Shepard's R&R

Chapters

The War is Won
A New Mission
The Unexpected
Final Preparations
Tea, Cakes, and Political Shitstorms
Matters of Perspective
Rethinking First Impressions
Dealing with Dragons
Disclaimer!

The War is Won

Shepard’s R&R

Intro

Earth hung overhead, casting a bright glow of blue and green across the battle that was playing out in orbit. As the largest fleet ever assembled in the known history of the galaxy was pushed back by the unrelenting force of the Reapers, all that had lived... all that had died... now hinged on the choice presented to a single man.

A man who held the fate of all he saw... and all beyond... in his pistol ladened hand.

“The choice must be made, Shepard.” the glowing child, a representation of the god-like intelligence that had guided organic life for eons, looked to him, his eyes demanding, but without judgement. “Have you reached your solution?”

“Yes, yes I have.” Commander Shawn Shepard, Alliance Warhero and Vanguard of the Galactic Fleet stated stated. His head was pounding and his body felt as if he’d been hit by enough power to destroy a dreadnaught. The armor he wore was cracked and burned, covered in both his blood and in the blood of all those who he’d killed or failed to save.

“And what have you chosen Shepard?” The Catalyst asked.

“Freedom.” Shepard coughed before he began to limp towards the large, circular, generator-like object.

“I see, but what will you do with this freedom?” The Catalyst asked, its glowing form shimmering. “You save lives this day...at the cost of all life later... Organics cannot be trusted to keep their self-destructive tendencies in check. In time, you and your creations will destroy yourselves."

“We’ll make our own way... and we’ll do it without your help.” Shepard replied “Organic life may not be perfect, but we will endure... regardless of what may come... we will find a way.” he paused for a second to gather his breath before he turned to stare at the Catalyst. “You believe that we’re flawed, and that’s true,. We are flawed, but it’s those very flaws, that make us perfect. Without them we’d never work to get better, we’d never have a problem to fix, never be inspired to do better. We’d stagnate, like the Reapers have throughout all these cycles of extermination.” The man retorted before his limping came to a stop in front of the generator.

“So be it then.” The Catalyst stated simply, it’s form shimmering as it vanished.

Shepard said nothing as he limped closer to the connections, there was nothing left to be said.

Only one thing left to do.

He raised his Carnifex and began to shoot. Each shot ringing in his ears as everything crashed down on him.

*BANG*

Everyone he’d lost.

Ashley... Mordin.... Thane.... Legion.... Anderson...

*BANG*

Everyone he cared for.

Traynor... Joker... Chakwas....James.... Liara.... Kaiden...

*BANG*

His Best Friend...

*BANG*

His Love...

Sparks exploded as the systems reached their breaking point. A surge of energy building that had the power to change everything.

One child... looking up to him in his dreams.

A galaxy that would never have to be afraid of monsters again.

*BANG*

The systems ruptured. Energy lancing all around, lashing at him... out of control.

“Goodbye Garrus.”

It was over...

“Goodbye Tali.”

At last... he could rest.

Then... after a blinding flash of light and pain, everything went black.

It was finally over.

A New Mission

A New Mission

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Shepard twitched on his hospital bed. There was something there... something in the distance.

‘doctor... I think he’s waking up’

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The inner parts of his brain began to stir as he made his way groggily back to reality.

‘No wait... family only you can’t ‘all’ come in here’

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

He knew that sound, what was it?

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

It was a heart monitor!

He felt three familiar fingers grip his hand, bringing sensation back to his arm.

‘Shepard.... Shawn.... please.’

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

But if he was hearing a heart monitor then he was still alive!

‘Tali’ he started groggily, then a rush as everything came crashing back on his fogged mind.

“Where...”

Shepard’s eyes fluttered open but he saw only darkness, he tried weakly to rise, but was stopped easily a familiar three fingered hand that pushed him back down.

“It’s okay Shawn, you’re safe. We’re on the Citadel.” Tali’s voice told him comfortingly. Shepard opened his mouth to try and reply, but his throat felt like it was full of sand; scratchy and horribly dry.

“Water.” He managed to rasp through his chapped lips. A soothing gloved hand ran down his arm comfortingly.

“It’s coming Shawn, just hold on.” Tali told him, her voice full of calming compassion and love.

“What happened?” Shepard croaked in a soft voice, his mind obviously rushing for answers as things became more clear. “The Reapers... What did the Crucible do... Did the others?”

“I’ll tell you once you’ve recovered. Where is the nurse with the wat-ah, thanks.” Tali said, interrupting herself. “Open your mouth Shepard.” the Quarian told him.

Shepard complied and opened his mouth a crack, just enough for Tali to give him a sip of the water. It was byfar the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted. The cool, clean water sloshed down his throat, filling him with strength and washing away the sand in his throat.

“Tali, why can’t I see?” Shepard asked her once he’d had his fill of the water, his voice sounding slightly worried.

“You have bandages over your eyes Shawn.” Tali answered. “Don’t worry, you’re not blind, but your eyes took alot of damage when the Crucible fired.” she added quickly before he could jump to the conclusion.

“If that’s the worst of it, I guess I came out lucky then.” Shepard said, letting out a relieved, and fairly painful sigh.

“No, there was worse, but the doctors have fixed that. They are saying you should make a full recovery.” Tali’s gloved hand ran gently over the side of his face. “You’re going to be okay, Shawn. The situation is not perfect, but... there’s more than enough time for you to recover. All the time in the galaxy.”

“Miss Vas Normandy, would you please step away from the patient so that we can remove the bandages?” A calm male voice asked.

“Oh, uhhh right... of course, sorry doctor,” Tali complied, obviously embarrassed.

“It’s quite alright, perfectly understandable,” the doctor replied, his tone still calm and even. “Commander, I’m about to take the bandages away. I’d advise you to shut your eyes.”

Shepard did so and he felt a pair of steady hands working at the back of his head. Then he felt the bandages being pulled away layer by layer, he hadn't even felt them in the first place but now that they were absent he couldn’t understand how he had missed them before. The cool hospital air prickled the skin around his newly freed eyes and Shepard kept them closed for a moment, enjoying the renewed sense of... freedom that he was experiencing.

Then he opened his eyes, wincing at the light. The image before him was blurry and out of focus, not to mention far too bright. He could only make out the faint outlines of the doctors and nurses who were walking around the bed, but there was one thing that he could see coming into focus.

Sitting on the bed next to him was the one person that he cared about the most in the world. Tali Zorah Vas Normandy. He stared at her for a moment, taking in the familiar covered face, the veil, the beautiful bodysuit, and most importantly the shining eyes underneath all that.

“Tali...” he breathed.

“Good morning, Shawn,” Tali replied in an affectionate voice. “I hope you slept well.”

Shepard paused for a moment, and then he began to chuckle, painfully, and reached out to hug her. Only to be stopped halfway as his IV cord ran out of length. Tali let out a chuckle off her own and scooted close enough for them to wrap each other in each others’ arms. He leaned his forehead into hers and let out a quiet sigh.

The doctor’s calm voice interrupted the hug. “Commander, there are several things that we need to test for before we can allow your other friends to enter, and the sooner we do that the better. Two of them are krogan who have been waiting to talk to you for a long time, they are beginning to become... impatient.”

Shepard turned to look at the doctor, an older, thin human with a defined widows peak who had come to stand behind Tali. The man had a firm look in his blue eyes but Shepard could see the lines of worry that crossed his face at the mention of krogan.

“Right, of course,” Shepard said, untangling his limbs from Tali’s. The quarian stood up from the bed and stepped back several paces, standing against the wall with a slightly jittery, nervous stance.

“Okay, Commander, I need you to follow this light,” the doctor said, taking out a small medical laser pointer and quickly moving it forwards and backwards across Shepard’s eyes. Shepard tracked the light and the doctor took it away a moment later and made a satisfied sound while he typed something into his omni-tool.

“Good, now let’s move on, I’m going to flash a sequence of lights into your eyes to make sure that they’re reacting properly.”

The doctor performed this, and several other tests before he gave a final nod of approval.

“Good news Commander, your optical reflexes and reaction time, and seem to be in perfect working order,” the doctor told him with a smile. “Your recovery rate has been nothing short of miraculous...after six months comatose, most people would be suffering from neural atrophy. You’re almost back to full strength. ” he said with a slight shake of his head.

“Thanks it-” Shepard began but then cut himself off. “Wait, did you say six months?” Shepard asked in shock.

“Yes, I’m sorry, it’s... ” the doctor replied, realizing that he may have broached the subject a bit insensitively. “I’m sure that your friends and family can fill you in on what’s happened since you won us the war.” The doctor paused for a moment before he continued. “Speaking of your friends, I think that it’s about time I let them in, otherwise they might tear down the hospital,” he said dryly. “I’ll be observing from outside if you need me, Miss Vas Normandy.”

The doctor left the room and the moment the doors opened Shepard heard a familiar rough voice ranting.

“I don’t care if the quack says that we’re not supposed to go in! If he wants to stand in front of a krogan charge, he’s welcome to try and--”

“Chief Urdnot, he’s ready for visitors. Now please stop frightening our staff,” the doctor’s voice said with a remarkable amount calm considering who he was talking to.

Shepard heard the sound of several excited shouts and a moment later, one very happy, and heavily scarred krogan entered the room, immediately walking to Shepard’s side and grasping his hand firmly.

“AHAH! There he is! Shepard!” Wrex shouted boisterously with a grin. “My Brother! Still Alive!”

“Wrex!” Shepard replied with a grin of his own. “Of course!”

“I knew that you’d be alright, Shepard. I mean, if dying in the Void didn’t kill you, your own clone didn’t kill you, and the Reapers didn’t kill you, then a piddly little explosion on the Crucible sure as hell couldn’t either!” Wrex proclaimed, striking the side of the hospital bed with enough force to make it buckle.

Shepard winced.

“Wrex, I’m glad to see you too, but would you mind not destroying my bed? I might be in the hospital for a bit longer and I don’t feel like sleeping on the floor,” Shepard asked Wrex.

“Heh, sorry,” Wrex told him with an apologetic grin the krogan’s voice was gruff but the sentiment behind was real. “I’ll try not to break anything, damn doctors are already angry enough with me.”

“It’s fine Wr-” Shepard was cut off by the arrival of his other friends, whom the staff must have managed to keep in the waiting room..

“You’re awake!” Garrus exclaimed as he walked into the room, flanked by Liara and Kaidan.”I don’t know how you managed it, but you came back again!” The turian said with a large grin.

“What’s the matter? The Afterlife too comfy for your tastes?”

“The bar was closed, so I left,” Shepard joked with a grin.

Garrus began to laugh while Liara and Kaidan looked at him sideways, the asari was the first of the pair to speak.

“Shepard, you can’t believe how glad I am to see you up and about!” the blue skinned woman told him with a large smile as a familiar VI Drone hovered over her shoulder.

“I have over one hundred hours of video documentation of Dr. T’soni’s time in concentration over your condition if you wish to verify her claim, Commander.” Glyph stated cheerfully.

“Yeah, Shepard, you had us worried there for a little while, you know... before we remembered it was ‘you’ we’re talking about.” Kaidan added, a matching happy grin was working its way across his face. All three were rudely shoved aside by Grunt as he entered the room and charged up to Shepard’s bed, stopping just before he smashed into it.

“Shepard, you’re alive, and you killed the Reapers, all of them!” Grunt told him with an incredibly out of place scowl on his face. “They’re singing songs of your glory throughout the galaxy and-- Do you have ANY idea how hard it’s going to be for me to top that?!”

“Enough, pup, give him time to catch his breath,” Wrex commanded the younger krogan. “He just spent the last six months in a bed, so just maybe he deserves a minute to actually relax before everything else lands on him.” the elder krogan added dryly.

“What do you mean, Wrex?” Shepard inquired.

A brief silence fell over the room and his friends all looked at each other uneasily, then James entered carrying a gift wrapped package.

“Hey Loco, heard that you were up and about so I brought you a get well gift, not like it’ll compare to the billions of others but-” James began as he looked around the room but suddenly stopped talking when he noticed that the majority of the room was now glaring at him. “Um what? Did I say something wrong?” The man asked in confusion.

“I’d like to know that too,” Shepard said, looking around at his suddenly silent friends and crewmates. Tali sat down beside him on the bed and sighed while she placed her gloved hands over his.

“We’ll explain later, Shepard,” Tali told him gently.

“You of all people should know how much I hate secrets,” Shepard told her, his eyes narrowed.

“It’s not a secret, Shepard, we just thought that it would be better if we waited for you to fully recover before... talking about it.” Tali explained before shooting a venomous glare, highlighted by the fact that her eyes were the only thing easily visible beneath her helmet, at both Wrex and Vega. “Apparently someone missed the meeting.”

“Tali, will you please just tell me what’s wrong?” Shepard asked, clearly exasperated by her elusive answer.

The quarian turned back to look him in the eyes again, despite the facemask Shepard could see a compassionate look on his love’s face.

“Shepard, you know how you used to be a hero?” Tali asked him slowly.

“Used to be, when did I stop?” Shepard asked in return.

“Never,” Tali said fiercely. “But... now you’re a living legend Shawn. More than that even... You’re not just ‘Commander Shepard, the first human spectre’. Now: you’re ‘Commander Shepard, Savior of all Sentient Life in the Galaxy’!” the quarian exclaimed.

“And... that’s bad?” Shepard inquired, arching his eyebrow.

“Shepard, when Vega said that you had a billion gifts... he wasn’t joking. Although it’s more like five billion, and that’s just the ones that are solid objects,” Liara said slowly. “Don’t get me started on the ‘offers’ you’ve been getting.”

Shepard stared at her, his mouth dropping open. “Fi-five billion?” he gasped. “I got five billion ‘get well’ gifts?”

“Yeah, apparently when you save the galaxy from mass genocide via Reapers you develop a fanclub,” Garrus told Shepard dryly.

“Yeah, Loco, there’s a ‘Shepard Salarian Appreciation League’. The ‘We Love Commander Shepard Movement’... That one’s mostly asari, so be sure to put in a good word for me. Then there’s the ‘Fight like a Shepard’ Combat Groups that are forming on Tuchunka studying your combat styles. Then there’s the ‘Shepard is the Savior of our Souls’... those guys creep me out a little actually-” James began to list off several of the groups and as he did so Shepard’s eyes began to widen with every group named but Kaidan put a hand on the James’s shoulder.

“I think he gets the idea, Vega,” Kaidan told the man.

Shepard was speechless for half a minute, an oddity in and of itself, and then he spoke in a shocked voice.

“Am-am I really that famous?” He asked slowly.

“Shepard, they want you to be Chairman of the new Alliance Parliament...” Liara told him in a low voice.

“And that’s just the human governments. There were also calls for you to take Udina’s spot on the Council, but I think something else is happening there. We’re just waiting for news.” Kaidan added.

“Chairman... Councillor... Bu...but I-I’m not a politician!” Shepard declared loudly before he fell forward, coughing violently, his body screamed in protest and pain at the sudden movement. Tali quickly and gently pushed the man backwards so that he was no longer scrunched over forwards and Shepard gave her a thankful nod once he’d finished.

“Thanks, Tali,” Shepard gasped.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you, I didn’t want you getting worked up over this before you even had a chance to recover!” Tali stated exasperatedly.

Shepard looked from face to face before finally settling back on Tali’s.

“It’s not... that bad... It’ll blow over, right?” he asked slowly.

“Keelah I hope so, but if it does it won’t be for years, at the least,” Tali told him with a shake of her head.

“At least you’ll be rich, your endorsement deals alone could be enough to buy the Citadel,” Kaidan said optimistically. Shepard’s face darkened.

“I don’t want to be rich! I just-I don’t know this is a bit much to take in all at once...” he trailed off with a shake of his head.

Tali laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It’ll be alright, Shepard. Once they get the Rannoch relay up and running again we can get away from all of the damn cameras and build a home,” the quarian said softly.

“Cameras, what cameras?” Shepard asked.

“Nice going, Tali,” Garrus said with a roll of his eyes. “Shepard, they’re everywhere, watching the hospital for any sign of you. I know because I’ve been keeping watch for anyone stupid enough to try and take you out while you’ve been under. The only reason that there’s not a moron with a camera in here right now is because of the MPs at the door.”

“And now that you’re awake. Chances are that everybody... from the Council down, is going to want to know what happened on the Crucible.” Liara offered, although her tone was clearly one of concern.

“The Council survived?” Shepard looked up, a mix of shock and relief. “I thought... we thought they had been lost when the Reapers took the Citadel.”

“No...thank the spirits.” Garrus shook his head. “The Reapers didn’t bother to harvest the population of the citadel. Just sealed them all up inside with a whole bunch of reaper ground troops. Casualties were high, but there were still pockets of resistance in the Wards active when the Crucible fired. Bailey really gave them hell... organized the civilian milita and C-Sec and even managed to evacuate the Council to a safehouse in Zakera during the first Reaper push. As I understand it, they made him the new Executor for it.”

Shepard nodded to himself, a small smile on his face.

“He must just love that,” Shepard said with a grin.

“Yeah, something like that,” Kaidan agreed.

“Alright people, step aside! I’m his mother and I haven’t had the chance to actually see my son in person in over two years,” a familiar voice shouted from the door.

Shepard’s eyebrows rose as his friends stepped aside, even Grunt and Wrex, to allow to allow a tall blonde haired woman wearing an admiral's uniform to pass. Without waiting for permission or saying another word the woman stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him into a tight hug.

“Mom!” Shepard exclaimed.

“Yes, and that’s Rear Admiral mom to you!” Hannah Shepard told him as she released him. “God it’s good to see you awake, Shawn! I came as soon as I heard. Now... first thing’s first... WHY DID YOU MAKE ME WORRY LIKE THAT!?”

“Yeah... sorry about that...” Shepard said, slightly uncomfortable.

“You disappear for two years and everyone thinks that you’re dead, show up working for Cerberus, blow up the Collectors, destroy the Bahak system , get put in Alliance Lockdown pending War Crime hearings, and then you spend the next few months flying around saving the galaxy around without even dropping by for lunch with your own mother!” She exclaimed, exasperation clearly visible in her voice. “And then we win... and I have to spend six months worrying about you in the hospital. And to top it all off, I find out that you’re dating Tali here from HER and not you?! Do you know what that kind of stress does to a woman my age?”

Shepard’s face, which had up to this point been looking more and more nervous suddenly reddened with a surprised blush and he found himself missing the time he had been facing down Harbinger.

“Mom! Who I date is-” Shepard began but he was cut off by a cortal of laughter from his mother.

“Relax, Shawn, I adore her,” Hannah told him with another chuckle. “Although don’t think that you’re off the hook, I’m still angry with you about the other things!”

“Y’know, I can see where Shepard got his quad,” Wrex stated.

There was a dead quiet in the Council private chambers and the four most politically influential beings in the galaxy met, absorbing the information that the Salarian Councilor, Valern, had presented to them...information that had been all but torn out of the hands of a very reluctant Salarian Union.

“The contents of the STG ‘s report are... unsettling, to say the least.” Councilor Tevos said.

“Councillor... HOW is it possible that we did not know of this sooner? How long has the Union known of--”

“I was made aware of this report only last night, Sparatus.” Valern answered quickly, clearly also on edge from the display. “The Salarian Union received it three weeks ago from the Major, before that we assumed him Killed in Action after his ship was caught in the Crucible’s surge through the Relay Network.”

“And your government is only telling us now?” Sparatus asked.

“We can save the fighting amongst ourselves for later, right now we should be worrying about what form of action we will take,” Councilor Tevos declared.

“Action? Who says we are in a position to take ‘action’ at all, Councilor.” Sparatus stated. “It’s been only seven Months since the Crucible. We’re only just gaining access to our homeworlds again. This is not the time to be playing with things we clearly don’t understand.”

“Would you rather what’s left of the Batarian Hegemony, or even worse the Terminus systems sinking their claws into this world?” Tevos demanded.

“We have a responsibility.” Valern nodded. “The STG agrees. Regardless what the Dalatrass believes, The Salarian Union will not be able to keep this concealed for long. I am well aware that we are all still reeling from the losses of...”

“Reeling?! I don’t recall the Reapers laying waste to YOUR planet Councillor!”

“That is hardly the point!” Valern replied. “The point is that we have a young race that has access to a remarkable collections of abilities that none of us have ever experienced before and-”

“AND you want to exploit them! Primarch Victus gave me a copy of Garrus Valkarian’s report on your Sur’kesh facility. The Krogan were not enough? Your people were looking to weaponize varren and the yagh!”

“I brought this to the Council in good faith, Sparatus!” Valern’s tone grew more high pitched as his temper flared.

The Turian Councilor sighed, bringing a hand to his face as he considered his position.

“Alright... Alright... our fleets are spread thin, but if I lean on the Primarch, I can have three turian cruisers in the system within two solar days to secure...”

“NO! We do not want to give the natives the impression of us as conquerors! We are going there to protect and nurture them so that they can help us! And I doubt that they would respond well to a show of force!” Tevos objected.

“ ‘Respond’ to show of force? They can’t possibly think they could win if it did come down to that.”

“There’s that turian short-sightedness again. Remind me, how well did that mentality go over at Shanxi?”

Sparatus began to sputter with rage at the reminder.

“Enough! This is solving nothing!” Tavos declared firmly. “The longer this goes on, the larger the chance of someone else discovering this system is. We need a foothold on this world, and we need it now!” the asari stated with finality.

“What we need...” Sounded a new voice. Silent until now.

His words were soft... but it was all that was needed as the three experienced leaders immediately ceased their heated discussion.

“... is a diplomat. A peace maker. Someone who can show these people that we are not a threat to them, but also maintain the integrity to earn their respect. Someone that can represent the best of the united galaxy.”

“Do you have someone in mind, Councilor?” Tavos asked slowly, though she already had a good idea of who the councilor was talking about.

The human leaned forward over the table, his scarred face speaking volumes for his past... and calm, unshakable demeanor.

The face that would be forever remembered for leading the charge that put an end to the Reaper Threat, second to only one other.

“I have exactly one in mind.”

Shepard leaned back into the couch in his main living room and let out a tired sigh.

“A month, Tali, it’s only been a month and I’m bored.!” The man exclaimed wearily, “I never thought there would be a downside to beating the Reapers.”

Tali, who was leaning against him let out a sigh of her own.

“Tell me about it, I just want to get back to Rannoch. I don’t know what’s TAKING them so long to fix the Perseus Relay. I mean, we got the Sol relay back online in three months and the Salarians, Turians, and Asari are all back in contact. Hell, even the Krogan managed to get theirs working.” she grumbled irritatedly.

“I’m sure Rannoch is fine, Tali. They’re probably still just trying to get by with the Geth gone.” Shepard pulled her closer with an arm and they took a quiet moment just to appreciate that they had each other. “I just wish there was more we could do from here.”

“You can barely go outside without getting mobbed. Although, you know, Shawn, maybe you should start punching some of those so-called ‘journalists’, the fact that they had the nerve to try and ambush you like that...” she shook her head and let out a frustrated growl as she broke the silence.

“I’m beginning to want to do that more and more every day,” Shepard said with a slight growl of his own. “The fans I can deal with, the politicians I can manage. A Reaper invasion? Give me a gun and my crew and we’ll be fine. But the paparazzi? How am I supposed to get away from-” a bright white strobe light suddenly flashed through the window despite the darkened tint.

With an angry snarl Commander Shepard got up from his place on the couch and walked over to the window, pressing the button that controlled opaqueness. As the window began to lighten Shepard saw the silhouettes of several dozen news shuttles waiting just outside it. Suddenly they caught sight of him standing there and he was suddenly blinded by bright white light

“Commander Shepard, can I get a-” one of the journalists shouted via PA system before Shepard muted him with a press of a button, turning the opaqueness of the windows to maximum and blocking the ‘reporter’ from view.

“Alright, that’s it, this means war!” Shepard declared to himself and Tali.

“Shawn, you can’t just declare war on the news networks,” Tali said cautiously.

“I’m Commander Shepard, I could probably ask to have an arm of the Citadel reserved for a party and they’d let me,” Shepard retorted before he found the PA system that linked to the outside.

“This is Commander Shepard speaking, I’m so very honored that you could all this way to catch a glimpse of me. However, if you don’t vacate my airspace I will call Executor Bailey directly and request that he make you leave... or arrest you... whichever requires less paperwork.” he told the assembled crowd of newsies. “If you decide to stay here despite that then I’d just like to remind you that I used to kill Reapers, on foot... with a glorified laser pointer.” he paused to let that sink in for a moment before adding. “And I also have a very agitated quarian with me who has been dying to take a ship apart for a while now, with, or without her shotgun.”

There was a moment of silence as the assembled ‘journalists’ considered his words, and then, almost as one, they streaked away. Shepard let out a relieved sigh and walked back over to the couch where he once more collapsed beside Tali.

“With or without her shotgun?” Tali asked him with an amused chuckle.

“Hey, it’s not as bad as actually getting my old Cain out,” Shepard replied with a chuckle of his own.

“You do realize that that quote will be all over the net ten minutes from now, right?” Tali inquired.

“Personally, I liked the part about the glorified laser pistol more,” Shepard replied. Tali chuckled and leaned her head against his.

“Keelah, Shepard, what are we going to do?”

“Find somewhere where there’s no paparazzi,” Shepard answered. “I think we’ve both earned our retirement.”

“Retire?” Tali was clearly smirking under her helmet. “I’m only 25, Shawn.”

“Admiral, Ambassador, Liberator of Rannoch, Hero to the Quarian People, Co-Savior of Life Everywhere.” Shepard smirked. Tali rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Well, if you don’t want to retire, I’m sure you could find a job as a store-clerk for Solarius Electronics.”

“Oh shut up,” she grumbled.

“Well, maybe I could go out and find a job myself.” Shepard offered.

“Ha, you with a job? What could you possibly do that doesn’t involve things exploding?” Tali asked him.

“The local sushi bar is hiring waiters so I hear.”

“Shepard, you know that they won’t let you work there!” Tali exclaimed with a giggle. “After what happened last time that you ate there I’m surprised that you’re allowed within fifty blocks of the place!”

“I’m Commander Shepard... I can go where I want.” Shepard offered, his hands moving down to the quarian’s hips.

“Ohhhhh-” Tali pulled herself closer to the human of her dreams. “That you can, Commander...that you--”

She was interrupted by a sudden knocking on their door.

“Oh, what now?” Tali groaned, her voice full of irritation. “And how did they even get to the door in the first place? I thought the elevator up here was under guard!”

“More than when I was under lockdown back on Earth. It’s not one of the crew, they would have called ahead. Whoever it is, I’m going to give whoever it is a piece of my mind!” Shepard growled angrily, moving Tali off of his lap so that he could walk over to the door. He pressed the viewing camera and to his surprise found himself looking into the eyes of Admiral … no... ‘Councillor’ Stephen Hackett.

“Sorry for the surprise visit, Shepard, but, I have a mission for you, if you want it,” Hackett said through the two-way audio piece. ”Permission to enter?”

“Erahm...yes, come right in, Sir!” Shepard told him once he’d recovered from the surprise of seeing Hackett at his door.

He pressed the button on the door and it whooshed open allowing Hackett to enter the apartment. Hackett glanced around the room, quickly taking in every bit of it, and then nodded.

“Nice place, Shepard,” he said with a small smile.

“Thank you sir,” Shepard replied, giving the man a quick salute.

“Ah, Councilor Hackett, it’s good to see you again,” Tali said.

“Likewise, Ambassador Vas Normandy.” Hackett nodded politely.

“Is this in regards to my appeal for the Quarians to re-establish an embassy on the Citadel?” Tali asked hopefully.

In spite of her complaints, the suggestion of a ‘mission’ for Shepard was not something she had been seriously expecting or wanting.

Hadn’t they done enough?

Hackett shook his head. “The Council hasn’t come to a decision about that issue, and most likely won’t until we can establish contact with Rannoch. No, when I said that I had a mission for Shepard, I wasn’t lying.”

Shepard’s eyebrows rose. “What kind of mission?”

“A mission that could affect the entire galaxy, one that I believe only you are capable of succeeding at,” Hackett told him gravely.

“I already saved the galaxy once, do I really have to do it again so soon?” Shepard asked. “I’m beginning to feel like a maid.”

Hackett chuckled. “Don’t worry, Shepard this has nothing to do with the Reapers, and I doubt that you’ll have to fire a single bullet.”

Tali walked over to stand beside Shepard. “Knowing Shepard, I highly doubt that,” she said dryly.

“Hey, it’s not my fault,” Shepard protested. “I would love to solve things without killing anyone, the problem is that not everyone feels that way!”

The councilor shook his head. “Shepard, trust me when I say that you won’t have to worry about shooting anyone where you’re going. They don’t even have guns.”

That statement caught both Shepard and Tali off guard.

“What do you mean, sir?” Shepard asked

Hackett sighed and nodded towards the couches. “Why don’t we sit down while we discuss this, it’s fairly shocking stuff?”

“Sure,” Shepard agreed and the three made their way over to couches. Shepard and Tali took one for themselves, and Hackett sat in the one right across from theirs.

“So, the mission?” Shepard asked.

“Before we begin to discuss the mission, I’d just like to say something,” Hackett began. “Shepard, you’re the best damned soldier that I’ve ever seen and you’ve earned your rest, so don’t feel like I’m forcing you into this choice.” The man shook his head. “But that said we need you Shepard... if this goes belly up then the repercussions could be devastating for everyone. So, say the word and it's yours... Normandy, your command, and the mission. Although if you’d prefer to rest on your Laurels, I can respect that. Like I said you've earned it."

Shepard’s eyes widened. “I can have the Normandy again? And the crew? Just because I’m agreeing to take on this mission?”

Hackett nodded. “Shepard, as far as i’m concerned, they’re all yours anyways. All you have to do is ask and it’s yours. I’m here, as a friend, asking for your help on this. And I want you to be given your best, and in order to do that you’ll need your ship.”

“That’s a very generous offer, Councilor, but what is the mission? I feel like we need to know that before we can know whether or not we’ll agree,” Tali asked the man.

A small smile played across Hackett’s lips. “How would you like to be a diplomat?”

Shepard stared at him for a second before responding. “Come again sir, did I hear you right? You said that you wanted me to be a diplomat?”

“You heard me right, Shepard,” Hackett confirmed.

“But sir, I’m a soldier, not a diplomat!” Shepard exclaimed.

“Son, you brought together the biggest fleet in galactic history through nothing but diplomacy in under half a year. You’re the best diplomat in the galaxy!” Hackett told him.

“He has a point, Shawn, you did manage to pull off several alliance that no one thought were possible,” Tali agreed. “Although, that’s not exactly new for you.”

“Indeed, Miss Vas Normandy, and that is exactly what we need to make sure things go smoothly for this mission.” Hackett nodded.

Shepard looked back and forth between the two for a second before saying. "Keep in mind, alot of that 'diplomacy' involved me running into gunfire and reaper-fire."

“Like I said, they don’t have guns where you’re going,” Hackett reminded Shepard.

“Councilor, while I agree with you that Shepard is a good diplomat when he needs to be, and I’m happy that you say that we won’t be getting shot at, you still haven’t told us what the mission involves!” Tali exclaimed exasperatedly.

Hackett took a deep breath before he spoke. “How do you feel about horses?”

“... and they should be arriving within the next two days.” Celestia, the Solar Princess of Equestria informed her younger sibling as she considered her move.

“Two days our time...or two days their... time. How does one even JUDGE time in space, much less across other multiple worlds?” Luna, the Lunar Princess, found herself puzzling, not for the first time wrestling with new ideas since their recent ‘guest of honor’ had arrived.

“Our time, Luna.” Celestia nodded. “to be exact, they should be arriving within the next thirty-eight hours if the message the Major received is correct.”

“So soon...” Luna sounded worried. “How?”

“They can traverse great distances at speeds that make the fastest things in Equestria look like flies traveling through honey,” Celestia said.

“Sister, are you sure this is a wise course of action?” Luna asked Celestia, not for the first time as they sat across from each other, staring longly at the Chessboard as she remembered it was her turn. She half-heartedly moved a pawn forwards a square.

“In truth, no.” Celestia replied with a shake of her head. “But what I do believe is that we have so much to learn from these aliens. And after learning of the dangers that await outside our own world, we can not afford to ignore this opportunity to start things off on the right hoof.” Celestia replied as she moved a pawn of her own.

“But that all assumes that the Major has been ‘completely’ honest with us. SO far, all we have for it is his word... and even THAT is enough to make me worried. By his own admission they are ‘incredibly’ violent.” Luna warned her while she pondered her next move. “In fact, if what you witnessed in that... what was it... ‘Codex Packet’.... was any indication then they spend the majority of their time trying to killing each other.” Luna made up her mind and moved her bishop forwards, taking one of her sister’s pawns.

“Indeed, but he has assured me that while the representatives that are being sent are soldiers, they are all calm and level headed.” Celestia said before she brought her queen up to take Luna’s bishop. “Thus far, he has been completely forthcoming... even when he has withheld information, he has indicated he is doing so rather than lying to us.”

“They’re sending soldiers as their representatives?” Luna asked with a raised eyebrow. She took a moment to survey the board before her before sending a knight to take a nearby pawn. “That hardly seems... friendly.”

“It is a reasonable precaution. Think of it as if we were the ones initiating contact. They are sending these representatives of their major races to judge the potential of our species, and our world. To determine whether or not we are worthy additions to the galactic community. They know next to nothing about us beyond the basics that I have related to the Major during his time here. To them, WE could be the next great aggressors. Their history suggests they have every right to be cautious.” Celestia winced, considering the ‘descriptions’ she had been offered of the last time this ‘Citadel Council’ had sent unarmed diplomats to a world in a show of good faith. Apparently, the actions of these ‘Yagh’ were a terrible lesson for the other races of the galaxy, one they were understandably loathed to repeat.

“As their history has shown, it would be foolhardy at best not to send a team of ambassadors who can defend themselves against unknown threats.” Celestia continued, as she brought her castle forward and took Luna’s queen which had been left vulnerable.

Luna frowned, both at Celestia’s words and at her move. “I suppose that makes a degree of sense, although what threat we could provide to those who can travel the stars themselves I can’t imagine.”

“They are currently ‘very’ vulnerable, Lulu. It is my understanding that they have only recently survived a galaxy spanning war that has severely depleted all of their resources. It is understandable that they would be hesitant to approach a new race without being certain that no harm would come to their ambassadors.” Celestia replied with a shrug. “Keep in mind that they lack any true magic. Even the abilities they do have, these ‘biotics’, are severely limited by comparison. For all of their technology, we actually outstrip them in many fields. Thus their interest in us.”

Luna didn’t respond at first, and then she got up from her seat while sliding her king to Celestia, who caught it easily in her golden magic before it could slide off of the table. “This game is not as fun as I remember it being.” She grumbled.

“You’re just out of practice.” Celestia said with a small smile as she carefully levitated each of the chess pieces into the table.

“And whose fault is that, Tia?” Luna asked her sourly, but without any real venom in her voice.

“Both of ours.” Celestia replied with a sigh. Luna let out a sigh of her own.

“Forgive me sister, I should not have spoken to you like that.” Luna said apologetically.

“It’s alright.” Celestia said as she came over to stand beside her sister and leaned her neck against the smaller alicorn’s.

“I’m simply anxious for these aliens to arrive.” Luna muttered as she drew away from her sister.

“That’s understandable Lulu, why don’t you go and make sure that the guard is ready?” Celestia asked.

“Tis better than waiting here.” Luna replied as she walked through the door which shut quietly behind her.

“And I must have a word with the Nobility and Prince Blueblood in particular, we can’t have his… manners causing problems with the ambassadors.” Celestia said to herself as she walked towards the door. “The last thing we need is for him to insult one of them for not properly addressing him.”

Empress Cadence and her husband, Shining Armor, had taken a short leave of absence from their positions in the Crystal Empire, allowing the Crystal Steward to act as ruler while they attended the remarkable events occurring in Equestria.

It was, after all, a meeting of unprecedented historical significance, and as Cadence sat on their bed in her old room in Canterlot Castle, she could only watch while Shining paced nervously.

He’d been doing it for the past twenty minutes, and Cadence had had enough.

“Shine, Darling, I know that pacing helps you think. But I don’t think that the castle staff enjoys buying new floors after you grind them to dust.” Cadence told her husband. Shining had good graces enough to look moderately embarrassed and an adorable blush trickled over his handsome face.

“Sorry Cadence, I’m just nervous about this meeting is all.” He replied as he came over to the bed, laying down beside her. Cadence leaned into her husband, nuzzling him comfortingly. “One moment, it’s just us... All alone here, masters of our own world, sharing it with the other species. And then... out of the blue, one frog-man falls from the sky and we find out NOTHING is as we thought it was.”

“Oh, there you go, being over-dramatic again. Come on, Shine, Auntie Tia says that these diplomats will be peaceful creatures. I highly doubt they are coming all this way to cause trouble for little us. Besides, if something bad does happen then we’ll have you here to see us through it.” She told him before she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, I know what Princess Celestia said. But that doesn’t make me any less nervous about it.” Shining replied. “For all we know that transmission, and the frog-man were lying and these ambassadors are actually warmongering zealots who want to wipe us from existence.”

“Shine dear; just how many of those old science-fiction novels have you been reading?” Cadence asked her husband pointedly.

“Hey, it could happen!” Shining defended. “Besides, they can’t be considered ‘fiction’ anymore. I mean, they’re right about there being aliens, so who’s to say that those authors are wrong about the xenocide part?”

“Xenoci... Shine, PLEASE tell me you haven’t been reading that horrible Warhorse 40,000 garbage.” Cadence rolled her eyes.

“Hey, it’s a legitimate series!” Shining protested.

““hine... that series depicts Aunti Celestia strapped to golden throne, and having to be fed the souls of thousands of ponies every day,” Cadence told her husband dryly. Shining had the deceny to look abashed. ”What reason could aliens beings from other worlds possibly have for wanting to take over Equus, or better yet what possible reason could they have for wanting to kill us all?” Cadence asked.

“Maybe our existence contradicts their religion, maybe we’re just a stain on the galaxy, maybe it’s sport to them... or we’re just a routine conquest and they need our resources for-” Shining’s babbling was stopped by his wife’s hoof which had suddenly been placed over his lips.

“Shine, I love you, but you have GOT to relax. Everything will be fine.” Cadence reassured him before she removed her hoof. “The diplomats will be arriving day after tomorrow. You do not need to develop an ulcer in that time.”

“You’re probably right, dear.” Shining replied with a sigh. “It’s not like we can build a giant cannon that fires the power of Harmony into orbit at them to stop them from coming.”

“Sure we can... we just have to call up your sister.” Cadence reminded her husband.

For a moment, the two were quiet... then they simultaneously burst into uncontrollable laughter, the tension broken.

“I never knew you were such a nerd when it came to science-fiction Shine.” Cadence told him with a last chuckle of amusement at the previous thought.

“Well you know, when your sister is obsessed with books enough to create a book fort, a little of it rubs off on you eventually.” Shining replied with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

“Hmm, alright then Shine, I’ve got a question for you.” Cadence told him, her eyes sparkling with unspoken laughter.

“Oh, and what’s that Cadence?” Shining asked giving her a raised eyebrow.

“Which book series is better, Star Trot or Pony Wars?” She asked him with a grin.

Shining gulped, that was an opinion that he’d never expected to have to share with his wife. He took a deep breath, and then began an explanation on why Pony Wars was better... well except for those awful prequel books... Cadence just smiled and listened, happy that she’d finally found something to distract her husband from thoughts of the soon to be arriving aliens.

“So these guys that are going to visit are real live aliens!?” Rainbow Dash asked Twilight excitedly while she flew in a tiny circle. “As in they have a spaceship and have laser guns and everything? Not alien like... some griffin from Skyhaven or something, right?”

“Yes Dash, for the hundredth time, YES!” Twilight replied with a roll of her eyes. Not that the young alicorn wasn’t extremely excited at the idea of meeting the aliens herself, it was just that Dash’s never ending repetition of the same questions had begun to grate on her nerves a bit.

“Do-do you think that they’ll be scary looking?” Fluttershy asked from where she was sitting on one of the couches of the castle’s suites. It was clear from her fidgiting that her imagination was running wild. “I mean, it makes me a little nervous, knowing that there’s an alien right here in the castle.”

“Well, I haven’t seen myself, but the one that first met Princess Celestia was apparently some kind of a frog,” Twilight told her friend’s “And there isn’t an alien in the castle, it left this morning.”

“Huh? Wait, if it ain’t here in the castle, then where did it go?” Applejack spoke up for the first time since Celestia had ‘informed’ the group of friends about the special visitor this morning.

“Yeah! I want to meet it!” Rainbow spoke up.

“Its people sent a ship to collect it,” Twilight explained. “Apparently it’s waiting for the others to arrive and recovering. I mean, it WAS stranded here for over six months and hasn’t seen another of it’s own kind in all that time.”

“Oh...it must have been so lonely.” Fluttershy opted, but then quieted down again quickly.

“What I don’t understand is that if it’s been here for all these months, why wasn’t anypony told sooner?” Rarity asked, her tone equal parts

“Because, Rarity, Princess Celestia couldn’t just go out and tell ponies that an alien had crashed here, can you imagine the panic that would cause?” Twilight asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Panic indeed.

Even Twilight had only been told of this alien the night before. And while she would have liked to have denied Celestia’s claim that she would ‘overreact’, her reaction TO the news made it a moot point.

This was big... even bigger than the defeat of Nightmare Moon or Discord or the Rebirth of the Crystal Empire.

If even a fraction of what Celestia had told her was true, and the purple mare doubted very much that the elder princess would lie to her about anything (even if she did withhold information for extended periods of time), then this meeting was most likely going to be THE most important moment in Equestrian history.

And she, Princess Twilight Sparkle, former Faithful Student of Princess Celestia, was going to be directly involved! Her inner historian was already planning her first essay on what it was like to meet the alien diplomats, her inner princess on the other hoof was trying to prepare a list of simple questions which would prove to be impossible to answer without lots of facts and information.

Since the night before, that list had grown beyond a hundred pages and even now showed no sign of stopping.

“Well I for one am interested in the fact that apparently they wear clothing all the time. Imagine the market for my dresses!” Rarity said with a wide grin as she thought of both the future profits and the challenge of creating clothing for entirely new races. She was lying on her red fainting couch which she’d somehow managed to bring into the suite without Twilight noticing.

“I wonder if they’ll like apples.” Applejack said with a thoughtful expression on her face. She was sitting at one of the room’s tables, slowly tapping her hoof against the wood.

“I just can’t wait to meet so many new ponies, it’ll be so exciting!” Pinkie said, she was, as usual, a preverbal ball of energy. “I wonder if they’ll like me.” The pink pony added as an afterthought.

“Who wouldn’t like ya Pinkie? Yall’re so friendly I’ll bet ya’ll be best friends with all of them in no time flat.” Applejack replied encouragingly.

"Yeah Pinkie, I'm sure that they'll like you," Twilight said. Then she got up from where she'd been sitting and stretched. "Sorry girls, but I've got a few appointments today, I'll see you later, and I’ll get you when the aliens get here."

Her friends said their goodbyes and Twilight left the room with a small smile on her face.

To be honest, Twilight would have prefered to spend what time she could with her friends, but unfortunately, the duties of being the ‘Princess of Friendship’ demanded more of her time than simply being Celestia’s student.

Especially since her position meant that it was vital for her to extend the Friendship of Equestria, along with the rest of their world, to the diplomats that were now in route to their humble little planet.

…

Twilight really wished she could spend more time with her friends right that moment.

The crew of the Normandy sat around central projector of the ship’s Warroom; which had been remodeled for comfort in the past few months as alterations were made to the Flagship of the Galactic Fleet. Shepard had finally decided that enough was enough, and made the executive decision to have comfortable chairs installed instead of making everyone stand around the central table.

It wasn’t exactly alliance standard, but all things considered, they let him have his chairs.

Watching him were a collection of his trusted friends and allies, those that had been able to come along with him either by excuse of ‘higher orders’ or on personal account.

Liara, the Shadow Broker, had secured her place on the recommendation of the Thessia Post-War Matriarch Council as the Asari Ambassador.

Garrus Valkerian was right there, having easily secured the Turian Hierarchy’s approval to act in the name of Palaven.

Kaidan Alenko, leaned back, now representing the Alliance in any agreement that might be reached with the new species.

Representing the strength of Tuchanka was their mightiest warrior: ‘Ambassador’ Urdnot Grunt, who’s purpose had been two-fold: To make sure this new planet’s citizens respected the Krogan... and to show the rest of the galaxy that they were ‘civilized’ enough to take part in such an occasion.

And finally, representing the Quarian people of Rannoch, whose technical expertise had been absolutely instrumental in repairing the Mass Relays, was Tali’Zorah Vas Normandy, who sat quietly off to the side, already well aware of the mission parameters and now recording the reactions of her crewmates for posterity.

“Alright everyone. It’s good to be home.” Shepard smiled as the crew looked to him, clearly glad to be back under his command, even if circumstances were a bit different from the old days.

Now, rather than a squad of rag-tag soldiers fighting their way across the galaxy, they were representatives for their various species, going to promote a peaceful first contact mission. And after all that they had seen, they were all happy for it (With the exception of one... but krogan didn’t count).

“But now, it’s time for the briefing.” Shepard started, nodding to his friends as he began to tell them what he knew. “As you are all aware, The council has asked us to meet with a new species and determine whether or not they’re ready for the responsibility that comes with being a space faring member of the galaxy. The details have been withheld and so far the galactic public have not been made aware of this species’ discovery. However, now that we are in route, I can now share with you what we know.” Shepard began once everyone had taken their seats.

“Not to sound impatient, but it is about time. The matriarchs were not happy with being forced to accept me as their ambassador in this situation. And given that they were told next to nothing, I can’t say I blame them. For once, even my sources know nothing about what we are facing.” Liara asked. The Shadow Broker looked understandably perplexed. A rare thing for the galaxy’s most informed information trafficker.

“The species has been categorized as ‘Equinus-Sapien.” Shepard answered. “They call themselves ‘Equestrians’... or more for a more casual translation: ‘Ponies’.”

“Ponies; as in small horses?” Kaidan Alenko asked.

“Yeah. Don’t even ask me about the coincidence involved in that.” Shepard replied with a shake of his head.

“What the hell is a ‘pony’?” Grunt, the ‘Krogan’ Ambassador of the first contact mission asked, his arms crossed as he stood against the back wall near the door. While he respected Shepard immensely, it was clear that his being there for a mission of peace was ‘far’ from where the Young Krogan wanted to be.

In way of answer Shepard tapped his omnitool a few times and the room dimmed and four images appeared on one of the walls. One sported a normal looking pony, one a unicorn, the next a pegasus, and the last what could only be described as a taller mash up of the first three.

“By the goddess...” Liara’s eyes lit up, amazed by the appearance of this new alien life-form.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Kaidan exclaimed.

“That’s about what I said.” Shepard said with a chuckle. “It took a few minutes for Hackett to convince me that it wasn’t some sort of prank.”

“Shepard, are you telling us that we are going to a planet to meet with talking horses, some of whom resemble creatures from human mythology.” Kaidan stated flatly.

“That about sums it up, Alenko.” Shepard nodded, having been prepared for the shock from his fellow human crewmember.

“Shepard, I am not an expert, but how the hell does a race without hands developed space travel?” Garrus asked as he looked at the images with his head cocked slightly to the side.

“The short answer is that they haven’t yet.” Shepard replied.

“What?” Kaidan asked.

“Shepard.” Liaria spoke up. “Initiating first contact with a pre-spaceflight species is a violation of the Citadel Conventions. After what happened with the vorcha and the...”

Grunt huffed, suppressing a small snarl in anticipation of Liara’s words.

“K..rogan...” The Shadow Broker offered apologetically before continuing. “The Council has made such contacts highly illegal.”

“Well, this is an extraordinary circumstance.” Shepard explained. “Because while they lack conventional space travel and Mass Effect technology, they make up for it with something slightly different.”

A video replaced the images; The feed was sliightly grainy, indicating it had been taken with a hidden recording device. It showed a white unicorn, clearly unaware it was being observed, as it maneuvered several books in a glowing aura.

“Biotics?” Liara assumed, watching the feed.

“Not quite Liara.” Shepard replied, giving her a smile.

“Look at the color. It’s golden.” Kaiden, a biotic himself, pointed out. “And that dexterity. I’ve never seen a human capable of such fine control... hell, I’ve never seen an Asari that could actually organize a bookcase with biotics.”

“Good observation Kaiden.” Shepard said with a nod.

“Thanks Shep.” Kaidan told him with a smile.

“As Alekno pointed out, this ‘unicorn’...”

“Seriously... Commander?” Kaiden sounded about ready to burst out laughing. “Seriously?”

