"You didn't know that you fell…"

Sunset reclined her back against Aria's, softly following the tune, "Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh…"

"Now that you're under our spell..."

"Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh-oh…" she sang again, letting her head lean back as well, until it was resting comfortably on Aria's shoulder. "Blindsided by the beat, clapping your hands—"

"—stomping your feet…" Aria continued, a visible grin on her face.

Adagio sighed, then whispered, "Girls, as much as I would love to hear the rest of the song, we need to keep quiet. There have been too many patrols lately. We're dealing with a different Goa'uld leader this time."

Sunset chuckled self-consciously. "Sorry. I just really love that song you guys sang at the market. I wish I had your talent."

"Aww, don't feel bad! It was really good though! And we didn't even have to hypnotize you to sing in chorus that time!"

"Aww, thanks, Sonata… I guess?"

The youngest of the three sirens (if not by much), gave her a hug. "You need to come sing with us in front of a proper crowd, like back when Tiria Kingdom existed! This planet used to have huge markets where we would perform and get all sorts of goodies! Nothing like that little outpost from a few months ago."

"When we go back to Equestria and we regain our full powers…" Adagio trailed off and made a face. "Ugh. I guess we need to play nice with ponies now."

"It's not that bad, right?" Sunset said. "I'm a pony too."

"Could've fooled me," Aria snorted. She elbowed Sunset. "You'd make one hell of a Siren."

"Again, as amusing as the conversation is… be quiet!" Adagio growled. "We're just about close enough to the old Takha ruins where we're meeting these humans that this should be our last rest stop, but that doesn't mean there aren't any patrols in the area, or Goa'uld spies willing to spill our location if we stumble up to some natives."

"You know, I remember hearing how the Tau'ri had kicked out Ra out of their planet," Sonata said, ignoring Adagio's glare. "And now look at them, pissing off the System Lords. I heard that they had even managed to kill Ra for good."

"I doubt that," Adagio muttered. "It's just tall tales made to give people hope."

Aria shifted in place and allowed Sunset to lean back until her head was resting on the siren's lap. She started braiding Sunset's hair absently, not that Sunset minded. Her friend was odd, moody sometimes, forceful, stubborn and occasionally kind (to her sisters and Sunset, she didn't appear to think much of the locals) but most of the time they spent together was in a comfortable, thoughtful silence.

The sirens could be ruthless, and it had shocked Sunset how easily they dismissed the suffering of others, even if she didn't particularly feel any sort of kinship with the creatures of this world... but at the same time, she did felt a kinship with the sirens. It was a sense that they had been denied something… something huge and life-defining. Them by being tossed here—by their own account because Starswirl just hadn't bothered to think of a better way to stop them—and Sunset herself because…

She sighed and turned to the side, only earning a slight grumble from Aria when the locks she had been working on almost slipped out of her hands.

Sunset's thoughts were not on her friend at that moment. The casual, supportive attitude was something she was deeply grateful for, and as she relaxed, her thoughts went back to her denied destiny.

Or what was left of it.

What did she want, really? Standing on equal terms with Celestia was a major part of her objectives… and yet, when Celestia had reached out, she hadn't called out for her student, but for—dare she hope?—her daughter. Or niece. Or something. She had reached out and told her she wanted her in her life, as part of her family.

And being her equal just didn't carry the same weight after that. It's not that she wouldn't or didn't want to be a princess but… strangely, the combination of meeting and living with the sirens… her first friends… and Celestia's recent messages had taken away a lot of the anger that she felt.

It wasn't completely gone. A part of her wanted to still blame her mother for putting her in a position where she could only try and do crazy things to get what she wanted, but reality and constant brushes with death since she had accidentally stumbled into the Siren's camp, shivering and terrified.

Although no reason had been given as to why they had given her a chance to stay with them, it had all amounted to Adagio giving her a solid look and immediately, somehow, noticing she was Equestrian.

Opening up to them, her friendship with Aria, and her acceptance into their little family of sirens had just happened over the course of months.

