Pony Effect

by Grif

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Spike, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 109793

What if ponies replaced humans in the Mass Effect universe?

What if ponies replaced humans in the Mass Effect universe? Will Commander Sparkle save the day like Shepard did?

Special thanks to vimbert and 108Echoes from Ponychan's /fic/ for proofreading and conceptual ideas.

The GDoc links, if FimFiction does not fancy you. This is both my working copy and the originals that was published on Equestria Daily.

Published 2011-09-25 13:04:15 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-21 16:55:06 UTC

Chapter 2

[ESV Normaredy, Appleloosa orbit]

The Normaredy was the only ship within a thousand light years of Appleloosa that was considered even remotely close to battle ready. The next available reinforcements were hours away: even if the nearest battle groups were ready to depart at this very moment, it would still be too late to offer any form of meaningful help to the stricken colony.

Given the circumstances, Nihilus decided to utilise the ship’s experimental stealth system to its fullest. The Normaredy would insert him and a supporting squad covertly and attempt to retrieve the beacon, before the enemy ships surrounding the planet noticed them. After some deliberation, the captain chose her chief engineer Rarity and a pegasus marine named Coryander to accompany Twilight down. Her best people she assured Twilight, which did naturally not reassure her one bit. Nevertheless, she did not argue, since the Spectre himself had offered no opinion on the matter.

As was agreed upon, the Spectre had been dropped off first, somewhere to the north of the colony, with Twilight’s squad making their way from the south as his backup. With Nihilus already had been dropped off, Twilight and her squad were standing ready to be deployed at the second drop point as agreed.

“Approaching second drop zone, commander,” Scootaloo announced over the intercom.

“Alright, let’s do this.” Twilight glanced at her squad mates for one last time. Rarity was tugging at her armour, apparently deciding the crease on her otherwise immaculate armor was her nemesis of the day. Sensing Twilight’s eyes were on her, she quickly stopped fidgeting and flashed a reassuring smile. The red coated pegasus marine just nodded, his wings slightly flaring in anticipation.

Satisfied her squad was ready, Twilight took a deep breath, and concentrated. The mass teleport spell was one of the more difficult and complex spells for a unicorn to cast. However, the mission called for a quick insertion into the combat zone, which the spell provided, and with the least theoretical risk compared to other options. She had practiced the same spell multiple times in Canterlot University. All in controlled environments, of course, but Twilight estimated she had an 86% chance of casting the spell successfully in this environment.

Her horn began to glow, a soft purple glow at first, gradually building in intensity. The ship’s cargo bay faded away as Twilight focused on her spell; every incantation, every spark of energy, each iota of focus had to be precise; lest they could be transported straight into the earth! A white circle enveloped the group, illuminating the bay with unnatural light. Then with a clap of thunder and sound of rushing air, the group vanished into thin air.

[Outskirts of colony complex, Appleloosa]

The first thing Twilight sensed was the change in the air around them. The smell of recycled ship air and motor oil no longer permeated her nostrils, replaced by the sweet scent of apples and good old earth. The air was subtly warmer, and a cool breeze blew over her mane.

Opening her eyes, she spied the rolling hills of Appleloosa, innumerable apple trees covering the landscape. The sky was a dusky red colour, with the Appleloosan sun shining steadily in the east. To the north, she could make out a plume of black smoke rising from distance—The colony under attack, Twilight guessed.

Taking a quick glance around, she was relieved that her squadmates appeared to have arrived in one piece as well. Doing a double take, Twilight noticed Rarity seemed wobbly on her feet. A sickly green hue suffused her delicate features.

“Remind me never to volunteer for this again,” Rarity said weakly, before gagging and disappearing behind a bush. Moments later, Twilight could hear the engineer retching. Coryander just shook his head and faced the commander.

“Your orders, ma’am?”

“Let’s wait till our chief engineer finds her bearings first,” Twilight said. Inexplicably, she felt a wave of nausea sweeping over her body as well. Feeling bile rising to her own throat as well, she quickly joined Rarity behind the bush.

For a few minutes, the sound of two ponies retching was the only sound echoing over the silent apple orchards. The two soon relived the contents of their lunch and trotted out sheepishly.

“Let us never speak of this again,” Rarity said.

Twilight chuckled. “Agreed. I guess I overdid it with the teleportation spell.” Her face became serious as her mind focused on the task at hand. “Alright ponies, let’s move out,” Twilight ordered.

The squad slowly made their way across acres of orchards that covered the outskirts of Appleloosa. The apple trees seemed to have remained mostly intact, with only the occasional craters and fallen tree. Disturbingly though, they didn’t find anypony. Nor were there any indication of the enemy so far. Even the skies were silent. No birds, no insects, nothing.

“This place got hit hard, commander. Hostiles everywhere,” Nihilus reported over the radio. Sounds of gunfire could be heard in the background. The Spectre must have landed in a hot zone.

Twilight nodded. “Acknowledged. Moving to Point Alpha.” The group continued forward and cleared the orchards. Only a cluster of hills separated the squad from the outskirts of the colony now, if memory served Twilight right.

Spotting the entrance narrow rocky valley, she held up a hoof and halted. “Looks like a perfect place for an ambush,” she whispered over the radio. Twilight considered the situation for a moment, before waving the pegasus marine over. “Cory, fly up and scout for hostiles.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The red pegasus saluted crisply. Spreading his wings, Coryander took off gracefully. The pegasus began flying lazily above the valley. “No sign of hostiles. Looks like it’s - wait, I see something. Looks like…” A brief pause. “Drones! Unknown make... Oh gods, they spotted me! Taking evasive manoeuvres!”

Twilight watched in horror as several drones rose up from their hidden positions amongst rocks around the valley. Sensing the pegasus, the drones tracked their target unerringly and opened fire. The pegasus began to circle back, zigzagging in a desperate attempt to evade the hail of bullets. All in vain, as his kinetic barriers failed under the onslaught. The pegasus seemed to jerk slightly as several bullets punctured his light armour, before plummeting to ground in the distance.

“Oh no…” Rarity said.

Twilight felt a primal rage grip her heart as the horror of the spectacle began to fade. “Let’s teach these drones who they’re messing with,” she said, horn already glowing as she began levitating the rocks scattered around her. Rarity just stared at the distant horizon, her blue eyes taking on a blank look.

The drones finished sweeping the area around the obviously dead pegasus, and had begun flying back to their hiding places, apparently getting ready for a second ambush. They did not appear to notice the two ponies hiding behind the rocks at the mouth of the valley.

As the drones settled down one by one, abruptly one of drones erupted in a shower of electrical discharge. “You miserable pieces of scrap! Take this!” the white unicorn yelled with barely contained anger. Twilight momentarily gaped at the furious reaction of her companion. She must be taking this pretty hard.

The remaining drones whirled about and began to close in on the pair, gun barrels already tracking their new targets. Picking her targets carefully, Twilight began hurling the rocks she had levitated earlier at the oncoming drones. Several found their targets, damaging the drones and forcing some to crash on the ground. Another drone erupted in a merry explosion as Rarity overloaded its electrical systems.

Running out of rocks, Twilight switched to the twin assault rifles on her shoulders. A holographic HUD appeared over her right eye, helping her target the last drone, now trying to fly away from the ponies.

Steady… steady… FIRE!

The drone’s kinetic barriers flared for a moment, as Twilight’s bullets connected. A moment later, the barriers failed, and the drone exploded in a shower of sparks.

Silence reigned again.

“Chief Engineer, are you okay?” Twilight asked, concern on her face. Rarity was slumped on her haunches, panting heavily. She must be exhausted by all that usage of magic, Twilight thought.

“I… I’m fine, darling. Just that… it’s been so long since I lost a friend…” Tears brimmed in her blue eyes as the words tumbled out.

“It’s okay, Chie— Rarity. I understand,” Twilight said, hugging the white unicorn. Rarity hesitated at first, and then buried her head in Twilight’s mane as she sobbed uncontrollably.

***

[Digsite, Appleloosa]

"Are you sure you're okay, Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, commander. I'm perfectly fine now. Just needed to get some emotion out of the way," Rarity replied, her eyes still somewhat red from the tears earlier. "Look, that must be the digsite."

The digsite was a cluster of prefabricated habitation units arranged around a central depression, which Twilight guessed was the main dig site. Crates of various size were stacked haphazardly throughout the site. Heavy lifting equipment lay abandoned in a corner. As was becoming usual, nopony was around, nor a single pony body could be found. This was getting creepy. Where are all the ponies if they’re not dead? The pair advanced on the encampment cautiously.

“They must be getting ready to move out when the attack began,” Twilight observed, as she inspected the abandoned equipment. Before Rarity could answer, a Texan-accented voice rang out across the encampment.

“Who goes there? I swear if you’re one of them foalnapping zombies...”

The two looked at each other in surprise. “A survivor!” they exclaimed together.

“Sweet mother of mercy, ain’t y’all are a sight for sore eyes.” An orange mare trotted out from the cover of the crates she hid, an assault rifle in her mouth. Her saddle-armour looked battered from multiple hits. Strangely though, she also wore a very unregulation stenton hat, which she seemed to have retained through the battles she must have endured.

The expression on the soldier pony’s freckled face was one of relief. As Twilight approached however, the orange mare’s eyes widened in surprise. Dropping the gun in her mouth, she yelled, “Look out, ma’am!”

Twilight whirled around to find a bipedal robot, with what appeared to be a flashlight for its head, leveling a weapon — an unknown make of assault rifle — at them. The robot chattered in a sort of twittering language as it lined up its shot. Before Twilight could respond, she glimpsed the shadow of a heavy object moving past her. The robot abruptly found itself pinned underneath a heavy crate that landed neatly on its torso. Taking advantage, Rarity stomped on the robot twice, making sure it stayed down.

Twilight glanced back to see the orange mare grinning, her back towards them. That crate must have weighed a ton. That’s some powerful bucking, Twilight thought.

“Applebuckin’. Good trainin’ for these here hindlegs,” the soldier pony answered, as if reading her thoughts. Her grin faded as she belatedly realised Twilight outranked her. “Gunnery Chief Applejack of the 302nd, ma’am!” Her hooves clicked together as she saluted smartly and stood stiffly at attention.

“At ease, gunnery chief,” Twilight replied formally, waving for the earth-pony to relax as well. She flashed a reassuring smile. “Now, what in the name of Princess Celestia happened here?”

“It’s the geth, ma’am. They came out of nowhere and started shootin’ up the place.”

“Geth? You mean those flash-light head… things are geth?” Rarity said incredulously, pointing towards the still-warm robot. “I must say their fashion sense is horrible.”

“I thought the geth had not been seen since three hundred years ago,” Twilight said thoughtfully, recalling her history books on the Geth-Quarian War. A downright nasty example of rogue AI running amok; the quarians had created the geth with the intention of robotic work force. The geth inadvertently achieved sentience and rebelled against the quarians. The quarians were forced them to abandon their homeworlds after a long and bloody war. Much to everypony’s surprise, the geth had not bothered anypony else since, staying behind Perseus Veil. Until today anyway.

“That’s what them intelligence people say. Until they went offline anyhow,” Applejack answered with a shrug. Then in a darker tone, she continued, “I don’t rightly know what they are, how and why they came here. But I do know this: they just darn near murdered my entire squad. Who knows how many good folks already died.” The angry look in her green eyes betrayed the depths of her emotions. “I’m the only one left,” she continued in a softer voice.

“It’s okay, Gunnery Chief. We’re here to help,” Twilight said, laying a sympathetic hoof to Applejack’s shoulder.

“That’s not all,” Applejack said. She motioned the ponies to gather closer. Leaning closer, she almost whispered, “They got this spike thingamajig which turns ponies into… into—”

“Into what?” Rarity interrupted, clearly not amused by the secrecy.

Applejack threw up her hooves in frustration. “Hay if I know! Zombie ponies. Or something. It ain’t natural, I tell you. I been watching them. Those geth been at it the whole day.”

“Zombies?” Twilight arched an eyebrow at the term. “In this day and age? Really, Gunnery Chief, I expected better. Right, Rarity? Rarity?” Not hearing the expected answer, Twilight glanced sideways at her companion.

Rarity was shaking on her hooves, her ears flattened in fear, apparently disturbed by the very idea. “Z-z-zombies...” she whispered.

Twilight planted a hoof in her face. “Chief Engineer Rarity, pull yourself together! There’s no such thing as zombies. It’s probably some kind of geth construct,” she said confidently. Rarity and Applejack both shot the commander a disbelieving look.

“Then how do you explain that?!” Rarity pointed to a shadowy figure behind Twilight.

“Explain wha—” Twilight’s voice trailed off she saw the shadow as well. “What the hay is that?” she exclaimed, her eyes glued to the dark figure slowly shambling towards her. Twilight was unable to make out any features on the advancing creature, save that it looked like a pony and had glowing blue eyes. All the same, it made her take an involuntary step back.