“It’s the closest translation we have to the sub-species, Alenko, roll with it. This... ‘being’... is not using biotics. Truth is, we don’t have a solid idea what he is using. The closest translation we’ve been provided to their term for it is : ‘magic’.” Shepard paused to let the good natured chuckle from Alenko subside, although the various non-human crewmembers seemed confused by his amusement.

“It’s a cultural thing.” Shepard explained. “In any case, it is more likely that these abilites are not supernatural, but simply an ability like biotics gained by exposure to some unknown material or radiation we have not yet encountered. However, what we do know is that this ‘magic’ appears to be far more versatile than our biotics, and with a far larger number of applications.” Shepard finished.

The image changed, now directed upward.

What the crew saw drew a gasp from everyone in the Warroom.

“Spirits...” Garrus seemed amazed. “They can ‘FLY’?”

“I assumed those wings were vestigial... evolutionary leftovers. How can they be functional?” Liara seemed amazed herself, not an easy thing to accomplish. “Their forms are not aerodynamic enough to allow for self-sustained flight... the number of calories to keep those wings working enough to provide lift would be...”

“It gets better... The scientist who analyzed this footage indicate that the ‘pegasi’ here is moving in excess of a hundred kilometers an hour.”

Utter silence reigned for a moment before Liara found her voice.

“Shepard... how did we obtain this footage, and more importantly how do we know that this isn’t fake?” Liara asked in a slightly strangled voice as she looked at the video that was on repeat.

“We have a very good source on planet Equus.” Shepard answered. “A trustworthy one.”

“They named their planet Latin for horse?” Kaidan asked with a raised eyebrow, although his remark was ignored as the krogan in the room asked the far more prudent question.

“Who’s this source?” Grunt asked.

“An old friend of ours actually.” Shepard replied with a grin.

“Well, there’s only one group who could obtain footage like this without being observed. And if it’s been kept a secret this long even from the Shadow Broker, I would guess that means the Salarian Special Tasks Group. So I’m going to assume that it’s Major Kirrahe.” Garrus set forward the theory, his mandibles clicking pridefully, sure he was correct.

“Dead on, Garrus.” Shepard nodded, pressing another button and bringing up Major Kirahee’s profile and holographic likeness. “The Major was declared MIA seven months ago when the Crucible was fired. His ship was assumed caught in the same relay surge that downed Normandy on Sur’Kesh, but with everything else going on, the Salarians couldn’t mount a search. Three weeks ago, a tightbeam data stream was picked up on encrypted STG frequency by the Salarians, including his report, a request for rescue, and a very strongly worded recommendation to inform the surviving Council to initiate a peaceful first contact. He was finally extracted from the planet six hours ago when the Salarians finally managed to get a scout vessel to the system to recover him for de-briefing and psychological evaluation.”

“Figures, it would be the salarians who have found another species to uplift.” Grunt said sarcastically. The tank-born krogan had matured a lot over the course of the war, and he was sounding more and more like Wrex all the time, although he’d yet to reach the level of dryness that the Clan Leader possessed. “Some aliens just never learn do they.”

“According to his report, Kirrahe has gained the trust of the head of the most advanced nation-state of the planet’s inhabitants, his report mentions one ‘Princess Celestia’ in particular, a member of the ‘Alicorn’ subspecies.” Shepard said with a nod, choosing to ignore Grunt’s remark. “We are to rendezvous with the Salarian Scout Ship: SUS Curiosity upon arriving in the system. From there, assuming the Major is declared fit by their medical and psych staff, he’ll be transferred to the Normandy for final briefing and to facilitate First Contact.”

“It will be nice to see the Major again, maybe he’ll be able to get me one of those pistols with the exploding darts.” Garrus said with a chuckle as he remembered their last run-in with Kirrahe on Sur’Kesh... blowing up Cerberus Troops in preperation for curing the Krogan Genophage. “Good times... good times.” .

“Shepard, there’s something about all of this that strikes me as... off..” Liara said as she gently rubbed her chin with her fingers.

“What’s that Liara?” Shepard asked.

“Well you said that these ponies don’t have space travel. Even with this ‘magic’ and their biological capabilities, I doubt that they’re noticeable enough to get the attention of the Council, especially considering how undermanned the war has left everyone. Sending...well...’you’ of all people. What makes this such an urgent mission?” Liara asked.

“The salarians at first didn’t pay any attention to it beyond wanting to recover Major Kirrahe. However, someone in the STG took the time to send an unmanned probe to the system in order to investigate it. When it started sending information about the Equestrian System back to Sur’Kesh however… Well, maybe it’s better if you see it for yourself.” Shepard trailed off for a second, mostly to build dramatic tension before he continued.

“This is a chart detailing the planet’s orbit.” A video suddenly filled the screen.

The video before them showed a high-quality hologram of a four planet system, a star comparable to Sol, and a tidally locked moon.

“The planet is once and again the size of Earth. Pristine Garden World. Comfortable gravity, perfect oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and a diverse biosphere.”

“So what’s the big deal?” Kaidan asked. “Garden worlds are all precious, but I fail to see what the urgency is.”

“When the drone approached, it was used as a relay to send a message back to Kirrahe in Real Time from Sur’kesh. After they informed him of the events following the Crucible, he ordered the technician to make the following recording. I’m now going to add a marker to show the rotational data of the planetary bodies.” Shepard told the the crew, after a moment, figures and numbers popped up around the planets and the star, their orbits continuing.

“Still not getting it commander.” Kaiden narrowed his eyes, wondering what he could be missing.

“Wait for it.”

There was a moment of silence as the rest of the crew observed the video.

Followed by another moment.

And another.

“Shepard, is the screen malfunctioning?” Liara asked cautiously.

“No, it’s working perfectly,” Shepard replied.

“But that’s, that’s impossible!” Garrus exclaimed as she watched the image. “Shepard, that’s impossible!”

“Wait... does somebody wanna fill the krogan in on what you’re gawking at..” Grunt asked said with a little annoyance.

“The planet and it’s moon...”

For the first time all eyes went to the quarian woman who had been sitting quietly off to the side.

“...Have both ceased spin.”

“The other planets are continuing to rotate as if nothing has happened. The Garden World’s gravity and atmosphere are completely unaffected... but right here... it suddenly becomes tidally locked. As does the moon. A complete halt of rotation.” Shepard said

“Shepard, even you can’t make a planet stand still!” Liara started, sounding almost insulted as the video showed a complete slap in the face of all laws of astrophysics.

“Well I’m not doing it, so I guess it’s okay.” Shepard told her.

“How is this possible?” Garrus asked breaking up the interplay between the two.

“According to the transmission log... Major Kirrahe asked the Princess to ‘stop the sun’..” Shepard answered.

The hologram then showed the planet suddenly resuming orbit...then gaining speed for a few moments, suddenly bringing the other side around to face the system’s star before resuming it’s natural pace yet again.

“And there... he asked her sister to ‘bring out the night sky.’”

The crew was lost in silence while the Quarian continued to record their expressions, making sure to get a good close up on each of them.

The Unexpected

The Unexpected

Up in the cockpit of the Normandy SR-2, Shepard moved up behind the now infamous Flight Lieutenent Jeff ‘Joker’ Moreau as the pilot slowed their speed drastically, bringing them out of FTL-Speeds at the edge of what had been dubbed the ‘Equus’ system.

“Drive-Core disengaged.” Joker stated, his tone strangely flat and mechanical, as if he were merely going through the motions. “Moving up to the Equus-4 gas giant to discharge.”

“Well, what do you think, Joker?” Shepard asked, trying to keep his tone light.

Trying to ignore the fact that, aside from a nod and the occasional confirmation of orders, the Normandy’s pilot had not said more than five words to him.

“I think... we need to discharge the drive core before the Tantalus drive goes into meltdown.”

“Okay...”

Shepard stood there, waiting patiently as the pilot’s fingers moved across the holographic panels.

After a few moments of awkward quiet, Joker finally huffed, breaking his silence.

“You know, Commander. Maybe you... you know.. ‘should go’.”

“We need to talk.”

“About what?” Joker demanded.

“We both know about what. I’m sorry, Joker, I wish that there had been another way,” Shepard said. “I wished I could have saved her... but there was no other choice.”

“That’s it?” Joker gave a disappointed grunt, his pilot’s chair turning to face the Commander. “After all that stuff about how it doesn’t matter if we’re synthetic or organic... after Rannoch? You went out of your way to save the Geth and then--”

“You’re angry because I couldn’t save her--” Shepard stated, knowing full well why the pilot

“DAMN RIGHT I AM!” Joker interrupted.

“--but it had to happen or we would have lost ‘everyone’.” Shepard continued as if Joker had never said anything, the lie making him wince internally. “Without the Crucible, the Reapers would have been unstoppable. You know me... you know that... if I could have saved them ‘and’ destroyed the Reapers... I would have.”

Joker deflated for moment, his gaze dropping as he shook his head.

“Yeah... I get that. I mean, in my head I know you had to do it and I understand there was no other way. I get that in my brain. But deep down, emotionally... I can’t help but blame YOU for taking her away from me!" He jabbed an accusing finger at Shepard. “Encouraging me to go for it... putting us together... making me realize that there was more than just circuits and data-transfers... and then... then...”

Joker lowered his head, the bill of his cap obscuring the wetness of his eyes.

Shepard winced internally again at the very true accusation but he didn’t let it show on his face.

“That’s... understandable, Joker. I wish that it hadn’t had to happen, but it did and-”

“And I’m not going to move on and forget about her just because you’re asking me to!” Joker shouted angrily, cutting Shepard off. “I’m here for Normandy... even if... she’s lost her heart and soul. She’s still mine.”

Joker’s pilot chair turned around, facing the holographic panels again.

“All I have left.”

“Joker... Jeff... I know how much EDI meant to you,” Shepard assured the man gently. “And I don’t blame you for hating me.”

“You... you don’t?” Joker asked, clearly caught off guard.

“No, of course not, EDI was everything to you.... the love of your life, Jeff. I would never ask you to forget about her or to move on,” Shepard told him. “The war took so much from you, from all of us. We’ve lost friends... allies... we lost the Geth. You lost your father.. your sister... EDI.”

“Yeah... sucks to be me.” Joker shook his head. “And you got to be immortalized, you got Tali, still got your ship and crew. Even the swanky apartment Anderson left for you. But hey, I guess not everybody can be ‘Commander Shepard’. Some of us have to be born with Vrolik’s Syndrom, used as bait in sushi restaurants, and sit at the chair while everyone else is out shooting stuff.”

The words struck Shepard like a blow to the face, but as always, he didn’t show it.

“Trade you.” Shepard offered.

Two words, and Joker’s momentum ground to a halt.

There was another minute of silence as Joker seemed to consider those words. Considering the pressure, the impossible odds, and the sheer will that it had taken to survive all of the things that the commander of the Normandy had survived.

And now that it was all over... the fact that the repercussions of what had happened would never cease to haunt the Commander’s steps.

“Oh... well there goes the rest of my speech right there.” Joker shook his head. “I’m... I... Sorry, Shepard.”

“Hey, it’s alright, Jeff. And you haven’t just been sitting in this chair. You’ve been through just as much as the rest of us, lost as much as the rest of us and even more. You miss her...” Shepard told the man, walking up to the pilot and putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “... and that’s human.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Joker muttered, pulling his shoulder carefully from the commander’s grasp. “Anyways, we’ve got the Curiosity on sensors. We can rendezvous in half an hour if Major Kirrahe is good to go.”

“Thanks Joker,” Shepard told the pilot. “Are you sure there’s nothing else that I can-”

“No thanks Commander,” Joker said flatly. “You’ve done enough.”

Shepard winced.

“Jeff. Remember, if you ever want to talk about it, come find me,” Shepard removed his hand and began to walk away from the pilot.

“Yeah, you and your psychology degree,” Joker called after him, a trace of his trademark snark in his voice.

“Oh, and one more thing.” Shepard paused, looking over his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not your Commander anymore. But, if you still want to be friends... then it’s just Shawn for you.”

“I’ll...” Joker took a deep breath, clearly affected by the offer, but unable to reach a clear decision on how he felt. “Keep that in mind...Shepard.”

With that, the Commander of the Normandy left the pilot to his controls.

It wasn’t much... but it was a start.

Now the healing could begin.

Commander Shepard stood patiently in the elevator as it sped downwards towards the shuttlebay. As Salarain and Alliance ships had contradictory designs, the two vessels were not able to physically dock with one another, so as a result Major Kirrahe’s shuttle had just entered the Normandy’s Hangar and Shepard had to leave the CIC to meet him. Kaidan stood on his right, and Tali at his left.

Strangely enough, Shepard just couldn’t shake the feeling of Deja Vu whenever it was him and two of his crew in an elevator. On the bright side the trips didn’t take anywhere as long as they used too.

“I wonder how Kirrahe is, it’s been a long time since the last time I saw him,” Kaidan stated.

“Yes, that’s something that I’ve been wondering as well,” Tali agreed. “Garrus and Liara mentioned you had met him back in the first month or so of the war, something about a mission before you cured the genophage?”

“Well, when I ran into on Sur'kesh he seemed to be doing fine,” Shepard told them. “But let’s not forget that he’s been stranded on an uncharted garden world for the last seven months, so be prepared for anything.”

The elevator dinged, announcing that they had reached their destination and the door opened.

Major Kirrahe was in plain view, standing stood next to his shuttle as his eyes scanned the room, he was wearing what looked like a mint-condition model of his black STG armor and the highly prized STG- Scorpion pistol sat at his hip. He looked up once the elevator door opened and a wide smile spread across his face.

Standing just behind him was another salarian, in matching armor but wearing one of the all concealing helmets typical of the salarian special task group’s operatives. Oddly enough, rather than firearms, a pair of short-curved blades rested on either hip. This immediately sent up a red flag for the commander, who was used to seeing salarian military operatives carrying more... ‘modern’ weaponry.

“AHA! Commander Shepard! So you DID survive the war!” The major said as he walked up to Shepard with an energetic gait.

The Commander offered his hand to shake, but was caught unaware as the salarian moved closer, his arms raised.

Shepard seized up as the salarian pulled him into an unexpected, brotherly embrace.

“What the...” Tali drew back, torn between shock and amusement by the behavior of the trained military professional she remembered from Virmire.

Shepard was likewise surprised and found himself resisting the urge to push the salarian away... although he did not have to resist for long as the Major drew back after only a second.

“It’s... uh... good to see you too, Kirrahe,” Shepard replied awkwardly.

Apparently, he had failed to follow his own order to be ready for anything.

“Apologies, Sheppard, too long in Equestria, think I have started to go native,” Kirrahe said, chuckling awkwardly into his hand before looking to Shepard’s compatriots. “Ah, Major Alenko. It’s a pleasure to see you as well! Last I heard, you managed to end the Cerberus coup by putting down Udina. A bold move, and thankfully, the right one.” Kirrahe recounted with a smile as he prepared to give Kaidan a hug as well... before thinking better of it and instead offering him his hand to shake.

“A pleasure to see you again, Major.” Kaiden shook his hand, grateful the Salarian caught himself. “It’s been a long time since Virmire.”

“Indeed... I haven’t forgotten your actions that day, Alenko. Your talents saved several of my men.”

“Wish I could’ve saved more,” Kaidan told him with a slight shake of his head.

“And Tali’Zorah.” Kirrahe nodded. “Still keeping these humans from blowing up their own ship with their crazy maneuvers and tendency to melt their engines?”

“It’s a difficult job, Major, but someone’s got to do it,” Tali answered with a small chuckle.

Once the salarian had finished greeting both Kaidan and Tali, he made a gesture towards the other salarian. “This is my ‘bodyguard’, Tanlan. He’ll be accompanying us as an observer during our dealings on Equis”

At the mention of his name the other salarian nodded once to Shepard and then went back to scanning the crewbay from behind his obscuring helmet.

“The strong silent type huh?” Shepard asked eying the helmeted salarian.

“Indeed,” Kirrahe nodded. “I convinced the Union to allow me to continue acting in the capacity of Ambassador, but they are understandably concerned given my prolonged absence. Tanlan is intended to keep a sharp eye and make sure I don’t do anything that might be considered ‘compromising’.”

Shepard snorted slightly. “I’m sure that that’s unnecessary,” he told the salarian.

“No, it’s a reasonable precaution. I would be lying if I said my time here hasn’t had an effect. And after dealing with Reaper Indoctrination, our leaders cannot be too careful.”

“I see,” Shepard said with a small nod before continuing. “Well, now that we’re all introduced why don’t we go up to the conference room?” Shepard asked, nodding towards the elevator

“A splendid idea, Commander,” Kirrahe said with a smile.

The group made their way to the elevator and Shepard pressed the up button. The elevator began to move upwards.

“So, Shepard, I heard a rumor onboard the Curiosity that you died again,” Kirrahe said conversationally while Tanlan situated himself at the rear of the elevator car, ready on the off chance that something could attack. “Keep coming back like that and people will start to form a religion around you.”

“Trust me.” Tali stated with absolutely zero amusement in her voice. “They are already trying.”

“I didn’t actually die. It was just a coma this time,” Shepard corrected. “And please don’t talk about those people.”

“Well, at least you managed to get through it with all your limbs attached. Just a few new scars then?.” the major offered.

“Not really, six months in a coma with as much Medi-Gel as Sirta Foundation could spare did wonders for scars, the physical kind anyways,” Shepard replied.

“The other kind take longer,” Tali said, putting one arm around the Commander’s “But we’re working on it.”

“Yes, most of the galaxy has a similar problem at the moment I’d imagine,” Kirrahe nodded. “I’ve been briefed on the aftermath of the Crucible. Now that the Reaper threat is over, all that is left is to pick up the pieces.”

Before the conversation could continue the elevator came to a halt. The door was about to open when Kaidan said.

“Shepard there’s something that I need to check on with Garrus,” Kaidan told Shepard before they could go anywhere.

“And I want to run a few tests on the engines before we leave,” Tali said, speaking up as well. “Just in case there are any unexpected gravity distortions.”

“You’re both free to go,” Shepard said. “I’ll see you later, Tali,” he added, giving her a small grin.

“Yes, yes you will,” the quarian agreed in a slightly playful tone of voice.

The elevator door opened and the three of them stepped out into the room containing the galaxy map. Shepard nodded to Traynor who turned away from her terminal to look at him.

“Everything set up here Traynor?” Shepard asked.

“Yes, Commander, everything’s ship shape up here, although the Council wants to give you a bit of final briefing once you have a spare moment,” Traynor said, her british accent easily detectible.

“I’ll talk to them once I’ve been briefed by the Major,” Shepard said indicating Kirrahe with a nod. “Thanks Traynor.”

“Of course, Commander,” Traynor said before turning back to her terminal.

Shepard led the way to conference room with Kirrahe right behind him and Tanlan several paces behind him before they entered the small glass box that made up the ‘Conference’ room. Once inside with Shepard and Kirrahe comfortably seated and Talan standing ridgedly at the door, Shepard took the first step in broaching the subject.

“Seven months stranded on an uncharted planet, Major, it must have been rough.” Shepard started his tone apologetic.

Kirehe’s reaction was absolutely the last thing he expected.

“Quite the contrary, Commander. In fact, if it wasn’t for my obligations to the STG and my need to ensure that the Reaper Threat had been defeated at Earth, I would have considered retiring in Equestria. In fact, I still may once this is all said and done.”

“Really?” Shepard asked, taken completely by surprise. “I thought it was a backwater world, why would you want to stay there?”

“Let’s just say the place, and more specifically the inhabitants, grow on you after a while. Annoying at first... Childish even... but after spending time with them, learning about their cultures and histories... I have found that they are a charming, remarkable people. One that deserves our protection.”

“Care to elaborate, please” Shepard told the salarian.

“It is... hard to explain Shepard. But once you are there you will see what I am describing. They seem... so... naive about life and the majority of them are happy to a fault. However that just makes it more surprising when one of them points out something that you never would’ve seen before. The ponies are... unique in the galaxy and I believe that the galactic community will be greatly benefited by their inclusion,” Kirrahe explained.

“You’ll forgive me if that makes me a little more hesitant, Kirrahe. You see I’ve encountered a somewhat similar mentality on Feros a few years back.”

Kirrahe shook his head. “Yes, I read a report on the Thorian creature. But no, there were no spores in the air. No mental conditioning or any form of indoctrination. Believe me, I checked and so did the medical crew that was aboard the Curiosity. By all accounts, I came to this conclusion without any external influence.” He paused for a moment. “If you wish to take further precaution, I understand, but you’ll see what I mean when we arrive.”

“Before we move groundside, Major there are a few things that I would like to know.” Shepard said slowly. “I trust your judgement as much as any good soldier’s but I would like to know more about what actually happened.”

“Straight from the Horse’s mouth... I believe the expression goes.” Kirrahe nodded to himself, clearly amused. “I completely understand. After all that we have been though, I could hardly expect you to completely trust the data I sent without first-ho-- I mean ‘first-hand’ experience, Shepard.” Kirrahe told him. Shepard raised an eyebrow at the salarian’s slip of the tongue but said nothing of it.

Instead he switched topics.

“Alright Kirahee. Let’s start the debriefing.” Shepard asked.

“Go right ahead Shepard. I’ll answer everything that I can,” Kirrahe told him.

“Alright. Well... ever since the Council told me about this assignment, there are a few things that seemed off to me. I wanted to wait until I could speak with you directly to ask. The first question of course is the Thresher Maw in the room: Why did it take so long for the Salarians to find this place? We’re in your home cluster. Only a few hundred lightyears from Sur’kesh, No offense Major, but your people have had, what, almost two thousand years of space-flight to find this Garden World.” Commander Shepard said.

“A fair question, Commander,” Kirrahe said. “And with a simple answer: Space is BIG. As you know, the Council has managed to explore only about ten percent of our galaxy directly. Perhaps a total of twenty percent using unmanned drones. In spite of our previously held delusions of being ‘masters of the galaxy’ the truth is that we actually are familiar with very little of it.”

Shepard could understand this explanation. After all, the Local System, the home cluster of Humanity and Earth, was still being slowly charted, a project that would likely not see it’s completion within the next millennia.

“Of course Mass Relay travel makes a completely ‘thorough’ charting moot. It is far easier to get across long distances and to more easily accessible systems in other clusters. On a cluster-scale, even with constant exploration, we haven’t mapped the Annos Basin. Couple that with the odd bit of space-weather acting as a smoke-screen over this system due to a nearby neutron star and it is very easy for this ‘one’ system to hide away. Unseen by galactic eyes.” the salarian explained.

“Wait, you mean you discovered this place by chance?” Shepard asked, his eyebrows knitting together in surprise.

“It was...” The salarian’s grin faded for the first time since he had come onboard the Normandy... a sad expression tinting his black, amphibian eyes. “Less chance...and...more crash.”

--The STG Defiant--

--Seven Months Earlier--

Kirrahe’s pulse quickened as a series of red warning lights and sirens suddenly filled the bridge. He ran, stumbling as the ship rocked, towards the bridge and found Captain Mahato, the Defiant’s Commanding officer, lying dead at the controls.

Kirrahe’s eyes widened in horrified surprise “Captain...” he shook his head before the ship rocked harder and he was thrown to the ground.

He struggled back to his feet and began to move as rapidly as he could towards where the Nav officer was frantically trying to draw out data from the malfunctioning terminal.

“Soldier! Sitrep! What’s going on!” Kirrahe shouted over the sound of the warning sirens.

“Something happened to the Relay!” The nave officer shouted back. “Some sort of energy pulse! I don’t know where we are now, but we were propelled far past the rendezvous on Sur’Kesh!”

“Sir, all critical systems!” Another of the bridge workers shouted before his terminal exploded, sending him flying backwards into the far wall.

Kirrahe wasted no more time and turned to the Nav officer.

“Are there any planets available for splashdown?” He shouted.

The nav officer glanced down at his console before nodding rapidly. “Yes, one looks to be a garden world. I think... sensors are going haywire!”

“Inhabited?”

“Unknown, Sir!”

The Major nodded and moved up to the Com system, quickly inputting an STG command override and sounding the alarm thoughout the ship. “This is Major Kirrahe, Acting Commander! Initiate Order 13! Repeat! All hands abandon ship!” He said, his voice firm and clear despite the explosions and fires all around him. Once he was done his message he turned to the Nav officer and the rest of the bridge crew who were looking at him apprehensively.

“LIFEPODS! NOW!” Kirrahe commanded firmly before he started to lurch towards the escape pods. The others followed him. As they stumbled down the hallway the ship shook horrendously and a series of explosions sounded in the distance. “Hurry! The Core’s going critical!” Kirrahe shouted, no longer able to keep the hint of panic out of his voice.

“Do you think that this pulse is some kind of Reaper weapon?” The nav officer shouted to Kirrahe while they walked by a pair of slumped bodies. “Boobytrap maybe?”

“Doesn’t matter!” Kirrahe shouted back.

After what felt like an eternity, but was probably no more than five miniutes they reached the escape pod bay and filed in. Kirrahe’s fist smashed into the launch button and the pod was ejected out into space with a puff of released gas.

“Sir, the nav VI is down!” The nav officer shouted as the panel flashed in a dangerous shade of red. “It has to be piloted manually, I... never received that training!”

Kirrahe blinked rapidly before he moved up, pulling the nav officer back and setting himself at the console. His hands flashed over the panel, attempting to compensate for momentum, angle of descent, and stability as his view-screw angled towards the large green and blue planet below him.

“Come on... Comeonnnnnnn,” Kirrahe murmured , gritting his teeth as the view screen of the pod showed the tell-tale mach cone of re-entry and the planet’s atmosphere began to put pressure on the hull.

The image of dark green landscape and trees filled the viewport as they broke cloud-cover while the screaming alerts increased in volume, now joined by the screaming of the bridge crew. Kirrahe’s eyes suddenly saw a clearing in the woods below them, seeing no option other than trying his luck with the trees he directed the pod towards the clearing.

“BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!” he shouted over his shoulder to the others.

Before he could turn back to the screen... the life-pod came aground, shattering a swath of tree-limbs before it careened into the hard ground with a colossal crash.

As G-Shock overwhelmed his armor’s kinetic barriers, Kirrahe’s world went black.

An undetermined amount of time later the salarian awoke, his fingers clutching the controls in a deathgrip. Slowly, his head pounding, he pried his fingers off of the console and turned to look for the others. He found them...

The bridge crew was strewn about the interior of the pod their bodies in various states of... disrepair. Green blood coated the floor of the pod and Kirrahe found to his horror that more of it was spattered across his chest and head.

Alone, he stared at the scene for several seconds before his armor’s automatic reboot system pinging.

Kirrahe looked down at his flickering omni-tool and his eyes widened in horror at the statistical data flickering on the holographic screen. .

Kinetic barriers:offline.

Armor integrity: twenty percent.

Medigel Dispersal system: Offline

Overall power: five percent.

Additional systems: offline.

-Medical Alert: Vital signs erratic: Four broken ribs, healing punctured lung, sustained internal trauma consistent with G-Shock. Seek Medical attention immediately.

“Right...” Kirrahe huffed, feeling specks of blood paint his lips as he spoke. “I’ll... get right on that.”

The list of damage was worse than he’d feared it possibly could’ve been, and the death of the crew was such a waste.

To have lived out against all the odds they had seen... to reach the final deciding moment... Hoping that the Crucible had delivered it’s promised salvation.

Only to meet their end like this.

Such a waste.

But he had no time to mourn. First, he had to get out of the craft.

Kirrahe stumbled towards the exit. Upon reaching the exit he pushed the door open to reveal a lush, green clearing, hitting the recording function on his omni-tool Kirrahe began to make what could’ve been his last log entry.

“This is Major cough Kirrahe, STG Unit Marloa Six-Two. Commanding Officer. I have crashed on an uncharted garden world following catastrophic damage to extraction ship ‘Defiant’. Life Pod’s systems compromised. I’m the only one left here. cough. Overall survival rate of crew unknown. I will try and find a way to contact either the Union or it’s allies as soon as possible cough if I am unable to then...someone will find me and I hope they will be kind enough to cough send my remains where they belong cough Major Kirrahe, signing off.”

That done, he scanned the clearing for any immediate threats. Finding none, he sighed to himself and muttered.

“Well, this couldn’t get any worse if a Reaper showed up.”

ROAR

A sudden roar drew Kirrahe’s eyes to a large creature that was stalking out of the dark woods around the clearing.

“I stand corrected.” he stated, reaching for his trusty Scorpion pistol.

Princess Celestia sat beside Twilight in her throne room. The younger Princess had just finished off the last of her court appointments for the day and was beginning to fidget slightly with impatience in her slightly less magnificent ‘throne,’ that consisted of a scuffed up wooden chair from the library topped by a puffy pink pillow, as she waited for news about the aliens and read over her prepared speech repeatedly. Sensing her ex-student’s anxiety now growing to critical levels, Celestia rose from her throne.

“Come along Twilight, let’s see what they’ve made us for lunch,” Celestia suggested as she gave Twilight a kind smile.

“But, what about the preparations?” Twilight asked. “They could be arriving any minute.”

“We’ll be alerted once the guards receive word of their imminent arrival, so come on, let’s go get some food,” Celestia told Twilight.

The purple alicorn still looked uncertain, causing Celestia to sigh internally, it had always been easier to get Twilight to do what she wanted before she’d become an alicorn. Of course Celestia prefered the way Twilight acted now compared to the unrelenting ‘worship’ of how she used to behave.

Where before Twilight the Faithful Student had latched onto Celestia’s every word, Princess Twilight had begun to see the crown for what it truly was and started think for herself more and more as her awe of Celestia had worn thinner. Not that Twilight no longer respected Celestia, instead she was merely capable of talking to her former mentor as an actual pony instead of an almost divine figure.

Of course the downside to that was she could also now disagree with the elder Alicorn.

A sly thought suddenly occurred to Celestia.

“And we’ll see if they have any of that carrot cake you love so much,” the elder princess said with a tiny smirk.

Twilight’s eyes opened wide as the prospect of cake zipped through her head, for she had inherited Celestia’s weakness for baked goods, and after having Pinkie Pie as a neighbor for so long she’d grown used to having them easily available. However ever since coming to live in Canterlot, Twilight had been under a strict diet. It wouldn’t do for a princess to get fat.

“Really?” Twilight asked with excited eyes.

“Yes, Twilight, really,” Celestia replied with a small smirk. “I think that given the occasion, we can allow ourselves to indulge a little.”

“Well... I guess the guards can find us when the aliens get here,” Twilight said before she hopped off of her smaller throne and trotted over to Celestia.

Celestia gave Twilight a smile before the two of them set off in the direction of the kitchen. A pair of guards unobtrusively flanked them on their journey. As they neared the kitchen they heard the telltale cursing of the head chef.

“You cockheaded moron! What in the hell was that? You thought that that was how you make a fucking steak?” The chef’s voice shouted, easily discernible despite the sound dampening spell that had been placed on the kitchen.

“Chef Cloudwing seems to be quite loud today,” Celestia observed with a small smile.

“You know, we really should try and make him clean up his language,” Twilight replied. Celestia sent her an astonished look.

“Twilight Sparkle, you should be ashamed of yourself for even suggesting such a thing! It is a chef’s sacred right to swear as much or as little in their kitchen as they like!” Celestia told her with mock indignation.

“That’s not what you said when I learned my first dozen curse words from him and asked you what they meant,” Twilight shot back playfully.

Celestia chuckled. “Forgive me for being angry when my eight year old student comes up to me and asks what it means when someone says that they’d rather-” the princess was cut off as the kitchen doors opened and one of the new interns ran out, eyes wide with fear.

He was pursued by Head Chef Cloudwing. The large black hippogriff was holding a long wooden ladle in a claw and he was in the middle of waving it menacingly at the fleeing stallion with a foreclaw. His chest was covered by a large white apron and a matching chef’s hat sat atop his eagle head. The hippogriff’s sharp beak was opening and closing rapidly as he shouted at the intern.

“That’s right you testical eared, asshooved, excuse for a lamb’s penis, run, and keep running until you learn how to cook meat without burning it!”

The poor stallion didn’t even see Celestia until he’d run headlong into her chest, face first. He fell backwards onto his haunches, rubbing his head slightly. Then he looked up and saw who he’d run into, and let out an embarrassed squeak.

“I-I-I’m sorry P-P-Princess!” The stallion stuttered.

“It’s quite alright,” Celestia said kindly. “Were you hurt?” She asked, bending down to eye level with the nervous stallion.

“I-I’m fine Princess,” the stallion said, beginning to regain control of his voice. “I was just on my way to get something for Head Chef Cloudwing.”

“Were you now?” Celestia asked him with a slightly mischievous smile on her face.

“Yes, Ma’am!” The stallion said.

“Well then, I suppose that you had better get going,” Celestia told him before whispering. “Before he gets any closer.” The stallion jumped to his hooves with a starta, gave Celestia a thankful look, and sprinted away.

Cloudwing walked up to Celestia, who was conveniently blocking the hippogriff’s path, and let out an outraged squawk.

“What are you doing you white excuse for a peacock? You’re letting that butter-hooved pinhead get away!” He shouted. Celestia chuckled.

“I’m sure that you can find somepony else to antagonize Chef. Oh, and remember that this ‘peacock’ controls whether or not you work here,” Celestia told him.

“Listen you pink peacock, I could work at any restaurant in Canterlot, or Manehatten, or Las Pegas, so don’t try and threaten me!” Cloudwing told her condescendingly.

“Yes, but I doubt that they would let you be so colorful with your language,” Celestia replied with a smirk.

“Maybe not,” Cloudwing consented with a chuckle, his ‘anger’ fading in an instant as he took on a more suave and charming tone, the monster that terrified the cooking staff vanishing for the moment. “So Princesses what can I do for you?”

“A little lunch would be splendid, and a slice of carrot cake for each of us if it isn’t too much trouble,” Celestia told him

“You better be careful Princess, or else I’ll stop calling you peacock and start calling you sow!” The hippogriff informed her with a smirk while still managing to sound debonair.

“I’m not fat, my rump is just very well proportioned,” Celestia retorted airily.

“Keep telling yourself that Princess,” Cloudwing said with a smirk.

“I will thanks,” Celestia told him. “Now will you get us our food or will we have to get it ourselves?”

“It’ll be out in a few minutes, sow,” Cloudwing told her with a small chuckle before he turned away and strode back to the kitchen.

“I cannot get over how you let him talk to you like that.,” Twilight said with an amused smile on her face.

“Considering the stress he is under, I suppose he’s entitled. It’s not everyday a hippogriff is asked to cook for a set of creatures with a completely unknown diet.” Celestia chuckled with a grin. “I’m still happy that I managed to snag him from that restaurant in Manehatten. I doubt that anypony else could handle what we’ve asked of him.”

The two princesses made small talk about the day’s court hearings until one of the kitchen staff came out of the kitchen, two trays of food balanced in a red telekinetic grip. The lunch consisted of a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches, two bowls of tomato soup, and two slices of carrot cake.

“The Chef sends his regards,” the mare said.

“Send him ours as well,” Celestia told her as she enveloped the trays with her golden aura.

Twilight grabbed the trays in her telekinetic grasp and the two set off down the hall towards Celestia’s royal suite, on the way they noticed that the guards were out in force, with patrols made up of at least six ponies, two from each of the three races. It only took them a few minutes to walk to the suite and they settled down in the main room to eat their meals.

“So, Celestia.” Twilight started, surprising the elder Alicorn with the casualness of her tone and the refreshing absence of her title. “I have been wondering... would you mind telling me about how it was you met Major Kermalee? I know that you told me the day before yesterday, but I’d like to hear it again just to make sure that I have my details correct before we meet with these uhhh... visitors..” Twilight said.

“Kirrahe,” Celestia corrected. “And of course Twilight, you see I was taking a short stroll through Everfree Forest, heading for the old castle for... nostalgia's sake when I heard a loud crash...”

Celestia walked along the darkly lit path quietly, her mind a thousand years in the past when the forest had been smaller and the trees less imposing. The creatures of Everfree had long ago learned not to antagonize the Princess of the Sun and as usual, were giving her a wide berth.

It was a path she had walked a thousand times before, and likely would walk a thousand times again should the fates be kind...or unkind depending on one’s perspective.

But today was marked by a sudden difference as an ear-splitting crash off to her right made Celestia’s eyes snap open and her ear’s flatten in surprise, turning to look in the direction of the sound’s origin. Several small animals ran over the path in front of Celestia as she pondered what to do. In her younger, more adventurous days when she was more foalish than wise, she would’ve charged towards the noise immediately, now however she was struck with hesitation.

Should she charge recklessly on alone towards the sound to see if there was something that required her help, or would it be more prudent if she instead alerted her sister and await her arrival before investigating? Celestia instead decided to take a third option.

Though their bond was still rebuilding after Luna’s long absence, it had grown strong enough for them to communicate no matter the distance, and with a bit of focus, Celestia’s mind brushed against that of her slumbering younger sister’s.

Luna, I’m investigating something in Everfree, tell the guard to send a carriage incase I need assistance,

Luna’s irritable reply sounded in her head a few moments later.

Unngghh, Sister, what have we told you about waking us in the middle of our afternoon nap now that thou hast Twilight to bother!?

Luna, you’re using the ‘Royal We’. Celestia said apologetically, Luna snorted inside her head, clearly now having two reasons to be annoyed with the elder diarch of Equestria.

Celestia continued regardless. Will you please do it for me?.

Very well, thou... I mean... ‘you’ owe me though, Tia, Luna told her before her mental signature faded from Celestia’s head.

The alicorn rolled her eyes, Luna could be so grouchy sometimes. Then again, she supposed that was the price of the night life.

With that sorted, Celestia she set off in the direction of the crash. It didn’t take her long to reach what looked to be the impact of a falling star.

This was something she had seen before of course, many star stones (what the scientist now called ‘meteorites’, had fallen to Equestria before,, but what she saw when she got there tore her breath from her body in a surprised gasp.

Standing in front of a broken and bloodspattered metal object the size of a large carriage was a medium sized biped unlike anything she had seen in all of her long years. Wearing what was obviously a suit of torn and tattered armor, it gave the impression of pain as wet splashes of green were painted across it and along tears. As Celestia looked at it with her head cocked slightly to the side she noticed several things immediately.

Firstly the creature was severely injured, its breath was coming in and out rapidly and she could easily see green bloodstains coating its chest and face. Secondly she noticed one of the Everfree’s more ‘aggressive’ creatures, a manticore, who’s territory had clearly been breached. The monstrous lion creature was about to pounce the helpless biped, who carried no shield, spear, or sword... only a small, odd-looking device that it had shakily drawn and was pointing in the manticore’s direction.

She was about to intervene when several round, dart-like projectiles suddenly fired from out of the device that the creature was holding and slammed into the manticore’s face. Celestia’s eyebrows rose in surprise as the manticore let out a roar of more of and anger than pain as the innocuous looking, pulsing green balls seemed stuck to it’s nose and snout as if by glue. Clearly enraged, the manticore leapt at the biped, Celestia’s muscles tensing as she suddenly feared her inaction had cost the life of a defenseless--

That thought was quashed in a fraction of a second, the considerably horrified alicorn’s jaw going slack when the manticore’s head simply...’exploded’ into a red mist halfway through its leap.

Celestia’s brain froze up... unable to process what she had witnessed.

It-it had just killed that manticore.

The creature had just accomplished something that normally took an entire eight pony squad of seasoned, battle trained guards half an hour to do. And it had done so in a few paltry seconds. Not only that, but Celestia had never seen something kill so easily. All it had taken was a simple pull on a small trigger and suddenly the manticore’s life had been over.

But then... the thing that really impacted Celestia the most was the ease with which the obviously injured creature had displayed as it pulled that trigger. There hadn’t been a trace of fear or panic at the charging monstrosity... not an inch of sorrow at the tragic waste of life, nor a second’s hesitation like there would’ve been if the creature had been a pony.

The creature had simply defended itself, not even most gryphons were capable of such.... such cold detachment.

Then Celestia snapped back to reality and saw that the creature had been knocked to the ground underneath the manticore’s beheaded corpse, clearly to injured to move out of it’s way.

Now... Celestia was presented with a choice.

Perhaps one of the most difficult she had had to make in over a thousand years.

She could either leave the obviously dangerous and possibly insane inequine creature to die beneath the manticore, or she could take a chance.... a leap of faith... and rescue it.

It could have been violent.. in fact, it was absolutely violent.

It could have been diseased...it could have been a flesh eating monster on an order of magnitudes worse than the Manticore could have imagined.

….

It could die.

Of course Celestia knew that she really only had one option to choose.

She quickly willed her magic into her horn, taking ahold of the manticore’s bloody corpse (with a definite shiver of repulsion running down her spine), and easily pulled it off of the creature.

Then, ever so slowly Celestia approached, keeping an eye on the device that the creature had used to kill the manticore, weary of it being pointed in her direction and ready to send it, and any projectiles it emitted, flying away with her horn.

Thankfully the creature appeared to have no desire to inflict a similar fate on Celestia,for it was too occupied with futilely trying to move its limbs and gasping for breath.

Slowly, cautiously, Celestia brought her face into the creature’s view.

“Hello, can you understand me?” she asked in a calm voice.

“~~Help me... please... please be intelligent... and friendly... that would be great~~,” The creature rasped in an alien tongue that Celestia didn’t recognize. Several droplets of bright green blood were expelled as it tried to speak, staining Celestia’s face and making her eyes widen in surprise and disgust as the warm green liquid fell across her muzzle.

Of course, Celestia was no stranger to blood, or conflict for that matter. Living five thousand years tended to allow a pony to experience the horrors of war more times than she cared to admit. That experience, coupled with how long it had been since she directly took part in such conflict, meant only that it required a small effort of will to mentally shrug off the blood.

Apparently he cannot understand me, nor I him, Celestia thought to herself. However, that did not sound like a threat, more like a plea for help than anything else.

“Just hold on, I’m going to get you somewhere safe,” she told the creature, her tone as kind and gentle as she could make it as her horn began to glow again. She lifted him with ease, for he barely weighed anything. Celestia heard the creature gasp in surprise but when she turned to look at it she found that the creature had fallen unconscious.

Hoping that she had not made it’s injuries any worse by moving it, Celestia quickly rushed with the bleeding being in her magical grip and carefully carried the creature back the way that she’d come, finding that a carriage pulled by two pegasi had begun its descent from above the forest and was now waiting expectantly for her. As Celestia and her cargo came into view the two pegasi stared at her in surprise.

“Princess, are you okay?” One of them asked her worriedly, clearly unsure what the green fluid she had been splattered with was? Some sort of tree-sap perhaps?

“Yes, I’m fine. This creature on the other hoof is not,” she said with a glance towards being she carried aloft.

“I... Wh-what is that, Princess? Some sort of... lizard creature? I’ve never seen anything like it, not even from the Everfree.” the other guard asked Celestia, clearly shocked, but not enough to lose his voice.

“I’m... am not entirely sure,” Celestia said as she stepped into the carriage. “But I intend to find out.. Sergent! There is a large metal... container back in that clearing. I want you to stay here and guard it... do not approach it. I will send a company of guards and our top magisters and scientists to examine it.

“Y...yes your majesty.” The guard saluted sharply, clearly not liking the idea of being left alone in the Everfree, but certainly not about to disobey an edict from Celestia herself.

Needless to say... the ride back to Canterlot was a silent one.

Kirrahe’s tale had given Shepard the oddest feeling of Deja Vu, at least to begin with. It had reminded him slightly of his talks with Thane about his past and his wife. What he’d been told so far was interesting... but it failed to reveal anything about why the salarian was so... passionate about the natives of Equis. All it had really illuminated was that they had a kind ruler who happened to have taken a chance on a dangerous, if half dead, alien creature.

“Commander, I’m sorry to interrupt the Major’s debriefing, but the Council is requesting a status update,” Traynor’s voice came from over the coms, interrupted the Commander before he could ask Kirrahe to continue. “Well, I say request... ‘demand’ would be more accurate.”

Shepard let out a small sigh of annoyance.

“My apologies Major, but I’m sure you know how the Council is,” Shepard said as he rose from his seat.

“Of course Commander, Tanlan and I will find something to entertain ourselves with until you are finished, there is still time to bring you up to speed before we introduce you to the Equestrian leaders,” Kirrahe replied with a small shrug.

Shepard nodded and stepped out of the conference room, quickly making his way into the War Room.

Unsurprisingly, the Normandy had been refitted with a new QEC while it was being finished, the last one clearly set up in a manner similar to the original Illusive Man direct channel, which allowed all four members of the Council to speak with him directly from the Citadel.

As he was confronted by the holograms of the four highly influential leaders of the united galaxy, he found himself feeling somewhat nostalgic.

“Greeting, Commander,” Councilor Tevos said, giving him an approving nod. “We are sorry to pull you away from your briefing with Major Kirrahe but...” the asari continued.

“Have you initiated contact with the Equestrians yet?” Sparatus asked, his tone rushed.

This was unusual, and set off several red flags in Shepard’s head as he considered the glare that the asari councilor was giving her turian counterpart.

“Not yet,” Shepard said with a slight shrug. “Kirrahe was just telling me about how he discovered Equis. It will help negotiations if I understand what he went though. ”

“Yes. We recently received the Major’s briefing from the Curiosity. That is actually why we have called. To think that we missed such an anomaly so close to my homeworld for so long is... disturbing,” Councilor Valren said with a shake of his head. “No matter, we have found it now,” the salarian said shrugging.

“So Councilors, there was something you needed to discuss with me?” Shepard asked.

“We could just dance around this all day, Shepard. But let me get straight to the point.” Hackett spoke up, nodding his head as he took charge of the situation. “The more we find out about this planet and the rest of the system, the more crucial it is becoming that we get things off on the right foot here.”

“It sounds like there is something I should know.” Shepard said, a small smile forming on his face.

“Commander you haven’t received the full amount of information required to properly carry out this mission,” Councilor Tevos told him.

“What do you mean?” Shepard asked her.

“Well you see Commander, we were previously unaware of several key facts about the planet of Equis from you when you were briefed by Councilor Hackett,” Councilor Tevos said. Shepard was about to protest but the asari held up her hand to forestall his reply. “We are aware that you were in the midst of discussing this very thing with the Major, however, upon reviewing the report, we thought it best to offer a more... comprehensive perspective of the situation.”

Shepard frowned before sighing slightly.

“I suppose I can live with that,” he said. “There’s something you can tell me that Kirahee can’t I take it.”

“The Curiosity took the extra time to reach the system because the Salarian Union wanted to fit it with their best sensory equipment more mapping the system. Yet another thing they were ‘hesitant’ to tell us. ” Councilor Sparatus said firmly, his natural pessimism seeping into his voice.

“Which was of course brought to our allies’ attention when the scale of what was found was realized.”

“As Sparatus was saying,” Councilor Tevos interjected preventing an argument from erupting between the two men. “What the Curiosity has found has changed the circumstances of the mission and granted insight into various... capabilities of the planet’s dominant species.”

“Like what?” Shepard asked.

“Commander, they can control their weather,” Councilor Valren said.

“They have access to weather-modification technology?” Shepard asked.

“Not exactly...” Valren said, turning to Tavos.

“We are not entirely sure HOW they do it. To begin with the winged sub-species of Equestrians can exert complete control over the weather patterns of their entire country,” Tevos paused for a second before continuing, letting the full power of what she’d just said settle in. “They can make it rain on schedule, they can make it stop raining, they control weather patterns so thoroughly that tornadoes, droughts, and even hurricanes have ceased to be a problem across their civilization. Not only that but they can change the seasons from one to another at a whim depending on the situation.”

“With abilities like that... they could revolutionize terraforming,” Shepard said, his voice was steady, but the possibilities of what could be accomplished with such technologies were staggering.

And they did it all with hooves?

“Indeed, Commander. They could turn a multi-generational process and reduce it to a matter of decades,” Councilor Valren said with a swift nod.

“That however is not all,” Councilor Tevos said.

“Yes, while the winged ponies have the ability to control the whether, the hornless sub-species are not like what we have back home. They apparently have a way with agriculture,” Councilor Hackett informed him. “According to what Major Kirrahe was told these so-called ‘earth ponies’ have an inherent talent when it comes to growing things, famine has been all but rendered tripe because their fields boast such prosperous harvests, taking up a quarter of the area a garden world like Eden Prime would need to grow the same crops.

“Their most surprising, and valuable skill however, appearns to be the ability to cultivate certain non-precious ores and minerals as if they were plants,” Councilor Tevos added. Shepard was about to say something but Councilor Valren interrupted him.

“However, both of those talents pale in comparison to what the horned sub-species can do,” Sparatus stated. “If Kirrahe's report can be believed, and I have no reason to doubt his sanity... then their ‘magic’ makes our mass effect technology and biotics look... paltry by comparison.”

