Stargate SG1: Equestrian Arc

Chapter 8

Shockscape

Rainbow Dash walked along the darkened corridor, the light from the entryway quickly fading into nothingness. She paused for a moment and closed her eyes allowing them to adjust to the darkness then continued down the long narrow path following the hoofmarks in the dirt. After rounding a few bends, all light sources had ended and she stretched out a wing feeling with her feathers against the wall.

After wandering for what seemed hours in absolute darkness, she thought that if this place was like any of those in her Daring Doo books then could be traps around here, but then she figured that if three other ponies could make it through here then so could she. Then her hoof touched something solid and she jerked her hoof back, frozen for a moment with the thought of that she had just stepped on a pressure plate ran through her mind, but then, nothing happened.

Slowly she brought her hoof forward and gently sat it back in the same spot. It was cold, hard, and damp, and when she tapped on it, the sound echoed through the tunnel. Whatever it was, it wasn't stone; it felt more like, metal? She tapped harder, the clanging echoed louder, but then she stomped on it, the clang turned into a click and the wall began to move.

Immediately the cavern filled with a blinding light and Dash had to cover her eyes with her wing or risk blindness.

"Whoaaaaaa."

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself standing in front of an open doorway that led into a small room with another door just a few steps inside.

"Nothing ventured," she muttered then stepped inside the chamber.

The first door closed behind her with a whoosh and a hiss, and then the air changed rapidly taking her breath away as if she had ascended high into the atmosphere then back to ground level in less than a second.

"What a rush," she said breathing in once more.

With another click, hiss and whoosh the second door opened up that led into a shortened hallway. The walls were boxy and brown like stacked blocks with golden trim work all around them and next to the door was a small lit up panel that flashed in green the words "Air lock" across its screen. She continued.

The hallway quickly opened up into a larger room with something that looked like a pedestal in its center. To the front of that, there were two side-by-side chairs, the right one with another smaller pedestal with two orbs on each side.

"This looks awesome," she said to herself with a grin.

She jumped in the seat and the panel and both orbs in front of her began to glow and hum.

"Whoaaaaa, check this out," she said aloud to no one then placed her hooves upon the red orbs.

The room began to shake violently, dust fell from the ceiling, and Dash jumped from the chair immediately and the shaking stopped as quickly as it started.

"Ahhh yaa, lets not do that again."

Dash turned around and walked over to what looked to be another door way and pushed the button next to it and as expected the doorway opened up into yet another empty room.

"Where did they go?"

Although the room was of the same color and design, this room was much larger than the other was. On the far wall was another lighted panel that flicked between blue and red and she walked over to it. This one was different from the door switches or even the air lock.

"Well, with all the weird stuff that's been happening lately, things can't get any weirder."

With the push of another button, the building began to hum yet again only this time it was just from the room. Dash backed away from the switch and into the middle of the room then turned to run for the door when something popped up from the floor surrounding her in a ring followed by several others.

"What the?" Dash vaulted to the ceiling but the rings were too fast, even for her and in a blinding flash of light, she was gone.

"Ahhhhhhh…"

….

Rarity sat in the middle of the cage facing to only doorway, the horrid, almost rancid oats weighed heavy in in her stomach. When was the last time she saw Applejack? Minutes, hours… days, she couldn't tell. She perked an ear and listened but no sound came. The halls seemed to be empty, time seem to have no meaning. She watched the flames of the torches as they flickered and danced but didn't seem to move. She tried once again on using her Unicorn magic but… nothing. It was gone. She sighed, feeling helpless, then, she stood remembering her friend, and remembering that she needed to be strong so that together they might be able to find a way out of this. But where had they taken her? "Applejack!" she cried out but again no sound came to her, even the echo of her own spoken word seemed to have abandoned her. It was if she could only hear the words from within her own mind but nothing came from her mouth.

She tried again, "Applejack, can you hear me?"

Again, nothing. Her eyes darted around the room, "Can anyone hear me."

"Anyone?"

Absolute silence. She bit into her lower lip, worry flowing across her face. "Oh, buck up Rarity," she said to herself gathering her courage around her "Twilight and the other will be here soon," Her eyes turned and fixed on the doorway as if to see her friends suddenly walk through at that very moment. "I hope..."

In her mind she gathered her strength, but try as she might, she couldn't stop her body from shaking, the cold hard reality of her situation digging itself in to her and for the first time since her capture, she was truly afraid.

"This wasn't like the time with the Diamond dogs who were easily manipulated into doing her very bidding. These creatures were smart, cunning, and cold hearted. And the way they converted other ponies into doing their bidding was even easier then what she would have ever thought possible. But how? Could it be as how Samantha and Daniel said? Could these creatures be "inside" other ponies? but how did they do it?

Daniel said something about these Goa'uld needing to perform a ritual of some sort but when did they have time? How long had they been in Equestria? Surely, Princess Celestia or even Princess Luna for that matter should have seen this coming. How could they have done all this and no pony knew of this?"