Applejack quickly stood on her hind legs and leveled the assault rifle she was carrying with her forehooves. “Stay back, you no-good zombies,” she warned, the barrel of her gun following each step the creature took.

Twilight blinked as she took in the strange way the orange mare was holding a gun. Almost like how the Citadel races hold... Her train of thought derailed as the creature moaned again, sending a chill down her spine. She could almost smell the creature now, a strange mix of industrial fluids and decaying flesh.

The figure stumbled closer and into full view. It was a horrifying sight. The entire body was stripped down to its muscles, with wavy tubes protruding from the face and disappearing somewhere below the torso. Alongside the tubes,softly glowing blue lights running up and down the body. Even the hooves seemed to be deformed, sharpened on one end.

“That’s close enough,” Applejack said with finality, and fired her gun. The entire zombie-pony’s head disappeared in a hail of bullets. The remains of the zombie stumbled, before collapsing with a loud thud. A cascade of wails echoed from the digsite around them in response. The unnatural noise made their hair stand on end.

“Gunnery Chief, what was that?” Rarity asked, panic creeping into her voice, her body trembling.

“Oh, Celestia’s skies, more zombies!” Twilight yelled, unaware that she adopted the term without further thought. More of the shambling creatures appeared from the all sides, some appearing from the prefabricated buildings, others shambled from places unseen.

Applejack just cocked her gun and smiled mirthlessly. “Gonna be a tough fight,” she said, calmly shooting the head off another zombie who had climbed behind her. Twilight and Rarity found themselves pressing into each other’s back, their weapons waving here and there at the oncoming zombies.

With another piercing wail, the zombies charged.

***

“Well, that’s that, I suppose.” Twilight sighed with relief, having managed to survive the zombie assault relatively unscathed.

Rarity seemed to have overcome her fear of zombies remarkably quickly once the zombies closed in. All in all, she actually acquitted herself well in the battle. That and the fact that one of zombie had inadvertently splashed some gunk onto her immaculately polished armour. It seemed to have touched off some sort of rage-switch. Twilight never knew a unicorn could buck a zombie that far, and she most certainly did not expect that from the fashion-obsessed unicorn. Applejack on the other hand…

“By the way, Gunnery Chief, where you’d learn to fire a gun like that?” Twilight asked casually.

Normally, military earth ponies mounted the guns on their shoulders on account of their lack of opposable thumbs that other bipedals have, and telekinesis that most unicorns are gifted with. Shoulder-mounted guns was the natural answer, even though it was considered somewhat unwieldy. Some unicorns, like her, mounted the guns on their shoulders so that they can concentrate their magic on other uses. Applejack however, was holding the gun like one of the bipedals of the Council races. Very strange indeed.

“Oh, this?” Applejack indicated her gun on the floor. Twilight nodded.

“Them salarians were testing a new omni-tool mod that lets us earth ponies handle a gun like they do. See?” The orange mare demonstrated by picking up her gun, the omni-tool on her fore-hooves lighting up as she did so. ”Mighty kind of them, if I may say so myelf. ‘least I don’t have to worry ‘bout taking my shoulder weapons off before going indoor.” She chuckled and swung her gun left and right theatrically, before losing her balance and falling on her rear.

“Eh heh heh, still need to work on standin’ on mah hind legs though,” Applejack said sheepishly, brushing a stray forelock out of her eyes.

“So long as you can fire a weapon, I suppose,” Twilight commented, rather dubiously. She figured she had time to study the curious tool in the Normaredy later. The Princess would be most interested in such a device...

“Come on girls, let’s get moving. Applejack, where’s the beacon?”

Applejack scratched her head. “I don’t rightly know, commander. It was here when I left for my patrol. Reckon the science team moved it someplace.”

Twilight was mildly disappointed by the news. “That’s unfortunate. Alright, let’s keep looking.”

Nihilus’ voice crackled over the radio. “Commander? Change of plans. There’s a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I’ll wait for you there.”

Twilight nodded at the instruction. “You heard the Spectre, let’s get to the spaceport.”

[Spaceport, Appleloosa]

“Spaceport just ahead, ma’am,” Applejack reported.

“Good, stay sharp girls.” Twilight had her visor up, scanning for any signs of hostiles. They had already eliminated several geths and at least a dozen more of those zombie things along the way. Twilight still shuddered every time she encountered one of those things.

The spaceport was quite impressive for a colony world. Probably for moving all those apples and farm produce off-world for export. Twilight couldn’t help but compare the size of the colony’s spaceport to the ones in Canterlot. Ponyville Intergalactic Starport alone was at least thrice the size of this starport, and it was considered one of the smallest starport on the capital planet.

Rarity let out a sudden gasp. “Up ahead, commander. I think I see something… is that Nihilus?” She pointed a hoof at the general direction of some sort of cargo storage facility. Twilight narrowed her eyes, following the direction of Rarity’s hoof.

“Oh no…” Twilight began galloping ahead, her heart racing with dread.

***

“Well, he’s dead as dead can be,” Applejack remarked, checking the body of Nihilus over again. Rarity looked green, apparently not used to seeing a dead body up close. Twilight stood beside the dead turian, studying the corpse.

Nihilus was lying face down, in a pool of his blue blood. There appeared to be no sign of geth around, and nor any sign of battle. A single gunshot wound to the back of his head was all Twilight had to go on. His pistol remained holstered on his hip, another curious oddity.

“I don’t understand, he told us to meet him here,” Twilight said, a puzzled expression on her face.

“And someone got ta’ him first, by the looks of it,” Applejack replied.

A small thud echoed through the empty spaceport.

Twilight whirled to face the source of the noise, her horn glowing in anticipation. “Who’s there?” Twilight called, gesturing for her squad to be ready. Applejack and Rarity leveled their weapons, their eyes darting in all directions.

A mewling sound. Then silence again.

“Sounds like another survivor,” Rarity said. Her blue eyes scanned the deserted cargo bay again.

Twilight nodded to Applejack, who lowered her rifle, and then called out, “It’s okay now, you can come out. We’re here to help.”

No response. The ponies glanced around uneasily, wary of an ambush.

“It’s alright. We won’t harm you,” Twilight called out again.

A rustle from Twilight’s left. Glancing at the direction of the noise, she was surprised to find a small white rabbit hopping out of the mess of containers just a few meters away. Twilight blinked again and looked more closely.

The white rabbit was clad in some sort of body armour, apparently cobbled from various bits and pieces of other armour. Carrying a shotgun twice his size. With an angry expression on his face.

“Would ya look at it? A rabbit carryin’ a shotgun. Ain’t you cute?” Applejack commented, to the obvious annoyance of the rabbit. Twilight and Rarity found themselves giggling at the sight.

The rabbit looked the three ponies up and down, and then signaled to somepony hiding behind the containers. He continued to stare at them warily, his shotgun aimed at the general direction of the ponies. Twilight had a feeling the rabbit was quite experienced with the weapon, despite his diminutive size.

A scared pony face poked out of the containers, relief spilling over on her face when she saw it was fellow ponies. The yellow pegasus slowly trotted out from the shadow of the container she was hiding. She had a wavy pink mane with a cutie mark of three butterflies on her flank. Her entire body was trembling from fear, and her wings were folded tight.

“O-Oh, thank you so much for r-rescuing me. My name is F-Fluttershy,” she said in a soft voice. She flinched when the ponies trotted up to her, evidently still shocked from the ordeal.

“Pleased to be of service, ma’am.” Twilight nodded, not sure of what to make of the heavily armed rabbit next to her. “Are you the only survivor?”

“Um... I think so. I didn’t see anypony else when I hid there,” the yellow pegasus answered shyly. “Did you see anypony else, Angel?” Fluttershy asked, directing the question at the rabbit standing near her hooves. The rabbit shook his head.

huffed and glaced around, apparently looking for a convenient geth to vent her anger on.

Meanwhile, Twilight’s curiosity finally got the better of her. “Um, may I ask who is the rabbit?” she asked.

Fluttershy smiled, and rubbed Angel’s head. “Oh, this is Angel. He kept me safe while those scary monsters were coming and shooting their big scary guns.”

“Right, am I ta’ expect this lil’ rabbit can— Woah!” Applejack started, before suddenly finding herself floating in the air. A light blue shimmer surrounded the now-floating orange mare. Twilight blinked in astonishment and glanced the the rabbit. Angel was holding his paw out, as if channeling some great power.

“Angel has special powers… I think she got them after playing in one of those eezo containers,” Fluttershy offered in a soft voice.

Twilight blinked in confusion. Eezo, element zero? Why would...

Then understanding dawned. “The rabbit is a biotic.” Twilight stared in fascination at the little rabbit as he toyed with Applejack, sending her flying in various directions with a flick of his paw. “Amazing! I’ve never seen any animals with biotic abilities before. I mean, I read about them and the Council races have biotics but I’ve never seen any ponyfolk demonstrate any form of biotic ability yet.” Not that ponyfolks needed biotics to begin with, since all ponies, regardless of type, have innate magical abilities. Citadel scientists have long documented the side effects of exposure to eezo, which included the fatal development of cancerous growths. However, in select individuals, like Angel’s case, it led to a development of biotic potential. Something which he was using to great effect now.

“Wokay, you kin put me down now. I mean it! Stop flyin’ me around,” Applejack shouted, as she was made to do impossible acrobatics in the air.

“Angel, please stop. They’re friends.” Fluttershy nudged the rabbit gently with her muzzle. The rabbit shot an irritated expression at his master, but complied nevertheless. With the final wave of a paw, Applejack found herself dropped into a pile of spare parts, landing with a huge crash and cry of pain.

“I’m okay!” Applejack called out from beneath the pile of junk after a moment.

Twilight stared at the rabbit for a moment, unsure of whether to laugh or be extremely wary of the biotic abilities of this unpredictable rabbit. Then she saw Fluttershy nuzzling the rabbit gently, which the rabbit reluctantly acknowledged. Angel seemed to notice he was being stared at and met her questioning gaze unflinchingly. After several seconds of locking eyes, Angel nodded slightly. Twilight sensed that under the gruff exterior, the rabbit was fiercely protective of his master. For some reason, she knew the rabbit was indicating his acceptance of them as friends of his master. She smiled slightly and nodded back in reply, surprised on how verbose the rabbit was for somepony with no words.

Turning towards Rarity, she said, “Anyway, with Nihilus dead, we should—”

“I saw that turian before…” said Fluttershy softly, looking at Nihilus’ body.

“What?” Twilight exclaimed, as she whirled around and faced Fluttershy.

Fluttershy shrank back at the sudden outburst. “Oh… it’s nothing important really—”

“Tell me. It’s important!” Twilight shouted, eager to find out more about the incident. Fluttershy shrank back from the commander in response, fear evident in her aquamarine eyes.

Twilight realised she was scaring the pegasus and forced herself to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she started again, “Please tell me Fluttershy. It’s very important that we know what is going on.”

“Well… there’s this turian, Nihilus, he came here first. He looked scary, so I hid behind these containers.”

“Then I heard another voice speaking to the turian. It was another turian. Nihilus seem to recognize him, and called him Saren. He seemed to relax and turned his back. Then…then…”

“Yes, go on.”

“He did something terrible.” Fluttershy looked distressed, and began shuffling her hooves. Her rabbit companion seemed agitated and hopped around yellow pegasus.

“Who did something terrible?” Twilight asked patiently, gently coaxing the pegasus to continue her story.

“The one called Saren… he shot Nihilus in the back.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “He shot him, then he just walked away and left him to die.”

“It was horrible… I was afraid. I hid here ever since. It was so scary.” Fluttershy buried her hooves in her face, crying softly as the events of the past few hours overwhelmed her. Twilight stood back, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, Angel hopped towards the pegasus’ face and laid a tiny paw on her face, apparently trying to comfort his friend.

“Thank you, Angel,” she sniffed, visibly calming down.

“That no-good Saren fella’ is up to somethin’. Why would he go around murderin’ good folks in cold blood?” said Applejack.

“Fluttershy, where did this Saren go?” Twilight asked the yellow pegasus gently. Fluttershy shook her head. The unicorn stamped her hooves in frustration, the trail cold before they could even catch up to this turian who murdered the spectre.

“Commander, I think the rabbit knows where he went,” Rarity piped up, indicating the rabbit who was jumping agitatedly and pointing off in the distance.

Applejack followed the direction of the rabbit’s paw. Understanding began to dawn in her eyes, “The cargo terminal… Commander, I reckon I know where that two-timing bastard went,” Applejack said, breaking into a gallop towards the indicated building.

“Wait, what about the civilian?” Rarity called. “We can’t very well leave her here.”

“She’ll just have to follow. The biotic rabbit might be helpful in a fight,” Twilight answered, gesturing for Fluttershy to follow. The yellow pegasus mewled, clearly reluctant to follow them into the teeth of danger. The lavender unicorn trotted to her side and smiled reassuringly. “Fluttershy, we’ll protect you. Just follow us closely and you’ll be fine.”

“W-w-wait!”