“Commander, I believe that you know of the impossibly gravity manipulation ability that the ‘Princesses’ appear to possess, correct?” The Valren asked him.

“Yes,” Shepard stated. “I would really like to have an explanation for that.”

“Well unfortunately Shepard, we do not know how they do it,” Tavos told him, shaking her head. “However we do know that we want this, and the other abilities under the Council’s authority before they are approached by any of the other galactic powers. The last thing that we need is the Terminus Systems gaining control of this civilization... or perhaps even worse... for them to become actively hostile towards Citadel Authority.” Councilor Sparatus added.

“I can understand that,” Shepard said with a nod. “I’ve seen enough of the Terminus systems to know that that would be... bad for everyone involved.”

The asari councilor nodded, but Hackett looked annoyed with the other three.

“Something wrong, Sir?” Shepard asked, turning to address Hackett.

“Yes, I find it very tiring when politicians ignore the main issue in an attempt to make themselves look powerful,” Hackett told him, giving the other three councilors an annoyed grimace.

“What do you mean?” Shepard asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Shepard, I’ll be frank with you, because apparently these three won’t,” Hackett began. “With the Reaper threat gone the Council is completely broke. We barely have enough credits to keep the economy afloat, and those credits are disappearing rapidly.” his voice was hard and worn out, reminding Shepard of what the man had sounded like during the last legs of the war.

“But what does that have to do with Equis?” Shepard asked, still not quite understanding.

“The planet is... to put it bluntly... rich,” Valren stated. “Rich beyond the galaxy’s wildest dreams. Precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum cover most of the planet's surface just below the crust. Natural gemstones are, if anything, more common and the supply seems to be inexhaustible. The Curiosity’s scans of the other three planets in the system indicate that this trend continues. Equus-One’s’ surface is practically coated with liquid iridium. Equus-Two has mountain ranges a chasms where heavy elements are contained in equally accessible and vast quantities. Finally the Gas Giant Equus-Four indicates it has a helium-3 reserve that could match the oceans of Kajei.”

“If the Curiosity’s prospecting equipment is accurate, then Equus may well be the largest resource motherload ever found in galactic history.” Spratus offered, sounding surprisingly optimistic.

“With these resources... we could bring a decisive end to our current economic problems.” Tavos said.

“Now hold on. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Hackett objected, clearly disliking the relieved tone that Tavos had ended her sentence with. “The bottom line is that the system’s wealth could be a game-changer on a galactic scale. And like any treasure it needs to be protected. That will go a great deal smoother with the consent of the natives.”

Shepard’s eyes widened at the sudden tone that the conversation had taken on.

“Councilors, I was told that this was going to be on a simple diplomatic mission.” Shepard said carefully. “First Contact and Establish relations. The way that you’re talking... you make it seem like you sent me here to fast talk them into letting us strip-mine the system!”

“Not in the least Shepard,” Councilor Tevos assured him. “You are simply there to make sure the Equestrians enter into the galaxy on the right side.”

“By which you mean, under the Council’s thumb?” Shepard inquired. “So that you can direct them where you want them!”

“Why do things always have to be so difficult with you Shepard?” Councilor Sparatus asked him with an annoyed snort. “The Council’s interests are the galaxy’s interests. We are trying to recover from the Reaper invasion and the Equestrians could be a tremendously useful resource in doing that.”

“Just like the Krogan were a useful resource to be used against the Rachnai?” Shepard crossed his arms.“I make things difficult because if I didn’t then even more of the galaxy would be a smoking ruin right now!” Shepard retorted angrily. “And because I know that the Council’s best interests are not always the Galaxy’s!”

“Enough,” Councilor Tevos said forcefully, her brow creased in very visible irritation. “Commander Shepard.... as a Council Spectre you are required to uphold the ‘Council’s’ interests above all others with the exception of the fate of the galaxy,” the asari gave him a small nod of recognition before continuing. “However this is not one of those occasions. For this mission your goal is to meet with the leaders of the of this Equestria as well as the world’s other authorities and convince them to join the galactic community on the side of the Council.” her words were delivered in a smooth voice, but Shepard knew what it was like to be issued a command.

“Shepard, I wouldn’t ask you to do this if the situation wasn’t desperate.” Hackett said, his voice, not that of a Councilor, but instead of a man who had no other options. “But things are worse than you even realize. With the Reaper Threat gone, there are forces that are coming out from their bunkers and realizing that Citadel Space is vulnerable. Our losses have been catastrophic from both a personnel and fiscal standpoint. A four and a half month war with the Reapers may not have killed us all where we stand, but we’re still bleeding.”

“Sir...” Shepard started, but, like the rest of the council, he was returned to silence by the powerful plead in the aged Admiral’s voice.

“The Volus Financial Institute has crunched the numbers. They are suppressing it for the moment, but we are spiraling towards an economic depression the likes of which no species has ever seen. If this doesn’t work out... if we aren’t successful here then... then the Reapers might as well have won as far as civilized galactic culture goes. And believe me, anyone else who comes along and finds this system won’t give the Equestrians the same ‘consideration’.”

Shepard sighed and thought about the situation. As much as he would’ve liked to deny it, he knew that the Council was right. During the month since he’d come out of the coma Shepard had noticed certain changes that had taken place in the galaxy while he’d been under.

They were small things, all but unnoticeable to those who weren’t looking closely enough. Things like the mass relays not being repaired quite as fast as they should’ve been. Another was the fact nearly every volus he’d seen on the Citadel had been very tense.

Now Shepard wasn’t the type to believe in racial stereotypes, he was in love with a quarian after all, not to mention the fact that he boasted what was probably the most interracial combat crew in Council Space. But there were some things that were universally accepted. One of those things was that when volus became tense, it meant that there was an economic shitstorm on the horizon.

“Alright. I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand.” Shepard told the councilors, mostly focusing on Hackett before turning back to the others. “But know this. I will make sure that the Equestrians don’t get ground underfoot here.”

“As always, your morals are... impeccable,” Sparatus said, a slight sneer on his face.

“Excellent,” Councilor Valren said with a nod, ignoring Sparatus’s comment. “Shepard, there is one more thing that you should know.”

“Oh, what’s that?” Shepard asked.

“The ponies are not the only sentient species that inhabits the planet, only the most technologically advanced. In fact Kirrahe was told of between eight and twelve other sapient species share the world of Equis.” Councilor Sparatus told him.

“Twelve? Councillors, I am no expert on evolutionary paradigms, but shouldn’t it be impossible that so many sapient races have managed to develop on the same planet?” Shepard asked in surprise.

“We are glad you can appreciate the absurdity of the situation as well, Commander,” Councilor Sparatus remarked with a slight smirk.

“As for your question, we honestly have no idea.” Councilor Valren said with a shrug.

“I’m beginning to suspect that this assignment is going to be more complicated than I led to believe.” Shepard said with a slight shake of his head.

“Yes it is. We are Good luck out there, Commander,” Councilor Tevos said with a nod before three out of the four of the holograms disappeared.

“I know you’ll do the right thing, Shepard,” Hackett added before his hologram disappears as well

“Commander, giving you a head’s up. The shuttle is going to be departing in thirty minutes.” Joker informed him over the intercom, his tone perhaps not as icy as before.

“Thanks, Joker,” Shepard replied easily as he set his hands down on the console and let go of a worried breath.

It wasn’t enough?

Everything that he had done... and they were asking him to save the galaxy again... only this time from... of all things... a shortage of funds.

He grit his teeth... this was supposed to have been an ‘easy’ assignment. Something fantastical and perhaps even amusing. Something without any real pressure.

He should have known better.

The only consolation was that there weren’t going to be any paparazzi.

Before he knew it a three fingered hand was gently prodding his shoulder. He looked up to see the faceplate of the woman who he cared for the most in the galaxy looking at him with obvious love in her eyes.

“It’s time to go, Shawn,” Tali said, holding him gently from behind.

It was clear she had been present for the entire meeting.

“How about we make ‘this’ the last time we pull them out of the fire... agreed?”

“Sure... and next time the galaxy catches fire.. you can stay in, put your feet up and read a book.” Tali told him with an amused tone.

“Yeah, that’ll be the day,” Shepard said with a roll of his eyes.

“Come on.” Tali nodded to him. “One last time.”

“Yeah, one last time,” Shepard nodded, cracking his neck. “Let’s go save the galaxy eh?”

Final Preparations

Edited by Loyal2Luna

Final Preparations

Commander Shepard walked out of the war room with Tali walking beside him to find the rest of the of the crew waiting expectantly in the adjacent conference room.

Shepard looked around, his eyebrows raised in surprise at finding them there. Liara, with Glyph hovering next to her sat in one of the chairs at the table while Garrus and Kaidan leaned against the transparent wall of the room. Major Kirrahe also sat at the table, sitting directly across from Liara. Tanlan stood stiffly several feet behind Kirrahe, continuously scanning the room for threats.

“Okay, I leave to take a call and it turns into a party. What are you guys doing here?” Shepard asked in surprise.

“What? You think we would miss out on storytime, Shepard?” Garrus replied with a casual shrug.

“I was under the impression that we were getting ready to ship off” the commander said with a slightly raised eyebrow. After his ‘conversation’ with the Council, he was certainly beginning to feel a need to expedite this mission. If for no other reason than to get it over with.

“Well, Kirrahe says that we shouldn’t go down yet, so we figured that we’d give him time to finish his debrief” Garrus replied with a nod to the Major.

“Why can’t we go down yet?” Shepard asked. “The kodiak can fly through pretty much any atmosphere, and seeing as how this is one of the few times nobody will be shooting at us...” he trailed off as second before a thought came to him “Wait what do you mean give him time to finish his story, you wouldn’t get to hear the first half of it!”

“To answer your first question, Commander, they’re not ready for us yet.” Kaidan informed him. “As you can imagine, this is a historic day for their civilization, so we’re going to wait for their signal. I have already requested that your Yeoman keep a watch on the designated landing zone.”

“As for the story, we are all up to speed,” Liara told him with a small smirk. “The Major and his friend extended an invitation to join him after they found my surveillance devices in order to return them, the expensive ones anyways.”

“I see...” Shepard shook his head, his expression a bit cross. “We’ll talk about ‘that’ later, Liara.”

Kirrahe chuckled lightly and gave the asari a smile.

Shepard then turned to the quarian, a questioning look in his eye.

“What? Bringing you out here was better than leaving you brooding all alone in the war room,” Tali told him, wrapping an arm around Shepard’s waist and pulling him closer to her.

“I guess...” Shepard said with a small frown. “Alright, so what is this signal.”

“We’re waiting for the weather to clear. Canterlot is best viewed on a sunny day in any case.” Kirrahe told him. “Trust me, It will be worth the wait, Commander.”

“Alright then, I’ll take your word for it. So... where were we?”

“Well you see I had just awoken...” The salarian started again, his tone clearly one of a practiced public speaker as his audience stayed quiet, eager to learn what had happened next.

Kirrahe’s eyes fluttered open, reality flooding in instantly as he snapped immediately to a fully alert state of consciousness and realized, one very important fact.

His everything hurt.

Hurting was good.

Pain meant he was still alive.

He was alive... but... where was he?

Much to his surprise, he wasn’t in a grassy forest clearing or (as he considered the worse case scenario) laying strapped into a cold slab prepped and ready for a living vivisection.

Instead he was in a comfortable bed, something that was far too plush and soft to be a prison-cot. There was a natural, organic light filling his immediate surroundings as he stared up at a blue ceiling. Tilting his head slightly, he took note of the enormous windows from which a soft yellow sunlight shimmered in and sterile white walls.

There was a device holding a pouch that was hooked into his arm, a fact that horrified him for a moment before he identified it as a primitive looking medical intravenous setup. He sincerely hoped that the fluid in the pouch was a saline solution of some sort, and the fact that he wasn’t dead yet from whatever they were giving him indicated that whoever had found him at least had some medical knowledge and a basic grasp of his biology. Either that, or he had just been immensely lucky that whatever they had him hooked up to hadn’t killed him yet.

As he quelled his initial panic at seeing the medical device, his eyes continued to wander over the side of his bed where he discovered what he guessed to be a heart monitor and several other pieces of industrial-age medical equipment next to him, although to his great relief, none of them seemed to be attached to his body in any way.

It was at this point that he came to the not-all-that-shocking realization that he had been stripped, his damaged and bloodied armor removed to expose his greenish tinted, smooth skin underneath. While he felt he shouldn’t have been surprised at this, it did give him a critical piece of information.

Whatever had done this was intelligent enough to treat his injuries, and yet foolish enough not to restrain him.

He started to lean up, fully intending to pull himself out of the bed and seek out answers.

However, a stabbing pain in his chest, which elicited a sudden grunt of pain through clenched teeth sent him back to the bed.

‘Ah,’ He considered as he tried not to curl, knowing quite well that the trauma must have been quite severe to limit him like that. ‘Apparently I’m in no shape to leave on my own accord. Explains why they didn’t bother with the restraints.’

“~~Oh my stars! It’s awake~~!” The Major heard an excited, high pitched voice to his left and turned his head to find himself looking at a white furred, quadrupedal creature with a of a pair of large, frightened blue eyes as it seemed to be looking towards something that was just out of Kirrahe’s line of sight. “~~Nurse Manner, fetch the Princess...~~Now~~!~~”

The creature was only vaguely similar to the one that he briefly saw before losing consciousness. It was far smaller to be certain for a start, standing only about a meter tall, perhaps a bit higher than the average volus. It’s silhouette was closer to the elcor, but far more streamlined, more symmetrical, and it had a single, spiraling horn jutting from the center of it’s head at an angle. As his eyes scanned over the creature he also noticed that there was some sort of symbol stamped on its backside as it turned, one that he immediately identified as similar to the galactic symbol for Medigel, the human Red Cross.

“~~Okay,~~ okay~~, I can do this... just calm down, Joy. It doesn’t seem to be hostile, just confused. Just treat it like any other patient.~~” The alien creature was speaking, a sure sign of intelligence, although clearly Kirrahe’s translator was not functioning properly as he couldn't make out a word of what it said. After a moment, it turned towards him and it’s lips parted into what he interpreted for a smile, bearing a set of perfectly white teeth.

“~~Uhh, well, Hello there dear, I don’t know if you can understand me but you need to stay calm and don’t move while we fetch Princess Celestia. Can you do that for me? Please?~~” The alien creature babbled.

Kirrahe opened his mouth to talk but realized that his throat was dry as sandpaper. He coughed once and brought up his free hand and mimed drinking water. The creature’s eyes widened in slight surprise, and then, its face blushed. This was mildly confusing Kirrahe because he was sure that in a rational galaxy, something covered in fur should not be capable of visibly blushing.

“~~Oh, of course, you must be incredibly thirsty! I’ll get you one. Just...give me one moment... and I’ll be right back.~~” the equine told the uncomprehending salarian, backstepping with a nervousness that was clear even across the species line as she tried to give the major a kind smile.

This was... unexpected to say the least.

The STG made it a point to train their operatives to expect anything, but this was a first even for the experienced salarian major. As he sat in silence for a few moments, he considered his position.

He was apparently stranded on an uncharted world, at the mercy of an unknown alien civilization, and to his shock, said civilization actually seemed to be compassionate and trusting enough to not only treat the wounds of an alien completely unknown to their species, but also to trust him not to attempt to escape, physical improbability of that escape aside.

Honestly he would have almost been more comfortable if he had woken up chained to a wall in some grim dungeon with an interrogator. At least that he had been prepared for.

This... he was wasn’t sure what to do with this situation.

His train of thought was interrupted when the doorway opened again, swinging inward and blocking his view out of the room as the creature he had seen before stepped in. Easily twice the size of the alien who had spoken to him moments ago, this one was clearly some sort of leader if Kirrahe had to guess based on ornamentation.

Far more important at that very moment was a clear glass of water held aloft in what the salarian first assumed was a biotic field, until he took note of the light golden color of the cast off energy.

The divine fluid was levitated over to him with ease, and with a slight effort, Kirrahe leaned up and was able to take the glass in a hand, the glow dissipating instantly. The first trickle of liquid was in his mouth and on its way down his throat before he had a chance to let the more paranoid part of his brain (which took up a good majority of his thought processes) could wonder if the water was somehow drugged or poisoned.

The large, white alien quadruped chuckled to itself, but not in a sinister fashion, as the expression seemed to convey was more delight with the fact that he was conscious and awake than anything else.

Kirrahe brought the glass up to his lips again, slower this time and took a sip. It was... delicious! He could taste the natural minerals in it, indicating it was from a natural spring rather than being purified artificially.

“Thank you,” he stated aloud, perfectly aware that it couldn’t understand him and more or less trying to gage it’s reaction.

“~~You know that I do not understand a word that you’re saying, don’t you?~~” The alien asked him in a surprisingly soft, even voice.

The major shrugged his shoulders, hoping the expression translated. He assumed it did as the creature let out another small chuckle.

“~~I see, well, you may not be able to understand me, but I am~~ Princess Celestia.” it stated. During the last word it gestured to itself with its hooves. The Major deduced that must be its name.

“And I am Major Kirrahe,” he told it, mimicking its gesture before he paused to take another drink of his water. “And you have exceedingly good water here,” he added holding up his glass and smiling.

“~~And I’m assuming that’s a compliment of some sort. I’m glad to hear it. I was worried that you wouldn’t be able to drink it or that it would be poisonous to you.~~” the alien babbled.

Kirrahe was about to say something, but instead his head suddenly felt heavy and the world around him spun slightly, forcing him to rest his head against the pillow.

The tall alien creature watched, a clear mix of concern and curiosity in it’s expression before it shook it’s head.

“~~I should leave and let you sleep, get some rest~~ Mador Kirrahme,” She, because at this point he was certain that it was a female, told him with a surprisingly close approximation of his name.

The creature backed out the door slowly, keeping herself facing the salarian as she did so as if uncertain as if it was proper to turn her backside towards it. As the door closed, Kirrahe simply stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to consider his next course of action.

Of course, that did not take long as his salarian mind reached a single, absolutely vital conclusion.

If he was going to have any chance of surviving this and getting back to Sur’kesh, he had to facilitate communication with these aliens.

And seeing as how they clearly lacked the tools to do such a thing, that meant it was up to him... and everything he remembered from his STG technical training.

As he lifted his arm, he was relieved to see the orange holographic panels light up.

He had work to do.

“Tia, do you remember what mother used to tell us about bringing home strays?” Luna asked Celestia as her elder sister backed out of the creature’s room.

“That we should always have a place for them in our heart?” Celestia answered, her tone frustratingly innocent.

“No. That we should make sure that our cats are not genocidal creatures from space!” Luna retorted, clearly less than thrilled about their unexpected guest.

“Oh yes, Lulu, I see what you mean. Clearly it is a threat to every life in this castle. Did you not witness the fearsome way in which it wallowed in pain upon the mattress, or the malice with which it complimented our water.”

Luna glared at her sister with a concerned scowl.

“Tia, you said that it killed a manticore in a matter of seconds without a shred of remorse for its actions!”

“Well sister, I imagine that it felt threatened by the manticore for obvious reasons and acted appropriately in self defense,” Celestia told her sister simply.

“What if it still carries some form of weapon?!” Luna exclaimed.

“Well, it’s naked, so unless it has a concealed weapon hidden up its a-”

“Tia! Language!” Luna scolded. Celestia looked at Luna dryly for a moment.

“Really?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh hush Tia, much may have changed while I was gone, but a proper princesses still should not swear. Apparently I’m forced to be the more responsible of us, which is ironic because I’m a thousand years younger then you!” Luna exclaimed.

“Lulu, just think of the possible benefits.” Celestia attempted to waylay her sister’s fears with a soothing tone as they moved away from the alien’s impromptu ‘guest-room’. “If the Doctors and the Magisters are right, if this really is an alien being from beyond Equis; then it must come from an exceedingly advanced culture! Just think of what we could learn.. the new doors this could open for everypony!”

“Need I remind you that the risks include inviting the ruin of Equestria, invasion, and GENOCIDE!” Luna responded angrily. “Do you want to see Equestria burn? Should I get the marshmallows ready? We could have smores.”

“When did you become such a pessimist, Luna?” Celestia tsked, shaking her head at her sister’s concerns. “What makes you think that his species would come all this way just to bring trouble and strife?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Because the the other aliens in that... vehicle that it arrived in were clearly some sort of warrirors,” Luna stated firmly. “They were all armed with these bizarre weapons not unlike the one we took from this creature.”

“Yes, and the fact that the vehicle is a smouldering wreck means they ‘clearly’ crashed here, which leads me to suspect that they hadn’t planned on setting hoof on Equis at all.” Celestia replied. “Unless you truly believe that all of Equis could be conquered and subjugated by nine of these bipedal creatures.”

“Nine that we know of, what of the other nations. For all we know, there could be dozens... hundreds.... of these sorts of pods all over the planet by now. What if...!”

“We cannot let fear of what we do not understand lead us to take rash action! As it is, this ‘Mador Kirrahme’ is here now and still alive.” Celestia responded, her tone indicating that she was growing tired of debating in circles with her sister. “Was I to ignore the injured, clearly intelligent creature in front of me and leave it be crushed under the weight of a manticore?” Celestia asked, arching an eyebrow at Luna.

“If it presents a danger to our little ponies then yes!” Luna responded.

Celestia snorted.

“I believe that I would know more about what is and is not a danger to them then you would, Nightmare.” She informed her sister acidly.

Luna actually flinched as if she’d been struck.

“Ti-Tia! How could you?!” She asked, angry tears beginning to from around her eyes. Celestia realized what she’d done a second later and quickly moved forwards to comfort her sister.

“I apologize sister... it just...” she said quietly as she brought her neck up against Luna’s. “Do not believe that your concerns are being dismissed. I simply think that this is an opportunity we cannot in good conscious allow to pass us by.”

Luna for her part let out a frustrated sigh and leaned away from Celestia.

“I forgive you sister, this time, but I do not agree with you on the matter of what is to be done about the creature.” She stated with narrowed eyes.

“We don’t know enough to make any sort of informed decision yet. Can you at least trust me until we have managed to piece together some facts?” Celestia asked quietly.

Luna snorted. “Fine. But if it threatens any of our subjects then we will destroy it where it stands!”

“Royal We, sister,” Celestia told her causing Luna to let out a small huff from her nose.

“I am being serious Tia.”

“Suggesting that I am not?”

“Suggesting that you are too blinded by your compassion and idealism to see the extent of how much this could change our world. And not all of those changes will be for the better,” Luna said, narrowing her eyes. “And it is not just the actions of our... guest that we need be concerned about, but of our subjects as well. As much as I adore them, they are a rather skittish lot.”

“I understand this, Lulu.” Celestia answered simply. “And I am taking steps to deal with it.”

“I mean, could you just imagine the panic if word were to get out? It was difficult enough to transport the creatures’ craft to the tower for study. And the...” Luna’s lip curled back in disgust as she had to keep herself from shuttering at the images that were drawn back to the front of her mind. “... procedures you had Dr. Anatomy perform on the bodies. Such practices would not go over well with the general public.”

“We can’t just go casting spells and funneling potions into him recklessly, there is simply no telling how it could effect his injuries. The autopsies were a unfortunate necessity. We had to understand his biology before we could begin treating him and there was no other way to gain that insight. Grey is quite capable and mercifully has a strong enough stomach to perform the examinations we required of him.” Celestia answered. If she was as troubled as Luna had been by what she had seen of the bizarre alien autopsy report, then she did not show it.

“As for the matter of suppressing his presence here, I had everypony from Doctor Anatomy to the nurses to the guards involved with his protection volunteered to be subjected to a memory charm. That way, they will be unable to speak of him when anypony not already aware of our guest’s existence are present.” Celestia informed her sister.

“Neuromancy? Tia, that’s straying into dark magic... not only amoral, but highly illegal! ” Luna told Celestia with a slightly raised eyebrow. “I would know, seeing as how I was the one forced to read-up on over a thousand years of laws in order to hold Night Court once again after all. How could you in good conscience use such a charm on our own?”

“That law only operates on the assumption that the afflicted are unwilling or that the spell was cast with evil intent,” Celestia replied, shaking her head. “As I said, this was completely voluntary on their part before they were even involved. And you know I would never hurt my little ponies.”

Luna rolled her eyes but said nothing. Clearly, she was not keen on the idea that her sister could ‘bend’ the rules where it suited her.

“In any event, little sister.” Celestia continued. “I need you to organize the Magisters and Scientists as best you can, a small group willing to work under the same conditions must be prepared to examine the alien’s craft and equipment to make sure they are not a threat. Among other things, we must determine...”

Celestia continued to speak, but Luna only half listened, her concerns turned inward as she considered the still unquantified danger that was laying in a bed down the hall.

As much as she wanted to take action, she had to trust that Celestia’s optimistic faith in the creature’s intent was well founded.

In the end, only time would tell.

As near as Kirrae could measure it had been a month since he’d been brought to the hospital room, and his wounds were finally on the mend.

And although he had been fairly well confined to this single room, he had oddly never felt like a prisoner in this place. It was clear to him now that he was a ‘patient’, not a subject in a laboratory. The aliens who cared for him, though a bit skittish at first, had never treated him badly and normally smiled as they worked. Casually speaking to the Major in their own language despite the fact that they knew he wouldn’t understand a word of it.

However, even without his translator online, he was able to deduce a great deal from simple observations and basic charades.

And the things he had observed were certainly enough to catch the interest of any intelligent sentient. His first remarkable discovery had caught him by surprise was when he regained consciousness on the second day to the same white furred being that had been in the room when he had first awoken.

This was not a shock, after all it was likely they intended to expose the fewest number of their own kind to him as possible (a reasonable precaution in a clearly pre-spaceflight species). But what was astounding was the fact that the alien nurse was somehow levitating several objects at the same time with an unbelievable amount of precision. Managing to simultaneously refill his IV while holding a medical clipboard in front of her face and prepping a needle to draw some of his blood.

Kirrahe had never seen anything quite like it.

He’d seen biotics, of course. But no being he had ever encountered could claim this level of... precision. Add to that that the color was off, the objects were being held in a light green aura as opposed to the standard blue, whirling motes of dark energy produced by biotics.

And by far the most surprising thing about the performance was that the alien didn’t seem to be straining at all under the amount of tasks. The multitasking seemed casual, almost routine to the creature. The salarian knew that there was no biotic in existence who could possibly perform such a feat without quickly being exhausted, if they could even perform it at all.

That lead him to his first real insight about the inhabitants of this uncharted, backwater planet. They seemed to have an inherent ability altogether different and simultaneously much more dynamic than biotics.

Spurred on by this initial realization, he began to observe closely whenever one of the alien beings would come to tend to or visit him. There were only four who did, which made it easier for him to identify their roles. There was the doctor with the white coat, red cross emblem, and the horn. A larger, armored being with a white coat that bore a pair of wings that would occasionally step into the room and stare him down whom he assumed was some sort of guard or soldier. Then there was the tan colored alien lacking both wing and horn, who he assumed was the nurse, or at the least the doctor’s associate.

Then, on at least a daily basis, there was Celestia, who had both wings and horn in addition to her towering physique in comparison to the other, more volus sized beings. A detail that Kirrahe had missed on their first meeting, although he wasn’t sure how (he attributed it to the fact that it had been his first time awakening after almost dying), was the fact that Celestia’s mane seemed to... flow constantly in a hidden breeze. Not only that, but... it seemed to be made of an incandescent rainbow.

Given the reactions of the previous three whenever Celestia was in the room with them, he came to realize that Celestia seemed to be more than a simple authority over the smaller aliens, who regarded her with what could only be a sense of religious awe.

Whenever Celestia or the Doctor were present. he would watch them, quietly gathering intelligence and formulating his own deductions. And while his observations did give him a distinct impression of the culture of this new species, it would take direct communication to verify any of the hypothesis that he had come up with.

Now that it was time to finally do just that.

“~~Hello there~~ Major Kirrahe-” Celestia asked as she approached his bedside, having learned how to perfectly pronounce his name after far less coaching then could be reasonably expected for a non-salarian. “-~~how are you today?~~”

“Much better, Celestia, thank you for asking,” Kirrahe told her, a small smile on his face to show the meaning behind his words as he internally celebrated the success of his labors.

“~~Well that’s always good to ‘hear’.~~” Celestia replied, amusement easily detectable in her voice and not realizing that the salarian had actually understood her for the first time.

Kirrahe nodded to her, a smile of his own on his face as he pulled up his arm and it was suddenly coated in an orange glow.

Celestia’s eyes widened in surprise and she began to back away, but Kirrahe held up his free hand to make her pause. She did so, warily eying his glowing arm. Kirrahe brought his free hand over to the omni-tool and pressed a small holographic tile, now confident that the VI he had reconstructed from scratch to translate the syntax of their language had been successful.

“Can you understand me now, Celestia?” he spoke slowly but the words were clear as ice. Celestia stared at him silently, her mouth opening and closing slightly in shock. “I think I’ll take that for a yes,” Kirrahe said with a grin.

“Bu-but how? How are you doing that?” Celestia asked, quickly pulling her mind back together from the shock it had just been given.

“I’m not doing it, well I’m talking, but it’s my omni-tool and the built in VI who is doing the actual translating,” Kirrahe answered.

“Omni-tool? Vee-aye? What are those?” Celestia asked, her eyebrows scrunched up as she searched her memory for a mention of either things.

“Ah, yes. My apologies, please, allow me to explain.” Kirrahe said, mostly to himself as the vital piece of equipment came back to life on his forearm. “This is an omni-tool. As it’s name implies, it is a versatile piece of equipment with many functions and features, including housing limited artificial intelligence. And the VI is a multi-linguistics software that is capable of analysing syntax and generating a nearly seamless translation. ” The salarian explained.

“I’m afraid that I still have no idea what you’re talking about, Major, I know what the words ‘artificial’ and ‘intelligence’ mean by themselves but not when they are combined in such a manner.” Celestia told him truthfully, a confused frown on her face. “Nor do I know of this ‘software’ that you speak of. However I am certainly intrigued by the idea of finding out, “ she stated, her confusion clearing into a smile.

“Of course, foolish of me. I suppose the human saying about assumptions holds true anywhere.” he said with a small chuckle. “Regardless, your questions can wait until I have had time to properly think of answers.”

“Then what will we discuss in the meantime?” Celestia asked.Her eyes were alight at the possibility of finally having the questions that she’d been storing away in her head while they’d been treating him answered.

“My questions,” Kirrahe supplied with a small smirk.

“And what makes you think that it will be any easier for me to answer your questions compared to you answering mine?” Celestia asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you are a Queen if my translation is working correctly, so I would assume that you could be able to at least tell me where I am.” Kirrahe told her, his smile growing warmer as he felt more confident in the haphazardly cobbled VI he had managed to piece together.

“I can do that for you,” Celestia replied with a kind smile. “Although the word Queen is inaccurate. A ‘Queen’ holds absolute authority. I share authority with other members of the Royal Alicorn Family.”

“Hmm, ‘Princess’ then I suppose would be a more suitable term?” the Major inquired.

“That is much better,” Celestia replied. “You my little fr-er Hmm that wouldn’t be appropriate. I suppose I will just have to call you Major or Kirrahe until I can find the proper term.” she shook her head, clearly musing to herself. “Anyways, to answer your question, you are currently in the Royal Palace of Canterlot, which is the Capital of the Country of Equestria and the world of Equis.” She responded quickly, having obviously been expecting the question and had the answer thought out ahead of time.

Kirrahe looked at her for a few moments before he spoke.

“Canter-lot... Equis-tria...” Kirrahe repeated. It was strange, his VI seems to be drawing associations with various similar words in the Human English language, attaching the translations as plays on various human words in order to be as ‘accurate’ as possible.

That might become a cultural issue later if humans became involved. Although it wasn’t something he could worry about right that moment.

“Now that I’ve answered one of your questions, will you answer one of mine?” Celestia asked with a nod.

“I suppose that that’s only fair,” Kirrahe replied. “What do you have in mind?”

“What are you, for starters?” Celestia inquired, clearly having been wanting to ask this simple question for weeks. “Are you some sort of alien...”

“Well yes, I suppose in your terms. Although in ‘my’ terms, ‘you’ would be the alien. From quite a few people’s terms actually. But seeing as how this is your planet, I suppose it applies more to myself.”

“But from what species?” Celestia inquired, not elated that her magisters had been correct in their belief that the Major was in fact a being from another world. “It’s not everyday I get to ask somepony.... er.. someone that.”

“I am what is known as a salarian.” Kirrahe nodded, amazed at how well this exchange was going and shifting on the bed, trying to make himself comfortable for what was sure to be the first of many long, foundation building conversations.

“Major...” Liara started, shaking her head in amazement. “That has to be... the most amicable first-contact story I have ever heard.”

“Certainly better than ours.” Kaiden nodded.

“Yeah, you humans are never going to let us live down Shanxi are you?” Garrus shook his head.

“I have spent the great majority of my time during and after my recovery learning what I could about the planet and its civilizations. In return, I gave them insight into the galactic government, the various species, and the Reaper War. As time went on, I constructed my report and persuaded Celestia to allow me access to the damaged lifepod they had recovered.” Kirrahe continued, summarizing the remainder of his tale.

“It took some work, but I managed to cannibalize enough components to build a crude transmission module and send my initial report. That was four months ago. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any traces of the other lifepods. Based on the evidence, I concluded they were completely destroyed on re-entry without the Navigation VI’s to correct for angle of descent.” He sighed and shook his head.

“They just gave you access to the lifepod again?” Shepard asked, surprised at the move which would have never occurred under similar circumstances with Pre-first contact humanity.

“Indeed... as I said, they are a very... kind species. Earning their trust was not difficult.” Kirrahe said with a nod. “At first, I was concerned about exposing them to the wider galaxy, but now I believe they will not only persevere, but thrive.”

“Hey Commander. The cloud cover and weather systems at the coordinates Kirrahe gave us just cleared up, as in all of it, at once, real freaky like.” Joker said via the intercom, a note of surprise easily evident in his voice. “Um... would that be the signal?”

“Yes, that sounds like her,” Kirrahe nodded with a small, confirming smirk. “I suppose that Celestia finished whatever preparations she needed done. We should not keep her waiting.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Joker.” Shepard told Joker.

“Yeah... damn creepy if you ask me,” Joker said before turning off the intercom.

“Alright people, meet in the shuttle bay in ten minutes. Dress blues. Remember, we’re ambassadors here,” Shepard stated. “We need to look the part.”

Shepard exited the elevator, tugging at his blue dress uniform in a failed attempt to make it feel more comfortable. This was the first time he’d had to wear the outfit since the War Summit, and even though he knew he was imagining it, he still felt like it was too small.

Surprisingly, he was the last one to arrive and as he looked down at his crew, he nodded in satisfaction. Each of them wearing the closest thing they had to formal-wear, even Grunt and Garrus who, while both wearing their armor, had managed to add some buff and polish. This gave them the distinct impression of being guards for the group, but considering who it was they were ‘guarding’ it was mostly a formality.

They all knew that Shepard was perfectly capable of defending himself in almost any situation. A destroyed sushi restaurant and several dozen dead mercs were evidence enough of that. But even so, Shepard had learned that it was always better to be safe than sorry. And since then he had made it his policy to be armed at all times.

As he approached the weapon’s locker, Shepard took note of Grunt in his buffed and polished armor. Unfortunately, in spite of his formal attire, it was clear that the Ambassador of Tuchanka was not in such a formal mood.

“What the hell do you mean no big guns?!” Grunt snarled, clearly disliking the concept as Kirrahe stood between the krogan and the Normandy weapon’s locker.

“Aside from them being completely unnecessary for diplomatic contact?” Kirrahe countered, his tone cool, but firm. “The Equestrians are completely unfamiliar with our mass accelerator weapons. Going in before of the rulers of ponykind armed with a Claymore or a Phaeston would be the equivalent of threatening to use a M-920 Cain to open a locked door.”

Actually, as Shepard considered, he was fairly certain he had done that before.

“So you’re telling us that we’re going down there unarmed?” Garrus gestured to Kirrahe, clearly as disgruntled as the tank-bred krogan by this piece of information.

“I didn’t say that.” The salarian shook his head, turning and opening the locker for himself as he looked for something suitable.. “But you must be more subtle with your selection. They are curious creatures and won’t recognize the dangers of the more advanced weaponry. That could lead to a terrible tragedy.”

“I am guessing that is why your ‘bodyguard’ is packing knives.” Garrus jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to the still helmed Tanlan before Kirrahe offered them each a heavy pistol.

“Indeed. Now, these are similar in shape to my Scorpion, and as long as you keep them on you they shouldn’t cause any trouble.” The Major explained as krogan and turian took the guns, neither looking impressed with the major’s selection. “Just be discreet and try not to shoot at anything.”

“Well, better than nothing I suppose.” Garrus pulled back the clip-jacket on the Phalanx and holding it out at arm’s length to judge it’s balance.

“I feel like I’m going to break this damn thing.” Grunt complained, holding the M-3 Predator in his hands as if it were made of glass

“I don’t know why you’re bothering, Grunt.” Shepard shook his head, moving up to Kirrahe’s side and reaching in, drawing out his M-77 Paladin. “I would think you’re tough enough to handle a few ponies if they got out of hand, am I right?”

“Except if I actually hit them, it’ll do more damage than the gun and then Wrex will chew my tail out about why his was chewed out by the Council.” Grunt stated with a roll of his eyes as he placed it at his hip receptacle. “Fine I’ll use the spitball shooter.”

“Anything else we should know?” Shepard turned his attention to Kirrahe now that the immediate issue of the upset krogan had been dealt with, checking the Paladin in his hands.

“I can fill you in on the rest in route.”

“Alright then, everyone into the Kodiak,” Shepard said, walking up to the shuttle and claiming one of the edge seats. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

The rest filed in after him, with the exception of Tali and Kaidan who had taken the pilot’s seats and were prepping for launch. Garrus, and Liara joined Shepard next, with Grunt taking up the last available bit of room on the seat. Kirrahe and Tanlan took the seat opposite of them, the Major sitting right in front of Shepard.

“Alright, Breaking Atmosphere in five. ETA to planetside coordinates, fifteen minutes. Am I landing anywhere in particular, Major?”

“Approach the coordinates from magnetic west, Celestia should have the skies clear for us. I’ll guide you by landmarks once we are on approach. Just in case, be sure to watch out for pedestrians in the clouds.”

“Uhh... right?” Tali replied, her voice perplexed.

“No...seriously. Watch for pedestrians. Scan the clouds for heat signatures before you move through them as a precaution.”

“Will do, Major.” Kaiden nodded, waving off Tali before she could reply.

There was a slight sense of vertigo as the mass effect compensators of the kodiak kicked in, the shuttle pulsing forward and out of the Normandy’s hangar bay to begin its descent towards Equis.

The silence in the cockpit lasted for perhaps three seconds before Liara spoke up.

“Major, from what you’ve told us so far, it’s apparent that these Equestrians are intelligent, and that their leader, this Celestia was kind enough to rescue you. But I still don’t understand why it is that you’re so... taken with them,” Liara stated carefully, not wanting to insult the salarian soldier.

“Like I have said many times before: they are so much more than they appear to be!” Kirrahe told him. “It is not something that can be described in a written report. You have to understand that during my stay I was treated quite well. Of course that merely aroused my suspicions that something must be wrong with this idyllic setting my hosts were paining for me, so once I had recovered, I pushed the boundaries of what I was allowed more than a few times. It was mostly during those outings that I gathered what intelligence I could on life outside of the palace and surrounding areas.”

“I doubt Celestia and her military forces cared for that.” Shepard reasoned. After all, having an alien give you the slip and then go running around unsupervised was the stuff B-Grade horror vids were made of.

“Actually, I have come to the conclusion that Celestia was well aware of my ‘excursions’. I’ve learned the hard way it’s rather hard to hide anything from her. Normally this would be a concern, but what I found during my recons was certainly enlightening. To gauge the mentality of the population i set up a series of social experiments. On more than one occasion I revealed my presence to some of the citizenry.”

“That sounds dangerous.” Garrus shook his head.

“Indeed, but it was a calculated risk. However the result was always the same. Shock and confusion at first, followed by curiosity, then acceptance.”

“Alright. So they treated you kindly. But that-”

“Kindly? No, you don’t understand. They treated me like family.” Kirrahe said, interrupting him. “Celestia usually showed up shortly afterwards, indulging the ponies I had encountered with an explanation and swore them to secrecy before giving me the option to return to the castle with her. I refused her once just to see what she would do.”

Kirrahe smirked. “She stayed with me that night. A princess, practically a goddess in the eyes of her people, resting in the hay in a barn, debating philosophies with a career soldier. It was... she showed me things the likes of which I had not imagined could exist outside of the realm of fiction.” The salarian stopped for a moment and shook his head. “I know how I must sound right now, Shepard. But trust me when I say that this world contains wonders the likes of which our galaxy has never before seen.”

Silence followed his pronouncement

Shepard decided that now was a good time to change the topic of discussion to something slightly less... sensitive.

“So, Major how good is your translation program?” Shepard asked the salarian. Kirrahe looked at him with a smile and nodded.

“It is fully functional. I had more than long enough to perfect it” he said before frowning slightly. “However there are some words that simply don’t translate.”

“Am I going to have to worry about accidentally calling one of the Princesses fat?” Shepard asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. Kirrahe waved a hand in front of him to dash the thought.

“No, no need to worry about that,” he said. “The translation should work with most casual and even formal conversation. The problems like in technical terms and mechanical jargon. Mostly things that they don’t have words for, like advanced physics involving the mass effect... or things that our languages don’t have a firm lexicon for, like the mechanics of their magic.” The salarian frowned.

“How bad of an issue is it, would Glyph be able to help?” Liara asked.

“Like I said, not terrible, it simply makes it difficult to discuss the nature of science and sorcery.” Kirrahe replied.

“That makes sense, they’re each things that the other group lacks,” Garrus commented.

“Indeed, and I truly believe they are both things that the other group needs. Particularly after the Reaper war.” the Major nodded. “If the galaxy needs one thing right now, it needs a reassurance that there is still something untarnished and pure in the universe.”

Shepard felt himself shift uncomfortably in his seat at this surprisingly philosophical concept, having to fight down a sudden feeling of internal repulsion as he remembered what the Council seemed to think the galaxy really needed right now.

“How do you think introductions will go between us and these Princesses?” Shepard asked Kirrahe, eager to keep the track of the conversation directed in a manner constructive for their mission.

“They should go smoothly,” Kirrahe explained. “The reception will be small. A delegation of the Equestrian leadership and a few select VIP’s will greet us in the Canterlot Gardens when we land.”

“Bodyguards?” Garrus asked, clearly more concerned with the security angle rather than the celebrities. He had been around long enough to know that these sort of ‘historic’ meetings were usually far more boring than the vids made them out to be... unless there was something unexpected like a terrorist attack or something of that nature.

“No, they won’t be needed.” Kirrahe shook his head. “While Celestia and Luna do maintain a personal contingent of guard in public, they are apparently ceremonial. My understanding is that the Alicorns are all quite capable of protecting themselves should they feel threatened.”

“So who can we expect?” Shepard leaned forward, folding his hands together as he tried to squeeze the last bits of information he could get from the salarian.

It was only now that he realized how woefully unprepared he was for this mission. They knew next to nothing about the society or the intricacies of this culture. All information they had to go on at this point came from Kirrahe himself, and while Shepard maintained a high degree of respect for the STG commander, he had been uncharacteristically cryptic and vague in his descriptions of the situation.”

“Of course, first and foremost will be Celestia herself. By far the most powerful and influential of the alicorn rulers. Aside from her will be Luna, the ‘Princess of the Night’. Very formal, a great deal of pomp and circumstance. That being said, we are not on the best of terms.”

“What do you mean?” Liara pushed the subject, noticing the salarian’s split second of hesitation.

“Luna rather dislikes me... well not exactly dislikes, perhaps mistrusts?” Kirrahe sighed. “She is more suspicious than her sister and recognizes the potential threat we pose. I can respect her caution however. She will not be outwardly hostile, but she will require more proof of our peaceful intentions. ”

“I see.” Shepard nodded. He was genuinely hoping that this Luna’s concern was misplaced. “So that is the two leaders. Who else?”

“The third alicorn is a mare known as The Crystal Princess: Mi Amore Cadenza, who is Celestia’s niece.”

“So she’s Luna’s daughter?” Shepard asked.

“No.”

“Oh, so they had another sister.”

“No, apparently Celestia and Luna are not directly related to Princess Mi Amore at all.”

“Wait...then how....”

“I have no idea...” Kirrahe shook his head. “When I pressed Celestia on the subject, she became very evasive.”

“Heh, maybe a wizard did it.” Grunt huffed, looking quite bored and antsy, which wasn’t surprising in the enclosed space.

“In any case, Mi Amore rules Equestria’s most intimate ally; a small nation to their north known as the Crystal Empire. I don’t know the details, but there was recently some sort of political struggle which ended with her being crowned the Crystal Princess. Also in attendance will be her husband: Prince Shining Armor. Celestia told me he was an accomplished soldier and formerly the Captain of her own Royal Guard.”

“That’s four...” Liara nodded.

“The last group in attendance will be the fourth and last alicorn in existence and her personal entourage.” Kirrahe nodded as the shuttle rattled, a sure sign of turbulence as they started to level out in re-entry and get down into the atmosphere. “Princess Twilight Sparkle was recently crowned as the third ruler of Equestria. I have not met her myself, but I am told she is the youngest among them and something of an academic prodigy. I was also informed to warn you she will be bristling with questions.”

“Oh look Liara, we found you a pony friend before we even landed.” Garrus clicked his mandibles, a sure sign of amusement as the asari turned with a glare directed towards him.

“Princess Twilight will be accompanied by a group referred to collectively as the ‘Elements of Harmony’.”

“They brought a band but no guards? That’s like having lakes with no fish.” Grunt ...well, grunted. “I don’t understand aliens at all.”

“The nature of these ‘elements’ is not something I was privy to.” Kirrahe shook his head. “Based on the descriptions I received, they would appear to be some sort of cultural celebrities. They are spoken of with a remarkable level of reverence by the Princesses but I have yet to discover why.”

“We will be arriving at coordinates in five.” Tali called back from the pilots chair, “Major, We may need you soon.”

“Can you think of anything that we should know before we land?” Liara asked quickly as Kirrahe stood. “In regards to formalities or etiquette. I wouldn’t want this to end before it started because we accidentally insulted one of these Princesses.”

“Ah, yes, there is one thing I must mention.,” Kirrahe said.

“Being?” Liara asked, raising her eyebrow.

“The ponies do not wear clothing outside of formal events,” The Major began. “In fact, to do so is considered offensive by their society. Thus, in order to avoid insulting their culture or inciting panic we will be expected to be in the nude for the rest of our visit. I believe you humans use the phrase, when in Rome.” He finished while looking at Shepard for confirmation.

The silence in the cabin was deafening.

“Re-really?” Liara gasped, obviously shocked by his assertion.

“No,” Kirrahe replied with a grin. “That was a joke.”

Liara sputtered like a teapot for a moment, her face a mixture of outrage and embarrassment. The the rest of the crew let her stew for a moment, and then began to chuckle.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to help Miss Vas Normandy set us down in the right place and make sure that she doesn’t hit any pegasi,” Kirrahe told them before he got to his feet and walked into the cabin. Predictably, Tanlan followed him wordlessly, clearly going out of his way to keep a watch over the Major.

“Well that was... interesting,” Garrus said slowly.

“Yes, very.” Shepard agreed. “You alright Liara?”

“I am fine, the joke simply caught me off guard,” Liara replied simply while turning to the window, away from her snickering friends. “I was not aware that the Major had such a sense of humor.”

“Something tells me it was a recent development.” The commander folded his hands together as he leaned forward, lowering his tone. “What do you think?”

“Something definitely happened to him down there.” The asari shook her head, crossing her arms as she leaned back. “He doesn’t seem entirely like the Kirrahe I remember. The differences are subtle, but they are certainly there.”

“I don’t know, I think I like the new Kirrahe.” Garrus joined the conversation with a chuckle. “He’s lightened up a little bit.”

“It is no laughing matter. The Salarian Union wouldn’t have that guard on him if they were not concerned, Shepard.” Liara pointed out. “I think it would be prudent for us to stay together down there until we have a better handle on the situation.”

“Agreed. I don’t get the feeling that he’s lying to us, but...”

“Keelah... ” Tali called from the front seat. “Shawn! You might want to see this.”

Shepard tensed for a moment before he recognized the emotion in the quarian’s voice.

She wasn’t concerned, she was awed.

Standing and moving to a side panel, Shepard activated a vid screen that was designed to facilitate real-time communications with the Kodiak Passengers and a Command Ship, but was now linked to the forward visual sensors.

Shepard watched the image for a moment in silence.

“Liara... come take a look at this.”

