The minotaurs are a race that we have a healthy trade relationship with," Celestia answered. "Most of our metalworks come from them. In fact, our guards' armor is all made by a minotaur blacksmith by the name of Steel Will."

"We have not always seen eye to eye with them," Luna admitted, fluffing her wings.

"It's amazing to be learning about all these different races," Carter said. "You'd think I'd have learned that there's some truth in some of the old human myths, but it's never been like this."

"All myths should be taken with a grain of salt, General." Celestia chuckled, looking at her.

"You make a good point, princess," Carter admitted. "I just needed to be reminded of that I guess." Celestia chuckled.

"My compliments to your chef."

"I'll be sure to pass that along," Carter replied with a smile. "The food here is much better than what I had back in basic training."

"Are we interrupting?" Cadance asked, walking over with Lyra and Bon Bon in tow.

"Not at all," Celestia assured her. "We were just teaching the General here about the other races we share this world with. We just covered the minotaurs."

"Have you gotten to the buffalo?" Lyra asked, sitting next to Carter.

"No, we hadn't mentioned them yet," Luna replied. "We were just about to, though."

"The buffalo are very nice people," Lyra smiled, looking at Carter.

"That's good to hear. What can you tell me about their culture?" Carter asked.

"Nomadic, tribal. They live down south, near Appleloosa," Lyra explained, "Peaceful."

"Is that all the sapient races?" Carter asked. "Or are there more I should know about?"

"There are the dragons, the centaurs, the gargoyles, and a few others," Lyra explained, examining Carter's plate.

"Do you want some food?" Carter asked, noticing Lyra staring.

"Sorry..." Lyra chuckled sheepishly, looking away.

"You've got nothing to apologize for." Carter waved off. "Still, this might be the most interesting planet I've visited so far. It's certainly got the most varied intelligent species in one place."

"I'm glad you think so highly of us," Luna laughed, "Hopefully your stay will be a pleasant one."

"I hope the same thing," Carter said. "We've had good luck so far, minus the parasprite incident. Getting the shield to full power went much quicker than I thought it would."

"Do you know if there are any more in the city?"

"There shouldn't be," Carter answered. "Our systems indicated that we rounded them all up and they all should be under Cadance's crystal spell. We've been keeping our eyes peeled, though."

"That's a relief." Cadance smiled.

"We owe it all to you girls," Carter told them, getting up to grab three more trays of food. "If you hadn't known how to corral them and had a non-lethal way of dealing with them, things would've ended very differently."

"What are friends for?" Cadance beamed.

"You got me there, Cadance," Carter admitted with a chuckle, putting the three trays down in front of Lyra, Bon Bon, and Cadance before sitting down and resuming her own meal.

"Thanks!" Lyra chirped before munching away.

"Don't mention it," Carter waved off. "I hope you like it all."

"Cadance, we should discuss our plans for the day," Celestia spoke, finishing her drink.

"You're right," Cadance agreed, taking a bite out of her cereal. "I've got to get back to the empire at some point today. I'm sure Shiny's worried sick by now."

"I was thinking, you return to the Empire with our guests, while Luna and I return to Canterlot with Lyra and Bon Bon," Celestia explained, "Word is going to spread fast and I want to quash any untoward rumors."

"That sounds like a good plan to me, Auntie," Cadance agreed with a smile. "I'm sure they'll love seeing the empire."

"I am curious, what was that young stallion's name?" Luna asked, looking at Carter, "The one with the camera."

"That would be Floyd Hendrix," Carter answered. "He's got the ATA gene, and a very responsive one based on what I've seen. That's the primary reason he was selected to come along with us. I could get his file if you'd like a more detailed description."

"ATA gene?" Celestia asked, raising her eyebrow.

"It's short for Ancient Technology Activation gene," Carter clarified. "The Ancients put a genetic lock on a lot of their technology so that only one of their species, or at least one who bears the particular gene, can use their tech. Some of it only requires the gene for initial activation, after which anyone can operate it, but some actually requires it for all operation. It's the reason why I can't pilot a jumper."

"I see." Celestia nodded.

"Why the sudden interest in Floyd?" Carter asked, turning to Luna.

"He has our mentor's amulet, that is cause enough," Luna replied, sipping at her drink.

"I, see," Carter replied with a nod. "If he seems to do anything that concerns you, let me know. I'd hate for you to think we're disrespecting your mentor."

"He appears to be a fine stallion," Celestia assured her with a smile.

"True," Carter agreed. "The only blemishes on his records are ones we chalked up to childhood ignorance and naivete."

"We all do," Celestia giggled, "I could spend days telling you how much mischief my sister and I caused when we were fillies."

"I was a military brat, so I didn't cause much mischief myself," Carter said. "I was more of the quiet, bookish type. Always studying to prepare for my dream of joining NASA and exploring other worlds. As you can see, half that dream came true," she concluded with a chuckle.

"NASA?" Cadance asked curiously.

"It means National Aeronautics and Space Administration," Carter elaborated. "Before the Stargate project was public, most people thought that we'd explore the stars through shuttlecraft built by them."

"Your people are most fascinating, General Carter." Luna's eyes seemed to shine. "No pony has left our world save me since the Teachers' time."

"Well, a lot of our technology at this point is thanks to collaboration with other planets, or things we've piggybacked off of the Ancients," Carter replied. "But I could always bring you a model of the Apollo 11 rocket. That was the first manned mission to the moon."

"I would be most grateful." Luna inclined her head in gratitude.

"Then I'll be sure to do so," Carter told her with a smile.

"Hey, um, General?" Lyra asked, poking at her food.

"What is it, Lyra?" Carter asked, turning to the mint colored unicorn mare.

"Well, the old legends say that Teachers came down in their city..." she looked up at her. "Can Shangri-La... fly?"

"It should be able to," Carter replied. "All the diagnostic reports indicate that there's no major damage to any of the vital systems."

"This place can fly?" Bon Bon asked, looking around. "Like Cloudsdale?"

"That depends, can Cloudsdale breach this planet's atmosphere and move faster than light?" Carter asked with a chuckle.

"No..." Bon Bon conceded, "But it is made of clouds."

"Sounds like an interesting place," Carter replied.

"It's the center of our weather production," Celestia explained, "Cloudsdale's weather factory is the biggest in the country. It handles all of our seasonal changes."

"Then we'll have to study it thoroughly," Carter replied. "We could learn a lot from the factory."

"On a related note," Celestia continued, "I assume you'll be moving the city?"

"Yes, we need to avoid another ice buildup occurring. But we can wait until you inform the public about us," Carter conceded.

"Of course." Celestia nodded. "I want to thank you for your hospitality, General, most situations like this go very poorly."

"I have a lot of experience when it comes to first contact with another people," Carter replied.

Celestia dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, pushing her plate away. "Luna, are you finished?"

"Yes, I am full," Luna replied with a nod.

"Than I ask for your leave, General." Celestia stood up, pushing her chair in. "We should not tarry longer."

"You don't have to ask me for that," Carter said with a smile. "You're a guest, not a subordinate."

"It would be very rude for us to just leave," Luna countered, rising to her hooves. The two alicorns bowed their heads, reciting a phrase in what Carter recognized as Ancient. From what she knew, she picked out the words 'fire’, 'friendship’ and 'heart.’

"I assume your mentor taught you that?" Carter asked.

"It's an old..." Celestia gestured with a hoof, trying to find the right term.

"The phrase is given in thanks," Luna explained, coming to her sister's aid, "I believe the correct translation is 'May the fire of friendship forever warm your heart.'"

"I'll have to learn that phrase," Carter said with a smile.

Celestia smiled back. "Ms. Heartstrings, Ms. Bon, are you finished?"

"Oh, actually..." Lyra bit her lip. "I was hoping I could stay, if the General allows it. There's so much to learn here!"

"Lyra!" Bon Bon frowned. "You can't just-"

"I have no qualms with Lyra remaining here if the General allows it," Celestia said, causing Bon Bon to quiet down.

"I'm more than happy to answer Lyra's questions," Carter replied. "Though some answers might end up being, 'That's classified.' And you can't interfere with my work."

"Of course not!" Lyra nodded, wagging her tail happily.

"Good, then stick close to me," Carter said as she turned to leave.

"Be good for the Princess, Bon Bon!" Lyra pulled her into a loving kiss before trotting after Carter.

"Try not to bug the general too much!" Bon Bon called out.

"Come along Ms. Bon," Celestia instructed, walking toward the exit, "We have much to discuss." Bon Bon nodded and followed after the princesses.

"Have a safe trip!" Cadance called after them.

"So, what did you want to discuss with me?" Bon Bon asked once they were out of earshot.

"You can drop the act, Agent Sweetie Drops," Celestia spoke curtly.

"Alright," the earth pony mare said, her demeanor shifting. "There's gotta be something up if you're calling me that here."

"From your observations, can we trust these humans?"

"They've given me no reason not to," Sweetie Drops reported. "They're a little ignorant about magic and creatures of this world, but since they're from another planet that makes sense."

Celestia nodded, looking deep in thought.

"Something on your mind about these humans?" Sweetie Drops asked.

"They look exactly like the Teachers... almost like they never left..."

"They did say that they're descended from the Teachers," the agent reminded her.

Celestia nodded, almost instinctively leading them to the Jumper Bay.

A guard came up to them and asked, "Is there something you needed, Princess?"

"A ride home, if you please." She smiled. "We could always fly ourselves, but it is rather cold outside."

"I can have that arranged," the guard said with a nod. "I'll just have to notify the general about your departure and get clearance to take a Jumper out for you." The guard pressed the button on his walkie talkie and contacted Carter.

"Yes?" Carter replied.

"Princess Celestia wishes to leave. Requesting permission to take a Jumper out of the hangar."

"Granted. Prep a second Jumper for Princess Cadance and Doctor Jackson as well."

"Consider it done," the guard replied as he let go of the button. "Alright, we need two Jumpers prepared for launch!" he called out.

"And now we wait." Celestia sat on her haunches, watching the humans dash back and forth.

"You won't be waiting long," the guard assured her. "We could do this in our sleep."

"I can tell, you appear to be quite efficient."

"That's because only the best of the best from all branches get picked to be in the Stargate program. We're the most elite force the Earth military's got," the guard said with pride.

"Hopefully, you won't have to test your mettle on Halla."

"You got a point," the guard replied with a chuckle. "I told the missus that this mission would be a cakewalk. I'd rather bare knuckle brawl with a Wraith than lie to her."

"Wraith?" Sweetie Drops asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Oh, they're nasty SOB's. They can suck the life outta ya through their hands," the guard explained. "And supposedly they evolved from some bug."

"Sounds..." Celestia and Luna exchanged glances. "Most unpleasant."

"I believe we should increase Tartarus's security," Luna suggested, to which Celestia agreed.

"We've finished prep on the Jumpers," another soldier said, snapping a quick salute.

"Must we squeeze ourselves into that metal contraption again?" Luna pouted, rising to her hooves.

"I dunno, Lulu, do you wish to brave the Frozen North again?" Celestia asked, fluffing her wings.

"...Inside the contraption it is," Luna replied with a sigh, trotting into one of the Jumpers.

"As I recall, you loved riding in them when we were foals."

"We're a lot larger now than we were then," Luna pointed out. "You, particularly, have filled out in the flanks."

"Keep that up and you'll have to walk home." Celestia lay down on the floor next to her, with Sweetie Drops lying on a bench.

"Fine, though one would think you could take a joke," Luna replied, nudging her sister's side. Celestia pouted, nudging her back.

"If it's jokes you want, then perhaps I should regale everypony with the tale of the first Grand Galloping Gala?" Celestia said, her pout becoming a smirk directed at Luna. Sweetie Drops looked between them, trying to keep from laughing. Luna grumbled under her breath, turning away from Celestia with a pout.

"This is going to be an interesting flight," their pilot chuckled, moving the Jumper up and out of the bay.

"Are we expecting a warm welcome, Cadance?" Daniel asked, watching as Floyd taught the pink alicorn to play Texas hold 'em.

"We should, since I'm returning to my home after having been missing. And the Crystal Empire will be sure to repay your hospitality," Cadance replied.

"Sounds fun," Floyd commented, doing his best to get a read on Cadance. The princess just smiled, not letting him get anything.

"Just don't do anything to rile up the locals," Daniel warned.

"Don't worry, I read the orientation packet like three times," Floyd said. "Plus, I know to let you do most of the talking. A good cameraman isn't heard, after all."

"Fair warning, the Crystal Ponies are still rather jumpy." Cadance flipped the last few of the river cards down, keeping a serene face. Floyd groaned, his head falling over as he revealed his own cards. "Looks like I win." She laid her cards down, revealing a three of a kind.

"You've got one hell of a poker face, Princess," complimented Floyd.

"Years of practice." She smiled, collecting and shuffling the cards. "Another round?"

"Sure, not like I got anything better to do," Floyd replied. Cadance dealt the cards again, placing the river cards down. Floyd threw in his makeshift chips, making the first bet. Cadance did the same, studying her cards closely. "Got anything good there?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Do you?"

"I might," he replied, tossing in a couple more chips.

"You sure you don't want to join us, doctor?" Cadance asked, glancing over at Daniel.

"I'm very sure," Daniel replied. "I'm terrible at card games. Jack won nearly all of one of my paychecks the last time he convinced me to play. And Teal'c won even more off me."

"Friends of yours?"

"Well, Jack and I went through the Stargate together in what we thought was the first ever trip through it. And Teal'c along with Jack and Carter were in the team known as SG 1 with me," Daniel explained.

"Sounds like Twilight and her friends." Cadance tossed in a few more chips, flipping the next river card over.

"I'm assuming this Twilight is a friend of yours as well?" Daniel asked.

"She's actually my sister-in-law, I married her older brother, Shining Armor."

"Ah," Daniel said with a nod. "Do the two of you get along?"

"Like sisters." Cadance beamed. "I actually used to be her foalsitter."

"Glad to hear it," Daniel said. "Marriages run much smoother if the in-laws like you."

"Speaking from experience?"

"I am," he replied, though Cadance noted the hint of sadness in his voice.

"You're married?" Floyd asked with a quirked brow. "I've never seen a ring on you, Doc."

"Floyd," Cadance got his attention, shaking her head slightly.

"Uh… ya know what, forget I said anything," Floyd said.

"Hey, Doctor Jackson?" their pilot called back.

"What is it?" Daniel asked, turning his attention to the cockpit.

"You're gonna wanna see this." Daniel got out of his seat and headed up to the cockpit to look at what the pilot was talking about. Daniel almost did a double take, leaning in closer for a better look.

"Well, I can see why it's called the Crystal Empire now," was all Daniel could say.

The Empire was aptly named, all of its structures were made of shimmering crystal of every hue. The city formed a perfect circle, with a massive white spire in the middle. It was untouched by the tundra, being green and rather pleasant, this effect reaching out in all directions for a few miles.

"This almost reminds me of the Tok'ra tunnel systems," Daniel noted.

"Gentlestallions," Cadance cleared her throat, putting on an air of authority, "allow me the honor of officially welcoming you to the Crystal Empire."

"It's certainly an impressive looking place," Daniel said. "And I'm sure it has a history to match."

"The Empire's scars run deep. I have to ask that you refrain from asking the Crystal Ponies about the Empire's history."

"Don't worry, Princess, I know how to keep my enthusiasm from getting the better of me," Daniel assured her. "Years of getting a weapon pointed at me for asking the wrong question have taught me that skill."

"Oh no Daniel, the Crystal Ponies are a friendly people," Cadance assured him. "This is for their protection."

"Alright, I can still learn what I want from the local library, correct?" Daniel asked.

"Sombra hid a lot of the Empire's history." Cadance frowned. "We still don't even know all of what he did during his reign. When my aunts defeated him, he cursed the city, and while we've managed to free it..." she paused a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. "The Crystal Ponies can't quite recall anything that happened before their reappearance and when they try, Sombra's curse will send them into a mental breakdown."

"That's awful," Daniel said with a grimace. "Princess, part of my job is to uncover lost history. With your permission, I'd like to lead a team and see if we can uncover the history of your Empire."

"Granted, as long as you honor my request." Cadance nodded.

"I would never betray the trust of a friend," Daniel replied. "The others on the team will respect that wish as well."

"Thank you." She smiled up at him.

"I should be thanking you for this opportunity," he replied.

"Where should we set down, Princess?" their pilot asked.

"Land outside the city," Cadance said. "We don't want to scare the citizens." He nodded, engaging the Jumper's cloak.

"Is there anything else we need to know besides not asking about history?" Floyd questioned.

"Not that I can think of."

"That's good," Floyd said. "Then I'll just stick to the usual set of manners."

The Jumper set down quietly, the ramp lowering for them. Cadance stepped out first, followed by Daniel, and then Floyd.

"Aren't you coming?" Cadance asked the pilot.

"Nah, someone's gotta keep an eye on the Jumper," the pilot said.

"Well, alright, but I'm sending a guard to check on you."

"Thanks, Princess, that's a sweet gesture. Try to send one that can hold a decent conversation," the pilot said with a chuckle. Cadance nodded before turning around, leading her guests into the city.

Sheut

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"Doc... are those ponies... living crystal?" Floyd asked, staring at the crystal ponies going about their day.

"Well, that would appear to be the case," Daniel said. "But keep in mind that magic is a thing here. They could just look like crystal without actually being made of it. Our bio team might have to take a look to determine what the case actually is, though."

The ponies in question did indeed appear to made of crystal, even to the point of seeming to be translucent. Thankfully, none of their organs were visible. The larger sample size also gave Daniel a more accurate picture of how diverse ponies were when it came to coloration.

"The crystal ponies look the way they do thanks to their connection to the Crystal Heart," Cadance explained. "And during special events when the Heart lets out more power than normal, the effect spreads to others in the Empire as well."

"I gotta ask, how are they gonna react to us?" Floyd asked nervously, glancing at Cadance.

"I'm not sure how they'll react at first," Cadance admitted. "Ponies can often be skittish when faced with something new. But once I explain how you took care of me, things will be fine."

"Uh... you take lead, Doc." Floyd fiddled with his camera, getting it rolling. Daniel took the lead of the group, walking into the city square. Almost immediately, the ponies slowed to a crawl, staring at them.

"Hello there, my name is Doctor Daniel Jackson, I come from a place far away from here. I am in your Empire as part of a mission of peace. My people would like to trade our knowledge, among other things, with yours," Daniel said.

They continued to stare, an uncomfortable silence settling on them.

"Princess, could you help me out here?" Daniel asked, looking over at the alicorn.

"There's no need to fear, everypony," Cadance assured with a bright smile, "Doctor Jackson and Mister Hendrix are perfectly friendly." She held her smile for a few moments, before it collapsed into a frown.

One of the Crystal ponies, an older, blue stallion moved to speak, only to double over, clutching his head. "T-the... Teachers have returned!" he shouted, realization spreading across his face.

"Um… no, we're not the Teachers," Daniel corrected. "The Teachers are gone. However, my people are descendants of the Teachers."

The ponies didn't seem to hear him, as similar cries erupted throughout the crowd.

"Ah, the misunderstanding," Daniel said with a sigh. "I'll have to tell Jack about this so he can add it to the tally board."

"You keep score?" Floyd raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Jack had the idea a while ago to make a tally whenever we ran into common problems on our missions. Us getting mistaken for something we're not is a very common one," Daniel said.

"Uh huh. You got a weird life, doc."

"You don't know the half of it," Daniel said with a chuckle. "I could go on for an entire year non-stop just about the things that happened before the Atlantis discovery."

"Sounds fun." Floyd shifted uncomfortably as the crowd swarmed them, bombarding them with praise or questions.

"Just be glad they aren't pointing weapons at you or throwing you in some awful prison," Daniel said as he tried to control the crowd. "Everyone, we'll gladly answer questions, but we can't understand them if you talk all at once."

"Okay, everypony," Cadance spoke, slipping into the Royal Canterlot Voice to overcome the roar of the crowd, "I realize you're excited, but please take a breath." The crowd finally listened, the noise from them becoming a dull chatter. "That's much better." She nodded to Daniel.

"Thank you, now I'll start taking questions," Daniel said. He pointed at a pink crystal mare. "You there, do you have a question?"

"Why did you forsake us?" she asked, looking up at him, frowning.

"As I tried to tell you before, I'm not one of the Teachers. My people are called 'humans' and we are descended from the Teachers," Daniel said. "And they forsook you because they fell to a plague. They quarantined themselves in Shangri-La to prevent it from spreading to anyone else."

"They're gone?" another pony asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Daniel said. "But a piece of them lives on in what they left behind. Their accomplishments still help millions upon millions of lives." The ponies mumbled, talking amongst themselves.

"Do you think that's good mumbling, or bad mumbling?" Floyd whispered.

"Can I have your attention everypony?" Cadance spoke again, getting their attention much more easily this time.

"What is it, Princess?" an older stallion asked.

"I think a celebration is in order. I would like each of you to contribute, and show our guests just how welcoming of a people we are!" The crowd cheered, rushing off to get started. "There, that should keep them from crowding you two," Cadance beamed. "Let's head to the castle, I don't want to keep Shiny waiting any longer." Daniel and Floyd nodded and continued to follow her through the city.

"This place is like something out of a fairy tale," Floyd commented.

"You should see it during the Crystal Faire, everything shines and glitters for the entire day." She paused, looking at Daniel. "You speak the Teachers' language, right?"

"I know a good deal about the language, why?" Daniel asked, quirking a brow.

"Maybe you can figure out what's going on with the Crystal Heart, then." She led them deeper into the city, stopping at the base of the central spire. Floating in the center, cordoned off by guards, was a floating crystal, shaped like a heart. Around it hovered several holographic screens which, much to Daniel's surprise, were sporting Ancient text.

"Fascinating," Daniel said as he adjusted his glasses. "I'll gladly examine the heart for you."

"Excellent. If it's alright with you, I'm going to go find my husband." Cadance turned to the closest guard, a green crystal pony. "I want you to see to these stallions' needs while I'm gone." The stallion saluted before she trotted off.

"So..." Floyd scratched his neck, looking at the Heart. "Floating gemstone?"

"Hmm, it might take me some time to translate all of this," Daniel said. "I'm seeing words I haven't encountered before. I'm guessing the Ancients of Shangri-La had a branching dialect thanks to their interactions with ponies."

"I mean, that's not really surprising." Floyd turned to the guards. "I think I might try and get some footage, maybe a few interviews, that cool with you?"

"That's fine with me," Daniel said, getting out a notebook and scribbling notes. "Just stay out of trouble."

"Call me if you need me." Floyd moved over to the closest guard, clearing his throat. "Mind showing me around?"

"We were told to tend to your needs," the guard replied. "We will gladly escort you."

"Then lead the way, gentlemen." Floyd gestured for them to walk, getting his camera ready. Two of the guards started to trot ahead of him, ignoring his choice of words. "See ya later, Doc." he waved off, following after them. Daniel returned the wave, never taking his eyes off his work.

Higgs grumbled as he glanced at the entrapped parasprites. Despite the tower having been deemed safe from the little buggers, the general still wanted guards posted at each cluster, to make sure they didn't break free. He adjusted the rifle in his arms, doing his best to look like a model soldier despite the boredom.

He did his best not to look at the frozen bugs, their lidless eyes unnerved him greatly.

"Ugh, can't believe the others called these things cute," he muttered. A shadow flittered across the hallway, catching his attention. "Control," he tapped his walkie, a deep frown on his face. "Higgs here, I'm the only one in this section right? Over."

"This is Control. I'm looking at the heat sigs right now, you are the only one there, why? Over."

"Could be my imagination, but I think something's down here with me. Over."

"Should we give you some backup? A patrol squad can be at your location in 10. Over."

"I'd rather not get eaten by whatever else they let out of their cages. Over."

"Copy. Just stay put and the squad will be there soon. Control out."

Higgs nodded to himself. When he turned, however, he was just in time to see a figure dart into a room. "Control, either I'm seeing things, or I'm dealing with something that doesn't have a heat sig, or can hide it. Over."

"Copy that. Standby 10."

Higgs got off the line, and kept his gun at the ready in case the figure came into the room.

"H-help!" what sounded like a child's voice called out, seeming to be in distress. Higgs paused, having read all the past mission reports of the Stargate program. But, his gut told him to check it out. He kept his gun pointed forward and slowly made his way toward the sound.

Sitting in the nearby room was a small yellow and red foal, clutching his right hoof close to his chest.

"Control, run a diagnostic on the infrared sensors. Over," Higgs whispered into his walkie.

"Wilco. What are we supposed to be looking for, Higgs? Over."

"I'm seeing what appears to be a foal," he whispered. "He's... I'm assuming he, based on the voice, is clutching his hoof as if injured. Over."

"Are you sure? We're not getting anything up here Higgs. Over."

"Well, I know what I'm seeing," Higgs replied. "Do we have any cameras in this section? Over."

"Negative. Over."

"Please," the foal whimpered, giving Higgs a pleading look, "It hurts..."

"...This is gonna bite me in the ass, I just know it," he grumbled. Into his radio he said, "Higgs out." He then walked over to the foal and knelt down. "Hey little guy, let me take a look at that hoof." The foal whimpered, holding out his hoof. Higgs took hold of it gently, examining it. "Alright, this doesn't look serious." He pulled out a small first aid kit and tended to the hoof.

"Thanks," the foal said, looking down at his hoof.

"Don't mention it," Higgs said with a smile. "Now, what's your name?"

"Razor."

"My name is Higgs, it's nice to meet you, Razor. How did you get in here?"

"I hid among the rocks and got taken in the big metal thing."

"Do you mean a Jumper?" Higgs asked. "Did this big metal thing fly?"

"Yeah." Razor nodded. "I thought I could find food."

"Well, we have plenty of food in the mess hall," Higgs said. "What would you like to eat?"

"Do you have... meat?" Razor asked carefully.

"Heh, yeah, we've got meat," Higgs replied with a chuckle. "We've got fish, beef, chicken and pork."

"I would like some of that."

"Sure thing, Razor," Higgs replied. "Do you want me to carry you there?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Razor asked, a little surprised.

"No way, you don't look heavy at all," Higgs said, scooping Razor up in his arms. "Plus, your hoof is still healing. I can't let you put weight on it 'til a real doctor takes a look at it."

"Thank you." Razor got comfy, looking up at him.

"So Razor, where are you from?" Higgs asked as he walked towards the mess hall.

"Lothering," the foal responded.

"Sounds like an interesting place," Higgs said, turning a corner into another hallway. "What's it like?"

"Poor. The adjudicator takes most of their crops."

"Their?" Higgs repeated. "Is your family in a trade or something?"

"I guess you could say that," Razor squirmed slightly, rather uncomfortable with the question.

"Well, what about you? What do you do for fun?"

"I like to sneak out and mess with the ponies." Razor grinned, showing off a small pair of fangs. "Make them think the Mantis is gonna get 'em."

"Uh huh," Higgs said, adjusting Razor in his arms. "So you're a little trickster huh? Well, I played my fair share of pranks when I was about your age."

"Any good ones?" Razor asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Heh, one time I snuck into the faculty bathroom of my school and put superglue on the toilet seat. The principal wound up getting stuck there for hours before the fire department was called and got him off it."

"That's hilarious." Razor frowned. "Whats a 'skool'?"

"A school is a place where kids learn about all sorts of things," Higgs explained.

"Sounds boring. Mother teaches me everything I need to know," Razor replied, sticking his nose up in the air.

"Heh, a lot of kids think school is boring." Higgs chuckled and ruffled his mane. "Lord knows I was one of 'em."

"Stop that!" Razor hissed, batting a hoof at Higgs' hand, "You'll ruin my disguise."

"Fine, fine, be fussy." Higgs chuckled, though he noted the word disguise.

'This may not be a pony, but it's not a threat either. It's just a kid that got lost.'

"Higgs?" another officer asked, rounding a corner. Two others followed behind him, weapons at the ready.

"I found the figure," Higgs reported. "I think the infrared is on the fritz."

"Is that another pony? The general is not going to be happy about this."

"Yeah, he got taken by one of our Jumpers among the mineral samples we collected," Higgs said. "I'm taking him to the mess hall so he can get some food in his stomach."

"General, this is sergeant Thompson, we've caught up with Higgs. Seems one of the offworld ponies was accidentally taken among a sample of minerals. Over."

"This is Carter. How is that possible?" Carter replied over the walkie. "I haven't heard anyone report an unexpected heat signature. Over."

"I dunno ma'am, maybe the city's sensors are acting up? Over."

"I'll have the tech team take a look at them. We'll prep a Jumper to take the foal back home. Carter out," Carter said.

"Higgs wants to get the little guy something to eat first."

"And maybe a trip to the infirmary," Higgs quickly added. "He was clutching one of his hooves in pain when I found him. Over."

"Copy. That's fine; I'll send Lyra down to meet with you. Higgs, don't take too long, I'd rather not be accused of kidnapping again. Keep me informed. Over."

"Wilco. I'll make sure he just gets a quick meal and a checkup," Higgs responded. "Then Razor will be on the next flight home. Higgs out," Higgs said. He then continued down the halls with the other soldiers right behind him.

"What are you things anyway?" Razor asked, looking back at the soldiers.

"Our species is called humans," Higgs told him. "We came here from a place called Earth."

"You taste funny," Razor commented, scrunching his muzzle up.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Higgs asked, looking down at the foal. "You haven't bit me or anything."

"I don't need to bite you to eat." Razor shook his head. "You don't taste as good as the ponies."

"So what are you eating if you're not biting me?" Higgs asked, arching his brow.

"Your feelings," Razor stated with a roll of his eyes, like it was perfectly obvious.

'Probably gonna need to have a talk with one of the ponies about this.' Higgs thought.

"So what feelings taste the best?" he asked.

"Love!" Razor chirped, almost wagging his tail.

"Alright, I got an idea then." Higgs concentrated and brought up all his fondest memories of his loved ones. Razor let out a hum, licking his lips. "Seems like that's hitting the spot," Higgs commented, still reminiscing.

"Can I still have the meat?"

"Of course you can, little guy," Higgs assured, turning a corner into the mess hall.

"Hello!" Lyra trotted up, wearing a bright smile. "General Carter said you had a foal, how can I help?"

"We could probably use your help during the check up," Higgs told her. "But for now, help me keep him company while I get him a bite to eat." He set Razor down at the table and walked off to get a tray of food.

"Hi, I'm Lyra, it's nice to meet you," Lyra introduced, smiling down at Razor, "What's your name?"

"It's Razor." He sniffed the air around her. "Wow, you're really full of love!" he beamed.

Lyra's smile dropped a little. "H-how do you know that?"

"Uh... I can tell just by looking at you?" Razor gave her a weak smile, his ears pinning to his head.

"Changeling!!!" Lyra screamed at the top of her lungs, darting behind one of the guards, looking terrified. Razor let out an eep, his disguise dropping, revealing a small changeling covered in light brown fuzz with two fuzzy antennae next to his horn, green moth-like wings and a tiny tail that resembled a scorpion stinger as he started to run from the room.

The guards barely glanced at each other before moving in tandem to stop him.

"Don't hurt him!" Higgs shouted, putting the tray down and rushing after Razor. "He's just a kid!"

"Lemme go!" Razor hissed, glaring at the guard who had managed to grab him by his tail.

"Everyone calm down," Higgs said, coming to a stop. "Soldier, let go of his tail, that has to hurt the little guy," he told the guard. "And Razor, we're not going to harm you."

The guard reluctantly let go, allowing the changeling to dash under a table. Several people hurried away from said table, abandoning their meals. Higgs sighed and knelt by the table.

"Razor, you don't have to hide. We're not going to hurt you," he said in a soothing voice. Razor backed away, his tail raised to strike.

"Razor, I knew you weren't a pony," Higgs told him. "You gave yourself away with your disguise comment, among other things. But I still want to help you and get you home to your mother." Razor looked at him, slowly making his way towards him. "That's it, little guy, and I'm still gonna give you your food too." Higgs smiled at the young changeling. Razor smiled back, staying close to Higgs's legs. Higgs patted the little changeling's head and led him to the tray he had discarded. He piled it up with food and placed Razor on a table to eat.

"Thanks..." Razor said weakly, eating with his hooves.

"You're welcome, little guy," Higgs said. "It's my job to keep innocent beings safe." He glanced at Lyra, who was still hiding behind a rather confused guard.

"I didn't mean to scare anyone," Razor said with a pout.

"It's not your fault, Razor," Higgs assured, looking back at him. "I think Miss Heartstrings just had a bad experience in the past."

"Really?" Razor tilted his head. "Mama tells us not to hurt ponies or anything when we gather love."

"We'll just have to ask." Higgs let out a long sigh, reaching up to turn on his radio. "General, this is Higgs. Things are getting complicated. Over."

"This is Carter. What do you mean 'complicated'? Over," Carter asked, her radio crackling.

"The foal's not a pony, apparently, he's something called a changeling. Heartstrings flipped when she saw him. Over."

"I've heard these changelings mentioned before," Carter commented. "And what do you mean when you said Lyra flipped? Over."

"She screamed 'changeling' and is currently cowering behind Private Sampson, ma'am. Over."

"Okay, don't go anywhere," Carter ordered. "I am going to come in and assess the situation. Over."

"Wilco. Higgs out." He let go of his radio and looked down at Razor. "How do you like your food?"

"It's good," Razor replied, licking his lips, "Not as good as love though."

"Well, you just tell me if you want more of that," Higgs told the changeling. "It's no trouble at all." Razor grinned like a wolf, having seconds and even thirds.

"Ahh, I'm stuffed," Razor said, patting his distended chitin. He buzzed onto the table, curling up like a dog. "The others are gonna be so jealous..."

"Yeah, you're certainly gonna have a good story to tell your siblings." Higgs chuckled and patted the changeling on the head. Higgs found that Razor's fuzz was soft and fluffy, while the chitin under it was firm. It reminded him of the touch a stuffed animal. "Do you wanna tell me more about your family?" he asked, still patting him.

"Okay." Razor nodded, nuzzling his hand. Higgs smiled at the action and continued to pat him. "There's mama obviously, she keeps an eye on all of us and teaches us everything we need to know. I got lots of siblings."

"Really, how many?"

"About a hundred or so."

"I bet your mom has a hard time keeping all your names straight." Higgs chuckled.

"Drones don't have names."

"And you're not a drone?" Higgs questioned.

"No! I'm a colt!" Razor shook his head quickly. "I'm a changeling king!" He puffed up his chest. "You can tell by my tail." He brought up the little stinger.

"I-is that like a queen?" Lyra asked, peeking out from behind her hiding spot. "Also… you look very different from the changelings I'm used to."

"No, mama says that when I grow up I'm gonna leave the hive and find a queen from another," he explained. "And then that queen and I are gonna make our own hive." He frowned. "Mama hasn't really told me everything about that stuff though." He blinked, processing her words. "You have changelings too?"

"Well, you have ponies on your world too," Higgs pointed out, rubbing his head.

"Oh yeah." Razor nodded, nuzzling Higgs hand. He watched Lyra, rather curious about her.

"He's just a foal Lyra, he won't brainwash you," Lyra chanted to herself, performing Cadence's patented breathing technique.

"Brainwash?" Razor tilted his head. "How do you get brains out to clean them?"

"That's not..." Lyra sighed, stepping up to him and throwing up her best smile. Razor smiled back, his tail swishing behind him.

"Hi there," he said. "Sorry I scared you."

"No it's okay, I shouldn't have freaked out." She held her hoof out. "I'm Lyra."

"You already said that," he pointed out with a giggle, tapping her hoof with his. "And I'm Razor." Lyra flinched at the contact before loosening up.

"It's nice to meet you, Razor."

"Same here," the little changeling said, smiling brightly. "I don't get to talk to ponies in my real form much."

"Are you... nice to ponies?"

"Yeah, I mean, the worst thing I do is pull pranks on them sometimes," Razor replied.

"That's good." Lyra nodded, giving a weak smile.

"Yeah, I pretend to be the Mantis." Razor turned into a giant beast to demonstrate. It appeared to be insectoid, with a body like a centipede, the head of a mantis, and two arms tucked against its underbelly. Razor stayed in this form for only a second before shifting back. "I never hurt anyone, but one look is enough to spook them." Lyra nodded, taking a seat at the table. "So why are you here with these 'hoo-mans'?" he asked, curling up again.

"Oh, they're my friends," Lyra explained. "I stayed to learn from them."

"Yeah, they've got all sorts of stuff I've never seen before." he said with a nod. "I bet you're learning a ton." Razor looked her over. "Can I taste you?"

"Are you talking about my love?" Lyra asked, flinching slightly.

"Uh huh." Lyra bit her lip, thinking it over for a while. Her ears pinned to her head and she backed away.

"I-I can't." The mare shook her head furiously, images of her last changeling encounter flooding her mind. She turned tail, galloping out of the room as fast as she could. Razor's ear pinned to his head and he gave Higgs a pitiful look.

"I scared her again," the little changeling said.

"Hey don't worry so much." Higgs reached out, scratching the colt's ear. "You can still eat my feelings."

"Thanks." Razor smiled up at him weakly. Higgs smiled back, keeping the young changeling company until General Carter arrived.

Celestia sat across from her sister as they were in the middle of discussing ways to relay the news about the return of the Teachers' city.

"I believe our first order of business is to begin talks with town leaders who could lend land to a new location for the humans," Luna offered, grabbing a map off a shelf in her magic.

"I distinctly recall the Teachers placing their city over an inland sea," Celestia recalled, staring at the map. "I think offering them safe harbor in our waters is the best solution."

"We have no shortage of harbor cities, and the mayors will surely be more amenable to lending unused water than to lending potentially valuable land," Luna said. "Perhaps talking with the Manehattan mayor is in order?"

"As well as the mayors of Fillydelphia and Baltimare," Celestia nodded. "If we play our cards right, trade will boom."

"This will not be our first time dealing in tricky negotiations," Luna said with a chuckle.

"I suppose that's true." Celestia quickly penned a letter, sending it off.

Celestia sipped her tea, a look of thought on her face. "Of course, we'll need Miss Heartstrings here when we break the news."

"I agree, the mare deserves to take the credit for this. Being a laughing stock must be miserable." Luna said, sipping her own tea.

"I'll send a letter to Cadance and tell her to bring Miss Heartstrings to Canterlot," Celestia said. She wrote up another letter, sending it off. "We might have to proceed faster than we would like, news will travel from the Empire."

"Yes, it seems to travel much faster nowadays," Luna agreed. "It makes large undertakings even trickier."

"Shall we divvy up the responsibilities?"

"Of course, it's how we've always done things," Luna nodded.

"I will deal with..." Celestia ran the details through her mind. "Setting up the press conference and drawing up negation plans."

"And I will send word to the mayors to begin talks," Luna offered.

"Then we are agreed," Celestia smiled, taking a bite of her cake. "So, what do you think the look on Bluey's face will be when Miss Heartstrings gets her recognition?"

"I believe his jaw will hit the ground and his right eye will twitch," Luna said, grinning as she took a bite of a cookie.

"I bet he'll just stare off into space for ten minutes," Celestia giggled, sharing her sister's grin. "I think Miss Heartstrings will be getting that funding after all."

"Care to make a wager on the expression Bluey will make?" Luna asked

"How much?" Celestia raised her eyebrow, giving Luna a hard look.

"Loser has to hold court in their smaller form for a week."

"Oh, that's rather high stakes, considering our situation." Celestia took another bite of cake, mulling the wager over.

"Well, I won't blame you if you back out," Luna started, sipping her tea. "This is the mare's game after all. It takes true fortitude to take it."

"As always, you have a silver tongue, Luna." Celestia held her hoof out. "I'll take that bet."

Luna tapped her hoof against Celestia's and grinned. "I look forward to seeing your pink mane again."

"And I look forward to seeing you struggle to keep your crown on."

"We shall see who has trouble with their crown once Miss Heartstrings relays the news to Bluey." Luna chuckled. They chatted for a few minutes more before parting ways, they both had tasks to complete.

Sheut [Part 2]

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"Want some more crystal berries?" Citrine asked, offering another plate to Floyd.

"Oh, no thanks, Citrine," Floyd declined with a smile. It had been a few hours since he had left Dr. Jackson, and he had been roped into spending time with a pair of crystal crafters.

Citrine was a translucent yellow pony with an orange mane and an infectious smile. "Are you sure? You can have as much as you like!" She placed the plate on the table, taking her own seat.

"I've already had two plates of the things, Citrine." Floyd chuckled and patted his full stomach. "You feed me more of them and I'm gonna burst."

"Citrine is just excited," her husband, Lapis Lazuli, explained. He was very much like his namesake, with a deep blue coat. His mane, however, reminded Floyd of moonstone.

"You're not gonna hear me complain," Floyd waved off. "I just don't want the two of you to clean up bits of me from your home."

"You humans look so much like the Teachers," Citrine reached out, touching his arm. "I can't even tell the difference."

"We're descended from them," Floyd reiterated. "It's the reason some of us can activate their tech."

"Is that why you have one of their amulets?" Lapis asked, pointing to the pendant hanging from his neck.

"Well, this thing kinda... called to me," Floyd admitted, putting his hand on the amulet. "It's sorta hard to explain."

"I... can't quite recall what they were for, but..." Lapis frowned, muzzle scrunched up in thought, "I do know they were important."

"I'm sure I'll figure it out at some point," Floyd assured him. "Until I do though, I'll just keep it safe." He looked between them, a smile growing across his face. "Hey, why don't the two of you show me a bit about how you work?"

"We'd be happy to," Citrine replied as she stood up. "The workshop is this way." Floyd rose up from his seat, hefting his camera over his shoulder. He followed after his hosts, getting ready to start filming. Citrine led him through a doorway into a room full of tools. There was a young mare already there whose color seemed to shift depending on how the light hit her. She hummed happily to herself as she used one of the tools on a ruby.

"Floyd, this is our daughter, Alexandrite," Lapis introduced, putting an arm around the mare. "Alexandrite, this is Floyd Hendrix, he's a human."

"Oh my, you certainly look unique," Alexandrite said, looking Floyd over with curious eyes.

"I get that a lot," Floyd chuckled, turning his camera on. "Is it alright if I record?"

"It's fine by me," Alex assured him. "Is there anything in particular you want me to do?"

"How about you walk me through what you're doing?" he asked, training the camera on her.

"I'd be glad to," Alex smiled brightly at him and picked up the ruby she was working on. "The very first step to crystal crafting is to inspect your material. See this ruby? I examined it to see if I could find any flaws in its color, density or luster."

"I take it you only want the finest quality ones?"

"Of course," Alex nodded, "if the material is inferior, the final product will be, too. But if you look closely at this ruby, it's a flawless specimen."

"What are you making?"

"I'm making a heart shape," Alex explained, grabbing her tool. "I'm getting an early start on decorations for the festival."

"The Heartsong festival is coming up," Citrine supplied the answer to the unspoken question. "It's a celebration of young love and lots of young ponies confess their feelings to their special somepony."

"Lucky for me, though, the festivities are open to ponies without a date as well," Alex chimed in with a laugh as she continued to work on the ruby.

"You don't have anyone?" Floyd guessed.

"No, I haven't found a stallion that's caught my eye yet," the young mare replied. Citrine gave Lapis a subtle look, gesturing to the pair. Her husband smiled softly and nodded.

"Do you have anyone, Floyd?" Citrine asked, moving to stand beside him.

"Nah, I was dumped a few months before I got the notice to join the mission," Floyd explained, zooming in on the ruby. Citrine smiled brightly, nodding at Lapis.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Floyd?" Lapis asked. "We can talk more about our job and the Heartsong festival."

"I'll have to let my boss know, but I think he'll be okay with it."

"Perfect, and I'll be sure to give you something other than crystal berries," Citrine joked with a bright smile. "How does crystal stew sound?"

"That depends, are crystal berries in crystal stew?" Floyd asked with a chuckle.

"No, just some crystal vegetables and spices." Citrine rubbed her chin. "I could throw in some meat if you'd like."

"You don't have to do that just for me," Floyd waved off. "I can handle a vegetarian meal every now and then."

"We keep some around for griffon clients," Alexandrite giggled, putting the ruby down. "You'd be surprised how many of them we get up here."

"Then do whatever makes you most comfortable," Floyd relented. "I'm not very picky." Citrine nodded, trotting out of the room. Floyd turned back to Alex. "Can I get some more footage of your work before dinner is served?"

"Of course, but, didn't you say you had to talk to your boss?" Alex asked, grabbing a few tools with her hooves.

"Yeah, I guess I'd better get right on that." Floyd grabbed his walkie talkie and pressed the talk button. "Hey Doc, is it okay if I stay out a bit longer? This family I'm getting footage of is offering me dinner."

"I suppose that's alright," Jackson replied. "Just don't get into trouble."

"You don't have to worry about that, Doc," Floyd assured him. "I've been on my best behavior. I don't think I'm gonna have any issues on my end."

"We'll be staying in the palace tonight," Jackson said. "When you're done eating, radio me and Princess Cadance can send someone to get you."

"I don't think that's gonna be necessary, Doc," Floyd chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I can find the giant palace on my own. And all the ponies here love us, so I'm not gonna be in any danger."

"Just don't do anything that makes us look bad."

"Rest assured, Doc, I've been a perfect gentleman this whole time," Floyd said with a grin. "And I plan on keeping it that way." He got his camera trained on Alex again, giving her a thumbs up. "Now, let's get started."

"Alright," Alexandrite said, chipping away at the ruby. "I'll create something spectacular for the sake of your recording."

"Mind narrating?" Floyd asked, making sure he wasn't in the way.

"I'll try," she replied. "But I'm not used to doing something like that so bear with me if it isn't very good." She cleared her throat and started to talk about her techniques and the tools she chose as she slowly but surely started to shape the ruby into a heart.

Soon enough it was finished, and not a second later, Citrine called them for dinner.

"Come on," Alexandrite said, putting her tools away, "you can record an average Crystal Empire meal." She smiled up at Floyd.

"I suppose I can." Floyd smiled back, following her to the kitchen. "I can't imagine it's any different from most meals."

"So your people have magic, crystalline vegetables too?" Alexandrite asked with a knowing smirk.

"Uh... no, no we do not." He set his camera down by the door, making sure to wash his hands. "So, got me there."

"Though I hope the table manners will be the same," Alexandrite said, washing her hooves.

"I assure you I have great table manners." He winked at her, smiling as he got a giggle out of her.

"That's good to hear, but we're not too uptight about that sort of thing in this house," Citrine told him, setting down bowls of stew around the kitchen table. "The only real rules are to clean your plate and compliment the chef." She giggled at her little joke.

"I can do both of those things." Floyd licked his lips, taking in a whiff of the stew.

"And how would you feel about a glass of crystal wine?" Lapis asked, grabbing a bottle from the pantry.

"I don't think I'm allowed to drink on the job..." Floyd looked at the bottle, not wanting to piss of either of his bosses.

"One glass won't hurt anything, unless you can't handle your alcohol or something?" Alexandrite looked up at him.

"If I get fired, I'm blaming you guys." Floyd held his hands up, finally relenting.

"Just say it was part of your cultural exchange," Citrine said with a giggle as Lapis poured four glasses of wine. Floyd took his, giving the wine an appraising sip.

"Hmm, this is pretty good stuff," Floyd said as he licked his lips. "Would almost make getting fired worth it." He took another sip, leaning back in his chair. "I might need to buy myself a bottle."

"I'm sure we could give you a bottle," Lapis said, starting to eat his stew. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all."

"I don't want you to go out of your way." Floyd let out a hum of delight as he took a spoonful of stew. "Damn, that's good."

"It's always nice to have my cooking appreciated," Citrine beamed as she began her own meal. "Though perhaps I should have you cook next time." She looked at her daughter.

"You know I can't cook," Alexandrite rolled her eyes. "I'd just end up burning everything again."

"It's never too late to learn," Citrine told her, sipping her wine. "I wasn't always this good. In fact, I was just as bad when my own mother taught me how to cook." Alexandrite just rolled her eyes, not bothering to give a response.

"I'd be interested in learning how to cook living crystal," Floyd chimed in. "It would make for some good footage, too."

"I'd love to teach you," Citrine responded with a smile. "Come on, Alexandrite, I could teach you both."

"Fine," Alexandrite relented with a sigh, though there was a small smile on her face. "I guess knowing how to cook will be useful." Citrine beamed, subtly nudging her husband. He nudged her back, their plan proceeding beautifully.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, and after giving his goodbyes, Floyd grabbed his camera and made his way back to the palace, a pleasant buzz filling his head and an unopened bottle of crystal wine in his free hand. He hummed softly, adjusting his camera every so often as he made it to the palace gates. The guards let him pass and one of them showed him to his room.

"Thanks, guys." He waved them off before putting his camera down and kicking his shoes off. He stripped down to his pants, climbing into the bed. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, his amulet shining in the darkness of his room.

The next morning Floyd was woken up by the sound of a crystal guard knocking on his door. He quickly went through his morning routine and followed the guard to the dining hall.

Despite being made of crystal, the palace didn't reflect light as much as Floyd thought it would. The dining room was huge, at least the size of an average high school gym. He found Daniel Jackson and their pilot, who Cadance had obviously coaxed into leaving the Jumper. The princess sat at one end of the table, next to a white stallion that Floyd assumed was her husband.

"Hey guys, I miss anything last night?" Floyd asked, taking a seat next to Dr. Jackson, trying to ignore his headache.

"I made some progress with the translations on the Heart," Dr. Jackson started. "I've even translated a couple of the words that are part of the branch dialect. It's fascinating stuff."

"Floyd," Cadance spoke up getting his attention, "This is my husband, Shining Armor." She gestured to the stallion next to her. "Shiny, this is Floyd."

"It's nice to meet you, Shining Armor." Floyd nodded at the unicorn stallion. "I'm sure you're glad to have your lovely wife back."

"I'm glad to have her back," Shining Armor agreed, wrapping an arm around Cadance and nuzzling her neck. "If she does something like that again, I'm going to glue her to the Crystal Heart."

"Pretty sure it was the Crystal Heart that got me in the mess in the first place," Cadance teased, kissing his cheek. "Plus, there's way better things I'd rather be glued to." She winked at her husband. She giggled at his blush, tapping her hooves together. "I hope everypony is hungry, the chefs put together some great treats for us this morning."

"After tasting what the average citizen eats, I'm looking forward to see what royalty here eats." Floyd licked his lips and looked towards the kitchen. After a call from Cadance, a pair of ponies emerged from the kitchen, each pushing a cart of crystal food. They moved along the table, setting out plates as they went.

"So, have you learned anything interesting about the culture during your filming?" Daniel asked, picking up his cutlery.

"There's a festival for couples coming up," Floyd absentmindedly rubbed at his head, grabbing what looked like an eclair made out of amethyst.

"Ooh, the Heartsong Festival!" Cadance chimed in. "I've been looking forward to it ever since I've heard about it. I've even added some modern touches to the festivities. Like a tunnel of love." She nuzzled her husband. "And Shiny and I are the couple of honor for it."

"Reminds me of Valentine's day," Floyd commented. He decided to just grin and bear the headache, not wanting to test his luck with alien medicine just yet.

"Would you like a cup of coffee or tea, sir?" a server asked, standing behind Floyd. Floyd jumped a little, glancing back at him.

"Got anything for headaches?" Floyd chanced, deciding to just say hell with it.

"Our Zebrican herbal blend tea is good for a variety of minor ailments," the waiter suggested.

"I'll take that then, please." The waiter nodded and walked over to take more orders.

"Are you coming down with something?" Dr. Jackson asked, a concerned look on his face.

"I just have a migraine," Floyd waved off. "I got goaded into drinking a cup of wine last night, but I only got a buzz."

"I've been goaded into drinking local alcohols several times myself," Jackson told him. "I'm just glad you stopped before you got really drunk."

"And get you and the General mad at me? No thanks." Floyd shook his head, taking a bite out of his eclair. "So, whatcha translate?"

"Bits and pieces so far," Dr.Jackson replied. "But some of it looks like a message to the ponies of the Crystal Empire."

"Yeah?"

"Judging from some of the context, it was a goodbye message," he explained. "I think the Crystal Heart was made to help the ponies of the Crystal Empire in case the plague took them."

"It's powered by the crystal ponies' collective goodwill," Cadance cut in. "A festival is held every year to recharge it."

"That makes sense," Floyd said. "That's probably the best energy source they could think of. I don't think you guys are going to run out of goodwill anytime soon."

"I'll be leaving for Shangri-La once we're done eating," Dr. Jackson said, taking a sip of his coffee. "It seems we had a stowaway on our survey mission and I've been asked to help smooth things over as we return him home."

"I take it I'll be staying here?" Floyd asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"Yes, you won't be needed for this mission," Dr. Jackson told him. "You'll be staying here until I give you another assignment."

"I can work with that." Floyd nodded, giving the doctor a smile.

"Just keep conducting yourself as you have been and there won't be any issues," Jackson replied.

"I won't let you down."

Daniel smiled and nodded and the meal continued with some light chatter. Eventually, Jackson and the pilot left, leaving Floyd with Cadance and Shining Armor. A pair of guards escorted him to the Jumper, more as a formality than anything else. Dr. Jackson and the pilot stepped into the ship and it took off for Shangri-La.

"Nice place," the pilot spoke up.

"I agree, the people are nice, the architecture is interesting, and we didn't have a single weapon pointed at us. That puts it among the best places the program has led us to," Dr. Jackson replied.

"That guard the princess had keep me company was a pretty interesting guy. Didn't think I'd ever see a pegasus."

"Or unicorns," Dr. Jackson added. "So what did you and that guard talk about? The weather?" He chuckled a little at his joke.

"That's putting it mildly. Guy actually walked on a cloud. Hell, he flew up, grabbed one, and brought it down to the ground."

"...This is easily the strangest planet we've ever visited," Jackson said. "And that's saying something. Did you catch this guard's name?"

"Guy said his name was Flash Sentry."

"So he's a guard with a synonym of guard in his name," Jackson commented. "These ponies are certainly spot on with their names."

"As long as they don't try to suck the life out of me, everything's good."

"You won't have to worry there, these ponies are vegetarians. They're on a strict no life-force diet," Jackson joked.

The rest of the trip went by quietly, with the two men only partaking in sparse small talk. Once they landed, Jackson headed for the control room, where he was greeted by a tired looking General Carter.

"Daniel, you're finally here," she said, a soft smile on her face.

"Much to the disappointment of my hosts," Daniel leaned on a counter. "So... you wanted me to help take a kid back?"

"His name is Razor," Carter said.

"Ooh, what's that?!" A small voice in the distance asked, followed quickly by a crashing sound.

"He's a little more... energetic than the other children I've kept an eye on," Carter said with a sigh. "I originally asked Lyra, when we thought he was a pony, to have her help take him back to that village. But when she found out he was a changeling, she had a panic attack."

"Lyra was also asked to go to Canterlot for the Shangri-La announcement," Jackson said. "I don't think she can be two places at once, even with magic."

"I'll send her to Cadance as soon as she's calmed down," Carter assured. "Apparently, the changeling queen that tried to depose Celestia brainwashed her."

"Sounds like she has PTSD," Jackson commented with a frown.

"Maybe," Carter shrugged. "Either way, things should calm down once Razor is back."

"Here's hoping you didn't just jinx us with that comment," Daniel said with a sigh.

"They're ready to leave whenever you are."

"All right, I'll head on down." Daniel quickly turned on his heel and exited the room, headed back to the Jumper bay. Higgs was waiting for him, Razor curled up in his arms.

"Hi!" Razor chirped, waving at the newcomer.

"And you must be Razor," Daniel smiled and approached Higgs. "I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson; it's nice to meet you."

"We're ready to go whenever you are, sir," Higgs gestured to the awaiting Jumper.

"I'm not military, so you don't have to call me 'sir,'" Dr. Jackson pointed out as he walked onto the Jumper. Higgs shrugged, following him on.

Several moments later they got the okay from Control, the Jumper descending into the gateroom. The chevrons lit up one by one until the seventh locked into place. The wormhole was established and the Jumper passed through the gate.

"That's weird!" Razor complained, shivering a little.

"Yeah, the cold feeling passes quickly," Higgs assured, petting the changeling on the head.

"Razor," Doctor Jackson spoke, getting the changeling's attention. "How mad are your people going to be?"

"Uh..." Razor paused, tilting his head in thought. "I dunno, this has never happened before."

"Oh this'll be fun," Dr. Jackson sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Let's just hope that Razor's mother listens to the little guy when he explains things to her," Higgs offered.

"I'll do my best!" Razor proclaimed confidently, puffing his chest out.

"I know you will, little buddy," Higgs smiled and rubbed the top of his head.

"Don't worry Doc," one of the soldiers spoke up. "If things get ugly, we got you covered." It was then Dr. Jackson realized they were all armed with Wraith stunners.

"Good choice in the non-lethal force, everybody," Dr. Jackson said, smiling a little at the soldiers. "This is a diplomatic mission after all."

"We're almost there," the pilot informed. Razor brightened at the news while the soldiers all made last minute adjustments to their equipment.

"I'll take the lead," Dr. Jackson informed as the Jumper landed in front of Razor's cave. "I even brought chocolate this time," he joked, patting his vest.

"You'd be better off thinking about your loved ones," Higgs chimed in. "Changelings feed on emotions and love is their favorite."

"Right." Dr. Jackson stepped out of the Jumper and found himself missing having more than just a pistol. He cleared his throat, stepping up to the cave's mouth. "Uh, hello! One of your young ones snuck back to our home with us. We brought him back, safe and sound."

Nothing happened for a few minutes, an intense quiet settling over them. Daniel gazed around anxiously, his hand moving toward his side arm. A flicker of movement caught his eye and he turned to see an changeling glaring at him. A rock to his left exploded into green flames, transforming into another, angry changeling.

All around them, various objects and plants transformed into changelings, hissing and snarling at the humans.

"Give us Razor!" one of the drones demanded, their moth-like wings fluttering in agitation.

"Siblings, it's okay!" Razor shouted, hopping out of Higgs' arms. "They fed me and everything!" The drones looked amongst themselves.

"Razor is telling the truth," the first one said.

"Yes, he seems to have fed on plenty of love," one agreed.

"We took great care of him." Jackson looked between them, giving his best smile.

"We shall take them to mother," another said, turning around. "She will want to hear all this."