***

“The geth certainly isn’t making it easy to reach Saren, wherever he is,” Twilight remarked, as they cautiously stepped off the train that connected the northern and southern portion of the spaceport. The bodies of several geth littered the train compartments.

“Certainly not,” Rarity agreed.

“Um... I’m sorry to interrupt... but what’s that?” Fluttershy indicated a largish device the size of a postbox lying in one corner of the abandoned tram stop. An angry red light was blinking on a panel set on the top of the device, incomprehensible words scrolling past the screen.

Rarity gasped as she studied the mysterious device. “It’s... it’s a bomb.” She looked the device over. “Ten kilotons by the looks of it. Enough to level the colony and then some.”

“Can you disable the device?” Twilight asked worriedly.

“Best get crackin’. I betcha those geth ain’t happy to see us,” Applejack said, pointing to a squad of advancing geth troopers.

***

“No need to thank me, girls, I know I’m good,” Rarity said with a hint of pride, as she adjusted the curls of her coif delicately.

“And Angel helped as well,” Fluttershy added shyly, the white rabbit on her back gesturing madly, evidently annoyed he was forgotten. Twilight had to grin at the way the rabbit handled one of the bombs. Apparently using biotics to rip the detonator out was a perfectly acceptable way to disarm a nuclear bomb.

“Yes, thank you, Angel.” Rarity smiled sweetly at the rabbit. Angel subsided, apparently mollified.

“Mebbe the geth was blowin’ the base to destroy the beacon,” Applejack mused.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they didn’t plant those bombs for fun,” Twilight replied dryly.
The ponies rounded another building, finally reaching the their destination: the spaceport’s special cargo storage. Twilight unlocked the metal gate with her magic and started pushing it to one side.

“What in the world is that?” Rarity exclaimed, as the gates opened.

The ponies approached the artifact, which was shaped like a stylized L. The base of the thing was covered with ancient hologlyphs which nopony was able to decipher. An antenna rose from the base of the machine and reached thirty feet above the ground. The whole beacon was crackling with energy.

“It wasn’t doin’ that when we dug it up,” Applejack said. “Something musta turned it on.”

“Saren has gone to a lot of trouble to keep it from our hands,” Twilight said, eyeing the beacon with keen interest.

She began trotting up to the beacon, examining the artifact more closely. The beacon seemed to glow brighter as Twilight wandered closer, though the unicorn pony was too preoccupied with other matters to notice. “Rarity, radio Scootaloo for pickup. We need to get this back to the ship. The scientists at the Citadel will be able to make more of this.”

“Commander, wait—” Fluttershy began.

A green burst of energy suddenly manifested at the tip of the antenna. It lashed out, and struck Twilight as she turned her head to answer Fluttershy. The blast knocked the lavender unicorn down, and caused the other ponies to take several steps back. Before she could recover, a stream of green energy arced towards Twilight and enveloped her body. Twilight eyes rolled upward as she was lifted into the air, the beacon’s unnatural energies filling her body.

’ve to do somethin’!” Applejack yelled, her hooves clattering as she rushed forward to shove the commander out of the way.

“Gunnery Chief! No! You don’t know what it will do.” Rarity tackled the Applejack as she neared the levitating figure of Twilight, the momentum of the unicorn causing both to crash into a pile of crates nearby and away from the twitching figure of the commander.

Twilight felt her consciousness being stretched hundreds of thousands of light years. Innumerable images flashed through pony’s mind as she struggled to make sense of it. A huge insectoid ship. Vistas of far away planets. Machinery. Screams of terror. Cries for help. Cities burning.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the visions began to disintegrate. Twilight found herself falling into dark, sweet oblivion…

Chapter 3

[ESV Normaredy, Medical Bay]

Twilight awoke with a start, her mind buried in a haze of fog. She was immediately assaulted by the thousands of tiny needles, each burrowing into her brain. Twilight laid her head back with a groan. She tried to open her eyes, but could only manage a sliver.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re awake, commander.” The melodic voice of Fluttershy filtered through her abused mind as she struggled to stay conscious.

“Commander, please relax. I’m going to give something to ease the pain,” the gentle voice of Nurse Cheerilee echoed faintly to her left. Twilight caught the sound of a trolley creaking, and then felt a dull pain on her left flank. The pain in her head receded somewhat, and she suddenly found opening her eyes less an effort than before.

The head of the shy yellow pegasus from Appleloosa slowly came into focus, a look of concern etched on her face. The pink head of Nurse Cheerilee bobbed behind the pegasi.

“Ugh, I felt like there are ten thousand buffaloes stampeding through my head.” Twilight sat up shakily and rubbed her temple with a hoof. As her mind slowly cleared, she began to recall her last coherent memories on Appleloosa. “Nurse, how long have I been out?”

“About one whole day, commander. You had us worried there,” the nurse replied primly.

“One day? How could I been knocked out for one whole day?!” Twilight all but shouted, sending Fluttershy hiding behind the another bed in the infirmary. The nurse seemed unperturbed and stood there tapping her hooves impatiently.

Suddenly aware that she had been yelling at the top of her voice, the lavender unicorn covered her mouth with her hooves. Her expression softened as she noticed the pegasus cowering in the corner. “Uh, sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled like that—”

The sounds of galloping hooves interrupted Twilight’s apologies and the medibay was suddenly crowded by half a dozen ponies. “What in name of Red Delicious is happening—” Applejack stopped mid-sentence as she saw Twilight sitting up. “Commander! Y’all look all better now. How’re ya doin’?”

“Like the morning after too much wine.” She shook her head to emphasise the point. “Gunnery Chief, report,” Twilight said in the most formal voice she could manage, taking refuge in routine.

“Well, after you were hit by that laser thingamajig, Rarity and I began arguin’ about what to do,” Applejack began. “Rarity here wanted to wait for backup. I would have knocked ya clean off if that mare didn’t tackle me. Luckily for us, darn thing blew up like them fireworks on Summer Sun Celebration after a minute or so. Y’all fell to the floor all clumsy-like and got knocked out cold. So we got ya back to the ship as soon as we could.”

“Great…” Twilight was already regretting ever waking up. “Any harm done?” she directed the question at the nurse.

“Physically you’re fine. Though I’ve detected some abnormal brain waves.” Cherilee frowned. “And you were raving about... quite disturbing things during your sleep.”

“I saw… something. Not sure what I saw, but it was quite horrible,” Twilight said uncertainly, not sure whether it had been all a dream or something more sinister. She decided not to mention it to the crew for now, reasoning it would probably just be dismissed.

“Why wasn’t Trixie informed that the commander was awake?” a familiar voice drifted through the door. The medibay door slid open, revealing the irate figure of Captain Trixie. “I’m going to have to speak to the commander… in private,” she said, her tone making it clear it wasn’t a request.

The other ponies murmured but complied without objections. One by one, they filtered out the door, Applejack being the last one out. Twilight thought she saw a sympathetic look on her face before the doors slid shut.

“Commander, you have got some explaining to do.” Her voice dripped ice. Twilight groaned, her headache redoubling at the captain’s words. She already had a bad feeling about this.

Trixie began without preamble. “You’ve got us into a very bad situation. Nihilus was killed. The geth attacking one of our colonies. A priceless Prothean artifact destroyed. All thanks to your incompetence.” Trixie whirled and pointed an accusing hoof at Twilight’s face.

Twilight’s jaw dropped at the captain’s words. Surely she isn’t going to push all the blame to her?

“Even worse, this Saren… appears to be leading the geth,” Trixie continued, her voice uncharacteristically serious. The floor rang with the clatter of her hooves as she paced the room.

“What can be so bad about a turian leading the geth?” Twilight asked innocently, not comprehending.

“My dear Twilight, it’s time you learn something about the wild galaxy that isn’t in your books. It is fortunate the Great & Powerful Trixie is leading this expedition, not you,” the Trixie snapped, her pointed hat trembling slightly. Twilight flinched at the thinly veiled insult. “This turian, Saren Arterius, is a Spectre. One of the best. If he’s leading the geth… that means he gone rogue.”

“A Spectre, rogue?” Twilight had trouble grasping the concept. A rogue Spectre with all that power in his hands… Twilight shuddered involuntarily at the thought.

“Yes. Even the Great & Powerful Trixie cannot hope to stop an enemy like this. Not with an army of geth backing him. We must go to the Council for help.” Trixie’s next words chilled Twilight to the bone. “And you are going to make yourself useful this time. Or else.”

***

[ESV Normaredy, Serpent Nebulae]

The ESV Normaredy snapped back into real space as they reached the Citadel Mass Relay Alpha-3. The sleek black and white ship cruised on its anti-photon thrusters towards the massive deep-space station. All around the station, ships of the Citadel Defense Fleet could be seen patrolling the perimeter. At the centre of it all, was the Destiny Ascension. The pride of the Citadel Fleet. The biggest dreadnought ever built, measuring thrice the size of the next biggest turian dreadnought.

“Citadel Control, this is the ESV Normaredy, requesting permission to dock.”

The frigate drew close and gracefully weaved past one of the dreadnoughts of the Citadel Defense Fleet. Compared to the massive warship, the Normaredy was akin to a fly. A well armed stealthy fly, but a fly nonetheless.

“Stand by for clearance, Normaredy.”
“Clearance granted, you may begin your approach. Transferring you to the Equestrian operator.”

On cue, the ship banked sharply and began approaching one of the arms of the station. Various skyscrapers and buildings can be seen rising from the habitable areas, with small cutters and shuttles flitting back and forth between the buildings.

“Normaredy, this is Equestrian tower, please proceed to Docking Bay 337.”

The Normaredy eased into the docking bay assigned to it, passing through the invisible barrier keeping the atmosphere inside the bay. As the frigate settled into position, docking clamps at the side of the platform reached out and attached themselves securely to the hull of the ship.

“Welcome to the Citadel, commander.”

***

[Equestrian Ambassador Office, Citadel]

“This is an outrage! The geth attacks our colonies, and the Council opts to do nothing about it?” the mint green unicorn fumed. She scowled at the holograms of the Council at the console.

As has been tradition for millennia, the Council consisted of three members, one from each of the three major species that populated the council space: the asari, turians and salarians. Together, the three wielded enormous power and influence throughout Citadel space.

“The Traverse is not part of Council space, ambassador. We cannot interfere with the situation there,” the salarian councilor answered. His wide amphibian eyes stared ahead at the ambassador unflinchingly. The ambassador did not reply immediately, and instead took to massaging her temples with a hoof.

While the exchange was taking place, the rest of the Normaredy crew were listening in silently on the exchange. The captain herself was standing just behind the ambassador with Twilight taking her place behind Trixie with Applejack. Fluttershy sat in a corner with her pet rabbit, watching the proceeding from afar. Rarity stood at the balcony, admiring the view of the wide open plazas that made up the Presidium below.

As they waited for the ambassador to reply, Applejack whispered to Twilight. “Ya know, I reckon I’ll never git used to seeing them salarians. They look like walking frogs.” The orange mare shrugged. "That blue one just looks plain wrong. I mean, they ain't even got coats, for Celestia's sake."

“Applejack! They’re aliens, of course they look off to us. Besides, the salarians and asari are not to be made fun of,” Twilight hissed back.

“Sorry ma’am, tellin’ it just as how I see it.” Applejack was quickly silenced by a purple hoof to the mouth, as the ambassador spoke again.

Ambassador Lyra raised a placating hoof. “Fine. I will not dispute that. But what about Saren? You can’t ignore a rogue Spectre.”

“Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings in the hearing. Not before,” the asari councilor said firmly. The holograms of the three council members faded away, the audience apparently over.

Ambassador Lyra shook her head at the now-silent console and turned to face Captain Trixie and the group behind her. “Captain, I see you brought your crew with you,” she commented.

Trixie’s reply was professional and polite. Most unlike her usual boisterous voice. “Yes, ambassador. I brought the ground team here in case you had any questions.” She waved a hoof vaguely towards Twilight. “This is the commander, feel free to grill her on her failure.”

Twilight scowled openly at the captain. Even in front of the ambassador, she can’t resist a jab. That’s just low. The ambassador glanced at Twilight, but otherwise said nothing.

“Hey, none of that was the commander’s fault,” Applejack interjected.

“Is that so, Gunnery Chief? The mission reports I read seem to indicate otherwise.” Lyra raised an eyebrow at Applejack, her full attention now on the soldierpony.

Applejack’s cheeks reddened under the scrutiny of the green unicorn, but she bravely persisted. “Nihilus was dead when we got there. Ain’t no way we could’ve stopped that. And the commander here didn’t destroy the beacon. Whole thing just lit up like a bonfire.”

“The beacon exploded after the commander fiddled with it,” Trixie said with narrowed eyes. “The Great & Powerful Trixie is not a fool. She knows all that transpired on the ground. Your commander was foolish enough to tamper with the device and cost us the beacon.”

“The commander didn’t even touch the darn thing. Anyhow, I reckon it coulda exploded anyway. No one knows fer sure. For all we know, the geth bobby-trapped the whole goshdurned thing.” Applejack argued, her freckled face shining with sincerity. “It could’ve been one of us who taken the hit instead of her.” Twilight had to admire the honesty of her newly gained comrade. Not many ponies would be brave enough to contradict both the ambassador and captain of a ship.

