"Its not often we have an unknown alien in my Infirmary. And this one is certainly unique. She, and I can confirm she's female, is only about half as tall as a human, and I have noted a significant increase in joint flexibility and range of motion compared to Earth horses, as that is the closest comparison I can make. The purpose for the strange mark on her flank I can only guess at. Maybe some kind of rite of passage. Something Dr. Jackson can speculate on. My focus is on the well being of my patient.

After clearing it with General Landry, I've called in an old friend who practices veterinarian medicine, specializing in horses. And honestly... she is kinda cute with that red and yellow mane. Kinda looks like fire."

-Excerpt from Dr. Caroline Lam's report on the injured Equestrian

Chapter 8

Tau'ri

Infirmary, Stargate Command

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

Earth

"Carol... I think I now understand why I had to sign my soul to the Air Force."

Dr. Caroline Lam just held a clipboard as her friend examined their newest patient. Dr. Cliff Andrews was a skilled veterinarian, and honestly the closest she could think of to an expert on the patient. She had already patched up the burn on the flank as best she could, as well as treated the head trauma, but anything beyond that was unknown territory for her.

"Well... whoever she is... she's the most amazing patient I've ever worked on. I mean just look at her! Its like some kind of chibi pony, and not only that, the horn makes her look like some kind of mythical unicorn!" Dr. Andrews exclaimed.

"Will she live?" Dr. Lam asked.

"As far as I can tell... yes," Andrews said as he stood up straight. "However we should keep her under observation. Definite concussion, and the second degree burn to her flank, but all in all... should be able to recover."

"Lets just hope we can understand her when she wakes up," Lam said as she set the clipboard down.

Science Lab

Dr. Lee examined the armor that their new guest was wearing. It was an incredible piece of work. While a similar style to SGC issue vests with the ceramic inserts, it was lighter and seemed to be even more durable. In fact... it was almost like wearing solid steel plate in terms of durability at the very least. Other things stuck out to him as well. Almost a mix of high and low tech. The headset was comparable to some used on Earth, but used some kind of crystal instead of a solid state flash drive for storage. And the weapon seemed to be based on a Goa'uld Staff, but didn't rely on Naquadah as a power source. In fact, he figured it was the strange gem like stone that was set into it. The one thing that tied them all together was an unknown energy signature.

The same energy signature that the armor was giving off, as if it was generating some kind of low end personal shield around the armor itself. Without a power source or emitter. He was reluctant to mention it, but it was almost like looking at a piece of enchanted armor from World of WarCraft.

"What made you guys develop this stuff?" he asked himself as he went back to examining the equipment.

Infirmary

The first thing she heard was what sounded like a heart monitor. The place smelled like a hospital, and she could hear somepony talking nearby. With a groan, Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes, and winced at the light. After a moment to adjust, she looked around. This place looked nothing like the Infirmary at Firestar Base. Similar style, but everything was taller and bigger. And it didn't look like it was recently installed either. She looked over at the source of the voices and did a double take. Those weren't ponies. They looked... human. Other than the fact they weren't as vibrantly colored as her friends and everyone she got to know, they physically looked human.

She tried to push herself up, only to fail and collapse in pain. It felt like someone drove a spike into her left rear leg, and she couldn't help but cry out, attracting the attention of the two aliens nearby. One helped ease her to a more comfortable position while the other quickly checked... on a bandage that had been applied to her flank.

"Its alright. We're not going to hurt you," the woman said, surprising Sunset. They spoke Equestrian! Not letting on that she understood just yet, Sunset just took a deep breath and tried to relax. The fact she hadn't been restrained certainly helped her to believe the woman.

"Cliff, I need to notify General Landry that our guest is awake," the woman said, looking at the man.

"Would be easier if we knew she could understand us," the man said with a sigh. "I mean you can see intelligence behind those eyes, but with her being an alien and all..."

"Surprisingly... I can understand you," Sunset finally said, surprising them both. "So... where am I?"

The woman seemed to consider the situation before giving an answer.

"You're on a planet called Earth, specifically in the Infirmary at Stargate Command. I'm Dr. Caroline Lam, Chief Medical Officer here at the SGC."

"I think I heard you say something about a General. I'd... like to thank him and whoever picked me up for saving my life."

"I'll see what I can do. You need anything?"

"Yea... kinda thirsty. What happened?"

"Best we can figure, you suffered a concussion when you were struck by a Staff Blast. Knocked you out. Whoever you were fighting probably assumed you were dead, which saved your life."

