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Sunset's Isekai

by Wanderer D

Chapter 57: Changing and Adapting (Stargate SG-1 — Pt. 8)

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Sunset's Isekai
Changing and Adapting (Stargate SG-1 — Pt. 8)
By Wanderer D

It didn't take long before the first change of the guard happened. Soon, Sam was marching up to her, warily looking around before waving gently in her direction.

"So what is it like?" Sam asked, joining her and taking a seat next to her for the new turn of the watch. "You know, doing what you do?"

"Serving drinks? Meeting people?" Isekai asked. "It's nice… my bar has opened me to such amazing things…" She glanced up at the giant gas planet they were orbiting. "Every time you think you've seen it all, something new happens. A new friend appears, a new adventure begins…"

"Doesn't it worry you that statistically something really bad will happen to you?" Sam asked. "With being essentially eternal?"

"Not really." Isekai leaned over and rested her arms and chin on the large, flat rock they were taking cover behind. "I don't think your statistic takes into account an increment in power and abilities, or a steadily-growing network of powerful, loyal and creative friends."

Sam chuckled, and shook her head. "I have so many questions, my mind is all over the place with how much I can ask you…"

Isekai shrugged. "Maybe that's a sign that you shouldn't," she said. "You guys already have amazing adventures and win against the odds."

Sam laughed, shaking her head. "Sometimes I feel we're just lucky… but I guess you're right. It seems sometimes that our lives don't seem as exceptional to us as they really are, despite everything we've gone through, and despite being aware that we have achieved what others could only dream of."

Looking at the astrophysicist, Isekai bumped her in the shoulder. "Now you know what it's like. To me, it's my normal life… full of new experiences, sure, but not something I constantly remind myself of how amazing it is… even if by all logic I should. I'm just lucky to have met so many people from so many places… and learning to embrace what's different."

"I wonder how far we'll go?"

Isekai grinned. "Spoilers. But far."

Sam snorted and leaned back, studying the sky. "You know, for a time I thought I'd never be able to do this? I was part of the original team that worked on the Stargate. I designed the software we use to work the dial… and I was off-shore when Daniel and Jack went out to Abydos and confronted Ra.

"By the time I got back to base, it was all over, and we thought the gate would be useless, now that the other side had been buried." Sam shifted in place, sliding a bit closer to the edge of the wall so she could keep a lookout as she spoke. "I was even going to start working on other projects when Apophis attacked and changed everything."

"But this time around you were there to join the team."

Sam nodded. "It's hard though. Sometimes I forget that I'm a soldier, and sometimes I forget that I'm a scientist." She laughed. "I remember introducing myself forcefully to Jack as, 'that's Captain Carter, sir,' then we're on the other side of the Stargate and I'm shaking hands with Daniel, introducing myself as 'Dr. Samantha Carter, pleased to meet you.' Jack, of course immediately quipped in."

"Of course he did," Isekai said. "He never misses his chance, does he?"

"Part of the charm, I suppose. But still. Now I've hijacked so much alien technology that I'm Earth's foremost expert on it." She smiled. "A decade ago, I would have told myself to stop dreaming science fiction. And now… we've achieved so much and understood so much more of the universe… we can even slowly bring it back to Earth."

"I imagine that's a lot of tech that could help Earth."

Carter shifted in place. "Yes." She sighed. "Unfortunately because there's a lot we still don't understand, incorporating it into our defenses is tricky. Some systems could be really dangerous to just be around, or have unintended long-term effects. There's been more than one time when we've been offered a magic cure… only to find out that the price tag is too high."

"Greetings, Lt. Shimmer."

"Teal'c."

Sunset sat down next to him, watching the rest of the group sleep. Or pretend to. Adagio was awake, and if she knew herself, Sunset was too. She supposed that there was no point in waiting. Whatever her problem was, Isekai had a point. And it was the same point Jack had made.

You can't know people if you don't talk to them.

Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was a bit surprised by her willingly sitting next to him. It was, after all, the type of contact she had avoided for years. They might be in the same base, and in the same team, and fight the same enemies… but to her, he was still an alien of the species that had captured and killed a friend, not to mention other soldiers she had known.

"I don't like Jaffa."

Teal'c turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, then turned to look back at the 'sleeping group' with a hint of amusement. "Most beings in the Universe do not, Lt. Shimmer."

"Doesn't it bother you?" she insisted, "I mean, you're part of Stargate… doesn't it bother you that there are people like me there that don't like you because of that?"

Teal'c turned to look at her again. "It does not. We Jaffa have a long history of being servants to the Goa'uld. Although it is not entirely our fault that they have bred us for this purpose, we have waged wars and claimed many planets in the name of the false gods."

He looked back towards the camp. "We have committed atrocities out of fear or zealousness, or both. And looking past that is not a simple thing. Even now, knowing that the Tok'ra exist, building a rebellion among the Jaffa, there is still too much being done by enslaved Jaffa for people to believe otherwise."

Sunset frowned. "But you have to feel something."

Teal'c nodded. "While it is true that finding members of Stargate who would doubt my honesty and integrity is disappointing, I do have friends and a cause for which I would gladly die for. If I were to take offense at the actions of those that mistrust me, instead of action against the injustices committed against and by my people, I would be destroying whatever chance we have to truly be free of the Goa'uld and joining the rest of the free races of the galaxy." He paused for a moment, his eyes lowering in contemplation. "We have a long history that is seen as intentionally evil by others.

"It does not help that a thousand years of indoctrination and being born under the idea that our gods are the ultimate truth push Jaffa across the Galaxy to ignore their conscience and simply bow their heads. The ideology of oppression is hard to leave behind, Lieutenant, because it is too convenient. Other races are inferior. Other races are not as close to the gods as we are. We are honored to serve our gods, to kill, conquer and ignore suffering for our gods. It's our god's will that it should happen, and our enemies folly that they choose to resist enslavement and salvation.

"Even those of us who know right from wrong still hang to the excuse that we have no choice, either because of fear, or because we think that thinking otherwise makes us wrong. We are taught that our lives are based on that superiority that comes from being closer to the gods than anyone else. That our role is to conquer and enslave other races so that they too might serve the Goa'uld, or that we speak for truth, when all we do is speak to oppress. And if we do share our concerns with others, we run the risk of being accused of being traitors to our race. We are surrounded by those that defend this ideology of fear and superiority over others, and dissension is punished either by our superiors, the Goa'uld, or even our comrades."

"It… does sound very hard to choose to stand against that." Sunset took a deep breath, noticing that Adagio had given up any attempt to pretend that she was asleep, and was simply staring at what was left of the roof of their shelter. Sunny was obviously awake too, and she couldn't really see if the other sirens or the SG-1 members down here were also not asleep.

"It seems like an impossible battle to win," Teal'c continued. "And yet, destroying Ra, or Apophis were also impossible dreams, Sunset Shimmer. Letting go of a simple flawed belief is much harder than it appears, but it is not impossible. Already Jaffa across the galaxy realize that their supposed 'gods' are little else than pretenders. They know that they can die. That they are fallible and cruel. Yet, they choose to stick to those beliefs. They build statues of their oppressors, hide the atrocities behind songs of great deeds and the so-called honor of serving a corrupt leader.

"To them, that one such as I—former Prime to Apophis—would not only betray my lord, but participate in bringing him down is a travesty. That I would tear the statues of their fake idols down one by one to once and for all leave that shameful past behind and open a way for us to co-exist… even if it will be hard work towards redemption to the rest of the galaxy is inconceivable.

"And yet, that is what I must do, Sunset Shimmer, for not only must I stand for what I believe in, I must also endure the mistrust and fear others have if I am to be an example to them of what Jaffa can become, even if my own beliefs are close to those of Stargate Command, or the Tok'ra." Teal'c took a breath and smiled slightly. "When I met Jack O'Neill and the others, it was the first time I thought I had a chance to make my stand. And I joined Stargate, knowing full well that trust was a privilege I would have to earn from those that I had directly or indirectly hurt before."
Sunset grimaced, thinking of how many times she had muttered under her breath about the alien in the cafeteria. Or how many times she had laughed at a crude joke about him when they were out of earshot.