The ambassador herself looked thoughtful. “Odd, this does not match the mission reports I have read. In fact, these reports paint a very different picture. I will review them again later, personally.” Lyra shot an interrogating glance at Trixie, who strenuously avoided the the ambassador’s yellow eyes.

“In any case, this incident has most likely jeopardised your chances of Spectre candidacy. The mission on Appleloosa was meant to show you could get the job done. Instead, we have a dead Spectre and a destroyed beacon. The council might use this as an excuse to reject your candidacy.” Twilight’s blood froze at the ambassador’s words. Rejected? But that… that means I failed the princess. No. This cannot be. Twilight suddenly felt herself sliding into a black hole of depression.

Apparently noticing the shocked look on Twilight’s face, the ambassador softened her voice. “I’m sure the C-Sec investigation will come up with something to implicate Saren in this atrocity.”

“Yeah…” Twilight said, looking up at the ambassador with hope.

“Don’t worry, darling. We’ll be right there for you,” Rarity said, putting a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

“Come with me, captain. There’s a few things we need to discuss... in private, before the hearing.” Lyra gestured to Trixie to follow her, levitating a couple of PDAs from her desk. “Commander, meet with us at the Citadel Tower. I’ll arrange for your clearance.”

With that, the green unicorn trotted out of the room, with Trixie in tow. Twilight stuck her tongue out at the departing captain as she turned her back.

“Come on girls, let’s get to the Citadel Tower.” Twilight sighed. This was going to be a long day.

***

[Council Tower, Citadel]

“Now Angel, remember, you’re not supposed to hurt anyone here. They’re all good guys,” Fluttershy said softly. The rabbit scowled at the warning, and folded his arms in protest.

“Yeah, we’re lucky that C-Sec didn’t just arrest us when he dumped that Hanar into the lake,” Twilight rolled her eyes. Not one hour in the Citadel and they had already almost managed to cause an inter-species relation disaster. “Lucky for us, the C-Sec constable seemed just as relived that the Hanar stopped preaching after that. And the Hanar seemed reluctant to press the issue.”

“I do believe the hanar mentioned something about ‘not worthy enough to challenge this furry creature’s might’,” Rarity added in an amused tone.

The lift chimed melodically, and the doors slid open.

A wondrous sight greeted them. The council chamber was as large as a hangar bay, with the ceiling stretching at least 5 storey tall. The walls were opulently decorated, with cunningly placed foliage to give a sense of natural beauty to the room. Fountains placed along the middle of the room shot jets of water high into the air. The whole place reeked of grandeur, which Twilight suspected was precisely the point. Nothing like impressing a newcomer to the Citadel with their wealth and power.

Ahead, they saw two turians and, curiously, a sky-blue pony with rainbow coloured mane and tail in C-Sec uniforms standing about, apparently arguing.

“Saren’s hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them,” one of the turian spoke.

“Yeah!” the rainbow pony added unnecessarily.

“Stall the Council? Don’t be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus,” the other turian replied, making it clear the issue is closed. It was evident to Twilight that this one was in charge. Dismissing the other turian with a wave of his hand, he turned and walked away just as Twilight and her friends approached.

The turian who was referred to as Garrus seemed to sense their approach and turned to face Twilight. He gave her a friendly nod. “Ah, you must be Commander Sparkle. Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.” He waved a hand to the rainbow-coloured companion standing next to him. “And this is Rainbow Dash, my assistant. She was the pony liaison for this case.” Dash gave a slight bow, but otherwise did not speak. Her magenta eyes studied the commander intently.

“Who was that turian anyway?” Twilight asked, curious.

“Oh, him? That was Executor Pallin, my superior. Very... by-the-book kind of guy, if you know what I mean,” Garrus said.

“From the looks of things, you didn’t find anything,” Twilight said glumly, feeling her depression setting in again.

“Most of Saren’s activities was classified. We couldn’t find anything solid,” Garrus said, shrugging. “And the Executor won’t let us dig any further.”

“I know he’s up to something. I can feel it,” Rainbow Dash said, rearing up and punching the air with her forehooves. “I bet he already covered up his tracks.”

“Yes, Dash, I know. But our hands are tied,” the turian said resignedly. “Good luck commander, maybe you can convince the Council.” He gestured to his assistant. “Come on Dash, let’s finish the paperwork for this one.”

“Ugh, paperwork.” The pegasus scowled briefly, before turning to face Twilight. “Nice meeting you, Commander. I heard you were quite the show on Appleloosa. Maybe you can show me some of your moves later.”

“I doubt it,” Twilight said softly, as the pair turned and strolled off.

***

The hearing was a formal affair. The three councilors stood on an elevated platform, facing Ambassador Lyra and Captain Trixie on the floor of the chambers. Next to the councilors, a hologram of Saren Arterius hung in the air. Meanwhile, Twilight and her group stood respectfully behind the ambassador and captain.

“The geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way,” the asari councilor said.

“The investigation by Citadel security turned up no evidence to support your charges of treason,” the turian councilor continued.

“An eyewitness saw him kill Nihilus in cold blood!” Ambassador Lyra countered.

“We’ve read the Appleloosa reports, ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized pegasus pony is hardly compelling proof,” the salarian councilor replied.

Fluttershy seemed taken aback by the salarian’s words. “B-b-but… I saw him…” she said softly. Unfortunately, no one else in the chamber paid any attention to her words.

“I resent these accusations. Nihilus was a fellow Spectre and a friend,” Saren said, with a calculated trace of regret. His voice was persuasive enough. Twilight could almost believe him, if not for Fluttershy’s testimony on Appleloosa.

“The Great & Powerful Trixie condemns this sham of a hearing. Saren is clearly guilty and Trixie demands he be stripped of his Spectre status.”

“Ah, Captain Trixie. Still the same blowhard as last time. I wonder, have any other magical bears run you out of town lately?” Trixie’s face reddened at the mention of that humiliating incident. Twilight had to stifle a laugh at the turian’s admittedly low jab. Apparently even the Spectres knew about that incident.

Saren turned his cold gaze on the lavender unicorn. “And you, Commander Sparkle. A personal student of Princess Celestia I hear. The one who got the beacon destroyed.”

Twilight felt a chill run down her spine as she sensed the turian’s eyes drilling into her. She narrowed her eyes in response. “We don’t know how the beacon got destroyed. But you cannot deny that you were working with the geth.”

“Typical of ponies. Shifting the blame to—”

“WAIT!” a familiar voice shouted from across the chambers, followed by the sound of pattering footsteps that rang across the hall. Twilight frowned for a moment as she tried to place the voice in her memory. Then, it struck her.

“Spike?!”

The small purple dragon huffed and puffed as he reached the ponies assembled on the floor. Stopping a moment to catch his breath, the dragon produced a triangular device from his pockets. Placing it on the floor beside the ambassador, he activated the device. The hologram of the familiar white alicorn with flowing multi-coloured mane appeared beside the ambassador.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA?!” the ponies exclaimed in unison.

Centuries of tradition reasserted themselves quickly, the ponies began kneeling before the regal visage. The three councilors looked bemused at the new development, and glanced at each other. Saren openly showed his irritation at the latest development.

“My apologies for being late. My messenger was stuck in traffic,” the regal voice of the sun princess spoke through the device, addressing the Council directly. The ponies discreetly got back to their feet as they watched the new exchange. Twilight idly wondered at the strength of the magical device used to project the princess’s image. It must have been a very powerful spell to able to transmit her image all the way from Canterlot direct to the Citadel itself in real-time.

“Princess Celestia, you honour us with your presence,” the asari councilor greeted. “But I’m afraid not even your presence can change our minds. There is simply no hard evidence tying Saren with the geth.”

The princess flashed a smile. “Actually, I was hoping to request for Equestria’s own to look into Saren’s activities instead. After all, the geth attack on one of my subject’s colony world is a matter of national concern,” the princess said diplomatically, her royal image betraying no hint of her actual feelings.

“C-Sec has already done a thorough investigation. I don’t see a need to reopen the case,” Saren said, obviously intent on wrapping up the matter.

“I respectfully disagree councilors. I’m not convinced that C-Sec was allowed to probe deep enough. I’m sure many of my subjects would agree. A second investigation from our side would go a long way to allay those suspicions. With oversight from C-Sec, of course.” Princess Celestia was at her most charming, offering both carrot and stick.

“Councilors, I have already been investigated once. Do we really have the time and resources to throw away reopening dead-end cases while the threat of geth attacks loom?” Saren said.

“You no-good foalnapping tramp, you led the geth attack yerself!” Applejack shouted. She was quickly silenced by a hoof in the mouth by Twilight, who flashed a guilty smile at the councilors.

“Agreed, we have far more pressing matters to deal with than this,” the turian councilor said, apparently unfazed by the interruption. The asari councilor nodded in assent.

“Princess Celestia, Commander Sparkle, do you have anything to add?” the salarian councilor asked. Twilight shook her head.

“I defer to your judgement then, councilors.” Princess Celestia’s voice sounded a little disappointed.

The three council members glanced at each other briefly, as if seeking confirmation. After a brief nod from both the salarian and the turian councilor, the asari councilor announced formally, “The Council found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied.”

“I’m glad to see justice have been served,” the hologram of Saren said smugly, before vanishing.

“This meeting is adjourned,” the asari councilor announced with finality. Twilight watched as the councillors turned and disappeared from the dais.

Ambassador Lyra was crestfallen as she turned to face the ponies and the hologram of the princess. “My apologies, Your Highness. I wish I could have done more.”

The image of Princess Celestia smiled at the ambassador’s words. “Don’t fret young one. I know a whitewash when I see one.” Lyra bowed at the princess’ words. “Now where’s my dear student Twilight Sparkle?” The princess made a show of looking for her student, even if it was obvious she knew exactly where Twilight hid.

For her part, Twilight was trying her best to hide behind Applejack. On hearing her name, she yelped and jumped in surprise. “Y-y-yes princess?” she stammered. Twilight found herself being nudged forward towards the device. “I’m really sorry it came to this. I know that you had high hopes on me...” She cowered, expecting a rebuke… or something worse.

“Nonsense, Twilight Sparkle. Of all the ponies in the room, I know you better than anyone to know that you give nothing but your best.” The princess’s tone was genial, almost cheerful even.

Twilight could not describe the relief she felt at the princess’s words. “I… Thank you Princess…” Glancing back at the now-empty platform where the Council had stood, she asked, “But what about Saren?”

“I have already alerted our colonies about the possibility of further geth attacks.” The implications of the princess’s words were not lost on Twilight. Putting the colonies on full alert meant that the entire Equestrian Navy was probably being mobilised as they spoke. “Apart from that, it is up to you, Twilight Sparkle, to prove his guilt. Something tells me, the answer can be found just on the station.” The princess gave a cryptic smile.

“I don’t understand, princess.” Twilight’s face was a mass of confusion.

“In time you will, Twilight Sparkle. Now I must go. The magic in this device is wearing off. Do keep in touch with letters. You know what to do with Spike.” With that, the device gave a spluttering sound and the image vanished into thin air. Twilight stared into the empty space where the hologram was for just a moment longer, before turning to the diminutive purple dragon who was waiting patiently at the side of the device. She flashed a heartfelt smile at Spike, and scooped him up with her forehooves.

“Well Spike, I guess it’s just like old times huh?” Twilight said as she hugged her fillyhood friend.

“Yeah, Twilight. Just like old times.” Spike replied, jumping on the lavender’s unicorn back.

“I don’t believe this. A personal audience with Princess Celestia and I don’t even get an honourable mention,” Trixie loudly complained.

As if on cue, Spike suddenly belched a gout of green flame, producing a letter. Catching it with her magic, Twilight unrolled the scroll and skimmed through it. A small smile flitted to her face as she pushed the letter towards Trixie’s impatient hooves.

My dear student Twilight Sparkle,

Before I forget, please tell Captain Trixie I have concerns about her recent behavior and conduct both on Appleloosa and the Citadel. She is to withdraw herself from the investigation of Saren, pending further orders.

Yours loving mentor,
Princess Celestia

Trixie’s haughty look disappeared as she read the letter, her face paling visibly. She quickly excused herself from the group, galloping with unnatural haste towards the lift. Twilight did not feel the least bit sorry about the captain’s turn of luck.

“Huh, I guess the princess knows about Trixie after all,” Twilight said with wonder.

“You really think the princess wouldn’t keep tabs on you,Twi? You are her best student after all. The most powerful unicorn under her study.”

“And you’re still my best assistant I ever had,” Twilight replied playfully, rubbing the spikes on his head. Spike blushed at the compliment. Her expression became serious. “Let’s go find this evidence,” she announced firmly.

“Right behin’ you, commander,” Applejack said.

“Let’s show this turian what we ponies can do,” Rarity declared.