"No need for that, my child," a distorted feminine voice spoke up. A changeling rivaling Celestia in size stepped out of the cave, gazing at the humans with deep violet eyes. Like the others, she resembled a moth, but unlike them she had human-like eyes, a long horn and an actual mane that was the same violet as her eyes. "Come to me, Razor," the obvious queen said, tapping the ground in front of her with a hoof.

The younger changeling obeyed, galloping over to her. "I'm sorry, mother..." he hung his head, his antenna drooping. "I got scared and hid as a rock. They didn't mean to take me." The queen let out a sigh, sitting down and scooping her child into her hooves. She nuzzled him, their antennae rubbing together.

"I believe you, my precious little king. I will do nothing to these strange creatures. You, on the other hoof, are going to be punished." She gave Razor a pointed look. "The village will not be seeing 'The Mantis' for quite some time."

Razor pouted, nuzzling into her fuzz. "Yes, mother..."

"We are very sorry for this misunderstanding," Dr. Jackson said, bowing his head to the queen. "We were only trying to examine minerals and materials on this planet. We were completely unaware of your people's ability to shapeshift into anything."

"Razor is safe and you don't seem to be lying." The queen looked them over, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I have never seen creatures like you before..." Realization dawned on her face. "You came through the portal."

"We call it the stargate," Daniel confirmed with a nod.

The changelings around them hissed, getting rather agitated.

"Uh, is there any reason that they're hissing at us?" Higgs asked, adjusting his stunner.

"Only the Adjudicator's people come through the gate." The queen rose to her hooves, placing Razor onto her back.

"We could teach you how to operate the gate if you'd like," Dr. Jackson offered. "Consider it an act of goodwill to further our peoples relations."

"And bring death upon my hive?!" The queen scoffed, backing away from them. "You're mad."

"What do you mean by that?" Dr. Jackson asked with a confused look.

"The Adjudicator is known to raze entire villages for even touching the ring."

"Seems we'll have to have a word with this Adjudicator," Higgs commented, his face contorting into a frown. "We'll leave and come back with something other than stunners."

"Hey uh, Doc," one of the other soldiers spoke up.

"What is it?" Dr. Jackson asked, turning toward the soldier.

"Did the General say anything about sending backup?"

"No, she didn't... why?" Dr. Jackson asked, worry creeping into his voice.

"Because I see at least three Jumpers heading this way," the soldier responded.

"Ma'am, may we take cover in your cave?" Dr. Jackson asked, looking at the queen with widening eyes.

"Quickly." The queen nodded, ushering the other changelings into the cave. The humans didn't need further instruction, running in after them. The strange Jumpers flew over them, completely ignoring the group.

"Does anyone have an explanation about that?" Higgs asked, looking between everyone.

"They're heading to the village," the queen explained, her voice full of sadness.

"But how are they operating the Jumpers?" a soldier asked. "They'd need the ATA gene to do that. Is it the Ori?"

"The Ori are gone," Jackson assured them. "Carter will dial in when we don't check back. We just have to wait until then." He turned to the queen. "Do you know anything about the ones in those ships?"

"My grandmother told me of them," the queen recounted, leading them deeper into the cave. "They are ponies made of shadow."

"This still doesn't explain the Jumpers," Higgs frowned. "Things are finally starting to look like a typical SGC mission around here. Guess it couldn't be sunshine and rainbows forever." Before anyone could respond, a sound could be heard in the distance. One of the soldiers peered out of the cave to see that one of the strange Jumpers had landed not too far from their position.

"Shit, we've got company," the soldier cursed.

"And now I wish we brought actual guns," Higgs lamented, readying his stunner.

"I did," Daniel said, readying his pistol. "But I don't know how effective it will be against shadow ponies."

"Looks like we'll find out, huh?"

Sheut [Part 3]

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Dr. Jackson, the group of soldiers, and the hive of changelings watched the strange Jumper for any signs of life. Their breath caught in their throats as the ship's door opened. A flurry of smoke poured out of the back, splitting into three clouds. They hovered at the cave mouth before condensing into a trio of jet-black ponies. One seemed like a silhouette of a unicorn, the next a pegasus and the final one was an earth pony. Each one had a set of glowing eyes that shined bright in the dark cave.

"Ponies made of shadow, now I've seen everything," Jackson muttered under his breath.

"We know you're in there, insects," the unicorn spoke, her tone reminding Daniel of the Goa'uld. "Present yourselves or we'll bring this cave down on your heads."

"You heard them, let's present ourselves," Dr. Jackson said, raising his pistol. "Does anyone have a flashbang?"

The queen passed Razor to one of her drones, walking into sight, her head bowed. "Greetings, shadowed ones, what brings you to my hive?"

"There has been activity with the Astria Porta, we are in the midst of questioning the village. Did you activate the portal?" the pegasus interrogated.

"Of course not," the queen assured her, "we know better than to break your rules."

"Someone must have activated it, and the device that operates the portal is closer to your hive than it is to the village," the earth pony argued.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"We will call you whatever we wish," the unicorn said, her horn lighting up. "You are a queen only among changelings." The queen hissed, but kept herself under control. "Now, do you know anything about the activation of the portal?"

"Not in the slightest," the queen insisted.

"We will have to question your entire hive," the pegasus said, taking a step towards the queen.

"Why? We speak with one mind." The queen frowned, holding her ground.

"But their will is easier to break if you are lying," the Earth pony replied with a laugh.

"You will not hurt my children!" the queen snarled, flaring her wings out.

"No harm will come to them if we believe what they tell us," the pegasus assured the queen as she stepped to the mouth of the cave.

"And we will be thorough," the earth pony added.

"Should I throw that flashbang now?" Higgs asked, unclipping the grenade from his belt as he looked at Daniel.

"Think it'll work?" Daniel asked, watching the scene carefully.

"They are made of shadow," Higgs said, "a bright flash of light might do more than bullets."

"I have given you an answer," the queen spat, "if you do not find it satisfying then that's not my problem."

"It will be your problem," the pegasus growled, stepping closer towards the rest of the hive. She growled back, her horn glowing.

"You can use the flashbang now," Daniel said, motioning at Higgs. Higgs nodded, tossing it out at their hooves.

"What in the name of Gro...?" The unicorn was cut off as the flashbang went off and the three shadow ponies along with the queen hissed in pain. The bodies of the shadow ponies twisted and distorted, almost threatening to burst into shadows once more. A couple of drones rushed out, grabbing their disoriented queen while the shadow ponies were paralyzed. They quickly returned her into the cave, letting her feed on some love energy to help her recover.

"If anyone else has flashbangs, use them now!" Daniel ordered. The other soldiers compiled, tossing out several more. The shadow unicorn regained her senses, summoning up a wall of red crystal to deflect the flashbangs. The flashbangs went off harmlessly, though Daniel couldn't say that about his ringing ears. "Well, this just makes things more difficult," he grumbled. "Higgs, you're in charge now. I'm not a tactician."

"Is there another way out of here?" Higgs asked, turning to the queen.

"Yes, I can lead you to one," the queen said with a nod.

"You know they're going to retaliate against you for this," Daniel frowned. "Why didn't you turn us over?"

"You returned my son to me safely," the queen stated simply. "We do not betray those who would do something like that for our hive. Now come." She turned and started to trot quickly into the cave.

Daniel followed after her, internally debating their options. The shadow ponies would definitely seek revenge and he doubted the changelings would survive. "How long would it take you to evacuate your people?"

"It would be a matter of minutes," the queen replied. "It would be even faster had I not laid a clutch of eggs recently."

"Okay," Daniel nodded, looking at the soldiers. "I need one of you to run back to the gate and dial the city."

"I can do that sir," one soldier said, running off.

"I was going to tell him to tell Carter to expect at least a hundred guests..." Daniel muttered, shaking his head. "How far is it to the village?" He turned to the queen.

"Not far, a ten minute flight for us," the queen replied. "And on hoof it would be a little under an hour."

"Okay, okay." Higgs looked over his shoulder, back toward the shadow ponies. "We need to get the changelings out of here and try and save the village." He looked amongst the group. "Does anyone besides Private Kirk have the Ancient gene?"

"I do, sir," one soldier chimed in. "The tech isn't as responsive with me as it is with Kirk, but I can get a Jumper in the air."

"Alright then, Nomura, you're with me," Higgs smirked. "Let's steal us a Jumper."

"I've still got flashbangs sir," another soldier chimed in, handing them to Higgs. "You'll need them more than we will." Higgs nodded, clipping them to his vest.

"Kirk, you're with Doctor Jackson, get eyes on that village asap."

"You got it," Kirk replied. "Come on, everyone, double time!" The group split apart, the changelings fleeing their home. The queen personally retrieved her eggs, cradling them close to her chest. Higgs and Nomura found cover mere feet from the shadow ponies.

"Make a run for the Jumper," Higgs said. "I'll provide covering fire." Corporal Nomura bolted for the shadow ponies' Jumper. The shadow ponies turned toward Nomura and Higgs lobbed a flash bang directly in the middle of them.

"Cursed monkey!" the unicorn hissed, barely managing to raise a crystal wall.

"We're humans, not monkeys," Higgs said with a smirk, tossing a flashbang over the wall. "I figured you'd wanna know what to yell while we're kicking your inky asses!"

They shrieked in pain, the wall crumbling away. The earth pony snarled, barreling towards Higgs. Higgs pulled out his stunner and fired it right between the earth pony's glowing eyes. The earth pony exploded into shadow, blowing right past Higgs.

"Nomura, stunners are a viable option!" Higgs shouted, firing the stunner at the few wriggling wisps of shadow that had been the Earth pony. The unicorn threw up another wall, protecting her ailing comrade.

"What rock did you hide under all these years?" she demanded, her eyes starting to produce purple smoke.

"Ah, ah, ah," Higgs said, lobbing another flashbang over the crystal wall, "you didn't say the magic word."

"Your words do not amuse me." It came careening back at him, going off at his feet.

"Shit," Higgs said, staggering as there were spots in his eyes and a ringing in his ear. "Nomura better be close to that Jumper," he muttered as he started blindly firing his stunner in the direction of the shadow ponies as his vision slowly returned.

A strong gust of wind sent him stumbling, nearly knocking his stunner out of his hands. Higgs gritted his teeth and stood his ground, digging his feet in the dirt as he kept firing.

"Sir! Jumper is ready!" Nomura's voice called out. Higgs started running towards the sound of Nomura's voice. Just as he was entering the Jumper, a crystal shard launched by the shadow unicorn embedded itself in his leg. Higgs cried out in pain as the Jumper started to rise.

"Get on the horn with Doctor Jackson and meet up with them," Higgs ordered as he clutched his wound.

While Higgs and Nomura were fighting the shadow ponies, Daniel, the rest of the soldiers, and the changelings were running through the network of caves. Before joining the Stargate program, this kind of activity would have had Daniel huffing and puffing, but years of running for his life had conditioned his body.

"I really didn't miss the running..." Daniel muttered to himself checking his sidearm for what had to be the eighth time. Granted, he had no idea if it would actually harm things made out of shadow, but it was reassuring nonetheless.

"Shield your eyes!" the queen instructed. "We are almost out of the caves!" Daniel took her advice, cringing as a few rays of light hit his eyes. They all slowed down slightly as they went down a gentle slope leading out of the cave and into a field. "If we keep this pace, we will be at the village before an hour passes!" the queen assured.

"That's probably going to be too late if those shadow ponies are already in the village," Daniel replied, blinking his eyes as they adjusted to the sunlight.

"Our other option would be for us to teleport all of you," the queen replied. "Though it will cause some nausea and disorientation due to the number of you and the distance."

"Can't be any worse than gate travel," Daniel replied, giving her a nod.

"As you wish." The queen nodded in return, a sickly purple ring of flame appearing around them. Before Daniel could ask what was going on, they sank into the ground, only to be expelled at the village outskirts.

"Okay, that was worse than gate travel," Daniel muttered, clutching his head.

"I warned you," the queen responded, checking on her eggs. Satisfied they were safe, she turned her head towards the village. "I shall accompany you." She passed the eggs to several drones, who flew off toward the gate. Most of the drones left for the gate, the rest staying behind to protect their queen.

"Alright, everyone, weapons ready," Daniel said, moving towards the village. "There might still be shadow ponies here. Our best bet is to stick to the walls and see if we can catch them off guard."

"I thought you weren't a tactician?" Kirk joked, doing his best to lighten the mood.

"I've taken part in enough drills with General O'Neill to have picked up a few tricks," Daniel replied with a small smile as the crept into the village. The village was like every early European style village Daniel had seen, haphazardly planned and made up of ramshackle homes with thatched roofs. It was based around a sturdier and larger building next to a well in the center. Daniel guessed it was either used for religious purposes, or to house their leader.

The villagers were gathered in the square directly in front of the largest building, at least six shadow ponies standing around the square.

"Do not make me repeat myself!" A shadow unicorn shouted, his voice deep and hateful. "Which one of you activated the portal?!" None of the villagers spoke up, cowering in fear from the shadow unicorn screaming at them. "Pathetic wretches!" The unicorn lit his horn, sending a wave of red crystals towards one of the more elderly ponies. Said pony cried out in pain, crystal spikes impaling his body.

"Okay, everyone, train your stunners on that unicorn," Daniel said. "Let's see how they handle them." The soldiers nodded and took aim. They all fired, catching the unicorn unaware as the stunners found their mark. The unicorn screeched in pain, his body exploding into smoke. "Looks like stunners do quite a bit." Daniel said with a smile. "Alright, everybody, spread out and look for more of these shadow ponies. Hit and run tactics are the key here."

"What insolence is this?" One of the other shadow ponies, a large pegasus in silver armor, flapped his wings, filling the area with a thick smog. The soldiers didn't answer, sticking to alleys and the shadows as they fanned out through the town. Kirk then poked out from behind cover to fire a shot at the armored pegasus's uncovered face.

The pegasus dissolved into shadow, darting out of the way. He reformed in the sky, flapping his wings and sending down a rain of razor-sharp feathers. Kirk dove behind cover, while the feathers embedded themselves in a rain barrel and part of the nearby home. Then, another soldier took aim and fired on the pegasus's back.

A shadow earth pony heaved a cart into the air, blocking the shot. He reared up onto his hind legs, bringing his front hooves down with as much force as he could muster. Crystals shot out from where his hooves hit the ground, careening towards the soldier's cover. The soldier cursed under her breath, diving out of the way in the nick of time as the crystals stabbed into the building she had been hiding behind.

"That's right, scurry like roaches," the earth pony taunted, rearing up for another strike. He didn't get to finish as Kirk poked out from where he had been hiding and shot the shadow pony in the back in the head. The shadow pony hissed, his form distorting, black smoke pouring off his wound. Kirk and the female soldier didn't let up, both of them firing on the pony while it hissed in pain.

"Enough!" The remaining shadow unicorn snarled, tossing Kirk into a building with a bolt of magic. Kirk groaned in pain, his head swimming as he tried to pick himself up.

"I hate magic already," the man grumbled, standing on shaky feet. He barely had time to dive to the ground, a cluster of feathers raining down on him. The female soldier fired on the pegasus in the air, managing to hit it between the eyes. He exploded into wisps, his armor falling to the ground. Kirk and the female soldier sighed in relief while the shadow unicorn and earth pony roared in frustration. Then, the other soldier popped out again and fired on the unicorn while they were distracted.

The unicorn melted into shadows, worming away from her sights. Then he reappeared and shot out a wave of magic towards the soldier. Unlike the magic he used on Kirk, this seemed to crystallize upon contact, encasing her chest and arms in crystal. Kirk fired upon the unicorn while the other female soldier went over to help their comrade.

The unicorn began to melt again, only for a nearby box to reveal itself as the changeling queen. She jerked her head, spitting goo in the unicorn's face. The unicorn grunted, trying to melt into shadow again, only to find they were unable to.

"You putrid bug!" the unicorn snarled. Daniel leaned out from behind a house, training his pistol on the unicorn's horn. He squeezed the trigger three times, letting out a trio of bullets. The unicorn screamed in pain as the tip of their horn broke off.

"That sounded like it hurt," Kirk commented, taking another shot at the unicorn. The unicorn let out one last scream as he dissolved into wisps of shadow. The earth pony growled, slamming his hind legs into the ground again and sending crystals out towards Kirk.

The queen dashed out of hiding, ramming into Kirk and knocking them both out of the way.

"Thanks for that," Kirk said, pulling the two of them off the ground. "I really don't want a new job being a pincushion."

"What's a pincushion?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I'll tell ya later," Kirk said, patting her back. "Right now we've got shadow pony ass to kick." The queen nodded and they ran over to find more cover.

"What are you idiots doing?!" one of the remaining shadow ponies demanded. She was a rather large earth pony, wearing stylized black armor, a red cape draped over her back. None of the remaining shadow ponies responded, too busy scrambling around in search of the soldiers.

She snorted in anger, slamming a hoof onto the ground. The ground buckled under her, the entire village trembling.

Daniel grabbed a side of a building to steady himself as he rode out the tremors. He pressed the button on his walkie and whispered, "Team, we may want to focus fire on that earth pony. Any more tremors like that and this village might collapse on us."

"Regroup, now!" the earth pony commanded, glaring at her comrades.

"Okay, fire now," Daniel said in his walkie. "If we can take out their leader it should cause some confusion. He trained his pistol on the earth pony and fired. She whipped her head toward him, the bullets ringing off her armor.

"Your toys don't amuse me." She burst into shadow, rushing at him. She solidified as soon as she made contact with him, her hooves slamming into his chest. Daniel's breath was taken away and he was sent flying into a wall. "Tell me, what festering hole have you been hiding in? The Overlord's sickness should have killed you all."

"Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm not what you think I am," Daniel wheezed, seeing Kirk take aim at the earth pony from the corner of his eye. She stared down at him, before a grin bloomed across her face.

"You're one of them aren't you?" She leaned down, snorting in his face. "We were wondering when the rest of your pathetic race would find their way here."

"Do you just not listen, or did I get hit so hard that I spoke a different language without thinking?" Daniel asked. "I already told you I'm not an Ancient."

"Call yourself whatever you want, Lantean." She sneered, exposing a set of very sharp fangs. "I'm going to enjoy dragging your city's address out of you."

"Riddle me this then," Daniel started with a roll of his eye. "If I was a Lantean, why would I use such a primitive projectile weapon?" He pointed at his pistol that was on the ground next to him.

"It doesn't matter." She leaned in close, her eyes emitting sickly purple smoke. "All that matters is you have what I want."

"Is it a cure for that eye smoke?" Daniel asked. "Because they have gum to help you kick that habit."

She didn't get to respond, as Kirk fired at her head. She hissed in agony, the back of her neck sizzling and smoking. Daniel took that as his opportunity to reclaim his gun and fired it directly into her face. She staggered back, face sporting several new holes, only none of them bleeding. Kirk fired again, hitting the back of her neck.

She stomped one of her back hooves, shaking the ground again and bringing down a few buildings. The queen righted herself once the tremors stopped and spat goo onto the shadow pony's hooves, hoping to lock her in place.

"Release me!" she demanded, doing her best to try and free her hooves.

"I've got an idea how to release you," Kirk said with a grin, showing her his stunner. He then pointed it between her eyes and fired. She let out a scream of agony, exploding into smoke.

"Good job, Kirk," Daniel said, picking himself off the ground. "Now let's take care of the last two and evacuate this village."

"I think they're retreating sir," Kirk replied, kicking at the fallen shadow pony’s helmet.

"Let them," Daniel said. "We've got more important things to worry about."

"Right," Kirk nodded, though he kept his stunner ready on the off-chance their enemies decided to try something else. The soldiers and the changeling regrouped in the center of the village where all the villagers had been.

"It's alright, everyone," Daniel called out, trying to sound soothing. "No one's going to harm you."

"Who — or what — are you?" an elderly pony asked, regarding Daniel and the soldiers with apprehension.

"We're called humans," Daniel explained, "We don't mean anyone any harm. I know you're scared but we can take you to safety."

"If that's true then why are you with those bugs?!" a villager called out.

"We've never harmed any of you," one of the drones replied.

"We know at least one of you terrorizes our children!" A mare cried out. "Or do you expect us to believe that there really is a Mantis?!"

The queen sighed, giving the pony an annoyed look. "The Mantis has always been something to keep you away from our hive. My youngest child, Razor, takes pleasure in scaring other young ones. You can't tell me your children never play pranks on one another, can you?"

"Look, we can't focus on these things right now," Daniel interjected. "Those shadow ponies will be back and they'll do more damage than this." He indicated the destroyed buildings. "I need everyone to start moving toward the portal." The villagers looked at each other for a few moments before they all looked at Daniel.

"And why should we go through the portal?" the elder asked. "Merely looking at that thing the wrong way has caused our village harm."

"Because we can keep you safe," Daniel assured. "We have the power to fight those shadow ponies. If you stay here, you know they'll want revenge." The villagers shared an unsure look amongst themselves before turning to their elder. The elder sighed and started to walk out of the village. The others followed, more than a few sobbing.

"Doctor Jackson, are you there? Over." Nomura's voice crackled over the radio.

"Yes, I'm here," Daniel replied. "We've begun the evacuation of the village."

"We managed to steal one of the Jumpers. Lieutenant Higgs took a hit. Over."

"How bad is it?" Daniel asked.

"He has a shard of crystal in his leg. Over."

"Alright, we'll need to get him through the gate as fast as possible to get his leg treated," Daniel replied. "And we could use our Jumper to make the evacuation effort go faster."

"I'll swing back and pick you up. Over."

"We'd appreciate it." Daniel then relayed their location to Nomura. It didn't take more than a few minutes for Nomura to reach their position, landing the Jumper just outside the village. Daniel and the soldiers piled into the ship, one of the female soldiers rushing over to Higgs. She pulled out a first aid kit and treated it as best as she could.

The queen ducked her head, walking into the Jumper. She laid on her belly, not bothered by the confined space. She then looked over at Higgs' leg. "I could help you with that, though it may be a bit unpleasant."

"Unpleasant?" He asked, raising his eyebrow. "You try having a chunk of crystal jammed into your leg."

"Alright, but I'd bite down on something, this is going to hurt." The queen spread her magic to the crystal in his leg and pulled it out in a smooth motion that caused Higgs to cry out. She then spat goo onto the wound before blood could flow out.

"That hurt like a bitch." Higgs leaned back in his seat, looking down at his leg.

"I told you that it would be unpleasant," the queen said. "But that resin should help speed the healing process and prevent infection."

"That's good, at least. How'd the evacuation go?"

"The village is still evacuating and once we get our Jumper back it'll be a simple thing to finish," Jackson explained. "The other shadow beings didn't like our stunners."

"Jackson, this is General Carter. Do you copy? Over." Carter's voice came over the radio.

"Oh hey Sam," Daniel replied, gesturing for them to be quiet. "You remember how we were taking Razor back?"

"I do. Over," Carter replied, already seeing where he was going.

"Yeah... we're bringing his whole family back. And a village."

General Carter took a deep breath over the radio. "I take it there were some complications with the mission? Over."

"Oh yeah. Try a bunch of shadow ponies in Puddle Jumpers. Apparently, they raze whole villages for just touching the gate."

"They can use Ancient technology? If we run into them again this will warrant study," Carter said. "And we'll start making room for our guests."

"We uh, stole one of their jumpers," Daniel informed her. "We're about to circle around to retrieve the one we came in."

"Seems like we're going to have a new threat to worry about. Over," Carter said.

"It's like a cycle," Daniel joked. "The changelings should be at the gate by now."

"Copy on multiple travelers incoming," Carter confirmed. "We'll keep the door open for them. Over."

"If any of those shadow ponies get through, the Wraith stunners seem to work well."

"I'll have a squad armed with stunners standing by in the gateroom. Thanks for the intel. Carter out."

"See ya in a bit." Daniel released the button on the radio and the rest of the trip was spent in silence. They reached the abandoned Jumper with no difficulties.

"Think they gave up?" Kirk asked, walking over to the cloaked jumper.

"I don't know, but it's best to stay alert," Daniel said, walking alongside the private. Kirk nodded, keeping his stunner at the ready. Kirk undid the cloak and opened the hatch, stepping into the Jumper. Daniel slipped in behind him, keeping his pistol trained on the opening. Luckily, the Jumper was clear and Kirk took a seat in the pilot's chair.

"Alright, Doc, I'm taking us up."

"Take it nice and easy," Daniel said, sitting beside him in the copilot's seat. Kirk nodded, closing the hatch and taking it up into the air. They followed the other Jumper and caught up with the evacuating villagers. It took a few trips, but the two ships quickly finished evacuating the planet.

The gateroom was packed with panicking ponies, though the changeling queen seemed to have her subjects under control. The two Jumpers landed in the bay, Higgs being helped along due to his injured leg.

"Looks like the city just got a lot busier," Nomura commented.

"Damn, Higgs, you look like shit," Faroe said, cringing at his leg. "Get into a fight with a xenomorph or something?"

"More like a crystal throwing shadow pony," Higgs grumbled. "And I still look better than you."

"You keeping telling yourself that." She took over shouldering him. "Let's get you to the infirmary."

"I'm just glad I kicked the crap out of those shadow ponies," Higgs said, hobbling beside her. "Otherwise I'd be pissy all day."

"Says the guy who can't handle a little fuzzy ball with wings."

"Watch it, Faroe, I've still got a stunner on me," he warned with a wicked grin.

"Do it, I dare you. Thorne will have your ass handcuffed to your hospital bed."

"Fine, not in the mood to get reprimanded today," Higgs relented. Faroe snickered, dragging him down to medical. He was sat on a cot and Thorne walked over to him.

"That's a rather nasty wound," Thorne commented.

"Hurts like a bitch," Higgs assured. "The goo isn't any better."

"Well the docs'll do what they can," Thorne assured him. "You'll be up and running in no time."

"I hope so, I'd hate to ruin my marathon career."

"Keep being a smartass and I'll tell the doc to amputate," Thorne said with a chuckle.

"Ha ha ha," Higgs replied, lying back in his cot. A few moments later, the doctor came and began treating Higgs. This involved a lot of poking and prodding of his injured leg.

"And she said this would fight infection?" Dr. Juan asked, placing some of the goo into a container.

"Yeah, that's what she said," Higgs confirmed with a nod.

"I'll have to test that." Dr. Juan passed Higgs a few painkillers and a cup of water. "Luckily, she stopped you from bleeding to death. That crystal was sharp, it scraped your tibia and cut one of your arteries."

"I'd better thank her," Higgs said. "The last thing I want is to die light years from home."

"You can do that when you're better." Dr. Juan gestured for him to lay back. "I'm keeping you overnight just to make sure you're alright." Higgs lay down and groaned.

"Ugh, I hate not being able to do shit. Makes me feel like a lout."

"It's for your health." Dr. Juan laughed, walking out of the room.

"Get better soon," Faroe said with a pat on his shoulder. "I'll drop in every once in a while to make sure you don't go stir crazy." She got up, adjusting her vest. "Anyway, I gotta go secure more of the city. We got a lot of guests."

"I know, I kinda had a part in bringing them here," Higgs joked with a smirk.

"You're footing the bill," she joked back, walking out of the room.

"Think happy thoughts, Faroe!" Higgs called out. "The changelings will like that!" He laid back on his cot, letting out a long sigh. What the hell was he supposed to do to pass the time?

"You know, I never thought I'd be playing D&D with a pretty pony princess."

"Actually the abbreviation is O&O," Cadance corrected as she rolled for an event. "Your party is being robbed by goblins in the dead of night."

"Back on Earth we have a game called Dungeons and Dragons. Just like this," Floyd explained. "Anyway, I cast fear on them."

"You'll need to roll a thirteen or higher for the spell to work," Cadance said. Floyd grabbed his dice, giving them a roll.

"Yes, 14!" he cheered as the die displayed the number. "So, I cast fear."

"The goblins are gripped by fear and are unable to move as their worst nightmares are laid bare in their minds," Cadance relayed.

"I take advantage of their terror and move to hack them to pieces." Shining Armor played the paladin to Floyd's spellsword, being the tank of the duo.

"You'll need to roll a ten or higher," Cadance said. "Lucky for you, Floyd has taken care of the hard part, as usual."

"Beginner's luck." Shining took the die in his magic, giving it a good toss. "Yes, 16!"

"The would-be robbers are defeated by the valiant heroes!" Cadance cheered, throwing up her hooves. "And now I'll roll for your loot." The boys shared a grin, watching her roll. "You're in luck again. You got twenty gold to split amongst the two of you."

"Ten apiece," Floyd stated, glancing at Shining.

"Sounds good to me," Shining agreed, nodding. "I mean, we did split up the work evenly, makes sense that's how we'd divide the loot."

"Then we have a deal." Floyd grinned, scribbling on his character sheet.

"Glad to see you two working together," Cadance said as Shining wrote on his own sheet. "If you weren't I'd have upped the ante to force you two to get on the same page."

"You guys are just lucky I'm not DM," Floyd commented, leaning back in his chair. "I play hard."

"I normally play it so that the group has fun," Cadance said with a shrug. "But I wouldn't mind you DMing the next session. I play a mean bard."

"I dunno, Cadance," Floyd gave her an appraising look. "You haven't faced a Gorvil before."

"I can handle anything you throw at me!" Cadance beamed, fluffing her wings. "I'm a veteran of this game. I was there in the confusing times when third edition was dropped."

"Oh yeah?" Floyd grinned. "I won't pull any punches now."

"That'll have to wait 'til later," Shining cut in. "Don't you think you should go and get some footage?"

"I guess I should." Floyd got up, cracking his neck, "I have a cooking lesson today anyway."

"Do you want me to send a guard to escort you there?" Cadance asked. "Or will you wave that off again?"

"Worried about me, huh?" Floyd chuckled, packing up his things.

"I have to do my duties as your host," she said, smiling at him. "Otherwise my aunt will chew me out over it."

"Eh, if you insist then I can have one of your guards escort me there," Floyd shrugged.

"Thank you," Cadance smiled. "Flash Sentry, could you please come in?" she called, gazing at the door. A moment later an orange pegasus came in and saluted at Cadance.

"You called, Princess?" the pegasus asked.

"From this moment on, you will be accompanying Floyd for the duration of his stay."

"You can count on me, Princess." Flash saluted and trotted over to Floyd.

"Nice to meet you." Floyd gave him a smile, holding his hand out. Flash returned the smile and extended his hoof to meet Floyd's hand.

"I'll be sure to give you plenty of space," Flash assured. "You'll barely even know I'm here."

"Don't worry about it," Floyd said, grabbing his bags. "You'll even get some free food while you're at it."

"I can never say no to that!" Flash beamed, motioning for Floyd to lead the way. Floyd nodded and adjusted his bags as he walked out of the castle.

"Been a guard long?" Floyd asked, trying to remember the way to Alexandrite's home.

"Not really," Flash said. "I got out of training and Princess Celestia assigned me to the new guard unit here. It's been pretty interesting. I got here right after the Sombra incident so I had to monitor some reconstruction."

"Must have been weird. You stick out like a sore thumb here."

"Yeah, I am the odd pony out," Flash agreed. "But I'm working hard and even the princess and the former captain are taking notice. I'm hoping I go from being a private to an officer pretty soon."

"I hope you do." Floyd smiled, patting his head. "I'm not cut out for that sort of thing."

"Can you not pat my head in public, please?" Flash asked, flinching. "It's kinda unprofessional."

"Sorry," Floyd smiled sheepishly. "You guys are adorable, it's kinda hard to not hug you."

"Yeah well, limbs to yourself while I'm in the armor," Flash said with a chuckle, tapping his breastplate. "You'll have to find some other pony to hug."

"Tough luck I guess." He came to a stop at the shop, knocking on the door. "Hey guys, I'm back!" The sound of hooves quickly approaching could be heard before Citrine flung the door open.

"Floyd, it's great to see you again!" The yellow crystal pony beamed. "Come right in, Alexandrite is waiting in the kitchen for our lesson."

"Good to see you too, Citrine." Floyd smiled. "This is my escort, Flash Sentry. Flash, Citrine."

"It's nice to meet you too, dear," Citrine told the guard with a smile. "Now come along, you two. Alexandrite might run off and lock herself in her workshop if we keep her waiting too long." She turned and trotted further into the home.

"Best not to keep the girls waiting." Floyd followed after her, hunching down through the doorway leading into the kitchen. Alexandrite was already there, an apron tied around her barrel.

"Hi Floyd, I was starting to get bored waiting for you," the young mare said, flashing him a cheeky smile.

"I am the life of the party," Floyd said, playing along. "Unfortunately, I left the moonshine and weed back on Earth."

"Looks like you'll have to settle for crystal wine and crystal mushrooms," Alexandrite shot back with a giggle.

"Alright, alright," Citrine cut in, "That's enough of that talk, we have food to cook."

"Somepony better have a bucket of water on standby," Alexandrite commented as Floyd washed his hands.

"Flash, dear." Citrine turned to the stallion, looking him over. "Do you know how to cook?"

"Nah, I never learned," Flash replied. "I'm military, so meals are taken care of for the most part."

"Nonsense," Citrine spoke, her voice firm. "Take all that armor off and wash your hooves."

Flash blinked a bit. "Um, I'm on duty. I can't take my armor off." Alexandrite just shook her head, watching as her mother gave Flash a death glare. "Ya know what, it'll be fine as long as the princess doesn't find out." The pegasus chuckled weakly and pulled his helmet off. The rest of his armor soon followed suit.

"Good." Citrine smiled, appeased for now. "Wash up and join us at the table."

"Remind me to not get on your mom's bad side," Floyd whispered to Alexandrite as Flash washed his hooves.

"I think all moms have a bad side," Alexandrite replied.

"You make a good point," Floyd said. "I think a switch goes off in the female brain that enables that look the instant after childbirth." Alexandrite snorted, socking him in the leg. "Ow, watch it with those hooves!" He rubbed the spot where she hit him. "I'd retaliate but I think I'd break my hand on your crystal body."

"I didn't hit you hard, stop being such a foal."

"Unlike some people here, I'm not made of magical living crystal," he pointed out. "So excuse me for my fleshy meat body."

"Settle down children," Citrine spoke, getting their attention.

"Hey, I'm a man-child, there's a distinct difference," Floyd joked.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Alexandrite asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I can drink legally, for one thing," he replied with a grin. "And a child has yet to mature, a man-child has chosen not to."

"We'll just have to change that," Citrine said, clearing her throat. "Now, we're going to start simple and make some crystal soup."

"Sounds good," Floyd said as he set up his camera and started recording. "I think I can handle something like that." Citrine smiled, beginning to instruct them. Flash and Alexandrite struggled with the lesson at first, and a small fire was even started. But in the end, each one made a bowl of steaming soup.

"Now for the taste test~" Citrine grinned, passing them some spoons.

"Mmm, I think I got mine right," Floyd said, happily eating his soup. He licked his lips, grinning like an idiot. "I got the touch~"

Flash gulped, hesitantly taking a spoonful of his soup. "Well... I think I got it right." The pegasus let out a sigh of relief.

"Guess it's just me," Alexandrite smiled weakly, taking a sip of her bowl. "It's edible," she relayed with a weak smile, "which is better than the last time I tried cooking."

"Looks like I win," Floyd proclaimed with a cocky grin.

"And do you know what your prize is?" Citrine asked with a sweet smile.

"No, no I do not." He shook his head.

"You get to clean the dishes while I prepare the next part of the lesson," Citrine replied, her smile growing.

"That's a crappy prize..." He grabbed their dishes, taking them to the sink.

"Nopony likes a braggart, Floyd," Citrine said. "Plus, these two could use the extra attention while I get everything ready." Floyd just grumbled, busying himself with the dishes. Citrine turned back and grabbed more ingredients. She started giving pointers to Flash and her daughter.

Flash did his best, rather enjoying the lesson. Once Floyd was done with the dishes, Citrine started the next part of the lesson. Lucky for everyone, no other fires were started.

"You boys aren't too bad," Citrine complemented, helping Floyd put the last of the dishes away.

"I'm a guard, so if there's one thing I'm good at it's following directions," Flash joked, putting his armor back on.

"Well that was fun." Floyd stretched out, rubbing his neck. "I'm gonna go get some interviews. You wanna come, Alex?"

"Sure," the young mare replied with a smile. "I'm ahead of schedule on my decorations for the festival, and a walk around the city sounds great right about now."

"Excellent." Floyd grabbed his camera, smiling at Citrine. "When do you want her back by?"

"Oh, whenever is fine by me," Citrine waved off. "Alexandrite is a grown mare. You three just have fun." They waved, walking out of the house. Alexandrite walked at Floyd's side while Flash stayed a few steps behind. They walked and chatted until they came upon the market square.

"Well, this place should give me some good footage," Floyd said.

"I could loan you some bits if you see anything interesting," Alexandrite offered.

"Cadance already has me covered." Floyd reached into his pocket, pulling out a small sack that jingled as he walked. "Said this should cover anything I might want."

"Well aren't you special?" Alexandrite teased.

"I don't plan on spending it all," he assured her. "I want to be a good guest."

"You're doing fine," she assured him, leading the boys through the market. Floyd pulled out his camcorder, capturing anything that looked interesting. He stopped a few ponies along the way, getting quick interviews. He talked with Alexandrite and Flash as they went around the square.

"Oh, hey." Flash got their attention, pointing to a makeshift stage. "Looks like one of the troupes is performing."

"Sure, I bet the Doc would love it if I told him what a pony play is like," Floyd said. "Let's check it out."

"I think they're playing 'I Want To Be Your Canary'," Alexandrite guessed, glancing at the stage.

"Sounds great," Flash said. "I've heard that's a good one."

"What's it about?" Floyd asked, finding himself getting the best view of the stage due to his height.

"It's about a pegasus that gets stranded in the Griffon Kingdom and is taken in by a griffon. The two then slowly come to understand each other," Alexandrite explained.

"I'm guessing a romance?" Floyd passed his camcorder to Flash, with instructions not to drop it, getting out his main camera.

"Yeah, a pretty classic one too," Flash said.

"You know, if you guys want, I could bring my laptop next time I'm in town," Floyd offered. "I got a bunch of movies saved onto it."

"I'd love to see that!" Alexandrite beamed. "But... what's a laptop?" She tilted her head at him.

Floyd opened his mouth to speak before he realized the normal explanation would go over her head. "It's a machine that stores data like movies and songs. I use it to edit my footage."

"That sounds pretty cool," Flash said. "I'd be up for seeing what a human movie looks like."

"I'll start you guys off with something great I promise." Floyd turned his attention to the stage, staring a bit in awe as an actual griffon walked onto the stage. "I knew they were a thing here but that's still amazing."

"Wait until you see a minotaur," Flash chuckled. "Most of them are taller than even Princess Celestia."

"That'll be fun." They stuck around through the rest of the play, which in Floyd's opinion was actually rather good. Spotting the actors lingering around, Floyd led his group over. "Hello," he called out, giving them a wave. The actors returned the wave, the griffon looking over Floyd.

"Are you some kind of shaved Diamond Dog?" the griffon asked, somehow managing to grin with a beak.

"Nah, I'm a hairless ape," Floyd shot back, holding his hand out.

"Heh, got a sense of humor, that's good." The griffon's grin grew as he shook Floyd's hand, "Did you enjoy the show?"

"I certainly did," Floyd nodded. "I'm Floyd, nice to meet you."

"I'm Bruno," the griffon introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to hear that someone enjoyed the show. So what brings a shaved monkey to the frozen armpit of Equestria?"

"I'm here to get footage for back home." Floyd gave his camera a pat, "And you, my friend, just met your first alien."

"So you're a paid tourist?" Bruno asked with a laugh. "That's gotta be a great gig. And I gotta say, you're not as wild looking as sci-fi has led me to believe an alien would look."

"Yeah and talking to a living myth is a lot less dangerous than I thought it would be," Floyd retorted.

"What, did you think I'd try to eat you?" Bruno chuckled and clicked his beak. "Ya look a little too stringy for my tastes."

"Good to know." Floyd gestured to his companions. "These are my friends, Flash Sentry and Alexandrite."

"It's a pleasure to meet you two as well." Bruno bowed his head. "I hope you enjoyed the show as well."

"It was pretty good," Flash nodded. "I just wish we could have caught the whole thing."

"Well, we will have another show tomorrow," Bruno suggested. "You can catch what you missed then."

"I don't have anything planned." Floyd smiled. "Are you busy, Bruno? I'd love to get an interview with you."

"I don't see a problem with that," Bruno said. "But I might have to check with the missus."

"Think she'd be up for an interview?"

"I'll see." Bruno waved over the lead actress, "Honey, would you care to do an interview with me?"

"An interview?" an aquamarine colored pony asked, walking over to them.

"Yes, this young..." Bruno motioned for Floyd to help him out for a term.

"Man," Floyd supplied.

Bruno nodded. "This young man is doing an interview to get footage for his home. Would you like to help him out with that?"

"Oh my, you want to interview us?" she asked, looking positively surprised. "I don't think that would be a problem."

"Of course he wants to interview you," Bruno grinned at her and draped a wing over her back. "You're the greatest actress in Equestria."

"Do you have anywhere less... noisy we can set up?" Floyd asked the group, looking between them.

"We could lead you to our dressing room," the actress said, getting closer to her husband.

"I'd like that, if it's not a problem." Floyd smiled, adjusting his hold on his equipment.

The couple nodded and led them to the dressing room, and they all took a seat.

"So, what would you like to ask us?" Bruno inquired.

"Just things in general." Floyd busied himself setting up his tripod. "I got a good dozen interviews already. Would you mind telling me about griffons, Bruno?"

"Not at all," Bruno said. "I'll happily tell you anything you want to know about us."

Floyd grinned in response, getting his camera rolling. They spent a good few hours talking, focusing mostly on griffons and their relationship with Equestria. Floyd called the interview when it was clear the sun was starting to set.

"Thanks for your time." Floyd stood up, starting to pack up his things.

"It was no trouble at all," Bruno assured. "We were happy to talk to you. If you want more footage, come by after the show if you want."

"I'll hold you to that." Floyd joined Alexandrite and Flash at the door. "Have a good night, guys." The couple waved at them as they exited the dressing room and made their way back to Alexandrite's home.

"Today was a lot of fun," Alexandrite chirped with a bright smile.

"Yeah, it was," Floyd agreed, patting her head. She didn't seem to mind the gesture, letting him do it as her tail swished behind her.

"What do you think of Equestria so far?" she asked.

"It's pretty great. You ponies are pretty nice people," he complimented. "Know anywhere good for dinner?"

"I could show you a place I like," Alexandrite said. "And it'll be my treat."

"Anything is better than rations," Flash joked.

"Then you'll love this place," Alexandrite said, leading them through the city. The three continued to talk until Alexandrite led them to a small restaurant. "Here we are!" She trotted inside, going up to the hostess and getting them a table.

"This looks like a nice little diner," Floyd said, flipping through a menu.

"Yeah, it's great." Alexandrite nodded. "It... took a while for places like this to reopen."

"Well I'm glad they did," Floyd replied. "Places like these are always interesting." He tapped his fingers on the menu. "Does everything need to have hay in it?"

"Well, this is a place that caters to primarily ponies," Alexandrite said with a giggle. "You could always ask if they have anything suit your palate."

"Humans aren't very good with grass," Floyd explained.

"Neither are griffons or diamond dogs," Flash said. "They might have options suited to other species here since the reconstruction."

"Good call. Just no wine, stuff gave me a migraine this morning."

"Really?" Alexandrite asked with a tilt of her head. "That single glass of wine shouldn't have done that. My head was fine."

"Maybe it was something in it." Floyd shrugged. He still planned on drinking that bottle, wasting good alcohol was the unwritten eighth deadly sin.

"You could let your people examine it and see if there's something in it that doesn't react well with humans," Flash suggested.

"Could just be me." Floyd shrugged. After a short conversation with their waitress, Floyd ordered himself some chicken. Flash ordered a spaghetti dinner with hayballs, and Alexandrite picked a daisy sandwich with hay fries.

The trio talked long into the night, and eventually Flash and Floyd escorted Alexandrite home.

"Good night, you two," Alexandrite said as she opened the door. "Hope we can all get together again soon."

"I'll be free whenever," Floyd promised, flashing her a smile.

"And I'll probably be assigned to Floyd during the duration of his stay," Flash added, doing the same.

"You already were," Floyd reminded, patting his head.

"What did I tell you about doing that while I'm on duty?" Flash asked, moving away from his hand.

"Then pay better attention. Anyway, 'night Alex." The young mare nodded and closed the door behind her as Floyd and Flash turned to make their way back to the castle.

"Lieutenant," the nurse on duty called, peeking into the room. "You have visitors."

"Oh really?" Higgs asked. "I won't say no to company. I'm already going stir-crazy."

"Hi!" Razor chirped, rushing into the room, his mother trailing behind him.

"Hey there, little buddy," Higgs said with a smile. "Are you and your family settling in okay?"

"Uh huh!" Razor nodded, fluttering onto the bed.

"Your leader gave us residence in another building," the queen explained. "She was worried there would be more bugs." She flashed her fangs. "We don't mind."

"I'm glad to hear you guys are settling in. And I'm sorry we made you all have to leave your planet," Higgs said with a sigh.

"A hive can always be rebuilt." She waved him off. "Besides, this place is much better than a cave."

"I bet you're just saying that because you've got more food sources now." Higgs grinned and started to think of his family. Razor hummed in delight, his antenna twitching.

"I won't lie, that is nice." The queen closed her eyes, drinking in the warm feelings. "It's also much easier to collect."

"Ya know, I don't believe I caught your name," Higgs pointed out. "Or would you rather I just call you Queenie?"

The queen frowned, snorting indignantly. "My proper name is Elmis."

"I like it. It's a very nice name." Higgs smiled at her.

She smiled back, stepping closer. "Razor, I think we've taken up enough of Higgs' time."

"But Mom, we just got here!" Razor protested, giving his mother puppy dog eyes.

"It's fine with me," Higgs assured, patting Razor's head.

"Very well," Elmis relented with a sigh, sitting on her haunches. "We can stay as long as Higgs would like us to."

"Yay!" Razor cheered, buzzing his wings.

"Doesn't take much to excite you if hanging out with a bedridden guy like me gets you like this," Higgs teased, scratching behind his ear. Razor nuzzled his hand, much like an affectionate cat. "I think you're gonna give me diabetes, Razor," he joked, his smile growing at the display.

"What's that?"

"It's a disease where the body can't break down sugar properly," Higgs explained, keeping it simple as he scratched Razor's ear.

"That doesn't sound good," Razor pouted.

"I was joking, little guy," Higgs assured him. "I was just saying that you're very sweet."

"Thanks," Razor smiled, fluttering his wings.

"Don't mention it, little buddy." Higgs started petting the little changeling. Razor snuggled up with him, chattering away about all the new things he learned.

Sheut [Part 4]

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Daniel slumped down into his chair, letting out a long tired sigh. Despite having gotten back the previous afternoon, it had taken until the morning to get all their guests settled. The villagers had refused to be near the changelings, meaning both had to be put into separate buildings. Thankfully, everything had calmed down enough for him to get a break.

"Finally, we've got all of our refugees settled in and introduced to the city," Carter said, slumping into her own seat.

"It's like the Jaffa and Tok'ra all over again," Daniel mused, casting his gaze over at her.

"Yeah, let's just hope that we can get changelings and ponies to get along during their stay here," Carter replied. "I'd rather not have any serious incidents between the two."

"Now that we have some breathing room," Daniel straightened up, suppressing a yawn, "we should probably discuss those ponies that attacked us."

"You're right, these 'shadow ponies' as you described them are quite interesting," Carter nodded. "Being able to use Jumpers is reason enough to take an interest in them."

"They thought I was from Atlantis," Daniel said, rubbing his neck.

"So they're informed about the Ancients." Carter's brow furrowed in concentration, "Things are certainly getting more and more complicated."

"When aren't they?" Daniel joked, letting out a tired laugh.

"You make a good point," Carter admitted. "You'd think things would get easier now that we've dealt with the Ori."

"Could always quit, retire to some quiet place with a fishing pond."

"Are you kidding?" Carter asked with a tired smile. "I've got plenty of service left in me before I plan on retiring."

"Must be what keeps Jack going."

"You've got a good point there." Carter started to laugh. He joined her, the tension bleeding out of them. "I can't even imagine the look on his face when we tell him about what we've found on this planet."

"He'll start making horse puns," Daniel pointed out.

"And Teal'c will just raise his eyebrow like always," Carter added with a grin.

"Good times."

"Oh yeah, good times," Carter said. "Like the time we went to Hell. Or the time we were stuck on a Goa'uld pyramid ship when they were about to destroy Earth."

"Think we'll get the recognition in our lifetime?"

"Jack's been griping that we haven't had a statue made for us or a national holiday yet," Carter said with a chuckle.

"Well, they did send us a camera guy this time," Daniel reminded her. "Could lead to some public knowledge."

"Well, if we do manage to get a statue made for us, I'm sending in a picture of me from fifteen years ago. I am not letting someone sculpt the crow's feet." Carter grinned.

"That brings up the question of whether or not Mitchell and Vala would be included." Despite losing Daniel, Carter and Teal'c, Cameron still commanded SG-1, something the man took great pride in.

"Honestly, I'd prefer a memorial with all the names of SGC members," Carter said somberly. "Including the ones that we lost."

"It really just depends on how the public reacts to everything." Daniel leaned back, his tiredness suddenly returning. "Learning your planet's almost been destroyed nearly a dozen times isn't a pleasant idea."

"You make a pretty good point there." She nodded. "Though we will have to go public at some point. The conspiracy theorists have gotten close to the truth a few times."

"Either way, it's out of our hands." Daniel blinked, a thought occurring to him. "You remember how we thought the Ancient Plague took the Shangrians?"

"What about it?" She quirked a brow.

"I didn't remember it until right now, but one of those shadow ponies said that 'the overlord's' plague should have killed us all."

"So this wasn't a natural disease," Carter guessed. "It was a bioweapon."

"To be fair, we don't know if the Ancient Plague was natural or not. There's a good chance the Ori created it."

"That makes sense," Carter agreed. "But why would they create something that could easily kill them if any number of variables went wrong?"

Daniel just shrugged. "Not like we can ask them. I think we're working on too little information." He rubbed at his eyes, chasing sleep away. "I know it's a power hog, but I think we should use the Holo room and search Shangri-La's database."

"I'll let you and the research team do that. We could learn a great deal from this place. Who knows how the Ancients here were influenced by the presence of magic."

"As long as you take care of the bureaucrats."

"Oh yeah, you get to have the time of your life learning this place's history, and I get to deal with stuffed shirts, thanks." She smirked and shook her head.

"Hey, you do it a lot better than I do."

"Doesn't mean I like doing it," she countered.

"I never said you did."

"I'm gonna have to make an early report in the morning," she said, pinching her brow. "Gotta tell them about our additional residents."

"It is morning," Daniel pointed out, "But that'll be a fun conversation either way."

"I'll call them after I get some sleep," she replied with a yawn.

"You got a good idea there." Daniel let out his long suppressed yawn. "I think sleep should be our priority."

"Then let's get out of here and collapse for a few hours while it's still quiet," Carter said, standing up. He followed her lead, bidding farewell before heading to bed. Carter followed the hallways to her own room, not bothering to take off her boots as she collapsed onto the cot. Sleep quickly claimed her once her head had hit the pillow.

It was much too soon when Carter finally got up, but she couldn't afford to waste too much time. She got some coffee, nursing the cup as she moved into the control room.

"Alright everyone, I need you to dial home," Carter called out, taking her post. "We need to inform command about all the new citizens of Shangri-La." She nodded to the on-duty gate operator, who began to enter Earth's address. The gate spun to life, locking in chevrons at a much faster rate than Milky Way gates. The final chevron locked and the gate activated. Carter entered in her code, letting them know who was connecting.

"General Carter?" Walter's familiar voice asked over the radio. "You aren't due to report in for a few weeks."

"A situation cropped up that required an early report. Is General Lorne available?"

"I walked in as soon as I heard there was an offworld activation," a new yet familiar voice chimed in. "You can begin your report at any time, General Carter."

"When did you get so direct, Lorne?" Carter asked. General Evan Lorne, formerly under General John Shepard's command on Atlantis, had taken over the SGC after she had stepped down little over two years ago.

"Would you rather we have a nice chat about the new painting I've been working on in my downtime?" Lorne asked with a chuckle.

"I would, but I'd rather not keep the connection for longer than we have to."

"Then please begin your report before I start giving you a lecture over oil and acrylic paints," Lorne joked.

"The first thing of note is that Shangri-La was buried beneath this planet's arctic circle," Carter relayed. "Once we returned sufficient power to the facility, we used the shield generator to clear the ice. During that time, we came into contact with citizens of the planet." She cleared her throat, trying to decide how to word her next sentence.

"Was it another group of humans that are living in a version of a former Earth civilization?" Lorne guessed.

"No, actually, they're small, pastel-colored hoofed creatures that call themselves ponies," Carter admitted, knowing full well how ridiculous that sounded.

Lorne was silent for some time after hearing that. "You haven't come into contact with any suspicious alien substances lately, have you?"

"I assure you, Lorne, I have not."

"Can you send a photo or some video evidence of this through the gate?" Lorne asked. "I want to make sure that this is accurate."

"Our cameraman did some interviews, we'll send the footage over." She excused herself for a moment, calling down to the communication team.

A few minutes later Lorne responded. "We have received the footage." He went silent as he seemed to watching it. All of a sudden, he started to laugh. "Y-you weren't kidding! These things look like something out of a little girl's dream! Oh, General O'Neill is gonna have a field day with this footage."

Carter cleared her throat, getting his attention. "May I continue?"

"Yes, please do," Lorne replied. "I need to hear all about the talking ponies."

Carter sighed, shaking her head. She gave him a brief rundown on the last few days, ending on their current guests.

"No wonder you decided to report early," Lorne stated. "Will you be needing extra supplies to help take care of all the refugees?"

"I think we can make do with what we have for now, and the ponies have been extremely generous, as well. I'm going to contact the leaders of a neighboring nation, see if they'll take them in."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Lorne replied. "Keep me posted on the status of relations and I'll have SG-13 and 14 on standby in case you need some backup from those shadow ponies."

"I'll report back in a day or two," Carter agreed.

"I can't wait to hear about it all." Lorne chuckled. "Do you have any personal messages you want me to pass on while I'm still on the line?"

"None that I can think of for myself, and we haven't collected letter home from the rest of the expedition team."

"Then I'd better let you get back to your work," Lorne said. "I have to call up the president and relay your report."

"Still happy you took the job?" Carter asked with a hint of amusement.

"Oh, I'm gonna have the time of my life explaining your discoveries," Lorne replied with a chuckle. "In fact, I might request a personal meeting so I can show him the footage you just sent me."

"I don't think anyone would believe this without that footage." Carter glanced at the gate operator, giving a nod. "We're going to cut the connection now."

"Alright, good luck out there, Carter, sounds like things are progressing as well as our missions usually do," Lorne offered as the wormhole was cut off.

Carter let out a deep sigh, allowing herself a few moments to relax. The moment passed and she straightened up, wasting no time in handing out tasks. She had to at least attempt to make up for lost time getting the expedition settled in, and she'd be damned if they wasted another second.

Floyd groaned as sunlight poked through the window in his room. He felt like someone was jabbing him in the head with an icepick every five seconds. He groaned as he clutched his head and threw the covers off himself.

"Seriously?" he muttered to himself. "I didn't even drink last night." He flexed his fingers, noting the dull ache in his palms. "Maybe I am catching something?" He let out a groan of frustration at the idea and pulled himself out of bed. He trudged into the bathroom and slowly started his morning routine. After a quick shower he wiped away the steam from the mirror to see if he needed to shave.

Looking back at him was a young, tan skinned man. His hair was a messy platinum blonde, and his eyes were...glowing grey? His pupils shrank to pinpricks and he blinked owlishly for a few moments. When he opened his eyes again, hazel orbs greeted him. He shook his head in confusion. "Was I just seeing things?" Deciding not to dwell on it, finishing up his morning grooming before heading out to the dining room. Shining Armor and Cadance were already there, chatting and sipping steaming cups of tea. Cadance took notice of him first, smiling and waving him over.

"Good morning, Floyd," she greeted him. "Did you get a lot of good footage yesterday?"

"I think so." He smiled back, taking his own seat.

"Well that's good," Shining said. "And how was your cooking lesson?"

"Pretty good. I already know a few recipes but, I wasn't going to turn down the offer."

"I bet," Cadance said with a giggle. "Every crystal vegetable I've eaten here has been amazingly tasty."

"I'm glad I was one of the first humans to try it," Floyd said, very grateful that they had preemptively ordered him some tea.

"Well we're glad to see you're enjoying your time in the empire," Shining offered. "This place is pretty incredible. Terrible location though."

"Hey, at least you don't live out on the tundra," Floyd countered, taking a sip of his tea, "There's a tribe of humans called the Inuits that make houses out of snow."

"Yeah, I think I'll take my crystal city with magical weather protection over that," Shining replied with a chuckle.

"I think everyone here agrees with you." Floyd leaned back in his chair, staring down into the steaming liquid.

"Definitely," Cadance chirped. "This place has really grown on me. It has such a nice atmosphere. Though I might be biased because the empire's magic shield is powered by the love of its citizens," she concluded with a giggle.

"Any exciting plans for the day?" Floyd felt his spirits lift, watching in anticipation as some servants pushed out a cart of food.

"We've got to prepare for the festival and the press conference in Canterlot," Cadance told him. "Aunt Celestia wants all three princesses there."

"Hopefully my bosses will want me to be there." Floyd grabbed a plate of pastries, deciding to start with a purple cupcake.

"Considering how important keeping a record of an event like the beginning of open formal relations between our peoples is, you'll be there, I'm sure," Shining said with a small smile, piling hay-bacon on his plate.

"We can only hope." Floyd spent the rest of breakfast chatting up his hosts, doing his best not to think about his worsening symptoms. Bidding them goodbye, he stepped out into the hall to find Flash waiting for him.

"You ready for our lesson today?" Flash asked, shuddering at the memory of Citrine's glare.

"Why, aren't you?" Floyd smirked. "Not feeling brave enough, huh?"

Flash narrowed his eyes at Floyd. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Floyd just grinned, speaking in a language Flash didn't understand. "What the hay is that supposed to mean?" the pegasus asked, tilting his head as his agitation gave way to confusion.

"Exactly." Floyd spun on his heel, beginning to walk away.