The Asari obeyed, coming over quickly followed by Garrus and even Grunt, who was not to be left out.

“That-that’s impossible!” Liara exclaimed.

“Is that your professional opinion, Doctor T’Soni?” Garrus asked, although he couldn’t help but be amazed as well.

On the vid was an image of a stone spire mountain, a majestic peak of purplish blue stone capped with pristine snow. But this was hardly the remarkable thing... as hanging from the side of the mountain, supported only by thin looking struts of an ivory metal was a massive city, dominated by a series of gold, purple, and white spires. Although much of the mountainside city was reasonably set and supported, a large portion of the Castle simply hung off the side of the mountain over the open air, precariously perched as if the architect had not considered gravity to be a major concern when constructing this marvel of engineering.

“Welcome to Canterlot, Commander.” Kirrahe stated as he moved back towards the cabin, a small smile on his face as he took in the expressions on the faces of each of the gathered ambassadors. “You think this is something? Just wait till you see Cloudsdale.”

“So these aliens fly through space on ships made out of metal using engines that control physics and changes the mass of an object in order to send them careening through space at faster than light speeds?” Pinkie asked Twilight as the six awaited the arrival their guests in the courtyard along with Celestia, Luna, Empress Cadence and Shining Armor. Although it had been strongly urged by the Solar and Lunar courts to have a contingent of guards at the ready, Celestia had dismissed the suggestion as being ‘a poor way to make an impression.’

Thankfully, Twilight had her friends to distract her from just how vulnerable she felt now standing in a lovely new dress made just for this occasion.

“Um in laymare’s terms yes.” Twilight confirmed, her eyebrow slightly raised. She didn’t know why she was even surprised anymore. “No offense Pinkie, but I didn’t think you’d follow that.”

“Well duh, of course I followed it, think of the pranks I could pull!” Pinkie said with a massive, and extremely worrying, grin. “Just imagine if I could adapt this technology to my party cannon!”

“Wo’nelly, Twilight, that grin right there’s a bad sign!” Applejack chuckled.

“Yeah, although... she’s right!” Rainbow Dash said, a smile that almost matched Pinkie’s except in terms of sheer implausibility spreading across her face. “Hold on, what if we spruced up the party cannon with this, then I get in and we launch ME at that sort of speed. I bet I could set a few new pegasi speed records AND finally reach the velocity to perform the mythical Double Rainboom!”

“Darlings, really? First contact with an entire galaxy’s worth of species, and you’re thinking about the pranks you could play using their technology?” Rarity asked the two.

“Um, yeah? What else would we be thinking about?” Dash asked.

“Oh, I don’t know darling,” Rarity began with a roll of her eyes. “What about all of the new species that are out there, and all of the dashing young stallions out there?” Rarity asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Ah don’t know Rares, not many of them sound all that ‘dashing’ to me,” Applejack said, shaking her head.

“Oh nonsense,” Rarity retorted. “I’m sure that there must be some gallant young starship captains out there. Facing the Unknown! Seeking out new life and new friendships... Boldly going... ”

Applejack took a quick step to the side and away from the dreamy eyed unicorn, although she did get the attention of another pony who was standing a short distance away in the same dress uniform he had been wearing for his wedding just over a year and a half earlier.

“You mean like Captain Dirk?” Shining Armor asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Why yes! Prince Armor, I am amazed you know the works of Rod N. Berry!” Rarity replied with a shocked grin. “I mean, I had assumed that a military pony like you would never have read that type of literature,”

Shining snorted. “I haven’t touched the new stuff. Rod N. Berry Sr. knew how to write an adventure story, but ever since his son took over writing and rebooted the series, it’s been nothing but Dirk flying around space picking up alien mares. I mean, sure, in the old series he got a mare by the end of the book, but he had other things going on too!” he protested with a roll of his eyes.

“Oh look, is that their craft over there?” Pinkie asked, pointing off into the distance. All of her friends turned to look in the direction that she’d pointed before turning back to her in confusion.

“Pinkie Darling, that was a duck!” Rarity explained calmly.

“Awww... OH! Wait that’s even better, do you think it could’ve been the majestic space duck?” She inquired, her head cocking to the side slightly as she thought about it.

“Pinkie, there’s ain’t no such thing as space ducks.” AJ put in.

“Aww, I wanted to see the space ducks!” Pinkie said with a pout.

“I have some ducks... if you’d like to see them,” Fluttershy offered.

“Wait, how do we know that they don’t have ducks in space?” Rarity tapped her chin with one hoof, her expression contemplative. “I mean, it could happen?”

“Yeah you’re right! And don’t forget the space hamsters!” Pinkie said with a grin.

“In any case, I think we’ll know an space-ship when we see it.” Twilight told them all, trying to get the subject away from space ducks and hamsters.

“Hey, Twi, wait a minute, if these ponies are coming down from the sky, then won’t somepony in the city see their fancy space-ship?” Applejack asked suddenly as though the thought had only just occurred to her.

“They might.” Celestia spoke up suddenly, her tone pleasant as she stood stock still looking up to the beautiful sunny sky. “If I didn’t have the Royal Guard actively maintaining a cordon along the approach vector.”

“Approach whattzits?” AJ tilted her head.

“Aeronautics term.” Rainbow came to her friends rescue, “It means we are planning on them coming towards us from that direction.”

“Oh, right... uhh, I knew that.” Applejack offered with a small chuckle and blush.

“It’s quite alright Applejack,” Celestia said before she turned her attention to Rarity, giving the mare a knowing smile. “And as to your earlier queries Rarity, I believe that you should try and find an asari captain. From what I understand, they are very friendly with nearly every species, considered exceedingly beautiful and very graceful as well.”

“Oh really?” Rarity perked, clearly intrigued.

“Although as I understand, they are all mares.” Celestia said with a small smile with a glint in her eyes. “Still, I don’t suppose that should matter, now should it?”

Rarity blushed scarlet. “I-um...thank you for that suggestion, Princess. I’ll be sure to look into it,” she stammered.

“It’s what I do,” Celestia said with another wink.

“Auntie Tia stop doing my job!” Cadence scolded the elder alicorn who simply cocked her head to the side.

“What job Cadence? I was just giving The Element of Generosity some advice on who she should travel with if she wishes to leave Equestria,” Celestia inquired with a sly grin. “Certainly you are not suggesting I was trying to encourage anything more than that.”

Cadence shook her head, clearly annoyed at the elder Alicorn’s antics, but unwilling to press the subject.

Twilight, who had known Celestia most of her life, had a very specific name for that grin. It was a what Twilight termed the ‘Trollestia’ grin. She reserved it for nobles who annoyed her, ponies who she had recently pranked, and last but not least, her own family members when she knew she’d gotten the better of them.

Twilight took stock of the situation.

They had been standing out here for over half an hour now since Celestia had parted the cloud cover, standing around in their fineries and each wearing their best. And that time was beginning to wear thin on some ponies nerves. In particular Twilight noted how her brother had been growing steadily more anxious while her friends seemed to have dropped formality and were just acting like themselves.

Cadence, meanwhile, was looking uncharacteristically worried and Twilight was actually finding herself avoiding eye contact with Princess Luna, as the Nocturnal Princess looked both irritated and exhausted, having clearly been up all through the night before.

“So, when are they going to get here?” Shining Armor asked, filling in for his wife who was still glaring silently with impotent fury at her aunt.

“Well, they’re currently flying over Canterlot as we speak, so they should be touching down in about a minute,” Celestia answered with certainty, her eyes closed as the alicorn grinned.

At this announcement, everypony started to straightened up and stood tall.

“Sister, is everything as prepared as it possibly can be?” Luna asked Celestia, speaking for the first time since they had gathered out here in the Canterlot Gardens, a concerned frown on her face.

“Nothing can ever be perfectly prepared, Luna. But I believe we have come close,” Celestia answered easily. “Let us wait until our guests arrive before we begin to panic.”

“So you are perfectly at ease about this then, Tia?”

“Of course I am.” Celestia nodded.

“Then why are Twilight and her friends wearing the Elements?” Luna asked, her tone neutral, yet demanding an answer.

“Oh, just in case...” Celestia smirked playfully as she subtly bumped Luna with her hips, almost causing the blue alicorn to stumble. Luna snorted in annoyance once she’d regained her balance.

“How you can be so immature about this, Tia? By your own account, this is the biggest most important event in our planet’s history and you’re just standing here as if we’re out here waiting for a picnic!” Luna whispered furtively to Celestia at a volume that not even Cadence or Twilight could hear.

“Oh, I’m a nervous wreck right now, Lulu. To be honest, I want nothing more than to run back inside and grab a slice of cake to calm my nerves. But I doubt that that would make a good first impression.”

“A slice of cake?” Luna asked flatly.

“Half is a slice.” Celestia defended herself. Luna let out a surprised snicker, and a bit of the tension drained out of her.

An odd, almost explosive sound suddenly filled the air, accompanied by a high, shrill noise that caused each of the gathered ponies to look up in surprise.

In the distance, a slight shimmer against the deep blue sky could be seen, growing larger within the space of a breath until details could be made out. A blue and white metal box that was curved along the front, four leg like extensions emitting a glowing white flame that seemed to shift and move as if it were swimming through the air.

Then a brief few seconds later, the fast moving box was upon the gathered ponies, inexplicably slowing before it came to hover over them. The gust of wind thrown off from under the alien craft blew back the manes of the ponies below them.

Fluttershy jumped behind her friends in fearful surprise at the sudden appearance of the craft while Rarity scrambled to use her forelegs to try and protect her perfectly coifed mane from the gust. Everypony else stared in awe and shock, save for Celestia and Luna who had already experienced the arrival and departure of one such craft several days previous simply watched patiently as the shuttle lowered itself downwards gently before the lights from the end of each leg were suddenly extinguished, causing the craft to drop the last few inches heavily upon the grass.

There was utter silence for a moment before a hissing pop acted as a warning before the side of the vessel rose up and then slid back along the side.

It was all that Rarity could do to keep from swooning while everypony else watched the lanky creature that emerged first.

Twilight found herself having to fight to keep from shaking as her eyes took in the thin form of the frog-like alien, his chest concave with those enormous amphibian eyes and two cranial horns from his head. She had studied the description of the ‘Salarian’ astutely, committing them to memory as she did so many facts about the world, but all the same, she could not help but be overwhelmed as she found the simple weight of the alien being’s presence hitting her all at once.

Until just now, it had just been stories and something expected to happen ‘later’.

Now... there was an alien, right in front of her... and she had no idea what she was going to say.

Major Kirrahe, on the other hoof, seemed to be perfectly calm as he stepped out and back onto Equestrian soil. He grinned as he looked around, quickly taking in the scene before him, before he took a deep breath.

“Princess Celestia... Princess Luna... Your Majesty Mi Amore and Your Highness Twilight Sparkle. On behalf of the Citadel Council, this ambassadorial party hereby requests permission to disembark.”

“Permission granted, Major Kirrahe.” Celestia nodded pleasantly. “Welcome back.”

“Good to be back,” he stated, leaving the Princess of Friendship shocked at the perfect Equestrian the creature spoke even while it kept grinning and then gave each of the ponies present a bow.

“Your majesties... It is my great honor to Introduce the Council’s Representative and perhaps the finest sentient I have ever know... my friend....”

Then he stepped aside to allow a new alien to emerge. It was similarly shaped, standing on two legs, but unlike Kirrahe, was solidly built, reminding Twilight immediately of a flat-faced, hornless minotaur. It was wearing a clean blue suit with a multitude of medals on it shaped like stars, hearts, and other icons. It’s blonde hair reflected slightly in the sunlight and it’s blue eyes rapidly took in the scene before it. Then, it opened it’s mouth and in a surprisingly clear and calm voice stated.

“Hello, I’m Commander Shepard and... we come in peace.”

There was a moment of silence...and then Twilight facehoofed.

As it turned out, some cliches really were universal.

Tea, Cakes, and Political Shitstorms

As usual editing/slashing help provided by Loyal2Luna. Pre-note I apologize for any spaces that are off slightly or words that are too close together Gdocs doesn't keep track of that automatically and given a doc of this size it's extremely difficult to check every one of them

Tea, Cakes, and Political Shitstorms

Twenty minutes after arriving planetside, Commander Shepard had found himself at a beautifully crafted table within a grand dining hall that seemed like something out of a vid. Grand stained glass windows depicting what must have been great events or stories lined the smoothly polished stone walls and brightly colored banners. While he was hardly a student of architecture himself, having spent most of his life tearing things apart rather than building them, even the vanguard in him had to appreciate the magnificence of the room’s design.

To his left sat Tali, who was staying as close as she could without arousing awkward questions, while sitting directly across from him was Princess Luna, who seemed content to wordlessly observe the odd beings before her. At the human’s right, sitting at the head of the table and looking out over the Dining Hall was Princess Celestia herself, who appeared quite interested in listening to the quiet conversation taking place further down the table. Holding that conversation, seated beside Luna, was Princess Cadence and her husband Shining Armor, the former of whom was in the middle of a pleasant back and forth with with Major Kirrahe across from them, on Tali’zorah’s left. And behind him stood the still silent Talan, who had not said a single word since coming aboard the Normandy.

Further down the long dining table, separated by several empty seats sat the rest of his crew, acting in their capacity as the Ambassadors for the Citadel Species while opposite of them sat Princess Twilight Sparkle, with her entourage on either side of her. The rest of the banquet table (which was capable of seating at least fifty) remained empty.

The symbolic meaning of keeping the two groups on opposite sides of the long, rectangular table and facing one another was not lost on Shepard, nor was the fact that he, as the clear head of this ambassadorial party, had been placed with the three most influential of the species leaders directly in front of him.

Oddly enough, it seemed that the stereotypically paranoid STG Major was the most comfortable being in the room as everyone else was clearly attempting to maintain a degree of awkward small talk, each side of the table unsure about the other side.

Not really listening to the exchange that had cropped up between Kirrahe, Prince Armor, and Princess Cadence, Shepard took a moment to look over the ‘menu’ that had been laying upon the table when he had arrived. It had several images of dishes to choose from, the selection having been chosen some time earlier with Kirrahe’s assistance (who had of course plenty of time for culinary experimentation during his time stranded in Equestria). After several moments of looking over the heavily vegetarian menu, he circled what looked like an egg-based dish with a simple graphite pencil and offered it to the nearby waiter, a unicorn who was standing with a clear uneasiness around the alien diplomats.

With that done and the castle staff exiting the dining hall, Shepard began to run over the events again in his head, trying to think of some way to break the ice based on what little he had been able to observe thus far.

Upon their arrival, his compatriots had taken a great deal of amusement at his expense for his choice of words.In the absence of an awe-inspiring and improvised speech (the type of which he was unfairly famed for) he had fallen back on a tried and true cliche which one of the equestrians, whom he then discovered was Princess Sparkle herself, had recognized and reacted to in the exact same way Liara and Tali had.

Still, in spite of learning that the species seemed to share that one particular gesture, he supposed that he could have done worse.

It was only a vitally important first impression on a species that for all intents and purposes now held the weight of the galaxy in their hooves after all. No reason for him to be concerned and fall back on a classic.

Apparently, his simple announcement had gotten a much better response from the Princess’ entourage, who had laughed in what he had (perhaps optimistically) interpreted as a genuine, non-mocking manner, while Princess Cadence’s expression dropped and her husband’s had perked.

As Shepard was picking up from the current conversation between the salarian and the crystal princess; the pair had made a bet regarding the initial contact, and apparently with the Commander’s unknowing assistance, the unicorn soldier-prince had won.

The basic introductions were had, putting faces to the names that Kirrahe had given them in the Kodiak while the so called ‘Elements’ quickly introduced themselves. At first, he wanted to believe that the translation had been somehow mistaken... but after a quick check with Kirrahe, he had confirmed that the naming scheme of Equestria sounded eerily similar to that of a candy or beverage company’s flavor-lineup.

His own friends had introduced themselves as well as they disembarked (save for Talan, who remained silent and allowed Kirrahe to do the honors as he simply stepped out as if he would not arouse suspicion.)

And from there, without any further ceremony, Princess Celestia had welcomed the ambassadorial party to Equus and invited inside for lunch.

No trumpets, no rush of decorum and prompt, no crowds of equine creatures gawking at the bipedal aliens.

Just a simple invitation inside along an emptied corridor and into a decorated, well used Dining Hall.

And for that, Shepard was immensely grateful.

At the moment, he was having a hard enough time trying to think of how to break what felt like several ‘hundred’ meters worth of ice with the ruler of a species that less than a week ago he would have attributed to some children’s vid produced with the intent of selling cheap toys. The last thing in the galaxy he wanted to do now was give out some half-baked speech to a crowd of ponies he didn’t know anything about in regards to how they were happy to be there and that the Citadel looked forward to the opening of relations.

Yes, a simple conversation over a private lunch would be a much better venue in his mind. A chance to try and find some common ground and hopefully start building the connections that would be required when the time came to speak on more serious matters.

It was during this moment of introspection that Shepard was snapped back from his thoughts and worries as he felt a gaze upon him, turning his head slightly to take note of how Celestia was subtly observing him, as if making an assessment.

For just a moment, the pair seemed to be sizing one another up now that they were in close proximity, a fact likely lost on the others at the table as Cadence and Kirrahe shared a laugh that was joined in on by Tali.

Then their eyes met fully for the first time, and Shepard suddenly found himself looking into a pair of bottomless pools. They were old eyes. Ancient in a way that reminded him of the more formidable asari matriarchs he had met over the years. But while there was certainly an intense degree of wisdom and compassion held within those enormous windows to the soul, there was also something else in the brief second that they held one another’s gaze.

And quite frankly, he found that he could not distinguish if it was curiosity... fear... intrigue... or perhaps pity that her eyes held.

“It’s actually commonplace in our fiction as well, Prince Armor.” Tali stated, pulling Shepard back into the conversation as she set one hand on his shoulder and nudged him playfully, clearly feeling no need to hide the intimate nature of their relationship. “Although I think the Commander is the first person to actually use it in a real-life situation.”

“What?” Shepard forced a smile, hoping that he came across as genuine while a string of discomfort tugged at his chest. “You have to respect the classics.”

“Indeed, certainly it was a relief to me for you to speak your intentions so plainly.” Princess Luna stated, holding her hooves together in front of her in a thoughtful manner. In spite of her words, however, Shepard couldn’t help but pick up on the icy inflection behind them, remembering Kirrahe’s description of the Lunar Diarch. “Although I do feel compelled to apologize on behalf of our beloved subjects for their reaction to your declaration.”

“No need to apologize. I am sure that I sounded pretty ridiculous.” Shepard nodded, hoping his words didn’t ring hollow. Like Celestia, Shepard could feel the dark blue mare appraising him. But while her sister appeared welcoming (at least on the surface), Luna seemed... frigid and distrustful of Shepard and his friends.

Something that Shepard could completely understand given her views. Hell, if this situation had been thrust upon humanity a mere sixty or seventy years earlier, there would probably be a dissected salarian on the table alongside a declaration of war.

“I apologize if I seem blunt, but I am not one for games of words. I prefer to just get straight to the point and address issues directly. I thought it would be only fair to announce our intentions here and set things off of on the right foot,” Shepard replied.

Luna’s eyes narrowed again but she let out a huff of annoyed acceptance, clearly having nothing to say to that comment.

“We certainly cannot begrudge you that wish.” Cadence spoke up as she turned her eyes away from Tali, who was directly in front of her. “And in spite of my losing our little domestic wager, I was quite happy to hear what you said.”

“Well, this isn’t the first time that Shepard and myself has taken on the role of an ambassador, Although these are certainly far better circumstances than last time,” Tali told the Princess.

Shepard considered Tali’s position for a moment for a moment before internally cringing.

Better circumstances, perhaps.

Easier?

Not a chance in hell.

Twilight Sparkle was busy thinking.

Now this would come as no surprise to those who knew her, she always was. However, in this case her thoughts were not of science, or of magic, or even of friendship. No, at the moment Twilight was thinking of one thing, and one thing only, aliens. Or, more specifically, the aliens right in front of her.

For once, she was grateful for Pinkie’s motor mouth, as the party pony did a good job distracting the aliens with a sudden and stirring recollection of their expectations and mile-a-second questions that kept the alien’s attention on her and off of the Princess of Friendship and her fellow Elements, all of whom were still trying to come to terms with the guests seated across from them.

Most importantly, it gave Twilight her moment to reflect.

As they’d disembarked from the ship that had brought them down to Canterlot, they'd given their names, titles, and the species and worlds they represented. It had perplexed her why only one species had been chosen to represent each world... as well as why there were two members of ‘Commander Shepard’s’ species present.

Her eyes moved over the beings across from her as they took their seats, running through a mental checklist as she strived to remember the bizarre and exotic assortment of names... as well as her first distinct impressions.

‘High General Garrus Val-kur-ean. Of the Turians of Palaven. Looks like a cross between a bird and a spider... He kinda reminds her of the Royal Guard, all ridged like that.

‘Lieutenant Colonel A-den Ka-lenco. Of the Humans of the Systems Alliance of Ground... odd name for a planet, ‘ground’.’

‘Ambassador Ur-knot Grunt of Two-chunk-ah. He looks like he’s got some dragon’s blood in him... certainly surely enough to be one. Not what I would expect of an ambassador.

‘Doctor Liara T’Soni. Of The Asari of Thesmeia. So that’s an Asari, I wonder if Rarity is disappointed.

Then her eyes drifted down the table to the three aliens that were seated along with her brother and the other princesses.

‘Major Kirrahe of the Salarian Union. So this is the alien that started it all. I see what Celestia means, almost like a frog. At least he seems friendly.

‘Admiral Tallee-Zorah Vis Normanedee nar Rayya of Ran-lock. Such a long name... I wonder if she outranks everyone else here. Maybe that’s why she wears that suit, like a status symbol.

‘Commander Shepard of the Citadel. He’s a Hyuman, like A-den. But why do they act like he’s in charge? Based on what I’ve seen, he seems kinda like a dork... but then again so is Shining.

Now Twilight hadn’t been a Princess for very long; only for a few months, but one thing that struck her as extremely unsettling about their new guests was that most of them had what translated to military ranks of some kind. Fairly high ones at that if Shining’s rise through the Solar Guard was anything like the systems used by aliens.

The only one who had not given a military rank was the asari; the blue skinned being with feminine features and odd, tentacle-like extensions on her scalp, who claimed to be a ‘Doctor’, although she had not elaborated on her field of study.

And yet in spite of that most innocuous of titles among them, Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling that even she was dangerous.

All in all, the effect of sitting across from them was akin to the feeling that Twilight had gotten once while helping Fluttershy feed some of The Everfree’s manticores.

At the same time, it also reminded her of when the ambassador of Canterlot’s Griffon Embassy had visited shortly after her coronation to offer his well-wishes. He had been quite civil and friendly up front, at least until his meal had arrived... Twilight shivered internally at the memory of blood covered beaks and grease stained feathers as the ambassador had continued pleasantly speaking while he savaged the nauseating meal of bleeding flesh.

“OH OH! And how did you learn how to speak Equestrian so fast? I mean do you have some sort of fish babbling inside your ears that translates for you? That would be sooo Cool! OH! And how do--”

“AGH! I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!” Rarity finally snapped, having been attempting to speak up for the past two or three minutes, but constantly cut off by Pinkie, who (much to the apparent amusement of the gathered aliens) continued asking inane, utterly bizarre questions without pausing for an answer. For a moment, the ambassador’s had expected that the well groomed white mare was about to throttle the overly talkative pink pony, given the way her hoof reared back, but were relieved, when she just put the hoof over Pinkie’s mouth, which muffled her.

“Beggin’ yer pardon, ya’ll.” Applejack spoke up at the clearly stunned expressions of their guests. “Pinkie’s just a little excitable and she likes to talk.”

Utter silence reigned among the alien ambassador’s for a moment.

“Clearly...” Kaidan managed, watching as Pinkie Pie continued to speak in spite of the hoof over her muzzle.

“Well, as long as we’re not all sitting here in awkward silence with no idea what to say to each-other.” Twilight found herself speaking up, feeling compelled to explain away Pinkie eccentric behavior. “As this is the first cultural exchange between our peoples, It wouldn’t do if nothing was exchanged.”

“Yes, I agree.” Liara leaned forward, smiling broadly as it was clear she too was eager to delve into the situation from an academic perspective. “I actually have many questions regarding your society, your Majesty.”

Twilight felt a cold chill run down her spine at the title, but nodded, with the asari taking the cue to continue.

“With all due respect, I can’t help but notice that with the exception of Prince Shining Armor, every’pony’ that has greeted us today has been female... Is your society matriarchal or perhaps caste-oriented? Or do the mares among your species simply act in diplomatic roles?”

“Well, that’s not exactly right.. you see...” Twilight started, glad to hear the clearly academic tone in the aliens voice and preparing to go into the intricacies of Equestria’s gender-dynamics when she was quite suddenly cut off.

“Okay, enough with the boring stuff. I have one very important, very serious question: Do you guys have ray guns?” Rainbow Dash asked suddenly, drawing a sharp laugh from the turian ambassador seated across from her.

“Well, we have guns.” Grunt answered before any of his companions could stop him. “Not sure if they are ray guns. Easy way to find out though. You know anybody named ‘Ray’?”

Rainbow looked at the krogan for a moment before Garrus let out a chuckle, shaking his head.

“Pretty sure she means energy-based laser weapons, Grunt. They’re pretty popular in most species science fiction.”

“Oh, well why didn’t she say so?” Grunt huffed, having sincerely hoped the fiery rainbow-maned equestrian would call for someone named Ray so they could begin testing.

“But no, Miss Dash, I’m afraid we don’t actually have anything like that.” Garrus continued.

“Wait, really? What kind of aliens don’t use lasers?” Dash asked in confusion, clearly disappointed by the answer. “Why don’t you use lasers?”

“Actually a pretty good question when you think about it.” Kaidan offered, although judging by his smile, he was doing so to poke fun at the turian, who was beginning to show some professional disdain. “I know that was what my people expected from first contact too, phaser beams and energy swords.”

“And here, thirty years later, you humans are still acting all disappointed about it. Sorry to burst your fantasies, Kaidan” the turian chastised before turning back to Rainbow, who couldn’t help but snicker at the way the two interacted. “To answer your question, Miss Dash, it’s all a matter of cost and energy. Generating a coherent, weaponized energy beam, even for a hand-held weapon, takes a great deal of power, more than can usually be generated by normal means. Can it be done? Yes; an old associate of ours used something like that, although his particle rifle isn’t exactly a ‘wide-spread’ technology. In any case, using mass effect propelled weaponry is cheaper, more efficient, and has hundreds of years of practice behind it.”

Dash pouted, although she appeared sated by the answer.

Twilight’s mind, however, was racing at what was to be read between the lines.

Despite their obvious technological superiority, it seemed that these aliens were not all knowing, superior beings. Their science had limits in terms of understanding and application, a similar problem that had plagued spell-crafters and unicorn innovators throughout Equestrian History.

Also there was the interaction with ‘Kaidan’ (as she tried to mentally correct her pronounciation). Assuming their translation abilities were accurate... and that the time-frame was at least roughly similar to an Equestrian Calendar Year, then it suggested that Shepard and Kaidan’s species had been involved in intergalactic affairs for a relatively short period of time. Within her parents lifetimes at least.

Of course, hesitating to consider this information gave Rainbow another chance to make a foal of herself by asking...

“What about spaceships? You’ve got those right?” Dash asked insistently.

“I hope so, otherwise it would be very tough to explain how we got here.” Kaidan answered with a small chuckle.

“You mean that blue box thing you showed up in?” Rainbow asked, her expression indicating she was trying ‘not’ to be disappointed.

“The Kodiak? Oh no... that’s just a shuttle. Strictly short-distances. We arrived in your system on the Normandy, our ship.” The human explained, a smile on his features. “It’s in orbit now, but it’s kinda hard to be subtle with a frigate that size flying over a city like this.”

“OOOOHHH That is sooooo Awesome!” Rainbow said with a grin. “Wait, wait, is it a cool- looking flying saucer!”

Kaidan raised an eyebrow. “No, sorry. We don’t use those either.”

Rainbow Dash looked at the aliens for a moment before pouting. “So you guys don’t have lasers or flying saucers; you’re the worst aliens ever.”

Meanwhile, it seemed that Pinkie had Finally stopped talking and Rarity was in the midst of withdrawing her hoof.

"I’m sorry dear, but you were just ruining the decorum of this meeting!" Rarity offered in an apologetic tone. “You don’t really want to give the rest of the galaxy the impression that we are all babbling foals, now do you?”

Pinkie Pie tilted her head inquisitively.

“Is that a trick question?” she asked, clearly mystified.

Twilight couldn’t suppress a sigh.

Great.

On the one side of her, Pinkie was cementing the appearance that they were a bunch of children while Rainbow Dash had managed to insult ambassadors from outer space because they didn’t live up to her ‘Buck Rangers’ pulp magazine expectations. The Princess turned back to Dr. T’soni and was about to answer the earlier a question.

Unfortunately, Rarity beat her to the punch, clearly wanting to make up for time lost while holding Pinkie’s mouth in check.

“What about fashion? Surely you must have that,” Rarity inquired with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Yeah, Rarity... alien beings of immense power and knowledge and you want to know about what’s in this season? Twilight thought as she fought to keep from rolling her eyes.

“Oh yes, there is a thriving intergalactic fashion market,” Liara answered with a smile that immediately reminded Twilight of a pony awkwardly trying to keep up the small talk in spite of a lack of real interest in the subject matter. “Why do you ask?”

“Well I’m a designer you see,” Rarity answered, smiling. “My dress designs are some of the most sought after in all of Canterlot. In fact I created the dresses that my friends and I are wearing today specifically for this occasion.”

Liara quickly scanned over the dresses before smiling. “You are very talented,” she informed the mare.

“Thank you,” Rarity replied.

The alien identified as ‘Grunt’ let out a noise somewhere before a grunt and a groan.

“Oh come on, can this talking get anymore boring?” The krogan asked bluntly. “When do we get to the part where we start trading blows. Someone needs to hit me already!”

“Trading blows, hi-hit you?” Rarity stammered for a moment, a horrified look coming across her face, one mirrored by Twilight.

“Ugh, ignore him.” Liara shook her head, bringing her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

“Sorry Grunt, I know you’re bored, but if you ask nicely, maybe the Princess and her friends can find some action figures for you to play with,” Garrus commented with a slight chuckle which drew an expression of shock from Twilight.

She hadn’t expected such an insult to be passed so casually between them, particularly not towards the clearly aggressive dragon-like krogan.

“On Tuchanka, we would have already had at least one good fight by now and, if we were lucky, a casualty or two... all this talking... ugh, this is best left to the fema--”

Grunt paused as he looked across the table at the assorted mares, then up at the princesses towards the head of the table, before his gaze finally settled to Liara who sat at his left.

“Ahhhhhh Slag It!” Grunt exclaimed, his head falling to the table with a thud.

“What’s his problem?” Applejack inquired.

“The Krogan are a society of warriors.” Liara explained, a smile on her expression. “In Krogan Culture, an ambassador is supposed to represent the martial strength of his clan because they always expect a fight. If they are actually trying to be diplomatic, that’s the domain of krogan females, who are more... shall we say.. tactful.”

“So yer saying... since we’re all fillies an’ all fillies do is talk that this ain’t gonna be no fun for him?” Applejack stated, unsure of herself.

“And now Grunt gets a nice cold taste of what actual Ambassadorial diplomacy. All part of growing up I suppose.” Garrus smirked, clearly amused. “The Krogan are ‘respectable’ now, Grunt... get used to it.”

“Starting to make me pine for the old days, before the Cure. I mean, when Shepard did this job, he got to shoot things and cause explosions!” Grunt protested.

Twilight’s ears flicked back. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that Shepard gets to do all the fun stuff,” Grunt answered with an annoyed snort. “On the last mission I saw him, we were sent into deal with the rac-”

“What Grunt means is that he’s bored easily,” Kaidan said, quickly cutting in before the krogan could scar Twilight for life. Grunt shot him an unpleasant look but rolled his eyes.

“He... mentioned ex-explosions?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly, cowering behind her pink mane.

“Yeah, THAT was a good day. Explosions everywhere!” Grunt said enthusiastically with a grin.

“Sounds AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Can we see some?”

“Sure, all we gotta do is hotwire the Kodiak to...”

“NO!” Liara, Kaidan, and Garrus stated together, in a level, almost identically firm monotone.

“But she asked...”

“NO!”

“It’d only be like half a kiloton... One kiloton tops!”

“NO!”

“I’d really rather we didn’t,” Fluttershy added her two bits quietly.

“So, Rarity, you said that you were a designer, what do the rest of you all do?” Liara asked, trying to quickly change the topic.

“I happen to be the fastest flyer in Equestria!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, temporarily forgetting about the explosions now that she’d been given the chance to boast. “And pretty soon, I’m going to be a star member of the Wonderbolts!”

“The who?” Garrus asked curiously.

“The Wonderbolts!” Dash exclaimed, as if that should’ve been enough. “They’re the best flyers in Equestria!”

“They’re also an elite military organization,” Twilight added, surprising even herself as she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to point out that Equestria too had some form of defense.

To her surprise both Garrus and Grunt turned to look at her, suddenly making her regret her outburst.

“Really now? Can you tell us more about them?” Garrus inquired.

“I bet I could take them,” Grunt commented with a grin.

“As if, the Wonderbolts would totally wipe the clouds with you!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, taking the attention off of a suddenly very worried Twilight. “They’re the coolest, most radical group of ponies in Equestria!”

“And I’m a krogan,” Grunt replied. “I could take all of them at once.”

Twilight narrowed her eyebrows at Grunt, the more she heard from him, the more concerned she became. It was starting to remind her of her talks with the somewhat brutish Minotauren Imperium’s Ambassador.

“How about you tell us what you do instead of the other way around.?” she asked, finally getting a question of her own.

“Of course, I’m a lifelong military operative, law-enforcement official, and a sniper,” Garrus volunteered.

“I’m an information dealer of ‘some’ repute who provides important people with things they need to know,” Liara stated, although the inflection she had gave Twilight the impression she was hiding something. “I also have a doctorate in archaeology: specializing in Pre-Citadel Era civilizations.”

“I’m a soldier... I fight. And right now I’m making nice with you ponies.” Grunt answered gruffly, “Take a guess which I’d ‘rather’ be doing right now.”

“Council Spectre and Alliance military,” Kaidan said. “Oh, and Tali over there is an Engineer and Admiral of the Migrant Fleet. While Major Kirrahe is a member of his species ‘Special Task Group’, their own elite branch for tactical recon.”

Twilight stared at them, her mouth opening and closing silently.

While she didn’t know what the ‘Migrant Fleet’ or a Spectre was in the context Kaidan laid out, she had read enough on military jargon and historical references to understand the meaning behind the terms ‘Tactical Recon’.

It meant ‘Spy’.

As her friends tried to respond to the impressive sounding list of resumes, Twilight felt her nerves fray just a bit more with a jarring realization.

“Shucks...” Was all that Applejack could offer. “Uhhh, I’m an apple farmer.”

“I..take care of animals...” Fluttershy offered, practically sinking into her seat and clearly intimidated.

“And I work in a bakery, but in my free-time I’m a professional party-planner.” Pinkie Pie chirped pleasantly before ducking under the table. “OHH! That reminds me!”

Twilight had to fight back the desire to shutter, realizing only now how horrifically out of their depth’s she and her friends seemed to be. Her friends, while she loved them dearly, were fairly humble in their careers and personal lives... while it was clear that these ‘Citadel races’ had sent a group of elite, top-grade soldiers to their peaceful equestria.

Now she was beginning to understand why Princess Luna has been so on edge.

“Well, uh... alright... What about Commander Shepard?” Twilight offered, trying to gather her thoughts by asking what she thought was an innocent question.

A small silence settled over the group... with even the krogan growing still at the simple inquiry. Then, with what reminded Twilight of an almost religious level of reverence Garrus spoke four simple words. “Shepard is our leader.”

Liara noticed a puzzled look spread over Twilight’s face as she processed what Garrus had said. “What Garrus means is that Shepard is our... good friend... and that he’s led us all through a great deal of trouble in one form or another.”

“Is that a problem?” Grunt scowled, and Twilight had to keep from cringing.

“Well um no... but...” Twilight trailed off wordlessly. Then she noticed something was amiss.

Her blood ran cold as her frazzled mind caught up with her situation and panic started to set in.

“Wait, where’s Pinkie Pie?”

*KA-THOOM!*

A sudden explosion of cake frosting and ribbons heralded the answer and Grunt was thrown bodily out of his chair, his face hidden behind a partly-liquified cake.

“Surprise!” Pinkie’s voice shouted, she’d somehow managed to materialize behind Twilight and the other mares without either they or the guests noticing. Pinkie was smiling widely at them. Everyone in the room stared at the scene before them in shocked silence as Grunt lay back on the floor, his face covered in pink frosting and the ruined remains of yellow cake.

Garrus and Kaidan were frozen with their pistols half-drawn as they reacted to the sudden noise while Liara had reeled to the side, but could not avoid getting some castoff splatter.

Unnoticed by those further down the table who were all staring at either Pinkie or Grunt, Shepard’s eyes had narrowed as he clenched and unclenched his hands which were frozen right above his pistol’s grip.

After half a moment, the Krogan sat up and pulled himself up to a standing position, his expressions completely covered as the mares across the table held their breath, eyes wide as they feared the worse in the krogan’s reaction.

“Did I... just get shot by a cake?” Grunt asked slowly as he brushed frosting off of his face.

“Yes...yes you did,” Liara told him as she warily eyed the party cannon.

“Assaulted with cake… that’s a new one on me.” Garrus eased his pistol back into it’s place on his hip, clearly relieved to see that Grunt was not actually hurt.

“Not for me… the end of school-year ‘food fight’ is something of a rite of passage back where I grew up.” Kaidan offered, also relaxing.

“What is... that?” Liara managed, nodding at what looked to her like a crude mortar painted blue with two angling-wheels that had flowers emblazoned on them.

“This is my party cannon!” Pinkie replied with a grin. “It shoots parties!”

“And Krogan apparently.” Garrus said, holstering his pistol. “In the future... warn us before you fire it?”

“But then it wouldn’t be a surprise!” Pinkie said, clearly mystified at the turian’s failure to comprehend a simple fact.

“Ambassador’s… Please, accept my apologies on behalf of my friend.” Twilight spoke up in a rush, clearly on the edge of panic. “Pinkie can be a little unpredictable at times and ‘doesn’t know when she needs to cool it!’ she finished her sentence through clencheded teeth, her glare pointedly directed at the pink pony in question, who either ignored it or simply didn’t care as she watched the still cake coated krogan.

Then, much to the surprise of the gathered ponies, Grunt began to chuckle as he wiped his hand across his face, gathering up a fistful of the frosting before putting it in his mouth.

“Heh, this stuff’s not bad.” Grunt declared. “Little sweet for my taste.”

“Yep! Butter-cream. I made it myself!” Pinkie said with a wide smile. “You did say you were bored and needed to get hit… so far be it for me to ignore your cultural needs.”

It was all Twilight could do not to face-hoof….hard… at the bizarre logic behind Pinkie’s actions, unsure if her friend was mad or a genius.

As usual, she wrote it off as an equal measure of both.

“Eeeeehhhhh-heeehh-hheeeehhh.” The Krogan… laughed...for lack of a better term for the odd sound he made, before retaking his seat, his mood clearly lightened in spite of his polished armor being stained by pink frosting. “A species that uses CANNONS to have a good time? THAT’S what the galaxy needs! You’re alright, Pinka Poo!” he told Pinkie who beamed at him.

“Pinkie Pie.” The mare corrected, but it did not dampen her grin.

Twilight let out an internal sigh, grateful that the nearly disastrous event had been defused.

In spite of the way that they had played it off, Twilight had absolutely taken note of the manner in which both Garrus and Kaidan had reached for the odd metal tools at their hips. And as she remembered well from Celestia’s tale of Kirrahe’s encounter with the manticore, she knew that ‘those’ cannons did ‘not’ shoot parties.

As the basic exchange of pleasantries had continued and the two groups began to open a dialogue, the only human at the head of the large dining hall table had found himself coming to the realization that things had actually been going quite smoothly… far better than he had first hoped.

Which in turn made him start to wonder when the other shoe would drop.

As it turned out, the other shoe had been loaded with explosives that, once they had been quite literally detonated, immediately snapped the Commander out of his relatively relaxed state and into a surge of combat-preparation that was second nature in spite of his past months of inactivity.

However, as he began to draw for the pistol at his waist he found his arm completely immobilized as it glowed a faint blue. His eyes narrowed as he attempted to move his hands but he found that it was a wasted effort. He looked up to see Princess Luna glaring daggers at him, her horn glowing a very faint blue.

“You will not attempt to draw your weapon on our subjects.” she managed through clenched teeth, barely controlled malice prevalent in her voice as her glare remained focused on the human. Shepard was about to respond with an angry retort when Tali put a three fingered hand on his shoulder.

“It’s alright Shawn.” Tali stated in a soft, almost cooing tone. “Grunt is fine, see, he’s getting up and not blood raging. Knowing him, he probably requested it, you know… told them to hit him with their best shot. Everything is alright.”

The man let out a breath slowly and nodded as he took note of Grunt standing, then laughing in his unique, bassy laugh. Trying to let go of the tension that had almost set his muscles ridged, he let out a breath before turning back to Luna.

“Princess… I can respect your position… but when I hear an explosion and see a large weapon being pointed at one of my crewmembers by one of your ‘subjects’, I tend to get defensive.” Shepard growled. “We are not here to start a fight, but that doesn’t mean we’ll ignore threats.” he continued, menace easily detectable in his voice. “Now let go of my arm.”

There was a tense second… then another as Shepard and Luna’s eyes were locked, the glow remaining in place around Shepard’s gripped firearm as neither looked away.

“Sister!” Celestia’s tone was soft, but there was a defined measure of steel behind it which drew the blue alicorn’s eyes away, taking in the disapproving expression of the larger mare.

Slowly, feeling returned to Shepard’s hand, followed by an unpleasant pins-and-needles sensation as he was able to grip the firearm tighter in the release from Luna’s grasp. He held it in place a moment, as if needing to take the time to decide what to do with it before bringing it back down to his hip, where it attached to it’s magnetic holster and collapsed.

“How did you do that?” He asked through gritted teeth.

“Magic,” Luna answered simply.

Shepard stifled a growl. “I see.”

“Commander Shepard, while I can appreciate your own position. Please keep in mind that either myself or Luna are fully capable of making you regret any ‘hasty actions’ that you or your fellow ambassadors might take. Accidental or otherwise,” Celestia informed him smoothly, though he caught a firmness to the undertone to her voice. “We have agreed to permit your defensive armaments for the sake of your personal peace of mind. But that does not mean that we condone their presence. And we certainly do not approve of their use while in our lands. And as my sister has just demonstrated, while they are a danger to our little ponies… they are not so formidable a defense against us.”

“Is that a threat, your Majesty?” Shepard asked calmly.

“Not at all,” Celestia said. “It is a fact, Commander.”

“Princess...if I may.” Kirrahe spoke up from his place opposite Cadence, with whom he had been holding a quiet conversation with until the sudden explosion and stand-off, of which Cadence and Shining were both still in mute shock over. It was clear from the way that he waved down Talan (who had one hand on the hilt of his hip-slung blade) that he felt it necessary to defuse the situation. “I urge you to keep in mind that the galaxy is still reeling from the events of the Reaper War and to remember that every one of us here at this table today are veterans of that conflict. As such, we are all still somewhat ‘on edge’, especially in regards to explosions.”

Celestia sighed, clearly able to appreciate the salarian’s insight.

“Yes, of course you are right Kirrahe,” the mare said before turning to Shepard. “I apologize Commander, but as you can surely understand that our first responsibility is to the wellbeing of our subjects above all else.”

To this, Shepard nodded his head slowly.

It was true, he could respect a leader who saw the safety and wellbeing of their people as being more important than saving face or playing nice with diplomats.

Unfortunately, the opposite side of that coin was the fact that it was his friends that were in the sights as potential threats.

“It’s... alright,” he managed slowly, however his eyes flitted over to Luna who was still eyeing him icily.

“You seem tired Commander,” Celestia stated, clearly trying to move off of the subject and drawing Shepard’s gaze away from the Lunar Diarch. His eyebrows rose in surprise.

“What makes you say that?” He asked her cautiously.

“I have had more than four thousand years to learn how to read ponies, and most of those years were spent as a monarch. While we are quite different in many ways, you are not so alien to us that such cues can go unnoticed.” Celestia answered plainly.

“Hold on… Four thousand years?” Tali exclaimed in surprise, catching what Celestia had said before consulting her omni-tool.

“Four Thousand, Two-hundred and twenty-six this summer to be precise.” Celestia answered casually with a slight smile.

Tali, meanwhile, was checking the translation software for errors.

“Wait, am I translating that right? No, there must be some other explanation, a calendar incompatibility or … something. You can’t be that old!”

“Why not?” Celestia asked with a sly smirk.

“Be-because that should be impossible!” Tali protested. “Organic beings simply don’t live that long. Even the Asari and the krogan, with their regenerative biology, can’t live past a thousand.”

Celestia shrugged slightly. “I am not your ‘typical’ organic being, Admiral Tali’Zorah. My sister and I are Alicorns and our lives are long. It is how our Mother shaped us.”

“I… don’t know if I can believe that.” Tali shook her head. “Things decay… cells age… even stars eventually die.”

“As shall I, some day.” Celestia nodded, her amused expression touched with a hint of sadness. “I never claimed to be immortal, Admiral. In fact I am quite well past the mid-point of my life span. Should fortune favor me, I should have perhaps another thousand left before my age begins to show through, give or take a century in either direction,” she added.

“That is quite a claim, your Highness.” Shepard’s brows knit together. “And it would make you the eldest living being in the known galaxy.”

“Shepard, you’re forgetting about Javik,” Tali told him.

“Javik doesn’t count Tali, he was asleep the whole time,” Shepard replied.

“And the Thorian.”

“The Thorian was a plant...and it’s dead… so it doesn’t qualify either way.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Tali teased playfully before she seemed to remember her surroundings and very quickly changed the subject, turning to Luna. “Errr.. I mean, What about yourself, Princess Luna.”

“My age is of no consequence, Admiral.” The lunar diarch huffed, although it was unclear if her tone was insulted, or if she simply did not want to compare herself to the elder sister. “Suffice to say I am most likely the second eldest being at this table today.”

“For the record, I’m only twenty-eight.” Cadence popped in, as if feeling the need to assert that she did not share her aunt’s advanced years.

“I am actually more interested in he you would compare to us. Who is this ‘Jah-vick’?” Luna queried.

“Javik is a friend of mine, but suffice to say his story is a little complicated.” the Commander answered with a fond smile. “He is the last surviving member of a species known as the Protheans, who until very recently were given credit for a great deal of the advanced technology found in ruins across the galaxy. He comes across as grim and fatalistic at first, but once he warms up to you...well, he’s still a grim, brooding figure, but in all honesty, you can’t really blame him.”

“I would imagine that being the last of his species must be hard,” Celestia reasoned with a frown. “Though, I know of someone who is the only of his species and I would hope that your Javik is not like him. I do not believe that the galaxy would survive another Discord.”

“Javik takes life in stride at least.” Shepard replied. “Since the end of the Reaper War, he has become something of a galactic celebrity. When I spoke with him last, he and Liara were working on putting together a book on his people.”

“Intriguing, I might like to meet this ‘Prothean’ should our efforts here bear fruit.” Celestia nodded.

“Speaking of which, your Majesty.” Shepard decided it was time to steer the conversation more towards business and further away from random topics. “There are important matters that do need to be discussed. I appreciate the gravity of our presence on your world and we are grateful that you have decided to open a dialogue with the Citadel. But I have to ask: where do we go from here? ”

“You do not have that all planned out already?” Celestia queried, and Shepard got the distinct impression that she was set to re-evaluate her plan based on his answer.

“This is your world, Princess Celestia.” Shepard stated, folding his hands together. “We don’t presume to tell you what is best for your people or how you should handle this issue. What comes next is a big step and I am certainly not so hypocritical as to come here in the name of peace and then begin demanding you to adhere to our judgements. As far as I can see, the direction this goes is up to you. And as the Citadel Council’s appointed representative, I am asking: ‘What’s next?’ ”

With every word, Shepard could just hear the voices of Councillors and Generals screaming in his ear, telling him he was setting a dangerous precedent with this species and undermining his mission. The part of his brain that was listening to them made an eloquent hand gesture in their direction and continued onwards, their shouting unheeded and ignored.