“Um… Okay… Let’s go?” was all Fluttershy whispered.

Angel, unusually, hopped in front of Twilight and gave her a thumbs up. Twilight had to smile at the gesture. With her head held high, she set off with her friends.

***

[The Wards, Citadel]

The 'arms' of the Citadel were known as the Wards. They were the residential centres of the Citadel, each essentially a self-contained city home to millions. It was in one of those cities that the ponies decided to have their meeting, as the bustling crowds should shield their activities from any prying eyes. Or so Twilight hoped.

“Okay, the ambassador gave us a contact… Jelly Punch, C-Sec. Spike, see if you can find out anything about him.”

“Right!” the dragon answered enthusiastically and started combing through the extranet through his PDA. A couple of minute of furious typing later, he exclaimed, “Done!”

“What have you found?” Twilight queried.

“Well, apparently he was fired from C-Sec. Drinking on the job. The file says that he likes to go to Chora’s Den, a gentlemen club, somewhere in the Wards.” Spike scratched his head as he puzzled over the name. “What’s a gentlemen club?”

“Maybe it’s some kind of high-class lounge,” Rarity said, her eyes going round at the prospect of finally visiting the Citadel’s finer establishments. “This pony must have refined taste. Oh, I can already see the place. The glamour. The class. The refined culture...”

Twilight shook her head as Rarity continued, seemingly lost in her own fantasy. “Chora’s Den it is then,” she said.

[Chora’s Den, Citadel]

“Oh my. This is…” Rarity winced as they stood at the entrance of the ‘gentlemen club’, “… disappointing.” She spat the last word out.

“I guess this is not what you hoped for, huh?” Spike asked, oblivious to her tone.

“No, it is not,” Rarity answered flatly.

“Pheewwwwwwww. I seen bad apples in my time, but nothing as bad as this rotten apple,” Applejack remarked as they entered the seedy bar. Loud, provocative music reverberated throughout the club, the smoky atmosphere giving it a distinctly unfriendly look.

“Oh, this smoke is going to make my armour smell for days,” Rarity complained.

Fortunately, finding their target was easy. A grey earth pony sitting in the corner was the only pony patron in the bar. Said pony was also nursing a huge cup of wine. Apparently getting drunk seemed to be high on his list of priority. The group pushed through the crowd as unobtrusively as possible, coming to a halt near his table. “Excuse me, Mr Jelly Punch?” Twilight asked politely.

“Who wants to know?” The grey pony turned a lazy eye on the commander and the group assembled behind her, not moving his muzzle from the cup of wine. He seemed distinctly bored. His ears flicked his sleek black mane apart.

“Hi there, my name is Twilight Sparkles. I’m the commander of the ship ESV Normaredy.” Twilight replied, slightly thrown off balance by the strange pony’s mannerism.

“Oh, so you’re that hotshot commander who got that Spectre killed?” Jelly Punch suddenly looked more interested. Twilight winced slightly. Apparently the news had already begun to spread. The ex-C-Sec pony turned his full attention on the commander. “Look pal, I don’t know how I can help you here.”

“We’re looking for Garrus Vakarian.”

“Oh, Garrus.” The earth pony’s voice hardened, and his jaw tightened. “One of the finest investigator for C-Sec. Also, the same turian who ratted me out and got me fired.” He paused to take a big sip of his wine. “Yeah, I know where he is.”

“Where?” Applejack interjected.

“Now wait just a horseapple minute. Why should I tell you ponies anything? What’s in it for me?” the gray pony said smugly. Twilight noticed a bouncer standing nearby beginning to take a great deal of interest in them.

“Why you no-good son of a—” Applejack started, inching dangerously close to the gray pony. Before she could do more than raise a hoof however, she noticed Twilight was gesturing her to stop. Applejack backed down reluctantly. Twilight glanced at the bouncer and shook her head, indicating to the bouncer they won’t cause any trouble. The bouncer seemed satisfied, and returned to watching the crowd.

Instead, Twilight nodded at the white rabbit riding on Fluttershy’s back. Angel hopped off the pegasus and landed on to the table in a smooth arc. A shotgun magically appeared in his paws.

“Now what do you think you’re...” His confident voice trailed off as he saw the shotgun in the rabbit’s paws. Nopony else in the bar appeared to have noticed. The rabbit shook his head as he saw the grey pony open his mouth to call for help. For added emphasis, Angel nudged his chest with the barrel of the weapon. Jelly Punch quickly took the hint and subsided, fear now evident in his green eyes.

“Tell us where Garrus is, or… we let the rabbit have fun with you.” Twilight flashed an evil grin, though she meant none of it. Angel nodded enthusiastically, mirroring Twilight’s grin.

Fortunately, the grey pony didn’t know any better. He gulped as his eyes flitted between the shotgun-wielding rabbit and Twilight. “Okay, okay. Just relax. Garrus, you say? He was sniffing around Dr. Sunny Day’s clinic. It’s near the Markets. Last I heard, he and his pony friend were going back there.” He turned a nervous eye on the rabbit. “Can I drink in peace now?”

“Fine. Let her go Angel.” Twilight said reluctantly. The shotgun in Angel’s paws magically vanished, and he hopped back onto Fluttershy’s back in one smooth motion.

“That’s a good bunny,” Fluttershy said softly, nuzzling the white rabbit fondly.

***

[Dr Sunny Day’s Clinic, Citadel]

“I didn’t tell anyone. I swear!” Dr. Sunny Day wailed. The dark blue earth pony was surrounded by four turian thugs. One was grabbing her cream mane and waving his gun threateningly.

“Very smart of you, now if—“ the turian thug stopped mid-sentence as he saw the door to the clinic sliding open. He grabbed the good doctor around the neck and pointed his gun to her face. Dr. Day whimpered in fear.

“Who are you?” the thug shouted at the intruder.

“Name’s Rainbow Dash, C-Sec. Looks like I got here just in the nick of time.” The blue pegasus smiled cockily. And not a moment to spare. Garrus was right, these thugs were serious, Dash thought, as she recognised the military grade rifles they were carrying.

“Don’t come any closer, or your pretty little doctor will lose more than just her pride,” the thug sneered, as his clawed finger applied more pressure on his gun’s trigger. The terror on the doctor’s face intensified.

“Please… no,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Hah, I can disarm all of you in ten seconds flat,” Dash said coolly, flipping her rainbow mane casually. The thugs failed to notice her wings were already flared, ready to fly. She’d have to time this very carefully. The thugs stood in a rough semi-circle around the doctor. If she took out the one holding the doctor first…

“Yeah, right. Prove it.” The thugs laughed at the prospect of the single pegasus pony overpowering four heavily armed thugs by herself.

Dash narrowed her eyes in response, and steeled her wings. She accelerated to a rainbow blur which enveloped the thug holding Dr. Day hostage. The remaining thugs, taken by surprise by the bold move, hesitated at first. Only sheer reflex prompted them to fire wildly at the mini-cyclone surrounding the pair. The bullets all but missed the rainbow pegasus. Their weapons soon disappeared as well as the rainbow blur brushed past them in turn.

A full ten seconds later, Dash was back at the entrance of the clinic, the thugs’ weapons now collected neatly on her back. Dr. Day also somehow managed stumble away from the thugs, and was now standing beside the C-Sec pony. She seemed disorientated but otherwise unharmed.

“Ten. Seconds. Flat,” Rainbow Dash announced matter-of-factly. The thugs just wordlessly gaped as they struggled to comprehend the situation, and their empty hands.

Right on cue, the clinic door opened again. Rainbow Dash turned to see Twilight and her friends staring at the scene in surprise, with Garrus in tow.

***

“Dash, I’m going to take these thugs back for questioning. Why don’t you assist Commander Sparkle here in the meantime?” Garrus suggested, as he handcuffed each thug. The four did not offer much resistance after being disarmed. One was mumbling how embarrassing it was to be outdone by a rainbow coloured pony, of all the things.

“Sure thing, Garrus. Catch you later,” Dash replied.

“Hey, save some for me later,” Garrus called as he led the captive thugs out of the door.

“Only if you aren’t late,” Dash called back cheerfully, before the clinic door slid shut.

“Wow, you actually disarmed four armed beings alone?” Twilight asked, a note of admiration in her voice.

“Yep, I call it the Disarming-Rain-Bow-Smackdown.” Dash announced proudly. The other ponies giggled at the awkward made up name. Rainbow Dash winced at the reaction. “Of course, it’s not final yet. I’m still thinking of a cooler name to go with it,” she hurriedly added, not fooling anypony. The ponies giggled even more.

“Oh, thank you so much for saving me, Rainbow Dash,” Dr. Sunny Day gushed, having finally managed to attract the pegasus’ attention.

“Well, yeah, that’s what I do,” Dash said a little haughtily, flipping her rainbow mane back.

“Why were they after you doctor?” Twilight quickly interjected, before the doctor could start professing her love and admiration of the C-Sec pony.

“They work for Fist. They wanted shut me up. To keep me from telling Garrus and Rainbow Dash here about the quarian,” the doctor explained.

“Quarian?” Twilight asked. Quarians were rarely seen in Citadel space, since the geth war. Most council races considered them something of a nuisance. Not to mention blaming them for creating the geth in the first place.

“A few days ago, a quarian came in here, seeking medical treatment. She’d been shot, but she wouldn’t tell who did it. By the looks of things, someone was after her,” Dr Sunny Day explained.

“What happened then?”

“She said she wanted to sell information. Something about geth. She plans to trade the information to the Shadow Broker in exchange for someplace safe to hide.”

“Shadow who?” Spike asked, confusion on his face evident.

“Shadow Broker. Somepony who deals in information trafficking,” Rainbow Dash helpfully supplied. “You can ask Garrus later if you want to know more.”

“I told her to find Fist. He’s an agent for the Shadow Broker,” the doctor continued.

“Well, not anymore. Garrus told me Fist now works for Saren,” Rainbow Dash said, shrugging. “Personally, I think he’s got a death wish. The Shadow Broker doesn’t like traitors.” Dash made a slicing motion with her right forehoof.

The doctor pony looked incredulous. “Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? Saren must have made quite the offer.”

“Of course,” Twilight exclaimed, clicking her forehooves together. “The quarian must have something Saren wants. I bet it links Saren to the geth’s attack on Appleloosa.”

“In any case, we aren’t the only one after Fist. Remember when I said Fist has a death wish. Well, from what I heard, the Shadow Broker hired a krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to take him down,” Dash added.

“Aren’t krogans supposed to be… you know, big, mean and very bad news?” Spike asked worriedly.

“I ain’t scared of no krogan. Why, there’s five soldier ponies here…” Applejack did a double take as she realised what she said. “Okay, maybe not five soldier ponies. We’ve two soldier ponies, an engineer pony, a C-Sec pony and erm... a biotic rabbit on a pegasus. That gotta count for somethin’, right?”

“We’ll deal with it as it comes. Come on! We need to get to Fist before Wrex finds and deals with him. Permanently,” Twilight said.

***

[Chora’s Den, Citadel]

The galloping group of ponies came to a screeching halt as they neared the seedy bar they entered earlier. Sounds of trombones, trumpets and drums emanated from the bar. Streamers and various party props could be seen littered around the entrance. The ponies looked at each other uncertainly.

“That sounds like…” Rarity began.

“… a party?” Twilight finished the thought.

Rainbow Dash looked at the bar disbelievingly. “It can’t be her… can it?” she thought out loud.

“Can’t be who now?” Applejack asked, overhearing the exchange.

“Nothing. Just something I imagined. We better get in there and find out what the hay is going on,” Dash replied firmly. Applejack eyed the rainbow pegasus suspicously, but apparently decided to let the matter go for the moment.

“Agreed. Let’s move girls. Be ready for anything,” Twilight said.

They entered cautiously, wary of ambushes. The bar appeared to be curiously deserted now, except for the sound of the party music. Balloons could be seen all over the place, and a whole banquet of party treats was laid out on the bar. Colourful stains which suspiciously resembled blood was splattered on the walls, with dead bodies littering the floor. The contrasting atmosphere was eerie to say the least.

“Hi!” a pink pony with fluffy pink mane suddenly popped up in front of Twilight. To her credit, Twilight merely jumped two feet back when the pony appeared, managing to land on all four hooves. The other ponies fared less well. Applejack ended up behind a table. Dash found herself on the ceiling. Upside down. With Fluttershy. Rarity dead fainted. Only Spike and Angel seemed unperturbed by the pink earth pony’s sudden appearance.

“Are you here for the party too?” she asked enthusiastically, not particularly directing the question at anypony.

“Err…” the ponies stammered.

“AWESOME! All those strange people ran off when the loud noises started. Silly turians, a party isn’t a party without anypony in it. Come on!” she bubbled as she took Twilight by her forehoof and began an impromptu polka dance. As if on cue, the music changed its rhythm to match the dance.

“Pinkie Pie! What are you doing?!” Rainbow Dash yelled over the music.

Twilight shot a questioning glance at Dash. Almost as if she was silently asking, You know this pony?