"The price of freedom and respect is never easy, Sunset Shimmer," Teal'c said, moving to stand up. "And it's always accompanied by the hate and pettiness of those that see you as a traitor, and those that see you as an extension of those who did them wrong, or even those that find their power over others addictive. But I do not take it lightly. I choose to fight and let my actions speak for myself. In the end, what matters is that my people will be free of the shackles that have them bound to a lie."

With that said, he nodded at her politely and left, presumably to join Sam and Isekai on their watch. Sunset looked up at the others, but Adagio had already closed her eyes, and Sunny was facing away.

All she had left were her thoughts.

The next morning welcomed her with the humming and singing of several songs the sirens had shared with the others through Isekai's memories. Sunset herself had resisted the urge to join the little circle of memories, more out of distrust for her older counterpart than lack of curiosity. From Sunny's account of the experience, it was as if they had been standing right there.

But if she was honest, she'd rather Isekai share her memory of Russia 1991, if she had been present for that. A concert with over one and a half million people in attendance? Now, that was something that might override her reluctance.

"Sunny, you, Isekai and Aria are with me," Jack called out. "We need to head towards the mirror, and you're the only one who knows where it is." He pointed at them as he went. "Carter, Daniel, you're with Sonata. Teal'c, you take the back with Adagio and Sunset."

"Yessir," Sunset responded, glancing at the siren, who gave her a cold look back. "Can't wait."

"You seem eager for a fight," Adagio muttered as they were well into the jungle. "Kinda funny that you're anti-alien when you're the alien here."

"I'm pro-earth," Sunset growled. "That's the planet where I was born where the aliens decided to farm people from."

"Huh." Adagio rolled back her shoulders, seemingly conceding that point. "Doesn't explain why you have such an attitude against Sunset… um, Sunny that is, and us," she said. "We didn't do anything to you."

"Didn't you?" Sunset asked, glaring at the siren. "You hypnotized Colonel O'Neill and the others. If Isekai hadn't stopped you, who knows what you would have done. I found it a bit hypocritical afterwards that you took the high ground when she shared her memory with Sonata."

Adagio snorted. "I was just protecting the others. You don't get to live over a thousand years in Goa'uld territory by trusting any creature that claims they fight them. More often than not, they're already enslaved, and if not, doomed to fail."

"And yet, here we are."

Adagio shook her head, crossing her arms. "You are different."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Really? How? Because we're taking you back to your world?"

Adagio looked away. "In part. But also the company your group keeps."

"I fail to see how that is relevant to the way you received us."

"You come in with that powerhouse over there…" Adagio said, nodding with her head at the front of the group, where Isekai was chatting with Aria and Sunset. "You're originally what, a unicorn, like Sunny? Don't tell me you can't feel the underlying power she has."

"I'm not, nor have I ever been a unicorn. I'm a human," Sunset replied. "And I don't feel magic like you guys do. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really? That's odd, you do have a magical field and fought-off our mind control. But I suppose there could be Tau'ri with magical senses." She scooted closer. "Don't you feel… uncomfortable close to her? Like you shouldn't really have an issue, but something under your skin makes it crawl because you know there's something even if you can't name it?"

That gave Sunset pause. Adagio had described exactly what she hadn't been able to put into words. A sort of fight-or-flight instinct that put her on edge around Isekai. It wasn't something she felt around Sunny, who seemed much more relatable to her.

"That is your magical sensitivity," Adagio continued. "Applying it is different depending on your species, but with your magical aura, I don't doubt you felt like you were almost choking when you were with her." Adagio glanced at Isekai again. "And I'm sure she knew, because she compressed it."

Sunset frowned, deciding to change the uncomfortable topic. "So you only trusted us because of Isekai?"

"Well, like I said, you had Teal'c with you," Adagio responded, motioning with her hand.