"Floyd, tell me what the hay you just said!" Flash pouted and trotted after him.

"Don't worry about it," Floyd dismissed. He grabbed his camera from his room, following Cadance's directions to the exit. Flash grumbled the entire time, pouting as he followed Floyd through the streets. "You know, I gotta ask, how'd you get your name?"

"The same way everypony gets their name, from my parents," Flash replied with a laugh.

"That's not what I meant, what made your parents name you Flash Sentry?"

"I dunno, I never asked them about that kinda thing," Flash admitted with a shrug. "I mean, it's not something I really gave much of a thought to."

"I was named after Pink Floyd."

"Pink Floyd, what's that?" Flash asked, looking up at him.

"One of the most influential and successful bands in history. My dad was a huge fan. A movie version of one of their albums, The Wall, came out when my mom and dad were still dating. By some stoner logic, they decided they would name their first kid either Pink or Floyd."

"Huh, that's a pretty cool story," Flash commented with a nod. "I'll have to ask mine about my own name once I'm on leave."

"There's always a story." They meandered their way to Citrine's home, passing the train station. A train let out a low whistle, signalling its arrival. It slowly pulled into the station and the doors opened. "...That is the most gaudy looking train I have ever seen in my life."

"Oh, the bright colors are so pegasi that are flying high up in the air can spot it better," Flash explained.

"Then why not just paint the roof like that?"

"I think they wanted it to match," Flash said with a shrug. "Would be kinda weird if the cars were dull colors and the roofs were bright neon colors."

"Guess that makes sense," Floyd shrugged.

"I'm guessing trains where you're from are less colorful, huh?"

"Yeah, normally very muted colors."

"Sounds kinda boring," Flash said. "But I guess it doesn't matter as long as they get you from point A to point B."

"Better than walking," Floyd said, watching various ponies disembark from the train.

"And in the weather surrounding this place, better than flying," Flash added, doing the same. "Ice and wings are a very bad combination." Among the ponies stepping off, Floyd took note of a brick red unicorn mare with a silvery mane.

"How many colors do you guys come in?" Floyd asked, looking down at Flash.

"Literally every color in the rainbow," Flash answered, looking up at him with a grin.

"Don't look so smu-"

"Alien!" A stallion's voice called out, sounding rather crazed. Flash and Floyd turned to the source of the disturbance and saw a bright orange stallion with a brown mane pointing a hoof directly at Floyd. The right side of his face and part of his barrel had burn scars.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I am an alien," Floyd said, not sure what to make of the stallion.

"I knew it! They've come for the harvest!" The stallion lit his horn up and before Floyd could react, a blast of magic threw him into a wall. Flash narrowed his eyes and tackled the stallion, wrestling him to the ground.

"Sir, stand down!" Flash boomed. "You have attacked a guest of the crown!"

Floyd stopped paying attention to the pair, his body spasming. His pounding headache intensified, nearly causing him to black out. Floyd idly mused if this was what getting hit by lightning felt like. Just as he felt like he was going to pass out from the pain, he saw a grey aura flicker over his body.

"Honestly, lashing out like that is totally unbecoming of a scientist," a feminine voice noted, seeming cold.

"You know this guy?!" Flash demanded, keeping the unicorn pinned to the ground.

"Only by reputation," the brick red mare from earlier replied. "He's a famous researcher of modern magic, Forged Compass. He's also famous for his near-schizophrenic levels of paranoia. This would be the first time we worked together."

"We have to burn it before it gets back up!" Forged growled, trying to buck Flash off.

"Sir, if you do not stop struggling, I will bind your magic!" Flash threatened, using a wing to pull out a metal ring from his armor.

The sound of galloping hooves caught Flash's attention. One of the more senior guards, Flash recalled his name was Solar Defender, rushed to his side.

"Private Sentry," Defender asked, watching the pair struggle. "Please tell me why you're wrestling a burn victim?"

"He attacked Floyd, a personal guest to the princess, sir," Flash answered, remaining calm. "And he's resisted arrest and has threatened to kill said guest."

Defender gazed over at Floyd, who was still crumpled against the wall. He turned back to Forged, then to the mare. "Are you with that group the prince sent for?"

"Yes," Forged answered, his struggling slowing down. "I was sent here to study the Crystal Heart and find a way to return Princess Mi Amore Cadenza."

"Well the good news is she's back safe and sound." Defender smiled. "Came back around two days ago. Why'd you hit the human, though?"

"And it was the aliens who returned her safe and sound," Flash added, staring daggers at Forged.

"Sentry, fly back to the palace and let the princess know about this." Defender shooed him off Forged, taking his place. He turned to the mare. "You have medical training?"

"Yes, I know a few healing spells," the mare replied, her grey aura still surrounding Floyd. Flash looked between them and flew off.

"You tend to him." Defender nodded to Floyd. "Alright sir, I think you took care of the scary alien."

"You're all fools, they're lulling you into a false sense of security," Forged growled. "We'll all wind up regretting letting things like that among us!"

"I bet they used to tell each other that before Hearth's Warming," Defender replied. He fished a pair of cuffs out of his armor, slapping them on Forged's forelegs.

"There's a big difference," Forged spat as he was hauled to his hooves. "We ponies are the same species. We're able to breed amongst each other."

"You know we can also breed with griffons and zebras, yes?" the mare asked, kneeling beside Floyd.

"And they belong on this planet," Forged shot back.

"You know, apparently, humans are descendants of the Teachers," Defender explained, slipping a restraining ring around Forged's horn.

"You mean that old mare's tale?" Forged asked with a snort.

"Teachers?" The mare frowned. "That crackpot theory put forward by a sub-par researcher?"

Defender frowned. "I assure the both of you, The Teachers were quite real. They're the reason we are who we are."

"All things considered, the Teachers' existence isn't that far-fetched," the mare replied. She looked down at Floyd. "I may have to study these humans while I am in the empire."

"That's if the other humans don't get angry."

Floyd groaned, finally clear headed enough to join the conversation. "That fucking hurt..."

"I'm sorry about my colleague," the mare said. "He's paranoid to an unhealthy level."

"I couldn't tell," Floyd snapped, daring to look down at himself. He let out a small sigh of relief, nothing seemed to be broken, though he was bruised and bleeding from several places. "I've had worse..."

"I can't tell if you're being serious or just trying to sound tough," the mare said, letting out a quick chuckle. Floyd muttered a reply she didn't understand, pushing himself to his feet.

"I wouldn't recommend being on your feet for too long," Defender said, signalling two of his guards to lead Forged away. "Judging by the crack in that wall, you took a nasty hit."
Floyd turned, gazing back at the wall behind him. "I'll be fine. Though if that jackass broke my camera, you're going to have to take me in for murder."

"Sir, he's being taken in and I can add a fine for property damage on top of his other charges," Defender assured, putting himself in front of Floyd. "And considering the number of witnesses, it's safe to say he'll be put away for some time."

"Yeah, yeah, guess that'll have to do," Floyd grumbled. He spotted his camera case, lying on the ground close to where he had been standing. He picked it up, hearing pieces of the camera rustling around inside it. "Yeah, that's about what I expected. Guess I'm not recording my cooking lesson today."

A flash of light caught his attention and he turned to see that Cadance had teleported to the scene. Shining Armor and Flash were by her side, though Flash looked rather queasy.

"Did you come all this way just for me?" Floyd asked with a chuckle.

"Are you alright?" Cadance asked, galloping over to him. He held in a sigh, letting her examine him. "Looks like you're alright." She cast a spell and Floyd felt his chest go numb for a few moments. "That should take care of the cuts and bruises. I can't fix your shirt though."

"You did more than enough," Floyd waved off. "Thanks for this, Cadance. I'll just have to tell Alexandrite and Citrine that I'm trying out a new look," he joked.

"Sir, Ma'am," Defender saluted, straightening up. "We've taken the culprit to the lock up."

"Thank you, Defender," Shining replied. "I'll be there in a little bit to get his statement. Not that anything he says will help him at this point."

"Why would Princess Celestia send a crazy stallion anyway?" Flash asked, looking at Cadance quizzically.

"If I were a betting mare, I'd this was the stallion's first incident of violence," Cadance replied with a frown. "Or at least the first time a violent outburst would wind up on public record."

"Forged is a very smart pony," the mare spoke up. "He has a reputation for his... jerkish behavior."

"Yeah, but it was something about me being an alien that set him off," Floyd offered. He then turned to the mare. "And thanks for your help Miss…?"

"Alchemilla."

Floyd stared at her for a moment. "Right, remind me never to send you another burn victim."

"I agree, I was not looking forward to working alongside him," Alchemilla replied. "A good scientist should know to keep their personal feelings and biases out of a situation they know nothing about." She turned, bowing to Cadance. "Your Highness, Princess Celestia sent for us while you were absent, though it seems like now you have no need for us." She gestured toward the train, where several other ponies were peering out at them.

"You can return to Canterlot with my husband and me when we leave for a press conference," Cadance offered. "Until then, you can stay in the castle as well. Consider it a token of apology for wasting your time."

"Not at all." Alchemilla turned to Floyd. "With this one's permission, I'd like a chance to study him."

"You can just call me Floyd," he offered, holding his hand out towards her. "And I have no problem with you studying me. I mean, I'm studying pony culture, it's only fair that a pony gets to study me in return."

"Excellent." Alchemilla nodded. She levitated her luggage off the platform, turning to him. "Shall we?"

"Er, don't I have to file a report?" Floyd turned to Cadance, rubbing his neck.

"Given the number of witnesses, we can put off doing that," she waved off. "You just go and have your cooking lesson." She turned to Flash and grinned. "You too, Private, you're still on the clock."

"Ma'am." Flash saluted, trotting over to Floyd.

"Well then, looks like we'll be on our way," Floyd said. "Hope you don't mind sitting in on our lesson, Alchemilla. Though Citrine may pull you into it."

"That's fine." The trio began to walk, resuming their walk to Citrine's home.

Paradigm Shift

View Online

"Twilight, dear, will you please calm down?" Rarity asked, watching the panicked unicorn trot up and down the aisle. Princess Celestia had announced a press conference a few days prior and sent Twilight a letter this morning. The princess wouldn't say why she was summoning them, only that it would change the world.

"How can I calm down when we're about to hear world changing news!" Twilight cried, waving her hooves in the air. "This could be something serious, like war being declared on us!"

"I don't think somepony declared war on us." Spike rolled his eyes. "Besides, didn't the newspaper say Celestia invited a bunch of ambassadors and stuff?"

"Yeah, Twi, I think you're overreacting here," Dash waved off, reclining in her seat. "You need to take a chill pill."

"I do not," Twilight huffed, stomping a hoof.

"Sugarcube, take a seat," Applejack said softly. "It ain't gonna do ya any good t'get worked up over news ya ain't even heard yet."

Twilight sighed, taking a seat next to Spike. She pulled him close, mumbling under her breath. Spike just rolled his eyes, patting her side.

"Come on, Twilight, things'll be fine," he assured her. "Celestia would've warned you if the news was bad."

"I just worry..." Twilight sighed, perking up as the train's whistle blew and it started to slow down.

"Well, it's almost time to hear the news," Spike said, patting her side again.

"Let's head up to the castle," Twilight said, hopping off her seat. She levitated Spike onto her back, quickly disembarking. The others got out of their seats, following closely behind. They stepped onto the platform, and found a duo of guards waiting for them.

"Please follow us," one of them instructed. He turned, making his way through the crowds. The normally dense traffic of the city had turned into a clog, with ponies from all over the country trying to get in on this world-altering news. Fortunately, the guards were able to clear a small path for them, allowing them to get through the massive crowd relatively quickly.

"I've never seen Canterlot so busy," Rarity commented as they reached the castle gates. She looked back, glad they had avoided the heavy body contact of the crowd.

"Considering that there's such an important announcement today, it doesn't surprise me," Spike said. He turned to the guards. "Can you guys fill us in on the news?"

"The princess has been very secretive," One shook his head. "But it was important enough to require Princess Cadance and her husband."

"Shining's gonna be here?!" Twilight beamed, brightening up. "Oh, it's gonna be so good to see him!"

"Please, the Princess is waiting for you." The guard gestured to the gates. "Perhaps she will see fit to explain the situation." They all nodded and followed them into the castle. They walked through the halls, stopping at the doors of a sitting room. The guards opened them, revealing Celestia and Luna waiting for them.

"Welcome, everypony," Celestia greeted, rising to her hooves. "Punctual as always, Twilight."

"There was no way I was going to be tardy when you said you had world-changing news to share, Princess Celestia," Twilight replied with a bow.

"Greetings as well, everypony." Luna inclined her head. "'Tis good to see you all."

"It's good to see you too, Princess," Rarity greeted, bowing as well. "And we hope it is under good circumstances."

"The best of them actually." Celestia smiled. "Come, sit."

The girls all took seats around the princesses. "I told you there was nothing to worry about," Spike said, looking at Twilight with a grin.

"You can't blame me," Twilight pouted, getting comfy.

"I am tempted to tell you the news right now," Celestia said with a chuckle. "But there is somepony else who deserves the honor of breaking it to all of you. Just know that it will change the way you look at history."

"Hello!" Lyra burst into the room, a big grin on her face.

"And there she is," Celestia said. "Miss Heartstrings, would you care to share the news with these ponies now?"

"Glady." Lyra cleares her throat. "I, Lyra Heartstrings, have proven my theory on the existence of the Teachers. I have even been to their city. They were, in fact, aliens."

"What?!" Twilight gasped, jumping out of her seat. "You can't be serious! Please tell me you have some proof of this!"

"Of course I do! Floyd, Doctor Jackson, you can come in now!" Lyra called, looking at the door she had just walked out of. The two men walked into the room, the younger one throwing up a strange hand sign.

"Live long and prosper, ladies," Floyd greeted.

"You couldn't resist, could you?" Daniel sighed in exasperation, but couldn't keep the slight smile off his face.

"I think we both know the answer to that one," Floyd replied with a chuckle. He then turned to the group. "I'm Floyd Hendrix and..." His eyes locked onto Dash. "Wow, Flash was not kidding about you ponies coming in every color of the rainbow."

Dr. Jackson cleared his throat. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," she replied, blinking a few times. "It's uh... a pleasure to meet you two as well."

"And you said my theory was poorly researched," Lyra nudged Twilight's side, smirking at her.

"I have to admit, I was wrong," Twilight said. "Congratulations on finding out the truth in your research."

"Okay, can somepony please explain what's going on?" Dash asked, pouting.

"The Teachers were a race that came from far away," Twilight explained. "Until just now, I thought they were only the stuff of legend. The stories said that they and their city descended from the sky."

"We know the Teachers as the Ancients," Daniel added, slipping into lecture mode. "We don't exactly know where their home galaxy is, but we know they colonized the Milky Way around fifty million years ago."

"Ah'm still tryin' t'wrap mah head around a city comin' down from the sky," Applejack said, tilting her hat back.

"Ah, Shangri-La is actually a starship; it just happens to look like a city."

"Wait, it's a starship?!" Twilight beamed, her eyes shining brightly. "I have so many questions about this!"

"I know you do, Twilight." Celestia smiled, looking up as a maid walked in, carrying a tray of tea. "There is one last pony I wanted you to meet."

"Who else could you want us to meet at a time like this?" Rarity asked, tilting her head.

The maid burst into green flames, revealing herself to be Elmis. "Greetings. I am Queen Elmis."

The six mares and baby dragon all shared a look of shock. "P-Princess Celestia, w-why is there a changeling queen here?" Fluttershy asked, poking an eye out from under one of the couches.

"That would be on us," Jackson admitted. "Due to some... complications, we had to evacuate Elmis' hive and a pony village."

"I have heard about what happened to Princess Cadance and her husband from Doctor Jackson and some of the other humans," Elmis chimed in. "I assure you that my hive does not conduct itself in that manner. We do not harm ponies or any other being that we get our love from."

"We thought it would be best to announce Elmis' presence now before anypony gets the wrong idea," Celestia clarified.

"And it might dissuade Chrysalis from trying anything. But," Luna gestured to the girls, "only Twilight has introduced herself."

"Sorry 'bout that, what with all the surprises, Ah plum forgot mah manners," Applejack said with a laugh. "Y'all can call me Applejack. Ah'm pleased t'meet ya."

"I'm Fluttershy," Fluttershy mumbled, hiding behind her bangs.

"I'm Rarity, charmed to make your acquaintance," Rarity greeted, flicking her mane over her shoulder.

"I'm Rainbow Dash!" Dash zipped into the air, doing a few tricks. "The fastest pegasus alive!"

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie beamed, vibrating in her seat. "I'm super excited to meet you!" She shot off her seat, hugging Floyd tightly. "I'm so glad you're finally here! I didn't think we'd ever get to this point!"

"Uh, I'm excited to meet you too," Floyd said, stumbling a little and returning the hug. "And what are you talking about? What point did you think we'd never get to?"

"It's not important," Pinkie waved him off. "Kindred spirits always find each other."

"Uh..." Floyd blinked owlishly, looking over at the other girls.

"Don't," Twilight warned, "Nopony can understand Pinkie Pie."

Spike cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "And last but not least, I'm Spike, the dragon." He struck a little pose from his seat.

"Huh." Floyd pulled away from Pinkie, moving over to examine Spike. "I wasn't expecting a dragon to look like you."

"Well, I'm still technically a baby dragon," Spike admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"You know, your mark looks a little like Shining Armor's." Floyd glanced at Twilight's flank, noting the purple star.

"Shining Armor is my big brother," Twilight said with a grin. "Do you know him?"

"He's been hosting me in the castle. Great guy. Though, both your marks look like this thing." Floyd reached into the shirt, lifting out the amulet.

"Whoa, what's that?" Dash asked, hovering over to get a better look. "Looks like a pretty fancy necklace."

"I got it off a skeleton," Floyd chuckled, dropping it back into his shirt.

"If it's alright with all of you, I'm going to do another sweep of the castle," Elmis said as she resumed her disguise.

"Just be sure to be at the press conference on time," Celestia said as she trotted towards the door.

"Of course." She flashed a smile before slipping out.

"This is all so fascinating," Twilight said. "I don't even know where to begin with my questions."

"Try not to talk their ears off, egghead," Dash teased. Twilight shot her a glare and pouted.

"We'd be happy to answer any of your questions," Dr. Jackson told her.

"Just keep in mind, we only have a few hours," Celestia reminded.

"I'm sure we can answer all of her questions in that time," Floyd said with a smile.

"Y'all don't know Twi," Applejack chuckled.

"You make it sound like I have a problem," Twilight huffed. She then turned to Floyd and Dr. Jackson. "Anyway, can you tell me more about your species? You match a basic description of the Teachers from the legends."

"We get that a lot," Floyd said.

"The reason for that is because we are descendants of the Ancients," Dr. Jackson added.

"Doc knows more about it than I do," Floyd pointed out. He flopped down on a chair, grabbing a cup of tea.

"It comes from reading the materials in their archives," Dr. Jackson offered.

"I'm just the camera guy," Floyd clarified.

"You've read their archives?!" Twilight gasped. "Does that mean you can speak the Teachers' language?"

"Well, I mostly studied the Atlantis database. The Shangrians have a different dialect. Though I have been learning more about it after studying the Crystal Heart."

"Hey! I gotta question." Dash waved her hoof around.

"Yes?" Dr. Jackson asked, looking over at her. "What is it?"

"How'd you guys get here? Got a spaceship or something?"

"Well, humans do have spaceships now," Dr. Jackson began, "but that's not how we came here. You see, the Ancients left more than just their city ships behind. They also left behind a series of devices that we call Stargates. These allow anyone who knows how to use them to travel between stars almost instantly."

Floyd checked out of the conversation, letting his facade fall. He felt like shit. His body ached, his head pounded, and he swore his hands had been glowing when he woke up. He tried to hide his discomfort by looking out a nearby window and leaning his head on a hand.

A part of him knew he should be telling the Doc, but the bigger part of him was more afraid of what was happening to him. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, trying to ignore the pounding in his head. He took another sip of his tea, wishing it was that zebra flavor he had been getting at the Empire.

"Floyd?" Dr. Jackson's voice cut in. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh?" Floyd blinked, shifting his gaze to the doctor.

"You've been staring out the window for a while now, and you've been pretty quiet. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah ,Doc, I'm fine." Floyd put up his best easy smile, hoping he'd buy it.

"Alright, just let me know if you need a break," Daniel said, turning back to the conversation. Floyd sighed, looking down into his tea cup. He fiddled with his amulet, trying to take his mind off things. The conversation continued for some time, until Celestia had to use her magic to stop Twilight from talking and inform everyone that the press conference was about to begin.

"Time flies when you're having fun!" Pinkie giggled, bouncing toward the door.

"I need to get my notes in order!" Lyra beamed and galloped out of the room. She ran to her room, only to collide with Bon Bon, who was just stepping out. Lyra picked herself off the ground and shook her head. "Oh, hey ,Bonny!" Lyra beamed. "Sorry to bump into you like that. I was just getting ready for the big announcement!"

"I was coming to get you." Bon Bon got up, brushing herself off. "Here." She passed Lyra a folder. "I organized everything for you."

"Aww, you're the best, Bonny." Lyra took the folder in her magic and nuzzled Bon Bon's cheek. "What would I do without you?"

"Forget to bathe, brush your teeth, eat..." Bon Bon listed off, grinning.

"That was a rhetorical question," Lyra pouted at the other mare. "And I'm not that bad. I did all those things when I was in Shangri-La while you were here."

"Maybe there's hope for you yet." Bon Bon leaned in, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Hmmph, you're lucky I love you," Lyra started, turning her nose up. "Otherwise I'd leave you and try my luck with one of those humans. I bet I could get pretty creative with those hands of theirs."

"You'd come crawling back," Bon Bon replied with a grin. "Now come on, we're going to make everything late."

"Then let's hurry!" Lyra beamed and galloped down the halls. They made their way to the main balcony, where the Princesses were waiting for them.

"Our sister shall begin this conference," Luna whispered to Lyra. "Just sit at our side until she gives thee the signal." Lyra nodded, taking a seat next to her. Bon Bon sat at her side, placing a hoof on her shoulder. Lyra noted Floyd, who was standing off to side, fiddling with his camera. Lyra grinned at the sight, thoughts of asking him for a copy of the footage bubbling up in her head.

Celestia then cleared her throat and began to speak to the gathered crowd. "It is an honor to see you all today. My sister and I have called you all to share news that will change history as we know it."

Celestia looked out at the sea of faces, taking in their expressions. Most were anxious. "And I would like Miss Lyra Heartstrings to share this news," Celestia waved a hoof over to Lyra. "This was her discovery."

Celestia stepped aside, casting a voice amplifying spell on the unicorn. Lyra took a calming breath, standing up from her seat. She trotted up to the podium, ignoring the camera flashes.

"Thank you, Princess." Lyra inclined her head before facing forward. "Some of you may have already heard the rumors coming from the Crystal Empire. They are, in fact, true. A little over a week ago, Princess Cadance, Bon Bon, and myself were indeed taken from the Empire, teleported by the Crystal Heart." Murmurs started to erupt from the crowd. Lyra cleared her throat and continued. "The Crystal Heart took us to an ancient structure. This structure was the city of Shangri-La, nestled in the heart of the pony homeland, which now lies deep within the Frozen North."

A reporter shot her hoof up. "Do you have any idea as to why the Crystal Heart would do something like that?"

"The Crystal Heart was a gift from the original builders of Shangri-La, the Teachers, a race that has long been thought of as myth. Myself and other like-minded archaeologists have theorized about their existence for years." Lyra shifted slightly. "The Heart is connected to a similar device inside the city." She then grinned. "And now, it is with great honor, that I present to you, Doctor Daniel Jackson from the planet Earth."

Dr. Jackson stepped out from behind the doorframe of the balcony, Celestia casting a voice amplifying spell on him as he stopped at Lyra's side. "Hello, people of Equestria and beyond. I am Doctor Daniel Jackson, a representative of Stargate Command and Earth. I speak for all of us when I say I hope that we can have a long-lasting friendship."

"Doctor Jackson's people were kind enough to host us until Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came to retrieve us," Lyra explained. A hush fell over the crowd, their jaws hanging open as they tried to process what they were seeing.

Princess Celestia stepped forward, clearing her throat. "Everypony, a piece of history long lost to us had returned." She spread her wings, giving a bright smile. "Our brothers and sisters spread out amongst the stars, and though we are now distant, I hope to one day reconnect with them. As a first step, I would like to formally welcome Queen Elmis to Equestria."

Elmis stepped out onto the balcony as well, casting her own voice amplification spell. The audience seemed unnerved by her. "I understand your hesitation at the sight of me. But I hope that my children and I can prove to you that we are peaceful. It is our hope to prosper alongside you."

"I know you all must have questions." Celestia looked out at the crowd. "So please, allow us to ease your minds."

The mare from before shot her hoof up. "This Queen Elmis looks different from the changelings reported from the wedding incident. What is the reason for that?"

"I think I can answer that one," Jackson spoke up. "Most likely both types of changeling share a common ancestor and at some point the groups diverged. Elmis's branch adapted to a different world and environment."

Another hoof shot up. "And what about this Teacher city? What all can you tell us about that?"

"Shangri-La is what my people call a city ship," Jackson began. "It came to your galaxy over ten thousand years ago."

"So the Teachers are aliens too?" the mare from before asked.

"Yes, one of the most advanced races in the known universe."

This caused more murmurs amongst the crowd. "And what happened to these aliens?" the mare questioned. "Why was such an advanced spaceship abandoned?"

"From the message they left behind, a plague was ravaging their population. They sealed their city so it wouldn't infect the rest of the planet. They doomed themselves in order to save you."

"Now that the city is unsealed, is there any danger of this plague resurfacing?" Another reporter inquired.

"We haven't seen any evidence that it's still active." This seemed to ease the crowd slightly. The questioning continued for some time.

After fielding a few more, Celestia spread her wings, silencing the crowd. "I thank you all for your questions and I thank you all for coming. I would like for all our esteemed guests to join me in the castle." She gave a bow, trotting back into the castle. Lyra, Elmis, Dr. Jackson, and Luna followed after her and the crowd dispersed.

"That seems to have gone well," Floyd commented, shutting off his camera.

"It did," Twilight said, trotting up to him. "And people seem to have taken the news of Queen Elmis pretty well. Though we'll have to wait and see on that end."

"We can only hope." Celestia smiled, looking at Lyra, "You did an excellent job."

"You have no idea how hard it was to not rub the discovery in my detractors' faces," Lyra said with a giggle.

"I'm glad you didn't." Celestia lead them into the castle, heading to the long disused war room.

"I dunno, it might've given me some good footage if she did," Floyd offered with a grin.

"And made her look immature," Bon Bon retorted.

"Yeah, no need to let everypony know how immature I am," Lyra said with a giggle.

"We will have some time before the dignitaries begin to arrive," Celestia commented, stepping into the room. Torches burst into flame along the walls, bathing them in flickering light.

"So what do we do until then?" Floyd asked, taking in the room. It was circular in shape, its walls decorated with murals depicting various scenes of battle. A large table dominated the room, big enough to seat at least twenty people.

"There is the matter of finding a new location for Shangri-La," Luna said.

"We would like to offer safe harbor in our eastern coast." Celestia took a seat, gesturing for them to do the same.

"That sounds perfect," Dr. Jackson said, taking his seat. "The city ship should be able to float."

Celestia nodded. "I want to ask this now, since you are here in place of General Carter, did she give you permission to negotiate?"

"That's a tricky one," Jackson admitted, "Last time Carter dialed Earth with a status report, we were told the IOA was going to send over someone to formalize everything. That's the International Oversight Advisory, a civilian organization composed of several countries from my world to make sure that my country's military does not abuse its control of the Stargate."

"Then we will operate under the assumption that nothing we say here will be final," Luna said with a nod.

Floyd left the higher-ups to talk, busying himself with setting up his camera. A few moments later, Cadance and Shining Armor walked in.

"I hope we didn't miss anything important," Cadance said as she took her own seat. She turned to Lyra. "And you did great at the conference."

"Thanks Cadie," Lyra beamed, swishing her tail.

"Oh, and I heard that a certain professor was going to be attending the conference," Cadance said with a grin.

"Who?" Lyra asked, tilting her head.

"Professor Otto!" Cadance beamed.

"Really?" Lyra beamed, nearly leaping out of her seat. "I haven't seen him in ages!"

"I'm sure he's as excited as you that your theory has been proven," Cadance said.

"I can't wait to see him again." Lyra swayed a little, letting out a happy hum.

"Anyway, we were just talking about a new place to have Shangri-La be situated," Celestia chimed. "Though nothing will be finalized until another representative of Earth arrives and looks things over."

"I just hope everything stays friendly," Daniel added, smiling.

"I am confident that our people will have a good relationship going forward," Celestia said.

"Auntie!" Blueblood trotted in, a pout on his face. "Why was I not informed of all this?"

"I wanted Miss Heartstrings to be the one to tell you the news," Celestia replied with a smile. "Considering the choice words you had for her theories."

"Yes, well." Blueblood cleared his throat, inclining his head toward Lyra. "Forgive me, I was wrong." Lyra had a large grin on her face, leaning her ear towards him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you. Could you repeat that?"

"I said I was sorry." Blueblood straightened up, taking a seat next to Celestia.

"It's fine, Blueblood," Lyra said, her tail swishing behind her. "I mean, the evidence was technically on your side at the time. I won't hold you calling me crazy against you."

"Your Highness." One of the guards stationed at the door peeked in.

"What is it, Sergeant?" Celestia asked.

"King Aspen has arrived."

"Excellent, see to it that he gets an escort," Celestia said with a smile.

"Shall I do so for all the arriving dignitaries?" The Sergeant asked.

"All except the minotaur leader, he'll insist on escorting himself anyway," Celestia replied. The Sergeant nodded, closing the door behind him. "It seems that you two will be meeting several leaders and new species today."

"That was the plan, sister," Luna reminded.

"Quite," Celestia said with a chuckle. "I think Bronze will like them." She turned to Daniel and Floyd. "Just be careful with his handshakes."

"Bronze?" Floyd asked.

"Bronze Brave is the name of the minotaur leader," Luna explained. "He can be a bit… boisterous."

"And this King Aspen?" Dr. Jackson asked.

"He's the king of the deer," Celestia explained. "His people inhabit the Everfree Forest. It's not too far from Canterlot."

There was a knock at the door. "Announcing King Aspen!" The door opened and a white buck with brown fur along his back and face walked into the room. He wore a golden necklace with a large heart-shaped ruby in the center.

"Greetings, Princesses of Equestria," the buck greeted, nodding his head to them.

"We are glad you could make the journey." Celestia bowed her head.

"You act as if I had to come such a far distance," the buck said with a dry chuckle.

"No, but we know how much you hate leaving the forest," Luna replied.

"I think I can manage for the sake of important news," the buck said as he took his own seat.

"We shall save introductions for later, if only to save time," Celestia informed.

"That makes sense to me," the buck said, giving her a nod. The group sat in silence as more dignitaries flowed into the war room.

"Hello there, Celestia, Luna!" A tall, copper-colored minotaur greeted, closing the door behind him.

"It is always good to see you Bronze," Celestia greeted. Bronze Brave stood at at least ten feet tall, not counting his horns. Along his horns were several golden rings. He was wearing an open jacket with long tassels that hung off his arms and silken pants. "Please sit." Bronze nodded and took a seat, careful not to hit anyone with the tassels.

"Sorry I'm late, I got turned around in the never-ending hallways of this place." Bronze laughed.

"You didn't miss much," Celestia assured him.

"We are still waiting for more guests," Luna added.

"Announcing Princess Ember of the Dragonlands!" A blue dragon stepped into the room, horns curving off the side of her head. She was wearing golden armor and had ruby colored eyes.

"Dragon Lord Torch sent me in his place," Ember explained. "In his own words, Canterlot is too puny to hold him."

"You are most welcome, Princess Ember," Celestia nodded gracefully to the dragoness. "We are just waiting on a few more guests before we begin." Ember nodded, adjusted her armor and took a seat next to Aspen.

"Announcing High Chief Zazu of Zebrica!" A zebra with ornate golden rings around his neck and legs stepped into the room. His mane was done up in a mohawk and a mask was tied to his back.

"I bid you welcome, oh princess of the sun," Zazu greeted with a bow.

"And I you." Celestia returned his bow. "I believe we are just waiting for the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia and the Sheik of Saddle Arabia."

"Announcing the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia!" A pair of ponies stepped into the room, both of them wearing ornate headgear.

"We apologize for our tardiness," the mare spoke. "But our train was delayed."

"Fret not," Luna assured. "Now all we need is the good Sheik, Haakim."

"Good ol' Haki," Bronze chuckled, leaning back in his seat.

"Announcing Sheik Haakim!" A tall, slender, brown stallion with a swept back blonde mane stepped into the room. He was wearing a blue outfit with orange trimming that extended into a sort of mask that hung loosely from his face. Along the side of the outfit was a blue and yellow pattern with a crescent moon and a star at the bottom.

"A pleasure to see you again, Princess Celestia. You as well, Princess Luna." Haakim bowed his head.

"The pleasure is all ours," Luna replied. "And now that all are present, we can begin the introductions."

The introductions took a solid few minutes, at which time, Celestia began the proceedings. "My sister and I called you here today to introduce a new race and planet to us all," the solar princess started. "They are an advanced race called humans."

"I assure you, we have no intention of causing any harm," Dr. Jackson spoke. "Our intentions are to share knowledge between our peoples," he continued. "Things like medicine, technology, and history. We want a mutually beneficial relationship."

"Please do keep in mind, that while Dr. Jackson is representing his people, he does not have the authority to finalize any negotiations," Luna stated, gazing across the table.

"So we'll be hearing a lot of empty promises?" Ember asked with a snort.

"I wouldn't say empty," Dr. Jackson countered. "Just not formalized."

"I am intrigued by the prospect, please show him some respect," Zuza chided the dragon representative, motioning for Dr. Jackson to continue.

"Thank you. I won't lie to you, dealing with Earth can be a bit of a pain. The governing body that oversees our off-world activities is made up of multiple nations. They don't always act in our collective best interest. The only thing they'll most likely deny you outright is weapons." Dr. Jackson held back the 'at least until you have something they really want.'

"Well, I don't think I'll be asking for any weapons," Bronze said. "Peace has been maintained between the groups you see here for quite some time. There's no need to scramble for military superiority."

"Then we're already at a good start." Dr. Jackson smiled.

"I am more interested in your medicine," Zazu started. "Please, fill us in."

"Ah, well, I'm not that kind of doctor, but I'll try to answer your questions as best I can."

"I wish to know for what forms of malady you have made a remedy," Zazu said.

"We've gotten rid of most of the deadliest diseases on our world," Dr. Jackson explained, "At the moment we're focusing on replacing missing limbs and eliminating the two remaining major diseases."

"That is music to my ears, you seem to be ahead of us by years." Zazu smiled at him.

"A lot of our recent advances came from technology we recovered through the Stargate."

"What is this Stargate you're talking about?" Ember inquired, leaning forward in her seat.

"The Stargate is a device created by the Ancients. You may know them as the Teachers. There are at least four networks that we know of, including the one in this galaxy."

"And what do these devices do?" Ember pressed.

"When one gate is connected to another, they allow for near-instantaneous travel between them, though the greater the distance, the more power is required. The furthest connection we've made required us to tap into a planet's core." He left out that the connection caused the planet to explode. "There is also a minimum distance that can be used to connect Stargates; they are designed for interplanetary travel, not intercontinental travel."

"Now that certainly sounds interesting," Haakim noted. "I can only imagine how easy maintaining trade routes would be with a system like that."

"We have yet to fully understand the technology," Dr. Jackson shock his head. "They are incredibly durable, the oldest one on record was over fifty million years old. Your idea to use it for trade is not without merit, either," he continued. "In the Pegasus galaxy, there is a vast trade network that relies on the gates." Some eyebrows were raised at the name of the alien galaxy, but no comment was made.

"Truly an impressive species to be able to create wonders that far back in time," the Duke of Maretonia commented. "We do not even have any hints of a civilization that old."

"The Ancients only found your world ten thousand years ago. They split off from the main branch in the Pegasus galaxy. And unfortunately, the Ancients, or Teachers as you'd call them, are no longer with us. It's made understanding some of their technology, language and even culture difficult at times."

"And just where is this Stargate?" Ember asked.

"This planet's Stargate is in the city ship of Shangri-La," Dr. Jackson replied. "And it's where we have based ourselves during our stay here."

"So you control the only means of accessing other worlds?" Aspen asked, raising his eyebrow.

"We can share the stargate with you," Dr. Jackson offered, "And teach you the means to operate it. Luckily, the Stargate is not like a lot of Ancient technology, it has no genetic lock on it."

"We may have a solution that will please everyone," Celestia offered.

"Go ahead and share it," Bronze said with a sweep of his hand. "The floor is yours."

"Thank you." She bowed her head graciously. "This will of course depend on Doctor Jackson's leaders, but I propose that each of our nations be granted a partnership on the humans' expedition."

"I can see if that can be arranged," Dr. Jackson said. "We've had non-human personnel take part in the SGC since the beginning. I recommend nominating either your best soldiers, or your brightest minds to join us during expeditions."

"We have already offered Shangri-La safe harbor in our eastern waters," Celestia said.

"Perhaps Shangri-La can have a designated area within each of our countries?" Haakim asked. "That way none of us can accuse the other of monopolizing easy access to the stargate."

"I'm afraid the city is designed to float on the open ocean," Daniel shook his head.

"Well, that would preclude about half of us from giving you an area," the duchess said.

"A most vexing situation," Aspen agreed.

"Maybe not," Dr. Jackson said. "We can allow all of you easy access to the gate thanks to our communication methods and transportation."

"Such as?" The Duke asked, gesturing for him to continue.

"We have several means of long distance communication that should be okay to share with you," Dr. Jackson explained. "And we can transport you in a ship we call a Jumper. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza can attest to their effectiveness."

"They are very cramped," Luna clarified.

"If you're saying that then I'd doubt I'd fit in one," Bronze said.

"The gates are just under seven meters in diameter, and the Jumpers are designed to fit through them," Jackson admitted. "We can figure something out," he assured the minotaur.

"A lot of the older dragons wouldn't be able to fit in one of those either," Ember added. "Perhaps just an escort would work for us. I'm sure we'd rather get there under our own wingpower anyway."

"I don't think elder dragons would fit through the gate." Celestia turned to Ember. "Unless they consented to a temporary shrinking spell."

"Despite dragon pride, I think they'd agree to that before letting one of the adolescents risk their lives on a distant world," Ember replied. "But I can't speak for them. I will bring these matters to their attention and let them decide for themselves who our representatives will be."

"Of course. I think the Princesses' proposal will go better with the IOA if you give them definite benefits of such an arrangement." Dr. Jackson looked between each of them.

"I take it you mean the skillset of the people we nominate to represent us?" The Duke asked.

Jackson gave a glance to Floyd, who nodded and stopped recording. "Let me be frank. I mean, what do you offer that benefits Earth? The IOA has always been extremely self-centered, though I'll save us all the time and not list off the times they almost screwed us all over."

"Well, dragon scales are some of the toughest and most resilient things on the planet," Ember said. "Our scales are capable of letting us dragons survive submerging in lava. We could give you discarded scales."

"Deer potions can grow entire tree groves in days," Aspen offered.

"Zebra cures for magical ailments could be yours," Zazu chimed. "And there is very little our brews cannot do."

"Can you give me an example?" Daniel asked.

"There is a brew that when drank brings the past into view," Zazu replied.

"All of those sound very useful." Dr. Jackson leaned back, nodding his head.

"We can only hope that this IOA representative feels the same way," Luna spoke up. The meeting continued for some time, the topic moving onto the timetable for Shangri-La's transfer to the ocean.

Paradigm Shift [Part 2]

View Online

A Jumper landed just outside the Crystal Empire and put its ramp down. A certain camera man stepped out and adjusted his camera bag.

"Man, am I glad to see this place again," Floyd said, taking a step towards the city. "I was bored stiff listening to those meetings." He turned back to the pilot, "Thanks for the lift."

"Don't mention it," the pilot waved off. "Not like I was gonna make you walk back here."

Floyd nodded, turning toward the only sign of civilization for miles. "Welp, better get to walking." The pilot nodded, closed the ramp and took off. Floyd adjusted his bag again and made his way into the city. He waved as a few ponies greeted him. The place was fully decked out in heart-based decorations. "Looks like the festival Alex mentioned is underway," he noted. "I'd better find her and Flash so we can hang out."

He made his way through the crowds, soon arriving at Alexandrite's home. He knocked, thanking the makers above his pains seemed to have left him. The mare in question opened the door and her face lit up as she saw him.

"Floyd!" She beamed, pulling him into a hug. "It's so good to see you! How was your trip to Canterlot?"

"Boring." He knelt down, returning the hug. "Got to meet some interesting people though."

"Sorry to hear you were bored. Hopefully a good festival can make up for that." She gave him a warm grin.

"It does sound like a fun time." He pulled away, standing back up. "Are you free?"

"Yup," she replied, her tail swishing behind her. "That means I can show you around and tell you all about the festival."

"I was hoping to grab Flash too, but I have no idea where he is."

"Wouldn't the castle be an obvious place to look?" Alexandrite asked with a giggle. "He is a Royal Guard after all."

"I dunno, he might be guarding somewhere in the crowd." Floyd stepped away. "Shall we?"

"Guess it's just the two of us today," Alexandrite said, trotting out the door and closing it behind her. "Then again, most of the activities for the festival are designed for groups of two, so this might be for the best."

"Yeah, but isn't everything set up for couples?" He let her get ahead, following her lead.

"Eh, details." She shrugged off. "Should still be fun for us." She led him to the center of the city where a multitude of booths, stalls and attractions were set up.

"You guys sure know how to go all out," Floyd complemented, whistling in appreciation.

"We're a city whose very survival depends on love," she noted with a grin. "Of course we know how to celebrate it."

"So, what are we doing first, oh great leader?" he asked, scanning the booths.

"Hmm, I think we should try out some of the games," she said, pointing to a nearby booth. "And then we can grab some snacks."

"Just point out a direction!" he declared, smiling down at her. She returned his smile and trotted over to one of the booths. The mare behind it explained the game to them and displayed the choice of prizes.

"Think you can handle this game?" Alexandrite asked with a challenging smirk.

"I'm the one with the opposable thumbs, think you got what it takes to challenge me?" He shot back, cracking his knuckles.

"I think I'll be more than able to." Her smirk grew, she grabbed a ring in her mouth and deftly tossed it around a bottle. Floyd got serious, grabbing a ring and tossing it on the same bottle. Alexandrite nodded and squinted in concentration. She picked up a ring with her hoof and flicked it over to the last row. It bounced off one before settling on the one next to it.

"Good shot," Floyd complemented, tossing his next ring on the same bottle.

"You're not too bad at this either," she replied, her third ring finding its mark. "Get a lot of practice at this sorta thing?"

"No, I'm just a good few feet taller. I have the best angle," he teased, matching her toss.

"Then maybe you should step back a few feet?" she suggested with a giggle, only to pout a little when her last ring bounced uselessly off a bottle.

"Looks like I win." Floyd patted her on her head. "Alright, pick the prize."

"I'll take the stuffed yeti," Alexandrite said, pointing at the stuffed animal in question. The mare at the counter nodded, passing Alexandrite a large stuffed yeti, complete with icicle club. "Hmm, I think I'll name him... Floyd. Due to the striking resemblance he bears to the one who won it for me," Alexandrite teased with a giggle and a grin.

"Ha ha ha," Floyd rolled his eyes, but a small smile betrayed him. "Where to next?"

Alexandrite placed the stuffed animal on her back and tapped her chin with a hoof. "How about you pick the next stop? It'll be more fun if we take turns."

"Sounds good." He shifted his camera to his other hand, placing his hand on her head. He guided her through the crowd, stopping at what looked like a small archery range.

"Is this something you wanna check out?" Alexandrite asked, pointing a hoof at the range.

"Looks fun." Floyd walked up, getting the worker's attention. After a brief explanation, the stallion passed them each a bow and a few arrows.

"Hmm, I guess I can give it a shot," Alexandrite said. "I'll let you go first." Floyd lifted his bow up, taking a few moments to test the string. He finally nocked an arrow, expertly hitting the center of the target. Alexandrite stepped up, carefully and slowly nocking her own arrow. She pulled back and let it fly. Her arrow landed in one of the outer rings.

"Not bad." Floyd took another shot, hitting an inner ring. "Bah."

"Hey, still a better shot than mine," Alexandrite commented, firing her next arrow and having it land next to Floyd's along the line between the inner and outer ring.

"The bow is rather small," he complained, making another inner ring shot.

"This is designed for ponies, after all," she replied, and landed another arrow in an outer ring.

"Touché." Floyd grinned, his last arrow finding the center. Alexandrite squinted and her last arrow found the inner ring just out of the center. "Nice shot." He passed his bow back to the stallion. "You practice?"

"I've done this a couple of times at other festivals," she explained, handing her own bow back.

"My uncle used to take me hunting," Floyd explained, letting Alex pick the prize, "It wasn't really my thing, but I always liked getting to use a bow. He didn't like hunting with guns. He thought it was 'unsportsmanlike.'"

"Hunting isn't really a pony thing," Alexandrite replied. "Though fishing is kinda popular. Pegasi even eat fish because it's good for their wings."

"I didn't know that." He hefted his camera again, stepping aside as another pair of ponies trotted up.

"It has something to do with the oils being good for their feathers," Alexandrite elaborated.

"Whaddaya pick?" he asked, moving on to rejoin the crowd.

"Hmm, wanna get some of the special crystal candy that's only made during festivals?" she asked, trotting alongside him.

"You're dodging the question." He poked her head. "What prize did you pick?"

"A crystal rose," she said, showing the clipped flower she had picked. "I thought it looked pretty."

"Looks good." He gave her a thumbs up, not catching her darkened cheeks. They carried on until they came about a thicker part of the crowd. A stage had been set up, and it appeared to be a couples singing competition.

"Do you wanna give this a shot?" Alexandrite asked, the flower tucked behind her ear as she pointed at the stage.

"I'm up for anything." Floyd smiled. "I think I know a few good duets." He put his bag down, fishing out his phone. "Give me a second to find a good one..."

"I'd love to sing a human song with you!" she beamed. "I bet we'd wow the crowd if we did."

"Luckily, I don't need the internet to bring up lyrics." Floyd smirked, tapping at his phone

"Internet?" Alexandrite repeated, tilting her head and looking up at him.

"I'll explain later," he promised. She nodded and urged him to continue with the lyrics. "Okay." He stopped on a song, kneeling down so she could see. "It's not exactly a duet but, it fits the festival."

"I think we can make it work." She smiled as her eyes scanned over the lyrics.

"Ready?"

"I think I know the song as best as I can, all things considered," she replied, making her way to the stage." Floyd followed, letting the stallion in charge of the competition know they wished to enter. They were entered and the two of them chatted quietly while they waited for their turn to perform.

"Sing often?" Floyd asked, leaning on a wall. He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't nervous, but in his mind, if he could go through a wormhole, he could perform for a crowd.

"I used to sing a bit in my school days," Alexandrite replied. "But I haven't done it often ever since I started my career."

"Got more experience than me." Floyd closed his eyes, listening to the current performance.

"I bet you'll be great," she assured. "Just relax and remember to have fun."

"I'll do my best to keep that in mind." He returned her smile, patting her head. "This is honestly the most fun I've had since I got here."

"I've had a lot of fun, too," Alexandrite replied, her cheeks darkening again. "And there's an old trick for nerves. Just picture the audience completely bald."

"I think you mean in their underwear." Floyd chuckled. "Which is impossible since you're all already naked to begin with." He did take a moment to picture a crowd of ponies in underwear, to his amusement.

"See, just keep that up and you'll be fine." She smiled and bumped his side with her hip.

"You got it, boss lady." He slid down into a sitting position, humming a soft tune to pass the time. Alexandrite sat on her haunches next to him, listening to the tune for a few moments before humming one that matched. "Trying to outdo me huh?" he asked, poking her nose. Her face scrunched up for a moment before she smacked him with her tail.

"Nope, I'm trying to harmonize with you. It'll make our performance easier."

"Huh, I didn't think of that. Luckily, you don't need to know the words."

"Well, maybe I wanted a way to pass the time too," she retorted. "You can't let me be bored by myself."

"Oi, all I said was you didn't need to understand the words to follow the tune." He crossed his arms, mumbling a few words she didn't understand.

"What language are you mumbling in?" Alexandrite asked, glancing at him.

"Sorry. I do that sometimes. I slip into my tribe's language when I say... not-nice things..."

"I'm just gonna ignore the fact you said not-nice things about me and ask what the name of your tribe is," she said with a smirk.

"I'm half Navajo," he explained. "It's why my skin is darker than some other humans'."

"That sounds pretty interesting. Can you tell me more about the Navajo?" she asked with a warm smile.

"Uh sure, what do you want to know?"

"Anything you can tell me about their history or culture?"

Floyd obliged, giving her a brief overview of Navajo culture. He couldn't help but smile, amused by how she seemed to soak it all in like a sponge.

"That' all sounds amazing," Alexandrite said. "Your people are fascinating."

"I can say the same about you, Alex." Floyd reached out, scratching her ear. A dopey smile spread across her face and her tail swished behind her.

"Oooh, thank you," she said. "That feels fantastic."

"Just like a dog," he teased, snickering.

"At least I don't look like a monkey," she shot back, still grinning like an idiot.

"At least I don't look like a little girl's toy," he parried.

"Coming from the guy I named a stuffed yeti after," she retorted, showing off Yeti Floyd.

"That just means I'm an important guy."

"Keep telling yourself that, big guy," she said, patting his back. He chuckled, looking up as the event organizer trotted over.

"You two can head onto the stage now," the event organizer informed.

"Right." Floyd got up, stretching out and shaking off any remaining hesitation. "You ready, Alex?"

"I'm ready whenever you are," she replied, getting onto her hooves. "Especially if you keep scratching behind my ears."

"Then let's do this." He stepped out onto the stage, taking in the audience. Alexandrite came to his side.

"Just picture them in underpants and remember to have fun," she whispered to him. He nodded, patted her head, listening as the organizer introduced them. Floyd then started the song, his voice trembling slightly on the first note.

Alex joined with him, doing her best to match her voice to his. Floyd looked out at the crowd, picturing a sea of ponies in silly underwear. He even pictured a guard he had spotted in a lacy bra. He had to keep himself from chuckling, his nerves melted away and his voice became clearer.

The crowd seemed to enjoy the performance, singing along even if they didn't fully know the lyrics. When their song ended, the crowd stomped their hooves in approval, leaving Alexandrite and Floyd to look at each other with manic grins.

"That was fun!" Floyd knelt down, putting his arm around her.

"Yeah, that might've been the most fun I've had today," she agreed, her cheeks darkening from the contact.

"Great to hear." He began to pull away, pausing when she wrapped an arm around his neck. His mind faltered for a moment when she crept her face close to his, her lips pursing slightly.

'She's going to kiss me,' he thought idly, staring at her. He froze, not sure how to react to it. Then, his eyes widened, the headaches returning in full force. His body seized, causing him to fall backwards. Floyd was barely aware of Alex's frantic shouting, the pain threatening to overwhelm him. He didn't even notice as he was picked up in a nearby unicorn's magic as he blacked out.

"This is that Stargate thing, right?" Ember asked, gazing up at the circular device.

"Yes, this is the Stargate," Carter said, clad in her service dress uniform for the occasion. "This device has changed how humanity sees the universe. And hopefully once negotiations are finalized, it'll do the same for all of you."

"The first trip is always the worst," Daniel added, dressed in his best clothes.

"Any momentum you were under will transfer over to the other side," Carter elaborated. "So if you were to jump through the gate, expect to fall on your face when you come out the other side.

"That sounds like it comes from a place of experience," Aspen commented.

"A lot of experience," Carter replied, chuckling.

"I don't recommend standing in front of it when it turns on." Daniel gestured to the ring. "Won't be much left of you."

"He's right about that," Carter agreed. "When the wormhole is established, the event horizon flares out for a moment before stabilizing. Anything caught in the unstable event horizon will be atomized."

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind." Celestia glanced over, seeing Haakim take a few steps back.

"You don't have to worry about the gate going off without warning," Carter assured the group, catching Haakim moving. "We have it set up so we get a warning whenever an incoming wormhole is being established. And an outgoing wormhole doesn't get established without my say so."

"We're not going to be waiting long, are we?" Ember asked, shifting impatiently. All of a sudden, a klaxon sounded throughout the gate room.

"Incoming wormhole, General."

"It appears we won't be." Celestia watched with interest as the chevrons on the ring lit up. Several in the group jumped back as the gate opened and the event horizon burst forward. After the wormhole stabilized, a tall man with grey hair and a service dress uniform like Carter's stepped out. He pulled off his sunglasses and looked around the room.

"Well, I feel like I just stepped into the pink aisle of the toy store."

"Jack," Carter spoke, sounding genuinely surprised, "I had no idea you were coming."

"Yeah well, that video you sent over reminded me of a certain eighties movie and I just had to see it for myself." The man took the moment to survey the group. "None of you would happen to be a Furling by any chance, would ya?"

"The name does not ring a bell, if it did I would gladly tell," Zazu replied.

Jack glanced at Carter, who just shrugged. "Right. I'm General Jack O'Neill, but I insist you just call me Jack."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack," Celestia said, nodding her head at him. "I am Princess Celestia, and I insist you just call me Celestia." She gave him a good-natured smile.

"Carter tells me you move the sun." Jack leaned to the side, watching her mane flow in a breeze that wasn't there. "I blew up the last guy who said that."

"Yes, Doctor Jackson told me that story," Celestia replied with a chuckle. "But you don't have to worry about me trying to enslave anyone."

"Did he now?" Jack shifted his gaze to Daniel. "When did you become a bard?"

"About the same time you started babysitting the Greys in Roswell," Daniel joked.

"The only good grey was my old buddy Thor," Jack sighed, placing his hands in his pockets. "I miss that little melon head. Anyway, we have a few minutes before the IOA suit gets here."

"We were in the middle of explaining the most important things regarding the gate," Carter explained.

"That's always important. Just don't go blowing up this one."

"I wasn't planning on it," Carter assured him. "I had just told them about the event horizon."

"Don't let her get too carried away," Jack warned. "Carter subsists on long-winded exposition."

"Thank you for that Jack," Carter sighed. "You always did know how to read the mood of the room and then promptly ignore it."

"What can I say," Jack shrugged, looking over his shoulder as a nicely-dressed younger man stepped through the gate, which promptly shut off. "Ah, our buzzkill has finally arrived."

"And thank you for that glowing introduction," the younger man said, shooting Jack a look.

"Kids, this is our IOA representative, a mister Dan Hendrix," Jack introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Hendrix said. "I am here to look over any negotiations that have already been made and finalize them."

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Floyd Hendrix, would you?" Celestia asked, looking the man over.

"That would be my son," Hendrix replied. "He can finally put his film knowledge to use. Though he can't exactly put this job on a resume."

"He is a fine colt with a lot of potential," Celestia nodded.

"Thank you for the praise," Dan said, fighting off a smile. "But we've gotten off-topic. We have business to attend to."

"We'll be using the conference room," Carter informed, leading the group to the upper level. Everyone took their seats, the four humans sitting next to each other.

"So, how do you wanna start this, Hendrix?" Jack asked, looking over at the suited man.

"I think it would be best to start with Princess Celestia's proposal." Hendrix opened his suitcase, producing a stack of papers. "I understand you wish to become full partners on the expedition."

"That is correct," Celestia replied. "It has come to my attention that there are ponies spread out among this galaxy. My sister and I wish to form ties with them all, and the Stargate is the means to achieve that goal."

"We share the same sentiment," Aspen added.

"Personally, I just want to do more than get by," Elmis spoke. "I offer my services in exchange for love."

"I think we can approve of your exchange, Queen Elmis," Dan said with a nod. "Shapeshifting is a useful skill and, from the reports I've read, feeding you love is a simple matter."

"I assure you, it's more than useful." As if on cue, the potted plant in the corner shifted into a changeling. It bowed before fluttering out of the room.

"And that's an instant approval for Queen Elmis," Dan revised, making a note. Elmis grinned, leaning back in her chair. 'Who would like to make their case next?"

"Dragon scales can withstand lava and our teeth are stronger than diamond." Ember punctuated her point by tossing a diamond into her mouth, noisily crunching on it. "We can supply you with both."

"We'll have to test your claim about the scales, but I think the teeth by themselves more than earn an approval of your proposal," Dan replied, making another note.

"I can personally vouch for Ember's claim," Celestia spoke up. "Dragons are known to lounge in lava pools."

"Thank you for that, but we'll still test the scales to figure out their durability and other properties they may have," Dan said. "It's standard procedure when we get alien materials. Now, who would like to make their offer next?"

"I understand your planet has a deforestation problem," Aspen said. "My people brew potions that can grow orchards in days."

"I think we'd be more than happy to approve your proposal if you could give a demonstration of your potions' efficacy," Dan stated.

"Of course." Aspen rose from his seat, trotting over to the sole remaining pot in the corner of the room. He produced a seed, burying it a good depth before pouring some kind of fluid on it. A few seconds passed before the plant emerged from the soil, growing into a sunflower.

"And that's a tentative approval for King Aspen," Dan commented, jotting down another note. "We just need to test your potion under controlled conditions."

"This is going much better than I thought," Jack commented. "Why couldn't the Snakeheads be this cooperative?"

"Calling them Snakeheads didn't help," Daniel replied. "And no, Jack, saying you 'have a Jaffa friend' does not make it better."

"Gentlemen, can we stay on topic?" Hendrix asked, looking between them.

"Sorry about that," Jackson said. "The zebra leader Zazu has offered their knowledge in the form of potion making. He's even claimed to have a mixture that can allow us to see the past. Normally I'd say it's just a hallucinogen used in a ritual and the power is being misconstrued. But given everything else you've seen today I'm sure you agree with me in saying we should allow him to demonstrate his skills."

"Our potions can do more than that, they can even alter one's body in ten seconds flat," Zazu stated.

"What level of body alteration are we talking about?" Dan asked.

"A brew may free a bound mind or refill a gapped smile. And those effects are what we consider minor," Zazu explained.