"Anyway," Adagio spoke up after a few minutes. "I hope you got some rest, because it's about time we started moving again. We're still a few hours away from the Stargate."

"Hey Aria?" Sunset asked when Adagio stood up and went out to scout again. "Why did Adagio let me in? I've always wondered. I'm usually more trouble than I'm worth."

"You reminded her of someone," Aria said. "One of our sisters back in Equestria, who stayed behind that stupid day we went out to get revenge on the villagers. She's probably dead by now. The sunset was her favorite time of the day."

"Revenge?"

Aria sighed, brushing Sunset's hair from her face. "Another long story. We have a lot of them. Just… trust me, okay? They deserved it. They did something to Adagio's family, and well… we might not be sisters by blood, but we were close enough anyway. We couldn't leave her to do it on her own."

Sunset opened her arms, and Aria blinked at her before rolling her eyes and smiling slightly as she hugged her.

"Aww. Make sure you name one of the kids after me," Sonata said.

Sunset didn't even have time to blush before she was dropped on the floor.

Jack took stock of the situation the moment he was out. He kept his weapon trained ahead of him, his eyes studying the area around the Stargate for potential threats as he moved quickly out of the way and took cover behind one of the stone platforms around the ancient device.

It was too dark to see past the glare of the Stargate, so he simply stayed in place as Teal'c, then Lt. Shimmer, followed by Daniel, Sam and Isekai came through, all of them quickly taking cover. The moment the Stargate closed, the area went pitch-dark… but only for a moment, harsh lights focused on them as several troops of Jaffa surrounded their position.

It took Jack just a moment to blink. "Teal'c, are all these Jaffa… women?"

"They are indeed, O'Neill. By their attire I can only surmise they are agents of the Goa'uld System Lord, Bastet."

"The Shol'va is correct," a powerful female voice purred, the tell-tale echoes of the Goa'uld symbiote adding additional weight to the words.

"Is that—"

"It is, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c confirmed.

"Isekai, can you just blow her up?" Jack asked.

"Sorry, Jack. Bastet is one of my best friends out there, and we have a deal that I won't act directly against any other Bastet I meet. Since most of them are benevolent, I haven't had any issues keeping the promise so far."

Jack gave her an incredulous look. "Even a Goa'uld?"

Isekai shrugged. "She's Bastet."

The Goa'uld System Lord, a black-haired beauty in simple armor, with a cat motif on in her gold decorations frowned at that. "I do feel some kinship towards you, but I have no memory of this arrangement."

"It transcends time and space," Isekai said. "I made a promise to my friend, and she once told me that all the Goddesses Bastet out there and herself were in essence part of a greater whole."

"Even a Goa'uld?"

"Yes, Jack."

"State your business, friend of Bastet, if you truly are one," Bastet said eventually. "You say you are such, but you come in the company of the Shol'va Teal'c, and the Tau-ri."

Isekai stood up. "We do not come here seeking to attack you, we are here in order to bring a lost child back to her mother, that is all."

Bastet studied her for a moment.

"Is that true?"

Surprisingly, Bastet was asking Teal'c, who also stood up, careful not to point his lance at the Goa'uld. He nodded. "It is."

"Then perhaps all will be well," Bastet said, carefully, motioning for her Jaffa to lower their weapons. "I too, seek someone. Three creatures, very similar to you, Tau'ri. I would not deprive a mother from being reunited with her daughter, but if you wish to return to your world through the Stargate, you must provide any information you find about the Sirens to me."

Jack was about to speak up when Isekai did. "We agree to this arrangement."

Instead he shot Daniel a warning look, since he looked like he wanted to complain. Wincing visibly, the archaeologist pressed his lips together tight.

"Very well then." Bastet stepped to the side. "I wish you luck, finding this daughter you are looking for."