Rarity sat there with her mind pondering her questions in the silent eeriness that when it happened, she wasn't sure she heard it. But slowly the sound grew louder, no, not a sound… a voice, yes, a stallions voice but one she couldn't recognize. But what was it saying?

"Qua… Quazar's crystal." She muttered.

"What in Equestria is Quazar's crystal?"

Suddenly the voice disappeared, overshadowed by an alarm so loud, it pierced her ears and she jumped, gasped, and held her hooves over her ears as the noise that finally broke through her solemn prison, pulsated the room with a vibration so deep it touched every fiber of her being.

Then, the sound stopped as quickly as it started, ending the emptiness of the absolute silence and returning sound back to normal and with it, she could hear things once again. Holding on to a stranded effort, she breathed deeply, pulling herself away from the edge of a panic. She starred through the bars of the cage when she noticed that the vibrations had jarred the door open just a crack. Had the sound, unlocked the cage?

She reached out with her hoof for the door, her body violently trembling and her pulse galloping through her at rain-boom speeds and it was now more than ever she knew she needed her courage and dug even deeper for it finding that hidden spark within.

She took a deep breath. "I can do this. Now's your chance Rarity, get out and go for help… But what about Applejack, I can't just leave her… But if I am caught… No, no. I can be caught either way, No I must find her… I have to find her."

Rarity reached out, pushed the cage door open, and stepped through. Her stomach rumbled, she felt queasy and stumbled into Applejack's cage.

As she touched the cage, another distant voice echoed "Rrraarriityy."

Rarity paused. Her eyes blurred, her stomach hurt, the sickness increasing.

Again the voice echoed in her mind "Rarrrriity…. Upp!"

That one she did recognize. "That sounded like Applejack…. Applejack, Can you hear me darling?"

Rarity stood up but nearly fell again as dizziness and nausea enveloped her. Water, she needed water, she told herself and began to crawl her way back into her cage and over to the water dish.

With concerned earnest, the voice in her head grew louder, the voice of Applejack, "Rraarity, you need to get up!"

Rarity lapped at the water but as the soundless room played upon her ears, the soothing touch of the water in her throat eluded her.

Again, the voice shouted, "Raarity, you must… up!"

Her eyes grew wide as her search for the Applejack drew her gaze upon the feedbag. Like her stomach, the bag wriggled and moved on its own. Suddenly the bag burst open as hundreds of worm like creatures spilled onto the floor, hundreds, thousands, an endless flow coming at her like a torrent wave.

She screamed and tried to back away but only to run into the bars of the cage. Cornered, she could no longer contain her fears and screamed louder as the worm wave engulfed her crawling over her body. Stunned in absolute shock and terror she could only watch as one of the largest ones had crawled itself up and on to her neck, then around through her mane and finally wrapping itself around her unicorn horn. Poised to strike with its mandibles dripping with malice, it paused for a moment, as it looked straight into her eyes, beyond it and into her very soul.

Rarity could no longer contain herself, like the bag, like her stomach, the realization hit her; the worms, these creatures, were already inside her.

"Rarity, you have to wake up. Wake up Rarity, Wake up!"

….

Applejack stood in her cage; her eyes affixed on Rarity as she screamed herself awake then rolled over and un-dignifying herself with the contents of her previous meal into the hay. "Oh thank Celestia you're awake. Are you alright there sugar cube?"

Rarity struggled but brought herself up to a trembling sitting position; eyes tear swollen and red, she wiped the edges of her mouth on her forehoof. She turned her strained neck taking in her surroundings she was still inside the cage and in the room the locked doors, the flickering torches, and avoided looking at the feedbag. She then breathed a sigh of relief to see her friend standing there inside the other cage next to her. Regaining her composure brought herself up on wobbly hooves then leaned into the bars using them as support then "Oh Applejack, I… I'm so glad to see you."

"What in tarnation happened? One minute you were quietly sleeping then this happened. Ae you sure y'all are alright?"

"Oh Applejack, I… I must have been dreaming. No, no that was a nightmare, and one of the worst ones I had ever had. She sat and explained the whole ordeal of the dream to her friend, knowing that talking about this would help her in the end and took great comfort in knowing that Applejack was always a true friend and listener. Their bond was closer than sisters were and with her strength and fortitude beside her, she knew there was nothing they couldn't do together.

"I can understand that sugar cube, these critters are nastier then a nest of newborn rattle snakes."

Rarity hobbled over to the cage door and tested it, was it unlocked as was in her dream? She pushed on it but to no avail. "So, what do we do now Applejack? Why bring us here and separate us from the rest of the ponies who were captured"

"I… I don't know, y'all think they figured us out being the bearers of the Elements of Harmony?"

I'm not so sure about that Applejack, they already have the ability to stop our unicorn magic, even Twilights. For all we know they could already have the ability to stop the power of the Elements of Harmony. No, I get the impression that they are after something. But I don't know what that is."

Rarity tried to recall something, something from her dream but the only thing that came to her was horrible image of the creatures that surrounded her inside and out. The image was almost strong enough to induce another wave of looing her lunch but she held on and brushed it aside. But she knew there was something there, something she needed to recall but couldn't.