"If that's true then there's quite a bit we could do with your potions," Dan said. "But we will need a demonstration and a chance to test your potions to make sure they're safe for humans."

Zazu nodded, reaching into his bags, producing a rather ornate bottle. He he removed the cork, taking a swig of its contents. He licked his lips, his stripes swiftly turning orange.

"And that has intrigued me," Dan replied, making a note. "If you wouldn't mind sending over either some samples or recipes for some of your potions so we can test them, I think we can grant you approval."

"A sample I can do, a brew needs a shaman's hooves," Zazu explained.

"As long as we can prove that your potions do what you say they can, send over anything you like," Dan replied. Zazu nodded, recorking his potion and storing it away. "Alright, this is progressing smoothly. Who would like to make their case next?"

"Minos has the largest supply of Alicor in the known world." Bronze produced a volleyball sized chunk, dropping it on the table with a heavy thud.

"And what are the properties of Alicor?" Dan asked. "I haven't heard of it before in any of the reports."

"We've only just got around to doing tests on a few samples," Carter began. "We thought it was just Naquadah, but it appears to be a variant. From what we've gathered, it's far lighter and has at least double the storage capacity of Naquadah." After a moment, she added, "And it doesn't have violent reactions with potassium."

"Alright, we'll have to hammer out the details, but in exchange for Alicor mining rights, I think we can approve your proposal," Dan replied. "Thank you for the on-hand report, General Carter."

"Of course." she nodded

"And we ponies can let you study our forms of magic," Celestia offered. "And our means of producing and controlling the weather. If that is not enough, however," Celestia levitated an object over to Dan, allowing him to take it. "That is known as the Alicorn Amulet. It is a magical artifact made of the purest magicite ore and refined Alicor. It is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Equestria can easily supply you with a variety of enchanted items."

"I think we can approve your proposal on those grounds," Dan said, handing the amulet over to Carter. "I think studying this is more your realm of expertise."

"I recommend that once you are finished with your examination, you toss it into one of those unstable event horizons," Celestia glared at the amulet. "The amulet has brought my ponies nothing but misery."

"I'm sure we'll dispose of it if we think it's a threat," Carter assured the princess. "Thank you for the warning."

"Considering humans lack magic, I doubt it will be an issue."

"General Carter! Doctor Jackson!" Cadence's shouts boomed, full of panic.

"What is Cadance doing here?" Carter said, looking over at Daniel.

"Whatever it is, it sounds urgent," he said as he stood up, making his way toward the doors.

"I think we can put the meeting on pause for the sake of finding out what's distressing my niece," Celestia said, rising from her own seat.

The group moved down towards the gate, finding a clearly panicked Cadance, holding a limp Floyd in her magic.

"Floyd!" Dan cried, his professional demeanor dropping as he rushed to his son's side.

"I-I don't know what happened. H-he had some kind of seizure and collapsed," Cadance explained frantically.

"What are we waiting for?!" Dan demanded. "We need to get him to the doctor!"

"Cadance," Celestia spoke gently, taking Floyd from her. "Take a deep breath." Cadance nodded and did what her aunt said.

"I-I can't believe this happened," Cadance said.

"I know," Celestia soothed. "We can't all go, I suggest we only teleport a few of us."

General Carter tapped her earpiece and said, "Juan, look alive. You've got incoming!" To Cadance, she asked, "Do you know where the medbay is?"

"I-I can take us there." Cadance lit her horn up. "I just need to know who's going?"

"I have to go," Dan spoke up, "he's my son." Cadance didn't exactly wait for the group to be decided, teleporting whoever was closest to the Medbay.

"That's a hell of a way to travel," Jack muttered. "I'm getting Thor flashbacks over here."

Doctor Juan was already moving when the group arrived, his eyes locking onto Floyd. "Put him on the closest bed, I need to examine him thoroughly."

Celestia complied, laying Floyd down on one of the scanners. The doctor lifted Floyd's shirt up, placing a stethoscope on his chest.

"Heartbeat is slow, but steady," Juan informed the onlookers, noting that Floyd had somehow acquired a fair amount of muscle since his checkup after initial contact with the ponies. He grabbed a small flashlight, holding open one of Floyd's eyes. "Well, that's something."

"His eyes are... glowing?" Dan asked nobody in particular, his eyes widening as he looked over his son.

"That's never a good sign," Jack commented.

"I've examined the back of the neck," Dr. Juan stated, lifting Floyd's head. "This isn't a Goa'uld. It could be a Tok'ra, but I don't think he has a symbiote inside him. I'll need to continue to know what's really going on."

"No need, doctor, I believe I know what ails young Floyd." Celestia stepped up to the bed, looking down at him. "The Teachers used amulets like Floyd's to grant themselves magic."

"Wait... so you're saying that Floyd here is getting magic?" Jack asked. He glanced down at the amulet. "Please tell me there are more of those lying around? I've always wanted to take my act on the road."

"I believe Floyd just needs a shock to his system." Celestia lit her horn up, filling the room with golden light. "I should warn you, his magic will most likely surge."

"What should we expect from a magic surge?" Dan asked, his eyes not leaving Floyd's prone form.

"Random spells flying around. There's no way to be certain exactly what will happen, but I should be able to undo everything afterward."

"Just do what you need to," Dan replied. Celestia nodded and sent a small arc of power into Floyd. His body went stiff, his eyes turning pure white, while his hands developed a grey aura. Grey bolts fired wildly from his hands, striking at the walls and some bouncing off medical equipment.

One bolt collided with O'Neill, knocking him flat on his ass. Another bolt bounced off a lamp and hit Dan between the eyes. He disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by a potted cactus with a pile of clothes around it. Celestia lit her horn again, sending a calming wave of magic into Floyd. The bolts of magic died down, and his eyes slowly returned to normal. A flash of golden light surrounded the cactus, turning it back into to Dan. His clothes, however, remained on the floor.

"I suggest you cover up, Mister Hendrix." Celestia didn't bat an eye, looking at O'Neill. "If I had to hazard a guess, I don't think you'll wish me to undo the spell that hit you, General," she said.

Dan gave her a shaky nod and quickly dressed himself, his tie winding up looking crooked. "That was the oddest experience of my life," he muttered.

"What are ya talking about?" Jack asked. "I just got knocked on my ass. What are you going to undo?"

"Well, you seem to have regained some years lost to time."

"Can somebody get me a mirror?" Jack asked, blinking owlishly. Celestia levitated one over, holding it up at eye level. "Well would you look at that?" A wild grin broke across his face. "There's more pepper than salt in my hair now. I think I'm gonna like magic."

"Floyd should be alright now, though I recommend he get as much rest as possible." Princess Celestia held a hoof out, helping Jack up.

"Thank you for this, Princess Celestia," Dan said, regaining some of his composure. "I appreciate what you've done for my son."

"It was no trouble, I hate to see potential go to waste." Celestia gave a soft smile. "You should be proud, it seems your son is destined for greatness."

"I was already proud of him," Dan admitted. "Magic or no magic, it takes a certain something to follow unrealistic dreams. Just don’t tell him I said that. Gotta give him something to rebel against, after all."

"I agree," Celestia nodded, suddenly very melancholic. "And I'd recommend keeping Floyd away from the Alicorn Amulet. There's no telling what could happen if he put it on."

"I take it something bad?" Jack guessed.

"I've never seen anything good come from somepony wearing it," Celestia replied.

"Right, keep the evil-looking necklace away from magic boy, simple enough."

"Now that the light show is over, I think I should resume my examination," Dr. Juan said as he emerged from his hiding place, surveying the room for any damages. He went to Floyd, tapping a few buttons on the scanner, and a 3-D model appeared overhead. Green veins were all over the projection of Floyd's body, though most were concentrated in his hands, nervous system and brain. "His scan is reminiscent of Princess Cadance's."

Jack leaned over to Celestia. "Is that impressive or something?" he stage whispered so everyone could hear.

"I believe it means that Floyd is the human equivalent of an alicorn," Celestia explained. "Or at least a pony with the potential for alicorn ascension," she said softly, smiling to herself.

"Does that mean he's gonna grow wings?" Jack asked. "If so, he's gonna need one hell of a tailor."

"I don't recall that ever happening." Celestia scrunched her muzzle. "At most, he'll likely have weather control and the ability to cloud walk."

"I'd pay to see that," Jack said with a grin. "This trip is already worth it."

"How is he doing?" Daniel asked, nearly running into the room. He stopped, staring at Jack. "Jack, you look so much..."

"Younger?" Jack finished for him with a grin. "Yeah, the kid's magic went crazy, knocked me on my ass, and now I've shaved off a few years from my tally. And the kid's more than fine, just needs some rest."

"Carter's going to be jealous," Daniel stated, looking toward the doorway.

"Just get her in the room and we'll see if Celestia here can prod the kid into pulling it off again," Jack said with a chuckle.

"The prodding will have to wait for another time," Dr. Juan admonished, shooing them out of the room. "Young Mister Hendrix needs rest."

They filed out of the room, quickly walking down the halls. Cadance let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad Floyd's okay."

"As am I," Celestia nodded in agreement.

"I'm not gonna lie, the IOA is going to be very interested in that amulet," Dan said. "Especially if it provides the same level of effectiveness on others with the ATA gene."

"I doubt it would work for anyone besides Floyd," Celestia countered. "If my memory serves me correctly, the amulets imprinted when touched."

"I was afraid of that," Dan mumbled. "The IOA might be bothering Floyd for his newfound magic."

"He'll always have a safe haven in Equestria," Celestia assured him.

"Then it's probably a good idea he stays here for a while," Dan said. "At least until our research into magic has made some headway. I don't think he'd appreciate being treated like a lab rat. Scratch that, I know he wouldn't."

"I know I don't." Jack put his hands in his pockets.

"I actually think you and Floyd would get along," Daniel offered with a chuckle. "He greeted Celestia's student and her friends with the Vulcan salute and told them to live long and prosper."

"Sounds like my kind of kid." Jack glanced over his shoulder, "Anyone who can make a good Star Trek reference is worth knowing."

"Why don't I teleport us back?" Cadance offered. "It'll save us some time."

"Go right ahead," Jack said. "I think I can brace myself for that." Cadance nodded and with a flash, they found themselves back in the gate room. After Jack and the others got their bearings, they made their way back to the conference room they had left from.

"I'm sorry for the interruption," Dan said. "There was a slight incident, but everything is fine."

"Is the young buck alright?" Aspen inquired.

"He's more than alright," Dr. Jackson said. "The amulet he wears is a piece of technology from the Teachers. One that has allowed him to gain use of magic. He'll be better than ever once he gets some rest."

"Isn't that convenient," Ember snorted, looking rather skeptical.

"No, the convenient thing is that I apparently got blasted with an age rewinding spell during his surge," Jack said, grinning and running a hand through his hair. "Forty never felt so good."

"Well, wasn't expecting to see that today," Carter said, looking Jack over. "Actually Jack, I think you should stay out of these proceedings until we've gotten you checked out."

"Carter I'm fine, just have a lot less grey hair," Jack insisted, frowning at her.

"Because you were blasted by magic that we don't even know the full capabilities of," she countered.

"Fine, I'll get checked out after we're done with this," he conceded, but obviously annoyed.

"Where were we, again?" Daniel asked, sitting down.

"I believe the Duke, Duchess and I still had to make our cases for approval," Haakim stated.

"Please," Dan gestured for him to go on.

"My country is home to the highest-grade magicite ore on the planet," Haakim started. "We could trade some of our ore with you."

"That's the second time someone has mentioned magicite," Dan observed, "but I'm afraid my briefing didn't include much information about the ore. Can you describe it?"

"Magicite is a crystal that is conductive to magic," Luna explained for the Sheik. "It is highly useful in the creation of enchanted items. The higher the grade, the more efficient the conduction."

"Sounds like something we'd be very interested in having," Dan replied with a nod. "I'll put you down for a pending approval." Haakim bowed his head graciously. "That just leaves the Duke and Duchess."

"Our nation is not as rich in resources as our neighbors," the Duke explained. "Our rainforests, however, are home to fantastical creatures that exist nowhere else."

"We would allow you to study them, within reason," the Duchess added.

"This one will be trickier to convince the higher ups on," Dan started. "General Carter, could you have a member of your Biology department write up a statement explaining the medical breakthroughs made by studying Earth's rainforests?"

"I don't think that would be too much trouble."

"Alright, then let's hope that's enough to grant the Duke and Duchess here an approval," Dan said, making a note.

"Sheesh, since when did the IOA hire such understanding and helpful people?" Daniel whispered into Jack's ear. "Am I the only one waiting for the other shoe to drop?"

"Danny boy, don't jinx it," Jack whispered back, giving him a stern look.

"Interesting warning coming from the guy who's nearly jinxed diplomacy several times," Jackson shot back.

"There are a few other races on our world that you may wish to be aware of," Celestia said, watching Dan.

"I've read the General's report so I'm aware of all the races already mentioned there, like griffins," Dan explained. "Are there any others that we're unaware of?"

"Equestria is home to several packs of Diamond Dogs." Luna levitated over a report, "They have no unified government and tend to busy themselves with gem mining."

"I suppose there is also the Kentaur empire, but we have not heard from them for at least a thousand years," Celestia added. "Are we missing any?"

"Yakyakastan," Luna sighed.

"Ah yes... the yaks," Celestia said with some hesitancy. "If you do decide to engage in negotiations with them, I would avoid bringing them here. They tend to smash things when angered."

"And they are easily angered," Luna added. "T'would not be wise to let them near the delicate machinery here."

"You know, Thor and his buddies would have loved this place." Jack leaned back in his chair. "Those guys could have used a pick me up."

"We all wish they could have seen it," Carter said. "The Asgard were good allies and friends."

"I take it something tragic happened to them?" Celestia inquired, though she could certainly guess at the answer.

"That'd be an understatement," Jack said. "It's not exactly a good story to tell during negotiations like these."

"Then we won't press the issue." Celestia inclined her head. "Shall we move on to the relocation of Shangri-La?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Dan said. "I see you've offered a location off the eastern coast, Princess."

"We have three port cities on that coast," Celestia elaborated, "It is our hope that trade will flow between them."

"Minos is along the coast as well," Bronze chimed in. "Placing Shangri-La within our waters would make the trade of Alicor quick and easy."

"And there is the Inland Sea by our own borders," Haakim noted. "Placing Shangri-La in our waters would make magicite trade easy. "And we are close to Zebrica so it is an advantageous position for multiple parties here."

"Putting it along Equestria's coast will make it easy for us to send any help you'd need," Ember added.

"Maretonia would be able to access Shangri-La easier if it was along the Equestrian coast as well," the Duchess said with a nod.

"It sounds like Equestria's coast is the most agreeable position," Carter replied with a nod. "Do you have any objections?" She looked at Dan.

"None that I can think of." Dan shook his head. Being in Equestrian waters would give the city some protection from foreign powers.

"Excellent," Celestia said with a smile. "We will inform the mayors of the cities and the media of the move."

Paradigm Shift [Part 3]

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Elmis walked down the halls of Shangri-La, deeply satisfied with the deal she had struck for her people. She hummed a tune to herself as she idly wondered what to do now that her people were guaranteed food. Her mind drifted toward Higgs; Razor had talked about the soldier a lot in the time of their move.

"Considering he's stuck in a bed at the moment, he could likely use some company," she mused to herself, altering her course. She slipped into the medbay, heading to Higgs' bed. "Good morning, Higgs, I thought you might like a break in the tedium."

"Hey, Elmy," Higgs greeted, sitting up in his bed with a little sway and giving her a large smile. "How are ya?"

"I'm fine." She frowned, looking him over, "I don't think you are, though."

"I feel pretty good," Higgs waved off. "The doc gave me some painkillers so I don't scream in pain from moving my leg the wrong way."

"Right." She sat on her haunches, watching him. "How is your leg doing?"

"Thanks to your goo, I'll be walking again pretty soon," He replied, giving her a grin. "I owe ya one for that, by the way."

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't let Razor's new best friend die." She waved him off, soaking in the praise.

"And I insist that I repay you," Higgs pressed. "My mom raised me better than to leave my debts unpaid. Especially when it's to a lovely lady."

"You can repay me by staying Razor's friend," she insisted, giving him a stern look. "I haven't seen him this happy before."

"That won't be any trouble at all," Higgs replied with a grin. "That little guy is great. Makes me wish I had a son of my own."

"You don't have anyone?" Elmis knew ponies didn't share changeling courtship norms, so, she had assumed humans didn't either. "I'm surprised. I'd have thought you'd be claimed."

"Me? Nah, being a soldier for a classified program kinda leaves me with little time to find a wife," he replied. "Plus, I'd hate to die offplanet and leave someone with a folded flag and a bullshit story."

Elmis nodded in understanding. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Yeah, my best bet would be to find someone that already knows about my involvement with the SGC," he said. "That way if something does happen to me, they can know the truth."

"Does this someone... have to be human?" she asked carefully, watching his face.

"Nah, after meeting aliens I can safely say I don't care if who I get with isn't human," he said. "Just as long as she's a good girl who can make me laugh."

"Good to know," she smiled, looking rather pleased with that information.

"What about you? Why don't you have a guy?" Higgs asked. "Are changeling queens not into monogamy or something?"

"Kings come and go." She shrugged. The quickest was Razor's father. They had spent many passionate hours coupling, only for him to scram after the deed was done. "My lovers never stayed."

"Is that an arrangement you're okay with?" Higgs asked, scratching at the bandage on his leg.

"It does get lonely sometimes, but I have my children."

"I feel ya there," he replied with a nod. "The bed gets a little cold at night, but I've got the SGC."

"Perhaps we could solve each other's problem," she offered with a grin.

"Whaddya mean?" he questioned, looking up at her with a quirked brow. She leaned in close, breathing in his face, their lips almost touching. Higgs' eyes widened in realization, but he remained still. He tried to think, but his mind was sluggish from the medicine.

"But," she quickly pulled away, "it'll have to wait until your leg heals."

Higgs blinked owlishly for a few seconds before chuckling, "Well aren't you a tease?"

"I have a lifetime of experience," she laughed, "and that includes more... intimate things as well."

"Why ,Queen Elmis, are you trying to seduce me?" Higgs asked with a smirk.

"Am I that obvious?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Hey, I like a straightforward lady," he waved off. "Who's got time to weave their way through word games? It's way easier just to say whatcha mean."

"You'd make a terrible changeling," she teased.

"Hey, I bet I'd be a great changeling," he said with a laugh. "I could gather love with the best of 'em."

"I highly doubt that, Higgs."

"Guess we'll never know," he replied with a shrug.

"Let us dispense with the barbs." She moved closer, sitting next to his bed. "Now, tell me about yourself."

"I'm not that interesting of a guy," Higgs replied with a shrug. "I'm a soldier through and through. I follow my orders and give them every now and then."

"Come now, there's more to it than that," she prodded, poking this side.

"I'm being honest here," he said, chuckling and batting her hoof away. "I'm a simple guy. I watch my game and unwind with a good ale every now and then when I'm off duty."

"Game?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, I'm talking about watching a sport called football," he elaborated. "Especially a Seahawks game. Can't miss one of them, although I suppose I'll have to settle for recordings now that I'm stationed offworld. And Seahawks is the name of the team, before you ask."

"What is a 'sport'?" She frowned, wrapping her mouth around the foreign word.

"Well, a rough definition would be a game involving physical effort where two or more teams compete against each other," he explained, scratching the side of his head.

"Ah, I see." she nodded.

"So what about you?" he questioned. "What do you do to relax?"

"I like to soak in a hot spring. It helps sooth the carapace."

"I soaked in a hot spring when I was stationed in Japan a few years back," he said with a grin. "Once you get past the smell it's pretty relaxing."

She got comfy, the two of them chatting back and forth.

Floyd slowly felt himself return to reality. He groaned as he sat up, his body feeling like it was made of lead.

"Ugh, what the hell happened to me?" he muttered, rubbing the side of his head as he tried to recall what had happened to him. "Oh shit... Alex was going to kiss me..." He froze as the image of her pursed lips replayed in his mind. "I... have no idea what I'm gonna say when I see her next time."

He stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort out his feelings. Did he like her? Sure she wasn't human but, she wasn't an animal either. Hanging out with her had been fun, a lot of fun really. And if he was being honest, it was more fun than he'd had with most, if not all of his exes.

"Why did life have to get so complicated?" he muttered to himself, pulling his blankets tighter to his body. "Should I tell the Doc and the General about this? Would I even be allowed to pursue Alex if I wanted to?" He sighed, rolling over in his bed. "Really wasn't expecting this when I signed up."

He gave a silent prayer to his grandmother, hoping she would give him some form of guidance from wherever she was. His ears then perked up, a low sound coming from another part of the room.

A woman's voice carried over to him, giving a sensual moan. A male voice followed shortly after.

'That... can't be what I think it is, can it?' He listened closer, trying to figure out where exactly the noise was coming from. It seemed to be coming from the other side of the room, a pair of shadows dancing on a divider. One of them was human shaped, the other was of a more equine variety. 'Uh, I think I should just get up and let whoever that is have some privacy.' He eased himself out of bed, staring at his new musculature.

"What the hell?!" He ran a hand up and down his chest. "When the hell did I get abs?"

"Ah, it seems the youngling is awake," the female voice commented.

"Yeah, looks like he's alright," the male voice added.

"Uh... hi..." Floyd called, suddenly feeling rather self conscious. An aura surrounded the divider, pulling it back to reveal Higgs and Queen Elmis.

"Hey kid," Higgs waved. "You look pretty good for someone who was just had a magic seizure." Floyd noted that Higgs was fully clothed.

"I guess I do," Floyd frowned. "Do either of you know what happened to me?"

"According to Princess Celestia, that amulet you took was slowly changing your body," Higgs said. "You can do magic now... some pretty crazy stuff, too, if that insanity from earlier is any indicator."

"What?" Floyd blinked owlishly, reaching up to touch his amulet.

"The doc said your scan was similar to Cadance's," Higgs elaborated. "Probably why you've got more muscle now."

"Right..." Floyd gazed at Higgs's legs. "What happened to you?"

"A shadow unicorn shot a crystal into my leg," Higgs explained. "Luckily, I got something to stop the bleeding before going through the gate."

"That sounds horribly painful," Floyd winced. "I'm Floyd, by the way."

"I'm Higgs," he greeted.

"And we've already had the pleasure of meeting," Elmis said with a chuckle.

"That we did," Floyd nodded, gingerly getting to his feet.

"Lucky bastard," Higgs muttered. "You get in here after me and you're gonna be walking out first."

"Yeah, I got all the luck." Floyd rolled his eyes, looking toward the door as the doctor walked in.

"Well would you look at that," Dr. Juan said as he looked over Floyd. "The magician has woken up."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Please tell me the headaches will stop," Floyd all but begged.

"I think it's safe to say that they will," Dr. Juan said. "But I think I should keep an eye on you for a little while, a few days at the most. You did just collapse on account of that necklace, after all."

"Yeah, I figured. How long was I out for?"

"About a day," Dr. Juan answered. "And you can thank Princess Celestia for your waking up I'm sure. She said she triggered a 'magic surge' in you. Heh, you turned the IOA rep into a cactus."

"A cactus?" Floyd asked, raising his eyebrow skeptically.

"Yup, it was pretty funny," Dr. Juan said. "Although I suppose it wouldn't be funny if he were still a cactus. The Princess fixed that, too. Anyway, I'll let General Carter know that you're awake, you just sit back down." Floyd nodded, hopping back up on his bed. Juan quickly went over to Higgs, checked his bandages, and left the room, the door closing behind him.

"And so the waiting begins," Floyd sighed, laying back down.

"You get used to it," Higgs assured him. "And hey, at least ya got some company in here."

"That is true," Floyd nodded. "Really didn't see this coming when I took the job."

"Welcome to the SGC," Higgs said with a chuckle. "Where the unexpected is totally expected. And you're not the first member to get superpowers from jewelry. You should ask your boss about armbands the next time you see him."

"Armbands?" Floyd asked, his interest piqued.

"It'd be best if he told the story himself," Higgs replied with a chuckle. "But I'll do it if he clams up."

"I'll keep that in mind." Floyd closed his eyes, his thoughts traveling back to Alex.

"Are you having mare problems?" Elmis asked, her wings fluttering on her back.

"Mare problems?" Floyd looked over. "This place just loves the puns."

"That wasn't a no, kid," Higgs pointed out with a chuckle.

"I guess it wasn't..." Floyd admitted, shifting uncomfortably.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Elmis inquired. "I'm a good listener."

"I mean... I don't even know how I feel about her," he groaned, running a hand through his hair.

"I could tell that from here," Elmis said with a giggle. "Confusion is at the forefront of your emotions."

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," Floyd grumbled, crossing his arms.

"I wasn't laughing at you," she assured. "I make it a point not to laugh in matters of the heart. Now, why don't you walk me through your situation?"

"A friend of mine tried to kiss me and I don't know if I like her like that..." Floyd explained, feeling a bit like an idiot.

"Is it because she's an alien that looks like a horse?" Higgs guessed.

"I dunno, maybe?" Floyd pouted. "I don't think she's an animal..."

"Then why not tell her the truth?" Higgs offered. "That you're not sure about what you're feeling and that you're not outright rejecting her."

"She probably thinks I died or something..." Floyd groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I expect she'd tackle and hug you at the very least when she sees you next," Elmis chirped.

"Yeah, she seems like that kinda girl."

"On the bright side, it'd be like getting a hug from a living teddy bear," Higgs chimed with a grin.

"So..." Floyd glanced at Elmis. "How are you settling in? I can't imagine this has been easy, what with all the new faces and location. Hell, the new planet."

"Changelings are nothing if not adaptable," Elmis replied. "And this ship is more comfortable than a cave."

"You just like the free food," Higgs joked, a goofy grin on his face.

"The free food certainly does help things," she admitted, chuckling. "And now my children and I will be exchanging our services to your organization for love. So we won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

"Oh, hey General." Floyd sat up, straightening up when he saw her. "I hope I didn't cause too much trouble."

"You didn't cause any trouble," Carter assured him. "We're all glad you're okay. Our IOA representative is particularly happy about it," she continued with a knowing smile.

"Right..." Floyd didn't exactly know how to feel about that smile, and it added to his already burdened mind. "How did it all go?"

"It went very well," Carter replied. "We've come to reasonable agreements with the major world leaders of this planet and we'll have a place to set Shangri-La down in soon. Our only real concern at this point is finding out more about those shadow ponies."

"What, uh..." Floyd paused, ignoring the building dread in his chest. "What happens to me now?"

"When Doctor Juan gives you a clean bill of health, you'll return to your duties," Carter replied.

Floyd stared at her, rather dumbfounded. "That's it?" He asked, looking rather incredulous. "I get magic powers and I get plopped right back into being cameraman again?" There had to be something else. No one but the government knew he was out here; they could do whatever they wanted to to him.

"What, are you expecting me to order experiments on you?" Carter asked with a laugh. "I don't treat people like something in a petri dish. We can learn about magic without turning you into a lab rat."

"Yeah, and they traded Manhattan for some worthless beads," Floyd shot back.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about a repeat of events like that happening to you," a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Floyd shifted his attention to the doorway, stopping on the form of his father. Floyd muttered something only Dan seemed to understand, not looking pleased.

"A simple 'hello' would've sufficed," Dan said, walking over and stopping at the side of Floyd's bed. "I'm glad to see you're up so soon."

"So how long have you been lying to Mom and me about your job?" Floyd asked, giving his father an unamused look.

"Floyd, I never lied about my job," Dan countered, sitting on the edge of the bed, "I just... left out some details."

"And that's called a lie by omission," Floyd countered. "I may be 'just a film student' but I'm not an idiot."

"Floyd, please, can we not do this?" Dan gave his son an exasperated look. "Just look at it this way, we both have a secret to keep from your mother."

"Ooh, looks like we have something to bond over," Floyd said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Gee shucks, Pops, are ya gonna finally teach me how to throw a curveball, too?" Dan let out a long sigh, giving Floyd a tired look.

"Floyd, I get it, I haven't always been the best father," Dan started, "but I do love you. And I'll let you get all your aggression against me out later."

"What are you even doing here?" Floyd asked, letting some of the venom bleed out of his voice. "They let family visit now?"

"I'm the IOA representative sent to finalize the negotiations between the countries of this world and ours," Dan answered.

"Everyone loves some good ol' nepotism," Floyd scoffed, "Lemme guess, you got Jason signed on as our resident crazy man?"

"No, I didn't get Jason involved in this," Dan replied, running a hand through his hair.

"Lucky him."

"Listen Floyd, I can't let the IOA find out about your newfound magic," Dan said. "That means you'll have to stay in Equestria for a while."

"Wasn't I already going to be doing that?" Floyd frowned, not liking exactly where this was going. "And how long is 'a while'? Days, weeks? Years?"

"I can't give you an exact timeframe," Dan replied. "You'll be here until our research team makes good progress on studying magic."

"Fun fucking times," Floyd laughed bitterly. "Hey while you're at it, can you take care of my college debts too?"

"I don't like this turn of events either," Dan said, frowning. "But this is a better option than you becoming an experiment to be poked and prodded day in and day out by strange men in labcoats hired by my colleagues."

Floyd turned away, looking at the wall ahead of him. "I can think of worse places to stay than magic horse land."

"I'm sure you'd be happy to know that you turned me into a cactus when Princess Celestia triggered a magic surge in you," Dan offered. "Complete with a pot." Floyd chuckled despite himself, looking down at his hands.

"Wish I could have filmed that..." Floyd toyed with his amulet, watching as it shimmer softly.

"If you learn how to control your magic, you might be able to do just that," Dan said, fighting off a smile.

"Yeah, hopefully..." Floyd bit his lip, debating on whether or not he wanted to ask the General about his crystal pony problem. He sighed and decided to bite the bullet. He had nothing to lose anyway. "Um, General, I've got a question that might seem a bit odd."

"And what would that be?" Carter asked. She had chosen not to comment on their squabble, considering her own difficulties with her father.

"Is there any policy against getting involved with people on the planets we visit?" Floyd asked carefully, bracing himself for her response. Dan gave his son an odd look, his mind trying to find the logic behind such a question.

"There is a guideline detailing the rules on relationships between USAF civilian staff, which includes you since you work for the SGC, and non-USAF personnel. It's totally fine as long as your performance isn't being hindered by the relationship."

"Oh, okay, I guess that's good to know."

"Why do you ask?" Carter asked.

"I may have a crystal pony attracted to me," Floyd admitted slowly.

"And how do you feel about them?" Dan inquired.

"Can we not talk about that part?" Floyd pleaded, not wanting to even attempt to wrangle in his emotions. "I have enough on my plate as it is."

"Well, no matter what your intentions are," Carter started, "no one in the SGC will stop you."

"Thanks." Floyd nodded, going quiet as his stomach growled. "Er... can I request some food? I'm starving."

"That won't be any trouble," Carter assured him with a smile. She pressed the button on her walkie talkie and requested someone bring in food to the medbay. Floyd got off his bed again, stretching his limbs. He popped a few joints, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"So, uh... how am I supposed to learn how to use magic?" Floyd wondered aloud, examining one of his hands. "Do I just get a wand and start shouting nonsense words, or...?"

"You'd have to ask Princess Celestia," Carter said. "She knows more about this than we do. She may even point you in the right direction of a good magic teacher."

Floyd just sighed, muttering to himself. A moment later, a soldier came in with a tray of food in her hand.

"I have that food you wanted, General."

"That'd be for me." Floyd graciously took the tray, not even waiting to sit down before he started to eat.

"You might be interested in knowing that your scan was similar to Cadance's," Carter chimed.

"Yeah, Higgs told me." Floyd noted that the food was better than he was expecting, which wasn't all that much. "Glad I didn't get wings or anything."

"General O'Neill also commented on the prospect of you growing wings," Dan noted. "He said that you would've needed a good tailor if you had."

"General O'Neill?" Floyd paused long enough to down his milk carton, diving right back into his food. "He uh... the speech before we left, right?"

"He's also the former leader of SG-1 and the head of Homeworld Command," Carter added.

"Good to see both my patients are recovering nicely," Dr. Juan said as he reentered the room. "If you don't mind, I'd like to run another scan on the younger Mister Hendrix now that he's awake."

"Go right ahead doc," Floyd said with a nod, setting his tray down.

"I'll need you to lie on one of the scanners." Dr. Juan gestured to the room he had just come out of. Floyd nodded and got up from the bed, following the doctor into the other room. Dan and Carter stood at the doorway, watching with interest. Floyd lay down on the nearest scanner, the doctor pressed a few buttons on it and a 3-D image appeared overhead.

"Am I going to live?" Floyd joked, trying to lighten his mood.

"I give you three weeks, tops," Dr. Juan replied with a chuckle. "But in all seriousness, you seem fine. Though there is something peculiar about your scan. Your hormone levels are abnormally high."

"The hell's that mean?"

"I'm saying your testosterone, HGH, etc. levels are of someone at the height of puberty," the doctor elaborated. "If I had to guess, your body started producing more hormones to compensate for your sudden changes. You'll probably need to up for food intake."

"I'll keep that in mind," Floyd said, rubbing his stomach. "Now that you mention it, I am still kinda hungry."

"I think we can spare another serving of food for you," Carter said, turning to the soldier that had brought the food to him. "Could you grab another tray of food for Floyd?"

"Yes ma'am," the soldier nodded, briskly walking out of the room.

Haakim walked along the halls of Shangri-La with the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia. They made sure to stick to underused halls as they talked.

"I am sure that I'm not the only one of us that is apprehensive regarding this deal we are making with the humans," Haakim stated.

"It does appear to be rather... one sided," the Duke agreed.

"What is it that gives these humans the right to this city?" the Duchess asked. "It is on our planet."

"They found it abandoned," Haakim offered, though, he didn't seem all that convinced.

"Abandoned on land that rightfully belongs to the Crystal Empire," the Duke stated, "and by extension, Equestria. Yet, the princesses seem to be bending over backwards for these humans."

"I had no idea Equestria owned the Frozen North. We both know no one owns this land."

"If anypony could make a claim to the land, it would be the Empire," the Duke clarified. "They are the closest country to it."

"That would only cause problems. If the Empire did try to claim the city, it would throw everything into chaos. I don't like this deal either, but risking a conflict is not something I'll back."

"So what would you suggest, then?" the Duchess asked. "To roll onto our backs, allow these humans to claim the Stargate for themselves and to resign ourselves to their scraps?"

"I don't know," Haakim growled, "but I trust Celestia enough to follow her judgement."

"Hmm, I suppose you are right," the Duke said, relaxing slightly. "If she thought there was something amiss, she would've told us by now. She wouldn't have let us offer up our resources in that case."

Haakim nodded his head, glad they were on more even terms.

"I think we should still be wary," the Duchess said. "I would rather not be caught unawares by something untoward."

"Agreed." Haakim let out a sigh, looking down at her. "But, no matter what, our world will never be the same."

"Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen," the Duchess replied.

"We can only be vigilant and hope for the best," the Duke said. The trio continued to wander the halls, talking about the prospects of the future as they went.

Celestia and Luna walked together, talking about the recent developments.

"So, young Floyd has finally awoken to his magic?" Luna asked.

"That is correct," Celestia replied with a nod. "And he has some potential if his surge is anything to go by."

"You had this in mind when you first saw him, didn't you?" Luna asked, giving her sister a hard look.

"I saw the possibility there," Celestia admitted, "but what he does with his potential is up to him."

"And you didn't think how it would affect him?" Luna frowned.

"You heard Floyd's story," Celestia started, "something drew him towards that necklace. I didn't think it was my place to interfere with something like that. Perhaps our old mentor thought Floyd was a worthy successor and was the one that drew him towards it."

Luna sighed, letting the frustration bleed out of her. "I just hope Floyd can handle the consequences."

"I think with a little help, he will," Celestia assured, giving her sister a soft smile.

"Do you never stop scheming, Tia?"

"You make me sound like such a villain," Celestia replied with a pout. "And no, if I did stop my planning, Equestria wouldn't be where it is today."

"So then tell me, what is the plan this time?"

"I'll tell you when we get back to Canterlot," Celestia replied. "But I'll give you a quick taste right now." She leaned in and whispered into Luna's ear. "Things are certainly going to get 'hectic' around here. One might even say... 'chaotic.'" Luna raised her eyebrow, giving her sister an expectant look. "And that's all I'll share with you at the moment." Celestia pulled her head away from her sister and flashed her a mischievous smile.

"I hope you know what you're doing, sister." Luna gave her a look, wondering how long before a plan blew up in her sister's face.

"Of course I know what I'm doing," Celestia assured her. "I don't take these things lightly."

"If you say so."

"Come now, have some faith in your big sister," Celestia said as they turned a corner.

"When did I say I didn't?" Luna asked, stepping aside to allow a pair of humans to pass.

"Very true," Celestia giggled as they continued down the halls. They stepped into the medbay, their eyes widening at the sight of several discarded trays around the room.

"Somepony is certainly hungry," Luna commented, looking around the room. Her eyes landed on Floyd, who was typing away at his laptop.

"Yeah, the doctor said my hormone levels are through the roof to help my body adjust," Floyd said, not looking away from his laptop. "So now it's like I can't get full."

Luna trotted over to his bed, watching him work. She focused on his hands, watching them whiz over the keyboard. "What are you working on?" Luna asked, her eyes not leaving his hands.

"Doing some editing," he explained. "We don't have any of our normal means of entertainment, and I don't want my work to pile up."

"It seems you're making some good headway," Celestia commented. "I take it this is faster than how you usually work?"

"It helps that I have something I don't want to think about." Floyd took a moment so sit back, cracking his neck.

"Hmm, and what is it that you don't want to think about?" Luna inquired, sitting on her haunches next to the bed.

"A lot of things," Floyd grumbled, falling back onto the pillows. He brought his hands up, staring at a pair of tattoo-like patterns that had recently formed on his palms. The medical scanners indicated that they were in fact alicor deposits, although the doctor was at a loss to explain how that much alicor had managed to worm its way into Floyd's system. Floyd was just glad they didn't affect his range of motion.

"I'm sure that this is a lot to adjust to," Celestia offered, sitting on the other side of the bed. "But I think you'll find magic to be a useful skill to have."

"I'll take your word for it." He frowned, shifting his gaze to her face.

"My sister and I can help you learn to control your magic," Luna suggested. "That is, if you want our help."

"Don't you have more important things to do?" Floyd asked, looking between them. "Like running a country?"

"We do manage to find free time," Celestia said with a chuckle. "And we could always have somepony we trust teach you in our stead when we are too busy."

"We realize this must be... surreal for you, but it is imperative you are given a proper teacher," Luna added.

"And why's that?" Floyd asked. "What's the big deal if I learn magic or not?"

"You don't need to 'learn' magic, you already have it. You need to learn to control it," Luna corrected, "I imagine you have less control than even a foal."

"Okay, and what happens if I don't learn to control it?" Floyd asked, arching his eyebrow. "Will more random people get turned into flora?"

"And probably worse things, like teleporting yourself around the countryside."

"Then consider me your newest student," Floyd replied, gulping as he looked down at his hands.

"A wise decision." Celestia smiled. "I can't wait for us to get started."

"I'll do my best," Floyd told her.

"I expect as much." Celestia nodded, her smile growing. "I do believe this will make you Luna's first official student."

"I am excited by this prospect," Luna chimed with a large smile of her own. "I bet my student will outclass yours soon enough, dear sister."

"Our student, Luna," Celestia reminded.

"You didn't deny that he'd outclass Twilight," Luna pointed out with a smirk.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "It's not a contest, Luna." She turned back to Floyd. "Negotiations have ended for the day, so why don't we start our first lesson?"

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Floyd asked. "I mean, I'd hate to screw up and disturb Higgs' rest."

"Hey, don't stop on my account," Higgs chimed in, looking up from his book. "I won't lie and say I'm not interested in watching."

"Alright, but you better be ready to change into an onion or something," Floyd told him with a weak chuckle. He turned back to Celestia. "Okay, I guess we can start."

Celestia nodded. "First, you need to find your spark."

"And what is that?" Floyd asked, already confused.

"Forgive my sister, she's used to teaching unicorns," Luna began, "The spark is the place in your mind your magic resides in. If we are to actually teach you, you need to find it."

"And I'm gonna guess that this spark is in a different place for everyone," Floyd said, sighing.

"If only it were that simple. But the sooner you find it, the sooner we can move on." Luna gestured to his head. "Close your eyes." Floyd nodded and did as she asked, taking a deep breath. "Now, search your mind."

"How will I know when I've found it?" Floyd asked.

"You'll feel the buzz of power prickling your skin," Celestia spoke before falling silent. Floyd nodded and started looking through his mind. He was silent for a few minutes, with nothing seeming to happen.

"How long does this usually take?" Floyd asked, not opening his eyes.

"It depends on the pony."

"Okay, and is there any way you can help me find it? Something tells me this could take a while."

"This is something you must do on your own," Celestia insisted.

"That's totally unhelpful," Floyd replied, his mouth arching into a frown. "Can you tell me about your own sparks? It might help me with mine," Floyd said. Anything was better than just sitting here like an idiot.

Celestia nodded at Luna, motioning for her to go first, feeling that it would be better if Luna tried her hoof first.

"My spark comes from my first memory of gazing at the stars with my family," the blue alicorn explained. "I will never forget how captivated I was."

Celestia smiled to herself, picturing her sister as a filly again, dancing around their parents as she talked about the night sky. "Mine comes from witnessing a solar eclipse." Celestia closed her eyes, recalling the precious memory.

"Alright, that helps... I think," Floyd muttered, suddenly feeling like he was in a fantasy movie. The phrase 'stranger than fiction' came to mind. He closed his eyes and searched in the deepest part of his memories. After a few minutes, a memory of his mother taking him to the reservation played out in his head. His grandmother had insisted he take part in the Night Chant. Just recalling the memory brought to mind the sting of the yucca whip.

"I believe you've found it," Celestia said, and he found he could feel goosebumps forming on his arms. He continued to focus on the memory, recalling the awe he felt, watching the dancers, each impersonating a different god. His hands started to glow, flickering with grey light. "You might just be a natural at this." The flickering grew and he felt a sinking pit forming in his stomach.

He groaned, suddenly finding himself sitting on a very cold, metal object. He opened his eyes, seeing nothing but icy tundra in front of him.

"I am very cold and very confused right now," he whined, blinking owlishly as he shivered. He blanched, realizing he was on top of one of the skyscrapers. "Hey! Major Tom to Ground Control!" he shouted, holding on for dear life to where he was sitting. "I could really use some help up here!"

Paradigm Shift [Part 4]

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Carter sighed as she sat in her quarters and pored over her work. Just a few hours prior the IOA had sent word back on their decision on the proposals. Almost every one had been approved. Every one that is except Maretonia. Needless to say, they didn't take the news well.

The pair had stormed out of the proceedings, all the while denouncing the expedition and any other nation willing to deal with them. Carter pinched her brow, opening the drawer on her desk and fished out a pill bottle. She popped two of them in her mouth.

"Why are the IOA always such a headache?" she muttered, swallowing the pills. Of course, things weren't all that bad. With negotiations finalized, she could finally get the city moved out of the arctic. The representatives of the countries were preparing to leave. Carter had to admit, she was interested who they would all propose to work with the SGC. Though that would mean more paperwork for her.

Then of course, there was Floyd, whose attitude had continuously degraded since the magic incident. Not that she could blame him, she had gone through similar things when she was put under constant observation. She could only hope he would return to normal once he was free to resume his duties. Jack had given his own unsolicited opinion in the matter: that it would be a waste to simply relegate him to camera man again. He did have a point, but she'd talk it over with Floyd before changing over his assigned position. If his attitude continued as it was, then she wouldn't want him to have any further responsibilities.

There was one thing she had to keep in mind about his situation: given the use of magic seemed to be widespread among the Shangrians, there was a chance the city's more important functions required both magic and the control gene. Which meant that he could possibly be the only one who could use the control chair. And that would mean she'd have to give him a new responsibility regardless of his attitude or thoughts on the matter. Unless they could find another amulet, the chair might be Floyd's and Floyd's alone.

Floyd let out a groan of frustration as he put away his laptop. All his work had been finished and he had watched all his movies to the point of being able to recite every single line from them.

"How long does it take to give a guy a clean bill of health around here?!" he grunted and sat up, glaring at the doorway. He slid off the bed, pulling his shoes on. "You know what, screw it, not like they can fire me now."

Disregarding anyone else in the room, Floyd shoved his hands into his pockets, strolling out of the infirmary. He felt his stomach rumble and turned around to grab a bite to eat. He stretched out, feeling a sense of satisfaction in being able to stretch his limbs for the first time in over a week of confinement. Snatching some food off of a dozing Higgs' tray, he made his way into the halls. He bit into his sandwich and sighed happily.

"Yup, food tastes better with freedom." He quickly polished off the sandwich and turned around a corner, quickly realizing he had been absentmindedly walking. "This place really needs a map..." He scratched the side of his head and weighed his options. On one hand he could go back the way he came and attempt to retrace his steps. Or he could press forward and figure it out as he went. He decided to go with the latter and continued forward with a shrug.

Minutes passed in relative silence, the only sound being his shoes on the floor. Other people had stopped being a thing at some point in his wanderings. Now it was just him, alone, with his thoughts. He stopped and looked around for a few moments, frowning when the hallway he was in was completely identical to the several others he had wandered through.

"So much for finding a landmark or something," he muttered. A window caught his eye and he found himself looking out of it. The city itself reminded him of something in a sci-fi movie, a notion that bemused him to no end. He stood by the window, watching the raging blizzard pound on the shield. It shimmered slightly, rippling with every snowflake that assailed it. "Kinda pretty in a weird kinda way," he commented. He continued watching, losing track of time.

With the serene landscape in his gaze, he took the time to order his thoughts. He sighed as his frustration melted away. He shook his head and continued to watch the blizzard. "Disregarding the doctor's orders might not have been the brightest move." He chuckled and stayed by the window. "Oh well, I'll deal with the consequences later."

That way of thinking had become more or less his default. Most of his put-on politeness and respect had gone out the window. It wasn't like they could do much to him. They couldn't send him back or fire him. Even if they did fire him, he'd still be stuck here, living out some sci-fi fantasy. Only this one had half its script replaced with that of a girls' cartoon. He chuckled at the thought of a girls' cartoon mixing with some sci-fi fantasy show. This then turned into an image of that pink pony he had met in Canterlot sitting in the captain's chair of the Starship Enterprise. This caused him to start laughing uproariously.

Letting the fit run his course, he pulled himself away from the window. Deciding it was best to try and retrace his steps, Floyd went back the way he came. After what felt like an hour of walking he slipped back into the medical bay, taking his shoes off and jumping back into bed.

"Mister Hendrix," came Dr. Juan's voice, carrying an annoyed edge.

"Oh, hey Doc," Floyd greeted, slipping under the covers. "Didn't see you there."

The doctor gave him an irritated look. "Mr. Hendrix, I understand that you're under some stress, but please, don't take your angst out on me."

"I wasn't taking my angst out on you," Floyd countered. "I just needed to stretch my legs before I went crazy."

The doctor shook his head. "Still, I haven't released you yet for a reason. Please refrain from leaving until we can better understand your changes."

"Doc, I've been stuck in this room for over a week," Floyd replied, giving him a flat look. "You've looked at me with every machine you've got over a dozen times. If you haven't found anything wrong with me in this amount of time, what are the chances more poking and prodding will reveal anything?"

Dr. Juan strode over to the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mister Hendrix, please. You've undergone something we have almost no basis for. If you'd like, I can arrange for you to meet with the city's counselor, but please don't leave the infirmary without permission."

"Oh joy, recommending me a shrink." Floyd huffed and rolled his eyes. "But one thing comes to mind, Doc. The Shangrians built the amulets and the medical devices here, right?"

"Yes, they did."

"So it's a pretty safe assumption that if there was anything wrong with the changes I've gone through, the scanners would've alerted you, right?"

"It's not that simple," the irritation was clear in the doctor's voice. "Whether or not something went wrong is not the point. We need a better understanding of what the amulet did to your body."

"Was there some sort of clause in my contract where I agreed to become a freaking labrat if something strange happened to me?" Floyd grumbled.

Dr. Juan ignored his comment. "Please, stay here until we release you." With that, the doctor left him to his devices, vanishing into his office.

"Easy for you to say, Doc," Floyd grumbled, glaring at the office door before laying his head down.

"Is this a bad time?" General O'Neill's voice called over from the door.

"Nah." Floyd sat up and waved the older man over. "Having someone to talk to besides the doc sounds pretty good right about now."

General O'Neill dropped down onto the bed next to Floyd, a sigh escaping from the man's lips. "So, how's the magic treating you?"

"Well, I almost had literal blue balls due to a teleporting mishap," Floyd explained, shivering as he remembered his time sitting out in the cold. "And aside from the upgrade in muscles, being the doc's labrat has sucked the big one. I'm gonna go crazy in this room." He groaned and tugged on his hair.

The general whistled, nodding his head. "Never liked the lab rat part of this job. Those doctors are always out to make you die of boredom."

"And the endless tests," Floyd grumbled in agreement. "How many times do they think the exact same scans are gonna do anything but tell them what they knew from the first ones?"

"Doc's got a job to do. I can't tell you how many times Fraiser saved our asses." A sad smile graced his face. "Anyway, I wanted to come down and say thanks for taking away most of my grey hair." He glanced at Floyd's hand. "Think you can do it for Carter?"

Floyd looked down and clenched his hand into a fist. "I don't think so. Not yet anyway. I wasn't in control when I hit you with that. There's no telling what would happen if I tried reducing her age. I could turn her inside out or something." He shuddered at the thought.

O'Neill grunted, a disappointed look crossing his face. "Anyway, I've heard you've been giving everyone a hard time."

Floyd's look hardened a bit, his eyes not meeting O'Neill's. "There's a reason I went into film and not the military. Following orders to the letter isn't something that appeals to me."

O'Neill tapped his knee, gathering his thoughts. "Kid, I'm gonna be honest with ya, I'd kill to have magic. I can't tell you how many times that would have come in handy." He placed his free hand on Floyd's shoulder. "I can't tell you what to do, but, I'll tell ya, if it were me, I wouldn't be throwing myself a pity party."

Floyd frowned, nodding a little bit. He let out a long sigh. "Guess I should be more grateful for the whole superpower thing. Though, actually being able to control them would be nice."

O'Neill hopped of the bed, turning to face Floyd. "Do you have any idea how cool it is to have superpowers?" Floyd blinked, not expecting the general to suddenly sound like a little kid in a comic book store. "I can't say I blame ya for feeling like that, kid. I wouldn't be able to just go back to a normal job with that." He gestured to Floyd's amulet. "In fact, I think you'd be pretty wacked to give all this stuff up."

"Meeting aliens is pretty cool," Floyd agreed. "I mean, I've talked to griffins, dragons and princesses during this trip. Biggest downside is that I'm not allowed to brag to my friends and family about what I've seen." He paused for a moment. "Well, I could, but then some spook would come and break my neck."

"Yeah, those spooks can be a problem." O'Neill shifted on his feet, putting his hands in his pockets. "Anyway, I've talked to Carter about it. If you can clean up your act, she'll give you a promotion."

Floyd quirked an eyebrow. "What kind of promotion are we talking about?"

O'Neill shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "I dunno. Place on one of the teams maybe? That is, if you think you can follow orders."

"That depends, does this promotion come with health benefits?" Floyd asked with a cheeky grin. O'Neill shared his grin, slapping the younger man's shoulder. "I'll think about it, General. But I guess I can stop giving the doc a hard time. It's not like being a dick to him was entertaining anyway."

"Good, good." O'Neill pulled away, clearing his throat. "I'll catch ya later, kid, I gotta go pack. The boys back home wouldn't know what to do without me."

"Good seeing you, General." Floyd then snickered, "And be sure to take a picture of their reactions when they see you without the grey hairs. Pretty sure I'd get a kick out of that." O'Neill gave a half salute, turning on his heel and striding out of the room. Floyd chuckled and returned the gesture as he laid back down.

Sunburst gulped as he was led off a small ship. He had no idea whether to curl up in a ball or to rush around the room to examine everything. He had been in a near catatonic state when Princess Celestia herself had requested his services to tutor somepony in magic, though he had accepted without hesitation when she said the job would take him to the city of the Teachers. He tried taking a calming breath as a soldier led him out of the large ship storage area.

"Are you Sunburst?" a feminine voice spoke up. He looked up from his hooves, casting his gaze on what seemed to be a female human. "I'm General Carter," she shot him a disarming smile. "Princess Celestia tells me you're going to be our new tutor."

Sunburst gave her a shaky smile, "Th-that's correct. My skills in magic aren't the best, but I have a very good grasp on magic theory. Everything from the charms of Clover the Clever or the more radical hypotheses of Starswirl the Bearded." He chuckled nervously and adjusted his glasses.

Carter gestured for him to follow her. "That's more than any of us know. Magic has always been fairy tales for us."

"Princess Celestia explained that to me," he replied, keeping pace behind her. He let his eyes wander, idly wondering about all the advanced technology he was seeing. "It's all so... mind boggling. To think, two lost cities were hidden in the ice."

Carter chuckled. "We all had a similar reaction the first time we used the gate. We found one under the sands of a former empire, and another buried our own arctic."

They walked through the busy halls, with many a human stopping and gawking. Having to look up at so many taller creatures made Sunburst feel like a foal again. Now he knew how travelling bands of actors felt when in countries with high minotaur populations. The large ship storage area gave way to smaller hallways. After several hallways – Sunburst lost track after three – Carter stopped at a door.

"The city doesn't have elevators," Carter explained, opening the door. The room was rather small, only able to fit around 2-3 ponies. A screen was embedded in the back wall, displaying an outline of the city. "But, we have something better, teleporter booths."

"Fascinating," Sunburst said, stepping into the room and adjusting his glasses again. "How do they work?"

Carter tapped a building on the screen, causing the doors to close. A brief flash filled the room, and the door opened once more. Sunburst stepped out of the room and gaped when he saw different humans walking through the halls.

He looked up at Carter with a look of disbelief. "I didn't even feel us move. These teleporter booths are incredible."

Carter guided him out, nodded to various staff members. "I take it that's common in pony teleportation?"

"Depending on a pony's level of experience with the spell, disorientation is a common side effect. Low levels of combustion have also occurred when somepony teleports more ponies or they teleport farther than they're used to."

Carter chuckled. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. We have experience with teleporter technology. We use them on our ships but, everyone's been a little hesitant to take apart a teleporter booth. Might not be able to put it back together again."

"That's a shame," Sunburst replied, looking down. "Travel between villages and cities would be a breeze if Equestria had teleporters like these."

"If it makes you feel any better, we don't have them on Earth either." She stopped outside of what appeared to be a medical facility. "This is our infirmary. For the time being, you'll be tutoring Floyd here. We have a room set up for you, just let the doctor know when you're finished."

"Umm, do you have any chalkboards or something I could use?" Sunburst asked, looking between the door and Carter. "It would help me explain my lessons."

"Doctor Juan should have a board you can use. It's not exactly chalk, but, the concept is the same."

"I'll be sure to ask this Doctor Juan if I can use it then." Sunburst nodded and turned to the door. "Thank you, General, I'll be sure to tutor Floyd to the best of my abilities."

"Hopefully, you'll have an easier time with him." Carter bid him farewell, making her way back down the corridor.

Sunburst took another deep breath and trotted into the infirmary. "Hello, Floyd, my name is Sunburst. I'll be your magic tutor. I hope we can get along." He put on his best smile that he hoped didn't look shaky.

"Sup?" Floyd called back, holding a hand up. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Well, I've been rather impressed with this city," Sunburst replied, "and I think I've prepared a lesson perfect for introducing magic to somep-someone with no prior knowledge of it. But first, I need to talk to the doctor for a moment." Sunburst trotted to Dr. Juan's office and returned a few moments later with the board Carter mentioned.

Floyd chuckled, watching Sunburst try to figure out a dry erase marker. "Here." Floyd took the offending object, pulling the cap off. "Cap's to keep it from drying out."

"Thank you," Sunburst chuckled and used his magic to write on the board. "Okay, I think the first thing we should focus on is feeling the magic that is inside us."

"Ah, the Spark thing. The Princesses gave me some help with that." Floyd dropped back down onto his bed. "I wound up hanging off one of the skyscrapers."

"Sounds like you're experiencing magic flare-ups," Sunburst noted, adjusting his glasses. "They're common in unicorn foals. They'll happen while your magic levels try to balance themselves out. And considering the level of potential the princess told me you have, yours could be rather extreme."

"Right, right," Floyd nodded along. "So... how do we start, mister Goatee?"

"Personally, I've found that the eastern school has an effective method for regulating magic levels and feeling its flow," Sunburst explained, ignoring Floyd's nickname. He added onto the lesson on the board. "It'll require some concentration and stillness on your part. You'll take a comfortable sitting position and focus on a symbol of sorts. After that, you should be able to feel your magical flow. Once you can, I'll tell you the next part of the lesson."

Floyd stared at the board, a look of concentration on his face. "Yeah... teach, I can't exactly read... whatever you call your language."

Sunburst facehoofed, shaking his head. "I should've foreseen that. Despite Equish and your language being spoken similarly, it seems our writing systems have different rules." Sunburst sighed and erased the board. "Okay, it seems our lessons will have to be done verbally unless I can demonstrate something with a diagram."

Floyd pulled his legs under him. "I mean, if you got a book, I could try to pick up the writing style. I already know two languages."

"I didn't think to bring one," Sunburst said, rubbing the back of his head, "but I'll see what I can do for our next lesson."

"Eh," Floyd waved him off. "Alright so, meditate or something?"

"That's correct," Sunburst nodded and adjusted his glasses. "The method is surprisingly effective at helping one feel their magic flow without tapping into it. So there's very little chance of you having a flare up."

"I should have expected something boring." Floyd groaned in irritation, closing his eyes. He muttered to himself, though Sunburst couldn't understand the words.

"The basics are always dull," Sunburst chuckled, "but if you get through them quickly, we can move on to more interesting spells. Something like conjuring fireballs or changing the properties of objects."

Floyd broke out into a grin, "General O'Neill was right, this is starting to sound pretty cool." After a moment of quiet, Floyd spoke again, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Sunburst replied with a smile. "I'm your teacher so I encourage questions."