Isekai bowed slightly, then guided them out of the Stargate's area. There was a lot of things Jack wanted to say, but he held his tongue. Instead he studied the defenses around the Stargate. It was no wonder that Bastet had let them go so easily. It was heavily fortified, with hundreds of Jaffa and even several gliders.

"Are you really going to tell them anything about the sirens, Isekai?" Daniel asked, his voice tense.

"Hm." The mysterious bartender tapped her chin as she walked. "I don't think we could make it back to the Stargate if we somehow escaped her troops and returned." She turned around, now walking backwards, and grinned. "Good thing it's not the only way home."

"I see them."

Sunset walked over to where Adagio and Aria hid behind what remained of what had once been a stone wall.

"You didn't tell me you had two identical sisters," Aria said. "Way to limit my fantasies."

"What are you talking about?" Sunset asked as she finally spotted the group. She stared. There were two more Sunset Shimmers right there, walking with the Tau'ri that her mother had sent to pick her up.

It would be just like Celestia to not tell her about this. One of her two counterparts immediately looked in their direction. "I think they found us."

"Be ready," Adagio said. "If things go bad, stay behind us, Sunset."

A bit unnerved by that, she nodded, allowing the three sirens to take the lead. The Tau'ri that had come to pick her up were accompanied by a Jaffa, as well as a well-armed copy of herself. The other her was just… smiling.

"That's far enough," Adagio stated, her gem flashing for a moment. Sunset immediately realized she was using her power to bend their wills.

"Oh, none of that," the smiling Sunset Shimmer said, waving her hand dismissively. That little gesture was enough to put the three sirens on guard, but she continued talking, as if nothing had happened. "We're here to take you home, after all."

"So you say."

"Adagio," the other Sunset, who Sunset herself was starting to realize looked a bit older than her spoke up again, "please. We're really here to help."

"Fine. So should we head back to the Stargate with you?"

At that, the elder Sunset cringed. "Yeaaah, about that."

"You what?!" the so-called siren, Adagio, roared.

She was arguing back and forth with Isekai about that random agreement she had pulled with Bastet. There was a reason Sunset didn't trust her, after all. Sure, they had the magical mirror, if it worked. But what if it didn't? What if they had to fight their way back to the Stargate? Was she just going to hand them over?

It was no skin off her nose, of course, but it did make her question just what other lies the elder of the three Sunsets was spreading. How much could you trust someone that would sell their supposed allies that quickly?

That's why she didn't trust aliens. Not to mention the first thing the sirens had done when they met was to mind-control the others. Daniel, Sam, Jack and Teal'c had all been out of it until Isekai had spoken.

The jerks didn't know how lucky they'd been that Sunset herself hadn't just opened fire.

"So…"

Speaking of which. She turned to face the other Sunset. Sunny, as Isekai had decided to call her. This one… she looked just like her. She was probably even around the same age. And she looked vulnerable. Scared. Overwhelmed. The complete opposite of Isekai who for all appearances could have been just taking a stroll in the park.

That woman… creature… was so overpowered it would be hilarious if it wasn't making her nervous.

"I um, I see you don't get along with Isekai."

"No shit," she replied automatically. She turned to look at the other her. "You're not suspicious of her? Of me?"

Sunny grimaced. "I don't know what to think. It's kind of a kick to the stomach when you find out you're not the only you out there." She sighed, sitting next to her.

If Sunset was honest, it made her feel really uncomfortable. This was someone her age, a civilian, trying to be strong… and resembled her way too much. "Well, at least this will not last long. We'll take you back to your mother, and I'll go back to Earth, and hopefully Isekai's bar-TARDIS will be fixed by then and we don't have to see each other again."

The young woman cringed at her tone, and she felt bad. It was like she was scolding herself for no reason. "Look, don't take it personal, I'm just not fond of aliens."

"Right." Sunny cleared her throat. "Bar-TARDIS?"

"Isekai says she's a bartender.'

Sunny turned to gape at their older counterpart with an incredulous look. "With all that power?"