Sunset glanced at the Jaffa who nodded slightly at them, just realizing then that he had been listening in.

"We had heard tales that some planets were rebelling, and that some Jaffa had been taking arms against their masters." She sighed. "I always thought it was lies to keep people on their toes and weed out would-be-dissenters. But it was true. A thousand years ago I would not dare to trust other species—especially after what the ponies did—but that wasn't a choice in this world. We saw an entire race disappear because they offended Apophis. He then repopulated the planet with what you call humans." Her hands curled into fists. "I didn't have friends among them but… they weren't bad. Naive. Easy to manipulate, yes. But not bad. Then the current batch came in and we had an easier time mixing in. I grew used to other creatures and Sonata and Aria chose to help from time to time… enough that when I sensed the Equestrian magic in Sunset, I was willing to give her a chance despite being a pony."

"So what happened with the ponies?" Sunset asked. "They don't look capable of intentionally harming an animal cracker, much less… other creatures their size."

Adagio smirked. "We were bigger than them." The smirk faded. "But we also have a very delicate balance as a species with the surface creatures. Sirens have to mate with other creatures and will usually give birth to another siren and a creature of the same kind as the other parent, but we are seen as evil because we can use our powers to hypnotize creatures or create strife. Our voices can reach deep within a person, and we can sometimes seduce with our songs… it created legends and stories about how we were predators…" Adagio trailed off, then shrugged. "Some of them were true, most not. As I said, we needed them to survive, and if we wanted our children, both land-born and siren to thrive, it didn't make sense to antagonize everyone."

Sunset felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Don't tell me that what they did to you…"

"They didn't do it to me," Adagio said, taking a deep breath. "It was one of my two blood sisters. She was hunted down and killed because she had planned to elope with one of the villagers. Knowing ponies… I know that they probably weren't trying to do that. Even that idiot Starswirl only had the guts to exile us… but that was the end result. It took centuries—even knowing those villagers were long gone—before I was able to come to terms with that. Even if it doesn't make me like them any more than I did before. Which wasn't much." She looked at Sunny, walking in front of them. "For the most part."

Sunset sighed. "It would have been much easier for you without the other species then, right?" She shook her head. "That is why it's so hard for me to deal with all of this… even when aliens like Teal'c are an example of what I should be striving for… I can also constantly see in my head the damage others have caused. And yet we give asylum to aliens, protect them, help them… it sometimes feels pointless to sacrifice so much for no rewards."

"And yet, if you didn't reach out to help, would we have met the Asgardeans?" Teal'c asked. "Would building the Prometheus be possible? Would learning how to protect Stargate Command, and therefore Earth, from so many enemies?"

Sunset grimaced. "Maybe not, but what's wrong with putting my world and my species first?"

Adagio shrugged. "Nothing, I guess. But what I've learned is that doing so doesn't mean leaving the rest of the universe to rot. I always will put my sisters and myself at the top of the survival list, but we've all chosen to help even if it puts us at risk sometimes. But just like your team SG-1 has proven, having a little bit of everything seems to work better than facing the universe on your own, doesn't it?"

"And how did that work for you?"

Adagio shrugged. "We're still here, where many others have failed over the course of a thousand years."

Teal'c didn't comment, but Sunset could still sense a little amusement coming from him.

"You can always generalize the aspects of a whole species to whichever view benefits you," Adagio said. "If you like them, ponies are creative, loyal, strong, and kind. If you don't, they're paranoid, xenophobic, cowards. Even Goa'uld. Take this world for example… before Bastet, Sobek was hunting us just last month. He was raining fire over the planet, just like Apophis and Ba'al had done before him, or many other System Lords. And yet, now that she's here, she's not using violence to find us… she's being kind and ordering her Jaffa to help rebuild the cities that Sobek destroyed not two months ago… and she's gotten closer than any other Goa'uld in history to catch us.

"If she was your first contact with the Goa'uld, I doubt your species would have taken down Ra, Apophis, and others. I think you would have a very different idea of who the Goa'uld could be."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "We're not that insular."

