Stargate: Equestria

Connection

Chapter 7

The library turned out to be rather crowded. All six adult ponies the team knew by name were there as well as Spike. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy spoke amiably among themselves while Pinkie Pie bounced in a circle around them, chanting, "Whee! Party party party!" Rainbow Dash had found a nook above a bookshelf and was stretched out on her back, hooves tucked under her head, snoring lightly. Toward the far end of the room, Twilight Sparkle and Spike were talking quietly to a new face, one which brought the humans up short.

The regal mare sat at ease, head and shoulders taller than any of the ponies. A real horse, O'Neill supposed. Her coat was so pure white that it nearly glowed, and the flame-orange mark of the sun just barely visible on her flank did shine with its own light. Large wings tucked up carefully behind her back, and her mane flowed over her ears and down one side of her face to hang freely in the air, a pastel rainbow of colors that fluttered continuously in a non-existent breeze. Intricately-worked gold filigree encircled her neck and covered her hooves, and a bright golden tiara held the mane back from falling directly into her face, adding to the general shine coming off the horse.

She looked up from her conversation as the humans entered. Her eyes, canted slightly compared to the big round eyes of the smaller ponies, took in each of them in turn, her gaze more intense than any O'Neill had encountered since arriving on this planet, even Rainbow Dash's. After a moment, she sighed, a look of sadness spreading over her delicate features. "It's true, then. It is as I feared."

O'Neill's hand calmly settled on the grip of his P90. He flicked a glance over his shoulder at Teal'c, who had taken his staff in hand. The Jaffa gripped it tightly, but his gaze wavered uncertainly. "Teal'c," the colonel murmured. "Is she Goa'uld?" A moment of silence hung in the air, and an urgent note entered O'Neill's voice. "We kind of need to know now."

Princess Celestia met Teal'c's eyes, and they stared into each other for an interminable minute. All the ponies, including Dash who had woken up and was leaning out of the nook, stared at the humans, confused and a little frightened. For a time, the only movement was the gentle motion of Celestia's mane.

At long last, the tension drained out of the Jaffa, and he leaned tiredly on his staff. "No, Colonel. She does not carry a symbiote. She is...something else." The other humans relaxed visibly, as did the ponies...aside from one.

Twilight Sparkle stood up, facing the humans with a glare. "She is also standing right here and she is our princess!" she snapped, sounding nothing so much as a teacher rebuking unruly students. She reserved a special frown for Jackson. Her voice softened as she spoke to him, but she still sounded disappointed and more than a little hurt. "I assured Princess Celestia you would be more respectful than this. What's going on?"

Jackson reached up and scratched at his neck, face flushed with embarrassment. "This...wouldn't be the first time a Goa'uld had taken the ruler of a civilization." He smiled apologetically to Celestia. "We meant no offense, your Highness, just...being cautious."

Celestia bowed her head, a small, sad smile touching her lips. "I quite understand. Please, know that you're welcome in Equestria. Though to be frank, your arrival is an accident that should not have happened." She gestured at the floor in front of her. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."

O'Neill looked around the spare room. "You know, you never realize how much you miss chairs until you don't have them." With a sigh and a mutter about gathering for story time, O'Neill settled down against one wall, one leg sticking straight out and the other bent at the knee with his arm resting on it. The rest gathered in a loose circle, Celestia on one side and O'Neill on the other. Applejack and Rainbow Dash settled in on either side of him as he sat down directly across from Celestia. Rainbow pressed in comfortably against O'Neill's leg and stuck her tongue out at Applejack, who gave the pegasus a flat-eyed stare in return. He gave them both a bemused look, but let it pass without comment.

Teal'c sat to O'Neill's left, adopting his usual cross-legged meditative pose. Pinkie Pie immediately flopped down on her back in front of him to his mild consternation, resting her head on his shins and beaming up at him upside-down. "Hiya big guy!" Fluttershy settled in directly between Teal'c and Jackson, unable to look up at either one, letting her hair fall to hide the blush. Rarity took a seat next to Carter on O'Neill's right, and Spike actually settled right into Carter's lap. She grinned down at him, then noticed O'Neill's eyes on her and gave him an unapologetic shrug. Twilight Sparkle looked from Celestia to Jackson, a look of uncertainty flashing across her face before she settled down primly between them.

Celestia smiled gently at Twilight, then around the assembled group. "Let's not waste time. If you have questions, please ask."