"Right?" Sunset chuckled. "Doesn't make sense to me. If you have power, you use it. You just don't hide away in a bar and work a service job."

"I don't know. I think Princess Celestia would enjoy working at a cake store."

That got a chuckle out of Sunset. "Why would your mother do that?"

Sunny looked down. "She's… not really my mother, you know?"

"Oh?"

"Up until now, I wasn't even allowed to call her anything but Princess. I'm an orphan she took in as an apprentice because I was just smart enough to go to her school." Sunny made a fist. "I did everything I could to impress her, you know? She's Princess Celestia! She moves the sun! She's over a thousand years old and she's still hot! She knows so much magic, has seen history play before her eyes, she's led armies, led peace talks. She's fought monsters and invaders, she's trapped villains in stone!"

Sunny's fist slowly opened up, and Sunset could see the nail marks in her palm. Sunny hugged her knees close, resting her chin on them. "She's perfect. She's untouchable. She's wise. She's never told me she loved me until now. She's never wanted me as part of her family." She snorted. "She's always just wanted an apprentice… until now. I don't know what to think. Or do."

"I'm also an orphan, you know?"

Sunny looked up at her.

"I know, right? I think Isekai was too." She chuckled. "What a coincidence. My mother passed away shortly after I was born. The only thing she said was my name to the people that tried to save her. It's not a normal name on my planet at all, but it was her dying wish. Plus, we have really weird people with names stranger than mine, so people just thought it was simply an eccentric choice. But other than that… I was just another kid growing up with little prospects. No one wanted to adopt me. I was too smart, too scary, too ambitious, too old eventually. I think at one point I realized my choices were to keep hoping for the impossible… or just give up on it.

"I was getting drunk in highschool and thinking about all this crap while hanging with some potheads when we walked past an Airforce Recruitment Center. I don't know why, but I went in. I told them my grades… it's funny. The Airman that interviewed me… I don't remember his name, but he just put his hand on my shoulder, looked me straight in the eye, and said: 'Shimmer. You're too good to waste out there. If you really want to do this, if you want to serve your country with those brains of yours… I know just the place you should apply to.'"

Sunny was looking at her with interest. "And?"

"On his recommendation I applied to the Airforce Academy… it's um. A military school/college for the airforce. It ironed out a lot my doubts, and a lot of my fears, and I found my heroes."

Sunny followed her eyes to where Carter and O'Neill were.

"I joined the Stargate program because I want to bring the best to my world. I want to help protect it from invaders and enemies. I want to take us to the stars."

"That is… amazing."

Sunset smirked. "Anyway… the one thing I never had was a family until I joined the military. I think you're lucky that the Princess finally came to her senses."

"Thanks…" Sunny smiled, looking at her hands. "I guess I am. Thank you."

For some reason, Sunset felt much better than earlier. "You're welcome."

"So, essentially, what you get out of all of this is for all of Equestria—including us by default—to assist you against the massive armies of the Goa'uld," Adagio summarized. "Unbelievable."

"It is possible, Adagio Dazzle," Teal'c spoke up. "Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson were directly responsible for the death of Ra and Apophis, and I have witnessed the deaths of other Goa'uld."

"Why would we even want to help these guys?" Sonata asked, swinging her legs. "So they killed a few, so what? They don't stand a chance against all of the System Lords. We've seen too many others fail, and they had better tech and bigger armies, and they were not hiding away from the rest of their world. What do we have to lose if they disappear?"

"Can I show you something?"

Sonata shrugged, and Isekai placed her hand on the siren's shoulder, making her stop her rant as her eyes glazed over. Everyone waited in silence for a few seconds before Sonata's eyes suddenly went wide and she rushed over to grab Aria and Adagio's hands. "Oh my leviathan! We NEED to help these people! We can't let them fail!"

Aria stared at her sister for a moment before turning to glare at Isekai. "What did you do to her?!"

"Isekai?" Jack growled. Not that he didn't appreciate the help, but his experience with brainwashing was not something that made him think of it in a positive light. At all.