"And yet you'd rather all aliens remain out while you take what's best from their technology," Adagio countered. "We all want what's best for all of us. I will never trust all ponies as fully as Sunny would, but I can trust her. I can forgive her." She looked towards Sonata, who was chatting Sam's ear off, and Aria, who was walking with a small, relaxed smile next to Sunny. "And if she can take us home, I can at least give this new generation of ponies a chance to prove me wrong."

Sunset didn't answer, but tensed when Teal'c patted her shoulder. "Do not worry, Lt. Shimmer," the former Prime of Apophis said, his deep voice reassuring in all of its formality. "All of this takes time. We are fortunate to live in a place and time when we have a chance to change for the better."

She nodded, and the trio proceeded in silence.

It had taken them the rest of the day, but they had finally emerged from the jungle and stepped into an inhabited, if mostly destroyed city. It wasn't just that it had been attacked relatively recently, although it certainly didn't help, but also that the architecture was clearly ancient, and the further in they went, the less people they met… and also the more prominent the ruins became.

By the time they reached the statue, they had passed by architectural remains that were so different they probably belonged to two, or even three different species. The place where the alicorn statue stood was a small plaza, with collapsed buildings that had consisted of several, small rooms interconnected to each other.

No sign of the original people that had inhabited that world remained except for those mostly gone ruins, and the circular nature of the small plaza. It could have been anything, from a tiny garden, to a small assembly area for political discussion, or even religious purposes.

"This is where I came out," Sunny said. "It took me some time, but I eventually made my way to the inhabited area of the city and met Aria and the others." She touched the surface. "It's still closed. I'll write the princess."

"In the meantime," Jack spoke up, "Daniel, Sam. Take a look around. Teal'c, you're with me. Lieutenant, you can stay with Isekai and the others and stand guard."

"Yes, sir."

As Sunny pulled her diary out, the sirens all sat around her, while Isekai went over to study the statue itself. "Hey, girls? Do you think when we go back I'll have a chance to meet more of your sisters?"

Sonata grinned. "For sure! If they're still around, I think it would be fun!"

"If being the keyword," Aria said. "You said it yourself; that you hadn't heard of any siren sightings, right?"

Sunny immediately felt bad about asking, glancing worriedly at Adagio, who was looking down, gloomily opening and closing her fists.

"Doesn't mean that all is lost." Surprisingly it was Lt. Shimmer who had spoken up. She looked at Adagio. "You did say that you were willing to give things a chance, right? If you three were able to avoid capture by the Goa'uld for a thousand years, it stands to reason the same would be true of your fellow sirens, right?"

"Oooh! I want to introduce you all to Minuet Daze," Sonata said eagerly. "She's the most adorable Siren ever to live!"

Aria snorted. "Only you would think she's adorable."

"Bleh!" Sonata made a face, blowing a raspberry at Aria. "Meanie."

Aria grinned, then, her smile going a bit more gentle, she looked to Adagio. "How about you? Don't you want to see Fugue?"

Sunny frowned, finishing her note to the princess. "Fugue?"

"Fugue Mirage," Aria clarified. "Adagio's blood sister. Same mother, different father than..."

"Cantata Dazzle," Adagio said, not looking up. "The sister I lost to the ponies a thousand years ago."

"Huh." Sunny frowned, looking down at the diary. "That's curious."

Adagio glanced at her. "Why?"

"That's my mother's name, according to the orphanage papers," she replied. "I looked into it when I was old enough to know how to do it. They said she'd passed away in an accident."

A thud made them look over at Lt. Shimmer, who had sat down across from them, eyes wide. "No way. That's my mom's name. For the longest time I thought the nuns had made it up, but when I checked, that was the name listed. If I didn't know there were people that named their kids Zelda or Arwen I would have just thought it was a made-up name."

The sirens and both Sunsets looked at each other in silence for a moment. "Do you think?"

"Nah," Lt. Shimmer said quickly. "We're both Sunset Shimmer and we look basically the same, right? I bet it's just another of those crazy coincidences."