Kirrahe’s conversation with Prince Armor stopped as the two turned towards the clearly pressing issue that had been on everypony’s mind since the beginning of the affair. It was a sound question of course: as there were precious few plans in place for the circumstances of visitors from the heavens in the laws and ceremonies of Equestria.

Celestia and Luna shared a thoughtful glance before the solar diarch smiled warmly, her tone calm and confident. A sign that shepard took as to mean that he had given her the proper answer.

“My sister and I have discussed the matter at length and we have come to the conclusion that Equestria cannot in good conscious make this decision ourselves. Not when it will have such an impact on our entire world. When we received word of your impending arrival, messages were sent out to the leaderships of the Civil Nations of Equus.”

Cadence’s eyes widened at this declaration, an emotional cue that Shepard couldn’t help but pick up on as her wings suddenly spread out, a gesture he translated as ‘shock’.

“Auntie Tia? You’re invoking the Equus Pact!?”

There was a defined degree of fear in the young alicorn’s voice, although the significance of this was not something that Shepard was privy too...neither it seemed was Cadence’s husband, who gave his wife a confused look.

“No, Cadence.” Celestia inclined an eyebrow. “Our message gives a brief summary of the situation as we understood it five days ago and has offered an invitation for representatives from the Civil Nations to come and take part in these affairs. No invocation was issued and they are well within their rights to remain neutral and stay out of the proceedings if they wish. As per the the Discordian Accords they have seven days to attend. We sent the missive five days ago so they have until sunset on the day after tomorrow to arrive. I suspect representatives will begin to show up on our doorsteps this evening and I am certain that you can begin to open a dialogue with all of the attending representatives from the major races the following morning.”

“So two days.” Shepard nodded, grateful that he was not going to simply be thrown in front of an assembly of unknown alien species right away. That gave him time to think and try to find out more about the situation. His most immediate concern of course was intel, of which he had very little.

“You say other races, I assume you mean the other thinking species besides the Equestrians. Just how many representatives are we talking about here?” Shepard asked slowly.

“We are unsure,” Luna answered. “Not all of them have the ability to send instantaneous messages via mana-fire as we can so we will not know for certain until they arrive. If the Griffin High Houses have managed to stop fighting amongst each other long enough to pick a representative, then their emissary should arrive fairly soon. The Lupin Dominion is certain to attend as well, as they are among Equestria’s closest allies and trading partners. And we have received word from The Dragon Lords of the Ring of Fire that somedrake is already on the way.”

“Well, this sounds a little bigger than we had anticipated.” Tali shook her head, bringing one hand to her domed face plate before asking. “If that is who will definitely be coming then what about the others? I mean, how big could this get.”

“Their participation would be appreciated, but I cannot claim to know with certainty that they will attend. You see, some of the other species are a bit… unpredictable. The Minotaurian Empire for example may or may not attend solely depending on Grand-Chief Indomitable’s mood when he gets the letter. The Buffalo Tribes are likewise very fragmented, they may send no-one, or they could send a representative for each of their twenty tribes, I could not say.” Celestia continued. “And lastly there are the Mer, although they do not often grace anywhere with their presence.”

“The Mer?” Shepard inquired with a raised eyebrow. This was a new one, and he sincerely hoped that it was not what he was thinking it was.

“They are a secretive race who lives beneath the sea,” Cadence supplied. “They’re often called ‘Sea Ponies’ by those who do not know their true name, but they come above the waves so rarely that most Equestrians believe they are a myth. They’re extremely gifted in water-based magics.”

“As well as arrogance.” Luna sneered, “King Tsunami long ago set himself up as a god-like figure and is deluded enough to believe his own myths.”

Shepard said nothing, but couldn’t help but wonder if there was just a bit of hypocrisy coming off of the Lunar Princess. After all, judging from the reactions and interactions that he had seen so far, along with Kirrahe’s report, the common equestria saw these two mares as nothing less than god-like themselves.

“I see...” He stated simply, trailing off.

“And that would be all who would attend…”

“That is not everyone.” Luna spoke up, interrupting Celestia. “You are neglecting the Wasteland Hives.”

At the mention of the last group Shepard noticed Shining Armor’s eyes narrowed angrily as did Cadence’s and (much to Shepard’s surprise) Celestia’s.

“Wait! Did we invite the changelings?” Shining Armor asked Luna, his voice coming out at a low growl.

Luna frowned. “Yes Shining Armor I am well aware of your feelings on that matter, and ordinarily they would be my own. But I do not believe that they can or should be excluded from this affair. It is simply not fair.”

The stallion snorted. “Yeah, and was what they did fair?”

Shepard and Tali shared a look before they both glanced to Kirrahe, who merely shrugged, clearly as in the dark on the subject as the two of them were.

“I’m sorry if I am prying into something here…” Shepard started, trying to tread carefully. “ But I take it that these ‘changelings’ have caused trouble?”

“That... would be putting it mildly, Commander Shepard.” Cadence said with a frown.

“What did they do?” Tali inquired innocently.

“They kidnapped me, replaced me with an imposter for the weeks leading up to our wedding and brainwashed Shiny in an attempt to perform a coup d'etat over Equestria.” Cadence answered, her tone surprisingly flat and for the first time since they had sat at the table, the Princess of Love had lost her kind smile. “And when Twilight discovered the conspiracy, they attempted to take Canterlot by force, causing horrific damage both to the city and the lives of it’s citizens.”

“And we’re bringing these people to negotiate?” Shepard asked in surprise. “Why?”

“Good question,” Shining seconded.

“They will not be joining us,” Celestia stated with a strict certainty.

“Sister it would not be right to exclude them from such an important-”

“Then they should not have imprisoned me in a cocoon and ravaged my City!” Celestia actually raised her voice, cutting the lunar diarch off. The sisters locked eyes and Shepard felt the tension at the table skyrocket as the Princess’s outburst had drawn the attention of the entire table.

Silence reigned for a moment, Shepard watching with fascination as a silent conversation seemed to pass between the two Alicorns. unsure of what else to do, the human was about to speak up again when a bell rang suddenly behind the Princess’ head.

As if on cue a doors to the dining area opened to allow access to about a dozen unicorns, each pushing a trolley along in front of them.

“Ah, Your Majesties and Esteemed Guests!” A particularly debonair and dapperly dressed pony spoke up, clearly unaware of the situation he was walking into as he drew the attention to himself. “Luncheon is served. I do hope that our dishes are to your liking. Chef Cloudwing has been working very hard to make sure that you were provided with nothing but the best.” He stated, the identically groomed and dressed waiters moving with an almost choreographed, fluid manner as they approached the table, lifting the trays in various colored auras and setting them out.

“Yes, I do hope that in his quest for excellence he has not emotionally scarred any of the kitchen staff, Gracious.” Celestia spoke up, her earlier outrage suddenly hidden behind a kind and motherly smile while a unicorn deposited a simple looking salad before her.

“Of that I can make no promises, your grace.” the unicorn, Gracious Host, bowed his head before moving up towards Shepard’s right. It was clear that he was nervous, but to his credit, the unicorn was doing a fine job of masking his unease around the bipedal aliens with an aura of professionalism.

The dish containing a perfect likeness of the picture Shepard had selected was set out in front of him, and much to his surprise, it smelled quite good. However, after a moment, Gracious turned to the exo-suited woman at Shepard’s side with an apologetic expression.

“I beg your Pardon, Admiral, but the kitchens informed me that you did not place an order. Was there nothing to your liking?”

“Oh it’s not that.” Tali shook her head. “I am sure that your chef is incredibly talented and that his meals would be delicious… but they are just… not compatible with me.”

Gracious nodded, offering another apology as the unicorns worked, quickly setting out the various plates of food in front of them until only Tali and Garrus were without.

As the waiters moved away, Celestia looked at Tali with a sorrowful look.

“I’m sorry that we have nothing to offer you, Admiral Tali’Zorah. Major Kirrahe informed us of your species’ health problems and the effect our foods would have.” She offered, sounding quite sincere.

Tali shrugged unconcernedly and reached down to her waist to retrieve a tube like device with a straw attached to the end that immediately reminded the gathered ponies of a tube of toothpaste. “I’m a quarian, Princess. Don’t worry, it comes with the territory.”

Celestia nodded, clearly grateful for the diversion, and began to eat.

Further down the table, Garrus had pulled out a military issue MRE and already begun to chow down, the thin, jerky like slivers of a once prominent, now nearly extinct palaven-native pack animal once raised as cattle.

Pinkie’s eyes perked up as she saw it, ignoring the towering ice-cream sundae placed in front of her. “Oooh is that some super-special alien food stuff? Can I have some?”

“Not unless you want to enjoy a very painful death,” Garrus replied pointedly.

“Oh my... I had no idea that your people could be so... territorial when it came to food!” Rarity exclaimed, her eyebrows rising in surprise as she held a simple sandwich stuffed with flowers daintily in a glowing aura (how a biotic field could be dainty, the turian had no idea, yet Rarity managed to pull it off.)

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Actually, it kinda reminds me of your cat, Rarity.”

The fashionista shot Dash an unamused look. “Opal would never be so uncouth,” she said, turning up her nose at the other mare.

“Yeah, so you say. I’ve seen how fast your hoof moves when you put milk down for that killer fuzzball.”

“Actually,”Garrus said, cutting the two off before they could begin to argue and trying not to take offence at being compared to an Equestrian’s pet. “It’s because turian food is toxic to anyone who can’t digest dextro amino acids. Which is pretty much anyone who isn’t either a turian like myself...or a quarian like the Admiral.” He motioned to the suited woman sitting further up the table from them.

“She eats toothpaste?” Pinkie asked, her simple question causing Kaidan to burst into laughter while even Liara and Grunt managed to smirk at that comment.

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she observed.

Some aliens could only eat a certain kind of food while others ate the same sort of things she could… and anypony else who ate turian or quarian food would die?

She shook her head... she hadn’t realized just how huge and complicated the galaxy beyond Equestria could be, but in this one simple lunch, her guests had given her more to think about than all of the science fiction novels she’d ever read.

One thing was for sure, she still had a lot more to learn, and what better way was there to learn than by asking questions?

“So, only turians and quarians can eat dextro-amino foods? Are there any other races out there that have a specific diet? How about living conditions? Are all species on your worlds at the same level of advancement in terms of technology? What level is Equestria at as opposed to others? And-” Twilight began quickly listing off questions until Liara held up a hand to silence her.

“Your Highness, as much as we would enjoy answering each and every one of your questions, I’m afraid that there is simply too much to talk about over the course of one lunch.” The asari offered, having only just begun to stir the bowl of broth in front of her with a spoon now that her omni-tool had determined it was perfectly compatible with her physiology.

“I’m sorry if I seem a little over-anxious. It’s just… well… I don’t know if I can describe how exciting this all is from an academic standpoint.”

“Don’t worry, Princess Sparkle, I think we can understand it just fine.” Kaidan offered, causing the lavender alicorn to blush.

“Please, Kaidan… just Twilight is fine. I really haven’t had this crown or these wings long enough to be comfortable with that title.”

Kaidan was about to inquire into exactly what Twilight meant by not having had her wings before Liara cut him off, setting down her spoon as one hand maneuvered over her omni-tool.

“Actually, Twilight, I think that I ‘can’ help you with your wish to learn more about us.” The asari offered before a small light suddenly jumped up from a disk of light in her hand.

Within a few moments, the light expanded and began to form a glowing white sphere that seemed to be turning and twisting around a central eye.

Twilight’s eyes were wide with wonder.

What sort of magic was this?

“This…” Liara said, tapping her omni-tool and causing the VI to spark to life as it was released from it’s capsulized ‘stand-by’ mode and returned to full functionality. “Is Glyph.”

“Glyph 4.0 online. Good afternoon, representatives of the Equestrian Species.” The info-drone offered, his ‘eye’ turning and looking over the surroundings as the advanced VI

“Oh my goodness!” Twilight almost fell back out of her seat. “A familiar! How could you... I thought they were just an old pony’s tale! Summoning spirits and ghosts and things like that to do your bidding.” Twilight exclaimed.

Liara cocked her head to the side, trying not to laugh at the blatantly inaccurate and superstitious manner in which Twilight had referred to her drone. It helped sober her as she considered that the being who had made the reference was a purple alicorn princess whom (based on the references made during the course of the conversation with the other elements) was perhaps the most potentially powerful being at the table .

“No, Glyph is not supernatural by any means, he is simply a highly intelligent VI.. or a ‘virtual’ intelligence. There’s nothing inherently ‘magical’ about him,” she said stated.

“You have used that term before… Vee-Aye. But if it’s not a familiar, then what exactly is it?” Twilight inquired, tilting her head from side to side as she observed the floating, constantly spinning sphere of light.

“Glyph.” Liara nodded, her fingers pressing the commands and directing her pet drone to answer all questions presented to it classified below a specific level of security. “If you would kindly answer Princess Twilight’s question.”

“I would be delighted to, Dr. T’soni.” Glyph answered, bobbing in a manner that looked almost like a nod before turning it’s eye directly towards Twilight. “A ‘VI’ , or Virtual Intelligence, is the designation given to programs, computer systems, and processing units designed to emulate organic behavior patterns. Role functions vary from data analysis, record keeping, complex calculations, and general assistance. In many upper-echelon models, such as my own, a holographic avatar acts as a direct interface, allowing ease of interaction and organically prefered aural data-transfer.”

“It’s so... shiny!” Pinkie exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared into the blue orb. The others were equally mesmerized by the VI’s appearance, although if any of them aside from the Princess truly comprehended what it was saying, they showed no signs.

“So...are you a machine...or are you alive?” Twilight asked hesitantly, unsure if this ‘glyph’ was simply the alien equivalent of a talking-book… or if it was a thinking being itself.

“I am a custom designed Info-drone capable of a wide range of data-coordinating softwares. While sophisticated, my systems are strictly digital and incapable of evolution or self modification, both of which are required to ascend to true Artificial Intelligence status. My personality is the result of a complex program and the assemilation of traits I have processed since my initial activation. I possess intelligence, but not self-awareness.”

“It’s…. so … shiny…” Pinkie stated again, her eyes trained on the orb like a pony-entranced by a lava-lamp.

“What does that ‘mean’ exactly?” Applejack inquired, herself unsure and clearly out of her depth.

“It means… Glyph has a brain… but doesn’t have a heart.” Twilight summarized as best she could, trying to herself not be overwhelmed by the concept of a mechanical life created by their alien guests.

Further down the table, Shepard was watching the scene with a troubled expression as Tali activated Chatika , her pet security drone, which won the same attention from the rulers of the Crystal Empire as a puppy would in an Earth kindergarten classroom.

‘They are so easily impressed by technology.’ Shepard thought to himself. The ramifications were especially troubling given the circumstances. ‘If they’re not careful, some volus will scam them out of the rights to their system in exchange for children’s toys.'

In truth, the scene had him more than slightly concerned.

He was being presented with a corporate negotiator’s dream, an exceedingly naive group that had little other choice than to trust everything that he had to say in regards to the rest of the galaxy and likely had no concept of the value they truly possessed.

And stealing a quick glance to the diarch’s of Equestria, who had paused their meal to watch the two drones themselves, he had the feeling that he was not the only one who was concerned.

'This is... most worrisome, Sister. These ‘drones’ are nothing like what the major described VI’s to us. Machines with faces and voices,' Luna murmured within Celestia’s mind.

'I see them, Luna. And while it does twist my stomach to see these… things… they are apparently an intrical part of the galactic society. Look at how casually they display them,' Celestia replied warily as she eyed the machine.

'Tools capable of containing the knowledge of a thousand libraries and being able to summon up any obscure bit of trivia at any instant. To have access to such knowledge at will without a need to earn it... we are truly out of our depths here,' Luna mentally quivered as her eyes shifted to Celestia, who was keeping a calm face.

'And knowledge is power. Yes, I am well aware Luna.' Celestia replied. 'I had thought that Kirrahe’s translation ability to be the extent of what these machines were capable of, but it appears I was mistaken.'

'I am less concerned with the tools that are being shown to us than I am about how they could easily be used as an advantage against us', Luna said.

'It may be difficult at times, but growing up always is. Just as a mare cannot simply return to her fillyhood ways because she becomes afraid of adult life, we cannot simply turn back at this point. I have faith that we will overcome and adapt to this trial like all the others we have been faced with,' Celestia responded.

'Yes, but this ‘adulthood’ you speak of is full of new and numerous dangers. Is your garden big enough to handle them all? Is the moon? Do we truly have room for all those who would seek to harm us, Sister?' Luna argued back as she stabbed her fork into her salad, her mental tone frigid.

'We will do what we must.' Celestia stated, closing the mental link for the time being and going back to eating. Luna snorted quietly to herself and turned back to her own food.

Shepard had turned back in time to catch sight of the alicorns gazing at each other... there was something odd about the gaze, almost as if they’d been having a discussion of some kind. Luna’s snort had been another indication that there was something odd going on between them.

Lunch passed them by fairly quickly, Shepard had to give his compliments to the chef’. While the first contact had not gone exactly according to plan, by the end of his meal, his frayed nerves had begun to mend once more.

“It was a pleasure meeting you all….” Shepard stated, walking between Princess’ Celestia and Luna as the three of them moved back out into the sun filled garden area where the Kodiak had remained parked. All about the kodiak, the various members of both groups were speaking on various subjects: Most notably where Liara was informing Twilight of Glyph’s functions and limitations for the proposed ‘cultural exchange’ the info drone had been volunteered into. “And I have to thank you for probably one of the better meals I’ve had recently, but I’m afraid we will need to return to our ship for the time being,”

“The pleasure was ours, of course.” Celestia replied with a small smile. “I am certain that your compliments will brighten up Chef Cloudwing’s disposition for at least a full ten seconds before he returns to terrorizing the kitchen staff.”

“Commander, you’ll forgive me if I come across as foalish for asking this, but is it truly necessary for you to leave us so soon?” Luna asked, although under her tone Shepard got the distinct impression of suspicion. “We have gone to some lengths to prepare lodgings for yourself and your fellow Ambassadors. I do hope that our hospitality was not wasted.”

“Lu…” Celestia’s tone had a hint of warning in it, clearly not taking well with the younger alicorn’s tone.

“Your preparations are appreciated, and if it were a matter of comfort, I would certainly take you up on your offer.” Shepard nodded, managing to maintain a degree of calm as he tried to side-step what some might think a cultural faux-pas. “But we need to return to the Normandy in order to prepare for the arrival of the other diplomats as well as to make sure the Council remains appraised of our progress.”

“They cannot wait for our dealings to be complete?” Luna inquired, again the question feeling as though it had significant implications hidden under it.

“Quantum Entanglement Technology has made them rather spoiled, I’m afraid.” Shepard shrugged, paying no heed to the confused expressions that fell over both princess’ faces at the term. “They have taken a great interest in building a relationship with Equus and expect frequent and detailed summaries as soon as possible..”

“I can sympathize with that, I suppose.” Celestia nodded, coming to a stop when the three came up to the Kodiak itself. “As a leader with so many demands on my attention, it would be convenient if I did not have to attend summits in far away places, yet still be able to keep up with the day to day goings-on.”

“Hey, Shepard!” Garrus called out suddenly, interrupting the two royal diarchs and the commander as he approached. “Real quick, needed to run something by you. You see-”

The turian didn’t get a chance to speak up as Rainbow Dash rushed to his side, moving with a speed that nearly made Shepard dive out of the way as he first interpreted her acceleration as a vanguard biotic charge.

“I want to go up there with you guys!” The prismatic toned mare announced, clearly too impatient to let Garrus finish his sentence.

“Wait, you do?” Shepard asked in surprise, taken aback by her enthusiasm and request. In his peripheral vision, he could make out the looks of concern that had overtaken both Princesses’ faces.

“Are you kidding?! I have the opportunity to go into space! Onto an actual real life spaceship!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a broad smile. “Hay yes I want to go! I’ll be the first pegasus ever to move beyond the stratosphere boundary!”

“Oooh, OHHH I want to go too!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing into view up and down next to Rainbow in a manner which Shepard would have sworn her equine body shouldn’t have been able to handle.

Celestia stepped forward, moving up past the Commander as she looked over the both of them in shock.

“You do?” She inquired.

Both nodded their heads rapidly, causing Celestia to turn back to Shepard with a questioning expression “Commander?”

Shepard frowned. “I don’t know...”

“My friends, while I admire your enthusiasm,” Luna began, her tone one of concern. “It is perhaps too early for such requests. There is still much to do here in Equestria to prepare for the upcoming delegations.”

“The Elements of Loyalty and Laughter are not required for those preparations, Sister.” Celestia spoke up suddenly. “If Commander Shepard has no opposition to allowing our little ponies a tour of his ship, then I see no reason why not.”

“Tia~” Luna managed, her voice taking on an odd, almost sing-songy quality that did not match her eyes, which suddenly hardened upon hearing this.

“Actually, Shepard. Kaiden and I would like to request permission to remain planetside.” Garrus stated, motioning to the other human, who was deep in conversation with Prince Armor. “And I believe that Kirrahe will be staying as well. The Major said something about a briefing on the other species that are in route and I doubt that his shadow will be leaving until he does.”

“Really?” Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow, finding himself intensely curious as to why the turian and the human sentinel would be interested in remaining on the planet of the ponies. “Any reason in particular.”

“Kaiden and I have been speaking with Prince Armor, he’s offered us a tour of the grounds as well as a chance to observe a parade grounds drill of the Royal Guard.” Garrus explained. “The Prince has also requested a ‘demonstration’ of some of our tools and armaments in a controlled setting.”

Shepard considered for a moment, quickly realizing exactly what the turian was getting at with his request. As the two silently exchanged a knowing glance, Shepard merely nodded.

“Well, if you have no issue with taking care of my friends, Princess, I suppose I can return the favor and take care of Miss Dash and Pie.” Shepard nodded.

While Shepard had been speaking with Garrus however, Celestia had been engaging Luna in a mental conversation

’Sister! you cannot be seriously condoning this!’ Luna exclaimed. ‘Have you gone MAD?’

’Consider it an act of good faith,’ Celestia stated.

'I cannot believe that you are honestly suggesting that we allow them to take two of our little ponies up into space with them where they will be completely outside of our reach!' Luna replied angrily. 'The risk is far too great!'

Celestia let a mental snicker pass over their link. 'Lulu, think about it for a moment... one of those two ponies is Pinkie Pie.'

Luna paused for a moment, and then soberly stated.

'Then may Equus have mercy on their souls.'

Celestia nodded her head and smiled at Shepard.

“I see no problems with this arrangement.”

“YES!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a wide grin and pumping a hoof into the air. Pinkie smiled happily and began to bounce in place with joy.

The Commander merely raised an eyebrow at the scene, already starting to regret his decision.

While that was going on off to the side Liara stood talking with Princess Cadence.

“And this ‘Glyph’ is not dangerous, is it?” Cadence asked. “Not that I don’t trust you Doctor, but I fear your gift may cause her no small amount of harm.”

“Of course not, your Majesty! Glyph is harmless I assure you,” Liara shook her head. “His combat functions are almost non-existent. The most he could possibly do would be to administer a minor shock to her system if she attempted to do anything truly dangerous, such as attempting to open his core with physical force.”

“Oh, it is not that I fear your machine will do harm to her, my fear is that Twilight will now spend the next few weeks on a study-binge the likes of which Canterlot has never before seen.” Cadence shook her head, torn between concern and amusement at the mental image of a sleep deprived Twilight attempting to keep up with the ever-awake drone . “She can often be her own worst enemy. Thank you, all the same for your generous offer. I just worry about her. Old habits and all that.”

The asari smiled. “Think nothing of it, hopefully Glyph can answer all of her questions.”

“I doubt that,” Cadence said. “I have known Twilight since she was a little unicorn filly. And if I can say nothing else of her, she may well be the most determined and driven mare that Equestria has ever seen on her quest for knowledge.” she continued with a small chuckle. “Anyways, it was a pleasure to meet you Doctor T’soni.” Cadence offered Liara her hoof to shake.

Liara took the offered hoof and gave it an easy shake.

For some reason, almost immediately as her fingers closed around Cadence’s surprisingly soft and dainty hoof, the Princess’ eyes widened and a soft grin came over her muzzle.

“Oh, congratulations,” the mare stated simply with a grin, drawing a confused look from the archaeologist turned Shadow-Broker. .

“For?” Liara asked, raising an eye-ridge

“Your foal,” Cadence replied simply, still grinning. “Congratulations.”

The asari’s eyes shot wide open. “Wha-what?”

“I’m sure that the father must be very happy,” Cadence continued. Liara’s world stopped for a moment as a thousand implications settled in an icy pit inside her chest before she found her balance once more and then slowly turned to stare at Shepard and Tali, who were climbing into the Kodiak together and calling to get Grunt’s attention away from Applejack and Rarity.

“I...I’m not so sure,” Liara stuttered. “Please... excuse me, your Highness.” She rushed off in the direction of the shuttle leaving behind a puzzled Cadence.

Odd, considering the feelings that she has for him, I assumed that she was a member of their herd... Cadence thought to herself as she eyed Shepard critically with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“Something wrong, dear?” Shining asked as he came up beside her and casually nudged her.

“No... not exactly... just thinking about alien relationships,” Cadence replied, Shining looked at her for a moment and then let out a short bark of laughter.

“Of course you are, dear,” Shining said, shaking his head slightly. “Of course you are.”

Author's Note

Ed2481: “So, that’s another eventful chapter published successfully... Now; I’ll let Loyal explain why you should accept this and not storm my castle with torches and pitchforks for the last scene, hopefully she can answer your questions before you ask them.”

Loyal: *is selling torches and pitchforks as well as maps to the author’s castle*

Ed2481: “Or she could do that... thanks Loyal, really living up to your name... Oh well I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Loyal: “Last time I checked, you are not Luna.” XP

Ed2481: “Fine... but if this blows up I’m sending you the bill!”

Matters of Perspective

Edited by Sadron

Matters of Perspective

Mere moments after the blue and white shuttle had launched itself into the air, Celestia and Luna found themselves sitting across from one another within Celestia’s private quarters. The luxury of the setting completely unnoticed as they remained silent for a moment, each recovering from the slight vertigo that accompanied the teleportation spell.

It was not often that the diarchs of Equestria used such magic, but as the otherworldly diplomats sped away from the surface of their world, the exception was called upon as the pair excused themselves to seek each other’s council on the developing situation.

The elder of the pair eyed the younger for a moment as the tense silence held, as if daring her to speak.

“I don’t want to hear it, Tia!” Luna took that leap, breaking the tense moment angrily as her eyes narrowed on Celestia. “If not for my quick action Pinkie Pie could have been killed.”

Celestia sighed.

All these years and her sister still let her emotions run away with her.

“Or are you seriously going to deny that she was in danger!” Luna challenged, growing bolder. “That their weapons are ‘not a threat’? That is what you told Guard Captain Lance when you convinced him not to have the entire royal guard present at their landing?”

“I’m well aware of the danger posed by the Commander’s weapon, Luna. However, I do not believe that the Commander himself was a danger. I don’t believe that he would have opened fire.”

“But you saw him… how he went immediately for his weapon!” Luna defended herself. “I’ve never seen any creature react that quickly and had I not responded, Pinkie Pie could have been injured or worse before the hyuman even realized what had happened.”

“HU-Man, Luna.” Celestia corrected. “At least do them the respect of pronouncing their name right, they have done the same courtesy of us. And as it is, according to Kirrahe, discipline is the first and foremost of lessons instilled in the galaxy’s soldiers. What I saw was no malice in the Commander’s action, simply a reaction.”

“That may be so.” Luna withdrew slightly, her anger beginning to wear back now that it was being spent. “But… he still would have threatened Pinkie Pie without just provocation!”

The white alicorn raised an eyebrow at her sister.

“Luna, she shot his companion with a cannon, I belive that is enough justification for retaliation of any kind. If the situation had been reversed, would you have sat by and done nothing as his other friends did?”

“But that was harmless! Their weapons are not!” Luna exclaimed. “Fifteen hundred years ago, you would have had his head on a spear for such an offense!”

“Fifteen hundred years ago, our entire world was at war and those very actions, Luna, are the sort of short sighted hot-blooded embarrassments that would have continued the cycle of destruction had it not been for the Pact! I will not apologize for maintaining peace.” Celestia’s own temper, rarely seen by the world outside, flared for an instant before she regained control of herself.

“And what part of ‘his friend was shot by a cannon’ are you not understanding, Sister? Thankfully Twilight was quick enough to apologize and Ambassador Grunt took no offense or the luncheon could have gone in a very different direction.” Celestia huffed, her irritation still obvious.

“Then why didn’t you say so out there?” Luna asked, her manner cooling in the face of Celestia’s contained outrage.

“Because we cannot be seen as being divided, Lulu. I stood up for you this time, sister, because we have to remain united with one another in front of these diplomats as much as we do for our own ponies. However, if you continue to let your prejudice towards our guests guide you, I will not continue to offer that support.”

The two stared at each other, Luna’s ears beginning to draw back as the meaning behind the Solar Diarch’s words echoed clearly in her head.

However, the ‘royal conference’’ which they held was then suddenly and loudly interrupted as the door to Celestia’s room burst open with a pale blue glow and Princess Cadence stormed in past the barriers which kept the private quarters off limits to those outside of the royal circle.

“Mi Amore?” Celestia began, surprised by the alicorn’s entrance as she had expected her to stay with her husband while he ‘entertained’ the four diplomats who had stayed behind. “What is the matter-”

But the pink alicorn cut her off mid sentence.

“You are what the matter is, Auntie Tia!” She exclaimed, her eyes locked on Celestia angrily and using a tone of voice that Celestia rarely found herself on the receiving end of.

While Celestia’s earlier simmering rage was awash with shock, Luna’s eyes narrowed on the advancing alicorn.

“Whatever do you mean, Cadence?”

The smaller alicorn rounded on Luna. “Oh you don’t know what I mean Auntie Lu? Allow me to make a list for you. Let’s start with being outright adversarial right from the start, and then move on to assaulting the leader of a group of diplomats?” She turned back to Celestia. “And then YOU! Condescending and superior from the very beginning, and then you add insult to injury by threatening said diplomat, thereby invalidating his legitimacy as a diplomat! I’m curious, what’s the next step of your brilliant plan to win them over? Gelding?”

“Cadence I-” Celestia attempted, but was clearly unused to being on the defensive.

“Oh no, I’m not done!” Cadence snapped, cutting Celestia off once more. “This right here! This attitude of ‘we’re always right’ is the exact reason why I didn’t want you to help me when the time came for me to establish diplomatic ties for the Crystal Empire! Because I knew the moment that another nation’s ambassador sat down across from either of you, it wouldn’t be the Crystal ponies being represented, it would be Equestria! And Equestria is always in the right!”

“That is not true!” Celestia attempted to object.

“Tell that to Chief Thunderhoof! Because I’m sure it was the last thing on his mind when you authorized the settling of Appleoosa in his territory without so much as consulting the Buffalo.” Cadence shot back venomously.

Cadence took a breath, the two princesses sitting across from her at a loss for words at this clearly long standing animosity.

“And this time, unlike Appleloosa, don’t think even Twilight and her friends would have been able to dig you out of the hole you made for yourself.”

“Hold your tongue, Mi Amore!” Luna snapped angrily.

“I WON’T!” Cadence stomped a hoof. “You named me successor and protector of the Crystal Heart, Empress of the Crystal Empire! And right now I am the only being left on this planet who isn’t either in awe of you terrified of what you two would do if they made you angry!”

The Crystal Alicorn’s words cut deep… especially more so as Celestia’s outrage turned to regret, her eyes flickering over to Luna… remembering all too well the last time she had lashed out at a detractor in anger.

And the millenium of bitter, empty loneliness that followed had it.

“That is the problem.” Cadence’s tone began to soften, realizing that her point had been made. “The two of you have been in power for so long and have known all of your political opponents so well and going back so many generations. You have spent so much time as guides and teachers that you don’t even realize what it is to speak with a pony on equal terms! You both assume that you’re untouchable!” she shook her head she glared piercingly at them. “Auntie Lu, do you realize that because of your actions today that you could have triggered a war? A war that we couldn’t possibly win against a force magnitudes greater than anything we have ever faced before?”

“That is out of line! Equestria will hold no matter what foe falls upon it, be they foreign, domestic, or even extra-terrestrial! Our actions were taken to protect our little ponies from harm and you will not berate us for them!”

“Yes I will, because I’m the only one who can! Because unlike you, I know what it is like to be mortal and afraid. I remember when I didn’t have this horn to match my wings! And because of that, I can recognize the cliff we are all approaching by going forward with all of this which neither of you can.” Cadence said firmly. Her next query however took both princesses completely by surprise. “Aunt Luna, have you ever read any science fiction? The works of Rod. N. Berry, or Lucas or S. Card?”

”No, of course not.”Luna snorted. “Why would I bother with such drivel?”

“Because if you did you would’ve realized the extreme foolishness of what you and Aunt Celestia did.” Cadence replied, her angry gaze flicking between the two of them “Arrogance is not a shield that can be used against this ‘Citadel’. And if the reality of the situation is anything like that of even the most basic fictional story then it is entirely possible that they could end our world in a matter of minutes if Commander Shepard had taken offense to your actions and threats.”

“They wouldn’t dare,” Luna replied stiffly. “Equus is…”

“One world among how many? Hundreds? Thousands? Do we even know how many separate species, cultures, and governments the Citadel represents aside from those that have sent diplomats here? Are we ‘so’ important that the galaxy would stop turning if our world were to be stilled? Do you recognize the scope of this situation at all, Auntie Luna?” Cadence’s eye twitched slightly. “These are beings who travel through space and have access to a nearly unlimited amount of information at the tips of their… what did they call them? ‘Fingers?’ Do you honestly think that the lives of our peoples are so much more valuable to them than whatever it is that they’re after?”

The last comment did garner both Celestia and Luna’s full attention, not only the words themselves, but the firm certainty with which she said it.

“What do you mean?” Luna asked slowly.

“Auntie, have you stopped to ask yourself ‘why’ they are here? Why we merit such attention that six separate governing bodies, as well as the unified voice for all of them, have sent what are likely their most capable and experienced soldiers. Did you pay any attention to the way they interacted with us? To the fact that they were so deliberate, so patient, even given Pinkie Pie’s absurd prank?”

There was a moment of silence.

Celestia did have to admit, she had been so focused on Luna’s intervening with Shepard that she had not taken into account the actions of the other diplomats, none of whom seemed overly worried, or even shocked following the incident. But then again, unlike Shepard, they had not been so quick to react and their attempts to draw their weapons were clearly slowed as they took in the situation and saw no threat.

“It is likely because of our recovery and treatment of the Major while he was under our care.” Celestia reasoned.

“While I agree that Major Kirrahe is a remarkable individual and I was delighted to meet him, he is only one salarian. Just because we ‘primitive ponies’ managed to save the Major doesn’t mean that we merit more than a Thank You from even the most benevolent of alien races. By his own admission, Kirrahe’s people and the other races of the galaxy are not saintly by any means, and yet here they are… all attempting to get along and willing to forgive such transgressions that few of our own people would have overlooked. This can only mean one thing…” the pink alicorn left it hanging.

“We have something they want.” Luna nodded, finding her earlier outrage cooled as she saw the clear reasoning behind Cadence's words. “But what?”

“What that is I do not know, but I am sure of one thing. And that is that it would ultimately be cheaper and less troublesome for them to acquire whatever it is that they’re after without dealing with us,” Cadence explained. “That these meetings are taking place at all means that the peoples they represent do not wish to cause undue destruction. And we should take them up on that offer of diplomacy because the alternative is not something I wish to imagine.”

The room was quiet for a moment as Celestia and Luna sat in stunned silence as they thought on what she’d said. Finally, it was Celestia who broke the silence.

“Thank you, Cadence. You are right. Perhaps it has been far too long since we, no since I, have dealt with an unknown power.” the mare started slowly as she closed her eyes. “I shall make it a point to apologize to the Commander when next we meet-” she turned to Luna. “-as shall you.”

Luna began to protest but saw the steel in Celestia’s eyes and backed down. “As you wish... sister,” the Princess of the Night said with a frown.

Cadence nodded her head in acceptance and seemed to calm herself. “Good... I’m sorry Aunt Tia but between the two of you...”

“It’s quite alright,” Celestia replied with a small shrug. “The fault is ours, not yours. Perhaps more than anything what we need right now is an honest review of our opinions, but that can wait until we have more information. For now, let us address the other outstanding issue.”

“What other issue?” Luna inquired, still smarting from the lecture that her niece had given her.

“This Commander Shepard. The human leader of this diplomatic corp.” Celestia nodded, “Did you sense anything… unusual from him?” Celestia asked slowly.

Luna and Cadence both frowned, neither comfortable with the question, or the correct assumption that they had appraised the human’s personal aura on such a level. It was considered ‘impolite’ in circles capable of such observations, but from the moment he had made his appearance, Shepard had an overpowering air about him which invoked curiosity. A lure that had proven too strong for any of the three princesses to resist.

“Struggle... and pain,” Cadence replied slowly. “There was so much pain it nearly made me weep at the table. His eyes were the most telling, small as they were. They were ancient eyes that have seen things that no other being has seen. Has achieved what nopony else could achieve. But under it all, where I was expecting to find a jaded, tarnished soul, I found something different, a loving heart… and something else. Hope, I think.”

Celestia nodded. “And what of you sister?”

“I sensed Death, Tia.” Luna scowled. “Nothing but death. The Commander is a slayer of living things and the blood on his hands is heavy and thick, yet he does not care or show regret for those deaths. Killing has become casual to him. But more than that, he is himself unnatural.”

“Unnatural? How so?”

“You remember Orcus? Back before the Pact and before Tartarus had been secured?” Luna asked, drawing a worried look from Cadence and an affirming nod from Celestia. “He reminded me of Orcus’ undead. But as he is missing the obviously necrotic flesh and rot, he does not appear to be. Shepard is alive only because there is something else keeping him that way. I could sense things… metals and energies I have no names for… hidden within his body, keeping his heart beating and his organs functioning. He has the feel of one who has known the far side of the veil for far too long to have recovered on his own, and yet has come back. Such a thing is-”

Luna lowered her head, finally speaking out loud what had kept her on edge since the human had first revealed himself.

“-an abomination… an affront to nature. To claim mastery over death itself. Pony or not, alien or not, no living being should dare.”

The solar monarch’s eyebrow rose slightly but she nodded.

“I see…”

“And what did you feel, Auntie Tia?” Cadence asked, unable to dismiss that she too had gotten such an impression from the human.

“I sensed guilt.” Celestia nodded. “Guilt and sorrow so powerful that it was nearly overwhelming to me. The sort that would crush a normal pony and drive him to seek out the other side of the veil. Until today, I did not believe that another living thing could understand the weight of such suffering.”

Luna looked away, understanding precisely what the oft aloof and mischievous princess of the sun was referring to.

“I was wrong. I do not know what it is that has done this to him or made him into the person that he has become, but to shoulder the weight he has saddled himself with. I would not wish such a burden upon any living creature. And under that is an incredible wariness. One that is wearing him down in ways he doesn’t even comprehend. He is a tragic figure to be certain.” Celestia said slowly with a frown.

There was another moment of silence at this shared revelation before Cadence gave off a small huff.

“Well, Whatever he is, what matters most is that he will have the most impact on this ‘Citadel Council’. Far more than any of the other ambassadors, so you’re both going to have to learn to live with him,” Cadence declared firmly.

“I never had a quarrel with the Commander to begin with.” Celestia murmured with a small frown before shaking her head and moving on. “Cadence, I thank you for your council in this matter. You have given us both much to consider. But now, however, my sister and I have things to discuss that are not for your ears.”

Luna’s eyebrow rose as she turned to Celestia. “Ah... yes we do need to discuss that don’t we?” Celestia simply nodded gravely.

Cadence glanced between the two of them a final time and regarded them with a searching look. “Is this something that the Crystal Empire should be aware of?” she asked, her voice razor sharp.

Celestia shook her head. “No Cadence, it is strictly a family matter.”

The younger alicorn frowned for a moment and then nodded slowly.

“Alright. Tell me when you are discussing things of importance once again.” Then with a stiff nod she strode out of the room, her tail twitching in irritation.

“That was... unexpected,” Celestia said with a small frown.

“Indeed... though perhaps not undeserved.” Luna said with an uneasy look. “I get the feeling that you are not referring to our elder brother.”

“No I am not, Discord will show himself soon enough I am sure. Right now. I think it is past time we talked about Mother,” Celestia answered.

Twilight Sparkle situated herself on a red cushion in her old room in Canterlot’s Library Tower, her door magically locked and sealed to prevent anyone not either related to her or of royal status from entering. As much as she loved her friends, they were likely having their hooves full dealing with the salarian Major Kirrahe and the strangely quiet ‘Talan’ who accompanied him. Her attentions had to be focused elsewhere as she quickly organized dozens of quills and ink bottles along with thousands of pieces of paper in neat hundred-page high stacks.

In front of her, waiting patiently, was the glowing sphere known as Glyph which, as Dr. T’soni had described him, was a sort of living library of information.

To say that the Princess of Friendship was excited at the prospect of being the first pony to have access to a nearly unlimited array of alien knowledge would have been an understatement, if her heart was pounding any faster, she feared it might explode.

“Okay, ummm, Glyph. I just want to make sure. I can ask you about anything and you’ll give me a completely fact based answer?” Twilight asked the VI slowly.

“That is not entirely accurate, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Glyph replied, his voice polite, but clearly not that of a living creature. “I will answer all inquiries to the best of my abilities based on available data. However, Dr. T’Soni has placed blocks on certain subjects marked above a degree of confidentiality.”

“What does that mean?” Twilight asked, her horn aglow as she quickly began to scribble down the notes she hoped would become the basis of her first thesis involving their new alien friends.

“Some topics of knowledge I contain could be damaging to individuals or governments if released to the general public. While Dr T’soni advocates the exchange of data, she is also well aware of the power of information. You will be notified if your inquiries move into restricted topics. Please also be aware that I am maintaining a log of all topics discussed.”

“You’re recording what I am saying?"

“Negative, Princess Sparkle.” Glyph clarified. “My function is in data storage, processing, and distribution. I am not equipped with surveillance gear or the means to make audio or visual records. A record of files of which you request is being maintained to better account for your needs.”

“You said the exchange of data.” Twilight wondered aloud. “Are you going to be asking me questions as well?”

“That will not be required, Princess Sparkle,” Glyph stated. “Although permission to browse and input data from the physical manuscripts kept within this library regarding your species’ history and culture would likely be met with great appreciation from the Citadel Cultural Records division and Dr. T’soni herself.”

“Well, this is the Canterlot Archive. You need royal authority to-”

Twilight had to stop herself from face-hoofing at that remark as her wings shifted on her back.

Right, she ‘was’ a royal authority now. She kept forgetting.

“I mean, sure… after you answer some of my questions.”

“Splendid.” Glyph nodded in the air. “Ready to accept inquiry.”

“Okay...” the mare let out a breath as her mind began to fill with questions.

Where did she even begin?

Did she ask about the races… about their histories and where they came from?

Did she ask about their technology, this amazing ability they had to travel the stars and create devices like Glyph?

Did she ask for clarifications on the things that the ambassador’s had mentioned? The way they spoke of this ‘Reaper War’ so openly and kept referring to things like ‘the cure’ and yet never discussed what it was. She knew that something had recently happened that had led to Major Kirrahe crashing on their world, but what was it?

Then, she considered the answers she had garnered from the table… one in particular that had filled her with more curiosity than anything else.

With a quick exhale she banished the majority of her thoughts as things she could come back to later… focusing on the one question that filled her mind.

“Okay, Glyph…. Who is Commander Shepard?”

“Out of one box and into another.” Rainbow Dash remarked, tapping a hoof impatiently as Pinkie Pie bounced up and down beside her in her usual, oblivious manner. The pair of them standing in the middle of what they were told was the ‘ Decontamination Chamber’ as a line of light repeatedly traced back and forth over them and what looked like steam vented into the room from the top of the chamber.

While Rainbow had been anxious at first (She was pretty sure she was being scanned by aliens, who wouldn’t be nervous?) now it was just getting boring. Sure they were now officially in outer-space and on board an alien ship, but the long minutes this ‘decontamination’ was taking was beginning to wear on the pegasus’ nerves and letting her reflect on the ride up.

True, it had been a rush as she watched the clouds racing past on the ‘monitor’, which acted like a magic window that was linked to see whatever this mechanical eye Admiral Tali’Zorah called an ‘external cam’ could see. Watching the image had been a rush at first, as she watched Canterlot and Equestria disappear in the distance as the ‘Kodiak’ easily broke her altitude record and crossed from the blue skies of Equus into the inky blackness of space.

There was certainly a thrill of wonder at the revelation, but nowhere near as exciting as she thought it should have been. It should have been so many different kinds of awesome, but instead Rainbow had honestly found herself disappointed at the ease and smoothness of the transition, as she remembered descriptions from the various Buck Rangers and Prince of Mares stories she had picked up after finishing the Daring Doo series.

Reality lacked the same fanfare or awe. Pinkie Pie hadn’t even noticed them breaking through the atmosphere as she was busy talking animatedly with Grunt. And she didn’t even get a chance to see Equus, her world, from their once in a lifetime position as the monitor had gone out with Admiral Tali coming out from the front of the craft to say they were approaching their ship.

Much to Rainbow’s growing disappointment, she hadn’t even gotten a chance to see the ship from the outside because there were no windows on the shuttle, something that bugged her all the more as she felt a subtle jerking stop and the doorway to the Kodiak opened to reveal another small, enclosed room.

She hated cramped quarters almost as much as she hated losing, which was to say ‘a lot’.

To her great relief, it had been explained to her that this was merely a foyer (they called it ‘the airlock’) to the ship itself and that before they came aboard, they all had to go through something called ‘decontamination’.

Commander Shepard and Tali had gone through with Grunt first before the two ponies to show them that it was safe, but Dash’s eyes had still glanced around the room worriedly as she entered, images of alien torture rooms from comic books raced through her mind as the doorway to the shuttle had closed.

She and Pinkie were not alone, thankfully, as Doctor T’soni stood a little ways behind them, her stance and posture completely relaxed as it seemed she was well used to what was happening.

“Ms. Pie, this entire procedure may go more quickly if you were to hold still for a moment.” Liara offered, her tone patient, but clearly distracted. “Your moving around may be causing the delay.”

“Hehe, but it tickles!” Pinkie said brightly between squeals of laughter as a beam of light raced over the contours of her body.

In spite of the advice to keep still, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help fidgeting uncomfortably, not liking the tingling feeling over her fur and skin in the least as it passed over her yet again. “Unhh, does this thing go faster!?” she exclaimed impatiently. “I mean, space travel is supposed to be all zooms and whirs and zaps, isn’t it? What’s this thing supposed to do anyways!”

“It’s a decontamination, a standard procedure for most vessels. It is meant to prevent any microbes or germs from getting onto the ship… although even with Ms. Pie’s movements, it shouldn’t be taking this long.” Liara commented, moving up past Rainbow and pressing a small green button next to the door at the far end.

“Is everything alright in there?” He queried.

“Yeah, are you going to let us out or what?” Rainbow spoke up, recognizing this concept from the communicators in her stories.

“We’re working on it! Just hold your horses,” A new and sarcastic sounding male voice spoke out from the very walls, immediately reminding Rainbow of the time Discord had used an ethereal voice without showing himself. “Hold on, I didn’t just make that pun did I? Oh crap… anyways, we just got to make sure that you don’t infect us with some sort of native super-virus or something.”

“Hey, we’re not sick you annoying invisible voice!” Rainbow shouted back. There was a peal of laughter from the intercom and it took several seconds for it to be silenced.

“Hold on, was that the ambassador talking or are we letting kids on the Normandy for tours now?”

“Who are you calling a kid?” Rainbow puffed up, bolting nearly a meter into the air and almost cracking her head on the ceiling as she looked around defensively. “Do I ‘look’ like a goat?”

“You don’t want me to answer that… anyways, you’re not setting foot in my ship until I know that we won’t all suddenly start spouting ridiculous colored feathers or sneezing our lungs out out, okay?” the voice shot back.

“Oh, then we’re fine.” Pinkie Pie announced triumphantly as she ceased bouncing but maintained her grin. “We don’t have feet, you can let us in.”

Dash was about to say something else when the beam stopped moving over them almost as soon as Pinkie stopped bouncing and the uncomfortable tingling feeling started to fade.

“Finally,” she muttered as the door in front of them opened.

Stepping out of the chamber, Rainbow and Pinkie found themselves standing in what looked like another small room that opened up to the left, revealing Commander Shepard and Admiral Tali waiting for them while another being, a human judging from the sideways glance, was sitting in a chair to their left.

“Ambassador Rainbow Dash, Ambassador Pinkie Pie.” Shepard nodded with a smile and pulling his arm up in what Rainbow recognized as a salute. “Welcome aboard the Normandy.”