Jackson glanced at O'Neill, then leaned forward, elbows resting on his thighs. "To start with, Princess, um...I suppose we're curious why you're here." He squinted at her, light reflecting off his glasses. "Twilight only requested books."

The mare favored her student with an arched eyebrow and a smile. "She didn't tell you? All communication Spike sends goes directly to me. Naturally I read the letter first." Twilight blushed and ducked her head, smiling weakly.

Celestia sobered quickly. "There are two reasons I'm here. The legend of Epona and the Jaffa is so old that no written records of it exist. You could read every book in Canterlot and none would tell you of her. Only Luna and I remember. Second, you are here. The portal has been re-opened." She shook her head. "I'm very glad to meet you all, but by coming here you've put Equestria in danger."

O'Neill raised his hand, looking at the other humans. "Anyone else heard this before?" he asked dryly. Rainbow Dash snickered, more at the irreverent tone than the words themselves.

Jackson ignored the remark and frowned at Celestia. "How are you in danger?"

"By connecting the portal to other worlds once more, you've made it possible for Epona or somepony like her to find Equestria again."

Carter sat up straight, staring hard at the mare. "Connecting once more? You disconnected the Stargate from the network?"

Celestia smiled. "Let me start from the beginning. I haven't recounted this story to anypony but Luna in...oh, thousands of years. I begin to forget how long ago it was." She gave the ponies in the room a smile. "Twilight and her friends are something special and have earned the right to hear the story too." All the ponies sat up a little straighter, Twilight fairly glowing with pride and staring up at her teacher with stark admiration.

The room fell quiet as Celestia began to speak. "Equestria was not always watched over by ponykind. Long, long ago, it was a wild land, much like the Everfree Forest today. Creatures big and small roamed freely over the land." She bowed her head, horn beginning to glow with a warm, strong light. In the middle of the circle, an image appeared in midair. It showed a land that looked much like the land Ponyville now sat on, but without buildings. Creatures straight out of fantasy roamed through the tall grasses and trees. A many-headed serpent darted after a small terrified rabbit, and Fluttershy gasped in shock.

"Then...Epona arrived." The scene faded, replaced by a silhouette of a matronly human woman, framed by the great ring of the Stargate. "I do not know whether the portal, the Stargate as you call it, was here first or whether she brought it here, but she used it to bring horses of all kinds to Equestria." The image followed her words, the Stargate filling with its brilliant blue light and a stream of horses trotting through. "She wanted a planet to rule. She needed subjects. Slaves."

Teal'c bowed his head. "Yes. Many of the Goa'uld did the same. We Jaffa became their thralls." He tilted his head to Celestia, questioning. "But to a one they all used humans. "

The princess shrugged her delicate shoulders. "To this day I don't know why she chose us. But she did. She claimed to have granted us intelligence, and we worshiped her for it. We bent the world to her will and we loved her for it." The wildlands returned to the image, only to fade into farms and small, dismal villages, tall horses tilling the earth and carting food and ore through the streets. "We were happy and the land was prosperous. This world has its own magic, and some of us learned to harness it for ourselves. We did not begrudge her the heavy taxes she laid on us, as we could keep just enough for ourselves.

"I was her most favored subject. She took me into her confidence, and I began to learn more than I ever wanted to know." She let out a small sigh, closing her eyes. It took the gentle touch of a worried Twilight's hoof on hers before she continued. "The food and materials she claimed as taxes were sent through the Stargate every day. Horses, too, were sent through, and they never returned. On one trip through the gate, I discovered why."

The serene image faded, replaced by a war-torn plain. Fighting could be seen in the distance. In the foreground, a male horse carried a giant load of ore, far too heavy for even his strong back. He strained at the harness, and only then did O'Neill notice the Jaffa standing some distance away. The man unrolled a mean whip and cracked it at the horse, scoring a line across its back. It screamed in pain, eliciting gasps of sympathy from the ponies who stared up at the cruel image with wide, sorrowful eyes.

Celestia continued, her own dark eyes haunted. "Our lands were being stripped bare to feed armies and create tools of war. The Goa'uld, as you call them, fight almost constantly, but they never put themselves in harm's way." Teal'c growled in vicious agreement. "Epona was allied with another whose name I never learned. She supplied his army with material and...beasts of burden. Our friends and family were used cruelly and discarded, never to see Equestria again." She shook her head. "What goddess could do that to her people?"