"Applejack, did you fall asleep and have a nightmare like mine?"

"No, I tried to get some sleep but I was too worried about you and everyone else to get any real sleep then you started moving and screaming in your sleep and well… you know the rest.

….

"Ahhhhh…"

With a whoosh and almost blinding light, the rings fell down and back into the floor where they had popped up and Rainbow Dash sat there in stunned amazement. It took her a moment but recovered quickly and although she didn't know what happened she did manage to shout out the first words that came to her."

"That… was… Awesome!" She grinned from ear to ear in one huge smile and looked around for the panel that would activate that once more, then she realized that she was no longer in the same brown boxy like room.

The walls floors and ceilings were all of a light colored grey and every few steeps there were clear glass like recesses where lights illumined what the room and hallways that led off in three directions. She stood upon a platform where the rings had placed her with a two-step stair that led to the floor. To one side stood a pedestal with the control panel for what Dash assumed was for the operation of the rings as it was identical to that in the last room. She so wanted to do that again.

As Dash approached the pedestal a sound echoed from down one of the hallways bring her attention back to the matter had hand, some pony was coming.

"Finally, now, let's see about getting some answers," Dash said and with a flick of her tail, she set off down the hallway.

The hall was long and narrow and rounded to the left. About every few paces, she would pass a doorway or short hall that would end in a door. She ignored these

As the closer she trotted, the voices grew louder. In fact, she could now make out the sounds of several voices emanating from up ahead and stopped to listen for a moment. One of those voices was definitely Spitfire; she would recognize her voice anywhere, but what in Equestria was she saying? She couldn't understand any of it. was it another language? And who was with her? Soren? No, although she knew he had to be one of them, it wasn't him.

This was getting way too confusing which frustrated and annoyed her even more. "I wish that some pony would explain just what the hay is going on here." And with that she stomped a hoof and started to move when the whoosh sound of another door opened next to her. Then out of the darkness she was struck by a bluish light, and it felt as if she had been hit by a lightning bolt from a rogue cloud then her body went stiff, then limp as she fell to the floor and the darkness enveloped her.

….

Rarity sat but leaned heavy on the cage bars; she fiddled with the curls of her mane trying to do something, anything with it. The thought of going back to sleep scared her, the emotional scars of her dream still haunted her, and all she could do was to sit here and wait for these 'monsters' to do something was driving her crazy. But at least Applejack was here.

Funny, Applejack didn't seem to be in the least bit worried. She just rather laid there, starring back at her, as if she didn't have a care in the world. Well, Applejack always did have the strongest will of all of them and Rarity almost felt jealous of her demeanor. But yet, in a way, she was very glad of it and she took security from it. Out of any pony to be captured with, she was glad that it was her.

"Do you think Twilight and the others are on their way?"

"I sure hope so sugar cube. These Gould's sure are some nasty critters and when we get out of here we can find something to get rid of um. Something like one of those Elements of Harmony pendants."

Rarity stared at her for a moment, "I don't think they will work, Samantha said that these Goa'uld's have machines that are beyond anything you'll find in Equestria, As I said before one of which is blocking our magic and I believe that it would most likely jam their magic as well."

"Well then I guess will just have to find something even stronger or something that can't be blocked by their doo-hickys. I got to thinking, why are these Gould's here? Just what are they after? It can't be just about enslaving everyone. There's got to be more to it than that."

"I agree with you there Applejack but what? According to Jack, they may have been here for months now."

"And that's another thing, why are we all listening to them. They really haven't done much since they got here, fact is, things have gotten worse because of them. In fact, I'm beginning to think they're both on the same side."

Rarity looked at her, taken aback by the increasing anger in Applejack's words. "Really, I don't think that's the case at all."

"Are you sure Rarity? Think about it, even if the Gould's have been here for months, they didn't start taking prisoners until 'they' showed up. Then, without warning were under attack, over half our people have been captured and they didn't do anything to stop them. I'm beginning to think they planned all this."

Rarity sat there, stunned into silence and yet, deep down, she almost felt the same, "Well… I… I don't think they…"

"Well, how else would you explain this?"

She didn't have an answer.

"And as far as to what the Gualds are lookin fer. While you were sleeping I kinda over heard something in the hallway, It seems they are looking for some sort of crystal. Now we both know that Equestria is just chuck full of um and honestly I think they can have every last one of um but this one seemed kinda special but I couldn't pick out what they called it."

Rarity perked up her ears and turned to face her "It's called Quazar's Crystal and don't ask me how I know that."

Applejack sat up in her cage, "Do you think you can find it."

"If I had my magic I think I could, now that I know what to look for."

"Good, now all we need," Applejack paused as she stood, "is a way out."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"Well this morning, while you were sleeping, it seems that our guards are a couple of royal stallions…

"Applejack, you're not suggesting that I… that we..."

"No, no… Look, all you gotta do is distract them long enough for me to bop um one and were home free. of course, how you do it is entirely up to you."