“Oh, uhh…” Rainbow reeled for a moment, unsure how to respond. “Thank you, Commander. To tell the truth, I was starting to get a little concerned about being in that room.”

“Yeah, Dashie doesn’t like small places. She’s got closet-hobia.” Pinkie blabbed in a hushed whispering tone that was easily heard by all present and caused the mare in question to huff at the implication.

“Claus-tro-phobia, Pinkie,” Rainbow corrected before a pang of embarrassment made her cheeks flush as she bolted to dismiss the idea. “And I do not!”

“I apologize for the delay but the decontamination system had to determine what was ‘normal’ for your species since you’re the first that have ever come aboard an Alliance Ship,” The Commander offered. “Now I am sure that you are eager to see the rest of the ship. And Admiral Tali’zorah will be happy to give you a tour.” Tali nodded pleasantly as the Commander gestured to her, although it was hard to tell if she was actually smiling on account of the helmet she wore. “Before she does however, I wanted to start with some ground rules.”

“Aw come on, aren’t you going to let us explore?” Dash asked, sounding a little downtrodden.

“No.” Shepard answered firmly, his tone not allowing for any debate on the matter. “The Normandy SR-2 is a fully operational spacecraft. With all due respect, Ambassador, this is not a place to run around. The crew is made up of trained professionals, each of which have a duty to perform in order to ensure that the ship itself remains safe for all on board.”

“This isn’t a playground, Ambassador.” Tali stepped forward before she knelt down to be more at eye level with Rainbow and Pinkie. “Accidents on this ship, even minor slips or innocent mistakes, have the potential to cost people their lives. While I am happy to show Normandy to you, I ask that you respect this ship and the people working on it. Please, let’s keep this professional.”

Rainbow, a little taken aback by the plea, found herself nodding.

She didn’t like this… she felt like she was being treated like a foal.

But then again, as she looked to her left to the complicated series of glowing panels and screens the human there was touching, she supposed there was a reason for that.

“Now, rules while you are visiting us here: Firstly, no assaulting any members of my crew with cannons, regardless what they are loaded with.” he told them while directing his gaze at Pinkie, who merely pouted and raised a hoof to ask a question.

“And no, I don’t care if they ask for it.”

The mare dropped her hoof back to the ground and the Commander continued.

“Secondly, you are both to stay within sight of either Tali or another member of the ground team at all times. If they ask you not to touch something, please follow their instructions. This is as much for your own safety as that of the rest of the crew.” Shepard paused a moment, looking to both mares, who merely nodded in confirmation. “Thirdly, please do not interrupt the crew’s work. These people are specialists and most of them are very busy. While the entire crew has been briefed on our mission and your situation, only the ground team and a few other specific individuals have been given access to the special translation program we use to communicate. so don’t be surprised if most of the crew can’t understand you and visa-versa.”

“I’ll be happy to answer what questions I can, and if I can’t answer the questions, I am sure someone in the ground team can. Do you have any objections to these rules?”

“No, ma’am.” Rainbow nodded. As much as she would like to explore on her own, she did have to admit that she could see exactly where the Commander was coming from.

“We won’t be any trouble, Promise… or better yet, Pinkie Promise.” Pinkie cocked her head for a moment and then nodded before quickly running through a rapid series gestures with her hoof before she concluded with placing her hoof over her eye.

Shepard raised an eyebrow at the display but simply nodded and turned to Rainbow Dash.

“That’s all I ask. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have my own duties to attend to. Liara, could you join me in the Conference Room?”

Liara looked up in surprise at her name, having clearly not been paying attention as the commander had given the two ponies the rundown.

“I’m sorry Shepard, would you mind repeating that?” she asked.

Shepard’s eyes narrowed in concern at the asari’s obvious distraction.

“Liara, are you alright?”

“I…” Liara thought for a moment and then shook her head. “My apologies, Commander...but I’m afraid I might be suffering from a little fatigue. It’s nothing, really. I’m fine.”

“We need everyone at their best.” Shepard stated, “Perhaps Dr. Chakwas should have a look at you.”

“I… yes, I believe you’re right.” Liara admitted after a moment of hesitation. “I’ll head down to the infirmary immediately… make sure I’m not coming down with something.”

“Keelah, I hope not. Believe me, I know how bad being sick on a mission is.” Tali stated with friendly concern in her voice.

“Oh so do I! I got super sick after eating this one batch of muffins that Applejack made out of potato chips and a bunch of other icky stuff,” Pinkie pipped in. “Nopony came out of that happy, … oh except Spike.”

“Uhhh, right,” Tali nodded, clearly not understanding the reference or even who ‘Spike’ was, but obviously wanting to get started. “So, Ambassadors, where would you like to start?”

“The Bridge!” Dash opted immediately. “I want to see all of the swivel chairs and that one big platform with the captain sitting in it!”

Tali’s mask made it hard for Rainbow to interpret her expression, but she could swear there was a hint of amusement in her eyes for a moment before she shrugged.

“This is the Bridge,” Tali told them as Shepard and Liara took the opportunity to exit through the closed door, which snapped shut again while Rainbow’s mouth hung open in shock, looking at the small area where the single human sat running his hands over the glowing screens.

“What? That’s it?” Rainbow Dash asked, clearly disappointed. “Where is the big screen to talk to the attacking other ships? Or the huge window looking out into space so you can steer the ship?”

“Wait, what?” A harsh bark of laughter came from the man in the chair before it swiveled around to show Rainbow Dash and Pinkie a thin human with a furred growth around his chin and wearing a blue hat with alien letters on it. “Seriously? You would have a huge window on the bow of the ship to steer? That’s like using a microscope to sprint through a forest.”

“Hey, you’re that annoying invisible voice!” Dash exclaimed in recognition as she pointed a hoof at him. “Wait, I can understand you?”

“Yeah, I got the new edition of hooked-on-phonics. I’m special like that.”

“OOH, what’s your name?” Pinkie inquired, somehow appearing in front of the man even though Tali hadn’t seen her move. “Oh wait! Are you the Captain?”

“Captain? Oh hell no… you couldn’t pay me enough to do that job.” The human shook his head, clearly amused at the attempt to stroke his ego. “I’m Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. But you can call me Joker, Ambassador. Everybody does. I’m the helmsman of the Normandy SR-2, the flagship of the United Galactic Fleet. Which makes me the best damn pilot in the galaxy!” he declared proudly.

“Joker…” Tali shook her head, her voice clearly chastising.

“What? It’s true.”

“Ha, as if. I’m the best flyer in the galaxy!” Rainbow Dash boasted, drawing an amused look from the human.

“Oh yeah? With what? Paper airplanes? Or those stumpy little wings?” Joker asked sarcastically.

“Stumpy? Little!?” Dash shouted, flaring her wings and obviously infuriated by the insult.

“Look, I’m sure you do great jumping through hoops, Ambassador-”

“Joker!” Tali started again, a bit more harshness to her tone, clearly not wanting the pilot to offend the two diplomats.

“-But compared to Normandy, well yeah, no contest.” the man replied.

“You want to say that to my face?” Rainbow Dash glared.

“I kinda already did?” Joker stated with a grin.

“Oh, It -Is- ON! I’m the fastest thing alive! So put your bits where your mouth is! Bring this thing down into open sky and I’ll outstripe this tin can like a rocket over a butterfly!” Rainbow Dash shot back, puffing her chest out. Joker looked at her for a moment before he burst into laughter.

“Hold on! You? Versus the Normandy? In a race?” He gasped between laughs. “Oh, and you’re serious too. Oh god… you know what? Sure! You’re on, but once I win then I’m gonna have to ask you to give up your title!”

“Deal!” Rainbow Dash replied angrily, not taking notice of the way the quarian was setting a palm to the dome of her helmet. “You’ll be eating my rainbows for the next week!”

The two glared at each other for several seconds before Joker raised an eyebrow again. “You know what, Ambassador? You’re alright.”

“Likewise,” Dash replied with a small smile.

“But your wings are still stumpy,” Joker added.

“Well you smell funny. When was the last time you washed that hat?”

Before Joker could reply, Pinkie glanced at the empty station beside the helmsman.

“Why is that seat empty?” She inquired while pointing at the station.

The joy and bravdo seemed to drain out of Joker’s face in an instant and he suddenly swiveled his chair back to the face away from the three, not answering. Pinkie opened her mouth, perhaps to ask again, but Tali placed a three fingered hand on her shoulder and shook her head before she silently motioned for the two to follow her off the bridge and into the CIC

Shepard moved into the com’s room and quickly entered the code to contact the Council. While he was used to a swift response, the fact that all four of the harried, often overburdened leaders of the galactic community sent their ready-signals within five minutes of his invitation was troubling.

A mere moment later as the communications were established, the holographic likenesses of all four Councilors appeared before him, each standing beside the other as they regarded Shepard with a mixture of anticipation and curiosity.

“Shepard, good to see you. I gather by the lack of any new holes or bloodstains in your uniform that your visit with the Equestrian leadership went well?” Hackett inquired, speaking up first.

“You could say that, Sir. There were a couple of rough spots in the First Contact, but we’ve succeeded in opening a dialogue as well as establishing diplomatic relations. And I’m pleased to inform the Council that no one was injured in the process.” Shepard replied with a small nod. “However I don’t believe that our presence was met with unanimous approval. it is clear that there are elements within the Equestrian government that are opposed to the concept of ‘aliens’ in general.”

“That’s to be expected, I can think of no species that is entirely comfortable towards their first extraterrestrial visitors.” Tevos nodded, although her tone was concerned. “I would hope that this opposition does not speak for the majority.”

“I don’t believe so, it’s clear that among their leaders, Princess Celestia wears the biggest crown, both figuratively and literally. My impression is that she is an open minded and progressive ruler, but she is also extremely protective of her people.”

“Yes yes, while we are all in agreement that it is good that the Commander has managed to avoid his usual methods of diplomacy, we need to address the more pressing matter? Have you managed to open trade talks?” Sparatus asked impatiently.

“Not yet.” Shepard replied cooly.

Something was wrong.

“Why not? That was your first priority.” Sparatus said, annoyance clear in his voice.

“With all due respect, sir.” Shepard began, smiling slightly within his mind at using the phrase. It always reminded him of Ashley. “The situation on the ground here is delicate. And new information has come to our attention that indicates it is about to become even more complicated.”

Sparatus raised a hand as if he was about to speak (harshly judging by his expression) before he was flagged down by a shake of the head from Tevos.

Something was very wrong.

“Commander, perhaps you should elaborate on your recent developments.” she said diplomatically.

“To begin with, the political situation on Equus is not as cut and dry as we first believed. Celestia and Luna are immensely influential, but there seems to be an overarching multi-national government already in place. I haven’t been able to garner any details yet, but they call it the ‘Equus Pact’.” Shepard began.

“We were under the impression from Kirrahe’s reports that Celestia was the primary policy maker on Equus. The Major described her as an almost deity-like figure.” Valern pointed out with a rapid blink of his eyes.

“That seems accurate from what I have seen. Celestia’s command presence appears to be overwhelming to the natives. But based on what we’ve uncovered, she is hardly omnipotent or infallible. Over the course of our meeting, I was informed that she has already invited representatives from at least six other species to participate in the opening of relations.” Shepard answered.

“We don’t have time for a committee to be assembled, Shepard.” Sparatus objected. “Especially not at the pace of a Pre-Industrial Age Species. Gathering representatives from across the globe could take weeks at the very-”

“I have been assured that the other species have a short window of time to attend, Councillor.” Shepard explained quickly. “Seven local days. The invitation was sent five days ago. According to our calculations, that means we have approximately thirty-nine galactic standard hours before that deadline ends. Any diplomats who haven’t arrived in that time frame won’t have a voice in our discussions.”

That drew a moment of silence from the Council for a moment.

“And likely, each nation’s representatives will have their own agenda. This... is going to be difficult, Shepard.” Hackett said at last. “It took the Systems Alliance almost a decade after First Contact to organize well enough to even begin negotiating with Council Space, and even then it was only able to do so by superseding Earth’s National Governments. If we are looking at a similar situation here-”

“We don’t have a decade to wait!” Sparatus started forward again.

“I understand that, Councillor, which actually brings up my reason for calling in.” Shepard said, a frown on his face. “We need additional support. My crew… the Ambassadors of our governments, are doing a fine job of representing the galactic community on a personal level, but frankly, none of us have the administrative background or training to handle multiple new cultures. To say nothing of trying to work out a suitable agreement for the rights to the system’s resources. I am having a difficult time understanding why Normandy wasn’t assigned a Diplomatics Corp. to try and help us sort this out.” A drop of venom had worked its way into the Commander’s voice and he looked at the council through narrowed eyes.

This too drew a moment of silence, however this one dragged on for over a minute as the Councilors internally debated how to answer his question. Then with a heavy sigh Tevos spoke, her voice full of weariness.

“Because Commander… we have none to spare.” The asari told him.

“What do you mean?” the Commander asked, clearly caught off guard by the answer.

“In the last year, let’s just say that the occupation of ‘Diplomacy’ has taken something of a hit.” Hackett stated calmly. “A vast majority of the galaxy’s ranking ambassadors and diplomats were killed during the War. Some were indoctrinated on futile attempts to ‘discuss terms’ with the Reapers while most were slaughtered along with everyone else in line. The Citadel’s Diplomatic Offices were all but eradicated between the Cerberus Coup and the Reaper Occupation of the Station. And the precious few that are left are scattered across the galaxy and busy trying to keep all of the people that you united from turning on each other.”

“The Reapers also specifically targeted government officials during their planetary campaigns.” Valern added with a sigh. “Ironically, it seems that soldiers had the highest survival rate in the galaxy, although not by much. There are voids of manpower and expertise in every industrial sector and those shortcomings are beginning to catch up with us. Commander, as much as we dislike sending you on a mission like this, as it stands, you are the most accomplished Diplomat left in Citadel space.”

“And now Commander it is your duty to gain us the bounty of the Equus System, by whatever means you deem necessary.” Sparatus declared.

“Within reason.” Tevos nodded, clearly wanting to cover her bases. “But if we must uplift the Equestrians to gain their cooperation, so be it.”

The bold declaration along with the facts that preceded it hit Shepard in the chest and it took him a moment to recover. “But...” he trailed off with a shake of his head.

Uplift? The mere fact that the option was suggested indicated the sheer desperation here, something that was pushing all of the Councilors out of their comfort zone.

“Alright. I’ll get it done.”

“I know you will Shepard,” Hackett said with a thin smile.

“Keep us appraised of the situation, Commander… and good luck.” Valern nodded, before the holograms broke apart in unison, the shared channel disconnected.

Much to Shepard’s surprise, however, Hackett’s image shimmered out of for a moment before re-solidifying, indicating that he had switched over from one QEC line to another.

“Shepard, do you still copy?”

“Loud and Clear, Sir.” Shepard nodded, trying to hide his surprise.

“I had the QEC from my old flagship installed in my office as a private line. Glad to see that Specialist Traynor hasn’t disconnected it from the Normandy’s communications array.” Hackett explained, his earlier rigid posture and stern demeanor gone. “We needed to talk without the others looming.”

“What’s happened, Councillor?” Shepard asked. “Sparatus has been hostile before, but now--”

“There was an assassination attempt on Primarch Victus twelve hours ago.” Hackett explained. “The Primarch was wounded, but he’s stable. The Turian High Command is trying to keep it under wraps, but the incident has sent ripples across the Turian Hierarchy.”

“Were the assassins indoctrinated?” Shepard asked.

There had been reports, he had been told, that there were still individuals across the galaxy that had suffered from Reaper Indoctrination when the Crucible had fired. It was one of the primary reasons he had been kept under such strict guard during his recovery, as he learned (much to Tali’s regret) that there had been no shortage of people eager to ensure he was sent back to the grave.

While there were no longer commands being sent to them by their terrible masters, that didn’t mean that all was well. Many had suffered psychotic breakdowns as a result while others had simply melded back into society, plagued by psychoses of their own as a result of the Reapers’ manipulations.

“No… and that is why Sparatus is so on edge.” Hackett answered. “The attempt was made by one of their own generals, acting on behalf of a faction of Turian Separatists advocating an imperialist push now that the rest of the galaxy has been weakened.”

“We just finished fighting a war with the Reapers… and now there are Turians that want to keep’ fighting in a war of conquest?” Shepard asked, unable to mask his disgust.

“The ultra-conservative elements of turian space have been a problem for generations, ever since the Turian Unification War. But the Hierarchy has never let them gain any ground. Their most successful attempt to overthrow the High Command was at Taetrus, and you remember how that turned out.”

“The turians cleaned house after the Taetrus Separatists blew up the capital city.” Shepard nodded, remembering well the headlines from back before the ill fated mission to ‘rescue’ Dr. Kenson.

“With overwhelming force.” Hackett nodded.

Shepard suddenly saw where this was going.

“Overwhelming force they don’t have any more.”

“Exactly.” Hackett nodded. “They smell the blood in the water and they are only the beginning. We are also receiving reports of an increase in pirate raiders along the systems bordering the Terminus that the STG believe are intending to probe our response. And to top it all off there is the personnel shortage. The only thing we have working in our favor right now is that public support is rallied behind the Council in appreciation for saving them from the Reapers. But as soon as the Irune Credit Report is made public, we’re going to have millions of unemployed, desperate, and disenfranchised civilians across the galactic stage.”

“An intergalactic war of extinction, an impending economic crisis, Terminus pirates crawling out of the woodwork, and now overzealous goosestepping turians...” Shepard trailed off for a moment before his eyes hardened and he looked back at Hackett. “Sir...this is ridiculous.”

Hackett looked at him sadly and Shepard saw a life of fighting disasters in his eyes. “I know son... I know.”

“And the Council really thinks that the material resources of four planets, no matter how wealthy, is going to fix all of that?”

“It’s not a simple matter of the financial gains, Commander.” Hackett explained. “What the galaxy needs right now is the assurance that the worst is over. That things will get better. A sudden influx of raw material wealth will be used to encourage private business interests, get the galactic market back on its feet and start looking to train and replace personnel for the roles that are needed,” Hackett paused for a moment before continuing. “Add to that the possible new innovations that the Equestrians and their fellow species may be able to share with us and the galaxy will start to see the light on the horizon.”

Shepard was quiet for a moment, considering the impact that an entirely new market, with an estimated population of at least a few hundred million potential producers and consumers, might have on the galaxy. How the signs that there were still places unspoiled by the tragedy that was the Reaper War would play out in the Media and beyond. And how that little bit of good news would sour the pitch of those ranting that the powers that be had abandoned them and they were better off fighting for themselves.

“What we need is the beginning of a return to normalcy where interplanetary combat and full-focus defense are not the end-all of the average galactic citizen’s life. But that normalcy needs a kick-start. We need this windfall to turn the economy around.” Hackett stated after a few moments of silence.

Shepard nodded, recognizing that this mission carried with it a simple rule that had become the crux of his career.

“Failure is not an option.”

“It never is Shepard... it never is,” Hackett replied

Liara lay back on the ridged medical bed in the Normandy’s Infirmary, staring up at the ceiling with an anxious concern as Doctor Karen Chakwas, a long trusted medical physician with an astounding degree of understanding alien biology, slowly moved her omni-tool over the asari’s bare blue midriff.

Liara tried to steady her breathing and wait patiently, knowing full well that the results of this confirmation or dismissal of this test would impact the rest of her natural life. It was times like this she envied human females, who could have had their condition diagnosed in mere seconds by modern medicine.

Unfortunately, Asari were far more complicated in that respect, and at this early stage in her supposed condition, it was immensely difficult to detect even in Asari Space with her own species physicians.

The minutes ticked by slowly, with Liara biting her bottom lip nervously as she waited for the Doctor’s pronouncement.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Chakwas put away the device and sighed.

“Congratulations Liara, it’s a girl.” Chakwas told her with a small smile.

Liara’s face palmed.

“That’s… not funny.”

“I couldn’t resist.” The older human woman shook her head, her smile deepening. “But still, congratulations. You’re about six or seven months along, still very early term for your kind. Expecting mothers usually don’t start showing signs until after the first year. I assume that you and Feron…?”

“N...no.” Liara shook her head, although for a moment, Chakwas wasn’t sure if the negative had been aimed towards her ‘condition’ or at denying the implied parentage.

“Ah…” The Doctor nodded, her tone shifting to the more professional as she recognized the Shadow Broker’s emotional state as one of panic. “I take it this wasn’t planned? I was under the impression that an Asari had to choose to allow it to happen during the neural bonding process in order to-”

“No.” Liara started, then shook her head, at a clear lost for words. “I mean, yes. But- I didn’t- It was an impulse. I mean, I didn’t think that- Goddess I barely expected to survive after it happened. It didn’t seem like there was anything left to lose, and--”

“Of course. I am sure that considering what was happening around the estimated time of conception it was a spur of the moment decision. Although if this is a real problem, there is another option-" Chakwas began, but was cut off by an angry glare from the asari.

"NO!" Liara all but shouted. “THAT alternative is not and will never be on the table!”

"I was going to suggest adoption." Chakwas said dryly, hardly surprised by the objection or the protective tone in her voice.

Then, a realization dawned.

“Liara.” She asked. “Who is the father?”

A look of horror filled the information dealer’s eyes as her mouth worked a moment without making a sound.

Her mute response was all of the confirmation that Chakwas needed.

“I see.”

“You mustn't tell him!” Liara exclaimed fearfully. “If he knew that I…. I mean, it would endanger the mission if he learned about this! Shawn already has enough on his mind, adding this might be the final chip that topples Athame’s tower.”

“What?” Chakwas asked as she deactivated her omni-tool.

“It’s an old asari expression,” Liara replied, calming as she finally sat up and closed the front of her white scientist suit. “Although after spending some time with Javik I doubt that story as we tell it is exactly accurate. I believe it has a human equivalent, something about straw and camels,” Liara continued.

“That’s one of the things I’ve always found interesting about the different races of the galaxy... no matter how different we appear to be from one another, we all have these things that connect us,” she added, unaware that she seemed to be rambling.

“Liara... what do you intend to do about this?” Chakwas asked after the Asari had paused. “Asari have the longest pregnancy of any galactic species, but I rather doubt that you’ll be able to avoid Shepard for the next three years without him taking some notice.”

“Oh... Goddess... what am I going to tell him?” Liara asked, more to herself then to Chakwas.

“I recommend the truth,” the doctor told her. “Although I would agree with you, now is not the right time to do so.”

“I just- I don’t know how I could have let it happen... I mean... I know it was a desperate time and I may not have been thinking very clearly, but I thought that...” Liara shook her head, her tone growing frantic. “Ergh... one moment of stupidity... just one and-”

“Liara?” Chakwas’ own expression took on a little more firmness as she crossed her arms.

“I’ll only be a hundred and ten next month. I’ve never heard of any maiden actually allowing herself to- I won’t reach the Matron stage for another two hundred years at least. I don’t know anything about raising a daughter! And my father, what will she think? Goddess, what was I thinking? Did I really have so little faith that we would pull through? And if so, then what right did I have to do that when it could have been so easily snuffed out?”

“Enough,” Chakwas interrupted her sternly. “You can not beat yourself up over this Liara. Regardless of how it happened or what you were thinking when it happened, the fact remained that it ‘did’ happen. Thankfully you have time to come to terms with it. For now, however, Shepard needs you, the crew needs you, and this child needs you.”

Liara quieted for a moment and then nodded slowly as she began to get up from the cot. “I-of course doctor... you won’t tell him will you?”

“Of course not, doctor patient-confidentiality is a sacred trust after all.” Chakwas replied with a slight scoff, feeling a surge of nostalgia as she remembered her lunches with a certain salarian scientist. “But you should tell him. I somehow doubt that he will react badly to the news.”

“It’s not his reaction I’m worried about.” Liara said as she got to her feet and started to walk out of the infirmary.

“Liara, one last question.” Chakwas waved her down as she moved towards her own terminal. “Most asari, even experienced mothers with multiple children, usually can’t tell if they have actually managed to conceive until almost a year after the bonding. How did you know that you were pregnant?”

“As strange as it sounds…” Liara shook her head, her panic subsiding enough to recognize what it was that started this rush for the truth. “One of the Equestrian Princesses told me. I’m sorry, Doctor. I... I have some research to do.”

“Yes, of course.” The doctor nodded, turning to the monitor at her station as she brought up the full-spectrum medical scans that Shepard had ordered to be taken during the most recent decontamination. “So do I.”

The bridge may have been a letdown to Rainbow Dash, but the CIC (Command Information Center) had more than made up for it with the flashing computers and the Galaxy Map at its center. Even better, Admiral Tali had made it a point to show them where in the swirling cloud of light their home was, as well as bringing up a realistic display of the four planets and the star of what had been officially dubbed the ‘Serenity System’.

From there, hoping to maintain the sense of awe, Tali led Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie into engineering, intending to ease them into their tour with a close up look at the Tantalus Drive core. She was rewarded for this decision to skip the crew level for the time being as the two ponies stood stock still in wonder of the shimmering blue orb of raw, Eezo driven power.

“OOOooooohhhhhHHHH~ what is that? Can I touch it? Please? I bet it tickles!” Pinkie exclaimed with a grin, bouncing excitedly as the enormous engine hummed.

The quarian stared at her for a moment before chuckling.

“That, Ambassador Pie, is the Tantalus Drive. And I'm afraid the answer is 'No. You can’t touch it.' This as close as you want to get to it while it's active. If you were to move up next to it right now while it's active, it might tickle for about half a second before it, to borrow a human expression, turned you into a pancake,” Tali explained.

Pinkie frowned, a look of perplexment on her features.. “Wait, it makes pancakes? I thought this was Enginnering, not the kitchen?"

Rainbow, finally able to shake off her sense of awe, managed to resist berating her pink friend's silliness and instead tried to reassert a cool, confident air

"Well, it certainly looks cool, but what does it do, exactly?”

“The Tantalus Core is the heart of the Normandy, it's what allows for interstellar travel.” Tali explained expertly. "The Core contains a refined mass of a substance known to the galaxy as 'Element Zero' or Eezo. When Element Zero is subjected to an electrical charge, it creates the 'Mass Effect', a phenomenon which is the basis for almost all galactic technology."

'Mass Effect, huh? Sounds like it would be a SWEET name for a sci-fi series.' Rainbow considered privately before putting forward the obvious question. "And what does the Mass Effect do exactly?"

"It depends on the circumstances. at its most basic principle, it can raise or lowers the mass of an object. Make it heavier or lighter."

"Oh, well, that doesn't sound that useful." Rainbow tilted her head curiously, still looking at the drive. "How does making things heavier or lighter help anything?”

"You would be surprised, Ambassador Dash." Tali had to hide a smirk, amazed at the naivete of the pony in front of her. "For example, if you lower the mass of an object, it means you can use less force to make it move. Lower the mass enough and it becomes less than weightless, meaning that it is no longer restrained by the laws of physics. Inertia, friction, all of these things become insignificant. That is what the Drive Core does, it creates a bubble of 'negative' mass for the Normandy to fall into. Then when our engines push us, the tiniest thrust can send us careening through space at subluminal speeds."

“Oh, OH! I get it! So it’s what makes that Joker guy think he can beat me in a race?” Rainbow Dash asked, finally turning away from the core.

“I would think so, yes.” Tali replied, trying not to smirk at what Rainbow had managed to take away from the impromptu science lesson.

“Well, Mass Effect or No Mass Effect, I’m going to beat him anyways!” Dash boasted, clicking a back hoof into the floor plate.

It was all that Tali could do not to shake her head at the futility of that boast, and she was grateful for her helmet because it meant that Rainbow couldn't see the condescending smirk on her face.

As impressive as the Pegasus’s ability of self-sustained flight was, this was the Normandy she was challenging, a vessel that could outrun Reaper ships over short distances.. Even in an atmosphere with the sub-light engines cut off, She had less of a chance than a naked volus in a Krogan bare-handed wrestling tournament.

"Oh hello there!" Pinkie suddenly waved one foreleg, looking past Tali, who had not taken note when the door to enginnering had opened and two very particular humans had walked in on the tour.

“~~Oh my God, they are so adorable~~!”

“~~What the hell are you doing~~?”

"~~I don't know why, but I have the most insane urge to just walk up and hug one of them.~~"

"~~Well knock it off before you cause some sort of diplomatic incident. These are intelligent alien ambassadors, not theme park mascots.~~"

"~~I can't explain it, but I there's something about their hair. I kinda want to brush it.~~"

"~~Okay, Fornax is one thing, Kenneth, but that's just twisted, even for you.~~

"~~You wouldn't happen to have a brush on you, would you Gabby?~~"

"They talk funny." Pinkie tilted her head, clearly confused as to why she couldn't understand the two humans that had walked in on them, even as they exchanged words. "What's their names? And what are they saying?"

"They are just... surprised to see you, Ambassador." Tali covered, tapping on her omni-tool to transfer the Equestrian Lexicon that Kirrahe had shared with them. After a moment, both human's omni-tools lit up as they assimilated the information.

"Okay, there we go. Let's try that again with a bit more diplomacy in mind. Gabby, Kenneth, this is Ambassador Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash of Equestria, they are visiting as emissaries for their species to tour the Normandy." Tali told the pair, hoping that they would have the sense to behave themselves now that what they were saying would be auto-translated for the two ponies.

"Engineer Gabriella Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly, at your service, Ambassadors." The female of the pair nodded with a pleasant smile.

"OOH new friends!” Pinkie exclaimed, somehow managing to bounce over to the two. “I’m Pinkie Pie, what are you two doing down here?”

“We work here.” Gabby explained, giving her best diplomatic smile. “Somebody has to keep Normandy running smoothly.”

“Oh? How do you do that?” Pinkie asked looking at the control panel with interest. “I bet it has to do with that big red button right?”

“I am afraid that is a bit technical,” Gabby said with a concerned look, not wanting to divulge potentially valuable info to the ambassadors.

“And besides, we wouldn’t want to bore you with the tech, Ambassador.” Kenneth nodded, managing to contain himself now that he was aware that the two ponies could understand him. “Besides, it gets complicated fast and we wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”

"What do you mean strain myself? I'm smart." Pinkie asked, a pleading look in her eyes that turned to indignation when she heard Rainbow Dash snicker at the comment. “HEY! I’m plenty smart.”

“Well, if you insist.” Gabriella smirked slightly. “Tell her about the power array, Kenneth.”

“Of course.” The male human with the odd accent nodded back to his coworker, a smile on his face as he took note of Tali shaking her head in amusement, well aware of the human’s propensity to go into painfully detailed rundowns of the technical systems that left all but the most astute engineers in the dust. “It works like this, Ambassador Pie: Normandy’s power grid is made up of a symbiotic dual-energy power system generated by the main fusion battery located in the substructure between this deck and the hangar bay below. To supplement this there are also Helium-3 fuel cells that provide additional kick to our shields when there is a power draw, say when we are struck by a micro-meteor. My primary job is to maintain the systems and other components, like the FTL-Attenuator Array and power couplings so that they can constantly feed energy to major areas of the ship when they need it most.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, having clearly lost the plot after the first sentence or so.

“You follow me so far?” Kenneth asked, his own smile clearly amused by Rainbow’s reaction while Pinkie Pie still smiled blankly.

“Sure.” Pinkie nodded, “The power grid is made up of a symbiotic dual-energy power system generated by the main fusion battery, which is located under our hooves in the substructure between this deck and the hangar bay. But that’s not always enough so you use Helium-3 fuel cells to supplement it and give it that extra little kick to your shields when there is a power draw, like when you get hit by a tiny shooting star. Your special talent is keeping everything cleaned up and running, like the FTL-Attenuator Array and power couplings so that they can put power to wherever it’s needed.”

Pinkie Pie continued to hold her smile while Donnelly’s, Daniel’s, and Tali’s had all faded, all eyes on the pink pony.

“Why do you use the Helium-3 though? The way you wave it off, it sounds like an inferior system, like a second thought compared to the fusion plant. I mean, wouldn’t it make more sense to have two fusion plants if all the fuel cells do is add a kick, I mean redundant systems would make it harder for something to go wrong rather than having just a backup that isn’t as good. Although all and all, it sounds a little unsafe. If all that power is being generated below us and there is a problem at the top of the ship and in the bottom of the ship, wouldn’t the power draw be overburdened? That can’t be good for anypony in this room since this is where all the power has to sort itself out and transfer throughout the ship, right? And it’s gotta put out A LOT of heat, like a small sun, if it’s creating that much energy. Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Well, it would be if not for the-” Donnelly’s eyes were wide with shock, his bemused expression clearly wiped off his face. “-Thermal...coupling that we installed a few months back.”

Tali stared at the mare, as did Ken and Gabby.

“Bloody hell!” Ken exclaimed earning an annoyed look from Gabby.

“I… think that concludes our tour of enginnering.” Tali suddenly moved forward, waving the two engineers away before she started towards the door, clearly indicating for the two ponies to follow.

Rainbow would have taken notice of the suddenly worried tone in the quarian’s voice if she wasn’t looking at Pinkie with an expression of utter shock and awe.

“How did you do that?” Rainbow asked.

“Do what? All I did was follow along, it wasn’t that hard. Bye Kenny! Bye Gabby! We’ll see you soon!” Pinkie waved. “Oh, and maybe you should check those couplings, just in case, Kenneth, I think I heard something rattling in there.”

The door from enginnering closed, leaving the two engineers alone in the engine room, standing in mute silence for a moment.

“Kenneth… what just--”

“Shhh.” Donnelly shushed her, focusing on the hum of the room and taking a breath through his teeth as he made out a very faint rattling in the ceiling overhead.

“Uhhh, I think… I’m going to check those FTL couplings… you know… just to be safe.” The engineer stated, clearly concerned at his encounter with the pre-spaceflight diplomat from Equus.

Shepard moved into the infirmary with a quickened step and a concerned look on his face.

Chakwas had paged him almost the second that he’d finished speaking with Hackett, informing him that she had to speak with him immediately.

For as long as he had known Karen Chakwas, Shepard had never known her to force an issue. The fact that she was requesting his presence like this indicated that this was something urgent.

Of course his initial worry was that it was something to do with Liara. The asari had never really let on when she was tired or gone so quickly to seek Chakwas’ aid, not even back aboard the first Normandy. His concern was lessened when he realized that she was not there, however… instead finding the Normandy’s medical officer standing at her desk, watching a monitor as data scrolled by.

“Oh good, you’re here Commander,” Chakwas said with a small relieved sigh as Shepard entered the Infirmary.

“It sounded important.” Shepard replied. “Is Liara alright?”

Chawkwas's face changed into an indecipherable expression for a moment before she shook her head. “Oh yes, just a minor stomach bug she must have contracted before leaving Thessia. I prescribed an antibiotic and some bedrest. As it is, I am sure she’ll be recovered before you need to return planetside.”

“Well that’s a relief,” Shepard let out a sigh. “I worried she might have caught something serious down on Equus, laws of cross-species contamination be damned.”

“No, as I said, she’s fine.” The doctor shook her head.

“Alright then,” Shepard started, taking note of the tone of the woman’s voice and how there was still that worried, urgent edge to it. “Why did you call for me?”

“I was going over the scans that were taken while our guests were in the decontamination chamber. The constant motion didn’t help matters, but the data we gathered was quite illuminating. Musculature, organ placement, skeletal and cellular structure. A Xenobiologist would likely be giddy for weeks at the sheer amount of data the scans got ahold of.”

“And that’s good, right?” Shepard didn’t see where Karen was going with this, she wasn’t the sort to beat around the bush. “I mean, biological data helps us understand them and that understanding can prevent problems later.”

“I agree, but after a preliminary look at the data, one fact has become abundantly clear.” Chakwas turned, her expression one of thinly disguised fear. “Commander, I can tell you right now that this species is not the product of natural selection. It did not evolve... it was engineered."

Shepard’s face contorted in shock.

“Engineered? Are you sure?”

“I’m no evolutionary biologist Shepard, and I am certainly no Mordin Solus, but I would be willing to stake my life on this conclusion. There is simply no possible way, by the furthest stretches of the imagination that the Earth Pony and Pegasi species of Equestria came into being through darwinian means.” she told him.

“How can you tell?” Shepard asked, unable to make heads or tails of the data.

“Cellular elasticity variation, semi-flexible, shock absorbant bone structure, exceedingly dense musculature, a complete lack of redundant or vestigial organs, neural fibers; take your pick Commander. And that is only on the basic medical level. Going down to the genetic level it’s even more obvious.”

Chakwas pressed a button, the data changing to display a set of DNA chains.

“This is a standard human DNA strand. Double-Helix template for Earth Based levio-amino life.” She tapped the monitor again, showing similar 5 looking strands of DNA. “The Turian and Quarians share a Triple Helix Dextro-template, an Asari Double-Helix with the additional curve pitch allowing for their genetic restructuring during the bonding process, and a Prothean quad-helix structure, which has been the most evolved and advanced DNA that has been studied by Citadel Science for over three thousand years.”

“Alright.” Shepard nodded, worried about where this line of thought was going.

His suspicions were confirmed when Chakwas pressed a new button and brought up a design he had never seen before which twisted around in a manner that reminded him of an M.C. Esher painting.

“Until today that is. These are Octo-Helix structures. More than twice the genetic information and four times the complexity of any other sentient lifeform in the known galaxy.”

Shepard paused for a moment while he waited for his brain to catch up to what his ears were hearing.

“So, what are you telling me, doctor? That Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are ‘perfect’?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. They are still organic beings and genetics do not instantly equate to superiority. Humanity learned that lesson over two hundred years ago. But what I can tell you is that they are not the simple creatures they appear to be superficially."

“Alright... so if they were engineered... what were they engineered by?”

“I don’t know...” Chakwas admitted, shaking her head. “But whoever did this possessed genetic manipulation on an unimaginable scale.”

Before Shepard could respond Tali burst into the room. “Shepard, we have a problem!”

“That would be putting it lightly.” Shepard shook his head, wondering once more if it had been a ‘good’ thing when he woke up in that hospital bed a month earlier.

Twilight Sparkle moved into Celestia’s study unimpeded by the barrier that surrounded the doorway and found the two elder Diarchs of Equestria sitting across from each other, their eyes locked in a mutual, neutral gaze with neither speaking aloud. This was something that had concerned Twilight the first time she had seen it in person, but after a few months of being a Princess and slowly finding herself with freer access to the Sisters in their private studies, Twilight had concluded there was truth in the long standing rumor that the two were capable of sharing thoughts on a metaphysical level. It had been something she was keen to study and perhaps learn to do for herself, but not today.

Clearing her throat, Twilight drew attention to herself as Celestia took note of the former unicorn’s entrance.

“Oh, hello there Twilight. Is something the matter?” she asked as she caught sight of the extremely anxious look on the mare’s face.

Then her motherly concern melted in an instant as the glowing white sphere moved past the now disabled barrier barring access to the Princess’ private quarters and elicited a chiding huff from Luna.

“And what is that… thing doing in here?” she added as she noticed Glyph hovering near the mare’s shoulder.

It was all that Twilight could do not to cringe, even if she had ascended to royalty and had grown closer to Celestia on a personal level, it was still hard for her to imagine doing anything that Celestia disapproved of, and it was certain that she ‘disapproved’ of the synthetic intelligences that Commander Shepard and his fellow diplomats had brought with them.

But for now, Twilight ignored the gnawing curiosity for the princess’s uncharacteristic harshness on the matter before steadying herself and turning to Glyph.

“Glyph, I want you to tell the Princesses exactly what you just told me,” she commanded with a somewhat frantic tone in her voice.

“Of course, Princess Sparkle.” Glyph ‘nodded’ in the air before turning its cycloptic eye towards the regal white alicorn, clearly unaware of the two expressions of disdain leveled at it. “Opening Public Records: Shepard, Shawn. Commander.”

Author's Note

Well that's another chapter up and published. Editing help is thanks to the awesome Sadron who got this done in a single day!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it.
-Ed2481

Rethinking First Impressions

“So when you say ‘Demonstration’, what did you have in mind your highness?” Kaidan asked Shining Armor as he and Garrus followed the smaller unicorn down a stone corridor leading away from the banquet hall.

“Well, first off, Lieutenant Commander,” Shining replied. “Just ‘Shining’ is fine, if it’s at all possible, I would prefer you didn’t address me as royalty. Those sorts of titles make my skin crawl. Officially I am still a Captain in the Equestrian Royal Guard. Just because I married a princess doesn’t change that.”

Nodding his affirmative, Kaiden couldn’t help but feel his respect for waist high unicorn rise a notch.

“And to answer your question: we’re in luck as it’s about time for Guard to start their daily training. I thought you might like to observe.”

“As long as their first order of the day isn’t targeting the freaky looking aliens, then I am certainly up for that. What type of training regiment do they focus on? Physical Training? Marksmanship? Combat Tactics?” Garrus inquired curiously.

“Nothing so fancy. Just basic drills; a dozen laps around the Yard followed by magic target practice for the unicorns while the pegasi do formations and aerial maneuvers. The earth ponies will work on their strength and endurance and after that they’ll all meet back up for a dozen more laps.” Shining answered expertly. “And don’t worry, we’re not a bunch of panicky foals here. The Guard, The ranking nobility, and members of the Courts have all been informed of your presence. It is being kept from the general public until after discussions with the ambassadors, but that’s mostly to ease the laypony into it ‘gently’.”

“Just a light day’s regiment then?” Alenko nodded, gauging the unicorn’s response as they walked.

“I’m sure that after everything’s settled, we can give you a real show. It’s a shame the Wonderbolts are on tour presently or we’d really have something for you to watch. Although if it’s not too much to ask, I think the squad commanders would love to see a demonstration of your own techniques.”

“Sure, I think we can do that.” Garrus nodded pleasantly to Alenko, who was actually able to tell the turian was smiling. “We don’t have anything fancy, but I think we can put on a show of our own.”

“I’d love to see what you aliens are capable of,” Shining said, an interested smile on his face before he seemed to think better of himself and asked hesitantly, “You don’t mind me calling you that do you? I am not trying to be offensive.”

“Not really, this is your planet, you can call us what you want.” Kaidan said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s true after all; although we might get tired of it after some time.”

“You’re one to talk, Alenko. You humans still call the rest of us aliens,” Garrus added with a shake of his head, drawing an inquisitive glance from Shining.

“Well, most humans see it as a simple way of differentiating our own from the other species. It’s nothing personal Garrus.” Kaidan replied although Shining detected a hint of something uncomfortable in his voice. Garrus noticed as well.

“I’m sure that you’ll get better now, especially with Cerberus gone.” the turian shrugged, willing to let the somewhat touchy subject drop.

“Yeah, ” Kaidan agreed.

“Cerberus?” Shining asked in surprise. “The giant three-headed dog breed that guards the Gates of Tartarus, you have those too?”

“Um, no, we don’t... at least not outside of mythology.” Kaidan paused his stride for a moment before continuing. “The Cerberus we’re talking about was… well…” the man said slowly, looking to his compatriot as if for support.

“Let’s just say it’s a ‘good’ thing that they are gone,” Garrus waved the human down, the two of them coming to a silent agreement that the specifics of that subject were not something they should share with the Captain/Prince…. or any other pony for the time being.

“I see...” Shining nodded, clearly curious, but insightful enough to see the subject made the pair uncomfortable.

They remained in slightly awkward silence for a few moments before coming across a rather large wooden door with a golden archway engraved with symbols and glyphs completely illegible to the two bipedal beings, who only had a moment to look them over before Shining Armor effortlessly pushed the door open.

The view before them revealed a sight that filled both of the ambassadors with a sense of nostalgia. Moving at a brisk gallop around a large heavily used dirt-path were around fifty or so stallions clad in resplendent golden armor.

Despite the obvious weight of the armor they were moving at a surprisingly swift speed and both soldiers would assume them to be in the top physical tier for their species... And as the trio moved down the stairs from the balcony overlooking the training yard, both Garrus and Kaiden were able to pick out specimens of the three separate pony species among them.

This was actually more difficult than either of them would have thought at first given the absolutely uniform body-types differentiated only by their coats, which were either a bleached white or a shade of bluish grey. So similar that it made it difficult to tell them apart. So much so that Kaiden couldn’t help but make the observation…

“l feel like I’m looking at the same Equestrian copied over and over with the occasional horn or wing thrown on to make them slightly different..”

“Hmmm? Oh, I suppose I can see what you mean. But don’t worry, we keep the mirror pool under strict guard nowadays, so they’re not actually clones.” Shining tapped his chin, clearly amused by the human’s reaction yet unaware of the alien’s perplexed look at the reference. “The Royal Guard is an elite force and much of their effectiveness comes from discipline and a sense of unity. The coloring of their coats and manes are specifically dyed to reflect their stations. White Coats and golden armor indicate the Solar Guard, while darker coats and onyx-blue armors are the symbol of the the Lunar Guard.”

“I don’t think that is what Kaiden means, Shining. It’s not just that they look ‘similar’.” Garrus noted, truly growing a bit discomforted as several rather embarrassing episodes in turian history came to mind at the sight of the identical troops. “They are completely indistinguishable. Exact same body type, facial features, even those sharing the horn or wing traits are completely identical.”

“Ah… yes well…” Shining ran a hoof over the back of his neck, indicating that the pair had clearly gone into an uncomfortable area. “That is actually an effect of their armor. It’s a minor enchantment intended to alter their physical attributes just so.”

“To promote unit cohesion and discipline?” Kaiden guessed.

“Partly, but for the most part, it’s to prevent the Princesses, or the the general public, from taking notice when a particular guard is…. no longer in service.”

“So, what? You hide the fact that your soldiers sometimes fall in the line of duty from your leaders?”

“Nothing like that.” Shining Armor shook his head. “It’s just...we are a very empathetic race. We get attached to others easily and it’s…” He hesitated for a moment, taking a breath. “...Difficult for those of us in command to send our troops into conflict as it is. One of the reasons I earned my station at such a young age was because I was able to make those calls decisively. Few ponies can do that, knowing that even without making any mistakes, you can still lose ponies.”

“So you soften the blow by making them appear less as individuals and more as cut-out soldiers?” Kaiden asked, his tone neutral.

“Yes, that’s right,” Shining answered with a small sigh. “But the truth of it is that it’s especially bad for Princess Celestia. She has lived for thousands of years, and although she does not show it, she has seen the end of many ponies both from conflict and age. In time, that sort of burden adds up in one’s mind. Given the choice between detaching herself from the rest of us shorter lived ponies and giving her fewer faces to remember in her dreams, well, it’s better to feel like you haven’t really lost as many. ”

Shining led the pair over to a small shaded pavillion where they stood silently in order to allow them to view the training session without interruptions. It was no surprise that their presence drew the eyes of a few of the equine soldiers, but they seemed disciplined enough to keep their thoughts and curiosities to themselves as they maintained their pace.

The running only lasted for a few minutes and the guard broke up into three distinct groups.

The first that drew Garrus’s attention were the earth ponies, all of whom were standing in front of large boulders that had been set out in a line. Standing in front of each of them was a burly earth pony guard all of whom were staring intently at the colossal stones before them.

Then with a sense of military syncrosity they moved as one and their rear hooves slammed into the boulders. Several were sent flying, (yes, FLYING), through the air until they rammed into the far wall of the courtyard hard enough to be reduced to pebbles while others had simply been cleaved through by the power of the buck.

“Wait... what?” Garrus asked incredulously.

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Kaidan said with a frown. “The strength required to do that would massive!”

Shining Armor chuckled quietly to himself, clearly enjoying their astonishment. “Those aren’t even the big rocks.”

The two stared at him but were distracted as several dozen pegasi zoomed over their heads, each going fast enough to generate their own backdraft. Not only were they moving quickly but they were also weaving in and around each other, and to Garrus’s surprise they were also engaged in some form of hoof to hoof combat.

As they followed the expert display of aerial combat the pegasi shot above the ‘low’ cloud layer. Then, seconds later they returned to sight, each of them cradling what appeared to be a piece of cloud within their hooves.

The pegasi sped towards the ground face first and as one tightened their grips on the clouds in their grasp. In response, the clouds released a roar of thunder as they unleashed a ferocious burst of lightning that slammed into a clear dirt section of the train yard. The twelve blue lances of electricity sent up bursts of dirt and stone as the pegasi pulled out of their nosedives and began to ascend once more.

Garrus and Kaidan were only able to gawk at the display. “But... clouds don’t work that way!” Kaidan exclaimed after a few seconds.

“And neither does lightning!” Garrus agreed, utterly confounded by the display.

The stallion beside them only smirked. “You think that’s impressive, you should see the Wonderbolt Typhoon Squad. Although personally, I have a bias towards the Unicorn Squadrons. Precision without the additional collateral damage of using weather-attacks,” he said with a voice that betrayed his pride in his men before nodding towards a group of unicorns who were hurling what appeared to be balls of telekinetic force at a group of targets. Kaidan raised an eyebrow, finally, something that he could do, although the unicorns were going much more quickly than he was capable of without letting his powers cool down.

