"The Arc Caster is a marvel of Equestrian engineering. Based upon the Invader Staff Weapon, it is a foreleg mounted weapon that utilizes Spellstones to store a basic attack spell, and channels it through a barrel. While relatively weaker than a Staff Blast, the Arc Caster makes up for it in rate of fire. And it is usable by Earth Ponies and Pegasi as well as Unicorns. While prolonged use will burn out the spellstone, we have rigged up a quick release to allow for replacement of the spellstone in the field, increasing the weapon's versatility. While we do not know the full extent of Invader military capabilities... we will continue to refine our Arc Caster technology in hopes of producing variants that could be useful in various situations our EG Teams may come across."

- Excerpt of a Technical Brief on Equestrian Arc Casters to Twilight Sparkle

"Rainbow Dash is going to love this thing."

-Twilight Sparkle's scribbled margin notes on the Arc Caster

Chapter 3

Reporting for Duty

Firestar Base

Stargate Initiative Headquarters, Cascade Mountains

Equestria

Sitting behind her desk in her new office, Twilight Sparkle looked over some files to find ponies to fill out the rest of EG-1. After some careful consideration, she actually selected two of her own friends for positions, knowing that it might also help Sunset as they were counterparts to her own friends in the Human World. Rainbow Dash would make an excellent scout with her speed, and Applejack would be able to make the team self sufficient if they were ever cut off from the gate. That left one slot open. At first she considered another friend of hers, but none of the remaining Element Bearers would be good with field work.

Pinkie Pie was too much of a free spirit and party pony to take anything seriously, and she had taken over the base kitchen already. Would be better to keep her on base as a chef and Morale Officer.

Rarity was already working as a Supply Officer on base, working to make and even improve on SGI's uniforms and armor designs. Also... she'd go Drama Queen if she stepped in any alien mud.

Fluttershy was just too timid and wouldn't last two seconds in a fight with the Invaders. So Twilight had her posted as a nurse here at the base.

That left... a lot of potential recruits. She did actually consider assigning Daring Do as the fourth member of the team, but decided against it. The archaeologist adventurer was needed here for the most part to help decipher anything brought back. There was also an interesting note in her file about her being a mother, yet... Twilight wasn't aware of her having a foal. A question for later.

One by one, Twilight went over personnel files and even conducted interviews. It just seemed like it was one fiasco after another.

Cheese Sandwich talked to his rubber chicken a couple times while saying he was planning another party. Twilight assigned him to the kitchen alongside Pinkie Pie.

Derpy... just sat there eating a muffin. Assigned as a courier when not doing her day job of mailpony.

Trixie... too much ego. Assignment pending.

Zecora... actually considered for the position on EG-1, but decided to assign to the Infirmary instead.

Gilda... too much ego. Assignment pending.

With a groan, Twilight dropped her head onto her desk as her latest interviewee, Bulk Biceps, left. Assignment status: in charge of the base Gym. For several minutes, the exasperated mare just sat there mashing her face against the stack of files when there was a knock at her door. Shifting enough to get one eye out, Twilight saw a white Unicorn mare with a wild mane and shades.

"Vinyl Scratch?" Twilight asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard you got an interesting job opportunity," Vinyl Scratch replied before sitting down across from Twilight. Lifting her head, Twilight looked at Ponyville's resident DJ, wondering what she could possibly contribute to SGI. After a moment, she dug through her files and found Vinyl's. It was at the bottom of the stack.

"Ok... so... why do you want to join SGI?" Twilight asked.

"Well... I want to experience new forms of music," Vinyl Scratch replied. "And who knows... maybe music is a form of universal language. The right song could convey a peaceful intent and all that jazz."

Twilight just gave Vinyl Scratch a deadpan look. While the idea of a universal language might help, she honestly wasn't sure if music would be a clear enough example. It took a moment for Twilight to realize that Vinyl Scratch had snatched a puzzle that Twilight had been working on between interviews, and was about to take it back when she suddenly realized something. Music had a pattern. And patterns could be analyzed. Not only that... Vinyl Scratch was a DJ, an expert on sound mixing and basically all things acoustic. As soon as Vinyl Scratch put the puzzle down, Twilight took a look at her handiwork. Sure enough... the DJ had solved it right there in front of her. To test her theory on Vinyl's skills in pattern recognition, Twilight quickly jotted down a jumbled message before handing it over. The idea was to see if Vinyl could decode it.