"Ponies used to be tribal, yeah? Do you still have any practices from back then?"

"That's a very astute question," Sunburst said. "Yes, there are still some remnants of that time. One of the obvious ones would be herding. The practice of multiple mares forming a family unit with one stallion. Of course, the reason this practice continuing most likely has to do with skewed birth rates of colts versus fillies. Aside from that, some families have rites of passage for adolescents they believe are eligible for adulthood. I could grab a Sociology book and explain more remnants of that culture if you're interested."

Floyd raised an eyebrow, cracking an eye open. "Thanks. Wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for."

Sunburst rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, um, was there something specific you were wondering?"

Floyd shook his head, "Don't worry about it." He closed his eye, falling into relative silence. Sunburst sat on his haunches, examined Floyd closely, and lit his horn on the off chance Floyd had a magical outburst. "I think... I think I have it..."

Sunburst nodded and dispelled his magic. "Good, now I want you to picture a faucet in your mind. Right now, the flow of your magic is wild and uncontrolled. You need mental control of that flow."

"Alright, I'll try it." Floyd took a deep breath and focused. A few minutes passed in relative silence. Eventually, Floyd's brow furrowed. "I... think I feel something different now."

Sunburst nodded and smiled, "Good, and what do you feel?"

"Uh... Like I'm touching one of those electro orb things."

"Good, that sounds like you're in touch with your magic. Now, let your magic spread through you. From the top of your head to the bottom of your hoo- er feet."

Floyd nodded and pictured the electro orb feeling spreading through his body. "And now I feel like my arms and legs are falling asleep."

Sunburst chuckled, "Your body's adjusting to your newly established magic flow. If you want, you can take a little break to stretch." Floyd nodded, hopping off the bed again. He paced around the room, flinging his hands around in an attempt to get feeling back in them. Sunburst didn't say anything, simply watching as Floyd waved his arms around. "How do you feel now?" Sunburst asked as Floyd flexed his fingers.

Floyd cracked his fingers, a sound Sunburst found to be rather unnerving. "Better. I could probably use some more food though."

"We can get you something to eat after our lesson," Sunburst gave him a smile. "Now, let's take advantage of your new magic flow and teach you the most basic and useful spell of all, levitation."

Floyd grinned like an idiot, rubbing his hands together, "Only took about twenty years, but now I can finally become a jedi."

"A what now?" Sunburst asked, scratching the side of his muzzle.

Floyd blushed, rubbing his neck. "N-never mind, lets just get started."

"Okay, the simplest way to go about levitation would be to channel magic and extend it out to the object or objects you wish to lift. Once you become proficient at this, you'll be able to lift multiple objects while your focus is elsewhere."

Floyd inspected his hands, then looked at a nearby book. "And I do that how?"

"If you were a unicorn I would say through your horn," Sunburst replied. "However, you lack such an extremity. The good news is, you're in touch with your magic flow. Just concentrate and get a feel where your magic wishes to exit your body. That'll be where you channel your magic to."

Floyd held his hand out, locking his gaze onto the book. He took a breath, tapping into the buried magic. He shivered, a light grey glow flickering to life over his hand. The book shifted ever so slightly. Floyd dropped his hand, panting in exhaustion.

"That's... really, really hard..."

"Channeling magic outside your body takes some getting used to when doing it consciously for the first time." Sunburst chuckled. "Even students at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns can feel inadequate when seeing the magic outbursts of foals. I've actually seen one or two phase through walls."

"Right, right." Floyd caught his breath, raising his hand again. "Just means more food later."

The once bustling village stood empty, its sole remaining inhabitant decaying silently on several crystal spikes. The only movement seemed to be that of debris caught on a breeze. That was, until a black mass started to inch along the stone streets. It hovered over to a discarded set of red armor. Weaving itself ever so carefully into the armor, the mass formed into a dark green earth pony.

Once fully formed, the pony let out a bellow of rage, rearing up and slamming her hooves into the ground. The village shook, buildings falling, quickly being replaced with jagged pillars of purple crystal.

"Damn those furless Lanteans!" she hissed, smoke pouring off of her eyes. "I'll grind their bones to dust!" She sneered at the area before her. "What are the rest of you waiting for!? Do you think lazing around will bring us closer to our lord?"

There was a shift around the splinters and rubble that had been the village and several more black masses started floating through the village. They all formed into several ponies, their colors ranging from jet black to a sickly looking dark purple.

The earth pony growled stalking over to them. "Burn this place to the ground, seed their fields with crystal, remind the other settlements of our power." She stood tall, bearing her fangs. "Get moving, before I make you."

The shadow ponies nodded, splitting into pairs. The unicorns lit their horns, gouts of flame shot out and swept over the remains of the village. The pegasi beat their wings, whipping the flames into an inferno. Another earth pony slammed his hooves into the ground, jagged pieces of crystal rising from below and tearing up the withered remains of crops.

The leader grinned, her fangs shining in the blaze. Even if those wretches returned, they'd find no home here, only desolation. The thought sent a shiver of perverse satisfaction down her spine. "Get the gateship ready, we must return to Mu at once."

They started marching off, or flying off in the case of the pegasi. Their leader hopped down from her spire, leaving a crack along the crystalline floor. Casting one last look at the ruined village, she spat on a discarded doll.

"Glory to the Overlord." She started marching off, the inferno creeping over and consuming the doll.

Liftoff [Part 1]

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Floyd stared at the General, carefully chewing his bite of steak. He swallowed it, choosing his words carefully. "You want me to fly this place into space?"

"More like low orbit, but essentially yes," Carter replied, taking a bite of her own food. She chewed for a few moments before swallowing. "It seems you're the only one that can operate the control chair at the moment."

The pair were in a less-crowded area of the cafeteria. As per the doctor's orders, Floyd got a much more robust meal than most other expedition members. Most of it was some form of protein.

"Okay, so how exactly am I supposed to pilot this thing?" Floyd asked. The entire idea frightened the hell out of him. She honestly expected him to fly a million year old space ship. Hell, he hated driving a car most days. "Is it some kinda mental system or will controls pop up when I sit in the chair?"

"The chair is thought controlled," Carter confirmed. "You shouldn't have too much trouble with it. We'll be having Princess Celestia with us, if you're worried about a magic outburst."

"I was more worried about us all dying in a fiery crash than that, General," Floyd replied, letting out a nervous chuckle. "But if it just does what I think, that should be fine. But uh, people in the control room probably shouldn't talk to me, wouldn't want my mind to wander."

Carter gave him a disarming smile. "You'll do fine." She paused for a moment before reaching into her pocket. "I almost forgot this," Carter produced a letter bearing his name. "Your father wanted me to give this to you."

Floyd grimaced and took the letter. "I wonder what he wants to say to me," he muttered. He debated not reading it, or even destroying it, but decided otherwise. Choosing not to ruin the mood, he shoved it into his pocket. "I'll take a look when I have time."

"Alright, that's fine," Carter said with a concerned look. "Floyd, do you mind if I offer some advice?"

"Shoot."

"I can understand having a strained relationship with your father. My own father and I had our spats. But it's not good for you to resent him the way you clearly do. You never know when you could lose him."

Floyd took one last bite of his steak, pushing the tray away. "Thanks, General. If you need me, I'll be with Sunburst." As quick as he could, Floyd made his way out of the room, not bothering to look back at her. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he grumbled to himself and hurried back to the infirmary. When he got there, Sunburst was waiting for him.

"Did you have a nice lunch with the General?" Sunburst asked, putting on his best smile. It dropped a little when Floyd merely grunted. "Ah, well, I hope I can make up for it."

"Thanks, Sunburst." Floyd took a deep breath, released it and flashed the pony a quick smile. "So, what's the plan for today?" The two had settled in nicely together, despite Floyd's occasional attitude.

"Well," Sunburst began, levitating over a pot, "I thought we'd take a break from unicorn magic and try our hoo- uh, hands at the other two types of pony magic." He passed the pot to Floyd and carried over a bag of seeds.

"Uh, so you want me to use magic to grow some flowers or something?" Floyd guessed, staring down at the pot filled with dirt. "Gotta tell ya, Sunny, I don't exactly have a green thumb."

Sunburst chuckled. "Earth ponies have a close tie to nature." Fishing a single seed out of the bag, he dropped it in Floyd's hand. "It's much more... innate than unicorn magic. I can't exactly tell you how to make it happen, but, I think it's important to see if you can do it."

"So basically just let my magic flow and see what happens?" Floyd asked, channeling his magic into his left hand. The hand in question glowed grey along with his eyes.

"Not quite," Sunburst shook his head. "Earth ponies don't actively control their magic." A scowl crossed his face. "This could be much easier if we had an earth pony here." He perked up, looking towards the door. "Give me a moment, Floyd." Sunburst trotted over to Dr. Juan's door, giving a light knock.

"You can come in," Dr. Juan's reply came from the other side of the door, not looking up from his files.

Sunburst peeked his head in. "I hope I'm not bothering you, doctor."

"Not at all," Dr. Juan looked up from his work, "how can I help you, Sunburst?"

"Would you mind contacting the General? She said Princess Celestia would arrive sometime today."

"Of course," Dr. Juan nodded, grabbed his walkie talkie off his desk, and pressed the button. "General Carter, this is Doctor Juan."

"This is Carter. What have you got, doctor? Over," Carter's voice replied over the walkie talkie.

"Sunburst asked me to contact you; he was wondering if the Princess had arrived yet," Juan explained.

Carter was silent for a few moments. "Affirmative. Her Jumper touched down in the bay. I can tell her to meet you in the infirmary, if you'd like. Over."

"That won't be necessary!" Sunburst shouted rather quickly, a look of panic gripping him."Please ask her if the Princess's guard happens to include an earth pony."

Juan relayed the pony's request, and the pair waited while Carter checked. "No, but a civilian earth pony did come with her," she said. "Do you want her sent down? Over."

"Th-that should be fine," Sunburst replied, collecting himself.

"She should be there in a couple minutes. Carter out," came the response.

Dr. Juan put the walkie talkie down and turned his attention to Sunburst. "Will that be everything you need from me, mister Sunburst?"

"Y-yes, thank you very much for your help, Doctor." Sunburst turned and trotted out of Dr. Juan's office.

Floyd eyed his teacher carefully. "You okay over there? You look like you just had a gun pointed at you."

Sunburst flashed him a quick smile. "I'm fine, just a little nervous that the Princess is here. I don't want her to think I'm doing a poor job."

Floyd chuckled, placing the pot on his lap. Reaching over to his bedside table, he snagged a candy bar. He opened the bar, offering a piece to Sunburst.

Sunburst thanked him and took the offered piece in his magic. "I've gotten a little help for this lesson. In a minute or two, an earth pony that was travelling with the princess should be able to explain this form of innate magic better than I can."

Floyd nodded. "Sounds good to me. Do you know who the guest tutor is?"

Sunburst shook his head, sitting on his haunches. "The General didn't give a name."

Floyd shrugged. "Okay, just hope they get here soon."

Their attention turned to the door as Bon Bon trotted in. She smiled, waving. "Nice to see you again, Floyd. The Princess told Lyra and me about your condition. Are you feeling better?"

"I feel more than better, I've got magic now," Floyd answered. He then let his eyes and hands glow. "Can't exactly do much yet before I tire myself out, and the doc is keeping me here to examine me. Aside from that, no downsides to putting on the amulet without thinking about it."

Bon Bon trotted over, shrugging off her saddle bags. She turned to Sunburst, holding her hoof out. "Name's Bon Bon, pleased to meet you," she said.

Sunburst tapped her hoof with his. "I'm Sunburst, and the pleasure's all mine."

Bon Bon took a seat next to him, never losing her smile. "Alright, so, you needed an earth pony for something?"

"Yeah, Sunny here wanted to see if I can do earth pony magic," Floyd explained. "But we need your help to do the lesson." He held out the floor pot, "Something about getting a seed to grow." With a shrug of his shoulders, he placed it on the ground. "Whatcha got for me?"

"Well, earth pony magic is more subtle than unicorn magic," Bon Bon said, taking the seed. "You don't have to concentrate much to use it. Just plant the seed and hope to see it grow. Think of it this way: unicorn magic is about using your head, earth pony magic is about using your heart, and pegasus magic is about using your body."

Floyd looked at the seed, an uncertain look on his face. "I feel like I'm talking to my grandmother..." He took it from her, turning it around in his fingers. "It's really just that easy huh?"

"Yup, if your heart's in the right place, it'll grow," she affirmed, nodding her head and smiling at him. "And if you can do earth pony magic, of course," she amended.

Floyd nodded and looked down at the seed in his hand. He closed his eyes and started to hope the seed would grow well. He poked his finger into the pot and created a small hole for the seed. He then dropped it in the hole and covered it up. He then hummed a tune his grandmother taught him as he patted the soil.

"Not bad," Bon Bon praised. "Now we just wait a little bit to see if you have the magic touch."

"I think you mean green thumb," Floyd corrected, holding his thumb up for emphasis.

"Don't be a smartass, Floyd," Bon Bon said, chuckling. "Now, water the seed. That should show us if you can use earth pony magic."

Unable to keep the grin off his face, Floyd grabbed his half-empty water bottle off his bed. As carefully as possible, he unscrewed the cap, pouring a bit of water into the eager soil. A few moments passed which then became a few minutes. They all continued to watch the soil, but there was no detectable changes. Bon Bon then looked up and gave Floyd an apologetic look.

“Sorry, Floyd,” she told him. “Either you don’t have this kind of magic, or you’re just not in tune with it yet.”

Floyd grumbled, dropping the pot onto the bed. “Yeah, what else is new?”

Bon Bon frowned. She wasn’t a fan of Floyd’s sudden shift in attitude. “How about we go to the kitchen and see if I can whip something up?” Bon Bon took on a look of pride. “I might just be able to grace you with my famous chocolate.”

"Oh yeah?" Floyd questioned. He leaned in close, noting the smell of chocolate. "Must be how you keep Lyra around."

Bon Bon smirked at him. "Nope, I keep her around thanks to what I keep in the closet of our bedroom." A snicker threatened to escape her lips due to Sunburst's gobsmacked look. "What, you one of those shut in unicorns that doesn't get any?"

Sunburst blushed and looked away from her. "Th-that's rather off topic from our lessons today."

Floyd chuckled and patted his back. "Don't worry, Sunny. I'm sure you'll find someone." Before Sunburst could respond, Floyd moved his hand up, scratching the stallion's ears.

"H-hey," Sunburst protested, his rear leg kicking out a bit. "S-stop that."

"Or what?" Floyd smirked, attacking the other ear. "You gonna knock my block off?"

"N-no," Sunburst admitted, trying to squirm away from Floyd. "I detest violence." Floyd just chuckled and didn't let up. "Come on! I'm not a dog."

"Coulda fooled me with the way your leg is moving," Floyd teased, pointing down at Sunburst's twitching leg. After a few more moments of torment, Floyd withdrew his hand. "That wasn't much of a lesson though."

"What can I say, earth pony magic isn't complex." Bon Bon shrugged. "I could teach you how to make some chocolate, the normal way, if the doctor will let you into the kitchen."

"I'm not one for-shit!" Floyd swore, hoping to his feet. "I haven't talked to Citrine and Alexandrite since I got stuck in here." He paced around the room, swearing up and down, frequently switching from English to Dine.

Sunburst scratched his head and turned to Bon Bon. "Do you know who he's talking about?"

Bon Bon nodded. "They’re crystal ponies, I think. Floyd hung out with their family while he was in the Empire. At least, that's what he told us."

"Ah, I wonder if Princess Cadance informed them of Floyd's current condition," Sunburst said, rubbing his chin.

"One can only hope." Bon Bon reached out, tapping Floyd's leg. "Relax okay, I know they'll understand that you've been indisposed." Pulling her leg away, Bon Bon cast a glance at the laptop sitting on Floyd's bed. "So, how has the film stuff been going?"

Floyd took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "I got all my work done about three days into my stay here."

Bon Bon nodded. "That's good. Now, I'm gonna have a quick chat with the doctor." She turned and trotted into Dr. Juan's office. She returned a minute later with a smile on her face. "Good news, we can do this as long as there's a secluded part of the kitchen we can use." She walked over to the door and motioned for them to follow her.

The pair gathered up their things, quickly following after her. The trio made their way down the hall, chatting all the while.

Celestia sat across from Carter, sipping at a cup of tea. She gathered her thoughts, thinking of everything she would need to say. Setting the cup down, she cleared her throat. Doing this would expose a few Equestrian secrets, but the General had proven trustworthy.

"Tell me," she started, meeting Carter's eyes. "What do you think of Bon Bon?"

"I think she's a good mare," Carter replied. "And it seems like she reins in Lyra whenever her enthusiasm gets the best of her. Why do you ask, Princess?"

"Most know her as just a small town candy maker, but, she is much more than that." Celestia leaned back in her seat, adjusting her wings. "We are free from prying ears?"

"Yes, there's no surveillance equipment of any kind around here," Carter confirmed. "And the door is too thick for someone to listen through."

Celestia relaxed. "Bon Bon's real name is Sweetie Drops. For most of her life, she has served Equestria and myself as an agent of S.M.I.L.E."

Carter struggled to keep a straight face at the acronym, but she managed. "Can I assume from context that... S.M.I.L.E. is some kind of clandestine agency?" she asked, and Celestia nodded. "She's a pretty skilled agent. I certainly couldn't tell that she had an occupation like that. You spend enough time around military and you see how most tend to carry themselves. May I ask what her duties are?"

"General, I am completely aware that the acronym is silly." A mischievous smile formed on Celestia's face. "That's why I came up with it. No one would think someone would actually name a secret agency 'smile.'"

"Not a bad thought process," Carter replied with a chuckle. "But you didn't answer my question."

"S.M.I.L.E stands for 'Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria." Celestia chuckled, her smile deepening into a grin. "As the name implies, they deal with monster problems before they get out of hoof." Her grin lessened slightly. "As well as other... unpleasant things..."

"I take it the extermination of certain threats?" Carter guessed, a slight frown on her face.

Celestia stood up, making her way over to the doors. She placed a hoof on them, lowering her head. "General, as harmless as our world looks, there are things that could destroy cities in an instant. Our nation is founded on friendship, and as much as it hurts, I have to make choices nopony should ever have to. The ponies of S.M.I.L.E deserve just as much praise as Twilight and her friends."

"But you can't tell anyone about what they do in fear of causing panic in the general public?" Carter guessed again. "I've had personal experience with that sort of thing."

Celestia raised her head, turning to look back at Carter. "Partly. Please understand, General, friendship is not just a concept here. The greatest magic of all is friendship. While not every pony is friendly, it's still a part of us. If the common pony were to find out about what S.M.I.L.E does..."

"Then that magic could be put under threat," Carter surmised. "You don't have to worry, Princess, none of what you've said will leave this room."

Celestia nodded, returning to her seat. "Sweetie Drops has not been active since a rather aggressive bugbear escaped Tartarus." Noting Carter's raised eyebrow, she elaborated. "A bugbear is the rather dangerous mix between a bear and a wasp. Nasty creatures. They live in the northern areas of the eastern continent, but have been known to travel south."

"That does sound like a dangerous creature," Carter agreed. "I'll be sure to avoid that area of the continent."

Celestia finished her tea, setting the empty cup down. "Sweetie Drops has agreed to re-enter active service under your command. She doesn't want to be away from Lyra."

"We'll be happy to bring her on," Carter agreed with a nod. "Should we put in a cover story for her skillset, or would you prefer we just make that all classified?"

Celestia frowned, staring at her empty cup. "I have... given Sweetie Drops permission to share her secret with those she will be working with. Including Lyra."

"That seems like the best course of action," Carter said. "Open communication and trust is important in a healthy squad. Speaking from experience, of course."

"I would offer S.M.I.L.E.'s aid in keeping your ranks clear of changelings, but I suspect Elmis will be happy to see to that."

"I appreciate the thought," Carter replied with a smile. "She's taken to working with us rather well. Though I think that's because her hive is essentially getting a never ending feast out of our deal."

Celestia returned her smile. "That doesn't surprise me. From what I've gathered from more friendly hives, most regard Chrysalis as insane."

"That's a good piece of news," Carter said. "I'm sure Elmis would agree with that sentiment. Perhaps we should put her in contact with those friendly hives?"

"I can try to arrange that." Celestia levitated out a scroll, passing it to Carter. "A formality for the courts. This will finalize the transfer of military staff between us. Once the city has been moved, the Wonderbolt detachment can be placed under your command."

"Trust me, I know plenty about formality," Carter told her with a chuckle as she took the scroll. She opened it, giving it a quick look. She was thankful that Celestia had managed to get it written in English. She had most likely gotten help from Daniel. She then read it over, finding nothing wrong with the terms. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and signed the dotted line. "Red tape has slowed down the SGC more than its fair share of times." She held out the scroll to Celestia.

Celestia took it, tucking it under her wing. "A necessary evil, I'm afraid. I might be a princess, but nopony should be able to make laws as they please."

"I agree," Carter said with a nod. "Though it sometimes feels like some rules are just around to keep us from helping those in need."

"I'm glad we're on the same page, General," Celestia smiled. "Are we still on schedule for tomorrow?"

"I've informed Floyd about his job in using the control chair and all personnel are prepped and ready for the move," Carter said with a grin. "Only thing left to do is the actual move."

"I'm glad to hear it," Celestia replied. "Let's hope Shangri-La doesn't run into any unfortunate circumstances. Everything is ready on our side of things as well. The nearby mayor wishes to hold a ceremony. Something about making you honorary citizens."

Shadows danced along the dimly lit halls of the city ship, Mu. Silence was abound as umbrum shifted and went about various tasks. Along the walls, remains of the ship's former occupants had been twisted into cruel and macabre decorations. Several of the umbrum sat around a marked map of the galaxy, seeming to plot out their course.

A shrill klaxon rang out, and with a whoosh the city's stargate came to life. A gate ship came through, rising up into the hangar. A dark cloud floated back down to the control room, forming into a group of umbrum. Their glares were harsher than the typical member of their race.

The tallest in the group, an earth pony mare clad in armor and a cloak, stomped her hoof on the floor. The others in the room stopped, taking note of her. Returning their looks with a scowl, she stormed over to the nearest control panel. With a hoof, she activated the comms system.

"I want whoever is piloting the city to land on Cel’tras, so says the Adjudicator."

"And what is so important that you wish for the city to land?" one of the umbrum asked, turning away from the control panel he was working at. "Nox and the others believe they have a lead on the coordinates of our lord's city."

The Adjudicator turned her head, her eyes boring holes into his body. "You will do so because I command it."

Everyone in the room gave her a hardened look. "You command it?" a large coal-colored unicorn with sickly-looking purple eyes asked, walking into the room. "Adjudicator, I believe you have misspoken. You may have dominion over the ponies of those backwater villages, but only our lord commands the umbrum. Unless you wish to join your fellow heretics?" The unicorn's horn lit up.

The Adjudicator growled, baring her fangs. "Do not overstep yourself. Your zealotism is a disservice to our lord. It is my task to lay judgement upon us all." She closed the gap between them, pressing her nose against his. "Step into my duties again, and I will shatter that poor excuse for a horn sticking out of your head."

The unicorn snorted. "Your acts of judgement come second to the duty we all share to free our lord from his prison," he retorted, ignoring her threat. "Unless of course you were to explain yourself and your reasoning for our change in course."

She pulled back, making sure to show off her advantage in height. "We lost one of the gate ships. As it turns out, none of those idiot villagers activated the astria porta." Her gaze hardened into a glare. "The Lanteans have finally arrived."

The unicorn nodded in understanding. "This does call for our immediate attention. The Lanteans could upset our plans and our lord would remain forever lost. I will set the ship down." He turned on his hooves and exited the room.

The Adjudicator nodded to her followers before following after the unicorn. "We should recall the war ships. Who knows how much larger the Lantean force is."

"Agreed, and who knows what resources they were able to use to improve their technology," the unicorn offered. "The Shangrians were able to harness magic rather quickly. It would be safe to assume the Lanteans have their own special advancements."

The Adjudicator spat, a low growl building up in her throat. "We'll crush them, just like their kin. We'll have to act carefully, if we wish to take their city."

"It is unfortunate that we have lost the means to create the lord's plague," the unicorn complained to himself. "That was quite effective at wiping them out before." A dark smile overtook his face as he examined a decoration made from the bones of an ancient.

"Aye." She nodded, following his gaze. "It made taking Mu trivial."

"Then again, I'm sure the Lanteans have accessed Shangri-La's archives by now," the unicorn said, a sneer on his face. "I doubt we could use it on them without them being prepared for it." He opened a door and walked inside. "It's just as well, the plague was a bit too impersonal for my tastes. I'd rather drive a crystal through them all and watch them slowly realize their end is upon them." He took his place in the control chair, a malicious grin on his face.

She stood to the side, feeling the city change direction before jumping back into hyperspace. "The Shangrians must have kept their most precious secrets in their capital. Why else would they go so far to hide it and the first world?"

"Perhaps the secrets lie not in their capital but on the first world itself?" the unicorn offered. "If their secret was only with the capital then just hiding the city would've been much simpler."

"That it would." Whatever the Shangrians had done, it had erased the world's location from the galaxy. Various umbrum had picked apart Mu's database in a vain effort to recover the data, but even after a thousand years, they had come up with nothing. "Of course, there is no guarantee they were hidden at the same location."

"They are a crafty species, after all," the unicorn agreed. The city lurched as it exited hyperspace. "Hiding them separately would be most logical."

The Adjudicator scoffed. "Things would be much simpler if our siblings had captured the city."

"On that we can agree," the unicorn said. "Their incompetence has cost us dearly."

"I only regret that I cannot punish them myself." The Adjudicator rose to her hooves, feeling the city tremble as it entered the atmosphere. Whatever happened to their lost siblings was paltry. They deserved only the worst punishment for their failure. Perhaps a crystallization? She smiled at the idea of that. Let them serve as a permanent reminder to everyone what the price of failure was.

The city trembled one last time as it made contact with the planet's ocean. The Adjudicator turned on her hooves, heading for the hangar. She passed the team that had been with her during the Lantean attack, signalling for them to follow her. They fell in line behind her as they all shifted into a smoke-like cloud and moved into a gate ship.

The ship departed the city, speeding over the crashing waves of the ocean. It took only a few minutes to reach landfall. Crouched like a predator above its prey, an obsidian colored city sat upon a sheer cliff, in a similar style to that of Mu, though far more sinister. Jagged edges and hard lines defined the city, and atop the highest building flew a black flag, emblazoned with a blue ram's head. Several large shapes milled above the city's skyline. As they approached the city they were revealed to be ships similar to the one they were in, though repurposed for carrying goods rather than carrying people.

The Adjudicator took their ship into the hangar of the tallest building, landing in an open space. They billowed out of the ship, reforming their pony bodies and heading towards a teleporter booth in the back of the hangar.

Reemerging in a control room, the Adjudicator shoved a much smaller pegasus away from a console. With an angry jab of her hoof, she activated the subspace communicator. "Is this connected to all of our forces?"

"Yes," the pegasus mare answered with an annoyed scowl on her face. "All ships are connected to this master comms station."

The Adjudicator leaned down, snorting in the smaller mare's face. "Do not take that tone with me, whelp." Activating the comms again, she rose back to her full height. "By order of the Adjudicator, all Umbrum are to return to Cel'tras. Failure to do so will be met with expulsion. The Lanteans have arrived in this system and have already interfered with our plans." She dropped her hoof, giving one last sneer at the pegasus mare, then she turned and walked away from the control room, making her way back to the hangar.

Liftoff [Part 2]

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Floyd gulped, noting how dry his mouth was. The hour had arrived, and at the General's request, he had followed her down to the city's control chair. The room wasn't all that, just circle with a chair in the middle. The oddest, least comfortable chair Floyd had ever seen. He took a deep breath and stepped toward the chair.

"It shouldn't be too hard," Daniel assured him. "Just keep focused and we'll be fine."

He put his hands on the armrests and slowly lowered himself into it. He felt something whir to life and the chair reclined out. "Okay, I think this thing's working." He gasped, gripping the armrest. Energy surged through him, causing his eyes and hands to glow with magic. His amulet shined away, a deep purple.

Carter exchanged a look with Daniel, before focusing on Floyd. "Now, just think about getting the city off the ground. Keep an eye on the ice below us. Even if it gives way, we can't afford to abort."

"R-right," Floyd said, sounding very much like he was wired on some kind of drug. He calmed himself down the best he could and focused on the idea of the city slowly lifting off the ground.

The city shook as the engines kicked off. Carter steadied herself, tapping her headset. "Wilson, this is Carter. I want you to keep an eye on the power levels. This move is probably going to take what the ZPMs have left. Over."

"Wilco," Wilson replied over the headset. "I will inform you if there are any complications. ZPMs are currently stable and systems are optimal for the move. Wilson out."

The city shook again, a sure sign that it was rising up out of the ice. Floyd then took a moment to look around the room.

"S-so uh, how am I supposed to see where we're going?" The young man asked.

As if to answer him, a holographic map appeared above his head.

"Huh, that's pretty helpful." Floyd examined the map. "General, can you point out on the map where we're going?"

Carter turned to Celestia, who had been standing off to the side. "I think the Princess can help you with that."

Celestia stepped forward and looked over the map. "You will want to go southeast for 300 miles. You can land the city here." She pointed a hoof at a spot off of the coast of the projected landmass.

"Right..." Floyd followed her hoof, leaning back in the chair. He took a deep breath, the city rocking as it finally pulled free from the ice. "That wasn't so hard..." He let his eyes close while the city began its climb into the sky.

The city continued its rise for a few minutes. There was a sudden jolt, and then the city's movements leveled out, signalling they had reached their cruising altitude.

"Pity there aren't any windows," Celestia lamented, casting a glance at the walls. "I have always wanted to see the stars."

"Sorry about that," Carter said. "There are cameras but I'm sure video feed wouldn't be the same."

"We could always take you up in a jumper," Daniel offered. He thought for a moment, frowning. "It would probably be really cramped though."

Celestia chuckled, "I think I can put up with that for the sake of looking out at the ocean of stars."

Carter cleared her throat, "Getting up here is relatively easy. It's getting down we have to worry about." She gestured to the map. "When we reenter the planet's atmosphere, we'll be moving too fast for the air molecules to get out of the way. The compression generates incredible heat, more than the simple skin friction. Even with the shield, if we go down at the wrong angle, we won't have to worry about any future complications to the expedition."'

"But no pressure," Floyd grumbled. He gulped, thinking about lowering the city at an angle. In response, the city provided him with what appeared to be the safest route to their destination. "Not gonna lie, I could get used to the mind reading chair," he said, taking a calming breath as he adjusted his route to match the display's. "Just wish it had better cushions." He shifted his position in the seat. He chastised himself internally, returning his thoughts to safely lowering the city.

"You're doing great, Floyd," Celestia assured him. "You're perfectly in control."

As if Celestia had provoked the universe, the city started to shake. Floyd shifted, adjusting the angle slightly.

"My bad," Floyd muttered, devoting his efforts to avoiding anymore turbulence. Floyd pushed his concentration to its limits, putting everything he had into following the route. He clutched the arm rests, his knuckles turning white and sweat forming on his brow.

"We've almost completed our revolution around the planet, General." Wilson chirped.

"Perfect," Carter said. She turned to Floyd. "Okay, Floyd, now you just have to land. The general idea is to steepen the angle to bleed off speed."

Floyd nodded and pictured the city angling upwards, much like he had seen in old footage of space shuttle’s landing. In response to the sudden increase in friction, the city began to shake once more.

Carter and Daniel braced themselves on a nearby wall, while Celestia used her magic to keep herself stable. There was one last jolt, signalling the city had made its landing. Floyd sat up, his breathing ragged. He wore a thousand yard stare, trembling slightly.

Daniel put a hand on his shoulder, "You did well, Floyd. Why don't you go lie down for a while?"

Floyd nodded, stumbling to his feet. "Jesus, is this what cocaine feels like?" The glow in his eyes lingered for a few moments, fading out as he blinked.

"I wouldn't know on either front. The neural interface takes some getting used to, from what I've been told," Carter replied, putting a hand on his back to help stabilize him. "Though hopefully you won't need to use it again anytime soon."

"It was more than that, General," Celestia stepped closer to the chair, eyeing it critically. "The city channeled a lot of magic into Floyd. I can only imagine how that would feel to someone who had no magic before. A good rest should get him back to normal."

"Yeah... that sounds good," Floyd nodded, looking at the older humans. "I'm going back to the infirmary, get some sleep." He stumbled out the door, leaning on the wall to support himself. He continued down the hall until he reached a teleporter booth. He tapped where he wanted to go and continued to lean on the wall. It took him a while, but he was finally able to get to the infirmary. He collapsed into his bunk and pulled the covers over him.

Like most pegasi, the idea of a flying city wasn't all that far-fetched to Soarin'. Hell, he was born in one. What he never thought he'd see was a literal city fall from the stars. Like an angry comet, Shangri-La had streaked through the sky, landing relatively gently in the waiting ocean.

Pulling himself away from the main window, he turned to Captain Sky Line. Sky was one of the few non-pegasi in the Wonderbolts, assigned to oversee the airship Hurricane. She was a rather ornery earth pony, with a bright yellow coat and deep green mane.

Soarin' stretched his wings, something he always tended to do more when he was thinking for long periods of time. "So, Sky, what do you think about our new assignment?"

Sky snorted, giving him a sideways glance. "I think you lot have been spending too much time doing fancy tricks." She inhaled, spitting into a pot next to the steering wheel. "About time you actually did something useful."

"Can't say I disagree with you there," Soarin' said with a nod. "I just don't know what to think about being part of a regiment that goes to other planets. Though, this does sound like a good opportunity to improve foreign relations, and not just with the humans."

Sky grunted. "Leave the politicking to the princesses."

Soarin' nodded again before smiling. "Sorry, kinda stuck in that mindset, seeing as Spits and I keep having to rub elbows with bigwigs as part of our regular duties. At this point, a tux seems like a third uniform for me."

Sky tsked, altering their course slightly. Soarin' had to admit, for an earth pony, Sky was a natural in the air. He always joked that she'd just spontaneously grow wings out of sheer stubbornness.

She gave him a flat look, "You should focus more on your flying, eh, 'Clipper'?"

Soarin' chuckled and winced, "Ouch, breaking out that old nickname. And I do focus on my flying. I run through all the old drills and routines until my wings feel like they're about to fall off. It's just that being second-in-command comes with annoying brown nosing duties."

Sky responded with an exaggeratedly loud spit, "I swear, why they have you two do all that bull pucky is beyond me. You're supposed to be military flyers, not flank kissers."

Soarin' stepped back up to the window, fidgeting his wings. "You know, it's just not going to be the same without you around, Sky. You are the exemplar Wonderbolt after all."

Sky chuckled and gave him a smirk, "If you're trying to kiss my flank, I'm gonna ask you buy me dinner first. I'm not into that kinda arrangement you've got going on with Spitfire."

Soarin' glanced over his shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Spitfire and I are just friends." It was rather against regulations for senior officers to be involved, and the rumor was starting to get irritating. Even if it was true.

"Fine, Soarin'," Sky relented with a shrug, "whatever you say. But let's just say hypothetically it was true. I'd advise you either get serious or stop screwing your boss. That kinda thing tends to end with at least one party getting hurt."

"Noted." Soarin' pulled away from the window, trotting to the door leading further into the ship. "Give me a call over the PA when we get there. I'm going to make sure everypony is ready."

"You got it," Sky said with a wave of her hoof. "Try to put a little fear in them for me, alright?" She glanced over her shoulder to flash him a toothy grin. "I always love seeing pegasi feathers standing up on end."

Rather used to her bait, Soarin' didn't bite. "Makes preening a bitch." He passed through the door behind him, pushing it shut with a back leg. He continued down the halls, heading for the common area where the detachment would be preparing their gear. He trotted down a couple flights of stairs and went straight down a long hallway.

Soarin' paused at the door, clearing his throat. When he was sure his commander voice was properly set, he moved inside. "Attention!" he shouted as loudly as possible. Like most military commanders, there was a certain satisfaction when one's orders were followed almost instantly. It was Soarin's second favorite perk of the job. Besides getting paid to do what came natural.

The entire detachment dropped what they were doing and lined up. All eyes were on him as they snapped a quick salute to him. He strode along the line, inspecting them closely. When he was satisfied, he took position in front of them.

"We'll be reaching the city in an hour. I want us ready in half. Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" a chorus of voices replied instantly.

He stamped a hoof, "Then get to it!"

The detachment snapped another salute before rushing to resume their previous preparations. Soarin' watched them for a few moments before turning to head to his quarters. Most traveling ponies didn't pack a lot, and Soarin' was no exception. Beyond basic necessities and a few spare uniforms, Wonderbolts traveled light.

Soarin' wasted no time in pulling on his flight suit and settling his goggles on his head. The flight suit felt like a second skin and didn't interfere with his flying. He took a quick moment to make sure the suit was on properly before nodding to himself in satisfaction. He took a seat on his bed, pulling out a book from his bag and deciding to rest for the remainder of the trip.

After a while the PA crackled to life, "We're almost there you lazy bastards," Sky barked, her voice harsh, "get to the exits."

Soarin' snapped his book shut, putting it back in his bag and grabbing his things. He trotted briskly through the halls until he made it to the nearest exit. He was the first one there as far as he could tell. He'd be sure to reprimand the others for that.

Surprise rounded a corner, giving him a salute, "Reporting for duty sir!"

Soarin' nodded to her, fighting off a smile as he saw her. Surprise was the typical trickster of the group. Of course, she always made sure her antics were just within the guidelines. It helped that her skills as a flier matched her skills as a prankster.

"Quick as always, Surprise," Soarin' said, "although you let me beat you here. That'll be ten wingtip push ups once we're settled in the city."

Surprise grinned back, "Only if the general makes me," she reminded him, pulling her goggles down over her eyes.

Soarin's mouth twitched as he held back a chuckle. "I have half a mind to charge you with insubordination," he told her in a harsh tone, though the look on his face betrayed him.

Surprise stepped up to the exit, sliding it open. The wind wasted no time in buffeting them, sending their manes tumbling. Soarin' quickly pulled his goggles on. He spread his wings and angled them to test the wind. He then nodded at her and jumped out of the exit.

A smile worked onto Soarin's face as he allowed himself to freefall. There was nothing that could make a pegasus feel more alive than the rush of air through their feathers. The moment passed and he spread his wings, pulling himself up into a cruise. He angled his wings, feeling the differences in pressure and adjusting himself to keep a steady descent. He looked down, spotting the shape of the Teachers' city. They had been instructed to head to the top of the tallest building. He adjusted his course, keeping the building in his sights.

Surprise joined him on his left, falling into formation. A few moments passed and then the rest of the detachment fell in behind them, taking their own positions. They passed over the city, more than a few marveling over its design.

They came up to the central tower and Soarin' threw his head back. Since flying at high speeds precluded verbal communication, pegasi, especially the wonderbolts, conveyed ideas through even the smallest body motion. He pulled his body up, flying straight up, parallel to the tower. The others got the message and followed his lead. They reached the top, slowing to a hover. They found an opening towards the top and flew inside, fluttering their wings as their hooves touched down.

Soarin' folded his wings, pulling his goggles up. Princess Celestia was waiting for them, standing with one of the humans. Soarin' snapped a salute to the princess, and the other Wonderbolts followed suit.

"Commander Soarin', second-in-command of the Wonderbolts, reporting for duty, Your Majesty."

The princess smiled, nodding to them, "At ease."

The Wonderbolts nodded and relaxed their bodies. The human then nodded and looked at Soarin'.

"Hello, I'm General Carter. I'm looking forward to working with you all," The general smiled, offering him a hand.

"Same here," Soarin' smiled and extended his hoof, the general grasping and shaking it. "Captain Spitfire briefed us on our expected duties. We'll follow your orders, General." He pulled his hoof back, saluting. "Altius volantis."

"I'm glad to hear it," Carter replied. "For the moment, we'll be leading you to your quarters. You'll all be put into squads once everyone else has arrived. And altius volantis to you too." She gave him a salute in return.

Celestia leaned over. "The Wonderbolts' motto, 'Soaring higher'."

"Makes sense for a flight team," Carter replied. She then turned and motioned for them to follow her. "I'll lead you to your quarters now." She led them out of the room, walking down the halls. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "If there are any questions, I'll do my best to answer them."

"Thank you, ma'am," Soarin' gestured to his subordinates, falling in line behind her.

"No problem," Carter assured him. "We're all looking forward to expanding our ranks here. And I think we'll get along, I joined the Air Force long before I joined the stargate program. Not to mention the maneuvers you could teach to Queen Elmis' hive."

"That would be the name of the friendly changeling queen currently residing in the city, correct?" Soarin' asked.

Surprise snickered, "Clipper was too busy trying to fly straight to read the newspaper."

Soarin' shot Surprise a quick look. "Anyway, General, we'll be happy to teach them some of our formations and maneuvers."

"I'm glad to hear it," Carter said. "I was worried that there would be disputes about working with them."

Soarin' shrugged. "The Wonderbolts weren't there during the invasion. Besides, these changelings had nothing to do with it. Why get mad at them?"

Carter nodded and smiled. She continued to lead the ponies down the halls, people making way for their group as they passed. "That's a very reasonable thing to say. I'm sure that attitude will be a big help out in the field," she told them.

Soarin' smiled at the compliment. "As long as they're friendly, we'll be friendly."

"You won't have to worry about that," Carter assured him, "especially if you think happy thoughts around them." Their journey continued for a while until she led them to a hallway with a line of doors on either side. She opened one of the doors, revealing a sparsely decorated room. "These will be your rooms for the duration of your time with the SGC. Personal decorations are allowed. We'll also show you how to get to the major facilities via the teleporter booths. Does anyone have any questions?"

"You said we'd be put into squads," Fleetfoot started, looking up at Carter. "Does that mean our group will be separated?"

"I think that's for the best. We want balanced teams."

"We'll trust your judgement on the matter," Soarin' nodded. "Our dossiers were sent over earlier, correct?"

Princess Celestia smiled. "I delivered them myself, Commander, along with something else for you."

The Wonderbolts all nodded. "Then our skillsets are all available to you," Soarin' said, nodding at Carter. He then turned to Celestia with a raised brow. "What is it, Princess?"

Celestia gestured to a large container inside of the open room. "See for yourself."

Soarin' and Surprise stepped into the room and grabbed the lid of the container. With a heave, they pried the box open and carefully set the lid down. Surprise dipped her head into the crate and pulled out a uniform. It looked like their dress uniform, only with light armor in places. There was also a flight helmet that covered nearly the entire face ,with a visor that could be flipped up or down. On the side of the helmet and on the flank of the uniform there was an insignia: a modified version of the SGC logo, with Celestia's and Luna's cutie marks serving as a background.

"Those are your new uniforms," Celestia said with a smile. "A perfect showing of the alliance between our peoples."

"Princess, how long have you had these?" Soarin' frowned, looking at the helmet. Being a Wonderbolt, Soarin' met the Princess much more often than the average pony. Despite her kindness, the Princess was always scheming, always planning.

"Oh, not too long all things considered," Celestia dismissed. "Really these are just slightly modified versions of the gear used in the last skirmish we had about eighty years ago."

"Right." He didn't quite believe her, but, it wasn't his place to question the Princess.

"Anyway, I'm sure all of you can handle your room assignments," Carter said, changing the subject. "You're all free to relax until the other representatives arrive."

Soarin' saluted. "Thank you, ma'am."

The Wonderbolts all saluted and then spread out, talking amongst themselves about their rooms. Surprise and Soarin' turned back to the crate, passing out the new uniforms to each member. Soarin' then claimed the room with the crate as his own, taking a moment to sit and think. He pulled off his flight suit, folding it and setting it next to him.

The Princess never did anything without a reason, he mused to himself. He lifted his new helmet up, looking into its visor. Had she been expecting a war to break out? Did she... have these made in preparation for Sombra's return? Nightmare Moon's? He looked the armored portions of the uniform over, tapping it with his hoof.

"Hmm, seems like this stuff is puncture resistant," he said aloud. He hefted it for a few moments. "Lightweight too. Guess she was preparing for the worst case scenario." He shook his head, "That mare has a contingency plan for everything." He put the armor down and lay down on the bed.

Floyd stood in front of the doorway, ignoring the many looks at his back. He knew collapsing on a stage would make people talk, but, he wasn't expecting nearly every pony he passed to inquire if he was feeling better. He chalked it up to the more friendly nature of the ponies mixed with how public his collapse was. He adjusted his clothes while he tried to collect his thoughts and what he would say. He knew he'd have to tread carefully given what happened last time. His mind flashed back to an image of Alexandrite leaning in to kiss him. He steeled himself with a deep breath and knocked on the door. He waited for a few moments, hearing the clopping of hooves coming from inside the house.

"Coming!" Alexandrite's voice called. The door opened, revealing the mare. "Hello! How can I-Floyd?!"

Floyd let out a nervous chuckle at the sight of her expression. She stared at him in disbelief with her lower jaw nearly touching the ground. "Hey, Alex. Sorry about collapsing and not telling you I was alright. Turns out, my amulet was doing crazy stuff to my body and the doc wanted to make sure I was okay," he explained quickly.

The mare suddenly pounced on him, knocking him back onto his ass. She hugged his waist, nuzzling it furiously. He let out an "oof" catching himself so his head wouldn't slam into the crystal street. After a moment, he took his hand and patted her head.

"Good to see you too, Alex."

"I was so worried about you!" Alex shouted, looking up at him.

"I bet," Floyd said, flashing her a small smile. "The only reason I didn't come to tell you I was okay sooner was because the doctor kept running the same tests over and over again. He made me a lab rat. On the bright side, I have magic now." He let his eyes glow in demonstration. "But uh, Cadance didn't tell you?"

Alexandrite shook her head. "She and Shining Armor have been busy with the press and some diplomatic stuff." She climbed off Floyd, sitting on her haunches. "I'm glad you're okay."

Floyd got to his feet, brushing some dirt off his pants. "I'm better than ever. Learning how to use magic has been pretty fun." He patted her head. "Wish I could've talked to you sooner though."

Alexandrite smiled, nuzzling against his hand. "Do you want to come in...? My parents are out in the market."

Floyd paused for a moment, an offer to come in while the parents were out? This set off certain alarms considering he knew she was interested in him. He then shrugged and waved it off as him overthinking things.

"Sure, I can come in for a bit," he told her.

Alexandrite hopped to her hooves, eagerly guiding him inside, "Want some tea?"

"Some tea sounds good," he replied, taking a seat on the couch. "So what have you been up to?"

Alex trotted into the kitchen, busying herself with the tea kettle. "To be honest, I was rather shaken up by what happened." She turned her stove on, letting it heat up while she filled the kettle. "I uh, cut back on my work a bit."

"I'm sorry about that," Floyd said, wincing a bit. "I should've told someone something was up with me sooner. That way I wouldn't have collapsed right in front of you."

"We could have had that kiss," Alexandrite replied.

Floyd flinched, thankful that she couldn't see him from the kitchen. He had no idea what to say to that, he hadn't sorted out his feelings on the whole interspecies relationship thing.

"Floyd?" Alexandrite peeked out of the kitchen. "You okay? You got a little quiet."

Floyd let out a quick chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that, I was just thinking about that day. You're right, we could've had it." He had to hold back a flinch, kicking himself for adding that.

Alexandrite smiled, ducking back into the kitchen. "Why don't we set up another then? I'm sure your boss will give you some time off! I know this great place on Topaz street."

He thought quickly, trying to change the subject. "Oh, uh, I should tell you, I actually had my job changed. I'm not gonna be a cameraman anymore. Instead, I'm joining the expedition teams and going through the gate. I'll be gone for a few weeks for training."

"Then I guess we'll have to make the most of the time we have." Alexandrite smiled as she walked into the room, a tray balanced on her back with two steaming cups. She set it down carefully on the coffee table and passed him a cup.

Floyd lifted his cup up, choosing to stare into its depths than look at her.

Alexandrite frowned, picking up her own cup. "Floyd, is something wrong? You're a lot quieter than usual."

"Alex, I..." He paused, the words dying in his throat.

She offered him a small smile, resting a hoof on his arm. "You can tell me anything."

"Alex, I don't know how I feel about you." There, he said it. He cringed, already feeling the awkward silence falling over them.

Alexandrite's ears pinned to her head. "Oh." She turned her head from him, but kept her hoof on his arm.

He put his cup down, putting a hand on her hoof. "Look, it's nothing you did alright? It's all on me here."

"Because that doesn't sound like a cliched line," Alexandrite mumbled.

Floyd frowned, "Hey, that's not fair. You live on a planet with more than a dozen intelligent species on it. Earth's just got us humans."

She nodded, turning her head to look at him again. "You're right, it's not fair to expect you to be okay with dating a different species right away." She let out a long sigh, "Sorry if it seemed like I was pressuring you."

Floyd patted her arm. "Don't worry about it Alex." He leaned back, feeling like he had the world lifted from his shoulders. He didn't, however, feel all that great about making her sad. "I just need some time to sort out my head. Things got complicated when the magic showed up."

"Don't worry about it," she told him, brightening up a little. "Take as much time as you need. Still friends?" She held a hoof out, giving him a small smile.

Returning her smile, Floyd bopped a fist against her hoof. "Did I say we weren't?" He lifted his tea, taking a generous sip. "So, did you see the city take off?"

"Are you kidding?" Alexandrite started to laugh. "I'd have to be blind and deaf not to see that."

"Bet you guys felt it taking off."

"Oh yeah, the entire city was shaking like crazy," She giggled as she remembered it.

"Well then, I'm glad I didn't cause too much of a problem over here."

"Huh, what do you mean by that?" Alexandrite tilted her head and arched a brow at him.

Floyd grinned wolfishly, "I flew the city."

"They let you fly the city!" she cried, gaping at him.

Floyd held up his hands, waggling his fingers, "What can I say? I got the touch."

She rolled her eyes, a smile on her face. "Uh huh, I bet the only reason they let you fly the city was because they had no other options."

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Floyd admitted. He set his cup down. "Made it in one piece though."

"I'm glad," she told him. "I mean, I'd hate to lose my alien friend."

"Don't worry, I don't plan on dying anytime soon," He reached over and ruffled her mane. She responded by shoving him off and the two of them broke into a small fit of laughter.

Liftoff [Part 3]

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Floyd looked down, examining his new fatigues. The reality of his decision had finally hit him and he couldn't help but feel on edge. It was almost like every one of his cells had been poked by a cattle prod. He then looked around the room, seeing all the representatives from the other countries of the world all around him.

Each race had their own uniforms with slightly modified SGC logos, though humans dominated the group. From what Floyd was able to gather, he'd be told who was in his squad today.

The door at the far end of the room opened and Carter stepped inside, putting herself at the head of the crowd.

"Hello everyone," she began, "I don't want to waste any of your time so allow me to brief you, briefly." She smiled at the small joke and a courteous laugh made its way around the room. "As members of the SGC, you will be heading through the gate to other worlds. The natures of your missions will be varied, but they will have a common goal. To paraphrase our mandate, you will seek out and recover intelligence and technology to assist our worlds in their defense against alien aggressors."

"Just tell us where the treasure is." The room went rather quiet, and everyone's gaze landed on one of the shrunken down dragons.

He moved to speak again when Ember punched him in the gut. "Keep your trap shut, important people are talking." She resumed her stance, nodding at the General.

"The 'treasure,' as you put it, will be found during your missions," Carter told the dragon. "And, as a reminder, the discoveries made by teams are to be shared with all allied forces of the Shangri-La alliance. No one takes priority, not even us humans." She looked around the room. "Does anyone else have any questions?"

A minotaur heifer spoke up, "Will we be divided into groups based on our species, or just our skills?"

"An excellent question." Carter smiled. "We'll be doing a little of both. We won't have actual missions for some time, so, we'll be breaking everyone into groups we think will work and spend a few weeks doing practice missions. We want to make sure each expeditionary team has a balanced skillset, so performance during training may lead to team restructuring. That said, there will also be some teams that will specialize in one area, who will be fielded as support to other teams as needed."

"Will this training include the use of your advanced weapons?" the largest of the minotaurs asked.

"We'll be using a variety of non-lethal weapons for those able and interested in using them during this training period," Carter explained.

"And where do we all fall in the terms of the power structure here?" a young buck asked. "Are we all just supposed to be grunts?"

"No, your ranks will be respected here," Carter assured him. "None of you are just grunts. I know firsthand how dangerous this job can be; before my promotion to General, I was a member of Earth's flagship expeditionary team, and it seemed like we got into one major scrape or another every week."

"And what about the leaders of each group?" Ember asked. "Are we to defer to you, or will we have some say in the goings-on around here?"

"Yes, you will be able to offer your input in decision making. You will be considered members of the senior staff," Carter replied. "Anything else?"

"I believe we are satisfied," a zebra mare started, "All that is left is the squads in which we will reside."

Free to proceed, Carter started with the first team. "Team SL-1 will consist of Bon Bon, Lyra Heartstrings, Floyd Hendrix, Calvin Higgs and Devon Manley."

Floyd quirked a brow at the last name while the general continued to call out team assignments. He looked over to find Lyra and Bon Bon sharing a hoof bump and walked over to them.

"Looks like we're gonna be a team," he said, getting their attention.

"Looks like it!" Lyra said excitedly, her tail almost wagging behind her.

"She was like this all last night," Bon Bon said with a giggle. "I had to sneak some sleeping pills into her late night snack so we could get plenty of sleep."

"So that's why I fell asleep mid-sentence!" Lyra replied with a gasp. "I was talking about the potential of uncovering more history of the Teachers." She pouted at the other mare.

Bon Bon rolled her eyes, "Lyra, I love you. I understand you have your foibles, but I'm not going to let you stay up all night. Especially when we have something important to do the next day."

"I know," Lyra stopped pouting and sighed, "but you didn't have to feed me sleeping pills without me knowing."

Bon Bon put a hoof to her temple, shaking her head. "You're right, that wasn't right of me to do."

Lyra wrapped an arm around her. "Don't worry about it, Bonny. I know you were just looking out for me. Just, don't do it again."

Bon Bon nodded, giving Lyra a quick nuzzle. "Trust me, I won't. Pinkie Promise." She made a few quick motions Floyd couldn't decipher and placed a hoof over her eye.

Floyd watched curiously, "You know, we have Pinky Swears back home too."

Lyra arched a brow at him, "Are they named after a person named Pinkie on your planet too?"

"Uh, no," Floyd shock his head. "I don't actually know how it started. You'd be surprised at how dark weird cultural artifacts used to be."

"Cultural similarities aside," Lyra started, looking around the room, "don't we have two other members of our squad to find?"

Floyd looked around the room as well. After a minute he spotted the young man he had stepped through the gate with. "Yo, Devon!" he called out, waving him over. "We're over here!"

Devon turned and perked up when he saw Floyd. He waded through the crowd and stopped in front of his new squadmates. "Hey, glad to know I've got some familiar faces heading through the gate with me." He turned to Floyd, "So, how's it feel to be a magic man?"

Floyd grinned, waggling his fingers, "About as well as you'd expect me to feel."

Devon chuckled, "You're one lucky SOB. Looks like you got the same offer I did to join the SL teams."

"It was that, or just be bored here."

Devon nodded, "Yeah, I'd heard they were keeping you holed up in the infirmary after you passed out in the empire. Sorry I didn't visit, I was swamped with working on getting the city ready to move."

Floyd waved him off, "It's fine. We were all sorta busy."

"Now we just have to find our last member," Bon Bon cut in. She turned to Devon and held a hoof out, "Good to have you on the team by the way."

Devin took her hoof and shook it. "It's nice to meet you in person."

She smiled at him and retracted her hoof after a few moments. "Based on what you just said, I bet you're going to be the one handling any alien tech we come across."

"Yup, technical officer for this squad, at your service," Devon told her, grinning and giving her a small bow.

"It's always nice to meet a professional," Bon Bon returned his bow. She herself, despite her enthusiasm, didn't exactly feel like much more than a foalsitter. Devon seemed to have a bit of experience, but Floyd and Lyra didn't. They were as green as spring leaves. It didn't help that Floyd had the magical skills of a young foal either. The last thing she wanted weighing on her was either of their deaths.

"Halla to Bonny!" Lyra's voice called, followed by a poke to Bon Bon's nose. "You okay? You're kinda just glaring at the floor."

Bon Bon shook off the heavy thoughts, flashing the mint mare a smile. "Sorry 'bout that, got lost in thought for a second there. What were we talking about again?"

"Just talking about what we think we'll find out there," Floyd explained. "I'm saying pony Predator."

Bon Bon tilted her head. "You do know that ponies aren't predators right?"

Floyd chuckled, "Predator is the name of a movie. I'll have to show it to you sometime. Basically, I was saying that there'd be ponies that look like the titular character in the movie."

"Are we gonna have to get used to you making references we don't understand?" Lyra questioned with a giggle. Not that she minded at all. Every little reference was a hint at a larger context. She just had to remember to ask about them later. Taking notes on all the references he made would probably be a good idea.

Floyd then turned his head to Bon Bon, "So, Bon Bon, how'd you get on a team? Bribe the general with some candy? Bet she likes dark chocolate."

Bon Bon giggled, "Princess Celestia would be easier to bribe with candy, she's got a notorious sweet tooth." She looked around the room, frowning at all the other squads packed into the room. "I'll tell you later, too many ears here."

Lyra blinked. "Bonny... are you hiding something?" She stepped back, as if she had been slapped. Ears pinned to her head, Lyra pouted, "Bonny, I thought we shared everything with each other..."

Bon Bon winced, biting her lower lip as her own ears pinned to her head. "I'll explain everything later, I promise. There are too many people around, this is for you guys only." She turned to Lyra, "You have to understand, Ly, I didn't want to hide anything from you."

Floyd and Devon shared a look, shuffling on their feet as they suddenly felt uncomfortable around the two mares. Devon motioned between Floyd and the mares, signalling for him to do something.

Floyd cleared his throat, getting the two mares' attention. "Maybe we should let Bon Bon explain whatever this is before we judge her?" He gave his best smile, trying to diffuse the situation.

Lyra took a deep breath, sitting on her haunches. "You're right, Floyd." She turned back to Bon Bon, "After everything we've been through, you deserve me hearing you out," Lyra flashed her a weak smile.

Bon Bon nodded, letting out a long sigh, "Well, we have some time to kill..."

