Author's Note: Rattler has returned with a new spark of crossover insanity.
Alex: Rattler20200 owns nothing except the plot of this story. Enjoy.
Stargate Equestria
"Did I know?
Did I know that that big ring we found in the desert would one day bring war to Equestria?
No. I didn't. No more than I knew that my old mentor would one day become one of my enemies.
Would I change anything? Of course not! The Stargate may have brought the Tlak'khan to Equus, but it also brought us together in a way nopony expected. And it opened our eyes to a much larger galaxy. And... in a strange way... it... brought me a bit closer to somepony I left behind out of fear. My own daughter...
Yea... me... afraid. Funny how an ancient ring brings things out like that huh?"
-Excerpt from the journal of Daring Do
Prologue
Saddle Arabia
Equus
15 years ago
She wiped a foreleg across her brow as she looked at the tablet again in her tent. There were few Ponies who could translate it. Luckily... that's exactly what she was doing. She may only be an archeology student under Dr. Caballeron, but he did like to say she was a natural.
She ruffled the feathers of her wings a bit as she concentrated on the ancient text. Her pencil scribbling down a combination of the characters and modern Equestrian.
"Lets see... no... that's not Doorway to Heaven," she said as she ran a hoof over one particular part. "Why would... oh... right... they really need to stop publishing Pug's work. Dude can't translate a cookbook, let alone something important."
After a few minutes, Daring Do looked at the results of her translation work.
"Stargate..." she said to herself. "What's a Stargate?"
After a few more minutes, Daring Do got up and stepped out into the blazing Saddle Arabian sun. The excavation was going slowly but surely. Caballeron was near the main dig, supervising the workers. Seemed like he was really focused on something. Spreading her wings a bit to fan herself for a moment, Daring trotted over to take a look at what was going on herself. Her mentor smiled as she came up next to him.
"Sounds like we hit something big Daring," he said. "They're saying its round."
"Well... lets go dig it up!" Daring said with a smile before jumping down to join the workers. With a nod, Caballeron joined her and the pair started working around the edge of something round. It wasn't long before they discovered it was some form of cover stone. It took a couple hours to completely clear off the sand, and they had a mystery. What lay beneath the cover stones?
The next day, work began on lifting the cover stones. After setting up a pulley system, the workers set about hoisting the heavy stone pieces. Slowly but surely what lay beneath was revealed. Daring placed a hoof on the strange material. It looked like stone, but didn't feel like it.
"Daring! They're gonna lift up the ring in a minute!" Caballeron called out. With a nod, Daring spread her wings and lifted up into the air, backing up before landing next to her mentor and folding her wings.
"Heh... Pegasi have all the luck," Caballeron said with a smile.
"There's still the preening you know," Daring replied as the ring was being pulled up. Now that it was being freed from the sand, she could make out a track with various symbols on it, and nine... chevrons, for lack of a better term. Her thoughts went back to the tablet she translated. As soon as the ring was vertical, Daring Do looked on in awe at the ring.
"Stargate," she said, mostly to herself.
"Daring?" Caballeron asked.
"Something I translated," she replied. "I think... it was this ring. This... is the Stargate. Whatever that means."
Caballeron put a hoof on the ring, his eyes taking in every detail. The symbols had to mean something. And why did it look like parts on the ring could actually move?
"We're going to need a big crate to get this back to Canterlot for study," he finally said.
"No kidding..." Daring Do replied before another call came out. Something else had been found. Both ponies ran over to investigate, and found what looked like some kind of pedestal. Instantly, Daring Do noticed that it was connected with the Stargate. The symbols set around a large dome in the center were the exact same ones as on the Stargate itself. She placed a hoof on one of the symbols, and felt it give a bit. Narrowing her eyes, the young Pegasus actually pressed down on the symbol.
The symbol lit up slowly, as if it had been dormant for a long time. But the surprise came when something on the Stargate itself, one of the chevrons around the edge, actually lit up as well, surprising the workers. As a test, Daring put her hoof on another symbol and, while watching the Stargate, pressed down again. Another chevron lit up in response.
"I think we found something more than just a ceremonial ring," Caballeron said in awe.
"Nine of those... chevrons, a track with symbols, a pedestal with matching symbols... some kind of combination lock?" Daring asked.
"Maybe... but still... what is it?"
"I don't know..."
Present Day
Canterlot City, Equestria
Preparations for this year's Summer Sun Festival were well underway. The skies were clear, and the sunlight glinted off the Castle as if its stone structure had been polished for the celebration. But deep inside a warehouse in the heart of the city, something forgotten rumbled to life. Lighting up one after another, seven chevrons activated before a burst of energy erupted from an old ring before collapsing back on itself and forming what looked like a pool of water. Shortly after, a large figure emerged from the event horizon. Tall, stocky, and reptilian, this figure brandished a long staff as it swept the chamber it found itself in for any threats. Others soon followed, each one armed with a similar staff. Once the last came emerged, the wormhole shut down.