Teal'c leaned forward, eyes locked on Celestia's. When he spoke, his voice was confident and knowing. "You could not reconcile your worship with the vile crimes she committed. Doubts began to grow. You realized the truth; that she was no god, only a selfish and abusive outsider. You convinced others of the truth. When you had enough support, you turned on Epona." He lifted his chin. "You were her First Prime."

She met his own gaze steadily as he spoke, and nodded, smiling a little. "I see you know the tale well. My dear sister and I confronted Epona. We revealed her for the trickster she was, and we cast her out of Equestria." She shook her head. "Even then I could not bring myself to kill her. Even then, we only wanted peace. We banished her through the Stargate and sealed it behind her." The images vanished, the glow around her horn fading.

O'Neill added dryly, "And set yourself up as ruler in the process. Convenient."

Twilight Sparkle rose to her feet again, glaring daggers at O'Neill, but Celestia put a gentle hoof in front of her. "It's a fair question." She tilted her head, gazing at O'Neill serenely. "It was not what I would have wished. But by the time we discovered Epona's true nature, this world had already lost too much of its natural resources. The balance was lost. Since then, it has taken all of ponykind to keep the world from breaking down, both by magic or hard work. The ponies looked to me for guidance, and so Luna and I keep the world turning."

She smiled. "I try not to rule my little ponies much. They have always been free, and every day their strength and determination to keep Equestria vibrant and alive fills me with pride and joy." All the little ponies beamed up at her and bowed their heads in respect; all except Pinkie, who rolled about on the floor cheering. "Yay, we rock!"

O'Neill raised a hand in surrender, settling back against the wall. It was Carter's turn to lean forward. "You said you sealed the Stargate. How did you do that?"

Celestia gave her a small smile. "Magic, of course. It isn't really sealed so much as...out of phase with the rest of the worlds it links to."

The scientist frowned in thought for a moment before nodding. "Kind of like the switch on a train track."

"Exactly."

Carter let out a low whistle. "I didn't think it was possible to do that." She glanced around the room and down at Spike, grinning. "Then again, there's a lot on this world I never knew was possible." She ruffled his spines and he giggled appreciatively.

Twilight, who had been frowning in thought for the past few minutes, suddenly snapped her eyes open wide and stared at the humans. "Wait a second. So if Equestria's Stargate was closed off...then how did you get here?" Celestia gave her student an approving smile, then turned her attention to the humans as well.

"Yeah, Daniel," O'Neill drawled. "How did we get here?"

All eyes turned to Jackson, and he stammered for a second, looking very nonplussed. "Well, uh, I, I mean...I sort of...overrode the safety protocols on the gate on P5J-924." He scratched at the back of his neck, not quite meeting O'Neill's suddenly rather intense stare. "All of them."

O'Neill only continued staring. Carter gave Jackson a level look. "I thought we agreed we weren't doing that any more. Not since we nearly blew up K'Tau's star that way."

Jackson shrugged sheepishly. "I had to be sure I got a lock. Like I said when we came through, there was a good chance I was dialing Earth anyway." He absently rested his hand on Twilight's neck, running his fingers through her mane. "Besides, we came out of it all right, didn't we?" Twilight leaned into his hand, eyes drifting half-closed in pleasure...at least until she caught sight of Rainbow Dash grinning knowingly at her across the circle. The purple pony blushed furiously and pulled away from Jackson, trying hard to look innocent.

Celestia smiled sadly at Jackson. "I'm sure you did what was necessary. But now that you've forced the gate open, it's possible a Goa'uld or some other threat could find its way to Equestria." Her smile faded as she considered the possibility. "We must get you four back home before I seal the gate again."

Daniel frowned, glancing at O'Neill then back to Celestia. "Is that necessary? I mean, Earth has grown pretty powerful, and I'm sure SGC would be more than happy to ally with you. There are civilizations across the galaxy who fight off the Goa'uld threat and more alongside us."

The princess shook her head firmly. "I'm sure you do. But Equestria is peaceful and uninvolved. I'd like it to remain that way. We have enough on our hooves here without letting the whole galaxy in."

O'Neill clambered back to his feet, suddenly enough that Rainbow Dash fell over with a small yelp. He gave Celestia a bright smile, his tone brisk and businesslike. "Well, your Highness, it's your choice. You have a lovely world here, and I'd certainly hate to see anything bad happen to it. So if you'll just pop the gate open and send us back to Earth, we'll be on our way."

Rarity stood as well, her tail flicking nervously as she looked up at O'Neill. "But what about those ruffians? Surely those three weren't the only ones! You're not just going to leave us to them, are you?" Those large eyes focused on his, and though she looked worried she faced him squarely.