“What do you think, Kaiden? Thirty, forty shots a minute?”

“That’d be my guess, not exactly full auto, but pretty fast considering. Do they have to cool down between ‘spells’ Prince Armor?” Kaidan asked, intrigued by the idea.

Shining shook his head. “Not usually. Those are simple kinetic blasts. Something that nearly every unicorn can manage if the situation calls for it. Given their training, a squad of soldiers can keep up that rate for about-”

The stallion was interrupted by a loud cry of pain coming from the earth pony section of the yard. The group turned as one to see one of the stallions collapse to the ground, and then shouting again as he landed hard on one side. The leg was obviously bent in a very wrong direction even with the armor he was wearing.

Almost immediately a female unicorn in an odd white outfit appeared out of nowhere, grasping him in an aura of energy and turning him over on his back with ease. Then the unicorn’s horn glowed even brighter as green light surrounded the stallion’s leg. The light vanished a moment later and the stallion slowly got to his hooves again and gingerly put some weight on the limb. In only a few seconds, a slightly larger member of the Earth Pony squad, likely the commander judging by the larger brown flume on his helmet, stalked over and immediately began to bellow in what could only be a military dressing down.

“That leg was broken...” Garrus stated, “How did she fix it so fast?”

“Mending spell,” Shining answered, clearly eager to move past the somewhat embarrassing moment.

“No medi-gel, no physical tools, not even an X-Ray. You can just heal limbs that easily?” Kaidan asked.

“Actually it’s not so easy.” Shining replied with a slight shrug. “Healing magic is some of the hardest there is. It takes a special gift to use it and if it’s not applied almost immediately, there can be complications. We also have to use more mundane means of healing of course. But if we can treat it fast enough, then broken limbs, cuts, bruises, are usually not a problem. We always have a spell-nurse on duty when we train on the off chance that something severe happens, but generally the Guard doesn’t get injured while training.”

“Right...” Garrus mused as he considered how quickly the ‘primitive little pony’ was able to heal bone, especially without the aid of medi-gel.

They spent the next quarter-hour or so observing the training in silence until the guards were finished their afternoon routine and began to gather into a marching line, moving on to their next duty and leaving Shining alone with Kaidan and Garrus.

“So, what did you think?” Shining asked curiously.

“It was impressive alright,” Kaidan said with a small thoughtful frown. “Now I think it’s our turn.”

“You’ll have to forgive us for not bringing our primary weapons but we didn’t expect to be showing off. Although I’m sure we can still show you something impressive,” Garrus added.

“Sure, just use the unicorn targets,” Shining advised as he led the two towards the targets. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Kaidan started first, his arm glowing blue as he activated the biotic amp and he launched a ball of blue energy at the target the entire thing glowed blue as the Biotic Reave ate away at the target at a molecular level. This was almost immediately followed up with a quick tap on his omni tool, the weaponized program sending sent a blast of dense, super-cooled gases in a mass-effect suspension towards the target, exploding on impact and freezing the dummy solid. Garrus complemented this by loading a concussive shot into his pistol and blasting the now crinkling ice-block, which impacted with a satisfying thud and sent a million tiny shards of ice flying backwards.

Shining raised an eyebrow as he looked between the two. “Impressive...”

“Thanks,” Garrus replied. “I only wish that I’d brought my rifle, then I could show you something really impressive.”

“I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity for that later.” The Prince nodded, “So, do you have any questions, General Garrus?”

“Oh too many. Although to start with, I couldn’t help but notice the complete lack of… uh, what’s the right word for a female Equestrian, Kaiden?”

“Mare.”

“Right, a lack of mares out here; do you not let your females fill combat roles?"

“Oh, not at all. In fact there are quite a few mares in the Lunar Guard and Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts is a fine filly as well. Although the Solar Guard is exclusively made up of stallions.” Shining took on a proud grin, standing a bit more at attention with his chest pushed forward, “Guarding the Princess, Peace, and Ponies of Equestria. That is our duty. As it is, mares are much better suited for--"

"Mares are more suited for 'what', Shine-Darling?" An unexpected feminine voice spoke out from behind them causing them all to turn to see Cadence striding up to them, a coy smile on her face.

"OH! Uh, well,” Shining stuttered out, an embarrassed blush tinting his white furred face pink. “We want to give our opponents at least a 'chance' right? It's only fair,"

"This coming from the stallion who used his wife as a projectile....” Cadence mused with an amused chuckle. “Oh well; I suppose there are some benefits to a princess surrounded all day by strapping stallions. I know that I certainly approve,” she added with a glance towards Shining.

“Do you now?” Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not in front of our guests, dear.”

“WELL then…” Alenko cut in, clearly not wanting to get in the middle of anything the married couple was ‘arguing’ over. “What’s next?”

“Well, how about a tour?” Cadence offered, smiling in a soft, warm manner that seemed perfectly suited to the diplomatic mare.

Unseen to any of them, a pegasus with a camera was gleefully snapping pictures from above, hiding behind a thick cloud that had managed to conceal his covert entry into the restricted air-space.

Shaun Shepard probably knew as much about the quarian people as any human alive, having been regaled with their culture, their outlook on life, and their physiology (quite intimately in the case of the lattermost subject) for the better part of the last three years of his life.

So while many men would have simply seen the female quarian in the suit standing there with an expressionless dome helmet, a thousand subtle signs in her body body language indicated that they did indeed have another problem to deal with. And judging by her uncharacteristic silence, it was a going to be a doozy.

So when she finally did relate the events down in engineering, it had caught Shepard a bit at a loss that such an event had set her so on edge.

“Tali... calm down, take a breath.” Shepard instructed the quarian who had started pacing as if she was expecting some sort of condemnation. “So Ambassador Pie was able to regurgitate what Donnelley said, I don’t see how this is an issue.”

Tali stopped pacing and looked back at Shepard. In spite of her mask, he was able to clearly make out the way her eyes widened in an expression akin to ‘are you kidding me?’.

“Shepard, she has a photographic memory,” Tali explained, still having a hard time grasping why the Commander wasn’t more concerned. “We were treating her like a child or an ignorant primitive that needed a soft touch, but she has a propensity for analytical reasoning and a capacity for learning that is at least on par with a salarian. She may not understand the basic principles, like why there is only one fusion plant or why Helium-Three is used as a backup system, but a few hours with any member of the engineering team and that won’t be a problem. The only thing separating her from me right now is academic ignorance, and if she’s as curious as I think she is, that isn’t going to last.”

“Meaning…?” Shepard still wasn’t convinced, but knew that could change very quickly.

“Meaning that if her abilities are not unique, we won’t have to ‘give’ the Equestrians anything. They’ll be building their own starships and mass effect drives in as little as a few years just by looking at how ours work.”

“I wouldn't discredit that hypothesis,” Dr. Chakwas cut in, drawing Shepard’s attention back to the . “Their cranial capacity is at least twenty percent larger than a salarian’s, and the amount of synaptic activity is staggering. There are also several regions of the brain whose purpose I can't even begin to theorize on," Chakwas explained with a look of concern.

“Wait... what?” Tali asked, obvious surprise on her face even with her mask.

“According to our medical scans, Dr. Chakwas believes the Equestrians are genetically engineered, Tali,” Shepard replied slowly. “At the very least, these two are. We would need to study a larger sample size to know for certain.”

“Genetically Engineered?” The quarian asked in surprise. “You mean like the protheans did to the asari?”

“No, this is a much grander scale,” Chakwas answered. “Over a much longer period of time, hundreds of thousands of years at least, perhaps millions. This level of manipulation is frightening.” Chakwas answered.

Tali nodded slowly. “Just... how advanced are we talking here?”

“Advanced enough to make the Protheans look like children bumbling around in the dark,” Chakwas told her.

“You’re right… that is frightening,” Tali trailed off and looked to Shepard.

“I get that this is important, but the real question is: Does it change anything?” Shepard shook his head. “From what we’ve seen of their technology and their reactions to us, it’s possible that whoever did this to them has been gone a long time, am I right?”

“Perhaps,” Chakwas nodded. “Probably killed off by the Reapers who knows how many cycles ago.”

“Well, if nothing else, it just may add to the things that they can offer us,” Shepard nodded sagely. “An understanding of how their genetics were manipulated could be beneficial to the entire galaxy. And maybe the Ambassadors could be persuaded to let us…”

Shepard suddenly paused, a realization coming to him as he turned about-face on Tali.

“Wait, Tali, if you’re here, then who’s watching our guests?”

“Oh, I ran into Grunt outside Engineering and he offered to take them off my…”

The quarian paused, as if realizing exactly what it was she was saying before she brought her hand to her face-plate in an adopted version of a very human gesture, better known as the ‘Face-palm’. “Oh... Keelah, I left them with Grunt!”

Shepard stared at her for a moment before both rushed for the door at top speed.

“This... is... it,” Grunt stated dramatically with a large grin as he gestured towards the now heavily armored, state of the art M-75 Hammerhead with its still gleaming showroom finish. “Isn’t she a thing of beauty?”

“It doesn’t look all that impressive,” Dash said with a frown at the vehicle.

“It has armor plating, all-terrain hovering capability, and fires second-generation hydra missile salvos.” Grunt said with an almost offended look. “What is it about that that’s so unimpressive to you?”

“OOOH, does it fire parties too?” Pinkie asked with interest as she had somehow managed to clamor up on top of the Hammerhead and was now bouncing atop it.

“Yeah, it does, My favorite kind in fact,” Grunt said before letting out one of his slow characteristic chuckles. “Eeeh hee heeh.”

Rainbow Dash gave him a slightly creeped out look but Pinkie had turned to him with a big grin. “Really? Can we see it!”

“Wish I could, Pinka-poo, But then I would have to listen to Shepard whine about the all the nitpicky side effects like ‘hull breaches’ and ‘catastrophic depressurization’ and ‘reckless behavior’,” Grunt replied sourly. “And then I would have to listen to him lecture about nobody on the ship being able to survive in the void. Bah, weaklings. He did it and came out fine.”

“What the hay is ‘the Void’?” Dash asked.

“You know, the cold beyond, the great vacuum.” Grunt grunted as if unsure how the pony could need an explanation. “Where we are now… what would you call it… ‘Space’ I guess.”

“Wait, wouldn’t that kill us?”

“Probably,” Grunt shrugged. “Too bad, might be fun for me to try it though.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold it, are you saying you can breath in space?” Rainbow Dash asked skeptically.

“No,” Grunt replied.

“Then why wouldn’t it be a big deal for you?”

“Because I’m a krogan!” Grunt replied.

“I don’t get it,” Rainbow said with a confused look.

“That’s because you’re not a krogan,” Grunt told her with a smile.

“Ooooh HEY! DASHIE! I bet if we took out these missile things and filled the launch tubes with cake batter, we could create ICBPs!” Pinkie exclaimed as she examined the Hammerhead’s turret, her face practically pressed up to the barrel as she tried to look inside of it.

“ICBPs?” Grunt inquired giving her a critical glance.

“Inter-Continental Balloon Parties, silly!” Pinkie said with a wide grin.

Grunt stared at her for a moment and then grinned widely. “You should be a krogan!”

Before Pinkie could respond, the elevator door opened to reveal a rather hurried looking Commander Shepard, who let go of a sigh of relief upon seeing the ambassadors and his still clearly not-exploded hangar bay before he started towards the three of them.

“Hey Grunt, mind if I take our guests off of your hands?” Shepard asked Grunt, clearly making it an order.

Grunt looked at the Commander for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, sure, go ahead Shepard, I was just showing Pinkie here the Hammerhead.”

“It’s really neat and fires parties!” Pinkie enthused with a grin. Shepard stared at her for a moment before looking up to Grunt.

“Yeah, ‘krogan parties’. Right Shepard?” Grunt asked with a grin.

The man’s hardened features turned into a small smile of his own. “Exactly, parties,” he agreed before turning back to the two ambassadors. “So, Ambassadors, would you like to see the rest of Normandy?”

“Uhhh yeah, Sure,” Rainbow Dash agreed with a shrug, although based on his own observation, Shepard got the feeling she was simply out of her depth. “This room was getting boring anyways,”

“Oh boy, am I going to get to meet more new ponies like Kenneth and Gabby?” Pinkie asked eagerly.

“Possibly.” Shepard answered.

“Okie-dokie, then!” Pinkie replied with a wide smile before she turned back to Grunt. “See you latter Grunt, I’ll bring you a cupcake next time!”

“Heh, sure, I’ll be listening for the cannon fire,” Grunt replied, chuckling to himself.

Shepard gave the krogan a nod and ushered the ponies to the elevator. After a ride short enough to prevent even the chatty Pinkie Pie from drumming up a conversation, the doors opened on the crew deck, with Shepard leading the pair off quickly as two other crewmembers, a turian and a human, moved into the elevator.

Once her eyes had come away from the odd pair, Pinkie noticed something curious; A section of the wall directly in front of them that was covered in words that Pinkie’s eyes quickly scanned over, but was unable to comprehend.

“What’s this?” The pink pony asked curiously, pointing to the wall with one Hoof. Shepard paused for a moment with uncharacteristic hesitation as he considered how to approach the subject.

“That is the memorial wall,” he said softly.

“The what?” Rainbow Dash asked, not quite understanding the concept.

“It’s a place where we put the names of everyone who has died in action onboard or in service of the Normandy,” he told her solemnly. “So we don’t forget them.”

Pinkie and Dash both gulped and stared at the list.

“That-that’s a long list,” Pinkie murmured, her spirits dashed from their previous high.

“Yes... it is,” Shepard replied glumly. “Too long.”

“Why would you forget ponies that passed on?”

Shepard bowed his head.

“Because… for humans at least, sometimes its easier that way. To move on. But for those of us that served along side them… that would be a disservice, so we keep monuments. To remind us.”

“And, some of them were your friends?” Pinkie asked, her usual bubbly demeanor growing sullen as she took in the sadness showing through on the commander’s face.

“Yes.” The human nodded, his eyes downcast… he didn’t need to look at the plaques to know where to point them out, or remember what they said. “Charles Pressly, Legion, Thane Krios, Mordin Solus, Ashley Williams, David Anderson.”

The two ponies stared at the list for a few more minutes as they tried to grasp the amount of death that had visited the vessel, until Rainbow noticed something.

“Um... why is that one spot empty when there are names above and below it?” she asked, pointing to where there was an obvious blank spot on the wall.

Shepard sighed. “That’s... EDI’s spot...”

“EDI? That doesn’t sound like a name,” Rainbow Dash replied. “What kind of alien was she?”

“She wasn’t an alien... she was an AI,” Shepard told her with a frown.

“So like that Glyph thing that Twilight got to tell her about stuff right?” Dash asked.

“Well... no,” Shepard answered slowly, a pang of regret running though his voice. “She was a synthetic, that is, she was artificial like Glyph is... but she was also as alive as you and I. She died… right at the end of the War.”

Pinkie nodded slowly. “Okay... so why did Joker take it off then?”

“Because he doesn’t want to admit that she’s gone,” the man told her sadly. “He keeps on putting it up, and then taking it back off...”

The two ponies remained quiet and then Pinkie looked up.

“Is that who sat next to him in the cockpit?” she asked quietly.

“Yes... that’s right,” Shepard replied with a small nod.

Pinkie paused for a moment in thought, then she nodded firmly to herself. “Alright then... I need to find a kitchen. I have a cake to bake!”

The man gave her a raised eyebrow.

“And it’s not to put in the cannon either,” she added, a surprisingly firm tone in her normally goofy voice.

“I... think that that might be a good idea...” Shepard said slowly. “But you don’t know how to use the kitchen here.”

Pinkie fixed him with a surprisingly hard glare. “Then somepony is going to teach me! There’s a stallion in desperate need of a cupcake!”

Shepard sighed tiredly. “Miss Pie... as much as I wish it was, this isn’t something that can be solved with a simple cupcake.”

Major Kirrahe looked at the three ponies who had been charged with entertaining him, hiding his amusement at the odd looks that he was garnering. Tanlan, silent as ever, stood vigil near the door doing his best to remain unobtrusive.

“So... yall’re the ‘salamanderains’ right?” Applejack asked Kirrahe with a raised eyebrow.

Kirrahe simply smiled.

“It is pronounced Sa-lar-ians, Lady Applejack.” he corrected easily as if he’d done it many times before. “But close enough.”

“Well, thank ya kindly, but Ah aint’ actually a lady.”

“You could say that again, darling.” Rarity confirmed.

“Uh, so what do salarians do exactly?” Fluttershy asked, trying to keep the conversation from going off the rails as Applejack shot rarity an icy look.

“That, is a question with a very large number of answers,” Kirrahe told her, a light smile touching his lips. “Really, it depends on who you ask.”

“Well, why not give us the generalities, Major.” Rarity implored, feeling that she was far more adept at getting answers from ponies than either of her friends were.

“Generally, we are seen as the scientists and engineers of the Citadel Races,” Kirrahe answered. “My people are noted for our quick thinking and our intelligence forces are recognized as the best in the galaxy.”

“So basically; yall are smart,” Applejack deduced.

“Yes, that would be the proper way to phrase it,” Kirrahe agreed, a faint smile tugging at his cheeks.

“Do you have any pets?” Fluttershy asked, suddenly making a rallying effort to join the conversation.

“No, not personally. Though during my time here I did get to know Celestia’s pet phoenix Philomena fairly well. She seems to like me well enough, although she does not allow me to pet her.” Kirrahe shook his head.

“Oh... that’s nice to know,” Fluttershy said softly. “I know Philomena. And she can be a bit of a hooffull at times.”

“So I’ve learned. She does enjoy attempting to play pranks on me,” Kirrahe replied, chuckling softly to himself at a memory. “How she managed to get all of those flies in my room I’ll never know.”

Applejack, who had been listening intently to the conversation turned to the still silent form of Tanlan. “So what’s the deal with him? He ain’t said a word since he got here.”

Tanlan looked at the mare from beneath his black helmet and shrugged.

“Tanlan? Well, he’s my bodyguard of a sort,” Kirrahe answered for the other salarian, who offered no sign of reaction.

“So he doesn’t talk? Did something bad happen to him?” Applejack asked curiously.

“No, I don’t believe so,” Kirrahe replied. “He simply chooses not to.”

There was a sudden flash and Twilight Sparkle appeared in the room. Out of the corner of his eyes Kirrahe noted that Tanlan’s sword had been halfway out of its sheath before it was confirmed to be Twilight (not a threat) and he resheathed it. To the Major’s eyes the mare seemed much tenser than she had during the lunch meeting.

“Twilight?!” The three mares exclaimed in surprise, clearly unused to her randomly teleporting into rooms.

“Sorry girls,” Twilight apologized. “I was in a bit of a hurry to get here.”

“Whatever for darling? Has something happened?” Rarity asked, clearly concerned.

“Wait, don’t tell me? More Aliens? No?” Applajack guessed, getting a shake of the head from her friend. “Have the changelings decided to try and invade again?”

“Has Discord gone back to being a mean old draconequus?” Fluttershy asked timidly. “If he has I’ll take care of it.”

“Discord?” the salarian quirked his head a bit, clearly unfamiliar with the name. This of course sent up a red flag for Twilight, who shook her head all the more firmly.

Twilight shook her head. “No, no, and no, not at all,” the mare assured them. “I just came to let Major Kirrahe know that Princess Celestia has requested his presence right away.”

“Oh, well why in tarnation didn’tcha say so in the first place?” Applejack asked.

“Yes Twilight, why didn’t you simply say that?” Rarity added.

“I was about to,” Twilight told her with a flat look and Applejack and Rarity turned their heads away with slight blushes coloring their expressions. “But you girls kept interrupting me!”

“And what, pray tell, would Celestia need me for?” Kirrahe asked with a raised eye ridge.

“She wants to speak with you about something,” Twilight answered. “She didn’t tell me what it was, but I doubt it’s anything bad.”

“Very well, that should be no trouble at all,” Kirrahe said, smiling. “Thank you for taking the time to entertain an old soldier, ladies.” he added to the other three ponies. “It’s been a pleasure.”

“And it was our absolute privilege to host such a gentlecolt,” Rarity replied elegantly.

Kirrahe nodded to them, and then left the room, Tanlan trailing along behind him. Twilight let out a relieved sigh, her friends may have been incredible ponies... but they knew entirely too much about some subjects for her to be comfortable with them talking with the Major... especially in light of the information that Glyph had shared with her. The mare shook her head and trotted over to one floor cushions, sitting beside Fluttershy.

“So; what did you think of our guest?” she asked her friends.

“He seemed... nice,” Fluttershy said softly. “He said that he got along well with Philimona so that’s a good sign I think.”

“Indeed; he seemed like quite the gentlecolt... though I do not know if I will ever be used to the way he, or yourself for that matter, call Princess Celestia by her name,” Rarity observed with a small frown. “It is peculiar.”

Twilight sighed slightly. “Yes... I’m still getting used it as well,” she stated. “But back to the Major; what did you think of him Applejack?”

“He seemed nice enough,” Applejack answered with a frown. “Though to be honest Twi, I don’t trust him... something about him gives me the feeling that he’s not tellin us the whole truth. And that ‘Tanlan’ fellow is worse... somethin’s off about him.”

Twilight frowned. “Hmm... I’ll have to remember to keep an eye on them both,” the alicorn mused. “Can you tell me what about Kirrahe put you on guard?”

“Ah don’t really know... but somethin about him was off,” Applejack replied.

“I think it was the way he held himself darling,” Rarity volunteered. “He was not lying about anything he said, but he holds himself like a stallion full of secrets.” The others turned to look at her with raised eyebrow. “What? Is a lady not allowed to be observant?” Rarity asked, defending herself from their skeptical glances. “In order to become successful in Canterlot one must become very good at reading ponies and I must say that I’ve become very good at it,” Rarity added.

“I know the feeling,” Twilight agreed with a small nod.

“I... I don’t think he was hiding anything,” Fluttershy commented shyly from behind her bangs. “I just think he’s naturally shifty.”

“Well... considering what he does for a living, I suppose that makes sense,” Twilight mused before letting out a sigh as her thoughts turned to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie who were currently somewhere above their heads. I hope you’re both okay, she silently thought to them.

“This is a joke. You’re joking right?”

“No, sir, not at all, I…”

“So you seriously expecting me to believe that there are ‘aliens’... as in beings from some outer space, Trot Wars pulp magazine, galloping around in broad daylight in the Royal Palace?” A red coated unicorn with a thick mustache and a flat topped salt and pepper mane scoffed as he sat behind his desk, one hoof folded below the other. His name was Extra Times, and he was the Editor and Chief of the Equestria Daily. “Look, what was your name again, Kid?”

“Free Lancer, sir.”

“Listen here, Free. Do I look like some kind of greenhorn, or do you think that the Equestria Daily News is the type of low-bit, bottom barrel rag that’ll prints up crack-pot conspiracies?”

“But, sir…” The pegasus tried to speak up but was drowned out by the elder stallion’s indignation.

“The last time somepony brought me trash like this, it was some bean counter saying we needed to syndicate that Gabby whats-her-name from that po-dunk town outside the Everfree! Cheap Tabloid Gossip? Sure, big news, for a week! But is she even writing now? NO! You know why? Because sensationalist journalism is a cheap shortcut and I will NOT drag this paper down into the mud for some sort of--”

“I swear sir, I have proof!” the brown pegasus who was standing across from him exclaimed desperately as he held up his a manila envelope. “I had to dodge the guards, but I got it all the same!”

“Proof?” Times asked with a disbelieving eyebrow “You have ten seconds to prove that this proof is real and not some conspiracy nut’s fantasy like that idiot who was in here earlier with ‘proof’ that Discord was seen wandering around Manehatten wearing a suit.”

The pegasus hastily passed over the envelope and the unicorn’s red magical aura scooped it up and quickly emptied the contents into the air in front of him where at least twenty pictures of extremely odd looking creatures consorting with the now ‘Empress’ Cadence of the Crystal Empire and her husband, Prince Shining Armor.

Extra stared at them, and scanned them with his magic for signs of tampering. Then he looked up at the fidgeting pegasus before him.

“Kid, we’ll take them.”

Shepard couldn’t help but be amused as he leaned back against the med-bay windows, watching the Normandy’s mess sergeant ‘teach’ Pinkie how to operate the ship’s relatively small kitchenette, although it quickly became questionable as to who was giving a lesson to whom as Pinkie Pie turned into a drill instructor when she witnessed the state of the crew’s oven-set.

The Commander’s amusement at the stunned sergeant’s reaction to being dressed down by a talking pink equine was then interrupted when Specialist Traynor’s voice buzzed from the ship’s intercom.

“Commander, you have an incoming message from the surface of Equus.” The yeoman informed him.

“Patch it through on my personal Com, Traynor,” Shepard replied, hearing a slight burst of static in one ear before bringing his hand up to it in response. “Shepard here.”

Moments later Kirrahe’s familiar voice came through loud and clear.

“Commander; Kirrahe,” the salarian started, his tone urgent. “I am aware you may still be in the midsts of your diplomatic tour, but I strongly recommend returning planet-side with your two guests immediately.”

“What’s happened?” Shepard’s amusement at Pinkie Pie was now completely dissolved as he took stock of the verbal cues of the salarian.

“It looks like Doctor T’Soni’s ‘gift’ has seen fit to come back and bite us,” Kirrahe explained, “Our asari friend limited a good bit of information on the Reaper War and many of the less savory aspects of galactic civilization, but she overlooked one file that the Princesses were quite keen to learn about…”

“Being?” Shepard inquired, although he was worried he already knew the answer.

“You.”

There was a moment of silent consideration before Shepard spoke up again.

“Do you know how much detail they were given?”

“Nothing classified from what I can tell. Based on the insinuations and their questions, I would guess public records, but even those are hardly sedate.”

“The Bahak System?”

"I would think so, THAT was hardly a classified incident.”

“Oh hell...” Shepard said, his voice almost coming out as a moan as he ran a hand down his face.

“I just spent the last ten minutes assuring Princess Luna that Rainbow and Pinkie Pie are in no danger, but as you can imagine, she is rather irate now that this new information has come to light.”

“Recommendation on how to proceed?” Shepard asked, clearly realizing that this unexpected intel could have a serious impact on his ability to interact with the pair of long-lived diarchs. He just had to hope that their only available expert on the Equestrian species was able to provide a suitable strategy.

“Celestia seemed surprisingly calm about it, although she does want to speak with you in regards to what they have learned. I would suggest being honest with her, she has reigned through several long and bloody conflicts and I have no illusions that she is as fragile or innocent as her subjects perceive her to be. The galaxy now knows ‘why’ you had no choice in the matter, if only they had realized it then.”

“Alright… inform the Princesses that we will be returning to…” Shepard couldn’t help but grimace as the name came to his tongue, having to fight to roll his eyes at the pun. “Canterlot immediately. We should be arriving inside the next twenty minutes.”

“Skies will be clear, Commander. It is the sun is beginning to go down here so you shouldn’t have to worry about your approach. Kirrahe, Out.”

The comline went dead after a moment, Shepard heaving a sigh as he rubbed his tired eyes before approached the peppy pink pony who’d finally gotten back to her baking and was even now stirring up a batter.

“You know, Commander…” PInkie started. “You really need to work on getting more fresh ingredients. I don’t know what it means by ‘synthetic’ eggs. Eggs aren’t synthetic, they come from chickens right? Well, maybe alien chickens, but these eggs don’t look quite right.”

“I’m sorry Ambassador Pie, but it appears that we’re going to have to put the baking on hold,” he told her as he strode over to the counter.

“But... but I was almost done with the basic Prep! I even found this neat little bundt cake pan.” Pinkie replied, an utterly heartbroken look on her face.

“You can finish it later, I promise.”

Pinkie thought about it for a second before nodding, her gesture surprisingly low-key.

Ambassador Dash, walking back towards the mess area from the ship’s primary weapons battery with Tali at her side, perked as she clearly picked up on the conversation.”

“We’re leaving?” she asked.

“Yes,” Shepard replied.

“That’s cool. I mean, no offense to you guys, but this place was starting to get a little boring,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “Not at all like I imagined… I mean, If this is what all spaceships are like then I don’t get what all the hype is about.”

“So, why are we going back?” Pinkie asked, her normal chipper mood returning. “Have we been invaded by evil alien rebels?”

Commander Shepard gave her a strange, sideways look, and then shrugged. “Not that I know of Ambassador, and I do hope I would be the first to know about something like that. I have been informed that it’s getting dark in Canterlot and I believe that Princess Celestia would rather have you return planetside for the night,” he answered.

“Oh, okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie replied with with a grin. “That’s okay then.”

Shepard shook his head and simply began walking towards the elevator.

It was not long before the Kodiak touched down in nearly the same spot as before, the hatch opening as Shepard and company were met by Celestia, the solar princess clearly covering up a look of concern as a soft, warm smile greeted the clearly unharmed pegasus and earth pony.

“Welcome home, my little ponies,” the royal alicorn greeted as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie exited the kodiak “And how was it up in the vast, new frontier of space?”

“It was super duper splendiferious!” Pinkie exclaimed, diving forward and grabbing the alicorn’s attention like a child with something special to say. “I got to learn ALL about how the engines work and we found a machine that shoots parties and saw these freaky floating jelly fish and--!”

“And I am sure I will hear all about it, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia cut the smaller pony off with all the grace of an experienced mother handling her child. “And what of you? Rainbow Dash, you don’t seem as excited as when you left.”

“It was ‘okay’, I guess. We saw some neat stuff and got to meet some interesting aliens. It just wasn’t as cool as I thought it would be.” Dash added, a discouraged frown on her face. “Though I did meet this one Joker-human who’s claiming to be the best flyer in the galaxy, a title that I’m going to be taking from him as soon as he can stallion up and race me.”

Celestia’s eyebrows rose in amusement at their answers and then she looked to Shepard and her expression slipped subtly. It didn’t quite drop, but it certainly became less enthused.

“Commander... if it would not be an inconvenience, I would very much wish to speak to you in private.” Celestia said slowly as she looked him over.

The hair on the back of the Commander’s neck rose slightly at her words, but he nodded, resolute to face Celestia one on one. “Alright, where did you have in mind?” he inquired cautiously.

“My study will be fine,” Celestia said, turning and gesturing for him to follow her. “This way please.”

Shepard nodded to Tali and gave her a confident smile before walking swiftly after the mare.

Shepard was wary as he followed the Solar Triarch into her personal study, keeping his stride off her shoulder where he was certainly in her peripheral vision. The reason for this was two fold; firstly that he had no desire to give the impression that he was some subordinate being led around by the nose. And secondly, he got the impression she would be tense if he was not in her immediate field of vision, particularly if she was under the impression that she might for some reason be on the receiving end of an omni-blade to the back.

As they walked along the corridors in silence, Shepard couldn’t help but notice that there was something off about the ruler this time. Shepard wasn’t sure what it was... but something about her stance just made her appear uneasy. Where before she had exuded nothing but calm confidence and an easy sense of kindness and benevolence. She now held herself as though she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. But if he was any judge, it did not look like fear that weighed her down, as if she had found herself alone in a room with a rabid varren.

Instead, her expression seemed almost… regretful, as if she were for some reason feeling ashamed. Like a child moving towards the head-master’s office and knowing that there would be a stern tongue lashing in her immediate future.

Of course this didn’t exactly set Shepard at ease either.

Reaching their destination, the commander could tell instantly that the study was quite cozy without the lavishness of the more public Dining Hall he had earlier seen. Several large chairs that would not have been out of place in a ‘Masterpiece Theater’ Vid were set around a large grey-stone fireplace on one side of the room, while opposite of that was a large, rather plain looking desk in front of an impressive glass window etched with small suns which split the late day light and caused the rays to dance across the desk’s surface. Expertly carved wooden bookshelves lined the walls containing hundreds of books, most of which looked to be extremely well read but also lovingly cared for.

Aside from this, the decor was rather spartan by comparison to the splendor of the rest of the castle, and the only ‘personal’ touch to the room came from a framed portrait set on the sill of the window depicting a white alicorn of similar build but a very different set of eyes from Celestia. Her mane, christened with a white crown, was flowing much as the alicorn princess’ did, but rather looking like condensed sunlight than a pastel rainbow. In front of this figure were two smaller winged unicorns happily sitting at either side of the elder… one, a smaller, brilliant white filly with a bubble-gum pink mane… the other a darker blue foal, likely little more than a toddler, with a long, light blue locks.

In the moment it had taken Shepard to survey the room, Celestia had moved towards one of the chairs, clearly designed for the ample size of the ruling class mares, and took a seat. Shepard eyed the chair opposite of her a moment before seating himself as well.

“Commander.” Celestia began before trailing off with a slight shake of her head.

“Princess, what is this about?” Shepard asked.

The alicorn remained silent for a moment, still unsure of how to begin as her emotions raged within her chest. Based on what she had learned, Luna’s assessment of the human had been quite accurate. He was a taker of life on such a grand scale that even she, Celestia, who had seen the passing of generation after generation of ponykind, could hardly imagine the number of bodies that could be attributed to his name.

It was not as if Celestia herself had a spotless record. No, she too had killed, she and Luna had at one point been charged with uniting and carving out a kingdom from the warring tribes that had ruled the land that would one day become Equestria. The peace they had long enjoyed had been paid for in the blood of tens of thousands of sapient creatures who’s names were long lost to history.

Celestia knew what it meant to take a life, to take the lives of many, and even though it had been over a thousand years since she had to resort to such measures, she knew that if called upon, she could and would do it again to protect the lives of her ponies.

So, Celestia found herself at a moral impasse in regards to the Commander.

It wasn’t that she mistrusted him, no, quite the opposite in fact. If what the... machine... had told her was accurate. Shepard might well be the most honest creature in the wider galaxy.

No, instead, Celestia was loathe to admit that the human, and what he represented, truly frightened her for perhaps the first time in over two millennia.

His deeds spoke for themselves, and her own accounting of his aura indicated the man was a paragon of virtue, bloodied, but still unbroken. The type that every pony should aspire to be and he held himself nobly. And yet that same goodness was tempered by a darkness far greater than she’d faced since... the Nightmare had possessed her sister.

The mare was abruptly torn from her introspection by a loud musical trill and Celestia looked up to see a familiar feathered friend fly into the room. Celestia smiled to herself, for now would be the moment where she truly learned where the Commander’s heart lay.

Philomena glided down from her perch overhead, graceful and as beautiful as could be before coming to rest on a very surprised Commander Shepard’s shoulder. Celestia’s eyebrows rose in surprise of their own as the phoenix began to gently rub the side of Shepard’s head with her own fiery orange one. The blonde man turned away from Celestia and focused on the bird, studying her. Then he brought up his finger and began to gently massage her underneath her chin and around her throat.

“Well, hello there.. .and who might you be?” The human offered, clearly caught off guard by the majestic bird who’d taken up residence on his shoulder.

The phoenix let out a soft, satisfied coo as the human’s fingers ran under the edge of her beak and the Commander’s face took on that of a curious child as he continued to shower Philomena with attention. In fact, he became so focused on the bird that he seemed to forget about Celestia entirely at least for the moment..

Celestia was shocked, quite shocked. Up to this point, she had been the only pony who’d ever received this type of treatment from Philomena (a wry part of her mind noted that that was still true). After all, a phoenix was an aloof creature at the best of times and very few could gain their trust.

Over the years, Philomena had proven to be an adept ally in terms of identifying who were the mare’s friends, and who were her enemies, and to date, she’d never been mistaken. It seemed that her gamble had paid off, she now had proof that the Commander was someone to be trusted. Celestia nodded imperceptibly, a layer of tension draining out of her features.

The alicorn cleared her throat, and Shepard looked up from Philomena with a slight flush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks. He stopped petting the bird which made her trill with annoyance at Celestia, however she stayed on Shepard’s shoulder.

“Commander Shepard, this is Philomena, my phoenix,” Celestia said with a small smile. An odd look overcame the Commander’s face as he held out his hand and ran it down the golden and scarlet bird’s crest. Philomena, for her part, shot Celestia an insulted look that immediately made the seasoned explorer reconsider his estimation of the bird’s intelligence.

“Or perhaps,” Celestia amended. “It would be more accurate if I said that I am her alicorn.”

“She’s a... phoenix?” Shepard asked with a hint of confusion as he continued to to stroke the creature.

“Indeed she is,” Celestia replied, smiling. “She has been a good friend to me since oh...” she trailed off in thought for a moment until Philomena trilled something that sounded like a lyrical scale. “Oh yes, that’s right, since I must have been… oh what was it? Two hundred, maybe two hundred and ten years old…. and rescued her as a chick from a particularly nasty flock of griffin soldiers who wanted to have her for a mid-day snack.”

Shepard paused in his stroking of the brightly colored bird and raised an eyebrow. “I know that I’m going to regret asking this Princess... but does she burst into flames?”

A mischievous glint appeared in Celestia’s eyes as she answered.

“Occasionally.” she let a beat of silence play out between them before she added. “At her age, it happens about twice a year, but don’t worry. She’s nowhere near the end of her ‘life-cycle’’ at the moment so she should only catch on fire if she needs to defend herself.”

Celestia’s moment of amusement drew to a somber close as she suddenly bowed her head, the weight of the proverbial elephant in the room becoming too much for such casual conversation to keep at bay.

“Shepard…” The Solar Triarch sighed, her tone heavy and direct. “I owe you an apology for your treatment earlier today at the hooves of myself and my sister,”

Shepard’s posture betrayed nothing, no hint of satisfaction or enjoyment from the admission of regret. He responded simply leaning back in the seat, Philomena moving from his shoulder onto the backrest of the chair.

“It was both uncalled for and extremely arrogant of us to speak to you in such a manner... and I hope that it hasn’t painted both of us in a permanently negative light for you. You see... it has been a great deal of time since an event even approaching this magnitude of our opening discussions has occurred. And I fear that in these last thousand years of peace I have grown perhaps a bit too complacent in my authority,” she explained, her voice taking on a regretful weary tone.

“In spite of my own protests, my little ponies see me as a quasi-divine figure. But there is nothing could be further from the truth. In spite of my great age, I am just as mortal and fallible as anypony else. My treatment of you is one such case; I have truly failed to treat you with the respect you deserve, and it saddens me that I have fallen so low. I doubt you will be able to accept my apology, and I know that I am not truly deserving of your pardon... but I hope that eventually, you will be able to forgive me,” the mare finished with a sigh.

Celestia, having said her peice, looked into the Commander’s eyes, her large violet orbs clouded with both grief and regret. Shepard stared back into them and was taken aback by the sheer depth of emotion with them.. Up to this point he’d considered the mare to be the type to keep her feelings to herself, firmly guarded behind a mask of Royal Authority. Yet here she was, showing him an honest and emotional regret for her actions that any other species might mistake for weakness.

The man paused for a moment before replying.

“It... hasn’t. Trust me, Princess. I’ve dealt with politicians who are much more... difficult to work with than you are.” Shepard told her slowly as he thought over the right words. “This is a big step for any species, and given your position, it makes sense to me that anyone would want to try and display their authority as best they knew how. I won’t say that the incident was pleasant, but neither myself nor my crew will hold a grudge over the incident.”

This admission caused Celestia to smile softly in return and for just a moment Shepard felt a nearly overwhelming feeling of relief coming off of the alicorn.

“Thank you Commander, thank you very much. That means a great deal to us.” Celestia said, still smiling. Then her expression changed a little. “Commander... may I ask you something?”

The man’s eyebrow rose in surprise but he nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Why are you really here?” Celestia asked quietly. “And what do you want from us? I am not wholly ignorant of how your galaxy works, thanks in part to Major Kirrahe. And I know that it is not standard procedure for your governments to concern themselves with ‘primitive’ species such as mine, regardless of the good service we did you in regards to Kirrahe.” The mare paused for a moment before continuing. “Unless of course they need to throw us at some threat,” she finished, her voice becoming a bit more guarded.”That was how Ambassador Urdnot Grunt’s people were introduced to the galactic community was it not?”

Shepard remained silent as he mulled over how to answer her question. While the Princess’ knowledge of galactic events was limited, there was absolutely nothing to indicate that it would stay that way. And thanks to the briefings given by Kirrahe while he was stranded to gain the trust of the native peoples, they had enough information to at least begin to build on their own opinions it seemed.

After a moment of consideration, he let out a very tired sigh.

“Princess... how much did Kirrahe tell you about the Reaper War?” he asked quietly.

Celestia looked down.

“Not nearly as much as I would have liked.” Celestia answered softly. “Although he did inform me that it was severe and crippling for the galactic community,”

The Commander nodded faintly.

“That would be putting it lightly Princess. The war left the galaxy... damaged.”

“All wars are damaging, Commander.”

“Not on this scale.” Shepard shook his head, trying to think of how best to get the sheer enormity of the situation across to the equine. “In the fight against the Reapers, entire planets were burned away… their populations annihilated. Billions dead. Trade routes and entire industries completely wiped out.”

Celestia’s expression fell. Clearly, there were still things that Kirrahe had kept from her.

“The Citadel and galactic society in general is holding on by both hands. We’ve won the war, but that doesn’t mean that the cost isn’t being felt. “ Shepard shook his head. “Princess… I’m here to ask for your help.”

“Our help?” she asked with a confused gaze.”What possible aid could we offer to a people such as yours?”

“Well... there are two things,” Shepard said slowly. “Your ponies bring new possibilities, both to the galactic business market and with the possible application of your natural abilities. In my two brief visits here to the surface of Equus, Princess… I have seen things that by my understanding of physics and the laws of science cannot exist, and yet they do,” Shepard said before pausing for breath to gather his thoughts.

“We can’t make it rain on command, you can. We spend massive amounts of resources to improve our crop and food production, but your ponies do better than our machines and technology with metal plows and spades. Any one of these talents would be in high demand by a galaxy in need of food and fresh water.”

Celestia nodded, she’d been expecting that much. “And the other thing?”

“Resources,” Shepard said slowly. “Princess, your home… the Serenity System I mean, not just Equus… is a proverbial gold mine of valuable resources. To put it bluntly, Celestia: You’re rich.”

“Rich?”

“The other planets in your system are filled with enough mineral wealth to reinvigorate the galactic economy a dozen times over,” Shepard explained carefully. “Along with the opening of diplomatic relations, my mission is to make sure that that wealth is secured for the galaxy at large,”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly, this new information clearly focusing her priorities as she seemed to suddenly grasp the dangers.

“Why are you telling me this, Commander?”

“Because I would like this to go as smoothly as possible without any violence from either party. I’m not here to rob you Princess,” the Commander told her calmly. “I’m here to help you.”

The mare stared at him for a long moment, and the Commander got the oddest feeling that it wasn’t just Celestia who was looking at him. Then she nodded her head and the feeling faded away to nothing.

“I see... I’m grateful for your honesty in this matter. Not everypony would be so honest about the intentions for us,” the alicorn said cautiously, though a small smile had appeared on her face. “You have given me a great deal to think about before the ambassador’s arrive.”

“You’re welcome,” Shepard replied, nodding his head. “Although, if I may, I have a few questions about Equus.”

Celestia tilted her head to the side curiously. “Oh? And what would those be?”

Shepard cleared his throat and then looked at Philomena who had moved back to stand on his shoulder and brought his fingers up to slowly rub beneath her chin. “Princess... I don’t understand how half of the life on your planet can possibly exist.”

“What?” Celestia asked in surprise, having clearly not expecting that. “I am not certain I understand what you mean Commander?”

“Princess... you said that Philomena was a phoenix right?” Shepard asked her.

“Yes, she is,” Celestia answered with a nod, not quite knowing where the man was going with this.

“Well... that should be impossible,” the man said flatly.

“Why?” Celestia asked.

“Because, phoenixes are something from human cultural mythology. Unicorns, pegasus, dragons, griffins, manticores, and I think Kirrahe’s report also mentioned a hydra...” Shepard trailed off for a moment before he shook his head. “I recognize these creatures from our ancient stories and legends. Perhaps not exactly as they exist here, but close enough that it cannot be coincidence. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that Equestrian evolution doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“Interesting...” Celestia murmured to herself. “That is indeed odd Commander...but Mother does as she pleases.”

Shepard’s eyebrows narrowed curiously at this comment, debating a moment before breaching the subject.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve referred to your ‘Mother’. Who do you mean?” He looked past the alicorn to the portrait on the desk. “Her?”

“Oh, that is indeed my mother: Queen Titania, the first true Alicorn.” Celestia nodded, having to follow Shepard’s gaze. “That portrait is one of my own recreations, unfortunately the original was lost when chaos roamed the land.”

“And what does she have to do with the evolution of your peoples?”

“Oh, I am afraid you misunderstand, Commander. You see, Queen Titania was mine and Luna’s mother. But before I was referring to ‘Our’ Mother. She is Equus, the Mother of All,” Celestia answered simply. “She is the Goddess who first gave life to our world... and she is the one who brought us into being, nurtures and provides for all life born of her world.”

“I see.” Shepard nodded, realizing that he had moved into the spiritual and religious aspect of Equestrian Culture. “I thought you were referring to somebody that we could actually speak with.”

“I’m sorry Commander, but the Mother of All is all of Equus,” Celestia replied simply. “When you look upon our world, you look upon her for she is everything,” she said, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “So I suppose, in that way you could find her.”

That made the Commander frown for a moment and then he shrugged. “Alright then, Princess... we should probably be getting back to the others.”

Celestia nodded and got to her hooves. “Yes, we probably should, who knows what type of trouble young Princess Twilight has gotten herself into,” she replied with a motherly tone of voice that Shepard wasn’t expecting. “Oh, and Commander.”

“Yes?” Shepard asked, getting to his feet as well and annoying Philomena who was still standing resolutely on his shoulder, her sharp claws tightening as he did so.

“You may address me as Celestia,” she told him, smiling.

“Okay... Celestia,” he responded with a small smile of his own beginning to make itself known on his face. Celestia simply stood and led the way out of the room, only to be stopped by a rather nervous guard stallion who came rushing up the hallway.

“Princess! The Dragonlord Ambassador has been sighted approaching the capital!” the white coated guard blurted out.

“Already?” Celestia quirked an eyebrow, a mix of amusement and shock in her tone before she turned to Shepard. “Well, it looks like this evening just became even more interesting.”

Author's Note

Well, it's finally here. Both Loyal and I appologize for the great delay, hopefully the next chapter won't take two months... Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!

Dealing with Dragons

“Alert Chef Cloudwing at once,” Celestia nodded to the guard, who was clearly waiting for orders following his announcement.

“I… your majesty?” the stallion tilted his head to the side, clearly surprised by the directive.

“Well, I am sure that the Ambassador will be famished by the time she arrives. To be this far ahead of schedule, they must have been flying for the last day or so straight,” Celestia reasoned with a small smile before adding, “Alert the treasury that the Chef will require a new supply of gemstones for the pantry.”

With this simple explanation, the guard saluted. “As you command Princess. Our scout reported that the Ambassador should be arriving with her charge shortly.”

“Her charge?” Celestia inquired with a raised eyebrow. “That is unusual, unless it is migration season, dragons tend to travel alone.”

“The Scout reported that she has a companion with her, your highness,” the guard answered. “A young drake the Guard is quite familiar with.”

A look of dawning realization crossed Celestia’s face after a moment before nodding, her soft smile returning. “I see, in that case, please inform Princess Twilight of the impending homecoming. I will send another pony along to alert the treasury.”

“At once, Princess,” the guard lowered his head into a bow before turning to trot briskly down the hallways.

“Dragons?” Shepard inquired as he stepped towards the door. “As in flying, reptilian, fire breathing dragons?”

“Oh yes, quite so,” Celestia answered with a small smile. “I suppose it is not surprising that they would arrive first. When they can be roused, dragons tend to be quite quick to action. And your arrival has certainly been ‘rousing’ if nothing else. Now then, would you care to join me? I assume you’ll want to meet the new diplomat as much as I do.”

“That would be an understatement.” Shepard moved forward, surprised that Philomena kept her perch and moved along with him as he walked, although he could barely register her weight. The opportunity to actually ‘meet’ a living, breathing dragon was not something he was about to miss. “I am curious though, why would the kitchens need funding from the treasury?”

“Oh, dragons are crystavores.” Celestia explained as the two exited her study and began down the long hallway.

“Meaning?” Shepard asked.

“Meaning that they derive nutrition from condensed mineral sources, gemstones to use the laypony term,” Celestia stated plainly.

The Commander processed this for a moment before the implications hit home.

“They ‘eat’ gems? Like diamonds and rubies?”

“Those would be considered ‘fine dining’ to most dragons. More commonly they tend to eat more plentiful stones, like quartz, amethyst, or agates. In the absence of suitable stones, they can sate their hunger with more ‘pony-like’ faire.” Celestia explained. “The Ambassador is a Dragon Lord however, and her preferences are more highbrow than most of her kin.”