Dash just flashed a guilty smile, and quickly looked away. Yes, she did indeed know of this particular pony. Pinkie was a well-known, if somewhat notorious pony for holding the best parties on the station. It was a mystery to C-Sec as to where she managed to find the required supplies every time she held one. Executor Pallin was on record claiming that “that pony is a menace to the station... and somehow manages to have a good time while at it.” Rainbow wasn’t exactly sure why C-Sec considered her to be such a nuisance, though the number of times she had barged into official ambassadorial parties probably had something to do with it.

“Having a party, silly!” Pinkie answered back.

“In here? Are you insane? Why are you holding a party in here of all places in the Citadel?” Dash replied incredulously. Out of the corner of her eye, Dash saw Spike, Fluttershy and the rabbit dancing to the music as well. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Applejack was in the midst of chowing down on a large cream pie. The pegasus winced slightly at the reaction of her compatriots. Do they not know the seriousness of the situation?

“Because that nice krogan said Fist wanted a party here. Being the party-pony around, of course it’s my job to organize the party,” Pinkie Pie said, as if stating the obvious.

“Wait, krogan? What’s his name?” Twilight managed to articulate, while being forced to dance with the hyperactive pink pony. She already had a sinking feeling in her gut that they were too late.

Pinkie Pie stopped dancing and looked uncertain for a moment as she struggled to recall the name. “Um… Vex, Wax…” The pink pony began running through the different combination of names aloud. “Aha! His name was Wrex,” she finally blurted out.

“Wrex?! Pinkie, he’s a known criminal bounty hunter. He’s not a nice person,” Dash cried incredulously.

“Says you. Why, I know beneath all that Krogan bitterness, he’s a nice, kind but grumpy old pony. I just know it,” Pinkie replied confidently. Dash rolled her eyes at the reply.

“Oh look, there he is now.” She pointed to an open door on one side of the bar, where Twilight could make out a krogan standing in the doorway. Around him lay the bodies of the guards and bouncer Twilight noticed on her previous visit.

The krogan was a big creature, like most of his species: almost twice the bulk of an average pony. His reptilian face bore a prominent facial scar just above his right eye. The red suit of heavy armour he was wearing seemed battered and worn.

Upon seeing Pinkie, he sheathed his shotgun and gave the party pony a grin. The krogan sauntered up to the ponies and clapped her on the back. “Good job Pinkie. I love your parties,” the krogan said appreciatively. “Good distraction. Fist didn’t even see me coming.” He casually grabbed a bun and began chewing.

“Anything for you, Mister Wrex,” Pinkie replied happily, apparently oblivious to the true meaning of his words.

Twilight put on a brave face as the krogan turned his attention on Twilight. Up close, the krogan seemed even scarier than what Twilight imagined. His whole body seemed ready to leap into battle in a moment notice. At least he didn’t seemed overtly hostile.

“So, Fist is dead?” Twilight grimaced as she digested the krogan’s words.

“He’s dead. I always fulfill my contracts,” Wrex replied nonchalantly, licking the bits of bun remaining on his lips.

“Ugh, now how do we find out where that quarian went?” Twilight said with frustration. On the other hoof, at least they didin’t need to fight this big scary krogan.

“Don’t know, don’t care. All I care is that my business here is done.” Wrex then eyed Rainbow Dash. “Unless of course C-Sec wants to arrest me now?”

The rainbow pegasus seemed to wilt under Wrex’s menacing stare. “Err… I didn’t see anything,” Dash stammered. She gulped and smiled nervously as the krogan continued to glare at her.

After what seemed like hours, Wrex finally said, “Good. I’m glad we have an understanding.” The krogan cracked his wrists just to emphasise his point. Satisfied that Dash wasn’t going to do anything stupid, he casually walked out of the bar, leaving no hint of his presence behind. Dash stuck a tongue out at the receding figure of the krogan.

“Well, maybe Fist has a record or something that we can find to track down this quarian,” Rarity suggested.

“Of course. He might have stored the data on his personal computer.” Twilight frowned as she considered the potential difficulty of breaking into a modern computer that by all accounts was secured against the prying eyes of outsiders. “Getting the data is going to be—”

“Found it!” Pinkie Pie waved a PDA above her head, somehow managing to get hold of one while the ponies were busy with Wrex.

“What?! How?” Twilight asked disbelievingly.

“It’s under Q for quarian,” she replied patiently, as if it was obvious.

“I mean his personal computer, shouldn’t it be protected or something?” Twilight said.

“Oh, you just need to figure out the algorithm for generating standard Citadel 512-bit password, then figure out ciphers to match the one on his computer, bypass the built-in firewalls, decrypt the data streams and make sure that the security systems don’t lock you out at the same time. Easy peasy,” she counted off rapidly. The other ponies jaws went slack, not expecting such a level of technical expertise in the carefree pony.

“Well… let’s see it.” Twilight levitated the PDA from the earth pony’s mouth. She scanned the text briefly, “Says here he arranged a meeting with the quarian in a back alley in the Wards. His men have orders to kill the quarian and take her data. The meeting is about to start in…” Twilight brought up the current time on her visor, “…twenty minutes. If we hurry, we can still reach the quarian in time.”

“Well, what’re we waiting fer then?” Applejack said, already starting to gallop out of the bar. “Come on!”

“This looks fun. Can I come too?” Pinkie begged Twilight. “Please, please, please!” She knelt in front of Twilight theatrically, blocking Twilight from following the rest of the group, who were already disappearing out of the bar. For good measure, she made puppy eyes. Big round puppy eyes.

Twilight groaned. Those puppy eyes... were irresistible. “Fine, fine. Just don’t get in our way when the fighting starts.” Twilight already feared that the bubbly earth pony was going to get herself killed by some foolish stunt later.

“Okie dokie. I can take care of myself. Pinkie promise!” Pinkie did a complicated gesture, which ended with her sticking some imaginary thing in her eye. Then she galloped off to join the rest of the ponies.

“Twilight, are you sure about this? I mean, look at her,” Spike whispered. Twilight just gave a helpless shrug, and then galloped off to join her friends before they ran too far ahead.

***

[Alleyway, Citadel]

The ponies arrived at the alleyway early. No one was around yet. The alleyway was dark, and quite full of shadows. Plenty of places to hide… and ambush.

“What does a quarian look like anyhow?” Applejack wondered aloud.

“No one knows for sure. They usually wear an environmental suit over their entire body whenever they are seen outside of their Migrant Fleet.” Twilight answered absent-mindedly, as she tried to come up with a plan to help this mysterious quarian. Fist’s files indicated there would be six thugs waiting for the quarian. The hitch was, they would only appear once the quarian was in sight.

“Migrant Fleet?” AJ echoed, clearly not comprehending.

“I’ll tell you all about them when we get back to the ship, okay?” Twilight replied in an exasperated voice. The constant stream of interruption wasn’t helping her think.

Twilight noticed the pink earth pony from earlier bouncing with excitement around in a corner. “Pinkie, are you sure you want to follow us? It is kind of dangerous after— ” Her words trailed off as she found herself being fixed with an uncompromising stare, seemingly staring down in her soul. Twilight felt herself shiver, as if the temperature suddenly dropped.

“Oh-kay, so you do want to follow us. Just checking.” Twilight flashed a guilty smile, not willing to risk her soul over that stare. She could hear Dash giggling behind her.

“The Pinkie Stare. Never fails,” Dash commented innocently. Twilight shot a dirty look at the impudent pegasus. Dash just gave a helpless shrug in reply.

Pinkie nodded happily, her mood abruptly swinging back to cheerful. “This is going to be so fun!” she exclaimed with barely contained excitement. Silence greeted her. She cocked her head in puzzlement, before discerning the reason.

The sounds of footsteps could be faintly heard, echoing from the other end of the alleyway.

“Somepony’s coming,” Applejack said, her ears perking up.

“Don’t tell me it’s that alien with that... that horrible suit?” Rarity gasped, pointing a hoof at a figure at the other end of the alleyway. The alien was clearly feminine, with a rather ornate environmental suit. She glanced around warily, apparently debating whether to enter the alleyway or not. “Her suit design is atrocious. It’s a crime against fashionry!”

“Focus, Rarity,” Twilight reminded the white unicorn. Rarity winced at the prospect of letting this fashion disaster go uncorrected, but nodded. Twilight nodded to herself as the last pieces of her makeshift plans fell into place. All those late nights studying military ambushes finally paid off, Twilight thought with hidden relief.

“Okay, here’s the plan.” Twilight began sketching out her plan rapidly. “Rarity, you’ll be…”

***

The quarian was cautious, and kept glancing behind her back. She had one hand on the pistol on her hip, obviously expecting trouble. Reaching a shadowy alcove in the alley, she fiddled with the omni-tool in her right arm. A moment later, six figures materialised from the shadows of the alcove: four turians and two salarians.

“Where’s the Shadow Broker? I thought Fist had arranged for us to meet here,” the quarian said in an impatient voice.

A turian, apparently the leader of the group, chuckled. “They’ll be here. Where’s the evidence?” he replied conversationally, holding his hand out.

“No way, the deal’s off.” The quarian began to walk away. The sound of weapons being drawn made her halt in her steps.

A discrete cough sounded at the end of the alley. “I think that’s close enough, gentlecolts,” Rarity said.

The turian leader seemed startled at the unexpected intrusion and raised his weapon to meet her. Two of his subordinates followed suit, while the remaining three kept their sights aimed at the quarian.

Rarity tut-tuted. “Now now, let’s not be hasty. I’m sure we can work this out peacefully.”

“Lady, I suggest you walk away now and you might just live,” the turian said menacingly, tightening the grip on his rifle.

“Guess again, darling.” Rarity said with a smirk. With a click of her hooves, her glowing horn abruptly flared with impossibly bright light. The thugs flailed helplessly as their eyes were blinded momentarily.

In that exact moment, two of the turian thugs tumbled to the floor, one kicked in the head by powerful hind legs, the other blasted senseless by an energy bolt. A rainbow blur suddenly flew through the other two thugs, leaving them disorientated and stripped of their weapons. One of the salarian thugs managed to raise his weapon, only to be slammed into the wall by a biotic field. The turian leader had just enough time to realise that his squad was down, before noticing a pink shadow in front of him.

“Boo!”

“Gah!” the turian leader stumbled back, dropping his rifle.

“Silly turian! You’re supposed to be scared!” the pink pony scolded, having the time of her life.

In the middle of it all, the quarian stared at the spectacle, dumbfounded by the sudden help.
The ponies came out of the same shadows the group had been hiding not too long ago. Twilight gathered the fallen weapons with one swoop and floated them out of reach. The turian leader’s expression alternated between surprise and deep shame that his group was taken down so easily.

“Now then, as I was saying, are you very sure we cannot work out a more civilised manner to settle this dispute?”

***

As the last of the thugs were shuffled away by C-Sec constables; the ponies, Garrus and the quarian finally had the privacy to discuss their matter more openly. Garrus, as was rapidly becoming usual, was late to the party and was teased mercilessly by his partner. He seemed to take it in good spirits, however. “At least you didn’t kill anyone. Imagine the paperwork we’ll have to fill for manslaughter,” he joked.

“Thank you for rescuing me. But, who are you?” the quarian asked, in a heavily accented Equestrian. Or rather the translator gave her the accent.

Now that the danger had passed, Twilight studied the quarian more thoroughly. Like most race of the Citadel, she was bipedal, with three fingers on her hands as opposed to normal four of a turian. Her legs were bowed back significantly in contrast to most of the other bipedals of the Citadel. The quarian’s entire body was covered by her environmental suit, which seemed to be made of a sort of synthetic rubber. To top it all off, she wore a cloak on her headpiece. Twilight could not make out any facial features on the inside of the mask, save for two glowing eyes. It unsettled the unicorn a little.

After a moment of awkward silence, Twilight decided to play it safe. “My name is Commander Sparkle. I’m looking for evidence of Saren working with the geth.”

“Then I have the chance to repay you. But we need to go somewhere safe. Fist may have more thugs gunning for me.” The quarian glanced around nervously, evidently expecting another group of thugs to ambush her.

“Well, the ambassador office then. We’ll be quite safe there. Ambassador Lyra would want to see you anyway,” Rarity suggested.

“Good idea, let’s go before we cause any more trouble,” Twilight said.

Chapter 4

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

“Well, looks like our dear commander has returned,” Ambassador Lyra welcomed. “And who are your new friends?” She waved a hoof to the gaggle of ponies and aliens that were standing behind the unicorn. Twilight stared blankly at the ambassador for a moment, before divining her meaning.

Twilight gestured at the pair of C-Sec agents with a forehoof. “This is Garrus and Rainbow Dash from C-Sec. They were the ones in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.” Both gave a slight bow to the ambassador. Lyra nodded politely in reply, but otherwise said nothing.

“This is Pinkie Pie.” Twilight indicated the pink earth pony.