"Yeah," Sunny said after a moment, laughing at her own silliness. "Of course it is."

They descended into an uncomfortable silence that didn't last long. The book vibrated soon after and Sunny quickly read it. "Princess Celestia says the portal is ready."

Lt. Shimmer nodded, pressing her radio. "Colonel, we're green to go."

"Heading back," Jack's voice came over. "But there's some Goa'uld action coming our way, you guys go ahead. We'll follow."

"But sir—"

"That's an order, Lieutenant. You heard me too, Daniel. Sam."

"Yes, sir," Sam's voice came from the radio as the pair made their way to where the others were waiting.

"I can't leave them!" Lt. Shimmer growled, picking up her gun. "You guys—"

"Will all follow orders," Sam interrupted. "Trust me. It's better this way. Jack and Teal'c will be back soon."

"It'll be fine," Isekai spoke up, walking up to the group. "I'll wait for them in case something goes wrong."

Lt. Shimmer was clearly struggling until Isekai touched her shoulder. "Trust me."

Gritting her teeth, the soldier looked at them. "Let's go."

Unlike the Stargate, the so-called magical mirror's transportation was much worse. She landed on a heap, completely disoriented on top of the others, being the last one to cross before Isekai and the others. Knowing that Jack and Teal'c had a tradition of being followed by blasts of energy, she rolled to the side, her arms jumbled, but her body was generally still functional.

"Get out of the way! Make way for Colonel O'Neill and the others!" she shouted, hearing the rest of the group groaning and acknowledging her orders. Now that they were on the other side of the mirror, she forced herself up, shaking her head as she took in her surroundings.

There was Princess Celestia—slightly shorter than she remembered—, Shining Armor and several pony guards. Getting up and moving away from the mirror was an orange pony unicorn with a tell-tale mane that could only be the Sunset Shimmer of this world, and next to her three large sea-horse-like creatures that would be Sonata, Adagio, and Aria.

Oddly enough there were two more creatures. Another pony with dark brown coat and a slightly darker mane dressed in SG-1 overalls, and another pony-like creature in SG-1 overalls as well, except she had a blonde leonine mane, scales and an odd, thick red horn that split at the top. Definitely not a unicorn.

They were gaping at each other in obvious confusion. "D-Daniel?" the creature with the leonine mane asked.

"Sam?!"

Wait… if they had been transformed… why was everyone looking at her? She looked down at herself, noticing for the first time that she was sort of floating in the air. She had a lower fish-like body, while the upper part had hooves. It was a shape very similar to that of… "No way." She gazed at the siren looking back at her in the mirror. "No way," she repeated.

She had to drop down, however, when several blasts blew out of the mirror, smashing against a hastily-raised shield conjured by Princess Celestia. Immediately following those, a pegasus in SG-1 overalls rolled out of the mirror, followed by a quickly galloping bug-like creature, and finally by another version of herself… a tall winged unicorn in a bartender's getup.

Being the last Sunset to cross, Isekai simply levitated the diary off of the top of the mirror and turned around to grin at the group as the energy blasts stopped coming through. "Well, I think that was a success, wasn't it?"

"Isekai," Jack growled, slowly getting up to his hooves. "Why am I a horse?"

Isekai just shrugged. "Magic."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but then noticed the others. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath before opening them again. "You can fix this, right?"

Isekai nodded. "Yeah, it's easy."

"Good. Now, since we're all here and we're all horses, I'd love to have a drink."

It had been a week since SG-1, sans Lt. Shimmer, had gone back to Earth once again being human. True to her word, Isekai had transformed the pegasus, changeling, earth pony and kirin back into their natural forms after a few hours of letting them enjoy their new forms, and had even fulfilled her promise to take Jack to her bar.

The other two Sunsets had decided that it was best to stay in Equestria for now and re-connect, with the blessing of Lt. Shimmer's superior officer. Some guy named Hammond. Now, she found herself walking around the castle with Princess Celestia, something that in her previous life here in Equestria would have been probably impossible.