"Then should we step out of the room away from all the ears then?" Devon suggested, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder towards the back of the room.

"We could go to my room," Floyd offered. "It should have enough room for all of us."

Lyra nodded and got to her hooves, "That sounds good to me. Just remember we've gotta be in the gate room in a few hours."

"If that's the case, I'll introduce you to Predator," Floyd said with a grin. He turned to walk out, motioning for the others to follow.

Before they could get very far, they were stopped by General Carter.

"I'm glad I was able to find you four," she said. "There's something I wanted to tell you. Higgs has been helping set up the training grounds for the practice missions you'll be undertaking. He's already planetside and will meet up with you there."

Floyd nodded. "Thanks for that, General. We were wondering where he was."

"Not a problem, just be sure to get back here in time," Carter warned. "It would set a bad precedent if the flagship team was late for their first trip through the gate."

The squad snapped a salute and exited the gate room, letting Floyd lead them to his room. They all took a seat while Floyd pulled out his laptop.

"Alright, before I start the movie," Floyd started, turning to Bon Bon, "I believe a certain pony promised to share something with us once we were alone."

Bon Bon gave a weak smile, her ears pinning back. "R-right..." she gulped shifting on her hooves. "Well I uh..."

Lyra put a hoof on her shoulder, giving her a soft smile. "Bonny, you can tell me anything. You and me against Equestria, right?"

Bon Bon shrugged her hoof off, "First things first, my name isn't Bon Bon. It's Sweetie Drops."

Lyra's ears pinned to her head, "Wh-what are you talking about? Why didn't you tell me your real name?"

"Because it became classified information," Bon Bon replied. "Before we met I was a member of S.M.I.L.E., the Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria." A dark look crossed her face, and suddenly, she couldn't look at any of them. "We... do bad things, to keep ponies safe. When a bugbear I caught escaped Tartarus, I was... decommissioned and sent to Ponyville."

"So you've been an ex-secret agent this whole time?" Lyra gasped, her eyes widening. "This is insane. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Because I couldn't," Bon Bon stared down at the floor. She had wished before that this moment would never come to pass. Chancing a glance up at Lyra, a stab of guilt shot through her heart. That look of betrayal... Bon Bon averted her gaze again.

"W-well," Lyra paused, looking down and taking a deep breath. "Okay, I get it. Equestrian security and all that." She tilted Bon Bon's head up to look into her eyes. "Is that everything?"

Bon Bon frowned. "What do you mean 'is that everything?' You should be mad at me! I've been lying to you about who I really am since we met!"

"You gave me a fake name and backstory, but everything else was real, right?" Lyra questioned, a small smile on her face. "All the support for my theories, the shoulder for me to cry on when yet another board laughed me out of the room. That was all how you really felt, right?"

"Yes!" Bon Bon cried, grabbing Lyra by her shoulders. "I meant every single word of it!"

Lyra's smile grew and she put her hooves on Bon Bon's shoulders. "Then the way I see it, I've got nothing to be mad about. You didn't lie because you wanted to, and you didn't lie about the important stuff. Now there are no secrets between us." She pulled Bon Bon into a hug.

"There won't be any more secrets, I promise," Bon Bon nuzzled Lyra's cheek.

Lyra grabbed Bon Bon's head, pulling her into a kiss.

Devon and Floyd looked away, the awkward feeling returning with a vengeance. Floyd busied himself with getting the movie ready while Devon stared at a particularly interesting spot on the ceiling.

Lyra pulled away, giving a dazed Bon Bon a smile. "We can do that thing you like later." She winked, attempting a sultry look, only to fail fantastically.

Bon Bon giggled and smiled at her. "I'm looking forward to it." She then turned to Floyd and Devon. "But maybe we should save talk like that for when we're alone?"

Lyra froze, her eyes going wide while her face turned red, "Uh... y-yeah, that sounds good Bonny..."

"So, who wants to watch a movie?" Floyd asked, pointing at his laptop.

Lyra nodded, quickly diving onto his bed, attempting to hide her embarrassment. Floyd pulled up Predator and set up his projector. He aimed it all the wall, hitting play. Devon gave a silent prayer of thanks that the awkwardness was over and settled in to watch the movie. Lyra stared on, eagerly anticipating what she could learn about human culture.

What she wasn't expecting however, was how violent the movie was. Or for the quality to be so high. It wasn't like any movie she had ever seen. She knew human technology was more advanced than pony technology, but she didn't expect it to translate into entertainment too. Despite making her squeamish at times, she did find the movie enjoyable.

"Are the human weapons shown here really capable of all this?" Bon Bon asked when it was over.

Floyd looked down, unhooking the projector. "Yeah, but, keep in mind Predator was made more than twenty years ago."

Lyra gasped. "Are you saying that this isn't even the pinnacle of human entertainment technology?!"

Floyd smirked. "Nope~ Just wait until you see Jurassic Park."

"Can't go wrong with that classic," Devon agreed. "It's a shame the sequels all bite though."

"Hey, Lost World was pretty good," Floyd countered. "Better than the novel, that's for sure."

"Are we sure we saw the same movie?" Devon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ya know, the one where a pre-teen girl kills a raptor with the power of gymnastics?"

Floyd gave him a look, "You can't deny how good the scene in LA is."

Bon Bon cut in before they got much further, "I think we should keep an eye on the time, boys."

"No need to worry, there's a clock on the laptop." Floyd pointed at a corner of the screen. "We've got plenty of time." He hopped onto his bed, looking over to Lyra, "So, what do we do now?"

Lyra tapped her chin with a hoof, "I dunno, I'm sure we'll be getting to know each other during the course of our training. Though we could do a bit of that now."

"Right then," Floyd sat up, cracking his neck, "who wants to start the exposition first?"

"I already started seeing as I talked about my big secret," Bon Bon pointed out.

Floyd nodded, looking between Devin and Lyra. "Question still stands."

"I guess I'll start since it was my idea," Lyra chirped. "I suppose I could share why I was always so insistent on my research despite all the failures. See, my grandfather was an archaeologist and he took me out to a trip in the desert just outside where Appleoosa is now. It was just supposed to be a normal camping trip to get away from work, but while we were looking in a cave, we found ancient Buffalo art depicting them along with some creatures we didn't recognize. When we got back home, we tore through everything we could and found the story of the Teachers. Ever since then, I made it my mission to prove that the Teachers were real." A bright smile spread across her face. "Which I did. It felt so good to say 'I told you so' to everypony who rejected my ideas."

"That's a pretty cool story," Floyd said.

The four continued to swap stories for a while, almost losing track of how long they were talking together. Luckily, Bon Bon managed to look at Floyd's laptop and got them to the gateroom just in time.

The entire gateroom was full of people from various species. The quartet took up position at the back, which left the ponies unable to see what was going on.

"Oh come on!" Lyra whined, trying to look past the groups in front of her. She even ducked down in an attempt to peer through a minotaur's legs before Bon Bon gave her a sharp tug on the tail. "Why do humans, minotaurs and dragons have to be so tall?"

"Why do ponies have to be short?" Floyd shot back.

"You're not gonna miss much," Bon Bon assured Lyra, patting her friend's shoulder. "What's more important right now is being able to hear the general." Bon Bon looked forward, "You'll just have to live with looking at a minotaur's waist for a while."

Lyra grumbled, perking her ears up as the crowd quieted down.

"I'm glad to see that everyone made it on time," Carter's voice called out. "In a few moments, you will step through the gate and your training will begin. I want all of you to put your all into this, you're going to need it if you wish to be successful in this program. This training will not just be for you newcomers. Your COs will also be learning from you. Your magic and natural talents are going to be valuable assets." She paused for a moment. "Start the dialing sequence!"

All eyes turned to the gate as it lit up, its inner ring starting to spin. A voice called out that the chevrons were being encoded as they slid over the symbols along the ring. After a few moments, the last one locked into place and the event horizon shot out before the wormhole stabilized.

A wave of awe spread through the collected species, chattering amongst themselves.

"I can't believe I didn't see the gate turning on!" Lyra pouted, her ears pinning to her head. She then turned to Bon Bon, "You said I wouldn't miss anything."

"Lyra, we're going to be using that thing a lot," Bon Bon pointed out. "You'll get more than used to it."

Before Lyra could rebut, a familiar voice cut in. "Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The quartet turned to see Sunburst with saddlebags stuffed to the brim with books.

Floyd raised an eyebrow, "Sunburst, what are you doing here? Are you part of a squad too?"

"Oh no." Sunburst shock his head. "I'm going with you to continue your studies. I'm not exactly cut out for military life." Lighting his horn up, he levitated a pair of books out of his saddlebags. "These are for you, a beginners book on magic, and a language guide."

Floyd nodded, "Glad to hear that you're gonna be helping me. I'd rather not be a ticking time bomb." Floyd plucked the language guide out of the air and flipped through it. "Sunburst," he gave the unicorn a flat look, "this language guide is for toddlers."

Sunburst adjusted his glasses, "Well, the more age appropriate ones are written in languages native to Halla. Doctor Jackson offered to help me translate one, but it wouldn't have been ready in time."

The other three members of the squad started to snicker. "I don't know, Floyd," Bon Bon chimed in, "I think that guide's just about your speed."

Floyd snapped the guide shut, giving Bon Bon an unamused look, "Ha ha ha."

"On the bright side, at least you'll be able to pick up the basics of the language quickly," Devon offered. "It's not like that thing'll confuse you." He took the guide from Floyd and skimmed it, "It even has pictures." He gave the guide back to Floyd.

"Come on, you two, let's not tease Floyd too much," Lyra said. "Learning new languages takes baby steps. I've read my share of similar guides before."

"Anyway," Sunburst cleared his throat. "I'll be going with you. I won't be doing any of the hard stuff, but, Doctor Jackson suggested I take the basics."

Floyd grinned, "That's not a bad idea," He poked Sunburst in the side. "You might turn that flab into muscle."

Sunburst blushed, looking away. "Er, right..."

Floyd chuckled and patted Sunburst's back. "Calm down, I'm just messing with ya. It'll be good to have you along."

Sunburst adjusted his glasses, "I do have a responsibility to make sure you're in control of your magic. The princess herself asked me to teach you." Puffing his chest out, Sunburst continued, "I won't let her down."

"I'm sure you won't," Floyd told him, putting his hand back at his side. "You've been doing a good job so far. I haven't teleported randomly anymore thanks to you."

Perking up, Sunburst gave Floyd a smile, "I'm glad to help! It might not seem like it but, our lessons go both ways."

Floyd quirked a brow at him, "What's that supposed to mean? What could you possibly be learning from watching spells blow up in my face?" He glanced at his teammates, "Literally in a couple cases."

"Well, I get to apply my knowledge to help someone, and document magical development of a human." Sunburst perked his ears up, "Wait, I think we should be getting ready to go through the gate."

Bon Bon nodded, "He's right, we can talk more once we're on the other side. Right now, let's make sure we don't miss our turn through." She turned to face the faint glow of the gate that peeked through the crowd.

Carter's voice rang out again, "SL-1 you may step through the gate!"

The squad and Sunburst pushed their way through the crowd, stopping for a moment to watch the wormhole ripple. Bon Bon stepped forward, sucking in a breath as she took a step through the gate.

Bon Bon emerged from the receiving gate, a cold chill running through her. "That's definitely weirder than a teleport," she muttered. Moving to the side, she took in her surroundings.

She found herself in an empty field with rolling hills to her right and a dense, verdant forest to her left. She took note of a hastily-made trail that led from the gate to a point in the distance.

A moment passed and Lyra came through the gate, shivering. "Wow, that is not what I was expecting," she said.

"Yeah, it'll take some getting used to," Bon Bon agreed.

Floyd and the others came through next, with Sunburst looking a little sick. Sunburst thumped his chest for a moment, gulping loudly in an attempt to resist the urge to puke.

He then perked up as his head whipped around, "Astounding! We really are on another world!"

"What? Did you think we were lying?" Floyd asked, standing at the start of the rough path.

Sunburst shook his head, "That's not it. I guess going through the gate myself made it feel more… real." He adjusted his glasses and made a face, "Does that make sense?"

Floyd nodded, "Makes total sense. It's about as real as multicolored midget horses."

"I'll take being a midget horse over a hairless ape," Bon Bon shot back.

"Ooh," Floyd winced, "shots fired."

"Come on you two, let's keep our species out of this," Lyra said with a giggle, stepping onto the path. "Before we know it, the term 'mud pony' might get thrown around."

"Quite right," Sunburst took the lead. "Come, come. We don't want to clog up the path."

The rest of the group murmured in agreement, falling in behind the unicorn. There was some light chatter between them as a set of buildings steadily grew in their sights. They varied in size but were all made of the same crystal found in the empire. Several soldiers were there, making the last of their preparations.

One or two crystal ponies lingered around, mostly checking around the buildings. Floyd grinned a little as he saw a familiar face talking to one of the crystal ponies.

"Hey, Higgs!" he called out, waving at the man. "You finally escape the Doc?"

Higgs looked up from his conversation and waved back at Floyd. "Hey there, Hendrix. Yeah, I got free just in time to help with preparing this place for the training," He pointed over his shoulder with a thumb at an obstacle course. "What about you, how's it feel to be out of the infirmary?"

Floyd rubbed his hands together, "Like summer break just started." Taking a look around, Floyd locked onto the nearest building. "How'd you get this stuff out here anyway? Magic?"

"A little bit of that and supplies traded with the crystal ponies here," Higgs waved his hand over to the crystal unicorn he had been talking to. "The crystals they plant take a little magic to grow. After that, we've got sturdy structures in the time it would take to make a basic camp of this size."

"Doctor Jackson said the Crystal Empire reminded him of the Tok'ra tunnel systems," Floyd said. "So...which one is ours?" he put his hands in his pockets, watching a crystal unicorn trot by.

Higgs turned to his left and pointed at a pair of long, blue buildings at the corner of the group of buildings, "Those are the bunkhouses where we'll be staying during training."

Sunburst glanced over, "Will I be staying there as well?"

"Unless you feel like sleeping out under the stars," Higgs grinned and chuckled.

"No, no, there is fine," Sunburst assured him, throwing Higgs a smile.

"Glad to hear it," Higgs turned back to face the group. "By the way, nice to officially meet you, team."

Giving a thumbs up, Floyd grinned, "Word."

Higgs chuckled, "That's not how one typically responds to their commanding officer, Hendrix. But I'll tell you what, as long as you follow my lead, you guys can talk to me however you want." He looked between his squadmates, "How's that sound?"

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Lyra saluted, a goofy grin on her face.

"It's Major, actually," Higgs corrected, a grin on his face as he watched her. "Let's hope we can keep that enthusiasm up during training."

Bon Bon elbowed Lyra, snickering, "I give her a day before she starts whining." Amused by Lyra's pouty glare, Bon Bon looked up at Higgs, "We have a bit to fill you in on."

"We've got plenty of time for that," Higgs assured the mare. "With as many teams that are coming through the gate, it'll take awhile to get them settled in."

"Are we starting our training once everyone's here?" Floyd asked, glancing at the obstacle course.

"Nah, today's gonna be all about getting you settled in. Tomorrow, though, we'll be up bright and early to begin our training. Hope you've got plenty of stamina!" Higgs shot them a playful smile.

Celestia sat at a long table, a set of folders in front of her. She glanced around the table, finding several well dressed ponies along it with similar folders in front of them. Each of them were the mayors of the major coastal cities along Equestria's eastern seaboard. By her side was General Carter in her dress uniform.

"I'm glad you all could make it today." Celestia put on her practiced smile. "General Carter and her superiors have agreed to sitting with us and working out some sort of trade agreement."

"Equestria has plenty to offer," an earth pony mare with bright yellow fur and a burnt-orange mane done up in a bun chimed in. She looked at Carter. "What sort of goods were you interested in?"

"Food, mostly," Carter replied, recalling that the pony in question was named Harvest Moon.

"We've got plenty of that to trade," Harvest replied. She then flashed her a mischievous smile, "Just as long as you humans don't mind getting mostly fruits and veggies."

"I'm sure we can make do, however, humans have a few special needs." Carter shifted, looking at Daniel. After nearly two weeks of being holed up with the city's holoroom, Carter had finally managed to drag him away.

"If you give me a list of what you want, I can see if I can get my hooves on them," a unicorn stallion going by the name Silver Ledger at the end of the table spoke up. He had dark gray fur and a lighter gray mane that he kept swept to the side.

Daniel caught Carter's look, taking her cue. "Humans are an omnivorous species. In particular, we need vitamins C and B12; the former we normally get from plants, while the latter is only really available from animals."

"That shouldn't be an issue," Silver waved off. "One of my contacts is a trade caravan led by a griffoness. I should be able to get a decent sized shipment to you within a month's time. Of course, the price will be affected by the meat she has available. She caters to a clientele whose tastes can be somewhat exotic."

Daniel blinked for a few moments before nodding, "I'm sure we'll come up with a suitable payment for the shipment. How exotic are we talking?"

"Things like gazelle, crocodile and other big game," Silver explained. "I wouldn't recommend using this contact if I even thought there was anything questionable about her." He adjusted his tie. "I put principles over lining my pockets."

"Thank you, if you can introduce us, we'd be very grateful."

Silver nodded, "I'll see what I can do. I believe her caravan is in the northeastern part of Zebrica at the moment." He tapped his chin with a hoof. "I'll be sure to explain who you are before you drop in one of your ships... though the thought of her actually getting scared is tempting."

"A warning would be nice," Daniel said. "I'd rather not have her try to attack one of the Jumpers."

"Aside from food, is there anything you'd be interested in trading?" the third mare asked, adjusting her glasses. She was a dark purple earth pony with a black mane that she had swept over one of her shoulders. She had been introduced as Poe.

"Considering we're sending out teams into potentially hostile environments, wear and tear will be inevitable on uniforms," Carter stated, adjusting herself in her seat. It was funny to think that in this day and age an expedition would need to worry about such things. The fact of the matter was, they couldn't keep opening the gate for resupplies from Earth. Which meant Shangri-La had to deal with clothing themselves. Carter barely understood how Atlantis got by before they reestablished contact. "So fabric will be an essential."

"That will be a simple matter," Silver assured her. "Manehattan is the fashion capital of Equestria. Just give me a list of the fabrics you'll need and you'll have as much as you require."

"I'm sorry if I come off as rude," Poe cut in, "but we've been talking about what Equestria will be giving Shangri-La. But not once has the topic of our compensation come up."

Daniel spoke up, "Of course, we're not the type to cheat anyone. Like I told Princess Celestia previously, the expedition is willing to trade in medicine and technology," he waited a beat, "just not weapons."

The three mayors nodded at that piece of information.

"I think that's a fair deal," Harvest replied. "I wouldn't want to risk unsavory types getting their hooves on your weapons and flooding the streets with them anyway." Poe grabbed a pencil in her mouth, writing a few lines down. Keeping it in her mouth, she gestured for Daniel to continue.

"There is one other thing that we'll need as far as trading goes in order to placate the IOA," Daniel stated, opening his folder. "Princess Celestia mentioned during negotiations that she'd be willing to give us magical artifacts to study."

"That I would, Doctor Jackson," Celestia agreed. While she had given them the Alicorn Amulet, neither she nor her fellow princesses thought it was a good idea to give their new allies anything else of great import. "Since you're still new to magic, we'll limit it to minor trinkets and charms. At least until your understanding of the subject matures."

Carter turned to face Celestia, "That'll be more than fine. Honestly, the only reason we're even asking is to keep the IOA out of our hair for as long as possible. We'll also be asking our pony operatives about magic to further our understanding. Not to mention what we can gather from Floyd's lessons."

Rising up from her seat, Carter stepped over to the box she had brought. "As a sign of good faith, we would like to present Equestria with this." She placed the box on the table, lifting the top off. Inside sat a large black box, with a small screen and number pad on top.

Celestia peered over the top of the box to examine the device. "You're giving us a piece of your technology?" She lit up her horn and pulled it out of the box, "What is it?"

"That is a Mark Five Naquadah generator," Carter explained. "Behind a ZPM, it's the cleanest and most powerful energy source we have. One of these can power a city for a decade or two."

"I think this is a fantastic gift," Celestia smiled and gently sat the generator down on the table. "I'll be sure to have this sent to the top scientists in Equestria. If we're lucky, we can have recreations of it set up in all our major cities."

"I don't know how common naquadah is on Halla," Carter gestured to the generator, "but it seems like alicor is close enough for Shangri-La to see them the same way. In any case, I’ll loan you one or two of our technicians to show you how it works." Which was beneficial to both of them, really. Alicor was lighter, more conductive, and a generator fueled by it would most likely be more cost-effective.

Celestia bowed her head and smiled, "I believe our scientists would love to work with your technicians. I will inform my brightest minds of this project."

"I believe there is one last thing that should be brought up," Harvest chimed in. "Though, this doesn't have anything to do with trade. Since your city is in our waters, we were thinking of holding welcoming ceremonies for you."

Carter and Daniel exchanged a look. "Ceremonies?" Daniel asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes, one for each of our cities," Poe explained. "It's a gesture of friendship in honor of our new trade deals and alliance. The specifics of the ceremonies will vary between cities, but in general: you'll be on a stage with the city's mayor, be formally welcomed as friends of the city, be given a plaque and then there will be a small celebration."

Carter put on a smile. "I think we can clear our schedules. Can't we, Daniel?"

Daniel nodded and shared her smile. "Considering I wouldn't want to risk offending our new partners, I think I can pry myself away from my work for a few days."

The three mayors nodded and put away their folders. The talks continued for a while longer, mostly revolving around setting up dates for the ceremonies. When all was said and done, everyone in the room walked away satisfied.

Liftoff [Part 4]

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Floyd laid on the ground, sprawled out and gasping for air as he stared blankly at the sky. Nearly a week had passed and the training exercises were still testing his limits. It didn't help that he had his magic lessons with Sunburst to compound his exhaustion. He didn't even want to get started on how early the training was. It made him feel better that Lyra was having nearly as tough a time as he was. The two had made a sort of unspoken connection due to their shared misery.

Rolling over, Floyd pushed himself into a sitting position. Bulletproof vests were much heavier than he imagined. Hotter too. Glancing to the left, he spotted Bon Bon, running through the final stretch of the obstacle course with ease.

"Ugh, does she have to make all of this look so easy?" he grumbled to himself, tilting his SGC cap up to wipe sweat off his brow.

He pulled himself to his feet, the vest affecting his balance and causing him to wobble for a moment. He stretched before heading back to the course in order to attempt another run.

Lyra was only slightly ahead of him, trying to scale a climbing wall without the use of her magic. He quickly made it through the first two obstacles, which wasn't saying much considering they felt like something he used to do during gym class. After a short jog, he made it to where Lyra was scrambling against the climbing wall. He squatted down, preparing to jump.

"Having fun?" he asked, not looking away from the wooden structure.

"The time of my life," Lyra huffed, placing her hoof onto a handhold. "I feel like Daring Do."

Floyd pushed himself upward, struggling for a moment to find places to put his hands and feet. "And I feel like Indiana Jones," he retorted, grunting as he slowly inched his way up the wall.

He managed to find a new handhold and moved his right foot up. He bumped his foot against the wall, feeling for a good place to put it. Getting his groove going, he made it up the wall in a reasonable amount of time.

"This... sucks..." Muttering under his breath, he grabbed a rope, making his way down the other side of the wall. "God, this vest is fucking heavy..."

His right foot barely touched the ground and he took that as a sign to let go of the rope. With a less than graceful landing, he stopped for a moment to adjust his cumbersome vest. He then looked at the next obstacle and grumbled. It was like something out of a cliche war movie. There was a long mud puddle with a wooden structure covered in barbed wire that would force him to crawl on his stomach. He almost chuckled when he saw a minotaur with his horns tangled up in the wire.

Working his way through the rest of the course, Floyd's energy quickly burned out. He collapsed close to the finishing line, sprawling out on the grass. Lyra joined him not long after, laying down next to him.

"Ugh, I really hate that course," Floyd panted out, noting the lack of feeling in his limbs. "How is this still so hard after a week of running it?"

Lyra didn't say anything, instead she just grunted as she tried to regain the feeling in her legs.

"Yeah, I agree. It sucks." Floyd raised a hand up, letting some magic flow through it. "Jeez, I can barely even feel the magic."

Lyra panted for a few moments before turning her head to look at Floyd. "Hasn't Sunburst taught you about the connection between physical stamina and using magic?"

"No?" Floyd frowned, turning to look at her. "The lessons are kinda blurring together at this point." It wasn't his fault. Higgs and the other drill sergeants put him through a wringer everyday. Even with his boosted physique, it still left him worn out.

"He should've, considering the workouts you go through before his lessons," Lyra pointed out. "Anyway, being physically exhausted can impact your ability to use magic. That's why most unicorns whose talents are related to magic don't do a lot of exercise, considering using magic also drains stamina. Finding a balance in working out magical abilities and physical development can be hard, though it isn't impossible. Prince Shining Armor is proof enough of that."

"Okay, so, more Gandalf than Eragon. Right." Pulling himself to his feet, Floyd wiped at his forehead. "When the hell do we move onto the exciting stuff?"

"I don't know," Lyra followed his example and rolled over to get to her hooves, "Higgs would be the one to ask about that. What do you mean by exciting stuff? Like target practice with the guns?"

Floyd nodded. "Yeah. I've used rifles before, but never a submachine gun." He glanced to the left, seeing Bon Bon trotting over to them. "Hey Bon, feel right at home huh?"

"I've run similar courses when I was a cadet in S.M.I.L.E.," Bon Bon replied, coming to a stop in front of them. "You two are getting a bit better, but you're gonna have to build up your stamina so you don't need such long breaks after finishing the course."

Floyd frowned. "You're one to talk. You're a damn earth pony. You're built for this sorta thing. I'm just a stick man."

Bon Bon chuckled and patted him on the side. "Earth ponies might be naturally more sturdy, but we still have to work hard to get to the point of doing things like being an agent or soldier." She grinned and poked him in the stomach. "Plus, you keep this training up and you won't be a stick man for long."

Rolling his eyes, Floyd pushed her hoof away. "Yeah, yeah. Practice makes perfect and whatever." Placing his hands in his pants, he retrieved a protein bar. "The extra food makes it worth it." Ripping the package open, he took a bite, making a show of chewing on it.

Lyra lit up her horn, opened a pocket on her vest and pulled out a granola bar. "I swear, you've got the appetite of a minotaur thanks to the changes your body's gone through." She tore open the package with her teeth and took a bite. "Must be nice to be able to eat a mountain of food and not gain any weight."

Floyd grinned and waved his protein bar toward her. "Is that a bit of jealousy I hear~?"

Lyra removed the wrapper from her bar, tossing it at his head. "You don't have to be mean about it."

Floyd bent down and picked up the wrapper. He put it in his pocket and tsked. "And you don't have to become a litterbug. For shame, Lyra."

Lyra stuck her tongue out, holding her nose up in the air.

Bon Bon sighed and shook her head. "The two of you are impossible." She turned from them and took a step away. "Come on, we've taken long enough of a break. Time to get back to training."

Floyd sighed, placing the now empty wrapper in his pocket. "If you say so, Bon Bon." He turned, making his way back to the front of the course.

The rest of the day went by in a blur of exercises. By the time it was over, Floyd's muscles were screaming at him to lie down and take a break. Lyra looked to be in the same condition as him, and Devon seemed winded, but not all that bothered. Bon Bon and Higgs, however, barely looked fazed. Floyd muttered under his breath as he watched the two of them as he headed to rinse off the sweat and dirt he knew he was covered in.

Each unit had their own building, Floyd wasn't sure if each building was a 'barracks' or if the group of them were. He walked into his unit's building, already shrugging off his vest. Tossing it onto his bed, he continued to disrobe, making his way into the bathroom, set into the opposite end. He turned the water on and waited a few moments for it to warm up. He then stepped into the stream and sighed in content as the warm water seeped into his tired body.

"Ah, now that feels better," he said to himself. He relaxed there for a few minutes before grabbing his soap and shampoo. He lathered up quickly and rinsed himself off. Once he felt like he had removed all the grime from the day, he stayed under the water for a few minutes before turning it off and stepping out to grab his towel. He dried off quickly and walked back to his bunk to get dressed. He pulled on a grey t-shirt and shorts before laying down and sighing happily.

Floyd nearly drifted off when he heard a set of hooves approaching. His eyes fluttered open and saw Sunburst standing at the edge of the bed.

"I hope you're not too tired from training today," Sunburst said, a large grin on his face. "I have something exciting in store for you."

Floyd gave him his best 'not tired look', and sat up. "What would that be, goatee?"

Sunburst's smile twitched for a moment before settling back into place. He had grown used to Floyd's teasing. "I ran into Miss Heartstrings just a moment ago and she mentioned that you're disappointed that the training hasn't involved anything past the basics. So I thought we could try some elemental manipulation and combat magic today."

Floyd smiled a little, leaning forward. "I think I'd be willing to give that a shot. What do you want me to start with?"

Sunburst pushed his glasses up. "I dunno, are you sure you aren't too tired?"

Floyd waved him off, "I'm fine, Sunburst. Learning some cool spells is exactly what I need right now." Rising to his feet, Floyd stretched out his numb limbs. "I take it we're going to the normal spot?"

Sunburst chuckled, "Unless you'd rather face disciplinary action for burning down the bunk house?"

"The bunkhouse is made of crystal," Floyd pointed out.

"Fair enough, but the mattresses and sheets are made of very flammable cloth," Sunburst countered. "Plus, I doubt the others that sleep here would appreciate inhaling noxious smoke. Now come on, let's focus on getting our lesson started rather than nitpicking my comments." Sunburst turned to the door and motioned for Floyd to follow him.

Floyd pulled his boots on, quickly following Sunburst out of the bunkhouse and onto the trail out of the training grounds. After a few minutes they were in a field with some recent scorch marks in the grass.

Sunburst sat on his haunches and pulled a spellbook out of his saddlebags. "Okay, I think a defensive spell will be our first spell of the evening." He opened the book with his magic and pointed a hoof at the page. "Try to create a small barrier in front of you. Let's start with the size of your hand at first."

"Right." Floyd nodded, flexing his hands and calling forth his magic. Glancing over at the page, he focused his efforts on a small twig about five feet away. Commanding the magic to shield it, he poured as much magic he could into the spell. The air around the twig shimmered for a few moments as the magic tried to solidify.

"Very good," Sunburst said, watching him with a smile. "Remember all those visualization techniques to help with your magic flow."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Picture what you want to happen, and make it happen. It was simple, but hard to put into practice. He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts on picturing a solid wall around the twig. Silence reigned for what felt like hours as his magic continued to spark around the twig. Just when he was about to quit, a thin barrier solidified around the twig.

"Very good!" Sunburst praised him with a smile. "You're getting better at controlling your magic flow."

Floyd let the barrier drop, putting his hands on his knees. "Stamina's still shit though." Floyd shook the feeling back into his hands, pulling out another protein bar.

"That will improve with time," Sunburst assured him. "Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Floyd chuckled, "Way to bring out the fortune cookie advice, Sunny." He finished off the last of the protein bar and shoved the wrapper back into his pocket. "You learn that from Celestia?"

Sunburst rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. "As a matter of fact, yes. On my first day of school in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, she stood in front of all of us new students and put us through orientation. That was the line she ended on."

Floyd snickered, cracking his knuckles. "You ponies are such dorks, you know that?"

Sunburst chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm fully aware that I fit the stereotype of a nerd. But it's because of that that I got to travel to this planet and be your teacher." He smiled up at Floyd, "I think that balances things out."

Floyd reached over, flicking Sunburst's ear. "I said 'dork', not 'nerd'. Two separate things."

"They're synonyms," Sunburst huffed, the flicked ear pinning to his head. "Now, do you feel ready to move on to the next spell?"

Floyd rubbed his hand on his shorts. "I think I'm ready." He gave a thumbs up and a grin. "Hit me with your best shot, goatee."

Sunburst nodded, stroking his beard. He brought the spellbook up to his face using his magic, glancing over the pages. "Ah, I think I have a good spell for you." He floated the book over to Floyd. "I want you to take the breeze here, and turn it into a gust. This'll be good practice for other spells that call for enhancing things."

Floyd scanned over the page, taking in more the illustrations than the words. It was still mostly incomprehensible scribbles to him. Like Russian. Or Finnish. "Okay, this doesn't look so bad," Floyd said, closing his eyes and feeling the breeze waft against him.

'Gust of wind, gust of wind. Can't be that hard. Just picture something like Monroe getting her dress blown away.' Having picked his visual aid, Floyd sent the magic back into his hands. He let the image fully take shape in his mind, a grey glow surrounding his hands.

"Uh Floyd..." Sunburst spoke up, an odd tone to his voice. "That is most definitely not the spell you were trying."

Floyd opened his eyes, and Marilyn Monroe herself stood in front of Sunburst with her dress blowing up around her, and Sunburst just happened to be the perfect height to see under the dress. The scene was so surreal, Floyd couldn't help but burst into deep, loud laughter.

"H-how's it feel to be seeing the same sight a U.S. president did on a regular basis?" he asked, trying and failing to catch his breath. Falling onto his back, Floyd held his sides, his laughter echoing through the clearing.

"C-can you please just cancel the spell?" Sunburst asked, turning his head away from the illusion. "The look she’s giving me is making me uncomfortable.”

Floyd cut the magic, still laughing his ass off.

Sunburst rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. While not the correct spell, you did display a new one. I'm sure you'll find some use for making life-like illusions during your missions."

Floyd gave a thumbs up, his laughter slowly dying down. "Oh come on, I really needed that. Thanks, Sunburst."

Sunburst smiled, a quick chuckle escaping his lips. "I suppose it was rather amusing. Let's try not to use that mental image for wind spells from now on though."

Floyd chuckled. "Are you sure? Because I could show you all sorts of Earth's sex symbols."

An exasperated sigh escaped Sunburst's lips. "Yes, Floyd. I'm sure I don't want to see any more of those."

Floyd shrugged. "Whatever you say, Sunny. Alright, guess I'll give the gust thing another shot." Eyes locked on a tree, he summoned up his magic, trying to power up the breeze. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment for a new mental image. He ended up settling on picturing a tree swaying under a slightly strong wind. Once he had it, he extended his magic to the breeze.

"Very good!" Sunburst praised. "I think that earns you a gold star."

Floyd cut his magic off, his breathing slightly labored. "Th-that was a little easier than some of the other spells," he noted. He reached his hand up and wiped his forehead to clear up sweat that had formed there.

Sunburst frowned. "Floyd, I think you should go take a nap. You look like you're about to keel over."

Floyd looked like he was about to argue, but clamped his mouth shut when he felt himself sway on his feet. "Y-yeah, guess I could use some sleep. I'll count today as a successful lesson. I didn't blow anything up."

Sunburst smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Come on, we can walk back to camp."

Floyd nodded, stretching his arms over his head before starting to walk back to the path.

Floyd yawned, poking at his breakfast with a fork. He had the classic staple of bacon and eggs, but he also had some fruit salad, a bowl of cereal and a couple slices of toast. A few sent him odd looks, but he was too hungry to care. He took his fork to his eggs, brushing them onto his toast.

"Think you've got enough food over there?" Higgs asked, taking a seat across from Floyd and setting his own tray down.

"It's gonna be fat time for me," Floyd joked humorlessly. Suppressing another yawn, he shoved the egged bacon into his mouth.

"Did I just hear a Cool Cat reference?" Devon asked, taking a seat of his own next to Floyd.

Floyd shrugged, mumbling a reply.

"Have you been getting enough sleep, Floyd?" Higgs asked, giving him a concerned look.

"I'm fine," Floyd assured his teammates, downing the rest of his drink.

Higgs nodded, starting to tuck into his own meal. "Alright, if you say so. Just talk to me if anything comes up." He kept an eye on Floyd, noting how haggard the younger man appeared.

"So, when are we doing things other than running the obstacle courses?" Devon asked, turning to Higgs and taking a bite of the bagel on his tray. "I've got some small weapons training but I've never fired the P90s or the confiscated alien tech."

Higgs set his coffee down. "Getting trigger happy are we? Grunt courses aren't giving you your kicks anymore?"

Devon chuckled. "Not when there are actual lasers to be fired. How am I not supposed to be eager?"

Higgs took a bit out of his toast. "I didn't peg you as an action type. I figured that was more Hendrix's alley."

"Tech is my wheelhouse," Devon replied, picking up a sugar packet and putting it in his coffee. "That includes weapons. Especially the ones we've found through gate exploration." He gestured to Floyd. "Besides, he's got magic anyway."

"It's not like I can just zap away with my hands nonstop," Floyd retorted, dipping his toast in the bit of yolk that ran onto his plate. "A gun is a lot better for me to use in a hectic situation like a firefight."

"Speaking from experience?" Bon Bon questioned, taking a seat next to Higgs. "You've never even been in combat before."

"Don't have to have been in combat to know that my magic skills are still unreliable at best right now," Floyd told her, turning to look at her. "It still takes me a while to tap into my flow and my magic stamina is low."

"At least you're self-aware," Bon Bon agreed, taking a bite out of her salad, which consisted of hay and flowers.

"Considering I'm putting my ass on the line by taking this job, delusions of grandeur wouldn't do me any favors," Floyd said, popping the last bit of bacon in his mouth. "My self-preservation is stronger than my ego."

"You didn't answer my question," Devon spoke, looking at Higgs.

Higgs put his coffee down. "We'll start with things other than the courses pretty soon."

"How soon?" Devon pressed.

"Within the next couple days," Higgs relented. "That a good enough answer?"

Devon nodded, "Thanks, Higgs." He tucked into his meal again and paused for a moment. "You know what's odd, I've read the notes on the Atlantis expedition and Shangri-La looks exactly like what's described there. Right down to the color scheme of everything."

"They were probably constructed at the same time," Bon Bon offered. "I mean, I've only seen Shangri-La, but it also doubles as a spaceship, so they probably have a set design for them."

"I guess that's a fair point," Devon agreed. "Though it's kinda hard to picture Shangri-La and Atlantis in the same shipyard." He closed his eyes and picked up his bagel. "I can only imagine what went into building them."

"Think they even used money at that point?" Floyd asked. "Or, did they simply do what they wanted like Star Trek?"

Devon scratched his cheek. "I don't remember ever reading any findings on the Ancients' monetary system. And I don't think we've ever found anything resembling currency in Shangri-La. You might be onto something there, Floyd."

"Keep that up and Lyra will lose her spot on the team," Bon Bon teased.

"What's this about me?" Lyra asked, yawning as she took a seat at the table with a large bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee levitating in her magic. She greeted everyone as she took a seat next to Bon Bon.

"Just a joke Ly," Bon Bon dismissed. "We were discussing if the Teachers used money or not."

Lyra brightened up instantly, setting her breakfast down on the table. "That's an interesting topic! I've never actually found any information about currency in all my research. Whenever trade was mentioned, the Teachers would exchange information for whatever it was they wanted from ponykind."

Floyd checked out of the conversation, finishing the last of his meal. Pausing a moment, he glanced over at Higgs. "You know what? Honestly? I'm tired as hell."

"I kinda figured, Floyd," Higgs said, turning to Floyd while Lyra and Devon continued to talk about the Ancients. "Training can be hard on you at first. Especially since you've got your magic and language lessons on top of it."

Floyd leaned forward, rubbing at his eyes. "I've never wanted to sleep this badly in my life."

Higgs nodded. "How about this, take your time with the courses today. You're putting in extra work that no one else is anyway. The last thing I need is one of my teammates collapsing from exhaustion."

Floyd gave him a smile, rising to his feet. "Thanks, Higgs. I'mma go pass out." He grabbed his tray, placing it in the used pile before walking outside. Steering himself towards their bunkhouse, he let out a long yawn. He opened the door, flopped onto his bed, and took his boots off. He yawned again before laying down. Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, the sound of the door to the bunkhouse slamming shut caused him to jump up in his bunk.

"Bon Bon, I swear, I was just about to fall asleep!" Floyd hissed, glaring in the direction of the door.

"I'm not one of the ponies on your team," a blue dragoness snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. Floyd recognized her as Ember, though he had never talked to her before.

"Then... why are you here?" Floyd asked. "People normally don't just burst into other people's homes."

"I needed to get some gripes off my chest and I saw you leave for your bunkhouse from the mess hall," Ember replied, walking further into the room and taking a seat on the bunk across from him.

Floyd stared at her. "That doesn't mean to just walk in." Rolling his eyes, he sat up. "Well? Rant already so I can go back to sleep."

"Apparently once we start going through the gate we'll have to do reports on our missions," Ember snorted. "And written ones are the preferred way of doing it."

Floyd didn't miss a beat. "Lemme guess, writing is for the weak right?"

"Something like that," Ember grumbled. "The more important issue is that I can't read or write." A puff of smoke rose from her nostrils. "And it seems someone named Ronon made it so that recording mission reports isn't allowed."

Sighing heavily, Floyd fell back on the bed. "And now, you're gonna want someone to teach you right? That's how this goes." 'God, everythings a damn movie trope now'

Ember nodded, adjusting her wings. "Yeah, I just don't know who to ask. The leader of my squad, Colonel McDowell, seems too busy for that sort of thing, and I can barely understand anything our tech expert says. She always insists on these confusing words that end up meaning the same thing as a shorter one." She groaned as she laid out her problems for Floyd.

A pregnant pause filled the air, as the two of them sat in relative silence. A silence only broken when Floyd snored.

Ember's eye twitched, watching his head slump over. She shot up from her seat, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "How could you fall asleep while we're talking?!" she roared.

Floyd swore, pushing her away. "You wanna know how? I'm doing more work here than anyone else. I got the day off to sleep, and now I got a warrior princess in here, complaining that she has to do something as banal as writing a damn report."

Ember gritted her teeth for a moment, looking like she wanted to say something else. She blew a puff of smoke from her nostrils and composed herself. "Sorry for being rude, I suppose. The cultural expert on my team has told me I should think before I act."

Glaring at her, Floyd resumed his relaxed spot on his bed. "Look, if you're really in that bad of a spot, you can study with me."

Ember took her seat again, her expression softening. "Are you sure? I'm sure I can find someone that's not as busy."

"I'm already learning Equish, it wouldn't be all that difficult to teach you English at the same time."

Ember nodded, a pleased look on her muzzle. "Thank you. By the way, what's your name?"

Floyd yawned, holding his hand out. "Floyd, Floyd Hendrix."

Ember arched her brow, "Wasn't that human from that IOA thing named Hendrix too?"

Frowning, Floyd grabbed her offered claw, shaking it. "Yeah, that's my old man."

Ember gave him a knowing look as she shook his hand. "Sounds like you've got some resentment for him. Trust me, I know that feeling way too well."

Pulling his arm back, Floyd rolled so his back was to her. "Door's over there, Ember. I'll look for you for study time."

"Okay, and thank you again." Ember turned and strode out of the bunkhouse, giving him a quick farewell as the door closed behind her.

Floyd sighed, shaking his head. He knew he wasn't special. Even before Ember's little comment, the general had told him she had problems with her father. 'Just let me have this goddamnit.' Closing his eyes, it didn't take him long to get back to sleep.

Floyd adjusted the shoulder strap of the P90 he had been assigned. None of the trainees had real weapons. They looked like them, but instead of bullets, they fired off low bursts of energy. Higgs had told him they were non-lethal, something called an Intar. He stared down at his target, hefting the gun to get a feel for it. He brought it up, closing one of his eyes as he looked through the sight. Once he had his aim on the center of the target, he put his finger on the trigger and fired a single round.

He cringed a bit as the rifle went off, but he kept his grip on it. Another shot. Another. Floyd released a total of five more shots before he lowered his weapon, gazing at the target. He cursed under his breath, noting that none of his shots hit the bullseye. One or two of his shots missed entirely and the others were spread out among the outer and second ring.

"Doing better than me," Lyra offered. She held a pistol in her magic, standing in the booth next to him. "I only got one hit in."

Floyd scratched his chin. "Let me see how you aim for a sec." Lyra did as he asked, holding the gun out in front of her. "I think I see what's wrong, you've gotta line the sights up with your dominant eye."

"Oh, right." Lyra leveled the pistol with her left eye, firing off another shot. Floyd noted that her magic seemed to dampen the recoil.

He looked down the range, seeing that her shot found its mark in the third ring. "Good job, Ly." He held a fist out to her.

Lyra angled the gun downwards, tapping her hoof to his fist. "How do you think Devon is doing?"

"Probably a little better than us," Floyd said, turning back to his target. "He said he already had some weapons training before this. All I've ever used is a hunting rifle."

"I've never held a weapon before," Lyra admitted, taking aim again and firing. "I never really saw the need for it before all this."

"That doesn't surprise me. When was the last time you guys had a war?" Floyd took aim again, releasing another volley of shots. Two hits and three misses. He tsked, rather displeased with his aim.

Lyra's muzzle scrunched up in thought as she tried to split her focus. "The closest thing we've had to war in the last century is a skirmish with the griffons eighty years ago. There was the changeling invasion recently but that was dealt with with no casualties from ponies." She fired another round, frowning as she hit the target stand instead of the target. "For an actual war, that'd have to be the Caribou War two hundred years ago."

"What was that like?" Another volley of shots, half hit. Floyd paused to examine his magazine, noting he had enough rounds left for another few shots.

"It was pretty bloody," Lyra answered. "Though most of the death toll from the caribou attacks came from when they struck at civilian centers. When they came up against our actual forces the maneuvering and weather manipulation of our pegasus soldiers coupled with the magic from our mages tore through their lines. Guerilla tactics were their preferred method against us."

"Sounds like a piece of history that you're glad to have behind you." He fired his last few rounds, a slight sense of satisfaction going through him. He still wasn't close to the bullseye, but his grouping improved a little.

Lyra looked over at his target and gave him a smile. "Yeah, I'm glad to live in peaceful times." She checked her own magazine, finding one left. She took careful aim and fired. "Hey! I hit the bullseye!”

Floyd grinned, holding out his fist again. "Amazing what you can accomplish when you actually look down the sights."

"Hahaha." Lyra smiled back, meeting his fist again.

"Bet you can't wait to show Bon Bon your target," Floyd said. He grabbed another magazine from his vest while ejecting the old one. He fumbled for a few moments but he managed to get the new magazine in place. He then pulled the gun back up into firing position and took careful aim. He pulled the trigger and lowered his gun. He smiled to himself, his last shot touching the edge of the bullseye.

Floyd's eyebrows knitted together in thought. "Say, why do you call it a 'bullseye?' Aren't male minotaurs called bulls?"

"Once upon a time, the minotaurs were well-known for being the best archers in the world," Lyra explained. "Their reputation has degraded over time, but the 'bullseye' has remained." Noticing a commotion, Lyra poked Floyd's leg and said, "Hey, what do you think they're arguing about?" She pointed to the side of the firing range, where Higgs was arguing with a pair of armed soldiers.

"No idea," Floyd said, adjusting his gun so it pointed down without him having to hold it. "But I'm getting a bad feeling from the guys he's arguing with."

"Should we go see what's up?"

Floyd nodded and stepped away from the range. "Yeah, I don't like this feeling I'm getting." He started to walk over to Higgs, trying to look inconspicuous. He stopped some feet away, making a show of looking his weapon over.

"...it won't work," Higgs growled, trying and failing to keep his composure.

"It will if you keep a handle on your team," one of the other men pressed. "That earth pony is starting to get nosy."

"Yeah, espionage experts tend to do that," Higgs shot back. "She's gonna figure your stunt out in an instant."

"Well then, do something about it," the man insisted. "We can't have her sticking her nose where it doesn't belong."

Higgs rolled his eyes, muttering something Floyd couldn't make out. "Fine, I'll see what I can do, but you two better know what you're doing. It'll be your asses if this goes tits up."

"As long as you keep her under control, everything will go without a hitch," the third man spoke. "Send her off to do drills out with Hendrix or something."

Higgs nodded again and the three split apart. Floyd saw Higgs coming his way and he tensed up while he pretended to check the safety.

Floyd looked up, throwing on a smile. "Hey, I was wondering when you'd come down. Lyra and I were starting to get hungry."

"Floyd, you're always hungry," Higgs said with a chuckle. "I'm surprised there isn't a pile of protein bar wrappers by your lane at the range."

Rubbing his neck, Floyd, looked back towards Lyra. "And get an earful for littering? No way."

Higgs chuckled, gave Floyd a pat on the shoulder and headed towards Lyra. "So you can learn." He motioned with his hand. "Come on, let's grab the squad and get lunch. I heard they've got salisbury steak today."

"Lyra!" Floyd called, waving her over. "We're getting food!"

"Nice!" Lyra galloped over with a smile on her face. "I heard from one of the deer that the kitchen is serving some local flora today."

Floyd shook his head. "I think only you and Bon Bon are going to be excited about that sorta thing."

The last few weeks had been a blur of meetings and ceremonies; it made Carter miss the simpler days of her time with SG-1. Daniel had returned to the holoroom when the activity died down. They were going to shut it down in a few days – the ZPMs were almost empty and she wasn't about to hook one of the Mark VII's up to it, no matter how much Daniel prodded her about it.

With her newly acquired break, Carter decided to head to her room and take a nice long shower, until her headset crackled to life.

"Hey Sam, could you drop by the holoroom?" Daniel's voice filled her ear.

She tapped her walkie talkie's button a couple times before responding. "If it's about using a naquadah generator, then it'll have to wait, Daniel."

"This is something the princesses are going to want to see."

She closed her eyes and tensed up for a moment, kissing her long shower goodbye. "I'll be right down."

"Great."

Carter turned on her heel and headed for the holoroom, silently hoping that what Daniel had found wouldn't lead to some sort of crisis. She found Daniel with his face in a book, muttering to himself.

"I know that look," Carter said, getting his attention. "You've found something that changes things and you want to translate as fast as possible."

"Hm?" Daniel looked up. "Oh uh, no. Well, not in the book anyway." Gesturing for her to come closer, he passed the book to her. "This is Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony." He indicated the strange creature depicted on the page. "Apparently, he's a statue in Canterlot's royal gardens."

Carter blinked, trying to make heads or tails of the creature she was looking at. "Is this an accurate depiction?"

"From what I saw of the statue, yes." Daniel walked over to the control console, tapping in a command. "That book isn't why I called you down here though."

"I figured as much," Carter said, watching the console light up. "That information could've waited until lunch."

Daniel didn't reply, executing the command. The lights dimmed, and a slightly luminescent man appeared in the center of the room. He wore similar robes to other recorded Shangrians, and shared their Indian skin tone.

"Greetings my friends," he spoke, his voice full of warmth despite his projected nature. "My name is Zaeed, one of the more scientifically minded here in Shangri-La. Recently, a very unique creature has joined us in our humble city. A child, lost in the world. The amaquinae were terrified of the child, and in hopes of keeping him safe, we have brought him here."

The man stumbled a little, a small creature having appeared on his head. "Ah, here he is now." Reaching up, he lifted it off his head, cradling it in his arms. "Why don't you tell our watchers your name?"

"Discord!" the creature cheered, throwing up his arms and causing a projection of his name to appear above him in Ancient.

"As you can see, Discord isn't like most creatures we've encountered." Zaeed shifted, letting Discord climb onto his shoulders. Discord curled around his shoulders, becoming a living scarf. "From what we have been able to glean, Discord can make anything he wishes happen, almost like he was ascended. It is our hope to nurture these abilities and show him the path to harmony."

"But not too much," Discord chirped, poking Zaeed in the temple. "Remember what happened during our last harmony lesson?"

Zaeed smiled, taking Discord into his arms again. "I promise you Discord, nothing like that will ever happen again."

Discord nodded, matching the man's smile and settling in his arms. The scene faded out, and the lights brightened up.

Carter turned to Daniel, a stunned look on her face. "You're right, the princesses need to see this."

What We Do In the Dark [Part 1]

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"So, like this?" Ember asked, scratching away at a piece of paper. She put her pencil down, holding up the page. Crudely written on the page was the sentence, 'My name is Ember.'

Floyd smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I think you're getting the hang of it," he praised, tapping his own pencil against the sentence. "Once we get to a certain point, we'll work on improving how you form the letters. For now though, let's work on your reading." He picked up a flashcard he had made during dinner, displaying a sentence for her.

Ember leaned in, squinting at the card. "M-my sales er bwue..." she rattled off, frowning at her terrible comprehension.

Floyd forced his smile to stay on, doing his best to channel Sunburst's methods. "You were close there. Let's try that again slowly," he said, pointing at the word 'scales' on the page, the tip of his pencil resting on the 'C'. "Sound out this word."

Ember groaned, looking at the letter. "I feel like a hatchling..." she grumbled, sorting through the various sounds that Floyd had gone over with her.

Floyd chuckled, his smile becoming less forced, "Trust me, I feel the same way with learning how to read and write in Equish. Just remember that this is for the job and push through." He tapped the 'C' again, "Now, how do you sound this out?"

Ember took a deep breath, trying to ignore how humiliating it felt. She stared at the page for a few moments, mouthing all the sounds she knew. "S-sc-scales?" she finally got out, giving Floyd an unsure look.

"You got it," Floyd nodded, giving her a thumbs up.

She sighed in relief, a small smile on her face as she returned the gesture. "Thanks, I'm not used to learning like this." She rubbed her eyes with two of her claws, "Really wish there was a faster way to do this, though."

Floyd set the cards down and said, "Yeah, learning extra languages is pretty hard. I was lucky, I grew up speaking two. Never got the hang of Spanish though."

"So you speak a language other than this one?" Ember questioned, setting her pencil down in front of her. "Do you mind if I hear some of it?"

"Of course," Floyd sat back, putting his hands behind his head. "You have very nice eyes," he said in the People's language.

Ember's eyes widened, "Wow, that sounds a lot like a Buffalo chant I heard one year during the migrations."

"Oh yeah? That's pretty interesting."Floyd snickered at Ember's confusion. "It's a pretty hard language to learn, if you didn't grow up speaking it."

Ember nodded in understanding. "Sounds like that language is part of your heritage," she observed.

"Grandma didn't let me forget about the tribe's history," Floyd explained, sitting up. "My cousin Jason and I used to get into so much trouble at the reservation. We burned down a barn making moonshine, once."

Ember chuckled, a smile spreading across her face, "I used to get in trouble a lot too. My dad tried to keep a tight grip on me, so of course I'd sneak away from him whenever I could. One time I got into a fight with a diamond dog over some gems." She flashed a grin and let smoke rise out of her mouth, "One fireball later, I won." She then grimaced a bit, adding, "Of course, Dad kept a literal tight grip on me for a month after that."

Floyd nodded in interest, "You know, there's a pretty famous album back on Earth called Diamond Dogs."

Ember tilted her head, "Do you have Diamond Dogs on your planet, too?"

"No, it's just the title," Floyd explained. "I'm not certain how they came up with the name of the title song of the album, but on Earth we have a saying that 'diamonds are a girl's best friend' and another that 'dogs are man's best friend,' so that could have something to do with it."

Ember nodded, her mouth forming a quick 'o'. "Dragons don't really do the whole music thing. I've faintly heard some during migrations but never an entire performance." She huffed and rolled her eyes, "I asked my dad about it and he said music is for soft and weak ponies."

Floyd snorted, shaking his head, "Your dad's never heard heavy metal."

"Oh, I'm sure he'd find some way to mock that too," Ember replied, waving her claw around. "That scale-head is more hard-headed than a mountain."

Floyd shook his head, picking up the flashcard again, "Alright, you ready for another round?"

Ember nodded and studied the card for a few moments. "My scales," she paused, looking at each letter of the next word and working out how to fit them together, "a-are," she stopped on the next word, frowning as she ran through the previous lessons, "b-bw-blue?"

"You got it right at the end," Floyd smiled. "One more time."

Ember nodded and looked at the card again. "My scales are blue," she said, a hint of pride in her eyes.

"Excellent," Floyd grinned, putting the card down. He had never pegged himself as a teacher, but, he couldn't help feel a bit prideful at Ember's progress. That, or, she was just that good of a student.

Ember's smile matched his and her tail moved to drape across her lap. "Thanks for all your help," she said, "I never would've made this kind of progress on my own."

Floyd waved off her gratitude, "Nah, don't worry about it. You're pretty cool, and I need more people to talk to than the other guys in my unit."

Ember nodded and stretched her wings out for a moment before readjusting them on her back. "I get that. Colonel McDowell is kinda hard to talk to. He's a good leader and everything, just distant. The only one in my squad I've really had a decent conversation with is the cultural officer."

"Who's doing that job?"

"A zebra named Anansi," she told him. "The rhyming takes some getting used to, but he's a chill person."

"Yeah, I've gotta ask one of them why they do that." Floyd leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "But I don't want to sound like a jackass. You know, the whole cultural disconnect."

"Uh, why would you be worried about sounding like a donkey?" She tilted her head at him.

Floyd stared at her for a moment. "It's an expression, Ember. Sorta means being a..." He mulled it over, trying to articulate the point. "An obnoxious jerk."

Ember's mouth formed into a small 'o'. "I don't think he'd mind if you asked about it," she assured him. "He seemed more than happy to answer all my questions about his culture. Just expect to answer his in return." Laying down on her side, Ember rested her head on one clawed hand. "He wouldn't stop asking me about dragon stuff."

"Can't say I blame him," Floyd said, reaching down to grab some more of his teaching materials. "There are stories of dragons all across Earth. I've been sorta curious how they stack up to the real thing."

Ember casually blew a few smoke rings. "Alright, I'll tell you a few things," she finally said. She sat up, cracking her neck before continuing, "If you can beat me in something."

Floyd put his hands down and sat up straight. "Oh yeah, what's that?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.

Shrugging, Ember narrowed her eyes, "I dunno, Stick Boy. Think you got it in you to beat a dragon in anything? I'll even let you pick any weird human thing you're good at."

Floyd chuckled and grinned, "Okay, I'll pick." He held up his pencil. "Whoever can lift this off the floor without physically touching it, wins." Placing it down, Floyd locked eyes with Ember. "You first."

Ember gritted her teeth, staring at the pencil. "I'd be mad, but I knew you'd stack the challenge in your favor," she huffed. Her eyes then lit up and she unfurled her wings. She flapped them as hard as she could, angling them towards the pencil. The pencil rolled across the room while several papers went flying and scattered everywhere.

Floyd blinked, brushing the hair out of his face. "Well, you moved the pencil. Didn't pick it up though."