“You know the ambassador then?”

“Intimately.” Celestia nodded. “Although it has been decades since I saw her last.”

“Is she a friend of yours?”

“Yes, and no,” Celestia answered with a slight sigh. “Straza and I are friends in the way that a pair of old... comrades are friends. She supported me several times in conflicts when I was far younger; we remain amicable, although we have many differing viewpoints. If you asked her, she would likely not call me a ‘friend’.”

“That’s odd,” Shepard mused. “I’ve always found that my closest friends are the ones I’ve made on the battlefield.”

“That is true,” Celestia agreed. “However Straza is not just a dragon, she is a Dragonlord. The dominant class of a race that considers itself a superior species. They do not exactly have ‘friends’ in the way that you and I do, even among themselves.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why not?”

“I do not truly know to be honest... something in their psychology prevents it I suppose,” Celestia answered with a slight shrug. “They are inherently self-serving and can not usually bond with their compatriots the way you or I would... it is difficult to explain.”

“So what should I expect?”

“That will depend greatly on how she perceives you. Arrogance is an unfortunate byproduct of dragon culture and they tend to make snap judgements of creatures outside their own species. If she deems you as ‘unimportant’ or ‘unworthy of her time’, then chances are she will ignore you entirely. If she deems you an annoyance, she will likely be aloof and crude. Make her angry or offend her sense of superiority, and she will not hesitate to end you.” Celestia explained. “And if she sees you as a threat… well… then she will be quite friendly. Dragons of her caliber respect power, and little else.”

Shepard nodded slowly as he walked beside her as he thought about it, this ‘Ambassador’ actually sounded like a Krogan. Their greatest insult was to say something was ‘not worth killing’, and in spite of their brutish nature, could become very loyal to those who proved their capabilities, usually in combat.

“I see... I’ll strive to make a good impression,” Shepard stated.

“I think that would be wise,” Celestia agreed. “I doubt that the Dragonlords would cause trouble for you in any event. Particularly not in my seat of power.” the Princess assured him, her voice confident. “You are on a mission of peace, and regardless of their delusions of grandeur, the dragons know better than to desecrate such a thing with violence.”

Shepard frowned again, and filed away the information for later use.

“I see, and the guard mentioned that there was someone else with her? A ‘charge’ of some sort?” Shepard asked her.

Celestia’s small smile turned into a grin. “Oh yes. Now he is a sight that will be most welcome. I’m sure Twilight will be eager to see her little brother again.”

Twilight stood in the courtyard, trying to contain her bouncing as her hooves clicked up and down in excitement.

Spike is coming home! her brain was practically shouting and it was all she could do to keep herself from hopping around in a circle chanting ‘yes yes yes’. Thankfully, her friends were there to keep her in check.

“I can’t believe it has already been six months.” Rarity said, her voice melancholy. “Oh I hope those dragons have at least tried to be nice to our little Spikey-wikey. After that nasty business with the migrational dragons...” she trailed off, having to suppress a shudder as she remembered the three adolescent drakes that had been bullying their young friend.

“Oh, but these dragons are supposed to be the mature and noble ones,” Pinkie put in. “I betcha he made a lot of friends!”

Twilight frowned, if everything she’d been told about the Dragonlords was correct, she doubted that would be the case. Still, Spike had been growing more and more restless as Twilight’s own time was taken up with royal duties. And while he considered himself more a pony than a dragon, it did not keep him from being curious about his own kind. When he had learned about the more refined nature of the Dragon Lords as opposed to his migrational ‘common’ kindred, a quick favor from Celestia had put him into the protected charge of the rulers of dragon-kind on a sort of cultural exchange.

Still, having grown to miss him more and more as she realized how much she had taken Spike’s presence for granted, Twilight could only hope that now that he was coming home, he was coming home for good.

“I’m sure he was fine,” Applejack agreed with Pinkie Pie, nudging Rarity’s shoulder. “Little guy knew how to take care of himself.”

“But... all the other dragons were so much bigger at the Migration,” Fluttershy said meekly. “What if they ganged up on him? Or if he got stepped on!”

“Or sat on…”

“Girls, I’m sure that Spike is fine,” Twilight said firmly, her voice taking on a small bit of sharpness. She didn’t particularly like being reminded of all the worries that she’d been harboring for past few months.

“Indeed he is,” Celestia’s voice said unexpectedly from behind them.

The group of friends turned to see the white alicorn approaching, Commander Shepard at her side. Twilight’s eyes instantly widened as she saw Philomena, the Princess’s pet phoenix, on his shoulder. Experience had taught her that the mischievous bird rarely displayed such docile behavior, tending instead to ‘have fun’ with the staff and guard of the castle.

Twilight also had to steady herself at the sight of the human, well aware that her initial ‘flight’ instinct was a natural (if somewhat annoying) response to what she had learned about him. The soldier had destroyed an entire star system! He had, on his own, snuffed out all life across multiple planets. Over three hundred thousand souls lost in an instant. And that was just ONE incident.

Glyph suggested that there had been many, MANY more.

Luckily, before she could stammer or say anything unfortunate, Celestia continued speaking.

“I have kept a very close watch on events and maintained correspondence with his gracious hosts.” Celestia continued. “I assure you, Twilight, there is nothing to worry about.”

Twilight responded with a grateful look and an invisible sigh of relief. “Thank you Celestia.”

“No trouble at all.” The elder alicorn replied before her head turned to the west. “Ah, there she is.” she said. Everypony and the human in the courtyard turned to follow her gaze.

Shepard saw a small golden shape on the horizon. As the shape got nearer, Shepard discovered that the Ambassador was not... exactly what he was expecting. She was a dragon, surely, just not nearly as big as he’d imagined. As she came in for a smooth landing the dragon settled her clawed legs down softly on the lawn, no more than a foot in front of Celestia, Shepard, and Twilight.

The first thing that he noticed were her eyes, which were a piercing ruby red, slitted like an earth feline’s and possessing a level of intelligence and age that rivaled Celestia’s own as they looked down at the two crown-wearing mares and Shepard from maybe two heads higher. While not the ‘gargantuan’ creature he had been expecting, the dragon was easily the largest thing in the courtyard, towering even higher than he recalled the old Shadow Broker stood. His eyes fell a bit lower as a small puff of smoke leaked out from her nostrils and muzzle and a chuckle left the dragon’s throat, revealing a set of curved fangs and a back-jaw lined with flat, crushing teeth.

She stood, not unlike the ponies, as she surveyed the group. Although judging by the shape of her ‘fore-claws’ and the fact that she had what looked like a fully opposable ‘thumb’, he supposed the dragon was far more capable of ‘fine manipulation’ than his hosts. Her scales were a brilliant gold though that golden color was accented by black swirls and patterns that were quite intricate. The dragon’s form was graceful, streamlined, and refined, all smooth lines without even a hint of blemish, fat, or scar tissue as she stood upon four shapely legs. A set of delicate looking membranous wings were tucked easily across her back and a line of smooth spines ran down from the top of her head, curled back in a manner that almost resembled a styled gold mohawk.

Shepard for his part, was doing his best to contain his inner ‘nerd squee’ at the sight of an actual, LIVING dragon standing in front of him!

Finally! The hundreds of human fantasy authors throughout the centuries of Earth Literature had been proved right. And it was about time too; the science fiction authors of old had been laughing it up for decades now. Fortunately, he kept in mind what Celestia had told him and kept his face meticulously blank, though he did raise an eyebrow at the dragon, as if unimpressed or perhaps challenging.

“AhhhhHHHHh Little ‘Tia... you haven’t changed a bit,” the dragon said with a slim smile, further displaying her sharp frontal teeth, which were pearly and white. Her voice was... silky and smooth, almost indulgent. Like a great golden goddess allowing the ‘lesser’ creatures around her the chance to bask in her glory.

“Welcome back to Canterlot, Golda’straza,” Celestia replied, a slim smile of her own on her lips. “It’s been too long.”

“I suppose it has,” the dragon mused as she glanced around the courtyard. “I see you’ve hired a better gardener.”

“In the old one’s defense, gardening was the last thing on our mind at the time,” Celestia said, her voice calm... not casual. There was nothing tense in the way she stood, but Shepard could easily see that the mare held the dragon at ‘arm’s’ length, so to speak.

The dragon however, did not bother to elaborate or reply on the subject, instead turning her attention to looking Shepard dead in the eyes. For a moment the man fought the urge to look away.

There was something terrible about those eyes, intelligence mixed equally with a primal force that seemed to have the power to shake mountains to their foundations or send armies scurrying in fear.

Many men would have been cowed, but to the man who had defied the mass murders of life hundreds of times over, it was an impulse quickly mastered as he stared right back at her unblinkingly and without the slightest hint of fear.

They held this silent staring contest for several seconds before the dragon’s grin widened, displaying her teeth even more than before.

“OOoohhhhh~~” Straza almost purred, blinking and pulling back, her scales almost looking flushed for a moment. “And you must be what all the fuss is about hmm? Impressive… ‘very’ impressive. You wouldn’t happen to be… ‘Major Kirrahe’?”

“No, Shepard, Commander Shepard. Council Spectre and Lead Ambassador for the Citadel Council First Contact Team. It’s a pleasure.”

“Oh, I assure you, Commander, the pleasure is all mine.” Straza’s grin turned less intentionally intimidating and more genuine. “No flinch whatsoever, not a trace of fear...and yet you lack the time on this world to have been properly prepared for my presence.” The dragoness commented before stalking forwards a single calculated step and holding out a large scaly clawed ‘hand’ towards Shepard. “I am Golda’straza of the Dragon Lords, acting as the voice of the Flights. I ask you address me as simply Straza unless you are speaking in a formal capacity.”

“And it’s an honor to meet you Ambassador Straza…” Shepard replied, extending his hand to accept the dragon’s, taking care with her claws as he was certain she could ‘accidently’ cut his hand open if he let her. “This is a day to mark in my people’s history. Many of my kind have long had a fascination with dragons, myself included. And you certainly do not disappoint,” he added, a small bit of his inner nerd coloring his voice.

There were many things that you could tell about a person from the handshake, from the kind of person they were, to the way they carried themselves. As the scaley fingers closed around his own Shepard felt an overwhelming feeling of casual strength flow through the dragon’s fingers. They stood that way for what felt like a century, but was probably only a few seconds before Straza released his hand and shot him an intrigued look.

“You’re certainly something special aren’t you?” Straza speculated before she noticed that Philomena was still on his shoulder, preening her feathers from the small wind kicked up on the dragon’s arrival. “And hello to you as well Lady Philomena, it seems you’ve found a new perch.” The phoenix trilled musically at the title and then leaned over to gently nip the Commander’s ear.

The dragon let out a chuckle and turned to Celestia. “You should be careful Tia or you might lose your old bird.”

“I very much doubt it,” the alicorn replied, unable to keep a slight grin off of her face.

The dragoness returned the small smile and then turned to Twilight.

“Ah, and of course, you must be the famous Princess Twilight Sparkle. I’ve heard endless tales about you,” she said, a slight smirk on her face. “Many of them rather boring, but I must admit, very well done with that compulsion spell. Getting an entire town to riot over a little rag doll, brilliant little work of magic.”

While Twilight cringed visibly at the memory, Shepard looked to her with a raised eyebrow, concern coloring his expression, but Celestia shook her head while mouthing the words ‘I’ll explain later’ to him.

Twilight’s purple fur turned red with embarrassment at the reminder of the ‘want it need it’ spell catastrophe. Then a thought struck her.

“Wait, if you’re here, and Spike’s not with you, where is he?” she asked insistently.

“Hmm? Oh yes, the hatchling. I’m afraid he fell behind.” Straza answered with a less than attentive shrug before turning back to Celestia. “So, did you prepare us any food Tia? I do declare, I’m hungry enough to eat a horse,” she added, a slight smile on her face at the phrase, which caused the other ponies in the courtyard, who had remained silent, to cringe and draw themselves down towards the ground.

“Wh-What do you mean he fell behind? He doesn’t have wings!” Twilight protested before Celestia could respond. “Are you telling me you made him walk all the way here?!”

Straza shot Twilight an annoyed look, a bit of steam escaping her lips as she spoke.

“Respect your elders, foal,” she stated flatly. “You may be an alicorn now, but compared to me you’re barely past your infancy. As I said, he’ll be along shortly. It was hardly my fault the fledgling couldn’t keep up.”

By this time, the other Elements had recovered from their initial fear and were now regrouping next to Twilight.

“Madam Ambassador,” Rarity began diplomatically. “Would you be so kind as to tell us how it was that Spike fell behind?”

“Ah, you must be ‘Rarity’ the Element of Generosity,” Straza said as she turned to Rarity, recognition clear in her eyes. “I have heard many tales of you as well. All of them boring.”

“Yes, I am,” Rarity stated, ignoring the slight. “And I must insist that you tell us where Spike is!”

Straza shrugged. “He’ll be here shortly, just give it a min-”

The elder dragon was cut off as a loud roar split the air and everyone looked up to see a swirling green fireball rushing towards them from the sky. The fireball hit the courtyard before anyone, even Shepard had a chance to react, and exploded outwards into harmless wisps.

As it did so it revealed a purple quadrupedal dragon who came up to about Shepard’s height with a pair of large wings which then folded gracefully over his back standing in the center, a smile on his face. The green fire passed over the inhabitants of the courtyard harmlessly and the new dragon let out a laugh as he charged towards one mare in particular.

“Twilight!” the dragon shouted in a surprisingly deep voice before he reached her, snatching the stunned alicorn off of her hooves and sweeping one armed hug.

Twilight froze for a moment before she stuttered. “Sp-Spike? Is- is that you?”

“Yep,” the dragon answered with a chuckle. “It’s really me Twi, Number One Assistant Spike returning for duty.”

That was all the encouragement Twilight needed in order to tighten her grip on the dragon’s neck with her foreleg.

From her spot beside Celestia, Straza rolled her eyes at the young drake’s theatrics. “Hatchlings… grow a few feet and a pair of wings and they think they’re Equus herself,” the dragoness whispered in Celestia’s ear as they watched the reunion.

“But... how?” Twilight gasped out from beneath the strength of his hug.

“I’ll tell you later,” Spike replied, smirking at her as he released the mare.

“Spikey Wikey?” Rarity asked, her mouth finally managing to pick itself back up from its place on the ground.

“Hey Rarity,” Spike said with a smile. “So, how do you feel about taking me out on a date now?”

Instead of responding, Rarity fainted.

“Oh, wow. I... didn’t think she'd actually faint...” Spike said, rubbing the back of his neck, a scarlet blush working its way across his purple scales.

“I did warn you that would happen, not quite as I expected, but still.” Straza huffed in annoyance at the younger dragon with another roll of her eyes before turning back to Celestia and Shepard, the latter of whom had watched the whole exchange with varying degrees of confusion. “Now about dinner...”

Dr. Liara T’soni.

Daughter of the renowned Matriarch Benezia.

Graduate with Honors of the University of Serrice at the unbelievable age of sixty.

Acclaimed archaeologist.

Galaxy-saving champion.

She was all of these things before she turned a hundred and eight, when she took on the title of Shadow Broker, becoming one of the most respected, influential, and feared beings in the galaxy.

And now, far more terrifying than anything she had experienced before.

She was an expecting mother.

The asari placed a hand over her face and let out a long drawn out sigh, she’d been attempting to troll through some of the newest updates on the ‘Shadow Net’ in order to distract her mind from the issue that was currently consuming it. She had forgotten how much she depended on Glyph to coordinate the data-streams however, she was unfocused, without the much needed ‘wide-angle’ lens that the VI provided.

It allowed her time to think on her situation.

The ‘shock and denial’ phase was beginning to wear off and that meant Liara was faced with a choice.

‘Should she tell him?’ the asari thought to herself before she leaned away from the terminal and rose to her feet.

COULD she tell him? He was with Tali now and the Quarian was certainly not about to let the remarkable human go for anything. They might not have been able to have children together, but already Liara knew (being the busybody information broker she was) that they had discussed adopting human, turian, and quarian war-orphans once the Rannoch Relay had been re-opened.

Did he have to know?

It would not be difficult to hide. In her panic, she had only told one other being her child’s parentage and she trusted that Dr. Chakwas would take that secret to her grave. In the wider galaxy, asari pregnancies were not a well understood thing and while three standard galactic years was certainly the standard, baby asari could easily be ‘born’ prematurely or late by a matter of months. There would be no danger of DNA testing as her kind didn’t ‘take’ the DNA of their partner, merely randomized their own genetic patterns to create something new.

Unfortunately, seven months would be pushing any credibility, and she had certainly not been with Feron or anyone else since that day, there simply hadn’t been time.

She COULD simply raise the child on her own, like her mother did, but that brought along a whole new list of problems. And then there was the impact that a child would have on her still developing relationship with Feron.

It was true that she cared for him, and she did not doubt he believed himself to be in love with her. But the question was: ‘was it real’? Was she taking advantage of his fragile state after two years of intermittent torture and the still lingering scars from the Reaper War?

And worse of all, she was on this damn mission and couldn’t return to her new headquarters to speak with him in person. This wasn’t the sort of thing that you send a vid across light years or sent a simple text message for.

The only other person she could turn to for advice would be her father and the Head of the New Martriarch’s Council which ruled Thessia in the absence of the former E-democracy infrastructure, Matriarch Aethyta.

And that would also be a waste of time, she could already hear that deep, wisened voice.

‘Ya gotta quit crying and buck up.’ She would say. ‘Either you tell him or you don’t, but don’t wallow in it. An asari’s life is too long and everybody else’s life is too short to live like that.’

Taking a deep breath as she mentally imagined the look of annoyance on her father’s face as she berated her, Liara let it out more slowly.

She would be right too.

The mission was too important, but as soon as it was over…

With her mind made up and refusing to allow herself to remain locked in this state of indecisiveness, Liara picked up her datapad once more and opened up another dozen or so applications.

She may have been pregnant, but that didn’t mean that the galaxy had stopped spinning.

She had a job to do.

She was Liara T’soni.

She was the Shadow Broker.

What was one more secret to keep?

“And that concludes the tour,” Shining announced as he and Cadence came to a stop outside of the dining hall where they had began some hours ago. “I hope you enjoyed it,” he finished with a smile.

“I did, it was very... illuminating,” Kaidan replied, nodding.

The two royals had just finished showing them the castle’s main attractions including a library, a throne room (which had amusingly included a strangely out of place wooden chair in lieu of a third throne), and several other important areas around the castle. In particular, Kaidan had been very interested in the stained glass windows which portrayed important events in Equestrian History.

While Cadence had boasted about the fact that some of the windows were as old as Canterlot Castle itself, pointing out the ‘founding’ of Equestria, Kaidan had found himself far more interested in the ‘recent’ windows, almost all of which shared a familiar purple colored theme.

“So, what next?” Garrus inquired, looking around the hallway.

“Well, according to the schedule that Twilight constructed, it’s almost time for dinner,” Cadence answered with a benign smile, her horn aglow as she opened up the large door that led to the hall they had dined in earlier that afternoon.

Garrus and Kaidan exchanged a glance.

“Guess it’s a good thing we ended the tour here then,” the human observed with a small chuckle.

“Yeah, my sister is really good about keeping things organized. Now if you’ll follow me, I’m sure that the Princesses will join us any moment for--”

“Actually, General, Lt. Commander, if you would be so kind as to excuse us for a moment. I need to borrow my husband.” Cadence spoke up before Shining could lead the aliens into the dining hall. Shining’s eyebrows rose slightly, that was his wife’s ‘you’re in for a pointed lecture’ tone. “We’ll be in with you in just a moment.”

“Of course dear,” Shining said, a hint of nervousness leaking into his voice. Garrus and Kaidan looked back at the unicorn and gave him a silent nod of ‘respect’ before they continued forward and Cadence closed the door with a soft magical clack.

“Shine. Darling, would you mind explaining to me what the Terra Elites and the Battle-Mages were doing out there instead of the normal guards?” Cadence asked him sharply.

“Well Cadence there’s a very-”

“And about those boulders, how many of those were actually solid?” Cadence continued, her eyes boring into Shining’s.

“About halfish...”

“Uh huh,” Cadence nodded. “And Captain Spitfire and the Wonderbolts were there in the wrong armor… ‘why’?”

“Now Cadence, hold on--”

“You were trying to show off with our best and make it out like that was standard, Shine. That is not good. Was it absolutely necessary to make that terra trooper break his leg in order to showcase our magic?” she asked him, her eyebrow raising.

“Look, Cadence, firstly, that injury was not planned,” Shining said firmly, mustering his resolve. “I’m not the kind of stallion who ‘instigates’ actual pain, which you should know. Secondly, in this type kind of situation, a show of strength is a good thing... even if its a little... fudged,” the stallion said, a slight blush on his face.

“So essentially you were just trying to show the ambassadors how ‘big and strong’ we are,” Cadence summarized.

“Yes,” Shining agreed with a swift nod.

“Stallions,” Cadence said with a roll of her eyes and a sigh. “Shine darling, they’re not our enemies. They are here to help us get our hooves wet in the galactic community and to make sure that we’re safe. There was no need to exaggerate like that,” the mare told him.

“I know... but it makes me feel a bit better to know that they know we could defend ourselves. You know,” Shining replied.

“No, Shining Armor.” Cadence pointed out. “I honestly don’t believe that we could.”

“Don’t worry, Cadence, I’ll protect you. I have my shields,” Shining stated, trying to inject some confidence into his tone while Cadence gave him a flat look.

“You’ve read far more science fiction then I have darling, how well do you belive that would work?” Cadence asked him.

Shining sighed, his shoulders slumping.

“Fine,” he said flatly. “Look Cadence, I’m worried about what could happen if this whole situation goes belly up alright? I just want the assurance that they’ll think twice about fighting us on the ground. I don’t like feeling like a foal swinging a practice sword around,” he explained to his wife. “Is it wrong that I’m trying to impress?”

Cadence’s expression softened a bit. “I know that this situation is stressful, Shining Armor. But I have a good feeling about these ambassadors. I honestly believe they are here to help us. Just try to be yourself and show them the ‘Real’ Equestria, not something we ‘want’ them to see. Can you do that for me, Shine?” the mare asked him.

“Okay,” Shining said, his voice softening a little before he leaned into give her a soft kiss. “I promise Cady.”

Cadence smiled at her husband.

“Thanks Shine,” she said before nodding at the door. “Now; let’s go keep our guests company until Auntie Luna arrives to commit the next interplanetary faux-pas.”

Kaidan and Garrus entered the dining hall after giving their fellow male a nod of good luck and to their surprise found Tali sitting at one of the tables by herself, her fingers flicking over a datapad. The quarian looked up as they entered and set the datapad down.

“Tali? What are you doing down here? Weren't you supposed to be back on the Normandy?” Garrus asked her as he walked up and took the chair beside his friend.

“Things changed,” Tali answered with a slight shrug.

“And they just stuck you in the dining room?” Kaidan asked, a slightly disbelieving tone in his voice.

“At my own request.” Tali replied. “They offered to have one of the guards give me a tour of some sort... but there was something I wanted to look over before dinner.” she added, gesturing to the datapad.

“Research?" Kaiden inquired.

“Of a sort, I kept a transcript of the conversations we had over lunch,” Tali replied. “There are a few things that could use some clarification.”

“Such as?” Garrus asked, his mandibles twitching as he bent down to look over Tali’s shoulder.

“Mostly things about the arriving ambassadors, although I'm also trying to brush up on some galactic diplomatic standards,” Tali replied before letting out a small sigh. “We know so little about them that I don't know how much help that's even going to be. There are just so many unknowns.”

Tali glanced up at him and sighed before she changed the topic. “So... how was your tour?”

“It was... enlightening,” Garrus answered. “We got to see a demonstration of the Equestrian Military in ‘action’ and I’ve got to say, I’m actually impressed.”

“Really?” Tali asked, frowning beneath her mask. “A turian, impressed by a pre-gunpowder age military?”

“Honestly Tali, so am I.” Kaidan stated.

Garrus nodded in agreement. “What they lack in technology, I’d say they make it up for with discipline. And part of me wonders if maybe we've actually lost something becoming so reliant on technology. Of course, I wouldn't want to put them up against a legion of husks, banshees, and brutes. But I get a feeling they would fair better than most of our forces did when they first faced reaper troops.” the turian stated.

Tali’s eyes widened slightly.

“Well, that’s is impressive, no mistake,” she said before nodding. “Though... I suppose it doesn’t surprise me too much that they’re capable of more than they appear.”

“Why’s that?” Kaidan asked, frowning.

“Turns out that our hosts aren’t... quite what they seem,” Tali said, lowering her voice a little. “Doctor Chakwas believes that the Equestrians are genetically engineered.”

A silence fell over the three for a long moment as the other two digested what Tali had said, then Garrus spoke up.

“Genetic engineering, how sophisticated?” the turian asked.

"Significantly according to Chakwas,” Tali replied before shrugging. “It’s not exactly my field of expertise. Now if they somehow had a mini eezo core powering them, then I could help.”

“Well... at least they’re friendly,” Kaidan said after another moment of silence. Any further discussion was stopped right in its tracks by the opening of the door to the hall, revealing Cadence and Shining Armor.

“Sorry about that,” Cadence apologized as she and her husband walked in. “I just wanted to check on something with Shining.”

“It’s fine, your Majesty,” Kaidan replied. “We were just catching up with Tali about what we missed aboard the Normandy,” he added, nodding towards the quarian sitting beside him.

“Were you stuck in here all by yourself Ambassador?” Cadence asked, a look of concern on her face. “I had no idea. If you’d told one of our staff, I’m sure they could have directed you to our tour group.”

“Oh no; no need to worry about it,” Tali said, waving away the concern. “I actually requested to be brought here, I wanted to go over a few things before we met with the other ambassadors.”

“Ah, I see,” Cadence nodded. “Is there anything I might be able to help you with?”

“Yes actually,” Tali replied. “I remember earlier today that Princess Luna mentioned the multitude of races who would be attending. Among the list she mentioned the ‘Griffin High Houses’ and mused as to whether or not they could stop fighting each other would determine whether or not they’d send an ambassador. Would you mind explaining what she meant by that?”

“Actually dear, I can do that,” Shining said with a small smile as he stepped a bit in front of Cadence. “You see Ambassador Vas Normandy, the Griffin Kingdom fractured with the death of their last high king... when was that... about two and a half centuries ago?" Shining turned to Cadence, who merely nodded. "Since then, the houses with the highest wealth and influence have been fighting over the title of ‘king’.”

“A civil war?” Garrus asked, a slight note of dreading familiarity in his voice.

“Sort of.” Cadence shook her head, clearly finding the whole thing reprehensible. “You see, it started off bloody and brutal, but over the years it has slowly shifted into more of a... game.”

“A game?” Kaidan inquired, curious.

“Yeah, somewhere along the line it stopped being a real war and turned into more of a rivalry between the houses. I think there are nine of them now.” Shining answered. “They still field armies who fight each other, but it’s more akin to an elaborate game of chess than anything else nowadays. They keep trying to take the same mountain peaks back and forth like foals playing 'king of the hill'.” the unicorn continued with a bit of disgust in his voice.

“Actual deaths on the battlefield are incredibly rare though, so there’s that,” he continued. “More often, 'defeated' griffins are captured and traded back to their houses for some form of ransom. Though if you ask me it’s a senseless waste of time, energy, and resources for the sake of 'bragging rights'. Houses fall apart when they run out of resources to field the troops and their lands are usually absorbed by their neighbors, who have more territory to defend.”

“And... they’ve kept this going for two hundred and fifty years?” Garrus asked, a bit of shock in his voice. “Why haven't they given it up by now?”

“Well, they are griffins,” Shining answered. “When they set their minds on something, it’s hard to get them off of it. Especially when it comes to fighting. Hay, it took Princess Luna calling down a shooting star to obliterate one of their armies all those years ago bringing a stop to their invasion attempts after the Fall of Chaos.”

“I... see,” Tali said, rather unsettled by the sound of that, as were Garrus and Kaidan... though they looked more intrigued.

Cadence shot her husband a slightly annoyed look, noticing the expressions on both Kaidan and Garrus’s faces.

“There is no need to worry though. My aunt doesn’t do that these days,” the pink alicorn assured Tali.

“I like to think I have grown perhaps a bit more subtle over the last several thousand years,” Luna agreed as she walked into the room through a side doorway, earning her a half bow from both Kaidan and Garrus.

“In any case, I was speaking in jest before, Ambassador Vas Normandy. My sister and I anticipate the Griffin Ambassador by tomorrow morning if not before. The High Houses are not so divided as to ignore a happening of this nature and have more than likely put their ‘differences’ aside by this point. It is remarkable how quickly their kind can come together when they deem it necessary.”

“I see, thank you, your Majesty,” Tali said, looking over the Princess with a guarded expression. She was aware of the alicorn’s dislike of Shepard and was naturally suspicious of her. "That explains alot."

“Of course.” Luna said with a slight shrug of her royal shoulders. “Now perhaps you could provide me with an answer to an inquiry of my own.”

Tali frowned at the Princess’s tone which was rather sharp. “I'll do my best, but I can’t promise you that I’ll be able to fully answer any questions you have,” Tali replied.

“Fair enough,” Luna said. “Though I believe you are the foremost expert on this particular subject. You and the Commander are closely bonded, are you not?” Luna asked her, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Tali froze where she was for a moment and her face ran through a complex gauntlet of emotion, starting at surprise and finishing at worried. There were few times that she was grateful for her suit’s added concealment, but this was one of those cases. Garrus and Kaidan for their part exchanged anxious glances. Then, Tali let out a breath and nodded her head.

"Is it that obvious?" Tali asked, somewhat sheepishly.

"Yes." Came the unified human and turian response.

"You were not exactly being subtle, Ambassador," Princess Cadance offered.

"Hay, even 'I' picked up on that, and I'm a stallion." Was Shining Armor's quip.

“Great, well, at least it's an 'open' secret.” she shook her head before turning back to Luna.

"What would you like to know, Princess?"

“Is it true that the Commander has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of thinking creatures?" The Lunar Princess asked, her tone carefully neutral.

She did not miss the way that the human and turian looked to one another, clearly recognizing what she was talking about.

"Aratoht," Tali sighed, shaking her head as she brought a three fingered hand to her faceplate. "Glyph told you about the Bahak System."

"The Bay-hawk what?" Cadance now looked between the two of them curiously.

Luna's gaze, however, remained on Tali.

"Is it true?"

Taking a breath and steeling herself, Tali found her resolve and nodded.

"Yes."

At this confirmation, Luna's expression, if anything, turned more grim. Shining Armor and Cadance on the other hoof, turned with some confusion to their new human and turian friends.

"The Arrival. It was about six months before the Reaper War began." Kaiden started, recognizing that some clarification was required now that the cat was out of the proverbial bag. "At the time, nobody else believed that the Reaper threat was real. Shepard discovered that they were going to arrive in Batarian Space along the edge of the Milky Way."

"The Bahak System was home to the Alpha Relay." Garrus picked up in a way of explaining. "A mass relay that could send them anywhere in the galaxy almost instantly. From there, the Reapers would have launched a surprise attack, wiped out all resistance and cut off all communication. It wouldn't have been a war then, it would have been a one sided slaughter."

"It was already too much of a one sided slaughter if you ask me." Kaidain shook his head.

"What happened?" Shining asked, his eyes never leaving the Lunar Diarch.

"The Alliance, my people, had found evidence that the Reapers were coming and took steps to try and slow them down. They called it 'the Project'. A plan to destroy the Alpha Relay by ramming a small moon into the damn thing. But by the time Shepard met up with them, it was too late. They had all been indoctrinated by a Reaper Artifact, coming to believe the Reapers were some sort of 'gods'. They captured the Commander and held him prisoner for two days before he escaped and activated the Project."

"And as a result..." Luna spoke up. "Nearly three hundred thousand innocent bystanders on a nearby planet were utterly destroyed. The Commander was arrested by his own people and placed on trial for war crimes."

"Of which he was exonerated. Shawn tried to warn them," Tali defended. "He never stopped trying to warn them... but he ran out of time. We literally had 'minutes' to spare before the Reapers arrived and the people on Aratoht were already as good as dead. The Reapers would have destroyed them just as surely as the explosion of the Alpha Relay. That sacrifice saved billions of lives and gave us precious time. There was no other choice."

"So the ends justify the means?" Luna asked her, the mare’s voice cold and icy. “If that is his philosophy, and when his accidents can cause the deaths of entire star systems, why should I willingly allow him to even step foot on my planet, let alone dictate our path to the stars?”

Tali blinked twice, not having expected that loaded of a question, then her jaw hardened within her helmet.

“First off, Shawn doesn’t want to ‘dictate’ the path of your people,” Tali said, a note of irritation leaking into her voice. “Not because he’s trying to ‘control’ you. He’s here because he’s too good a man not to be,” she stated firmly.

Tali paused for a moment, making sure that the alicorn was still paying attention to her. Luna was, though she still appeared rather skeptical.

“As for why you should trust your people’s future to him, it should be because no matter what he’ll put your interests ahead of his own, even if it kills him, even when it DID kill him." Tali answered fiercely before her gaze intensified and Luna could feel the palpable intensity from behind the mask. “From the moment I met him, that is all he's done, set his life down to try and help others. Whether it was holding a breech in a colony’s defenses until help arrived, bringing criminals to justice, saving a race from extinction or even something so simple and petty as helping an asari and a krogan realize that they were meant for one another!”

Tali’s hands tightened into balled fists and she finished in a voice of unbridled faith. “Shawn turned what had been an endless war between my people and the Geth into a peaceful co-existence! The rest of the galaxy, the Citadel, even the Reapers were so sure that it could only end with the destruction of either Geth or Quarian. He stopped that. Why should you trust him with the fate of your world? It's because he’s held the fate of the entire galaxy on his hands and when all was said and done, he did a damn good job of keeping it together!” The quarian finished her answer and sat back down in her chair. “Why should you trust him? Because he’s the only reason that there’s a galaxy left for you to see.”

Luna stared at her for a long moment before she moved to sit across from Tali.

“I think, Ambassador, that you and I have much to discuss.”

Discord was happy.

Now that was not an odd occurrence by any stretch of his admittedly fluid imagination. He was normally enthused in some way or another. Reveling in the ridiculous or merrily mocking the mishaps that befell the other little lives on this world. His world, no matter what Celestia said. He’d been here the longest after all.

But this time was a bit... different.

Over the ages he’d picked up many, many titles and monikers. He was the Bringer of Change, the King of Chaos, the Grand Poobah of Potential, the Big Cat of Catastrophe. To the gentlemen he was Miss Fortune, to the ladies, Sir Prize. And out of all of those and many others, there was one that he enjoyed the most.

He was the Shifter of Fate.

As the draconequus walked upside down under a cotton candy cloud, he smirked to himself.

It was going quite well all things considered. By the next morning the palace would be swarming with reporter ponies and countless pegasi with flash-bulb cameras. Questions flying with accusations and the general chaos that would come from the discovery that alien creatures were now in residence and discussion with Equestria's leadership, along with heads of state from the rest of the world.

There would be angry ponies, one big headed mare in particular who would demand to know why or how her ‘big secret’ got out so early?

“Because it was more fun that way, obviously,” Discord answered his own rhetorical thought. “Oh I just can’t wait to see the looks on little Tia and Lulu’s faces when they realize that things are moving out of their control.”

And then of course there was the big surprise. The one that he regretfully had NOTHING to do with. Ohhhhh heads were going to roll when all those stuffy nobles and leaders from the various nations of equis got THAT doozy thrown right in front of them.

It was going to be hilarious.

A scepter appeared in his hand, it was capped by what appeared to be the head of Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh, and you my dear little Twily are going to be quite a treat to watch when your precious little schedule collapses under the weight of the sheer absurdity of it all,” he continued, poking the obscenely grinning head of the scepter with his talon.

“Oh don’t look at me like that,” Discord continued with a chuckle. “If you're not careful, your face will get stuck that way.”

The Shifter of Fate chuckled again at his own joke, and then flapped his wings to propel himself upwards, or downwards in this case, falling up into the streets of Canterlot Proper. He shifted in mid air, and as he landed in an alley, the draconequus was replaced by a nondescript brown pegasus, armed with only a camera and an infectious smile.

Who ever would have guessed that a single pegasus with a camera could cause so much more strife than a virtual god of chaos?

“Now then, I believe Sir Ironheart is attending a rather lewd show; what a pity that his wife and all of Canterlot will be reading about it tomorrow,” the pegasus said with a small chuckle. “Lucky for him, I doubt anyone will actually notice, after all, there are aliens to gawk at,” he added before he set off into the night, whistling a tune of his own devising. Unsurprisingly, it featured his name.

“Tarnation ya got big, Spike,” Applejack commented on the obvious at last while the newly reunited friends walked behind the delegation, heading towards the Dining Hall.

Twilight walked directly beside Spike on his right, still marveling about how she just came up to his neckline now while Pinkie occupied his left, grinning maniacally. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were spread out around the dragon. Rarity for her part was still unconscious and draped across Spike’s back, settled comfortably between two of his softly rounded spines.

It was either that, or have Applejack drag her down the hallway by the tail like she’d once done with Fluttershy up a mountain, but it had been universally agreed that they did NOT need to hear about the scuffed coat and indignity from the mare when she awakened.

“Heh, yeah I guess I did,” Spike said as he looked down at himself appreciatively. “I’m still getting used to it; I only really grew out like this a few weeks ago... before that I lost a few pounds every day and I was starting to get really worried, but then one day I woke up and my bed wasn’t big enough...”

“And now you’re rollin’ like a pony… What’s with the whole four legs thing?” Rainbow Dash asked interestedly. “When did that happen?”

“Err... a couple of months ago,” Spike replied with a small shrug. “It started getting harder and harder to keep myself upright, and before I knew it I was walking more like a pony than a diamond dog. Guess my body was just adjusting for the new muscle and bone.”

“And the wings?” Twilight asked curiously.

Spike’s expression dropped for a moment as he suppressed a shudder.

“Uh, how about we not talk about that right now Twi? It’s something that happens to everydrake and that’s all anypony really needs to know,” he told her, his voice wasn’t exactly standoffish... but there was a note of something else hiding beneath the surface.

“Umm... okay,” Twilight said with a frown.

“Did it hurt?” Fluttershy inquired softly, she’d been keeping her distance from Spike. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him... it was just that he was so much bigger than she was used to.

“Yes... yes it did. Like I said, I’d prefer not to talk about it please.” he requested before adding. “Though apparently I’m lucky they came in at all.”

“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Because of my diet, or rather my lack of one.” Spike replied before flapping his wings once. “Dragons are omnivorous, we can eat anything, but these were supposed to come in at least two years ago. All the grains and grasses; not to mention the ice cream and cake, was messing up my metabolism. Straza says a couple more years of that and I would have been stuck small and pudgy forever.”

“Oh… Ooooohhhhh.” Twilight managed before trailing off, her ears folding back as her head lowered out of a bit of guilt. She had been the one who’d always rewarded the dragon with sweets as a hatchling and certainly had not discouraged it as he grew older. “I’m so sorry Spike, I had no idea. Aside from the fact that drakes eat gems, I didn’t know there were ‘Special’ dietary requirements.”

Spike just shrugged. “Hey, it’s cool Twi. It’s not like I blame you or anything, I mean there’s no way you could have known. I’ve come to find out, my people don't really like to 'share' knowledge. Or anything at all for that matter,” the dragon told her, pausing for a moment to rest a claw on her shoulder reassuringly.

“Thanks,” Twilight said, still feeling guilty as they started forwards once more.

“Well, look at the bright side. Ain’t nopony that can call ya a ‘baby’ now… I think it’s time you took Rarity up on that date eh?” Applejack asked, trying to return an upbeat mood to the reunion. “I mean, it’s ‘bout time.”

To the surprise of everypony, Spike just chuckled. “Nah, I actually don’t think I’ll be doing that, I was joking when I first got here,” he told Applejack with a smile.

“Wha? Hey, Spike… Equestria to Spike… that’s like ALL you’ve wanted to do for like… the last five years. ” Rainbow snarked, rolling over in the air and tapping the top of the dragon’s head. “I mean come on, you’ve been totally head over hooves...tail...claws… whatever, you totally dig Rarity and everypony knows it.”

“I grew up.” Spike replied nonchalantly “It was a puppy dog crush, I realize that now… I was in love with Rarity in the same way that Rumble foal was in love with Ms. Cheerilee.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, a small smile appearing on her face as Spike admitted something that she’d suspected for quite a long time.

“Yep, besides... I found someone who is more... appropriate for me to love while I was up in the Spine. Someone who thinks of me as more than a ‘baby dragon’ to humor,” Spike continued with a large smile on his face. “A scalie named Fire Sapphire.”

“Scalie?” Pinkie Pie asked with a frown. “Does that mean that she’s covered in scales or something?”

“It’s the term for dragon fillies actually,” Spike answered, chuckling slightly. “Though yes, she is covered in scales, beautiful blue ones… that glimmer in moonlight.” He added dreamily.

“Ooooh, that makes sense,” Pinkie said with a rapid nod of her head while the other ponies stared at Spike in surprise.

“Ya met a dragon to fall in love with?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, is there something weird about that?” Spike inquired. “I am a dragon after all.”

“But dragons are all big and scaley!” Rainbow protested. “How can you be in love with one?”

“In case you didn’t notice Rainbow, I’m big and scaley too now,” Spike replied with an amused smile. “Though in this case, she’s a bit smaller then I am.”

Twilight blinked several times through all of this, it seemed that her little brother had gotten a lot older than she’d expected in the last few months... and a lot more confident too.

“Tell us about her,” the alicorn requested.

“Okay; well she’s got these really deep blue scales and has got an amazing mind once it got a little more open...”

While the five Elements caught up with the long lost little brother of their group, enjoying his recounting of his adventures on the Spine of the World, Celestia, Shepard and Ambassador Straza ignored the chatter and talked among themselves.

“So, ‘Commander’.” The dragon put an unusual emphasis on his ranking, as if trying to determine its merit. “You mentioned that you’ve always been a ‘fan’ of dragons,” the golden dragon said, eying Shepard with a slightly raised eye ridge. “Why, and how?”

Shepard cleared his throat. “I suppose I should explain the how first,” he said with a slight frown. “You see... dragons have existed on Earth in our mythology for generations in some shape or form. There are thousands of stories about them recorded in books and vids,” the man explained.

“Really?” Straza asked him, her voice... uncertain. She was likely unclear as to what a ‘vid’ was, but a more prudent question came first. “And how are we portrayed?”

“That depends on the telling.” Shepard explained. “There are as many interpretations of dragons as there are stories of them. Sometimes they are villainized as the ultimate monsters...other times they are the heroes of the tale. More than a few cultures describe them as almost godlike. The different versions of dragons in earth literature is almost as diverse as the human race itself.”

“And now you have found us here.” Straza went into a three legged walk as she tapped her chin with one claw. “I find this coincidence to be very strange.”

“The feeling is mutual, believe me,” Shepard replied, a small chuckle escaping from his lips. “I never thought I’d see an actual dragon, let alone talk to one.”

“Yes, I suppose you wouldn’t have,” Straza agreed while giving Shepard a small contemplative glance. “So... Shepard. Where are the rest of the ambassadors who will be representing the other species of your ‘Citadel’?”

Shepard turned to Celestia, clearly thinking that she would actually know better than he.

“Well, at the moment they’re all in the main dining room making conversation with my sister...” Celestia trailed off, her face suddenly troubled.

Straza gave Celestia a look that conveyed both skepticism and to Shepard’s eyes, a drop or two of venom.

“You’re allowing her to speak to them?” the dragon asked Celestia. “Are you sure that is wise given her past?”

Celestia shot the the dragon a sideways glance. “While I know that Luna has had difficulties in the past and though she was originally not exactly jubilant at the idea of us hosting Shepard and his friends... I’m sure that she is perfectly capable of not causing any international incidents.”

“Four wars and a rebellion speak to the contrary,” Straza stated coldly. “But I suppose that it is none of my concern, Celestia.”

Shepard looked between the two as his mind pondered what had been said. Four wars and a... rebellion? he thought to himself in confusion. I knew she was hostile... but that’s... extreme.

“Straza,” Celestia said warningly.

“I am merely pointing out that perhaps you should have considered someone else to manage the diplomatic team,” the dragon replied, her voice still icy. “Now perhaps we should increase our pace and prevent her from doing something we will all regret.” The gold scaled dragon increased her pace, moving much swifter than her large form would suggest possible.

The Commander looked at Celestia who gave him a small helpless shrug before taking a slightly wing propelled jump in order to catch up with the scaly form of Straza who’d already managed to put several meters between them. Shepard put aside his thoughts for the moment and did his best to keep up with the dragon.

The party arrived in the Dining hall to find that Garrus, Kaidan, Tali, Cadence, Shining, and Luna were already seated in their respective spots, though this time the arrangement was different from the first meal they’d shared. The ‘Royal’ members were once more sitting at the ‘head’ of table with Tali there as well, however Kaidan and Garrus were sitting beside Tali instead of farther down the table.

“And that is how we pushed back the minotaur invasion force,” Shining said with a flourish, apparently coming to the end of a tale of some kind.

“Interesting use of terrain,” Garrus commented with a slight frown. “I can see how your earth ponies’ connection to the ground can be very useful.”

“Indeed, ‘tis a most desirable ability,” Luna agreed with a short nod and a rare smile on her lips. Then she glanced up to see Straza, Celestia, and Shepard stride into the room. The dark alicorn locked eyes with the golden dragon who merely looked back at her with a neutral expression.

“Princess Luna,” the dragon said, her voice chilled. “It has been... too long.”

“Golda'straza,” Luna replied, doing her best, and failing to keep her tone neutral and instead allowing a drop of poison to enter into her voice. “I see that the Lords have sent their... most experienced diplomat.”

Oh for Mother’s sake; not now you two... Celestia thought. It’s always the same whenever you’re both in the same room...

“Indeed,” Strasza stated. “How long has it been since you and I last... saw each other?”

“A thousand years, as you should well remember,” Luna replied pointedly.

“Oh yes, that’s right,” the dragon said with a small dark chuckle. “What a beautiful night it was; made even better by the dawn that followed.”

Luna, enough of this! Celestia snapped over the mental link before the two’s bickering could escalate.

But Tia she’s-

I don’t care, Celestia replied flatly.

“Perhaps you two can ‘reminisce’ about the past later. For now, we should eat before Chef Cloud Wing’s work goes to waste,” Celestia said as she stepped between the feuding females.

When she’d spotted that Shepard entered the room, Tali had gotten up from her seat and walked over to the man, casually slipping her gloved hand into his. Shepard looked at her for a moment before shrugging slightly, simply taking comfort in the quarian’s presence.

“So, what have you been up to?” Shepard asked her quietly as they walked over to the table.

“Not much, just a bit of research,” Tali answered with a slight shrug. “It looks like you’ve made a new friend,” she added, glancing towards Philomena who cocked her head at the suited alien, seemingly puzzled by something about Tali.

“Oh right,” Shepard said, he’d almost forgotten about the phoenix on his shoulder, for which he got a slight nip from the bird for his ‘error’. He gave Philomena a glance and then turned back to Tali who he could tell was smirking beneath her mask. “Tali, this is Philomena.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Philomena, you’re a very beautiful bird,” Tali said, her voice filled with amusement. The phoenix puffed out her chest and preened at the compliment causing Tali to let out a slight giggle. “It’s like she understands me,” the commented.

“Ermm... she probably can,” Shepard said, looking at the phoenix speculatively. Tali blinked, and then looked at the bird again.

“This place is just full of surprises...” she murmured as they arrived back at the table.

“You’re telling me,” Shepard agreed with a tired sigh as he settled in for what was likely to be a very long meal.

Author's Note

Bah, sorry about the wait, you know how it goes guys, also, I'm starting college soon so I don't know how much time I'm actually going to have to write in general but hopefully the next chapter won't take quite this long. Also, you guys have no idea how much I hate the first few sentences of this chapter because I've been looking at them for eight months.

Anyways, our art guy is WeaselK who can be found on Deviantart (http://weasselk.deviantart.com/) and Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/Weasselk) so go support him via commissions, he's a great guy!

Also, thanks to our editor Sadron for fitting this chapter into his schedule, he's a great guy too.

Also, as a last note, I hope this cleared up a little of the OP Pony problem that some of you guys were having,sorry it took this long to give you the real explanation, but Loyal and I didn't want to spoil.

Disclaimer!

The three unmarked chapters below are the product of two days of solid re-writing by the incredible Loyal2Luna and myself (I posted blogs about her coming aboard and the rewrites) so please enjoy the fruits of our labor and comment a lot!

Yours truly Ed2481