Vinyl Scratch took one look at the jumble of letters and narrowed her eyes behind her shades. There was a pattern to it. Sticking her tongue out the corner of her mouth, she grabbed a pencil with her magic and started working on the puzzle.

"Huh..." she finally said. "Its a Cypher Language."

"Care to explain?" Twilight asked, already impressed.

"Character replacement. Writing one letter, but meaning another. Tavi and I used to pass notes that way in school. Drove our teachers crazy. For example, if we wrote vjax, we actually meant fish. Without the cypher, complete or even partial... this would take a while for me to decode."

Twilight smiled and nodded.

"Well Vinyl Scratch... Congratulations. You got the job. Welcome to SGI."

"Sweet."

"Not only are you in... I'm actually assigning you to EG-1. Sunset Shimmer's team."

With that, she made a note on Vinyl Scratch's file.

Assignment: Team Scientist (Acoustic specialization), EG-1.

"Alright fillies. Listen up! This... is called an Arc Caster! This is not a toy. This is going to be your new best friend! And it may very well save your lives. So treat it with respect!"

The sergeant raised the device up for everyone to see. Sunset Shimmer was down at the firing range, along with several other recruits, to learn how to fight using the standard weapon that was to be deployed. She had to admit, the design made it practical.

"Now pay attention. These spellstones are charged with your basic attack spell, a magic bolt. You Unicorns may be familiar with it. But this ramps it up a bit. The barrel will focus the bolt, allowing for greater accuracy than what you can get by just spittin' it outta your horns! You strap this on your foreleg, you aim along the barrel, and you press the trigger with your other hoof. Be sure you ain't pointin' it at yourself or anypony you don't want to go splat! The spellstone has limited charges before its drained, so don't spray and pray unless you have to. To replace the spellstone, just flip this, eject the stone, place a fresh one in, and slap it home!

Now... which one of you fillies wants to try first?"

Sunset raised a hoof, and the sergeant motioned for her to step forward. After he ran her through how to properly use it, she stepped up to the firing line. Bracing herself, she reared up on her hind legs a bit, raised her right foreleg with the Arc Caster, took aim, and pressed the trigger with her other hoof. A bolt of blue magic shot from the barrel and slammed into the target downrange... a little to the left of where she had been aiming.

"Not bad kid."

"Might have to adjust a bit," Sunset replied before standing down.

"Still... that's pretty darn good for a first try."

"Captain Shimmer, please report to the Quartermaster's Office."

Taking the Arc Caster off so that the next recruit could try, Sunset started off towards the main base structure.

The Sergeant just looked at the departing mare in disbelief.

"Did I just call a Captain 'kid'?"

"Gotta hand it to ya Rares. Ah think ya outdid yerself on th' armor."

Rarity basked in the praise as she adjusted the dragonscale vest on her friend Applejack. Nearby Rainbow Dash was giving it a quick test by hovering in the air while Vinyl Scratch was checking herself out in a mirror.

"Well... I wanted to maximize protection, but the first couple designs were just too clunky," the fashionista replied. "So I elected for a more conservative utility vest style over a basic jumpsuit. Thanks to some more magically inclined ponies, not only will the dragonscale protect you from physical harm, it has an enchantment that should dissipate magical energy, leaving only the physical impact. Though nopony has actually volunteered to test that."

Applejack could only nod in response. She also noticed two distinct patches, one on each shoulder. On one was what looked like a round patch depicting the Stargate, with EG-1 right in the middle. On the other was another round patch with stylized wings spread up forming an open circle, with a star in the center. The symbol chosen to represent SGI. The overall outfit was actually pretty functional compared to most of Rarity's work. The jumpsuit, a simple green ensemble, would protect from the elements for the most part. The dragonscale "ballistic" vest went over it and protected the body, while leaving the legs maximum mobility. A utility belt was added to store extra spellstones for the Arc Casters, and a literal backpack for storing other supplies finished the outfit. Naturally any Pegasi would have accommodations made for their wings.