She shrugged, turning to face Aria and Adagio. "You sirens love music, right?"

Aria's and Adagio's glowers didn't fade, but they nodded.

Isekai nodded as well, then faced Jack. "I shared my memory of Wembley Stadium, 1985. Queen's set."

Sunset, who had rushed over to them when she heard the commotion, noticed the reaction of SG-1, even her human counterpart. "What Queen?"

"That's—" Jack shook his head, trying to find the words. "You don't pull your punches, do you?" he muttered.

Aria's frown deepened. "What does that—"

"You were there?!" Sam gasped. She coughed. "Um. Can I see?"

Isekai grinned. "Alright, gather round. I'll show you the whole concert this time."

Lt. Sunset Shimmer carefully aimed her rifle over the edge of the wall. Next to her, Isekai simply rested her back against it, eyes closed.

She was supposedly extending her 'senses' like some sort of martial artist out of a Chinese movie or some random action cartoon.

She hated being left here with her interdimensional counterpart. It made her much more nervous than being with the other Sunset. The young princess-to-be was… well, somehow familiar. She was naive, but driven. There was a lot she could relate with her, even if their lives were different.

Isekai… she was… like some sort of twisted parody of her. Ancient, but young. Wise, but clearly fallible. Calm as hell in situations where self-preservation dictated a bit of fear would do wonders for your survival. She didn't need rest, like they did, apparently. She could stay up all night or something.

How powerful was she, really? The reaction of the Sirens and other-Sunset had not gone unnoticed. They were… wary, almost in awe. It really rubbed her the wrong way, just how carefree she was. How unaware of consequences she seemed to be.

For all Sunset knew, Isekai could blow up a planet just like the characters in those Japanese cartoons she'd caught some kids watching in Hawaii at the hotel's lobby.

And she wanted them to believe she was a goddamned bartender? Yeah. Right. Not with how everyone reacted to her.

Isekai took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "I don't sense anyone nearby, it seems we're good for now."

"Right. Don't blame me for not believing your spider-senses," Sunset muttered, "but I'll keep watch properly for the both of us, since you expect me to simply trust my life on your mumbo-jumbo."

"Suit yourself," Isekai responded, leaning back again and—infuriatingly enough—closing her eyes.

It didn't take long before Sunset groaned. "Why did you have to mess up things for me? What is it with you aliens and using my shape?"

"Hmm?" Isekai opened one eye and regarded her carefully. "You know by now that's not remotely what happened, so what is it with you treating us like we're the enemy?"

Sunset growled, then spared a glare at her older counterpart. "Aliens have done nothing but bring pain to humanity since we met them. Thousands of years ago they were killing us, and we drove them off. We discovered them again, and what were they doing? Killing humans. I've lost too many good friends to aliens who think they're entitled to the universe and to treat us like idiots or slaves just because they got lucky and got to space first.

"We haven't taken a single world for ourselves since this all started, and we've managed to give planets to alien 'allies' who keep secrets from us and judge us and tell us we're naive even when we're the ones saving their asses. They're barely grateful for our sacrifices or the lives that we've lost for their sake. They get their planets, they get their weapons, they get us to kill their enemies, and what do we get? Promises. But so far we haven't even had them fill any of them. Whatever technology we've developed has been things we've taken or adapted without their help.

"Even now, we're helping some horse princess rescue her brat-daughter instead of taking advantage of the fact that we have three VIPs that all the Goa'uld want, and what are we doing with them? Nothing. We're sending them back home. We're not learning the secret to immortality, we're not having them tell us their secrets. We risk our lives to give them their happy ending, and what do we get? Almost killed, that's what." She snorted. "I just don't get it. I don't get why we do this. I don't get why SG-1 just… rolls with it."

She trailed off, having said her piece. Isekai was looking at her with curiosity, but no anger. "Would you like to find out?"

Sunset narrowed her eyes. "How?"

"Ask."

Author's Notes:

Okay! So I lied!