"All I could find about your nieces, is that one Fugue Mirage, was their mother. She had been living for several years here in Canterlot before she married a unicorn named Distant Travel," Celestia said to her as they walked (and floated) through the Canterlot Castle Gardens. "He was an enthusiast of Starswirl's, and had spent a lot of time studying his work on dimensional magic. I recall his marks had been quite high during his years studying at my school."

"Sounds like a charmer." So her sister had come eventually to the pony lands, pretended to be a pony and hooked up with a unicorn. She couldn't really say whether she approved of her boldness or not, but it was typical of Fugue to do things that other sirens would think about twice.

Celestia didn't smile, sighing as she pulled out a scroll from some pocket space and stopped near one of the many fountains. She levitated it over to Adagio, who took it in her hooves. "Unfortunately we can only guess what happened. They were well-liked by their neighbors and friends. Fugue Blaze had been pregnant and been about to give birth before something happened.

"When Fugue went into labor, they had called a nursemaid to help them. All accounts are from their neighbors as reported to the guard. It was the middle of the night, when they heard screaming, magic explosions, a roar and then the house collapsed. The only pony they could find alive—"

"Was Sunset Shimmer… Sunny," Adagio finished for her, sighing. "Fugue always loved the sunset, so I'm not surprised she'd choose that name for one of them. We'll have to do something about the names."

Celestia smiled at that, nodding before turning her eyes to the playful twins, who were currently chatting happily with Shining Armor, Cadence, Sonata, and Aria near another of the open areas.

"Yes," she said, "Sunny had been fortunately placed in her cradle, along with a birth certificate that hadn't been signed yet, but had the name scribbled on it. Distant Travel being a unicorn, had already child-proofed it, and the magical spells cast onto the cradle to protect the babies kept her alive while everything around her went up in flames." Celestia sighed, looking up from the gardens to the city beyond them. "She became a ward of the state, then I adopted—well, I took her in, and eventually adopted her."

Adagio held the scroll in her hooves, not opening it, wishing she still had hands if only so she could properly crush the thing. "I can imagine what happened," she finally growled. "When Fugue gave birth, she turned back into her true form… and this pony, Distant Travel—because he was one of Starswirl's fans—decided immediately she was evil." She shook her head at the thought of her sister in that vulnerable state doing everything she could to protect her children. "They fought and he tried to cast the same spell that sent my sisters and I to Ze'bala, but since he's not Starswirl, he ended up botching that and sending her already injured to Earth. He probably died in the process. No normal unicorn could cast such a spell."

She gritted her teeth, eyes simmering with anger at the city past them, where ignorance and hatred had cost her not one, but two sisters. But then they heard a laugh. They looked over to where three sirens played tag with a unicorn while Cadance and Shining Armor watched, amused.

Adagio took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. "When we sirens mate, we usually will have at least two offspring. One being a siren, another being a member of our mate's species. Most of the time… they know we're sirens. When they don't—" She bit her lip. "When they don't… well, these things are unfortunately not unheard of."

"I know that the loss of your sister cannot be taken back," Celestia said gently, standing next to Adagio and watching the group play. "but although you did lose a sister… you gained two nieces." Her eyes sparkled. "Maybe even one daughter, if you wanted."

Adagio half-snorted, half-chuckled. "She's a grown adult."

"She's still in her twenties, and she's going to live a long, long time. She's just discovered she's not really a human and even though she's taking it like a trooper, you know she's not remotely comfortable with discovering she wasn't what she thought she was. She's changed. She's had to re-examine her view on everything that made sense to her just a few days ago. She'll need her family, and she was lucky enough to have found it. Not only an aunt, but also a sister."

"Yeah." Adagio shook her head, but smiled at the playing group. "We did find each other."

Hesitantly, Celestia wrapped a wing around the siren, but when there was no reaction, she leaned in, showing her support. "Times have changed… and will change more. I promise. We'll help ponies and other creatures understand sirens better. And, if you are open to it… as Sunset's biological aunt… I would love to welcome you to the family."