After locating the control panel, all but one of the large beings made their way towards the nearest exit, each one with a predatory grin on their faces.
Princess Celestia walked along the streets of Canterlot, overseeing the preparations for the celebration. Her sister, Princess Luna, followed close behind. Both couldn't help but smile as ponies went about their business. Celestia knew that similar preparations were being made all across the country. This year, Celestia decided to remain in Canterlot for the Festival. She was, however, considering having Luna visit Ponyville for this year's Festival. The smaller Alicorn could use some more exposure to the modern world, as well as one of Ponyville's famous Pinkie Pie Parties.
Celestia was nothing if not devious when it came to her sister at times. Their old castle in the Everfree Forest had been built with everything the sisters needed for their famous Prank Wars when they were younger.
Closing her eyes, Celestia just let a gust of wind blow through her mane as she smelled the fresh baked bread from a local bakery. While she had essentially a legion of gourmet chefs, sometimes it was the simple things that were the most enjoyable, and Celestia made it a point to occasionally get out of the castle and visit some of the shops in the city.
The serenity was soon shattered as a new sound came to the Alicorn's ears. Panicked cries, screams of fear, and a sound she had never heard before. Opening her eyes, Celestia charged down the street to ascertain the source of the commotion. Luna was right behind her, a determined look crossing the face of the smaller Alicorn. In her mind... something may be attacking her people, and the Princess of the Night was the more tactical of the two siblings. As the two rounded a corner, an Earth Pony stallion ran in front of them, only to get struck by a bolt of energy. The impact threw him off his hooves and he crumpled to the ground, a large burn smoldering on his side. Luna checked the unfortunate stallion before a dark look crossed her face. He was dead, and something killed him right in front of her.
The sound of guttural laughter reached the ears of the royal sisters. Celestia looked down the street and saw tall figures the likes she had never seen before. And she had seen a lot in her thousand plus years. The beings had the look of warriors. One leveled a staff towards a fleeing Pegasus mare, and a bolt of orange fire flew from the open tip and slammed into the unfortunate mare. Celestia's jaw dropped in horror. These beings were not only attacking Canterlot, but killing innocent ponies without remorse. Quite the opposite in fact. They appeared to be relishing each kill as they continued their attack.
Gritting her teeth, Celestia cast a quick spell to amplify her voice.
"GUARDS! TO ME!" she ordered, summoning the Royal Guard. Luna spread her wings and charged, deciding not to wait for soldiers. Both actions didn't go unnoticed by the attackers, as one of them turned and pointed a meaty finger at the pair, saying something in a guttural language. Soon, the staff weapons were pointed at the Alicorns as they unleashed bolt after searing bolt at them. Celestia cast a shield spell, easily deflecting the bolts up and away or just letting them splash against the magic barrier. Luna evaded each attack with grace, showing that her time spent on the moon had not dulled her skills or instincts. Forgoing magic for the time being, Luna landed right next to one of the attackers, spun around on her front hooves, braced, and bucked it in the chest with everything she had. The brute flew backwards into a nearby wall.
His companions took offense, and turned to attack the dark Alicorn before a beam of white hot light sliced through a staff. Celestia had joined the fight, electing to unleash the power of the sun at range. Soon, armored ponies arrived with pole arms and began a counterattack, catching the marauders off guard at the ferocity of the defenders. Luna grabbed one of the staff weapons with her magic, swung it around to smack one of the brutes across the face, then... accidentally discovered how to fire it. The bolt slammed into the brute's chest, causing him to collapse on the spot.
The leader of the warriors called out something in their language, and the survivors started to fall back towards a warehouse. Deciding not to let up the pressure, Celestia and Luna charged after them, leading the Royal Guard. What followed was a running battle until they entered the warehouse where Celestia reared back in shock. The ring...
One of the brutes started pressing panels on the pedestal before slamming a large hand down on the central dome. Energy formed inside the ring and exploded out before collapsing in on itself again. Soon after, the warriors were firing indiscriminately in the direction of the ponies while backing towards what looked like a pool of water. Celestia and Luna cast a tandem shield spell, blocking the attacks as they slowly pushed forward.
All but one of the brutes had entered the portal. The last one, the largest with the most impressive armor, glared at Celestia before pointing at her and saying something. Glaring back, Celestia just pawed the ground with her hoof in response, spreading her wings in the typical Pegasus show of aggression.
"Leave this place, beast," she spat. "Or I will burn you down where you stand for your crimes."
The warrior growled a response before backing into the portal and vanishing through it, never taking its eyes off the Solar Princess. Shortly after, the energy collapsed and the lights on the ring died.
"Secure the area," Celestia ordered. "Grab anything the invaders left behind for study. Get the wounded to hospitals immediately. And somepony secure that ring! I want it out of the city and in a secure location as soon as possible!"
"Sister... what just happened?" Luna asked. "What were those... fiends?"
"I... do not know..." Celestia admitted as she relaxed. "But I fear... we have not seen the last of them."