The pink pony half-bounced, half-trotted up to the ambassador and shook her hoof vigorously. “Hi!” she greeted brightly. The ambassador looked slightly uncomfortable shaking hooves with the hyperactive pony. To Lyra’s obvious relief, Pinkie soon disengaged her hoof and took her place behind Twilight.

“And the quarian is… I don’t think I got your name.” Twilight grimaced at her lapse of manners. Throughout their short journey to the embassy, she never thought to ask for the quarian’s name.

“Tali’Zorah nar Rayya,” the quarian introduced herself, saving Twilight the trouble.

“Tali’Zorah,” Twilight repeated, pronouncing the foreign name carefully. “She is the one who found the evidence against Saren.”

“Quite a diverse party you picked up, commander,” Lyra said, raising an eyebrow at Twilight. “Well, let’s see the evidence you collected then,”

Nodding, the quarian fiddled with her omni tool. A slightly metallic voice filled the room. “Appleloosa was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit.” Even though the voice was distorted, Twilight was able to recognise the speaker. The spectre, Saren Arterius.

“I think that most definitely proves who was behind the attack on Appleloosa,” Rarity said, folding her hooves together.

“Hah, I knew that sucker was guilty,” Rainbow Dash declared, fluttering her wings with excitement. Her face became thoughtful. “Hey, what do you think he means about the Conduit?” she asked, not unreasonably.

“No idea, Dash, I have never heard anything about a conduit. As far as I can recall, there’s nothing in my books about any of this,” Twilight answered, shrugging.

“Maybe it’s some sort of ancient Prothean machine…” Rainbow Dash speculated. Gears seemed to whirl in her mind as her imagination ran wild, all those years of trashy doomsday novels being finally put to good use. “...maybe it’s a super weapon! Some super awesome weapon that is so terrible, the Protheans hid it. Maybe... something that can smash planets!” Her words were met with gasps and murmurs.

Prothean technology was centuries, maybe even millennia, ahead of any technology Equestria — or any other race for that matter — currently had. The mass relays were one such piece of technology. No species were able to duplicate the mass relay thus far, even after centuries of careful study. It was not implausible the Protheans stashed away weapons of mass destruction that could obliterate planets.

Twilight turned to the dragon on her back, “Spike, load up as many materials as you can about the Protheans onto the Normaredy. We’re going to have a lot of reading to do.”

“Righto, Twilight.” Spike jumped off Twilight’s back and went to work at the ambassador’s computer terminal.

“This should be enough to convince the Council to strip Saren of his Spectre status,” Lyra said with satisfaction. “Good job, commander. I see the Princess’ faith in you isn’t misplaced.”

Twilight’s cheeks flared red at the compliment. It was nice to hear her abilities being appreciated for once. Aside from the princess of course, who always made it clear she valued Twilight highly.

“Wait, there’s more,” Tali said. Every pair of eyes in the room swung back in her direction. She shifted uneasily at the sudden attention.

“More?” the ambassador asked, the frown creeping back onto her face.

The quarian nodded, and played back the recording again. Again, the familiar voice of Saren spoke, “Appleloosa was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit.”

A harsh feminine voice then continued, “And one step closer to the return of the Reapers.”

“I don’t recognize that voice,” the ambassador said thoughtfully. Neither did Twilight, or the rest of her crew for that matter.

“Who cares? We got our evidence; let’s get this to the council now,” Rainbow Dash said impatiently. The sky-blue pegasus flapped her wings impatiently and hovered above Tali.

“Hold yer’ horses a minute there, Dash. What in tarnation are the Reapers?” Applejack asked, scratching her head. “I’ve never heard of such critters before in my entire life.”

“According to the memory core, the Reapers are some form of hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago,” Tali explained, her faintly accented voice the only sound in the room. “The geth believe that the Reapers hunted the Protheans into extinction. Then they vanished. There has been no records of them since.”

Twilight listened to the story intently. Interesting, so if the Protheans were hunted into extinction then... The unicorn gasped slightly, piecing together bits and pieces of the images that were seared into her brain on Appleloosa. They must have been showing her the genocide of the Prothean race by the Reapers! The beacon, it must be a warning of some sort. It was too bad she couldn’t make head or tail of it. Maybe the Protheans encoded it in some sort of cipher or code. Fortunately for Twilight, nopony else noticed the distant look on her face. Or that she wasn’t even paying attention to the rest of the story.

Talicontinued her tale, “The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life.They believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back.” Tali looked expectantly at the ambassador, who was still deep in thought.

“So... this Reapers... are some kind of super robot alien... race that...” Dash gulped, her face visibly paled. “... exterminates all organic life?”

Tali nodded. “That’s what they are. According to this memory core anyway.” Silence descended as each pony processed the implications of the tale. Most looked distinctly uneasy. Fluttershy was already hiding under the coffee table, her body trembling with fear.

“The Council is going to love this,” Ambassador Lyra finally said, a hoof rubbing her temple.

“Well, no matter what they think of the rest, those files still prove Saren is a traitor,” Rarity pointed out.

“Good point,” the ambassador acknowledged. She lapsed into deep thought for another moment, before making her decision. The mint green unicorn straightened her back and said, “Right, I’m going to go and arrange another meeting with the Council. Meet me at the Citadel Tower when I call. It might take some time though, the Council will not be happy to see me again.” She began shuffling some papers around on her desk.

“Wait, where’s Captain Trixie?” Twilight finally noticed the absence of the brash captain. The other ponies began looking around the room as well, apparently just realising her absence as well.

The ambassador didn’t even glance back. “No idea. She left my office in a hurry to take care of some personal business. I haven’t seen her since.” With that, she cantered out of the office.

“Huh, she doesn’t seem too concerned,” Twilight said to nopony in particular.

“Probably ‘cause that no-good blowhard wasn’t such a big loss,” Applejack remarked. The other ponies from the Normaredy snickered, having been subjected to the full force of the captain’s personality on the ship. Twilight however, said nothing. She had a feeling the captain might be trouble in the future.

“Commander? A word please,” Tali piped up.

Twilight turned to face the quarian. “Yes, Tali?” she asked, a quizzical expression on her face.

“I want to come with you,” she said simply. Her tone made it clear it was not a request.

Why is this quarian suddenly offering her help?

“You heard me. Saren is a danger to an entire galaxy. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this? My Pilgrimage can wait.” The quarian’s glowing eyes glinted with determination behind her mask.

“Wait, Pilgrimage? Are you on some—” Spike started, obviously thinking of something else unrelated.

Tali facepalmed at the dragon’s question. “I’ll explain later,” she replied in a patient voice, cutting Spike off. Spike raised a claw to object, but one look at the quarian’s demeanour made him reconsider.

“We’re coming with you too!” Garrus and Dash said in unison. They looked at each other in surprise, before bursting into laughter.

“Great minds think alike eh, Dash?” Garrus said, winking at the blue pegasus.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied, beaming. “That Saren is so going down with the two of us on his case.” She air punched with her hooves.

“Wait, what? I didn’t say anything about—” Twilight began to object. She found her open mouth stuffed full with cupcakes instead. The unicorn glared at the culprit; the party pony who somehow managed to balance a whole tray of cupcakes on one hoof.

“Aw, come on, commander! It’ll be super duper fun. We’ll have makeovers, parties, and kick lots and lots of bad guys flanks!” Pinkie said enthusiastically.

Twilight could only mumble an incoherent objection, desperately trying to chew past the mass of cupcakes in her mouth. Her purple eyes frantically indicated no.

Pinkie took that as a yes. “Yay!” she exclaimed. Applejack and Dash exchanged high hooves. Fluttershy looked uncertainly at the unfolding scene, too timid to voice her objection that she was never part of this outfit to begin with.

“Um... whatever you want to do is fine...” she squeaked softly. On her back, Angel folded his arms and put on his trademark scowl. The rabbit clearly remained unamused at the fact that he was about to be dragged around the galaxy.

Twilight finally had the sense to spit out the pastries in her mouth. She looked at all the enthusiastic faces beaming at her with the sole exception of Fluttershy, and the quarian, whom she still could not read. Pinkie, in particular, was pulling out her puppy eyes again. Defeated, Twilight flattened her ears and sighed. “Fine, you guys can come.”

The resulting cheer deafened Twilight and echoed even across the Presidium.

***

[Presidium, Citadel]

“I guess we might as well explore the place while waiting for the ambassador’s call,” Twilight said. Only Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Dash and Garrus accompanied her. Fluttershy was off to visit the Presidium’s massive arboretum. Rarity was bubbling about going to a fabulous shopping mall in the Wards, and took off in a hurry. Spike stayed behind in the office to make arrangements for the newcomers on the ship. Tali was content to stay with the dragon in the office where she felt safe.

The group were standing in the middle of the Presidium, on one of the many bridges overlooking the massive lake that stretched across the place. Unlike the Wards, the Presidium was considered one of the most exclusive places in the Citadel, being located in the center of the station. An artificial sky was projected overhead, complete with artificial illumination simulating the light of a star, giving the ponies the feeling of being on a planet instead of the deep space station. All around them, various dignitaries and alien beings passed by. It was a peaceful and serene place, all and all.

“Hmm, I wonder if there’s any fish in them lakes.” Applejack stared at the blue waters of the lake thoughtfully.

“I bet there’re thousands of small little fishies in the lake. Wanna go take a look?” Pinkie Pie replied, holding up a snorkeling kit she somehow managed to dig up. The pink pony was already wearing her own kit.

Twilight was horrified at the prospect of two of her friends swimming in a lake in the middle of the most exclusive location on the Presidium. She quickly intervened. “No, Pinkie. There will be no swimming in the lakes.” For good measure, she also levitated the snorkeling kit off Pinkie’s hooves and out of reach.

Pinkie pouted at the restriction. “Awwwwwww....” she said glumly.

“Well, well, look who happened to stumble into my path again. The bright and aspiring commander,” a very familiar voice called out from behind Twilight. Twilight turned to face the speaker with narrowed eyes.

“Trixie,” she spat.

“The Great & Powerful Trixie. You would do well to remember the correct title,” Trixie said haughtily. She was now dressed in a more informal cloak, stars of every shape dotting the fabric. It seemed to match her pointed hat rather better than her captain’s uniform.

Pinkie Pie half-hopped past Twilight to face Trixie. She pointed a hoof at her snout. “You! I know you. You’re that meanie Twilight told me,” she said, narrowing her blue eyes. Leaning closer, she half-whispered to Trixie, “I have my eye on you.” Pinkie stared directly into the Trixie’s eyes.

Trixie felt herself sweating as she tried to match the pink pony’s glare. She needed to distract this pink simpleton, fast. Remembering the party pony’s reputation, she tried a simple trick. The captain hurriedly pointed in a random direction. “Oh look, is that a party?”

“Party? WHERE?” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly, breaking the stare and bouncing off in the direction of Trixie’s hoof. The pink pony disappeared out of sight before anypony else could stop her.

“Heh, simpletons. Too easy to manipulate.” Trixie said, her smug look hiding the apprehension she felt at the brief confrontation.

“What do want, Trixie?” Twilight asked, not amused by her behaviour.

“Nothing more than revenge, my dear Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said with a flourish, and swirled her cloak. The bright gem on the clasp of her cloak glinted brightly.

“Behold!” Her horn lit up theatrically, fireworks spouting dramatically around her. Twilight could swear she heard fanfare amongst the exploding fireworks. The fireworks continued to pop across the bridge they were standing on, and black smoke started to envelop the bridge. Twilight and the other ponies coughed, their vision obscured. Trixie herself was no longer visible. Her maniacal laughter however could still be heard.

“Commander! Look out!” Dash suddenly shouted.

Twilight felt herself being shoved to one side by the blue pegasus. Lying on her flank, she heard a single gunshot. It was a trap. The smoke, the fireworks, they were a distraction. Trixie wanted to kill her! The mere thought of the captain turning traitor churned her stomach.

“Ambush! Put up your kinetic barriers!” Twilight called. She began casting a wind spell, hoping to dissipate the smoke.

“Wait, this isn’t part—” the confused voice of Trixie said, the loud pops of the fireworks going off fading. Before she could finish the sentence however, gunfire erupted all around them. Twilight gritted her teeth as she felt a couple of bullets hitting her kinetic barriers. The wind spell she had casted was working, but the dense smoke cloud was taking time to clear.

“Ah can’t see them!” she heard Applejack yell over the sound of gunfire.

“Stay steady, the smoke is clearing.” Garrus called back, his assault rifle emitting a steady staccato. He was still firing blind though, so it was a futile gesture at best.

Bit by bit, the smoke began to dissipate. Twilight squinted through the gloom, and made out about half a dozen hazy figures on each side of the bridge. As the pall lifted, she saw that they were mostly turians and salarians, each heavily equipped with military-grade armour and assault rifles. Their amour were painted in a curious blue scheme. Mercenaries, if Twilight were any judge. At the sight of the smoke clearing, they stopped firing, apparently taken by surprise by the number of ponies on the bridge.