Adagio had to laugh. "Sunset Shimmers seem to be a lot more trouble than you would ever expect." Her laugh turned into a chuckle, and she shot Celestia a glance. "Half-sirens have really long lifespans, you know? Are you sure you're okay with seeing me around that often?"

Celestia shrugged, turning to look at pony Sunset with a smile. "With how close she's to Aria? I don't think I have a choice."

"Good point."

"Can I have another?"

"Knock yourself out, Daniel, Sunset is buying." Jack didn't even bother looking over his shoulder as he whipped his fishing rod. He watched the hook, bait and bobber fly until they reached a decent distance in the middle of the pond, with the line slowly following down to rest on the water.

Carefully, he tightened the line a little so that the bobber stayed in place, and leaned back. He took a swig of Sectoid Sweat. Apparently it was a brew made by human resistance against their otherworldly overlords in another universe, and he had to admit, it was just the type of hoppy he liked in his IPAs.

Next to him, already relaxing, Teal'c contemplated the Montana landscape, a bottle of actual viking mead in his hand.

Sam was at the grill, while Daniel was sampling the different beers at his own pace while reading some books Sunset had dug out for him out of somewhere. Speaking of which, their bartender… he still couldn't get over the fact that she was a bartender, was currently sitting at the table with her friend and business partner, Rarity, talking to some odd kids.

"So, you're okay with this?" one of them, a duck out of Ducktales of all things, asked.

"As long as you girls take care, I have no objections," Sunset replied, bumping her fist with the duck's. He tried to wrap his mind around that. Ducks had fists.

"Does that mean you're coming with us?" A white cat-like creature asked, it's white and purple tail swaying.

Next to the duckling, there were three human girls. A latino young girl, standing next to some sort of dog creature; a green-eyed, white-haired girl who was apparently a ghost… next to some sort of wizard-doll creature, and a young girl with purple and pink hair who was apparently her business partner's little sister, who had a cat-creature of her own, although hers was black.

"Of course it does," the black cat creature said. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"Black Tailmon, be nice," the young girl scolded.

"Right. Right. So-rry."

"Alright Sweetie Belle," Rarity said. "Off you girls go to the Digi-world. We'll pick you up later."

"Yay! Come on, Luz! Let's get Amity to go with us!"

"W-wait! She'll need her own Digimon though! Ugh. Come on Wizardmon."

"Don't take everyone with you! Seriously!" Sunset called as the girls ran into the bar and disappeared. She shook her head. "Kids."

Jack snorted, and leaned back, taking a deep breath as the calm returned to his sanctum-sanctorum, as Daniel had once called it. Rarity had assured them when the kids had first appeared that it was just a momentary distraction, and it seemed they were out of their hair for a while.

"I'm still surprised that you really are a bartender," Daniel said. "Aren't you tempted to mess around with time and such?"

"I can, to an extent," Sunset replied, taking a sip of her own beer, a much darker brew than Jack cared to try. "But my bar is a place for people to deal with issues, not for me to fix or correct them."

"I've tried telling this to Sunset, Daniel darling, but she's still too young and too new to the multiverse," Rarity spoke up. "One day she might have to change, but until then the bar is a safe-haven for those that need it."

"But what about this time around?" Daniel asked. "You were involved in our whole mission."

"Me?" Sunset scoffed. "Barely. I'm just glad that Sunset and Sunset met and reunited with their families."

Jack snorted. "You knew, didn't you? That Lt. Shimmer was also from Equestria."

Sunset simply took a drink.

He sighed and was about to speak up again when he felt a minor tug on his line, and he turned his attention to the bobber, which was twitching. Well. Maybe finding out that detail wasn't that important.

He took another swig of his Sectoid Sweat, and held his fishing rod ready, waiting for the right moment to strike.

End SG-1 Crossover

Author's Notes:

Finally! The last part has been published! Yay!

Next Chapter: The Road Goes Ever On (The Multiverse in a Nutshell — Ongoing) Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 11 Minutes
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