"Well... lets hope we ain't the first t' test that feature out then," Applejack said as she put on her hat.

Sunset came in to the rather large workshop that functioned as the Quartermaster's Office, and did a double take. She knew these ponies. Or at least their human counterparts. The white Unicorn mare looked past the cowboy hat wearing pony and smiled.

"Oh... you must be Sunset Shimmer," she said. "Please, come this way. I have your outfit all set to go."

"Nice to meet you too Rarity," Sunset replied.

"How... how did you know my name?"

"I know your counterpart. Long story. And the rainbow maned Pegasus should be Rainbow Dash, cowboy hat must be Applejack, and wild mane with shades I think is... Vinyl Scratch."

"Wow... you're good," Rainbow Dash said as she landed. "Weird that you know our names, but still pretty good."

Rarity quickly got Sunset into her outfit, made some adjustments for a better fit, and finally stood back and took in all of the fire maned mare in all her glory. After saying that Sunset looked marvelous, Rarity trotted over and presented two patches to her. Accepting the patches, Sunset couldn't help but smile. She really was just like her counterpart.

"Well... I may know your counterparts from my time in the Human World, but I am looking forward to getting to know you girls," Sunset said as she attached the patches to her shoulders.

"Ah still can't believe we're gettin' ready fer a war," Applejack drawled. "Or th' fact ah'm gonna be a part of it mahself."

"You and me both AJ," Rainbow Dash added.

"Do we know anything about who attacked us?" Sunset asked.

"All I know is they're big, brutish lizard aliens with what the scientists are calling 'staff weapons'. Whatever that means," Rarity replied. "We've only been calling them Invaders because we don't even know who they are."

Sunset thought for a moment. They don't even know who their enemy is. And with her carefully hidden love of sci-fi, she knew it was a big galaxy out there. Even when she was the Bully Queen of Canterlot High, Sunset enjoyed science fiction. And now she was going to live it. It also surprised her how she was already seeing some of the technology she was familiar with back in the Human World, as Rarity levitated what looked like a headset with a mic and camera to her.

"One more thing. This is some kind of prototype thing the scientists came up with. It will slip over your ear, and this microphone will work with a radio you'll be wearing," she said. "They also said something about a camera and built in flashlight. Honestly I think this thing looks dreadful. No style at all."

Taking the headset, Sunset slipped it on and adjusted it for comfort.

"Don't think they wanted it to be a fashion piece Rarity," she said. "So how long has this tech been around?"

"First I've heard of it," Vinyl Scratch spoke up.

"Well... apparently Equestria's been sitting on it ever since Twilight chased you through the portal the first time Sunset," Rarity explained. "They only pulled it out now for testing because of the threat we're facing. 'Only the best equipment for our front line troops' I believe was the line used. Its still only experimental and we only have enough for four ponies."

"Guess I should talk to Twilight at some point," Sunset said.

Two days later

Through a series of random dialings, SGI managed to lock onto at least two worlds for potential exploration. While Celestia had seen the symbols for the world the Invaders went to, it was decided to blacklist that one for now. But what they learned from that was the seventh symbol. While most of the symbols seemed to have some kind of significance, the seventh symbol was different from the rest in style.

Twilight looked between the two gate addresses as EG-1 filed in. It was time to send a team on the very first Stargate mission, and EG-1 was going to take it. There was just one problem: how to get them home again.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight looked over at the other occupant of the briefing room. Daring Do was still wearing her customary shirt, but with an added SGI patch on the shoulder. As soon as Rainbow Dash had come in though, her demeanor changed. Setting the two folders down, Twilight turned her attention to Sunset's team.

"Ok... guess this is it. Our first mission," she said. "For the first time ponykind will step foot on another planet. Wish it was under better circumstances. And... I wish it wasn't without risk. Daring?"

Daring Do stepped forward, still keeping her eyes on Rainbow Dash before getting her head back in the game.

"We've managed to connect with two other gates now. We have no idea what's on the other side, but that honestly isn't the problem. We... don't even know how to bring you home once you step through the gate. And before you ask... we can't open it from our end. Its one way travel. It has to be opened from the other side for you to come back."