"Ugh, I was so sure that would work," Ember huffed, folding her wings against her back again. "I guess it's your turn." She sat down and turned her head, waiting for him to announce his victory.

Floyd held his hand out towards the pencil and tapped into his magic. He then pictured the pencil rising off the ground as a grey glow covered his hands. The glow encompassed the pencil, slowly lifting it off the ground.

"Looks like I win," Floyd announced, bringing the pencil towards his hand.

Ember crossed her arms, snorting, "I should have expected that."

"Let that be a lesson to you," Floyd grinned and pointed at her with the pencil. "Never let me pick the challenge."

"Alright, alright, I get it," she rolled her eyes. "We gonna do more studying, or what?"

Floyd smirked and clicked his tongue at her. "Ah, ah, ah, you can't worm your way out of our agreement," he wagged a finger. "You owe me some dragon questions."

"Fine," Ember gestured with a claw, "give me your questions, already."

Floyd crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. "Hmm, there are stories of dragons hoarding giant piles of treasure back home. Is that something dragons do here, and if so, why?"

Ember shrugged, "Hoarding is just something dragons do. It's why my dad okayed any dragon being involved with this kinda stuff; who knows what valuables we'll find out here."

Floyd nodded. "Guess that makes sense. You said that dragons don't do music, does that extend to other art forms as well?"

"Art?" Ember asked, tilting her head quizzically.

Floyd chuckled weakly, running a hand through his hair. "That answers that question," he muttered. "Art is a way for people to express themselves creatively. Things like drawing, writing and making movies are just a few examples," he explained.

"Those all sound kinda lame."

Floyd chuckled and flashed her a bright smile. "That's because you've never seen what us humans can do with those. I'll have to show you the Alien series at some point."

"Right," Ember nodded, unimpressed.

Floyd was about to respond before being struck by a sudden thought. He started to snicker. "I bet you'd love art if you gave it a chance. I can totally picture you as an art student."

"Whatever." Rolling her eyes, Ember sat up. "Can we get back to the studying thing already?"

"Sounds good to me," Floyd gathered up the scattered papers and returned to his seat. "Now, I want you to write out the sentence you just read."

Ember groaned, taking the pencil from him. "This is gonna suck..." She picked up her discarded piece of paper, taking the pencil to it. Glancing at the flashcard, she did her best to copy it. After a few attempts and desperate motions with the eraser, she felt confident that she had completed the sentence and showed it to Floyd.

Floyd leaned over, scrutinizing the sentence, "You definitely got it. Your penmanship leaves something to be desired though."

Ember sighed in relief, leaning back in her seat. "As long as the people who read the mission reports understand it, I don't care how it looks."

"Then you've never been to public school," Floyd joked. "Alright, I think we've taxed your brain enough for today."

Ember nodded and stretched her arms and tail, "Yeah, I'm starting to get tired." She looked at him and gave him a smile, "Thanks for all the help."

He waved her off again, "Eh, it's not a big deal. What's one more set of lessons on top of what I'm already doing?"

Ember stood up, flexing her wings, "You wanna do something else? Bet I could beat you at arm wrestling."

Floyd chuckled and stood up. "Sure, why not? I'll let you make up for the pencil challenge I pulled on you," he said, shooting her a playful grin and flexing his arm. "Though I don't know if you can beat me. I've been jacked up by Ancient tech."

"Ha!" Ember responded with a toothy grin. "You haven't ever arm wrestled a dragon before!"

"And you've never arm wrestled a magic man before," he shot back. He held his arm out towards the door. "Now, why don't you pick where we do this?"

"Gladly," She walked past him, only to collide with Bon Bon, who was just walking in. "Hey!" Ember huffed, stepping back. "Watch where you're going!"

Bon Bon fought to keep a frown off her face as she stepped into the bunkhouse. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the doorway." Closing the door behind her, she eyed both of them carefully.

"Hey, Bon Bon," Floyd greeted, hoping to defuse the situation. "Is Ly right behind you?"

Bon Bon shook her head, "No, Lyra is talking with one of the zebras." She took a moment to take off her vest, tossing it on her bed. "Floyd, is there something we need to know?"

Floyd quirked a brow at her, "Huh, what are you talking about? I already told you guys I was helping Ember out with doing her eventual mission reports."

Bon Bon shook her head, "Floyd, humans have been giving me weird looks all day. Not only that, I've caught them doing 'shady' things all around the camp." Trotting up to him, she gave him a hard look, "I count you as a friend, Floyd. What's going on?"

Floyd scrunched his face up in thought. "Actually, I've noticed something weird too," he said, recalling the first day on the gun range. "Higgs was talking to two guys, talking about some plan. Higgs said it was a bad idea, specifically because he said that you'd sniff it out instantly. Whatever's going on, I think it only involves the senior staff here."

Bon Bon backed off a bit, glancing at Ember. "What about you? Notice anything weird going on?"

Ember relaxed slightly, shifting her weight and crossing her arms over her chest. "I've noticed that my squad leader has been pretty distant," she said. "I haven't really seen any of the looks you're talking about, though."

Bon Bon rubbed her chin. "Something is definitely going on here," she mused.

Floyd nodded, "I'll keep my eyes peeled and see if I can overhear anything else; I think the senior staff here are gonna be cautious around you."

"Yeah, I noticed." Bon Bon walked to the door, looking back at him, "I just hope it's nothing."

Ember watched her leave and quirked a brow. "So, think what she's talking about is actually nothing?"

Floyd sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I trust the general. I mean, a guy like Doctor Jackson wouldn't be friends with her if he knew she was just some military stereotype," he reasoned.

"Then I guess this is just a wait and see kind of thing," Ember shrugged and turned back towards the door. "I'll tell you and the earth pony if I spot anything."

"Thanks, Ember," Floyd gave her a thumbs up. "Same time tomorrow?"

Ember returned the gesture and chuckled, "Unless I magically learn how to read and write, yeah, same time."

Floyd watched her go, finding himself alone. Sighing, Floyd laid back on his bed, closing his eyes.

Twilight could barely contain her excitement as she sat in the back of what she had been told was called a Jumper. She was receiving some odd looks from the other chosen researchers as she vibrated in her seat. She closed her eyes and recalled the letter from Princess Celestia informing her of the chance to work on human technology. She couldn't respond to it fast enough.

"Here we are," the pilot spoke, landing the Jumper. A few moments later, the back of the Jumper opened up, forming a ramp. "Watch your step on the way out."

Twilight jumped out of her seat and rushed down the ramp. She blinked, finding herself standing at the base of a cliff. Built into it was a metal structure, a pair of doors marked with the royal seal getting her attention. A few diamond dogs lingered around, some talking animatedly with what appeared to be the building's staff.

She turned back to the pilot, confusion evident on her face. "I thought we'd be doing our research in Shangri-La," her muzzle scrunched up, thinking back on Celestia's letter. The location of the research had only been mentioned as a place agreed on by both parties.

The pilot shrugged his shoulders, "I only go where they tell me."

Twilight nodded and turned back to face the building. "Oh well, I was given a job and I'll do it!" A bright smile spread across her face as she trotted towards the diamond dogs and researchers. "Um, hello!" she called out, getting the attention of one of the more important-looking ponies.

"Ah, Miss Sparkle," the older mare said, turning to face Twilight, "glad to see you could make it." She flashed Twilight a smile. "I must say, your last published paper on magic theory was top-notch."

"Ah, well," Twilight blushed, rubbing her neck. "Thank you. My work isn't very big in Ponyville."

The other mare tittered, a knowing smile on her face. "Believe me, it's not just there. Ponies that aren't in the scientific community tend to ignore our work while reaping the benefits of it." She leaned in and whispered into Twilight's ear, "Just like with my steam engine."

"Oh! That was you?!" Twilight's eyes widened and she looked at the mare with an awestruck look. "I had no idea you'd be on this project!"

"Yes, allow me to introduce myself," the mare extended her hoof out, "Doctor Smoke Puff, at your service. As for my presence here, how could I say no to something that makes my previous work look like a foal's science fair project by comparison?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, doctor," Twilight raised her hoof, tapping it against Smoke Puff's. She glanced behind the older mare. "Do you know what this place is? The princess was rather vague in her letter."

"This is a unique research center," Smoke answered. "It started out as a geological station to study rock layers and measure seismic activities. It was funded and overseen by the princess herself, and the Diamond Dog pack you see here," she indicated the Diamond Dogs that were talking with the researchers, "helped with the construction. Nowadays, this base is used for multiple fields of study, including engineering. The dogs can be a little gruff, but they're good neighbors. They help with some of our research, and we tell them the best spots to dig for gems."

Twilight smiled at that, "I think I'm going to like it here."

Smoke glanced over Twilight's shoulder, seeing a few other ponies disembarking the jumper. "Ah well, why don't we gather the others and get you all settled in?"

Twilight nodded and walked over with Smoke to the other ponies assigned to the project. After a few moments they were all together and walking towards the door to the building. Smoke pushed the doors open, revealing a spacious front lobby: fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, giving off a low buzz; a few security guards approached the assembled researchers and checked their paperwork. Unlike the royal guards of Canterlot, these ponies didn't have ornate gold armor and instead wore a blue uniform on their upper half designating them as security. They also wore belts that contained pepper spray and a baton. Twilight felt a little nervous as she handed hers over despite knowing she had double and triple checked her papers before the trip.

"Alright, they're clear," the security chief nodded, passing Twilight her papers back.

She let out a sigh of relief as she took her papers and stepped forward to allow the next pony to be checked.

Smoke gave her a sympathetic smile, "I know security can be a little scary, but, given what we have, the princess doesn't want to take chances."

Twilight returned her smile. "It's nothing I can't manage. I'd rather deal with them than any potential thieves or any other actual threat to our research," she admitted.

Once everyone was cleared, Smoke led them deeper into the facility, "We've had to do a lot of expansion since humans arrived. The princess plans to make this our primary xeno-research facility."

The researchers nodded, looking into a few of the labs to see humans working alongside ponies. Their faces lit up when they saw equipment that had obviously been brought in by the human scientists.

"The princess doesn't like to rush our projects, but we only have a few months with the generator," Smoke explained. "Shangri-La could only spare the one generator, and the charter of our alliance states that all parties involved will share whatever knowledge we obtain. So, in the meantime, we'll occasionally get visitors from other countries."

"So we'll have to crowd around the one generator we have," a unicorn stallion in the back concluded. "Hope nopony's claustrophobic here."

Twilight was about to ask a question when she spotted one of Elmis's changelings entering a lab. Pushing down her negative emotions, she turned to Smoke, who gave her an understanding smile.

"Forgive me, I should have said something sooner. Queen Elmis agreed to station a few of her drones here. I promise you they won't shift into anyone you know, they're here to learn just like us, and to safeguard against infiltration by Hallan changelings."

Twilight took a deep breath through her nostrils and exhaled out of her mouth. She pushed away her knee-jerk reaction and called upon all the friendship lessons she had learned through her time in Ponyville. "It's okay, Doctor," she said, "these changelings aren't the ones who attacked us. They're allies of Equestria just like the humans are." She turned back to the other researchers and flashed them a bright, somewhat forceful, smile. "Isn't that right, everypony?"

The collective group nodded, though a few did so a little awkwardly.

Smoke cleared her throat, "Just as a warning, the changelings are a little different from ponies. If you're talking to one and they seem to have zoned out, that just means they're talking to each other through their hivemind. They're still listening, so, please don't think they're being rude. They also don't exactly have names in the traditional sense." Smoke pointed at a nearby drone and indicated a name tag on their chest with a number on it. "For our sake, they've agreed to wear name tags and differentiate themselves by number."

The stallion from before spoke up, "Why don't they use names?"

"Ah," Smoke smiled, "well, changelings recognize each other through each individual's mental imprint and their emotional signature. Things are less verbal for them than they are for us." The stallion from before moved as though he was about to speak again before realization dawned on Smoke's face. "Ah, now the kings and queens of hives are a little different. They take names to better interact between hives. Each queen is the mother of her hive, and she acts as the mouthpiece for the collective whole. And as for the king, once he reaches maturity he sets out to find a recently matured queen from another hive to start an entirely new hive. The new hive will not recognize his mental imprint, so a name is a necessity to help give him an identity to them."

She stopped at the beginning of a hallway. "These are our quarters. They're a little bare, but you're free to decorate them as you'd like."

Smoke led them into the hallway and steered them towards the vacant rooms. Once everyone had picked out their rooms for their stay, Smoke led them back towards the labs. She led them down another hall and stopped in front of a door marked Engineering.

"And here is the lab where we'll be working on the generator," her face lit up, "I've gotten a peek at the notes on it and it is absolutely fascinating!"

Twilight shared Smoke's smile, "I can't wait to get started!"

"We can begin today," Smoke assured the younger unicorn, opening the door to the lab, "but first, we should have a brief word from the human head of this project." She waved her hoof over to a central table where the generator rested with a labcoat-wearing human checking on it.

Twilight drank in every last detail she could about the device. For a moment, she was confused by the simplicity of the outer structure. How could something as simple as a small metal box with a pad on top be the key to the human's energy sources?

The human looked up, giving them a toothy smile. "Ah, Smoke, are these our new researchers?" she asked.

Smoke nodded, and stepped to her side, "That's correct, doctor. These are the best and brightest minds that Equestria has to offer."

The human nodded and looked between the assembled ponies. "Then allow me to formally welcome you to the first official joint project of the Equestria-Shangri-La alliance." She put a hand to her chest, "My name is Doctor Jenna Freeman and I'll be the overseer of this project. And this," she waved her hand over to the box on the table, "is the Mark V Naquadah Generator. This is a prime example of the leaps and bounds that can be made thanks to gate travel. We developed the Mark I with the help of people from a planet called Orban, and we've been improving on our design ever since."

"It doesn't look like much," another mare spoke, pointing at the generator.

Dr. Freeman chuckled and tapped her hand against the side of the box, "We've put function over form with this incarnation of the generator. In fact, this design more closely resembles the Orbanian generator design than our earlier models. If you'd like, I can demonstrate its capabilities." She stepped over to a table on the other side of the lab and grabbed electronic measuring equipment and a bundle of cables meant to attach to the generator. She quickly put everything into place and turned the generator on. She then displayed the screen of the measuring equipment towards the ponies.

Twilight leaned in close, examining the screen.

"To put this number in perspective," Dr. Freeman chirped, tapping on the measuring equipment to make the displayed numbers larger, "one of these is almost enough to power Shangri-La, save for the city's shields."

"This can power that whole city?" the mare from before gaped. "How do you keep that much power inside a little box like that?"

"You can thank the special properties of naquadah for that," Dr. Freeman replied, turning off the measuring equipment and disconnecting the cables. "To put it simply, it amplifies energy; the Ancients utilized this material in a lot of their technology. That includes the Stargate, which is almost entirely made of it."

"And to think, we never imagined using Alicor for something like this!" Twilight beamed, soaking up the information.

Dr. Freeman nodded, a wide smile on her face, "We haven't run any preliminary tests on our available Alicor samples yet, but I'm personally hoping that the Mark I Alicor generator will be able to maintain Shangri-La's shields for prolonged periods." She placed a hand on the generator. "While one or two of these can power the city's main functions, the shield requires a lot more energy, currently requiring an energy source built by the Ancients which we have no means of replicating."

Twilight tapped her hooves together, a twinkle in her eyes, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

Dr. Freeman smiled, "I completely agree." She walked over to a drawer and pulled it open to reveal several chunks of refined Alicor. She placed them on the table and then turned to Smoke Puff, "Doctor Smoke, could you grab some extra pens and stacks of paper from the supply closet? I have a feeling we're going to be crunching a lot of numbers today."

Smoke nodded and trotted out of the room, returning a few minutes later and placing the materials on the table. The gathered researchers grabbed their materials and eagerly began their work. Twilight fought hard to keep expression of her excitement in check, especially when talking to Dr. Freeman and the other human researchers, absorbing everything she could from them.

Queen Elmis sat in a private train car, looking through a stack of papers. When the princesses had explained what had happened between the ponies and changelings of Halla, she had felt compelled to do something, electing to leave Shangri-La in order to travel Equestria. She wanted to make sure her hive was accepted by the ponies, and she felt the best way to do that was to show her commitment to coexistence. She turned to look at her schedule, steeling herself for her departure.

Around her sat her praetorians, elite changeling drones. While not as armored as kings were, they were far more suited for combat than a regular drone. They didn't converse verbally, the group sharing their thoughts and feelings through the hivemind.

She looked up from her preparations, reaching out to them through the hivemind, 'Tell me, my children, how do you feel about what I am doing?'

The oldest among them answered first, 'It has been far easier to collect love, mother, easier than any generation has had it.'

She smiled a bit at that, nodding to them, 'Yes, while the humans' love is not quite as tasty as the ponies', we are fortunate that they are so willing to give it freely.' She then tapped a hoof against her papers. 'However, I was referring to this campaign to improve our standing with the Hallans.'

The youngest of them flittered their wings for a moment, giving her a hard to read expression. 'I feel there is a certain risk to this plan. Some of the ponies may believe that we are just like the hive belonging to that Chrysalis that the princesses mentioned and take extreme actions.'

Elmis turned away from her papers, giving her guards a reassuring smile, 'I am very aware of the danger I might be facing, which is why I have brought all of you along with me. I have the utmost confidence that if anypony tries something, you'll end the threat before I even know about it.'

'What will you do if the other queen challenges you?' the oldest asked, gazing at her intently.

Elmis giggled, standing up and flitting her wings. 'If she challenges me directly then that would be the most foolish thing she could do. Thanks to all the love I'm being fed, I'm the strongest I've ever been.' She let her horn glow and distributed a small bit of love to each of them. 'She does not stand a chance if we were to clash.'

The group shuddered as the tiny bit of pure love reached them, each greedily drinking it in.

Elmis's smile grew and she returned to her seat, grabbing a quill in her magic as she prepared to adjust lines in her speech. 'Thank you all for sharing your concerns with me. I promise you this, if things do seem to start getting dangerous, then I will end the tour immediately and we will return to Shangri-La.'

This seemed to reassure the group, and they talked amongst themselves for the remainder of the train ride.

The next day, Elmis was standing at a podium while a swarm of reporters and citizens sat before her. She could sense her guards among them, each in disguise. She had gotten used to the flashes of the cameras and the use of the microphone after her first few stops on the tour; tapping her hoof against it and clearing her throat, she made sure everything was ready.

"Good afternoon, ponies of Manehattan," she began, "I am glad you've allowed me to speak with you today. I know you have reasons to be distrustful of changelings, and while I cannot hope to speak for all of my brethren that call this world their home, it is my hope to assure you that my hive and I have nothing but peaceful intentions." She paused for a moment, gauging the reaction of the crowd. Many were very wary of her, but there were others that seemed to have high hopes about her.

"I have learned a few things in my time living among the humans inside Shangri-La," she continued, looking around the crowd, "including some of Equestrian history from Doctor Lyra Heartstrings. You ponies were not always harmonious. You distrusted the other tribes of your kind, just as you distrust me now. The humans have a similar history, fighting each other for one reason or another. But your two species have something else in common: when faced with an enemy you could not hope to defeat alone, your kind came together to triumph. For you ponies this was the windigoes, and for the humans it was the Goa'uld, then the Wraith and the Ori. I believe that history can repeat itself once more and my kind can become steadfast allies just as all of ponykind is."

Spreading her wings, she swept an arm out before her. "This is the first world, the place my kind comes from, the world where the first queen laid the first egg. If there are other worlds with changelings, ponies, deer and so on, they came from Halla."

She paused again, sensing the emotions of the crowd. There were still some that were wary of her, but many were starting to warm up to her words. "I, for one, believe that this will be a world worth living on and working for. A world that embraces harmony between peoples is one my hive and I can support fully." Elmis bowed her head. "I hope we can work together towards that vision."

The crowd was silent for a brief time, digesting her speech. Then, applause started to come from a few members of the crowd. The sound grew and Elmis smiled at the sight.

"I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have," Elmis gestured to the mic stand at the front of the crowd.

A line quickly formed in front of the microphone, stretching out to the back of the room. A unicorn mare was at the front, tapping her hoof on the microphone to check it.

"Will your hive live in Equestria, or will they continue to take up residence in the human city?"

"As a part of the expedition, my hive will be staying in Shangri-La. There is more than enough room for us, and it allows us to more easily suss out any infiltrators."

The unicorn mare quickly thanked her and returned to her seat. An earth pony stallion took her place in front of the mic, adjusting it due to his height. "You said you were taught our history, does that include recent events? And if so, what are your thoughts on the invasion that Queen Chrysalis attempted?"

Elmis sighed, closing her eyes to gather herself. "I believe Chrysalis is insane. Look at it from our perspective. Changelings need love, if those around us are not happy, no love can be gathered. I have no idea why she decided that conquering Equestria would be a good idea, but it wouldn't surprise me if her hive ousted her."

The stallion thanked her and trotted to his own seat. The questions continued for some time, ranging from reasonable to the outright absurd. One pony actually asked, "So, are you guys bugs or what?"

It took everything Elmis had to not lose her temper at that remark. While it was technically accurate, it still felt rather insulting.

It was the last mare in line that set Elmis on edge. As she approached the mic, the praetorians went into motion, secretly positioning themselves in the crowd. The mare in question sported a deep black coat, with a mane that sported different shades of green. Locking eyes with Elmis, she spoke, her voice full of venom, "What would you do if you were confronted by Queen Chrysalis?" the mare asked, her gaze boring into Elmis.

Elmis straightened up, matching the mare's gaze, "That would depend on her. If she came in violence, violence is what she'd get."

"And do you believe you'd win in such a confrontation?" the mare questioned, a fire burning in her eyes.

Narrowing her eyes, Elmis gave a tempered response. "I would make her regret the day she molted into adulthood."

All of a sudden, the mare's attitude shifted, her eyes losing their intensity and her muzzle curling up into a bright smile. "It certainly sounds like you have the situation under control. Thank you for answering my questions." She turned and started to walk away.

'Let her leave,' Elmis commanded, her eyes following the mare as she made her way through the crowd. 'I believe we heard each other, loud and clear.'

'Should we follow her, mother?' the youngest of the praetorians asked. 'We could discover the location of her hive.'

'No, I don't want any of you getting hurt. Just see to it that she leaves the city. When this is done, I want you to fan out and make sure there aren't any ponies in cocoons.'

The praetorians gave her an affirmative and subtly followed after the mare. They exited the building, watching as she took a taxi.

Elmis cleared her throat, addressing the crowd. "I want to thank you all for coming. I know it must have taken a lot to come and see me, and even more so to ask me questions. Thank you for your time." Bowing her head, Elmis stepped away from the podium, allowing the mayor to wrap up.

Keeping herself open to what was happening around her, Elmis navigated the hivemind, linking with one of the drones she had stationed in Canterlot Palace. The drone was currently in the throne room, sitting near Celestia's throne.

"Your Highness," the drone spoke, cutting off a rather long winded noble, who had been going about something Elmis had no particular interest in. If the emotions in the room were anything to go on, it was a sentiment shared by many ponies.

Celestia put up a hoof to cut off the noble before he could go on an angry tirade against the drone and turned to the changeling. "What is it?"

The changeling hopped up, trotting over to the throne. "Mother has something urgent to tell you." It gestured to the line of petitioners, "In private."

Celestia nodded and turned to face the crowd, "I'm sorry everypony, but Day Court will adjourn for a short recess."

The crowd muttered in annoyance, but allowed the guards to lead them out. Stepping outside, the two guards pulled the throne room doors closed behind them.

The drone's head dipped, allowing Elmis to speak, "I believe your 'Queen Chrysalis' attended our rally today. She seemed quite... hateful."

A frown slowly formed on Celestia's face. "I'd imagine so, her hive was blasted out of Canterlot not too long ago and now yours gets to be an ally."

"Thankfully, it doesn't seem like she made any moves. I have my children out in the city now, making sure she didn't have anyone replaced."

Celestia nodded again, "Thank you for informing me of this. We'll have to take future precautions. I have a bad feeling about Chrysalis making such a brazen move. Knowing her, she's up to something."

"We'll stay on alert."

Celestia took a deep breath and released it. "Thank you very much, Elmis. We'll be alert on our end too. Perhaps we should increase security at the research center?"

The pair worked out a few more security improvements before Elmis released her grip on the drone. She came back to the present, shaking her head. Things had gone from simple to increasingly difficult. Steeling herself, she turned to the crowd and gave a smile. No insane queen was going to ruin what she had started. Over her broken shell.

What We Do In the Dark [Part 2]

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Daniel rubbed at his eyes, trying to ease the strain on them. He had been cooped up in the archive room for... he didn't know how long for. No one had set up a clock in there, so keeping track of time had fallen to the wayside. Sleep deprivation didn't feel like it was setting in, so he wasn't on one of his longer sessions; he took a moment to think, letting his notebook hang at his side, and recalled that one of his assistants had brought him 4 meals. Nodding to himself, he returned his attention to the console. Missing one night of sleep was nothing for him; he'd start getting worried if he was close to breaking his record. Daniel hit a few buttons on the console, loading up a video clip he hadn't seen yet.

The lights dimmed and a scene appeared before him: a pony, specifically a unicorn stallion, sat curiously at a table, looking this way and that. A smiling Shangrian appeared, 'greeting' Daniel with a bow. "My name is Bashirr, and this," he gestured over to the pony, "is an amaqinae by the name of Uru'baen."

The pony's ears perked up, and Uru'baen replied in a language Daniel couldn't quite make out. It did consist of spoken words, but seemed to include whinnies and other vocalizations natural to equines. He had to contain his natural urge to find a way to translate the dead Equestrian language. Carter had only given him so much time until the holoroom was shut down.

"Uru'baen has agreed to help us learn about the ability his kind possesses that they have dubbed 'magic,'" Bashirr continued. "This will be the first of our demonstrations. Now, amaqinae like Uru'baen call themselves 'Uru'corti.' Their horns allow them to manipulate magic directly, unlike the other amaqinae groups."

Uru'baen puffed up his chest and spoke in his strange language again, ending on a long whinny.

Bashirr chuckled. "The 'Uru' is also a sort of 'clan' name, denoting the 'tribe' an amaqinae belongs to." Turning to Uru'baen, Bashirr gestured to a few items on the table. "We will start with some simple manipulation." Clearing his throat, Bashirr spoke in Uru'barn's language, somehow reproduced the whinnies and nays.

Uru'baen smiled a little, and lit up his horn. He picked up one of the items on the table which Daniel recognized as a life-sign detector.

"As you can see, Uru'corti can easily manipulate their environment through magic. By our own research, it seems that they can pull energy from subspace." Bashirr spoke another word, gesturing to Uru'baen's horn.

Uru'baen nodded and gently put the scanner down before cutting off the connection to his magic. He then got up and let Bashirr get a better look at his horn.

"All amaqinae have a previously undiscovered variant of naquadah in their bodies. They call it 'alicor.' In Uru'corti such as Uru'baen here, the alicor is concentrated in the skull and horn." Bashirr spoke a few more words to Uru'baen, making a few motions with his hand.

Uru'baen got up again and returned to his previous spot. Then, he lit up his horn, simply letting it glow without disturbing anything in the room they were in. Upon Bashirr's instructions, Uru'baen zapped the life sign detector with a bolt of magic, changing its normally grey casing to a deep shade of red.

Bashirr waved a hand over to the detector, "As you can see, this subspace manipulation allows the amaqinae to even alter the physical characteristics of objects. Our current projections are unable to determine the limits of this manipulation, but some of us speculate that there might not be any such limit as long as enough of this 'magical energy' is allowed to flow."

The demonstration continued for several more minutes, though, it was clear that Uru'baen's magic was nowhere near as potent as or well controlled as a modern unicorn. The video did prove that tribalism among the pony race had its roots back at at least ten thousand years. Daniel made a note to inform one of the Equestrian researchers.

Tapping his earpiece, he connected to his assistant, "Hey, Amelia, if you get a chance, can you check something for me?"

There was a crackle signalling that there was a connection to the other line before he heard his assistant's chipper voice, "I've already finished my work for today, what do you need me to do, Doctor Jackson?"

"Nothing too important. Just see if you can't get a search going in the database. Probably under 'Amaqinae language' or something."

"I can get right on that," Amelia assured him. "Are there any other key-words you want me to try if that one doesn't pan out?"

"Go with 'Uru'corti.'"

"Thank you! I'll let you know the instant I find something, Doctor Jackson!" There was a pause for a moment before she added, "In the meantime, you should probably take a shower. You've been cooped up in that room for nearly two days straight."

Daniel blinked. Had he really been in there for that long? "You're probably right. If you need anything in the meantime, contact the general. Just don't tell her how long I've been in here."

"Tell her how long you've been where?" Amelia asked a little too innocently. "I just saw you in the mess hall."

"Thanks, Amelia." Daniel stood up from his chair, stretching out. Making sure to shut everything down, he made his way out into the hall. As he worked his way to his room, he made an effort to not get too close to anyone before he had a chance to shower. Letting his mind relax, he sighed in relief as he stepped into a teleportation booth.

His relief was short lived, as Carter's voice crackled over his earpiece, "Daniel, I just wanted to let you know that we've picked up the Odyssey on the long range sensors. They should reach us in a few days."

Daniel tapped on his earpiece, establishing a connection, "That's good news! We should let the princesses know so we don't catch them off guard." He then took a moment and chuckled, "Wait until the Odyssey crew sees what all we've found."

"Meet with me in my office after you've gotten cleaned up. We still need to discuss a few things."

Daniel winced for a moment; somehow Carter knew he'd been on one of his research binges. He sighed and pushed the screen in the boot, and in an instant he felt himself being taken to the teleportation booth nearest his quarters. He sighed again, chalking up her comment to how long they had known each other. Daniel stepped out of the booth, heading down the hall and toward his quarters.

Once he was in his room he made sure to clean up as quickly as he could. Satisfied with his appearance, he headed back out into the hall and towards the gate room. The room was busier than usual, with people monitoring the gate in case the training teams ran into any complications. The risk of this was slim though, since scans of the planet they were on showed no abnormal lifesigns. However, the SGC had learned from experience that one could never be too cautious. Daniel stepped up to the doors of Carter's office, pausing as they slowly slid open. Once he was inside they closed behind him.

Carter looked up from her desk, manilla folders and stacks of paper covering nearly every inch of its surface. "Glad you could make it so quickly," she said.

"I see you've been busy." Daniel took a seat, glancing across the table. "What's on the agenda first? The cooks run out of golden potatoes?"

Carter chuckled and shook her head, "No, the kitchen is something that we don't have to worry about right now." She grabbed a manilla folder and slid it over towards Daniel. "The primary concern is getting the Odyssey crew briefed and acclimated to Equestria. Housing them won't be much of an issue, but we'll have to take into consideration our power drains."

Lifting the folder up, Daniel scanned through it. "That is why we brought the Mark VIIs, isn't it? That should keep us going for awhile."

Carter nodded, rubbing her eyes. "You're right, it shouldn't be too much of an issue if we continue to act as we have. But the biggest issue comes from the potential of a shadow pony attack. I warned the captain of the Odyssey to avoid planets aside from Halla, but the potential of the shadow ponies following them here is something to consider."

Putting the folder down, Daniel tapped his fingers on the table. "At least we don't have to wait a year," a smile tugged at his lips, "or go back in time to steal a ZPM."

Carter chuckled, nodding in agreement, "It is a good thing we've learned what we have from the Atlantis expedition, otherwise I'd have Shangri-La on high alert already." She shook her head and added, "Actually, if it weren't for the Atlantis crew, we'd probably still be under the ice."

"Aren't we supposed to be returning those jumpers soon?"

"Yes, we'll be returning them once the Odyssey arrives," Carter said. "I'm sure Shepherd will be glad to have them back."

"It's kind of funny, really: after ten thousand years, the two cities are finally going to start talking again." It was entirely possible that they had been talking before the Lantean empire crumbled, but Daniel doubted it. In the waning years of the Wraith War, the Lanteans had all but thrown morals out of the window. He shuddered to think what they would have done, if they had discovered Halla's existence.

A smile graced Carter's lips. "I'm pretty excited for it too. Who knows what we'll be able to accomplish once the two cities are in full communication with each other." She then paused and started to laugh.

Daniel crooked an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

Carter collected herself and coughed into her hand. "Sorry about that, I just realized that we're going to connect the Pegasus Galaxy to a galaxy with actual pegasi in it."

A chuckle escaped Daniel's lips, "That is rather amusing. Just wait until they see one of the ponies."

Carter nodded, "I think we should keep McKay away from any of the foreign leaders. I'm not sure they'd appreciate his..." she paused, searching for the right word, "blunt attitude."

"Heaven forbid, people don't like Rodney McKay," Daniel stated, rather mockingly. He grabbed another folder. "Let's set the office gossip on the side, and see if we can't get through some of this."

Carter sighed as she picked up a folder of her own, "You're right, I'd like it if I could be on top of the paperwork for once."

"Makes you wish we were still in SG-1 doesn't it?"

Carter chuckled, grabbing a pen as she looked over documents. "I'd enjoy being that young again, at the very least. Maybe once Floyd's done his training we can get him to do to us what he did to O'Neill?"

"I wouldn't mind getting the band back together." Daniel scrounged around his own pockets, recovering a pen. "I found a pretty interesting log. Apparently, ancient unicorns called themselves 'Uru'Corti.'"

Carter looked up from the paper she was working on for a brief moment before returning her attention to it, "Sounds like the pony language was pretty different before meeting the Ancients."

"Full of whinnies and neighs," Daniel explained. "It's rather amusing to see an Ancient sound like a horse."

Carter smiled, clearly trying to imagine it. Her pen started to move, scratching on the paper, "I wonder if ponies are actually forming words today when they make those kinds of sounds, or is it just an instinctive reflex?"

"Maybe a little of both? I had Amelia start a search or the language in the database. I was planning to share whatever we find with one of the Equestrian researchers." Pausing for a moment, Daniel tapped his pen against a form. "So when are the Princesses dropping by?"

Carter finished the form in front of her, quickly moving on to the next one. "Within the next day or so. They'll probably tell us how the initial findings of the joint research team are progressing. You know, Celestia wrote that a lot of reporters want to see the city."

Daniel nodded, starting to fill out his own form. "I remember the last three times that happened. Doubt we'll get another magic camera man out of this one."

Carter chuckled. "That's true, we sort of lucked out on the last one." She was quiet for a moment, her expression falling slightly. "At least it won't be as bad as the first time we had to deal with journalists."

"Yeah." An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Daniel cleared his throat, "Jack certainly thinks Floyd has potential."

Carter nodded slowly. "I hope O'Neill's gut is right about him, I'm not sure how I feel about sending Floyd out on missions. I'm starting to doubt if I should've extended the offer to join the teams."

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

Carter nodded again, quickly turning her focus to her work. "We can only hope he's actually working hard on his training. At the very least, he might try just because it's gotten him out of the infirmary."

"You've put him in a team with a former secret agent," Daniel pointed out, "I don't think he'll have any other choice but to work hard." He added his signature to the last page in the folder he was holding, replacing it with another folder. "You don't like him, do you?"

Carter's face scrunched up, putting her pen down to rub at her eyes. "That's a rather difficult question to answer. I know I haven't liked his attitude recently, but I can sympathize with it. I mean, how many times have we been put into quarantine or confinement and reacted similarly?"

"More than I want to recall."

"Exactly," she replied, picking up her pen again. "I think I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He's in a new world and where just about everything he's seeing is new to him." She quickly signed a form and placed it with the other completed forms. "Of course, that can only let him get away with so much."

Daniel closed his folder, rubbing at his eyes. "Well, Jack wasn't wrong about Shepard. If he thinks Hendrix can do it, I'm inclined to agree with him."

Carter nodded, pulling another file in front of her. "You're right, and I do want Floyd to succeed, but that doesn't mean I'm going to suspend my caution." She frowned and let her pen dip in her hand, "I can't afford to, given the job he's accepted."

Ember grunted as she picked herself up, rubbing her head. Zebras, she was finding out, hit like boulders. According to her CO, it was standard practice for gate teams to train in melee combat. That was fine with her, dragons were strong and fierce. What she didn't take into account was her sparring partner using fancy moves to make her look like a hatchling.

"That was a good move," Anansi complemented, bowing his head as a cut on his cheek trickled blood down his muzzle, "you are starting to improve."

"I'll show you improvment." She snorted, flaring her wings. Tensing her body, she sprang forward, letting out a growl.

Anansi spun on his hooves, causing her lunge to whiz by him. He then tensed his body and bucked his hind legs into her side. Ember grunted, tumbling to the corner of the mat. She picked herself up again, nursing her side.

"You are letting anger cloud your mind," the zebra warned, getting into a low stance, "Don't forget to take your time."

Ember scoffed, fumes rising up from her nostrils. Tensing her legs, she jumped over Anansi, swinging her tail at his legs. He jumped to avoid her legs, turning in mid-air to keep her in sight. He then bit down on her tail, pulling back on it with all his strength.

Digging her claws into the mat, Ember pulled against the zebra. She pulled him off his hooves, swinging him around. Anansi released her tail from his mouth, sailing towards the wall of the gym. He brought his hooves up and kicked off the wall before rolling back onto his hooves and resuming his stance, swaying slightly.

"You're starting to annoy me," Ember said as she flexed her claws, stalking closer.

Anansi didn't respond, keeping his stance as he circled the dragoness with a calculating gaze.

Ember juked to the left before leaping at him, throwing a punch at his jaw. He ducked underneath the punch, letting her sail over him before kicking the same spot he had before. A sharp cry of pain escaped Ember's maw and she rolled across the ground. Getting to her knees, she inhaled slowly, clutching her side. Anansi relaxed his stance slightly, giving her time to recover.

"Alright, I think that's enough," Colonel McDowell called over. "Ember, let one of the docs check that side of yours."

Ember brought herself to her feet, grunting as she kept a hand to her side. "Is that an order, sir?" she asked, frowning at the thought of getting prodded at by one of the medical staff.

"Yes, it is," he replied, motioning towards the small station the medical team had set up. "I'd rather we don't break anything."

She forced herself not to groan as she nodded at the colonel and turned towards the medical station. "Yes sir," she said, gritting her teeth for a split second. Making her way over, she glanced at the doctors. "Just make it quick."

"Okay, what is it I can help you with?" the closest doctor asked, standing up and walking over to Ember.

"My side." She laid down, adjusting her wings there would be unobstructed access to her side.

The doctor nodded, grabbed a pair of gloves from beneath the examination table, and put them on. She then gingerly put her hands on Ember's side and applied a bit of pressure to several spots.

Ember hissed, her claws digging into the bed. "Damn zebra. Hits like a boulder."

"I can only imagine," the doctor commented, pulling her hands away and turning back to a set of counters. "I know I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a pair of hooves. Especially since I don't have a set of protective scales." She grabbed a jar and opened it. She then turned back to Ember and applied a bit of an ointment of some kind to the dragoness's side, covering it with a white bandage.

"It doesn't look like there's any bone damage, mostly likely some bruised muscles."

"Dragons don't break bones easily," Ember bragged, releasing the bed from her grasp. "Comes from eating so many gems."

"Sounds pretty useful," the doctor said, stepping back from Ember and pulling off her gloves. "That cream should keep the muscles beneath your scales from swelling and numb the pain. If you have any other problems with your side, come see me again, okay?"

"Thanks," Ember eased herself up, brushing off any aches from her side. Nodding at the doctor, she stepped out of the tent. The compound was busy as always, various teams working away at a number of activities.

She idly wondered if she should return to her team. She frowned at that, the thought of getting beaten by Anansi again appealing to her about as much as tearing off her wings.

"I don't want to hear him yelling later." Resigning herself to another round of sparring, Ember made her way back to the gym. Peeking inside, she spotted her team off to the side. Another group had taken the mats. Specifically, Floyd's team.

Floyd and the earth pony she recalled being named Bon Bon were circling one another. Floyd was concentrating intently, but it was obvious that he wasn't confident about beating the mare. Bon Bon moved like a predator. Head low to the ground, taking long, deliberate steps. Floyd looked like he was trying to copy her movements, though his steps were more jerky and stiff.

Like a striking snake, Bon Bon lunged forward, running into Floyd's legs. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she heaved him off the ground, tossing him over her head. Floyd grunted in pain as his back struck the mat, his head bouncing on it as well before snapping back to its normal position. He rolled onto his hands and knees before standing up.

Bon Bon circled him again, eyes locked on him. She stepped slowly, breathing steady and slow. Without warning she struck at Floyd again. Rising up onto her back hooves, she brought a hoof down on his shin. Floyd sharply inhaled air, using his uninjured leg to try and kick her away. Batting his leg away, she jabbed her hoof into his stomach several times. With a heave, she shoved him to the ground. Straddling his hips, she jabbed a hoof at his jaw. There was a loud thwack that filled the room and made Ember wince as Floyd's head bounced on the mat again. He put his hands up, trying to lift Bon Bon off him.

Stepping away under her own power, Bon Bon looked down at Floyd, saying, "Just lay there a moment and catch your breath. I didn't hit you too hard did I?"

Floyd held out a finger as he put a hand beneath his jaw and moved it around for a moment. He winced for a moment before speaking, "I'm achy, but I don't think you broke anything."

"Good," Bon Bon sat down, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. "You humans aren't as durable as ponies are."

Floyd hauled himself into a sitting position, wiped at his own brow and turned his head to the rest of his team. "Whose idea was it to pair me up with the trained badass again? I think the head trauma made me forget."

"Someone has to babysit you and the dorks," Bon Bon replied, chuckling a bit. "Lyra might know a bit of Standing Way, but that doesn't mean she actually knows how to fight."

"I'm sorry, did you just call your CO a dork?" Higgs asked, smirking as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That's a quick way to land on latrine duty."

Ember watched the group carry on, moving over to her own. She dropped onto a bench, a long sigh escaping her lips. Her people watching session was interrupted, as Anansi took the seat next to her.

"Humans are curious creatures aren't they?" he asked, watching as Floyd attempted to grapple with Bon Bon. "They're far more stubborn than even Earth ponies."

"Sad thing is, that's probably their best quality," Ember joked, looking over to the zebra. "By the way, I had no idea you were a skilled fighter. I thought you said you were a shaman?"

"So? That doesn't mean I can't practice the martial arts," Anansi smiled at her. "You, on the other hand, fight like an angry bear: brute force and no thought."

Ember kept herself from frowning at the comment. "It's worked for me so far. Dragons don't exactly have strict fighting styles."

"Until a little zebra like me sent you tumbling to the floor," Anansi continued his smile. "You should learn to think before you act."

Ember let herself frown. "I think I've made some improvements in that department. Not too long ago, I'd have punched you in the throat for a comment like that."

"Ah, good, learning restraint is crucial in life. Of course, even if one cannot master it, they are better for having tried."

Ember arched a brow at him, "Do you ever get tired of giving me life advice? 'Cause it feels like every one of our conversations eventually turns to you trying to dish out one lesson or another."

Anansi clicked his tongue, "Am I that transparent? You are the daughter of the dragonlord, with a high chance of being the next one. Why should I not try to impart lessons I think would help the dragons?"

She felt her chest swell a bit at the compliment that he believed in her ability to win the trial. "I'm not complaining. Usually I like your lessons." She smirked a little, "I definitely wouldn't complain if you added fighting lessons to the mix. You've got some good moves."

"I would like that," Anansi patted her shoulder. "A question, Ember. Why are the dragons here?"

"They're here because I appealed to their sense of greed," she told him. "My father was very reluctant to work with other races, but I hinted that we might be able to get rare treasures from across the stars."

"Do you think that's why they should be here?"

"No," Ember replied, tilting her head to look down at her lap. "There are better reasons than just getting treasure out there. After seeing Elmis and her drones I can't help but wonder if there are other dragons out there that live different lives from the ones here."

"An admirable idea to hold." Anansi reached over, grabbing a bar of candy. He offered it to Ember, "Is that why you are here?"

"That's part of it I think," she replied, quickly thanking him as she grabbed the bar. She unwrapped it and took a small bite. "But I also want to get away from my father and prove myself here. He thinks that strength and size are all that matters," she pointed the bar at him, "but you prove that there are other things that matter too. I mean, I'm bigger and stronger, but I hardly touched you when we were sparring."

"I noticed I'm not the only one you think of as such," Anansi gestured to the mats. Giving her a sly smile, he rose from his seat. "If you find yourself in need of any life lessons, you can always come to me."

Ember watched him trot away, left as confused as always. "What did he mean by that?" She quirked a brow and followed where Anansi had pointed. This only confused her further as she saw Floyd and his group. "That zebra is so weird," she muttered.

The Adjudicator trotted through the halls of Mu, paying no more mind to the morbid decor than she usually did. She walked back the long decayed bodies, long sense having grown used to them. The appearance of Lanteans was taxing her thoughts. They had no doubt discovered the fate of their Shangrian counterparts, and there was no other place for them to be besides the lost city; Mu had the only other gate capable of intergalactic travel, and was under Umbrum control. Luckily, there had been no other sightings of the Lanteans since their first encounter. The Adjudicator adjusted her course, making her way to the control room.

Stepping into the control room, she stamped a hoof, "What is the status of the fleet?"

A grey mare with a short, brick red mane turned from her seat at a console. "All ships are accounted for, minus the two gateships stolen by the Lanteans. They reported in a cycle ago and are in the positions you suggested."

"Excellent," the Adjudicator scanned the room before stamping her hoof again. "Send a message to Lemuria. Let the Inquisitor know that we are coming, and that I want an update on his process."

"What of the Keeper?" the mare asked. "She has reported in and is on standby in Taqar's orbit."

The Adjudicator paused. It had been at least a decade since all the praetors had been in one place. "Contact all the praetors. We shall met on Lemuria."

"As you wish, Adjudicator," the mare bowed her head and turned back to her console, tapping out a sequence of keys.

"Set a course for Lemuria," the Adjudicator ordered, taking her seat. They ship rocked slightly as it entered hyperspace.

A meeting of all the higher Umbrum. Not something that happened easily, or eagerly. She found herself dwelling on it, a bunch of headstrong Umbrum, arguing over how best to follow their lord's last orders. The Adjudicator leaned back in her seat, her brow furrowing. Perhaps she could use the appearance of the Lanteans to her advantage? Surely she could convince the others that cooperating with her would be in their best interest. A small smirk wormed its way onto her face as she started to consider what she'd say to the other praetors.

The ship lurched again, signaling the exit from hyperspace. It then started to rock as they breached Lemur's atmosphere, followed by one final lurch as they touched down in the ocean. Without waiting, the Adjudicator made her way up to the gate ship bay. She motioned to a pair of Umbrum stallions stationed at the doors of the bay and stopped at the end of one of the ships.

"With me, now," she ordered, opening the gate ship's door and stepping inside. Taking a seat in the pilot's chair, the ship came to life around her.

The pair of stallions fell in behind her, taking their own seats. Before they could even secure themselves, the Adjudicator brought the ship up and opened the roof for the ship to exit. With a thought, the ship took to the sky, making its way across the planet. The trip was spent in silence, her impromptu escorts not being the talkative sort. After an hour or so, the spires of Lemuria came into view.

Once in the city, the Adjudicator made her way down to the center spire. Lemuria shared its layout with the city-ships, though unlike Mu, it was a traditional city.

The Adjudicator stamped her hoof, getting the attention of the Umbrum at their stations. "Tell me, how many of the praetors are here?"

"As domineering as always, aren't we?" A tall unicorn wearing a cloak and circlet stepped into view. His horn was adorned with a sheath, the tip sharpened to a point. Deep purple eyes gazed upon her, a hint a malice behind them. "You never change, Adjudicator."

The Adjudicator snorted, glaring at the unicorn. "I simply don't like having my time wasted. Time spent observing niceties is time that could be spent finding the Overlord. Something you clearly don't understand given how much you primp and preen yourself." She waved a hoof over his attire.

Scoffing, the unicorn flicked his mane back. "I have done more than my share in finding our majestic master. That is Lemuria's purpose after all. A much better one than mingling with the lesser creatures of the galaxy."

The Adjudicator forced herself to not grit her teeth at that comment. "I am doing my part by maintaining our lord's empire." A wicked glint appeared in her eyes, "Besides, you never know when one of them might develop something to help us. There are some clever little bugs in our domain after all."

"On that we agree," he gestured out the window. "Why else put them to work?"

She let out a quick laugh, looking out the window with him, "It is quite rare that we can agree on something. Though I do wish we could get used to such a thing." The Adjudicator glanced back at him. "Inquisitor, what about the rest of the praetors?"

"They are on their way," he assured her. "I can't imagine any of us would ignore a call to gather. Not with how reluctant any of us are to make such a call."

"Am I the first to arrive?"

"That you are," the Inquisitor replied. "Considering the Keeper's last location, she should be the second closest."

The Adjudicator snorted. "She has always been an addle-minded buffoon."

He let out a laugh, tilting his head back for a moment, "I believe we've found another matter we agree on."

"A disturbing trend, if there ever was one."

He smirked and shook his head, "Yes, if this continues we could dare say that we get along. Perish the thought."

The Adjudicator didn't reply, remaining completely silent as she stared out the window. A small sense of satisfaction welled up inside her. Somehow she was winning over the Inquisitor without mentioning the Lanteans at all. It seems the general mistrust of other praetors was another weapon in her arsenal. She would need to press this before the others arrived. Having the favor of one other praetor was something she couldn't pass up on if her ventures were to succeed.

"Your order to gather the fleet caused a bit of a stir." The Inquisitor stepped up beside her. "You know, we're going to lose territory."

"Did you hear the reason I gave that order?" she asked, turning her head to him. "The Lanteans have found their way to our galaxy. Without access to the Overlord's Plague, we would be sure to lose territory in confrontations to them. My thinking was to use our knowledge of this galaxy to our advantage and focus our efforts on locating the lost city."

The Inquisitor clicked his tongue. "I wasn't talking about the Lanteans."

"I'm thinking in the big picture," she said. "The Lanteans pose the greatest threat to our goal. We can reclaim planets that take advantage of our fleet's movements later. The Lanteans have access to the lost city and all the records contained in it. They are sure to learn of our lord and his fate."

"I'll remind you of that when we're fighting tooth and nail with that broken-horned cur."

"Inquisitor, I know you are many things, but stupid is not one of them," the Adjudicator said, sighing. "I did not make my decision lightly. Surely you can imagine what the Lanteans could be capable of after their millennia of separation from the Shangrians. The hornless mare is nothing but a cockroach in comparison to what the Lanteans are capable of."

"That may be true, but, that doesn't make her any less dangerous."

The Adjudicator smirked, a wicked glint in her eyes, "Rest assured, once we have purged the Lanteans from this galaxy, we will take care of her. A planet here or there is nothing compared to losing any hope of completing our lord's orders."

"Are you sure your crew agrees with that?" The Inquisitor matched her smirk. "I hear your troops aren't as well disciplined as you like to say. Such a shame."

The Adjudicator's smirk fell slightly. She took a deep breath, keeping herself calm, "I am quite sure the important crewmembers of Mu agree with this judgement. Especially after I made an example of that idiot Kovar."

The Inquisitor let out a dry chuckle, pushing part of his mane behind his ear. "I suppose there is a brutal efficiency to your might-makes-right attitude. Just do try not to go overboard, otherwise you might not have any crew left."

"I am not so foolish as to kill all of my crew." She put on a fake smile, "But thank you for your concern. If I want leadership advice, you'll be the first to know."

Before the Inquisitor could respond, the sound of rushing air and a dull thud could be heard coming from the hangar. A few moments later and a slightly short pegasus mare with grayish-purple fur came into the control room with a pair of guards following close behind. She had a purple, frizzy, curly mane that she had pulled back in an attempt to look respectable. Her purple eyes flitted around the room, taking everything in.

"Glad to see you could make it, Keeper," The Inquisitor greeted the newcomer, regarding the mare with an indifferent gaze. "How was Taqar? Can't imagine there was much to see past the ash clouds."

"You can see the sky, if you go high enough."

The Adjudicator never did like the Keeper. She wasn't like her siblings, and the Overlord had left out many common Umbrum traits. The Adjudicator had to remind herself that it made sense. Her fellow praetor was made for studying, not participating in their master's war machine.

"Hmm, and did you see any signs of ruins or anything useful? The Inquisitor pressed, taking a step towards the smaller mare. "You seemed so confident in your last transmission."

"I believe I may have found a cache of energy crystals," the Keeper replied. "The readings are a little off due to the ash storms."

"Hmm, seems like you're in the pursuit of something useful," the Adjudicator said, not bothering to hide her surprise. "I'm sure the Overseer will lay claim to those crystals the instant you find them."

"Of course."

The trio fell into the normal, festering silence that always joined the group when they met, broken only by the working of the Umbrum around them. It didn't take long for the remaining praetors to join them. The Inquisitor led them to a room with a long table and each of them took a seat; the Inquisitor placed himself at the head of the table with the other praetors spread out along the sides.

"So lovely to see all of you again," the Inquisitor began, leaning back in his chair. "Since the Adjudicator called us together, I will defer to her for now." He waved his hoof over to her.

"We are here to deal with the Lanteans," The Adjudicator spoke, glancing across the table. "I have recalled our ships and tasked them with defending our most important worlds. We'll let the ape take the others, for now." She nodded back at the Inquisitor. "I was told Vox was getting close to finding our master's last coordinates?"

The Keeper nodded, "Yes, my crew are looking into Shangrian logs that could hint at where we might finally find him." A frown then formed on her face, "Except the logs are located on what you designated a non-priority planet."

The Inquisitor tapped a hoof on the table. "While having the location would be nice, I doubt that is where our master is." Lighting his horn, he sent off a message. "We would find nothing but an empty planet, perhaps with some ruins on it."

A stocky, grey earth pony adjusted himself in his seat, fixing his yellow eyes on the Inquisitor. "I take it you have a working theory on our master's true whereabouts, then?"

"If I did not, I would not be suggesting it, would I, Speaker?" the Inquisitor tsked. "I believe our master's fate lies in the source of his power." He paused as the doors opened, and a shackled griffon walked into the room. "But, I shall let Sinbar here explain. It is his theory after all."

Judging by the size and build it was a male. His feathers were a deep brown, with his leonine tail capped by a red shock of fur. Around his neck was a black collar made of leather from an unknown source. Despite being shackled, Sinbar didn't seem at all bothered by his position, his golden irises regarding the praetors calmly. After a brief moment, he stepped up to the table and bowed, letting his forehead touch the floor.

"Thank you, for hearing me speak," Sinbar spoke, keeping his head low. "As you know, the Shangrians used amulets to bolster their magical power, as did our lord's bell."

"So far I am unimpressed," a blood-red pegasus mare interrupted, turning to the Inquisitor with an irritated look. "I thought you said we'd be hearing a theory, not information we are all very well aware of."

The Inquisitor met her with an unamused glare. "Allow Sinbar to speak his peace." He gestured for the griffon to continue.

Sinbar bowed his head to the Inquisitor. "The amulets and bell do something similar to the astria porta, facilitating access to something the Shangrians called subspace. However, their end goals differ greatly. The astria porta can only access it to make travel between worlds simple, whereas the amulets and bell can access it to benefit the whims of the user."

"I believe the Shangrians used an effect similar to those artifacts and trapped our lord in some layer of subspace."

The Speaker leaned forward in his seat, "And what would that mean for our efforts in returning our lord to his throne?" He quirked a brow and tapped his hoof on the table. "Surely you have not come here without possible solutions?"

Sinbar shook his head, "Unfortunately no, I am still working with the Inquisitor in order to discover a way to free our lord from his confinement." He bowed again, "Forgive my failure, the astria porta is complex, even by the standards of Shangrian technology. My progress is also hindered because we have no amulets to study. I have a hypothesis that they may help expedite our goal."

The Inquisitor turned his attention to the Keeper. "Have you and your crew ever found an intact amulet?"

"It would have been easier, if the ones that took the cities and ships, took an inventory of everything," the Keeper explained, huffing.

The other pegasus mare sighed, shaking her head. "You're wasting your time complaining about that. I've suggested it countless times. My own work would've been made so much easier if all of you gave me inventory logs."

The Adjudicator barked in laughter. "My job isn't to make yours easier. Find one of those amulets, Keeper, and make yourself useful for once."

The Keeper's feathers ruffled at that. "Do I have to remind you that we wouldn't know how to use half of the Shangrian technology's capabilities were it not for my team? Not all of us were meant for going to the primitives and keeping them in line."

The Inquisitor tapped his hoof again. "This in-fighting has plagued us for far too long. We know what must be done. I suggest we get started. Adjudicator, you will make sure the Keeper gets those logs. Once we find the Master's world, I will begin construction on a laboratory there, to facilitate his return."

"Give me a detailed list of the materials you will need," the red pegasus mare chimed in. "I will make sure to gather them and have them delivered to the planet."

"Excellent," The Inquisitor threw on an easy smile. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

The Speaker chuckled, running a hoof through his long beard. "Let us hope we can maintain this peace. The eve of our master's return is at hoof. It has been far too long since the galaxy has known his true glory."

The Adjudicator rose to her hooves, thumping her arm against her chest. "Glory to the Overlord."

The others followed her lead, rising out of their seats and pounding their hooves to their chest. "Glory to the Overlord," they chanted in unison.

What We Do In The Dark [Part 3]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luna snorted, storming out of the room.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What We Do In The Dark [Part 4]

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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.

Gambler's Luck [Part 1]

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Gateroom staff had a history of experiencing some intense moments. Most of it, oddly enough, revolved around things exploding. The ranting of an enraged pony was a new one to everyone. It had begun as soon as SR-1 went into their debriefing with the general, with no clear end in sight.

"I could've killed innocent people with my stunt!" Bon Bon barked, stamping her hooves in front of Higgs. "I get making sure your teams are ready, but this was insane!" Whipping around to Carter, she snorted. "How the hay could you sign off on this insanity!?"

"We've used this sort of training before," Carter replied, her tone even in the face of Bon Bon's rage. "It's proven effective at showing the potential of our recruits."

"You used live ammo on us!!" Bon Bon seethed, stamping heer hooves hard enough to crack the floor. "The hay is wrong with you!?"

"That wasn't live ammo," Higgs cut in. "We used non-lethal weapons that we took from a Goa'uld training camp years ago."