"She's right, Jack," Jackson agreed. "The Jaffa could cause some serious trouble for them, especially if they're in numbers and armed."

O'Neill cast about for an answer, and he waved a hand helplessly at Teal'c. "Didn't you say our new buddy had doubts about Epona?" The stoic nodded, and O'Neill turned back to Celestia, arms spread. "There you go! We send him back to the Jaffa, and when Epona doesn't show up, they all rebel. Poof, no more problem."

A dubious look crossed Carter's face, and she shook her head. "That might work, eventually. But it'll take a while, and in the meantime they could cause some real trouble. Are we just going to turn our backs and hope things fall out peacefully?" The ponies watched the argument in silence, twelve round attentive eyes tracking to each speaker in turn, concern on all their faces...all except Pinkie Pie, who had found a bucket of popcorn somewhere and was munching away with a fascinated expression.

The colonel shrugged and waved a hand behind him at Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. "We teach them how to fight and defend themselves, then. Jaffa aren't that dangerous, and like we saw yesterday these girls have a mean kick."

Applejack tilted her head to one shoulder, frowning up at him. She spoke gently, shaking her head. "Ain't none of us fighters, Jack."

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Speak for yourself, I can take 'em all on."

The cowgirl shushed her friend, firing a quick glare at her before returning her attention to O'Neill. "All right, a couple of us are, but you saw the other ponies in the street. How're you gonna turn them into an army?" She gave a little shudder. "I wouldn't even want that anyway." The other ponies, aside from Dash, murmured their agreement.

Jackson leaned forward, peering up at O'Neill over the rim of his glasses. "We stepped through the Stargate, Jack. We triggered the Jaffa's release. We have a responsibility to clean up our mess before we leave. This is that thug we're supposed to help the locals with, remember?" He shrugged a bit. "And besides all that? We still don't have the address back to Earth. We can't dial out with that unique DHD, and even if we knew Earth's address using those symbols we still don't know the seventh symbol for Equestria." He leaned back heavily, a worried Twilight leaning against him gently.

O'Neill turned to Celestia. "You were Epona's First Prime." He spread his hands, pleading. "You know the code, right?"

Celestia gave him that same gentle smile. "Only Epona knew that. And I believe she knew that we would confront her. She had moved her library and everything of value to a secret location somewhere in Equestria. It's most likely the same place these Jaffa were held until they awoke."

The colonel stared at her, then let out a long, resigned sigh, lifting a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose. "Okay, I see where this is going." He took a step away, pacing a bit with his back to the group. "You'll open the gate for us, but to do that we need the code. To get the code, we need to find Epona's hideyhole. To find the hideyhole, we need to get the Jaffa to talk. To get the Jaffa to talk, we need to convince them to work with us. We can't just turn Brind'l loose and hope the Jaffa see the light on their own, because that might not happen, it'll take too long too long if it does, and they'll cause trouble in the meantime." He turned back to the group, who were to a person, pony, and dragon all watching him. "Does that about cover it?"

The princess flicked her pastel rainbow tail and arched an eyebrow at him, amused. "That about covers it," she agreed. "Colonel, as Applejack rightly said, my little ponies are not soldiers. You are." She bowed her head to him. "I ask this of you. Please, find a way to resolve this. Without violence, if possible. The Jaffa are living beings, too, and I would not be surprised to find old friends among them. I would not wish them harm."

O'Neill waved a hand. "Yeah, not surprised." He glared around at SG-1 and the ponies, but it was halfhearted at best and only drew giggles and knowing smiles. "Fine." His voice became clipped and businesslike once more. "If we're going to do this, then let's get to work. Major, I need an inventory of everything we have." He nodded to the ponies. "I need to know what kind of assets you have. Any possible weapons or defenses, or anything you can think of that might help." The ponies got to their feet, Pinkie fairly bouncing to hers, all looking up at him with bright smiles.

Celestia rose then, gently sliding her own voice in between O'Neill's orders. "You said you spoke to one of the Jaffa. Brind'l, was it? I would very much like to see him."

Teal'c got to his feet, giving O'Neill a questioning look. The colonel nodded, waving for him to join the princess. Celestia smiled to Teal'c and stretched out a wing to touch his shoulder lightly. Teal'c undid his tac vest, handing it and his staff formally to Jackson, then turned to Celestia and gestured to the door. The two left the library, leaving it a good deal less cramped.