"Sunset, its your call on which world you go to," Twilight said as she indicated the file folders. "Once on the other side... learn what you can and... see if there is anything that will help you find the symbols to bring your team home. We can send supplies every few days as long as Celestia allows it. Otherwise... you're... on your own."

Sunset nodded. She understood. Then again... it wouldn't be the first time she was on her own. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Vinyl Scratch looked at each other, clearly a little nervous. After a moment, Sunset grabbed one of the folders with her magic and presented it to Twilight. The young Alicorn accepted the file with a nod.

"Gear up. You're stepping through the gate in twenty minutes."

As EG-1 started to leave, Daring stopped Rainbow Dash and pulled her aside.

"What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked. For a moment, Daring Do was at a loss for words. She wanted to tell her. She wanted to tell her the truth so badly, but... she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Be careful out there," Daring finally said. "I don't know what I'd do without my number one fan, and fellow adventurer."

"Don't worry about me Daring Do," Rainbow Dash said, basking in the moment before giving the older Pegasus a quick hug and rushing out to follow her friends. Daring just closed her eyes and sighed.

"Stupid..." she muttered. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"She's your daughter isn't she?"

Daring's eyes snapped open as a squeak emerged from her lips. She turned, and looked at Twilight Sparkle. Just as she was about to deny it, Twilight held up a hoof before pointing out that she could see a resemblance between them. Not only that, there was a note in her personnel file about being a mother, and what she just saw now. Daring sighed and looked at the floor in defeat.

"Its... true. Rainbow Dash... is my daughter," she said. "I... I wasn't married at the time and... you know me. Big adventurer. Can't be tied down. After she was born I visited her father and explained the situation. I... I just couldn't raise her. I was scared. I didn't want her to live my life. I wanted her to have her own. So I asked him to... not tell her who I was. It was a decision that's haunted me ever since.

When I first met her back with the Rings of Scorchero... I didn't realize it was her. Then over time... I... I just knew. That cocky, brave mare... was my little filly. While I was worried... I was also proud of her. And I was happy to see she had made such great friends. Now... I have a chance to actually tell her the truth... and... I freeze. My daughter is going off to war... and I froze up. Some mother I am."

Twilight put a hoof on Daring's shoulder.

"Tell her when she comes back," Twilight said. "She deserves to know. And before you say she may not... I have a feeling she will. After all... she's the fastest flier in all of Equestria. The only one to pull off the Sonic Rainboom. If anypony can do it... its Rainbow Dash. And she's not alone."

"I hope I can draw up the courage to do so Twilight. I really do. Out of all the adventures, all the enemies... the only thing that scares me to death besides tarantulas... is facing my own daughter."

EG-1 stood before the long ramp that led up to the Stargate. It was time to make history. Everyone was present, even a strangely nervous looking Daring Do. Twilight Sparkle adjusted her barding, feeling the pins identifying her as the base commander and again feeling out of place because of it. Closing her eyes. Twilight went through the calming exercises Cadence taught her before getting down to business.

"Dial the gate," she ordered.

Off in a corner, behind a defensive barricade, the technician started to press the symbols that would activate the Stargate. One by one, each chevron lit up. The seventh came on, and a moment later they were rewarded with a kawoosh as energy exploded out before collapsing back into the now familiar pool of water.

"EG-1... Good luck."

Sunset looked back at Twilight and smiled before leading her team up towards the Event Horizon. After a moment the four mares stood before the shimmering pool, looking up at the fluctuating energy in awe.

"Ya think it'll hurt?" Applejack asked.

"Oh yea... a lot," Rainbow Dash replied before spreading her wings and lifting off the ramp. "First Pony to go through the gate! COWABUNGA!"

The rainbow maned Pegasus lurched forward, and disappeared through the portal. Rolling her eyes, Applejack stepped through herself, followed by Vinyl Scratch. Sunset...

Sunset just looked at the portal in awe. Each time a member of her team stepped through, the Event Horizon fluctuated like water. It was amazing. Raising a hoof, she gave the portal an experimental tap, and was rewarded with what could almost be described as a watery sound along with expanding rings from where she touched. Just like a pool of water.

"This... is so cool," Sunset said with a smile. After a moment, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath... and stepped through.