"We were using intars, as you were," Carter elaborated, outwardly displaying a face of calm, although her eyes focused on Bon Bon's hoof. "The SGC upgraded them exactly for these sort of training exercises."

"I have to agree with Bon Bon," Devon said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Between Floyd's magic and Bon Bon's explosives, some of the troops could've died. Train us all you want, but this wasn't the way to do it."

Higgs shifted, gesturing to Bon Bon. "We weren't expecting you to peek behind the curtain and find Oz. The plan was for me to walk you through a hostile situation, to see what stuck."

"Right because when put in a situation where we're afraid for our lives and given reason to distrust our squad leader, everything's gonna go according to plan," Floyd shot back, his head still killing him. "Next we should walk into an enemy base, unarmed, for peace talks. Nothing bad could possibly happen."

Despite getting his amulet back, his body was still reeling from the disconnect. He had already taken the maximum amount of painkillers, left only with a constant throb. Sunburst had offered an explanation for his reaction, though Floyd hadn't been paying that much attention.

"I'm with the others on this," Lyra spoke up, looking between Higgs and Carter with a frown. "This was a terrible idea for a training exercise. Imagine if you did this with a squad containing a pegasus. People could've been hit by lightning, which I don't think humans can shrug off."

"And don't forget dragons," Devon pressed. "I don't think they'd hesitate to charbroil those soldiers if they felt their lives were on the line."

"You make very excellent points," Carter relented. "We looked at this exercise from a human perspective and neglected to take into account the abilities of our new allies. From now on, we won't make that mistake."

"Considering the damage Bon Bon caused, this will be the only one of these exercises," Higgs followed up, glancing at the mare in question. "We'll just have to come up with another graduation test."

"How about one your cadets actually know is a test," Bon Bon snapped, turning on her hooves. "If you need me, I'll be in my room."

"There is one last thing, Sweetie Drops," Carter replied, her voice neutral.

Bon Bon turned around, a blank look on her face. "Yes, General?"

Carter held her gaze for a moment before speaking. "You far exceeded our expectations, all of you. Get some rest, your first mission will be assigned in the next few days. Make sure you're prepared."

SR-1 snapped a half-hearted salute and turned away from the general to go to their respective rooms. Their irritation dissipated as they walked, exhaustion taking root. Floyd allowed Devon to support him, taking slow, careful steps. As they walked, Floyd's head finally started to stop throbbing. It made their journey easier and he eventually assured the other man that he could walk on his own.

The group split up once they reached their rooms, Devon following Floyd just to make sure he was okay. Once Floyd was in his room, he collapsed onto his bed and sighed. Staring up at the ceiling, he couldn't help but let his thoughts drift to the test he had been told he'd passed.

"What a shitty test..." he grumbled to himself, putting his hands behind his head. Closing his eyes, Floyd allowed his head to sink into his pillow. "I don't get paid enough for this." A yawn escaped his lips and he didn't bother trying to fight the urge to sleep. "Just glad Ember doesn't have to take it. Devon's right, she'd burninate all those soldiers," he muttered before drifting off to sleep.

Floyd's dreams took a strange turn; one moment he was on a set directing the best horror movie he could imagine, and the next he was in a misty white plane with a sea of stars above him. Before he could question what was happening, Princess Luna stepped out from the mist, looking regal, as always.

"Greetings, young Floyd," she said, bowing her head. "I hope your training has been treating you well."

"I was just tricked into thinking that my trainers had turned on us and didn't approve of Hallan SGC members for the sake of making sure we were ready for real combat," he answered flatly. "My biological processes went off the rails when they took my amulet and I'm still dealing with it."

"Hmm, we will have a word with General Carter about this training method," Luna assured him. "I am sorry you had to go through such an experience."

"You don't owe me an apology, Princess," Floyd assured her. "So, what brings you to my dreams? I was kinda in the middle of the big horror scene when you showed up. Peter Cushing was about to banish Cthulu to the ninth circle of hell."

Luna blinked owlishly, regarding the young man with utter confusion, "I have no idea what any of that meant." Clearing her throat, she gestured to his chest. "I came to see how your training with Sunburst is going. We can't have the world's only magic man be taught by a loser."

It was Floyd's turn to be confused. He stared blankly at the mare, trying to figure out if he had heard her correctly. "Uh, excuse me, Princess? What was that last part?"

"I-I have no idea why I said that," Luna responded, her muzzle scrunching up. "It seems I really don't have a clue at all."

Doing his best to ignore her strange outburst, he answered, "My lessons have been going well. Sunburst is patient with me even when I struggle with something basic."

"Excellent!" Luna's face turned uncomfortable as she struck a pose. "We won't have to banish that goateed dropout to the moon! He has staved off our wrath for now!"

"Princess, are you feeling okay?" Floyd questioned, stepping over to her and putting the back of his hand to her forehead. "You're not acting like yourself at all."

"That's because she's a filthy little backstabber," a male voice responded. "She'll stab any family member in the back, even the ones she conspires with!" Rising out of the clouds was Discord, looking exactly as the gatestaff had reported. "Isn't that right, Lulu?"

"You took my memories from me, how am I supposed to answer that question?" Luna answered flatly, glaring at the chimeric mess.

"How about you take some time off and think about it, okay?" Lifting Luna up by her mane, he held her at arm's length. "Floyd and I have some things to talk about. So why don't you be a good little filly and run along." Unzipping the air, he tossed Luna through and sealed the rift. "Now then! Just us guys now!"

"So, you're Discord, huh?" Floyd inquired, tensing up as he tried to size up the draconequus. "Not to be rude, but I'm kinda getting a Q from TNG vibe from you."

"You know, that's what General Carter thought." Discord grinned curling around the young man. "See, my boy, we have much to discuss!" Discord pushed Floyd back into the therapist's couch, taking a seat across from him. "Now, tell me about your mother."

For some reason, Floyd felt it was best that he played along. Something along the lines of defying the chaos spirit's expectations. Letting out a sigh, he rested his head on the couch. "Doctor Discord, I think I have some deeply held resentment for her. What should I do?"

Discord nodded, writing on a notepad. "I think I should get better acquainted with you. Nurse, restrain the patient please."

A version of Discord in a blonde wig, bright red lipstick and a stereotypical nurse's outfit popped into existence besides Floyd with leather straps in his hand. "Right away, Doctor." With a wink towards the original, the copy strapped the young man to the chair before he could even twitch.

"Now, remain still, I'd rather not have to reverse a lobotomy." Cracking his knuckles, Discord reached his claws over, sinking a talon into Floyd's forehead. "Hmmm...mmmhmm... Oh my! You are quite the trouble maker, aren't you?" Floyd attempted to speak, only for a random string of gibberish to come out. "Ah, that was rhetorical my boy; I've got my talon pressed down on your frontal lobe so speaking is going to be beyond you."

Floyd cringed, flinching as Discord removed his talon. "You dick! You can do anything, and you pick the worst way to read my mind! Just tell me what you want so I can enjoy my sleep, you Sheogorath knock-off."

"Oh, that's just mean," Discord replied, pouting pitifully at Floyd. "I'm chaotic, not crazy. Plus, I prefer sweets over cheese." Reaching into the young man's ear, he pulled out a ball of cotton candy. "Care to have some?"

"No, I don't want to eat your weird brain candy," Floyd replied, glaring at him. "Are we just gonna do this all night? Why don't you go troll someone else?"

"Oh fine, rain on my parade." In a flash of light, a rain cloud appeared over Floyd's head and began to downpour. "I'm here because of the little trinket around your neck." Getting into Floyd's face, he stared into his eyes. "I told the General I wouldn't interrupt your little war games, but now you're here and I'm not holding back."

"And why do you care about the amulet?" Floyd inquired, his hand going to his neck.

"I grew up here, this was my home." The blank mindscape shifted, transforming into a lively Shangri-La gateroom populated by darker skinned humans in tunics. "These were my family, family that I cared for deeply." Discord pulled back, looking out over the balcony. "Why wouldn't I care if some little snot went grave robbing?"

Floyd's head whipped around, taking in the scene around him. Several of the people passed through him, causing him to shudder. "I don't know why I put the amulet on, it was like the thing... called out to me. I know that sounds lame but its the truth."

Discord snorted, putting his hand on Floyd's head. "The thing is, Floyd, they aren't here. I am. Which means, I'll be the one deciding if you can keep that little trinket or not, mmkay?"

"Uh, can you please let me keep it?" Floyd asked, gulping. "I've already dealt with magic withdrawal and it is not fun. What do you want me to do to prove I deserve it?" How was he supposed to talk down a Chaos God? Trade witty insults? Granted, Discord probably had a lot more experience in that department.

"Ah, now that is an excellent question." Discord coiled around Floyd again, poking his forehead. "See, I've already poked around in all your memories. You're a man after my own heart." Reaching into his chest, he pulled out his beating heart. "But, that's not exactly a good thing when we're talking about inheriting something as important as that necklace."

"So you're just gonna take it from me?" Floyd questioned, a pit forming in his stomach. "There have to be ascended Shangrians. Why don't you just ask their opinion. They don't seem to have a problem with me having it."

"They don't want to talk to me." Discord snorted, filing his talons. "They never bothered to visit during my time as a lawn ornament so I don't see them popping in for a chat any time soon. As it stands I'm the only one who has any real claim to Shangri-La."

"That's a bit bipolar, isn't it? They probably didn't visit because they knew you were in time out and didn't want to interrupt." Floyd raised an eyebrow. " And are you sure about that? I mean, didn't Celestia and Luna grow up here too? Or is that a part of your 'tortured' backstory?"

"Keep it up and I'll turn you into a weasel on top of taking the amulet," Discord warned, leveling a glare at the human.

"Not very harmonious of you, now is it?" Floyd retorted, glaring back. "Just tell me what I have to do so I can get you out of my head. I have better things to do than talk to Frankenstein's reject."

Discord ignored the insult, snapping his talons. "Oh, I think you'll have an idea of what I have in store for you once you wake up. A little, teeny weeny surprise, just for you Floyd."

"What the hell does that me–" Floyd didn't have a chance to finish his question as he felt the pull of consciousness on his mind. Though when he woke up, he was greeted by darkness and a weight over his entire body.

"The hell did that monster do to me!?" Floyd growled, wriggling out from under said weight. Each movement was just wrong. Everything was wrong with his body and he had no idea why. It was like the joints in his arms and legs were bending the wrong way. Plus, there was something agitating his forehead and he couldn't quite place why. He tried flexing his fingers and toes, only to get no response.

With a grunt, he freed himself from his prison, finding himself in his room... if it had been resized for a giant. "He shrank me?!" Shaking with anger, Floyd pushed himself to his feet, only to topple over. He tried it again, only to meet similar results and wound up sprawled out on his bed.

He was ready to let out a growl of frustration, only for the sound to die in his throat. Right in front of him where arms should be, he was instead greeted by tan hooves. Glancing up, a pair of antennae hung down into his vision. A scream tore out of his mouth and he reached up to tug at the antennae on his forehead. He failed to get a grip, only succeeding in making them bob in his face.

"What the hell am I?!" Floyd cried, struggling to get himself upright. "Discord! You mismatched asshole! What did you do to me?!" Shakily, he managed to get onto his new hooves and swore he could hear the faint sound of the chaos spirit laughing at him.

Taking a breath, Floyd did his best to rein in his anger. Exploding wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Step one, get some help. Where'd I leave my comms?" He took a few moments to examine his room, looking for his walkie. Groaning, he saw that he had left it on his nightstand. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but with his diminished size the small gap may as well have been the Grand Canyon.

"Okay, how the hell am I supposed to get up there?" Floyd stared at the nightstand before touching one of his antenna. "If I have these... Maybe I have wings?" Deciding to take a chance, he tried flexing muscles on his back where wings might be.

To his utter amazement, he got a response. Though he didn't seem to have the shelled wings of something like a beetle. When he turned his head, he was greeted by the sight of garishly-colored butterfly wings.

"Right. Wings are a thing. Now I just have to teach myself to fly..." Taking a deep breath, he continued to flex where he had before, hoping to make some sort of flapping motion. Instead of a flap, all he managed to achieve were some weak twitches. Grunting, he continued his attempt to move his wings. "This'll have to be good enough," he grumbled, moving towards the edge of the bed.

"One... two... three!" Beating his wings, he jumped off his bed, flapping as hard as he could. "God, this sucks," he muttered, managing to grab onto the ledge just as his wings gave out. Heaving, he pulled himself onto the nightstand. "Whatever this body is, it's worthless."

Shaking himself out like a dog, Floyd made a beeline for the 'transmit' button. With a heave of strength and a few muttered swears, he managed to turn it on. "Yes! Finally, things are working out!" Once he heard the device crackle to life, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Higgs! This is Floyd! That Discord creep turned me into something! I'm some kind of pony fairy!"

There was another crackling on the other end and Higgs replied with, "A what now? Hendrix, you sound like you've sucked down a canister of helium."

"Just come help me! And don't swat anything that flies up to you!" Floyd commanded, buzzing his wings in agitation. "I'm not spending another second like this!"

"Alright, don't get your panties in a wad," Higgs responded before the other end of the line cut off.

Looking around the room, Floyd grumbled to himself. Everything looked too big. "He freaking turned me into Tinkerbell! That son of a bitch better hope I don't get my hands back!" He didn't know if it would be possible to choke the chaos spirit, but damn if it didn't feel good to imagine.

A knock interrupted Floyd's ranting. "Hendrix," came Higgs' voice through the door. "Your skinny ass still alive in there?"

Rolling his eyes, Floyd hopped onto the talk button of his radio. "Yeah, I'm still alive. I'd greet you at the door but these wings are shitty. Come in, I'm on the nightstand."

With a grunt of acknowledgement, Higgs stepped into the room. "How are you on the nightstand?" he asked, glancing around the room. His eyes caught movement, landing on Floyd's tiny form. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Yeah, not exactly happy about this," Floyd replied, still using the radio. "Just pick me up and get me to Discord so I can be normal again."

"Right." Gingerly scooping Floyd up, Higgs tapped his comms. "General, this is Higgs. I'm taking Hendrix to the infirmary. Can you meet us there, over."

"What the hell is a doctor going to do for me?!" Floyd squeaked, whipping his head up at the man. "Just take me to Discord and let me be me again." A growl escaped his lips as Higgs ignored him.

"Look Hendrix, we gotta make sure that Discord left you in a stable body," Higgs told him, exiting the room. "What if the bastard left a nasty surprise like a disease or bomb in you?"

"Bah!" Throwing his hooves up, Floyd mentally checked out of the situation. Glaring at nothing in particular, the former human fumed in impotent rage. Reality didn't reach him until Higgs placed him down.

"Doc, we've got a bit of a problem here," Higgs said, looking at the man in question. "One of my squad got turned into a pony fairy."

The doctor turned, confusion overtaking his face as he regarded Floyd. "Put him on the scanner," he stated simply. Already pulling a pair of gloves on, he spoke a few orders to his nurses. "Floyd, how are you feeling?"

"Not exactly the right question to ask right now, Doc," Floyd deadpanned, his antennae twitching. "I don't feel like I'm about to die, so I guess that's something." His mood only worsened as Dr. Juan poked at his head. "Doc, I'm not a damn toy!"

"I'm just examining you, Mr. Hendrix," Dr. Juan assured, pulling his hand away. "A lot like so many other things that we've encountered on this planet, you're unlike anything I've seen before."

"Maybe one of the ponies would know something?" one of the nurses suggested, placing a tray of tools next to Floyd. "He does appear to be some sort of subspecies."

"I'm on it," Higgs said, tapping his walkie talkie. "Bon Bon, do you copy? Discord turned Floyd into some kind of tiny pony with butterfly wings."

It took a moment for the mare to respond. "Discord turned him into a breezie?"

"If you say so," Higgs told her, taking his hand away from the radio. "There you go, this really is something native to the planet."

"I don't care what a breezie is, I don't want to be one!" Floyd snapped, allowing the doctor to examine his wings.

"Hopefully you won't be one for long," Higgs assured him, stepping back towards the door. "We'll talk to Discord right after this. Though, given the General's briefing, he'll probably need some coercion."

Floyd shifted on the scanner, gritting his teeth as the nurses continued their work. "Apparently that guy doesn't like that I put on the amulet. Says it used to belong to his teacher." A touch at his side made him jump. "Hey! Watch where you're touching!"

"Sorry," the nurse quickly said, retracting her hand from his side and gently patting his head. "I realize this is rather unprofessional, but you are just freaking adorable." She smiled, scratching his ear with the tip of her finger.

Floyd's back leg thumped against the table, making him feel more like a dog than anything else. "H-hey, cut that out! Just get this over with so I can track Discord down please!" Fluttering his wings, he put a bit of distance between him and the nurse. "So keep your hands to yourself!"

"Yeah, Floyd here's understandably in a bad mood considering he can now sleep in a matchbox," Higgs commented, looking at the nurse. "Still, Floyd, drop the attitude and let the medical team do their job."

Grumbling for a moment, Floyd snorted out of his nostrils. "Fine, I'll try to keep myself in check." Floyd kept his eyes closed, focusing on anything but where he was in that moment. Wherever Discord was, it wasn't going to be far enough.

Sergeant Hamura patrolled the halls, the jumper hangar her destination. The new trainees were still coming back from offworld. Luckily, the message had been relayed after SR-1's incident. Nothing like what they did was going to happen again.

"Must have been one hell of a party," she muttered to herself, imagining just what exactly had happened off-world. "Must have been something to piss that pony off."

"Oh it was a blast!" A voice chimed in, an odd popping sound coming from behind her. "And I mean that literally!" Something coiled around her and a pair of eyes dominated her vision.

"What the fuck are you!?" she shouted in a panic, thrashing her limbs. "Get offa me!"

"Aww," the voice pouted, revealing itself to be a chimerical nightmare. "But your shoulders were so comfortable."

"Get off me!" she repeated, attempting to free herself from its grasp.

"Fine," Discord relented, slinking off of her. "Hello, Hamura. You and I need to talk."

Hamura responded by drawing her side arm. "I don't know what you are but the only talk we're having is the one where I do all the talking."

Discord yawned and snapped his talons. In a flash of light, Hamura's handgun changed into a daisy. "This is why you military types are so boring! You only ever have one answer to anything."

"You snuck up on and put your hands on me," Hamura argued, tossing the flower to the floor. "In most situations, not reacting like that would get me killed."

"Oh come on, can't a guy have some fun?" it asked, feigning insult. "And I had such a nice day planned for you, too."

"A nice day planned for me?" Hamura repeated, crossing her arms across her chest. "Can you start saying something that makes sense?"

"As unfun as it is, I will, simply because you asked nicely." Brushing himself off, he gave her a big smile. "Discord's the name, making desires reality is my prerogative. And I've taken an interest in yours."

Hamura waved him off, turning on her heel to go down the hall. "I don't have time for a huckster. Go find some gullible idiot."

"My dear, time, space and reality are my playthings." Snapping his talons, the daisy at her feet grew, becoming a living cartoon. "Sing us a tune, ol' chap."

The daisy produced a top hat and cane, grinning at the two. Then, it started to sing and dance, making sure it was a grandiose display. Tipping its hat, it winked at Hamura and finished with a flourish.

"Just because you've got fancy magic doesn't mean you aren't trying to pull a fast one on me," Hamura pointed out, offering some applause to the cartoon flower. "I'm not taking some Monkey's Paw deal."

"Madame, you wound me," Discord replied, gasping. "I have the paw of a lion, not a monkey." He held his paw in front of her face and wiggled the digits. "You have nothing to fear, no backfiring wishes will be had."

"What's the deal then?" Hamura asked, quirking her brow skeptically. "I assume this is gonna cost me."

"Absolutely nothing," Discord assured, patting her head. "I'm here to please, Sergeant. Just let me peruse your mind and we'll get started."

"Let me rephrase that," Hamura started, taking a step back from Discord. "Is there a cost at all to this?"

Mulling over the question, Discord stroked his goatee. "Nothing that you need concern yourself with. For you, this is all pro bono."

Hamura stared at Discord, mulling over his offer. "Let me think this over. A deal like this? Seems way too good to be true." Glancing at the flower, she paused. "You can just do whatever you want like that?"

"Absolutely," Discord replied, a glass of chocolate milk suddenly in his talons. "Whenever an idea pops into my head, I can just make it a reality. And if used correctly, my power provides an endless amount of fun." Slithering up to her, he put on a winning smile. "Why, is there something you'd like to see me do with it? All you have to do is let me take a look at your mind~"

Hamura's face scrunched up in thought. "Prove you can look in my head and I'll think about my answer."

"Just hold still~" Discord touched a talon to her forehead, humming softly. His eyes began to spin like slot machine reels, her life playing out on their surface. "You had quite the interesting upbringing my dear."

Hamura shuddered, whether from the sensation of the talon or what he was saying she couldn't tell.

"And done!" Withdrawing his hand, he offered her a cup of tea. "That should soothe your nerves, Hammy."

Hamura shook her head, trying to unmuddle her thoughts. After a moment, she felt comfortable enough to speak. "So, what did you learn?"

"Enough to know you're not happy at all with your position." floating around her, he tossed a stuffed beetle into the air. "You don't want to be stuck on this backwater planet, talking to pastel ponies. You want to be on Atlantis, fighting those scary bugmen."

Hamura blinked, keeping her eye on Discord. "Okay, so you can read minds."

Discord grinned, rubbing his paws together. "How about a taste of what I can offer?"

"So a test before we finalize a deal?" Hamura guessed, uncertainty creeping into her tone. "That... sounds good..."

"Alright," Discord said, suddenly towering over Hamura. He reached down, picking Hamura up by her collar. "Get a feel of your desires." With that, he casually tossed her down the hall, forcing her to close her eyes.

Hamura came back to the world with a stumble, her senses reeling from the experience. Shangri-La's slick walls had been replaced by thick web like substance and spongy flesh-like material. A P90 rested in her hands, finger poised to pull the trigger. The building was dark, only a few beams of light around her illuminating the derelict passage.

"The hell?" she muttered, her head moving on a swivel.

"Eyes forward, Hamura," a voice snapped in a harsh whisper. "Anything moves, light it up."

"Uh, yes sir," she replied hesitantly, forcing herself to be on high alert. She clearly didn't have time to be confused about her current situation. "Don't see anything so far."

"That's how the Wraith like it," another feminine voice commented from behind her. "They prefer to have you lay your eyes on them once they've got their hands on your throat."

"Cut the chatter," the first voice hissed. "Eyes forward, stay frosty."

Hamura nodded, putting her head on a swivel once again. She wanted to question what they were doing, but decided against it.

"Feeling a little... out of your depth?" Discord asked, appearing on her shoulder in the form of a hawk. "You keep focused and I'll give you the plot set up. You are Lt. Hamura, on assignment with AR-7. You've been sent in to rescue a group of colonists from wraith clutches. There's even a chance you'll run into AR-1, isn't that exciting?"

"Certainly didn't throw me in the kiddie pool," Hamura muttered, not taking her eyes away from her surroundings.

"Now, now, you wanted to be in the thick of things," Discord reminded, starting to preen his feathers. "Just make sure those bug-men don't get a hold of you. My power's stretched thin this far out, so, the fear of death is very real."

"Is that why you're something small?" Hamura questioned, hating how dead everything looked. "To conserve energy?"

Discord scoffed, slapping her with a wing. "Are you implying my powers aren't as great as I make them out to be? For shame, Hammy."

"You're the one that said they're stretched thin," she grumbled, her eyes darting around the hall. Movement brought her eyes to the left and her finger to her trigger. "Wraith, 8 o'clock!" Opening fire, she was met with the featureless mask of a wraith drone. The drone tanked the shots, leveling his own weapon at her. She dove, managing to get behind cover before she fell victim to the paralyzing ray.

"Weapons free!" the commanding officer shouted, adding his own spray of bullets to the oncoming drones.

A group of wraith moved into the hall, firing stunner blasts at the intruders. Hamura pressed herself against a wall, a stunner bolt whizzing by her. Hamura gritted her teeth, popping out from her cover and spraying in the area where the stunner bolt had come from.

"Oooh, what a nail biter!" Discord ruffled his feathers, perched on Hamura's head. "Nasty things, aren't they? Seems to me, karma got back around to the Atlanteans. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Now really isn't the time to discuss that!" Hamura hissed, narrowly avoiding a stinger bolt as she returned to cover.

"Well, we are here after all, and I'll probably forget you exist after today so... this seems like an appropriate time," he countered, wincing as one of her teammates was hit. "One man down and they just keep coming."

"Discord, please shut up!" Hamura barked, grabbing a grenade off her vest and tossing it into the crowd of drones. "I can't do this and babysit you!"

"I'm not asking you to babysit me," Discord replied, pecking her cheek. "I'm just trying to take your mind off this stressful situation."

Pushing his voice out of her mind, Hamura moved across the hall. Taking cover in an alcove, she fired off another burst of rounds at the drones. "How many are there?!"

"No idea!" her CO's voice replied through gritted teeth. "Just keep your head down and your gun firing!"

Hamura didn't need to be told twice, firing at anything that moved toward her in the dim hall. Her hands started to shake, the pressure of the situation bearing down on her. She focused on her task at hand, she didn't see the drone until it tackled her to the ground. She struggled to push the drone off of her, but its strength proved to be too much. She watched in horror as it brought up one of its hands, revealing the odd suckers all along it.

"That's enough of that."

Even as a scream tore from her throat, Hamura found herself standing in the hall back in Shangri-La. No evidence of her trip to Pegasus remained.

"Hm... probably not the best of demos. You didn't even make it to the part with Ronin. A pity." Discord eyed her closely, stroking his goatee. "So~ Did you enjoy yourself?"

Hamura trembled, unable to answer him for a few moments. She wanted to be angry at the chimerical figure, but the image of the drone forced a damning revelation. "I-I'm not ready for away missions," she muttered to herself. "I need to get better."

"So, that's a no then?" Discord asked, floating around her. "And here I was, planning your itinerary." Holding up a pamphlet labeled 'Atlantis', he tore it up. "Ah, but you should be proud of yourself. You managed to resist my temptations. Through failure, sure, but you still did it."

"And you're congratulating me on that?" she asked, her head snapping to attention and her eyes boring holes through Discord.

"Yes, yes I am." Discord patted her head, pinning a medal onto her vest. "Now, would you rather a trip to the city councilor or a direct trip to the general's office. You can tell her it's 1-0 in her favor."

"Hold up, what's this about the gener-" Hamura began to ask, only for Discord to teleport her away. It took her a moment to realize she was standing in front of General Carter's desk. Despite herself, she snapped a salute. "Ma'am."

"I take it you've met Discord?" Carter asked, looking up from her paperwork slightly surprised.

"Er... yes ma'am. Told me to tell you it was 1-0 in your favor," Hamura explained, dropping her salute.

Managing a smile, Carter put down her papers. "Glad to hear it. And Hamura, tell your CO that I've relieved you from duties for rest of today. I'm sure you've been through a lot."

"Uh, thank you ma'am." Snapping another salute, Hamura took her leave of the general. She frowned, attempting and failing to make sense of it all. "Forget it," she spoke to herself. "I need a drink." Declaration made, she headed to the bar to drown out her experience.

Discord sat atop the tallest spire of Shangri-La, staring out at the ocean. Hamura had impressed him; he had expected her to be stubborn and insist she try again. Self reflection was the first step to growth. A lesson he had taken to heart from his teachers.

"Doesn't always mean growth in the right direction," he added, watching a seagull fly past. "Had a lot of time to think. I'm more than a little unhappy that none of you ever visited. Time out indeed." He huffed, reclining and looking up at the sky. "Really hate how mysterious you've all gotten since you ascended. I bet at least one of you is here right now."

Glancing around, he pouted. "I have half a mind to go up to your plane of existence and give you all a piece of my mind." It was a blast for sure; if they were indeed hiding their presence from him, it wasn't a far fetched assumption to think they had found a way to obfuscate their plane from his perception. He tapped his tail against the roof, his pout growing. "Why all the secrets? You all were so keen on sharing knowledge while you had physical bodies."

A thought occurred to him that made him scoff. "Oh come now! What is this? Testing someone who's giving a test? What if they fail theirs? Going to stop me from kicking them out?" Huffing, he pulled a slip of paper out from his ear. "It doesn't matter. You and I have a date tomorrow, Ms. Iwu."

Gambler's Luck [Part 2]

View Online

A day in the life of Jasmine Iwu was a day of hectic typing and ogling alien technology. Much of her time since arriving had been spent integrating the expedition's technology with Shangri-La's systems. With Discord's lockdown of the city's systems, she found herself doing what she had wanted to do since day one: examining the stargate.

Kneeling down by the device, she pulled out her equipment and started attaching it to the inner ring. Somehow, examining the ring always led them to learning more about it. That just gave further testimony to how advanced the Ancients really were.

Recalling Lyra's comment about magicite, Jasmine made a mental note to bring in one of the unicorns. Magic was just another branch of science that humanity hadn't run across before. She felt a rush of ideas and feelings, a raw excitement at new knowledge.

She had to rein herself in, the task at hand came first. Tapping at the screen of her tablet, Jasmine examined the preliminary data she was getting.

"Having fun?" Discord asked, sitting next to her. Lifting up a cup, he smiled. "I brought you some tea."

"Gah!" she cried, struggling not to fall over. "Someone needs to put a bell on you!" Rushing adrenaline gave her courage, enough to put her finger in Discord's face. "You've been causing trouble all over the city! We still haven't gotten all the systems out of your little lock out!"

"Oh please, you've been loving the challenge," Discord dismissed with a grin and held the cup out to her. "You've been wondering if my lockout has self-changing code."

Snatching the tea from his hand, Jasmine held her glare. "It's not a challenge when the one giving it is a petulant man-child."

"That would wound me, if I applied the label 'man' to myself," Discord retorted, reclining in mid-air. "You mortals are always so ethnocentric trying to apply your words to other species."

"What's the proper term then?"

Discord stroked his beard with a grin. "Good question. My species has a name, draconequus.That's with two 'U's, by the way. Draqos for males." He paused chewing on his words. "And Equicos for females."

Iwu glared at him, clicking her tongue. "I'm not in the mood to deal with this." Not wanting to waste perfectly good tea, she took a sip. It wasn't too bad, a hint of blueberry and a pinch of nutmeg. "I have things to do. Important things that don't involve Picasso creatures."

"You mean like collecting that data that's already on your tablet?" the chimerical being inquired, waving his paw at her device. "If you really wanted to know about this lovely gate, all you had to do is ask~."

Glancing down, Iwu found readouts that hadn't been there moments before. "And why should I trust data from someone that doesn't want us here?"

"Because I don't lie, Ms. Iwu. Sure, I pester, I withhold, I tease. But I don't lie." Discord lazily floated around her, gazing up at the ceiling. "I know almost all of this city's little tricks, including those of the gate network."

Iwu unplugged her device and started to pack it away; something gave her the feeling Discord wouldn't let her get any work done. Standing up, she took another sip of her tea. She made that sip last a good long while, wanting to test the creature's patience. Iwu chose to let her mind wander, knowing full well that he could hear every one of her thoughts.

"Enjoying the tea? It's a brew I came up with myself."

"I'm getting blueberry and nutmeg. Mind sharing the recipe?" she asked, finally acknowledging him with a fake smile.

Discord met her smile with a genuine frown. "You don't have to pretend, Ms. Iwu. I'm not going to smite you because you don't like me. To answer your question, I've already put it on your tablet."

Iwu pulled out her tablet again, sure enough, the way to prepare the teabags was written in the notes section. "Huh. Thank you, Discord. I think I'll share this with my aunt when I get some leave. Sharing new teas is a thing we've done since I was a little girl."

"Sounds like a wonderful woman." Discord brought himself to a stop, hovering in front of her. "Now! Since your scans are all done and you have the free time, perhaps you'll consider my offer?"

Iwu's expression went blank and she turned on her heel. "I'm not interested. There's no way your offer's innocent after you threatened to kick us out of this ship."

"Oh come, now!" Discord popped in front of her, his hands on his hips. Or whatever approximated hips on his jigsaw-puzzle body. "Don't be like that. I can be very fun company."

Turning around again, Iwu planned a route to the nearest teleporter booth to get anywhere Discord wasn't. An exasperated sigh escaped her as she walked into Discord's chest. Stepping around him, she continued her walk down the hall. "Honestly, is not taking a hint a universal trait amongst sapient males?" she muttered.

"Maybe we just choose to ignore it?" Discord suggested, his image slithering along the wall next to her. "Ever consider that?"

"I have, and that's the worse alternative," she shot back, running a hand through her hair. "Though, most guys I've dealt with can't teleport willy-nilly."

Ah~ Now that was an idea. Turning another corner, Iwu slipped into one of the transporter booths. Hitting the button for the engineering level, she felt the familiar weightlessness of teleportation. The doors opened, giving her a good view of the opposite wall.

"So, what are we going to do here?" A voice from below her inquired. Looking down, Iwu groaned at seeing that Discord had replaced her shadow with his own silhouette. "Want to see if we can soup up the engines? We can take this ship to plaid!"

He gave her a little wave. "It was a good idea, at least. But it's not hard to piggyback onto a matter stream. Now, if you had used the Astria Porta, that'd be one thing, but these tiny teleporters are very pedestrian."

"And how would we use the stargate for something larger than the ring itself?" Iwu asked, stepping into a dark corner of the room to get rid of her shadow.

"Hm? Oh, I was talking about trying to avoid me," he responded, appearing on the wall. "Not whatever you were talking about."

"Do I have to use the stargate to get away from you?" Iwu grumbled, staring blankly at the draconequus.

"And where would you go, hm?" Discord questioned. "You've only scouted what, two planets?"

"So even if I did, you'd find me pretty quick is what you're saying?" she guessed with a sigh that was becoming distressingly common while speaking with Discord. All Iwu wanted was a normal workday. To get her hands dirty and maybe make a few discoveries. She didn't need a clingy eldritch abomination pestering her every second of the day.

"I'm so glad you're a quick study!" Discord beamed, pulling himself out of the wall. "Now, are you ready to hear me out?"

Iwu sighed again, propping herself against the wall by an arm. "If I hear you out and say no, will you leave me alone?"

Discord stroked his beard, pursing his lips. "If you hear me out, I might be inclined to give you space."

"I don't listen to maybes from guys, Discord," Jasmine shot back. "Give me a straight answer or I see just how far you'll go to get my attention."

"Fine. Yes, I'll leave you be if you say no. There, happy?" he asks, crossing his arms. "Now, can I make my pitch or not?"

Smiling smugly, she gestured for him to proceed.

"Well then, my fine lady, do I have something for you!" Discord set up a small screen, a few images displaying on it. "You see, while you Terrans have been busy little bees and plundered so many secrets, you haven't found all of them."

Several slides moved over the screen, displaying snapshots from Daniel and Sam's memories. Mostly of great discoveries the two had been involved in.

"Is this the part where you offer me a timeshare?" Iwu asked, recoiling at the slides. It was creepy how Discord could not only read minds, but display it openly.

"No, this is where I offer you something amazing." The images changed, this set of slides showing off stargates in various states of completion. "I understand you found one of Destiny's seed ships, but you had it for what? A few hours, a day or two at most. I'm offering you a stargate production facility."

Iwu scoffed, turning to Discord with a critical eye. "And how the hell are you offering me that? Even if you knew about past facilities, there's no telling what's happened to them in that time."

"Are you saying you don't want to see the inner workings of the gate system?" Discord walked around her, letting his tail brush her leg. "Just think about it: Terran-made gates, placed wherever you want. You wouldn't need to steal them from other planets for your crazy ideas. Galaxy bridges. That's actually more than a little impressive, I will admit."

"Again, how are you offering this? A derelict facility isn't guaranteed to give us what we need on gate production. Hell, I think the Ancients never kept records on the actual process."

Discord chuckled, leaning his face into hers. "Because I know a fair amount of gate addresses. You've had Atlantis for how long? A little over a decade? And how much have you gotten out of its archive?" Tapping the side of his head, he grinned wolfishly. "Most of the addresses in this network are in my head. I know the purpose of each associated planet. I can give you more than you've ever managed to get on your own."

"And why would you give us this info? You want us away from Ancient tech."

"I never said that, you silly human." Discord booped her nose, finding her reaction more to his liking. "I just don't want you here. There's a big difference."

"And why should I trust you?" Iwu crossed her arms over her chest.

"Because contrary to what my four-legged acquaintances say, I can be very harmonious when I choose to be."

"That's not filling me with confidence," she retorted, her irritation growing. "You antagonized us and locked us out of the city. Why would you start giving us things?"

Huffing, Discord thumped his tail against the floor. "Do you want the trip or not, Iwu? Don't drag this out more than you have to. Either a yes or a no, please."

"No. You're as trustworthy as the offspring of a used car salesman and a demon. Any deal you offer me would blow up in my face."

"Now that just hurts, Iwu." Discord frowned, holding a broken heart. "I'm a very trustworthy person. I'm not the one who tossed out the Shangrian's teachings just because they left, like some people did."

Iwu quirked a brow, regarding the draconequus as a pregnant pause filled the air. Despite his expression, she could sense there was something deeper there. "Sounds like someone's got a chip on their shoulder."

"Why does everyone think that?" Discord punctuated the question by brushing a spray of potato chips from his shoulders. "I'm perfectly adjusted, thank you very much."

Rolling her eyes, Iwu turned on her heel. "Well, I listened and said no, I'd better get going."

"Hold on there." A hand stretched out, catching her by the shoulder. "I said you had to listen to my pitch, I never said it'd just be the one."

"Now you're just milking my good will," Iwu replied, crossing her arms. "Go on, say what you have to say already."

A flash of light surrounded Discord and a moment later he was hovering in midair milking a cow labeled, 'Good Will'. "Hmm, did you say something, my dear? I was too busy pushing it to the limit."

Iwu wanted to groan, but she only had herself to blame. There was no way the chaos spirit was going to pass up such an obvious joke. "Fine, just talk."

"I can see that just talking about an Astria Portia factory isn't good enough for you," Discord began, coiling around Jasmine. "But you know what they say, seeing is believing." Grinning, he snapped his talons.

Before Iwu could protest, the pair disappeared with a 'pop'.

Iwu didn't feel the normal disorientation gate travel brought, nor the strange weightlessness of a teleporter. One moment she was in Shangri-La and the next she was standing in a humid hallway. Glancing around, it was obvious they were in a building of Ancient design. Not a city or even a seed ship, no, the place had a far more spartan feel to it. This wasn't a place for long-term habitation, with only some of the spiritual feel that Shangri-La had.

"I didn't say yes!" Iwu hissed, turning to face Discord. It took her a moment to realize that she had free movement once more. Even longer to realize that the draconequus seemed in no mood to continue his antics.

His fur seemed to have lost a lot of color and the scales on his various body parts lacked all luster. The most disconcerting though was that his smug grin was overtaken by a contorted visage of discomfort.

"I have made... a terrible mistake," Discord groaned, rubbing a spot between his eyes. "Very... very bad."

Iwu's irritation fell away and she let a hand rest on Discord's side. "Discord, what's wrong with you?"

"A lot of things are wrong with me, Iwu." Pulling away, he took in a long breath. "Magic. Not focused. Just... a whirling vortex of roiling magical energies."

"If you're not in control, lead me to the gate here and let's get back to Shangri-La. You said you knew plenty of addresses."

Stepping forward, Discord held his head. "Y-yes, I know most of them."

Stars. Digital stars lit up the room, filling Discord with wonder.

"This is the Concordia galaxy, little one. So vast, yet so small compared to the universe itself. That is the first lesson we Shangrians take to heart. Everything, people, planets, stars, all small parts of a larger whole."

"It looks like glowing sand!" Discord chirped from his perch on Zaeed's shoulder. His tiny face shined in wonder at the spinning image. "Can I make shapes out of it!?"

Zaeed chuckled, patting the little draconequus's mane. "I offer you a lesson and that is the question you ask. I often forget the imagination of youth."

Discord pulled away from Zaeed, hovering above the image. He let his tail dangle into the image, swirling its contents with his tail. "Ooh! Maybe we could turn it into a drink! I bet it'd be tasty!"

"If you mean real stars, I somehow doubt fusing hydrogen would be very tasty. And if you mean the image, it's nothing more than a hologram," Zaeed said with a chuckle.

"It tastes like... candy," Discord mused, already chewing on one of the galaxy's edges. "Really bland candy too." Making a rather exaggerated face, he pulled away from the galaxy. "Can you make something tastier?"

Zaeed's eyes widened for all of a moment before he settled down. "Ah, it seems I've underestimated your abilities once again. I promise to get you some sweets once our lesson is over."

"Aw, okay." Discord moved back to Zaeed's shoulder, settling in.

Clearing his throat, Zaeed continued with the lesson and pointed to the various parts of the galaxy. Discord's tail wagged happily, absorbing Zaeed's words. Every once in a while, he would try to snack on a random star, only to make a face and put them back.

Tapping at the control panel, a vast swathe of the galaxy fell away, leaving only a spider-web of connected lines. "These, Discord, are all the planets in this galaxy where we have placed Astria Portia. Each one carries with it a seven symbol key used to connect to other planets in the network."

"Why seven?" the young Discord asked, his head swiveling around to see all the points on the map. "Why not five, or thirty-two?"

"A very good question. Astria Porta only need to know six points in space plus the location of the receiving Porta. Of course, to travel to other networks, one requires an extra symbol, but for now, we're only talking about Concordia."

"What are the other networks like?!" Discord chirped, beaming at Zaeed. "Can we go to them someday?"

Zaeed gave him a sad smile. "Perhaps one day, Discord. If our Lantean brothers can find themselves again, then we shall welcome them with open arms. Until that time, it is for the best that no one leaves this network."

"Didn't you say that there were those other creatures that looked like you, Zaeed?" Discord questioned, floating up to the edge of the map. "Will we open the network for them?"

"It is our hope that one day, they will suceed us." Zaeed put his hand on Discord's head, scratching his ears. "That is why we have allowed only one outside connection, from Terra to this city."

"And what will we do if they come to our city?" Discord asked, visibly vibrating with excitement. "Will we welcome them with a candy feast?!"

"Perhaps not with candy, but I imagine we would indeed have a feast." Another series of taps and the hologram changed to the symbols of Concordia's gates. "Now, these are the symbols we use for this network..."

Reality came back to Iwu like a freight train. Stumbling back against the wall, she tried to make sense of what she had just seen. Counting her heartbeat, she quided herself back into some form of control.

"You didn't mean to show that to me, did you?" she finally asked, daring to look at her companion.

Discord shook his head, glancing around at the walls. "No, I didn't. Like I said, I'm not in control. There's something in the air here, interfering with my magic." Glancing at her, his demeanor changed. "How are you feeling? Any tingling, strange feelings of ennui or paranoia? Jamais vu?"

"Maybe a little tingling, but that might be because you just brought it up," she answered, rubbing the back of her neck. "We really need to get out of here."

Stepping forward, Discord stroked his beard. "Come along then, Iwu. We shouldn't dilly-dally. And do keep me informed if you start feeling strange. Magic radiation isn't something to sneeze at."

She didn't need to be told twice, coming up alongside the draconequus. Taking the relatively silent walk down that hall to organize her thoughts, Iwu took stock of her situation. A renegade, and obnoxious, higher being had taken her to an Ancient factory. A stargate factory, at that.

Reining in the urge to double down on that thought, Iwu reminded herself that the place was radioactive. Magically radioactive. Whatever that meant. She herself didn't feel anything but...

Sneaking a glance at Discord, her focus shifted from the excitement of discovering Ancient secrets to a more underhanded goal. If Discord's memory episode was repeatable, she could theoretically uncover whatever had turned him into such an unlikable jerkass.

The only problem, she had no idea what prolonged exposure to magical radiation could do to her. If it was anything like normal radiation, then her plan could easily lead to her own painful death. Her mind drifted to the images she had seen of the Japanese 'survivors' of Fat Man and Little Boy. There was no way she wanted to wind up like that.

Clicking her tongue, Iwu made up her mind. "When Princess Cadance and her friends first appeared in the city, I got to give her a hug. First time I met royalty, and I got to cross two items off my bucket list! What about you? How'd you meet the princesses?"

Discord didn't answer, giving a sharp look to Iwu. "I don't want to talk about it," he finally grumbled, walking faster.

"We have more than a while, Discord," Iwu pushed, keeping stride with him. "What else are we going to talk about? Unless you want to hear about some of the more tedious routines in my work day. I mean, just the other day I was cleaning some of the control crystals in one of Shangri-La's engine rooms."

"Did you remember to go along the grain of the crystal?" Discord asked her absently. "You get an extra shine to it that way."

Iwu's nostrils flared. "Who do you think I am? That blowhard McKay? When I do a job I do it right. I did such a good job It wouldn't surprise me if a princess wanted to decorate themselves with those crystals."

"I'm sensing someone owned a plastic tiara in their childhood," Discord joked. "Did you also doodle horses on all your schoolwork?"

"I'm not the one who personally knew princesses," Iwu shot back.

"I thought I did," he muttered darkly.

"Why don't you tell me about it?" she pressed, reaching out to put a hand on his side.

Discord pushed her hand away and he had to resist the urge to grit his teeth. "Do you think you're crafty? I know you're trying to make me project another memory. It's not going to work, Iwu, I promise you that—"

Travel across Shangri-La was trivial for Discord. A simple snap of the talons took him anywhere he wished to be. So long had he stalked these halls, he didn't even need to remote view his destination. Every inch of the city was etched into his memory, down to the slightest scuff on the floor.

It was one of the many benefits of having caused terror in the city for so long. How anyone got any work done with him around was beyond him. So many dozens of centuries in the city had turned Discord into just another part of it, like the control crystals or the transporters.

"Discord," one of the Shangrian leaders of the city called over the speakers. "Would you mind coming to the conference room for a moment?"

Ah, just as he was about to pop into Sita's dining hall. Never one to slack on a call, Discord began to phase through the floors and walls of the main tower, waving to passing Shangrians and native Shambalans as he did so. Not that they really noticed. Well, they did. But the wonder they once held at his antics had worn away like so many things from childhood.

Before long, he was sitting in a chair and smiling at the leader who called him. "So, any reason why my lunch is being delayed? Did you find that stink bomb I hid in one of the control room consoles?"

"Fortunately, we did not," Kimar said, looking over at Discord. The small mousy man was Zaeed's grandson, far enough removed that Discord never bothered to recall the amount of greats. "We have some new residents joining us today."

"Oh, then forget I said that," Discord replied, snickering. "And what do you mean new residents? Are we taking in another stray?" He patted himself for emphasis.

"Must every sentence out of thy mouth be so uncouth?" Starswirl asked, annoyed. He stood tall and lean near the upper left corner of the room. A short black beard hung from his jaw, groomed with care. Several bells hung off his hat, part of a rather silly costume, in Discord's opinion.

It was a test of will, but Discord managed to keep up his smile. He'd never say it in front of Kimar or the other Shangrians, but he had the feeling that Starswirl was a racist prick. If it weren't for the advanced tech of the city, Starswirl would likely want nothing to do with them. "Ah Starswirl, my favorite pony. How are you doing today?"

Starswirl regarded him impassively for a moment before gesturing behind him. "I am in good health. But we aren't here on mine account." He stepped to the side, revealing two smaller shapes behind him.

The first was slightly taller than the other and had snowy white fur. Her long pink mane obscured one of her light purple eyes. The other was a deep navy blue with teal eyes and a short light blue mane. However, the most striking thing about the pair was that they had wings and horns.

Discord phased through the table, hovering beside Starswirl. "And now who are these two? I don't think I've ever seen ponies like them before."

"Their names are Celestia and Luna," Starswirl replied. "We've taken to calling them alicorns, the first of their kind."

The white filly stood protectively in front of the smaller filly, almost glaring up at Discord. The smaller peeked out shyly, her eyes glimmering in wonder.

Discord lounged in midair, rolling onto his back to look down at the white filly. "Now, now, why are you giving me the evil eye, little 'Tia?"

"Starswirl says thou art tricky," Celestia responded, spreading her wings and puffing her chest out. It was classic Prega'sur behavior, puffing oneself up to look bigger. It looked rather adorable on her.

"Tricky is a decent word, though I doubt he meant anything good by it," Discord commented, stroking his goatee. "I simply play harmless pranks with my friends."

"Art thou a chimera?" Luna asked, cringing back behind Celestia when she had Discord's attention.

"In the classic sense of the word, I am chimerical," Discord explained, pulling off one of his legs to examine it. "But no, chimeras are a separate species from me. They have three heads with individual personalities."

"Liberum konatura is a draconequus," Kimar explained, moving to stand beside Discord. "One of only two known, in fact. There's no need to be afraid of him."

"Do you have to call me by the nickname in front of the new residents?" Discord whined, though he smiled at the smaller man as he pulled himself up to sit cross legged. "I have a professionalism to maintain here."

Kimar just smiled, patting Discord's neck. "Celestia and Luna will be studying here in the city. It is Starswirl's hope that they will be the key to solving Shambala's rotation."

"And you want me to teach them, am I right?" Discord guessed, nodding at Kimar's words.

"I do not think it wise to allow such a thing," Starswirl spoke up, narrowing his eyes at Discord.

"Hmm? And why would you say that, Starswirl?" Discord inquired. "I have much more experience than you when it comes to magic. Not to mention better social skills with children."

Kimar held a hand up, cutting off Starswirl's response. "There's no need to argue. We still haven't decided on the young ones' curriculum. Whatever is decided, both of you will be a part of it."

"I can live with that," Discord relented, sinking into a chair, literally. His eyes wandered back to the fillies, feeling the smile grow on his face. "Would either of you like a drink? Some candy maybe? I know a pretty good Dia'doma rock candy recipe."

"Don't we have to stay for the meeting?" Luna chirped, speaking softly and uncertain. "How canst thou make us candy and stay here?"

Discord waved his paw and stuck it out in a flourish. He brandished a small tray, presenting the two with a small selection of snacks and a pair of drinks. "I have my ways, little Woona."

Both sisters' eyes lit up as they regarded the colorful candy. Before Luna could light up her horn, Celestia stopped her with a hoof and took a piece for herself, sniffing it carefully. "'Tis fine, Luna. It should be safe."

"Oh come now, I'd never hurt a fly," Discord scoffed, putting his hand on Luna's head. "No matter what Bellboy says."

Ignoring the assurance, Celestia took a bite of her candy. Her eyes widened and she smacked her lips. "Delicious! This is utterly delicious!"

Seeing her sisters reaction, Luna took a bite of her own piece. "Indeed!" she proclaimed, flaring her wings out. "'Tis the best candy I have ever tasted. Many thanks, drakonacus!"

Discord smiled and patted both their heads. "No need, your reactions were all the thanks I require."

It would take a bit to get whatever Starswirl had told them out of their heads. Despite the Shangrians' best efforts, there was always one. They popped up from time to time amongst the various races of Shambala; thinking that only their race was good and pure. He'd be damned if he let Starswirl infect them too.

Discord hissed, feeling the sting of tears biting at his eyes. "Damn you, Iwu! I did not come here to play recorder for you!"

"No, you wanted to play Faust with me," Iwu shot back, keeping her hand on his side. "So I figured turnabout's fair play."

"Just... stop," Discord said softly, rubbing at his eyes. "I don't need this right now." That was the worst part of having what was most likely perfect memory. Everything was so crisp and clear, even the emotions of the time burned into this very being.

Sighing, Iwu nodded. "Alright, let's get out of here. I won't press you further."

"Good." Discord sucked in a breath, making a show of flaring his nostrils. "Now let's just find the gate and..." His words stopped as he turned the corner, his eyes locking with those of an umbrum.

The shadowy unicorn sneered at him, its features twisted in a look of bottomless agony. It's features contorted further, erased from existence as the whole of its body was evaporated. The space it occupied glitched and stuttered, rewinding itself. The umbrum barreled down the hallway before it met its fate once more, and again, and again, and again.

Iwu watched in horror, unable to move a muscle. "What's wrong with this place?"

"Magic," Discord whispered, watching the scene repeat again. "Some kind of magical accident that warped the fabric of reality here. Think something like, uh..." Clicking his tongue, Discord frowned. "Well, I have a good comparison but I don't know if you and Floyd share the same hobbies."

"Try me, I'll take anything to help me wrap my head around this," she pleaded.

"Ah, well, there's a book series about post-apocalyptic Moscow. After nuclear bombardment, the world seemed to break, a bit. That's what's happened here. A place where the laws of physics, nature, time, what have you has been thrown out of whack. Hence the anomalies like this poor fellow."

Iwu groaned, rubbing the side of her head. "I don't get the reference, but I think I get what you mean. Magic, as we're calling it, is the ability to tap into subspace like a ZPM. Messing with that can alter physics as we know it."

"There's just something about Concordia that makes it all possible." Discord began to walk again, studying the hall in greater detail. "The Shangrians could never quite figure out what it was. But it's woven into everything here."

He perked up, stepping close to the wall and pressing his body against it. "Here. Make yourself as flat as possible and shimmy along the wall. I'll tell you when it's safe to move away."

Iwu did as she was told, doing her best to avoid looking at the grisly scene. She ran through an old story in her mind, a favorite from when she was a child. A story about how the heron got the crick in its neck. This helped, if only a little, the image of the umbrum fading from her thoughts.

"It's alright, we passed it."

Discord's voice cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. Stepping away from the wall, Iwu swallowed dryly. Swallowing a few times, she bent over, bracing herself on her knees. Taking a few deep breaths, she centered herself and straightened up.

"Thanks, Discord. I really hope we don't see more scenes like that."

"I'm afraid that's more than a little optimistic," Discord replied, cracking his back. "Something like this? It's only going to get worse the closer we get to the epicenter."

Iwu sighed, having to hold back a shudder. "I was afraid you'd say that." Looking ahead, she gestured vaguely. "You're the expert here. What do you know about this place? Beyond stargate production, I mean."

"It was home to some other research as well," Discord answered, leading her down the hall. "I believe this is where amulets like Floyd's were first developed."

That piqued Iwu's interest. "Do you think there are any left? We can't really study Floyd's, I heard from the medical staff that taking it from him causes all sorts of problems."

"Since apparently the umbrum were here, you'd likely only find bits and pieces at best." Discord led her down the corridors, until they reached a large attirum. "Stay close to me, Iwu. Things don't feel right here."

Iwu frowned, what had once been a bustling atrium was now a dead and crumbling shell. She stuck close to her guide, a tingle running down her spine. It wasn't until they were half way across that she noticed the shapes.

Spread out across the open expanse, dark silhouettes lingered and flickered. Shadows with no source, Iwu swore she could hear whispering amongst them. She tore her eyes away from the shadows, reasoning that it was just a side effect from whatever had gone wrong so long ago. That didn't stop the whispers from reaching her ears.

"Lingering spirits," Discord explained, looking over at a cluster of shadows.

"I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it for myself," Iwu shuddered again, looking up at Discord. "Though, reading up on SGC missions tends to make you rethink old superstitions."

"Whatever happened keeps them here," he further elaborated. "Their essence, the foul, black misama that it is, is trapped here."

"What can cause that sort of thing?" Iwu asked, using her questions to block out the voices of the spirits. "This doesn't seem like a typical thing, even for this galaxy."

Discord stopped, staring at one of the flickering, equine shades. "If I had to guess, it was something the umbrum did. Messing around with things they didn't understand." Turning back to Iwu, he spoke again. The words poured out of his mouth, unbidden from his mind. "I hate them, you know. In every conceivable meaning of the word in every possible language. And yet, that very fact disgusts me."

"Because hate goes against the Shangrian teachings?" she said, her expression falling to sympathy.

"It goes against everything they ever taught me." Discord hung his head, the weight of a thousand years of grief smothering him. "I don't want to hate anyone, Iwu, but the umbrum aren't like the rest of us. They aren't even like the wraith, who do what they do because that's the only way they can survive. Grogar made the umbrum. Made them the cruelest, most heartless beings they could possibly be."

"The reports haven't really done them justice then," Iwu replied, thinking on what she had read on the umbrum. "Pair up that sort of cruelty with Ancient tech, and that's a deadly combo. We can't let them get Shangri-La, they'd be able to dial out to Earth or Atlantis."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about Atlantis." Turning away, Discord resumed his walk. "The Pegasus network is locked out of this one. The Shangrians didn't want their cousins finding this place. You're an expert in your field, Iwu. What do you think would have happened if the Lanteans got their hands on a unicorn? Or a pegasus? Or, heavens forbid, a changeling?"

Iwu nodded, being careful to follow his footsteps. "Right, that was in your memories. Weren't they afraid some of the survivors would try to dial in from Earth?"

"That's very possible. Perhaps it was pride that kept them from trying. They might not have wanted to come crawling back to their cousins after their own arrogance brought them down."

"Even fools have their pride," Iwu shrugged. "I'd imagine the Shangrians would've given them an earful about the wraith. Or maybe they thought they'd cut Terra off from dialing in too?"

Discord shrugged back, sidestepping another shade. "It doesn't matter at this point. If any of them that ascended were bitter about it, they never showed it. At least to my knowledge."

Click. Clack.

Holding his lion's paw up in the same fashion as the military members of the expedition, Discord put his ear against the exit doors, frowning. "Iwu, you don't happen to have any weapons on you, perchance? I don't like that sound."

Reaching to her side, Iwu pulled out a pistol. "It's standard operating procedure on the Shangri-La expedition to at least have a sidearm at all times, even for the scientists."

Discord never got to make a response, witty or otherwise. The atrium doors were closed one second and the next, he was on his back. He brought his arm up, crying out as a crystalline maw clamped down on it.

Iwu raised her weapon and fired, the shot echoing through the open space.

Stargate: Shangri-La

by Grey Ghost

Discovery

Discovery [Part 2]

Discovery [Part 3]

Discovery [Part 4]

Crosscurrent

Crosscurrent [part 2]

Crosscurrent [Part 3]

Crosscurrent [part 4]

Sheut

Sheut [Part 2]

Sheut [Part 3]

Sheut [Part 4]

Paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shift [Part 2]

Paradigm Shift [Part 3]

Paradigm Shift [Part 4]

Liftoff [Part 1]

Liftoff [Part 2]

Liftoff [Part 3]

Liftoff [Part 4]

What We Do In the Dark [Part 1]

What We Do In the Dark [Part 2]

What We Do In The Dark [Part 3]

What We Do In The Dark [Part 4]

Gambler's Luck [Part 1]

Gambler's Luck [Part 2]