Sunset closed her eyes. If the Tlak'khan thought she was dead, then most likely her team and everyone at SGI thought so too. Dr. Lam went to go get a cup of water, and was about to hand it to her when she hesitated. Sunset didn't blame her, considering her own lack of hands. And if she had a concussion, probably not a good idea to use magic. Carefully, Sunset repositioned, sat up, and reached over with both hooves. As soon as Dr. Lam was sure she had the cup, she let go. Although she kept a hand nearby just in case. Sunset brought the cup to her mouth and took a drink before thanking her.

About twenty minutes later, five people walked in. The first thing Sunset noticed was that one of the people, a dark skinned man with big muscles, had some kind of gold sigil on his forehead. The one in the light blue uniform stepped forward. He was a bit of an older man who seemed a bit casual, but had an air of authority about him. Sunset also noted there were stars on his shoulder.

"I'm General Landry. I guess I should say 'Welcome to Earth'," he said with a smile, trying to break the ice before gesturing at the people behind him. "And this is SG-1. The team that found you by the Stargate. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Vala Mal Doran."

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Captain Sunset Shimmer, Equestrian Royal Guard, Stargate Initiative. Thanks for saving my life back there."

"Anytime," Colonel Mitchell replied. "We had just arrived on P2X-971 when we spotted you."

"P 2 what?"

"Its an alphanumeric designation for the planet," Dr. Jackson supplied as he stepped forward and pulled up a chair.

"Oh... We called it SP-007, but we also learned it was called Pandora," Sunset replied as she took another drink of her water.

As they spoke with the alien named Sunset Shimmer, Cam couldn't help but feel there was a case of parallel development going on here. Apparently these Equestrians had established their own version of Stargate Command after their world was attacked by the Tlak'khan. What followed was essentially an arms race to prepare for any future attacks as well as take the fight off world. And from the sounds of it, the fledgeling SGI had already given the Tlak'khan a bloody nose on their first mission. While not as devastating a blow as when then Colonel O'Neill killed Ra, it was still an achievement.

Unlike humans, who were more familiar with the concept of war, it seemed to Cam that the Equestrians were either woefully out of practice or had never fought a war. But they were apparently quick studies. They had adapted technology they had encountered in the past, along with adapting readily available resources like the scale armor.

"Oh... I guess you would ask about the armor," Sunset said when Teal'c brought up the subject. "Well... its made out of dragon scales and was enchanted to dissipate magical energy. Works well enough against a Staff Blast, but still feels like you got bucked."

"And you chose these scales because..." Daniel prompted.

"Well... when a Dragon can sit in a pool of lava like its a hot tub... that's gotta say something about how strong they are."

"As soon as Dr. Lam releases you, we'd like to try and make contact with your people," General Landry said.

Sunset thought for a moment. These people might be able to help. Not only that, they might have some information on where to find the Tau'ri. After bringing up the idea of finding the Tau'ri, the humans seemed to just look at each other a bit. Teal'c, who Sunset had been told was actually a Jaffa, raised an eyebrow. The look on his face made it seem as though he knew something.

"You do not need to seek out the Tau'ri," he said. "As the Tau'ri have found you."

"Uh... can I get a translation please?" Sunset asked in confusion.

"What Teal'c is trying to say is... we are the Tau'ri. That's what the galaxy knows humans from Earth as," Dr. Jackson replied.

For a moment, Sunset's jaw just dropped.

"By Celestia..."

Firestar Base

Stargate Initiative Headquarters, Cascade Mountains

Equestria

The return of EG-1 without Sunset was a blow to their confidence. Rainbow Dash wasn't really talking much, and both Vinyl Scratch and Applejack had isolated themselves in their own quarters. Even Twilight had locked herself in her office. Anyone who came up to her door could actually hear crying from the other side.

The only silver lining was that they had gained some useful intel, and made a new friend. But still... the loss of Sunset Shimmer was a devastating blow. After the first mission through the gate, all four members of EG-1 were looked upon as an inspiration for the rest of SGI. They had not only succeeded in their mission, but they also successfully fought the Tlak'khan, showing that they did have a chance after all.

Spike knew that Twilight and Sunset had become good friends. Something like this must have felt like getting stabbed in the heart. With a sigh, Spike wrote a quick letter to Princess Celestia and sent it via dragonfire, letting her know of Twilight's breakdown, as well as learning about the Tau'ri.

"We're gonna get through this Twilight," Spike said, putting a hand on the door. The only response he got was more crying. After a few minutes, Spike got the familiar sensation before burping out some green flames, a letter materializing and landing in his hands. He opened it up and read it.

"Dear Spike,

Thank you for informing me of the situation. I'll be there soon to provide any support I can. If I have to, I will spend the next few days on base if necessary.

Twilight values friendship almost as much as her books, so losing a friend will be dreadfully painful. All we can do is be there to support her, and pray for the best.

Signed,

Celestia"

With a sigh, Spike tucked the letter under his arm and went to Twilight's quarters.