Twilight’s tactical mind quickly distilled the situation. The mercenaries choose their ambush well, having entrenched themselves on both the north and south end of the bridge, using the odd bench and the plaza’s delicate architecture as cover. On the other hoof, the ponies had been standing right in the middle of an open bridge, with no cover in sight, and no way to escape, save jumping into the lake. Unfortunately, jumping into the lake was not an option, since the mercs would probably just finish them off while they were flailing about in the water. They were trapped like a fish in a bowl.

Twilight glanced back at Trixie, who was still rooted to the same spot. She wore a blinkered expression on her face, her jaw hanging loose. Her pointed hat lay on the floor besides her hooves.

“Fools, what are you waiting for? Finish them before the C-Sec arrives!” a krogan voice shouted. Startled into action, the mercenaries opened up with everything they got. It was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed and shredded to pieces by the bulletstorm. Already, Twilight noticed some of her friends’ kinetic barriers starting to fail.

The commander made a decision.

Her horn glowing brightly, Twilight began to reach deep into herself. The spell she was casting was a basic barrier spell, designed to temporarily block incoming projectiles. The power of the barrier was proportionate to the power of the unicorn casting the spell. An average unicorn could probably cast a barrier that lasted up to several seconds in a firefight, making the utility of this spell situational at best. Commander Sparkle was no ordinary unicorn. In seconds, she weaved a semi-circular magical energy barrier that covered one end of the group, shielding them temporarily from weapon fire coming from the north side of the bridge.

“I can’t shield both end!” she called, her voice strained from the effort. The mercenaries seemed surprised by the move, but continued to pour fire into the barrier. One of the mercs took out a portable rocket launcher, apparently deciding the extra firepower was needed.

“Let Trixie show her magic,” she heard Trixie say. Another pale blue barrier suddenly appeared on the other side of the small group, complementing Twilight’s semi-circle. The barrier surrounding the group was now an impenetrable wall. Twilight blinked in confusion. No time to ponder the matter though. She needed to concentrate on keeping the barrier up. At least it bought them precious time to figure a plan out of this mess. The unicorn winced as a rocket impacted against the barrier.

“Got one in my sight,” Dash said, the sniper rifle on her shoulder moving ever so slightly as she tracked her targets. The sound of her rifle’s boom cut through the air. In the distance, a salarian merc crumpled to the ground. “Oh yeah! Got that one,” she whooped.

“Don’t get cocky Dash, they still outnumber us,” Garrus reminded. As if to reinforce Garrus’ words, a grenade landed right beside Dash, somehow managing to slip past the energy barriers.

“Oh horseapples!” Dash shouted, and frantically kicked the grenade away. The grenade sailed off the bridge and landed in the lake below with a splash.

“Where the hay is C-Sec? The Presidium is supposed to be the most secure place on the Citadel,” Dash yelled.

“Damned if I know. Must be some emergency elsewhere on the Presidium,” Garrus replied.

***

[A short distance away]

“Freeze!” a turian C-Sec constable yelled. “We have you surrounded!” Two dozen more guns clicked as the C-Sec constables trained their weapons on their target.

“Okie-dokie-lokie,” the shadowy pony in the corner said, raising her hooves. The three salarians who were huddling in the corner quickly scuttled for the safety of the door. “These guys weren’t in the mood for a party anyway.” She trotted out cheerfully to the nearest policepony and held her hooves out.

The radio on the C-Sec captain crackled, “Captain, we have a firefight in the middle of the goddamn Presidium. Where are your men?”

“Sir? We’ve just arrested the pink pony like you ordered. Top priority.”

“Captain, I’m going to personally demote you for the error in judgement you just made. When I said I wanted Pinkie Pie arrested, I DID NOT MEAN FOR YOU ABANDON THE WHOLE PRESIDIUM TO ARREST HER. NOW GET BACK HERE AND CONTAIN THE SITUATION,” the voice on the other end snarled.

“Y-y-yes, sir!”

***

“I’m not sure how long I can keep up the barrier,” Twilight said weakly. The unicorn was panting slightly from exhaustion, though the glow of her horn remained steady.

“Trixie hopes you imbeciles have a better plan than us standing here getting shot at,” Trixie snapped, her voice betraying the effort she was putting in. Both unicorns still kept up the barrier against the hail of bullets being unleashed, but it was clear they weren’t going to last much longer.

“We’re workin’ on it.” Applejack replied, firing her weapon in short steady bursts, keeping the merc’s heads down as much as she could. Dash managed to snipe another merc who was unlucky enough to pop his head out at the wrong time.

The mercs were down to nine effectives, but they were entrenched on either side of the bridge. No signs of C-Sec yet. “Consarn’ it. We can’t break through either side of the bridge. We’ll get shredded if we tried to run fer it.”

“Dash, see if you can distract those mercs over there,” Garrus suggested, pointing a clawed finger towards the south end of the bridge. “With your distraction, maybe we can take out the two hiding behind that railings.”

“Right—” Dash narrowed her eyes as she spotted a small figure moving slowly up behind the mercs on the north side. “Is that Executor Pallin?” The Presidium was mostly empty by this time, so it was relatively easy to make out the turian from the distance.

“The Executor? In person?” Garrus squinted to see the small figure for himself. So it was. The C-Sec Executor in red and black combat armour was carrying a pistol, apparently intent on taking the mercs from behind. “What’s he doing here?”

Dash shrugged. At this point, she was grateful any form of help to even care why. “His office is just next door remember? He must be the only C-Sec officer left in this part of the Presidium. At least he got them distracted.” Dash pointed at one of the turian mercs, who crumpled to the floor as the Executor opened fire with his pistol. The group of mercs seemed to be surprised by the new threat in their rear and a few turned to face the new threat. The hail of fire on Twilight’s side of the shield decreased correspondingly. “Let’s charge them from this end and take them out. Only four left.”

“As good a plan as any at this point. Commander, on the count of three, drop the shield.” Garrus said. He was met with a weak nod from the lavender unicorn. “Applejack, Dash, get ready. Trixie, after we move, you drop the shield as well and run like hell for the nearest cover.”

“Why is the Great & Powerful Trixie the last one to go?” Trixie hissed.

“Because we need you keep the other mercs off our backs while we take out those mercs on our side,” Garrus replied tersely. The turian was not in the mood for arguments. Mercifully, Trixie decided not to press the issue.

“On three. One,” Garrus slowly counted.

“Two.” Dash had her wings flared and ready to fly, while Applejack had her gun in her mouth, her entire body tensing in anticipation.

“Three!”

Twilight’s horn abruptly lost its glow and the purple barrier collapsed. Unhindered, bullets began to patter across the open surface of the bridge and onto the kinetic barriers of the four stranded on the bridge.

“Go, go, go!” Garrus yelled as he ran forward in a crouch to minimise his profile. He fired his rifle on full auto to keep the mercs’ heads down. His battered kinetic barriers took a few more hits. Fortunately, it managed to hold until he found a convenient bench to seek cover behind.

Applejack broke into a gallop towards the mercs, with Twilight following closely behind. Rainbow Dash flew up and away, perpendicular to the bridge in an attempt to distract some of the fire off the ponies on the ground. Her speed was the only thing that kept her safe from the heavy rain of weapon fire from the mercs.

Trixie maintained her side of the barrier for several more precious seconds. Sensing that her time was up, she let go of the spell. Quickly turning tail, she galloped as fast as she could after them, somehow managing to evade the hail of fire from the other end of the bridge.

Applejack managed to reach one of the entrenched mercs relatively unscathed and delivered a sound kick to his face. The turian was flung to the floor, unconscious. Taking his place, Applejack took the gun from her mouth and began firing on the mercs on the opposite side of the bridge.

Not far behind Applejack, Twilight found herself sheltering behind a row of square pots of plants. Sensing that her foe was on the other side of the plant, the unicorn took stock, the hundreds of different ways to take out an enemy behind cover flashing through her mind. In the end, she took the most direct method. The unicorn kicked the plant pot with her hind legs, toppling the edifice. The merc scrambled away from the falling pot and out into the open. He was greeted with an energy blast from Twilight’s horn, which knocked him all the way into the lake.

The last salarian merc still standing saw the his comrades being taken out by the ponies. He threw down his weapon and began running.

“Not so fast,” Executor Pallin bellowed, the turian rising from his hidden position with his pistol raised. A single shot was all it took to bring down the fleeing mercenary.

At that exact moment, the blaring of sirens on the other end of the bridge signalled the arrival of the rest of the C-Sec officers. A brief but furious exchange of fire on the other end of the bridge erupted, before all went silent. Twilight could see the remaining mercs were raising their hands in surrender.

The battle lasted precisely five minutes and forty-three seconds.

***

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

“As usual, the Great & Powerful Trixie saved the day,” Trixie blustered, as they walked through the door of the embassy. Twilight was too tired to argue with the captain, her energy sapped from maintaining the magical barrier that protected them in that fight.

The C-Sec had arrived metaphorically red-faced to round up any surviving mercs. Most quickly surrendered after seeing their hopeless situation. The krogan leader had chosen to charge headfirst into half a dozen C-Sec officers armed to the teeth. He did not survive the charge.

As the C-Sec contained the situation, Executor Pallin praised the commander for her resourcefulness in handling the ambush. The executor seemed relieved that she hadn’t been killed: that would have raised a lot of awkward questions about the competency of C-Sec, something which he wasn’t too keen on. He even released Pinkie Pie into her custody, provided Twilight keep the pink pony in line and ‘off my goddamned station’ as the executor so tactfully put.

“Wow, Twilight, that was some battle! We could see the whole thing from up here!” Spike gushed.

Tali nodded her suited head at the lavender unicorn. “Impressive work, commander. You took down a whole army of mercs gunning for you. Not many could have done that.”

Twilight flopped on the couch and glanced at the captain wearily. Trixie looked disgustingly fresh, despite her earlier exertion. Maybe Trixie does have some talent hidden behind all that bravado.

“I thought you set us up when it first started,” Applejack said to Trixie. The soldier pony still glared at the captain with distrust.

“Please, Gunnery Chief. The Great & Powerful Trixie may be the greatest unicorn in Equestria, but she is also a decorated captain of the Equestrian Navy. Why would the Trixie betray her own country?” Trixie said, her face genuinely surprised.

“Um... because of how she humiliated ya in front of the princess?” Applejack hazarded. Trixie looked at the orange mare with a mixture of pity and condescension.

“Gunnery Chief, that was just a minor setback. Trixie fully expect the commander to slip up in some way and the princess will come begging for me to fix the problem. Why should Trixie work to hasten the inevitable?” Trixie said, as if stating a fact of life. Twilight shook her head at the captain’s words. Were it not for her huge ego, she would have made a fine leader.

“Trixie, I don’t plan to fail. Not when the princess and all of Equestria is counting on me,” Twilight said dryly. Before she could continue, the embassy door slid open again with a hiss, revealing the worried figures of Rarity and Fluttershy (and Angel).

“Oh Twilight, I’m so glad you’re okay. We came as soon we got the word.” Rarity stopped as her eyes caught sight of Trixie. “What is she doing here?” Rarity pointed an accusing forehoof at the captain.

“It’s alright, Rarity. Believe it or not, she helped us during the battle. I think that should be enough reason, no?” Twilight answered, a wan smile on her face. She didn’t like defending the captain, but she had to give credits where it was due.

“Err... of course, darling. Whatever you say,” Rarity said, clearly not convinced.

Twilight tilted her head questioningly at the captain. “Anyway, if that ambush wasn’t your idea, then what was your plan?”

Trixie smiled cryptically. “Twilight, you should know that a good magician never reveals her secrets.”

“You mean this data disk I found in your satchel?” Pinkie said brightly, holding up the disk with a hoof. Trixie’s smiled faded and she quickly emptied her bags in search of her ‘mysterious secret’. Not finding her prize, she turned disbelievingly at Pinkie.

“How did you—?” she sputtered, her confident voice gone. Twilight just giggled at Trixie’s shocked appearance. By now, she was getting used to Pinkie picking up random items off the floor or somewhere equally improbable. Even if it was a little unsettling.

“Let me see that, Pinkie,” Twilight said, levitating the disk towards herself. She examined the disk closely. It was seemed to be an ordinary data disk except for some words scrawled in a corner. Squinting closely, she made out the words, ‘Twilight’s Private Moments’. Twilight felt her cheeks reddening with embarassment. She turned to glare at the captain. “Trixie! Were you spying on me?” Twilight demanded.

Trixie shuffled her hooves guiltily, avoiding Twilight’s gaze. Twilight shook her head. “Honestly Trixie, humiliating me with my own ‘private moments’ has to be a new low for you,” Twilight admonished. A split second later, the unicorn regretted her hasty words, having inadvertently revealing out the contents of the disk. The other ponies stared at Twilight, wide-eyed. Even Tali and Garrus suddenly seemed more interested in the exchange.

“Private moments... huh?” Spike began. “I wonder if she recorded that time where—

my friends do not need to know the details,” Twilight quickly interjected, her face now bright red with embarrassment. For good measure, she shoved a handy sock into the purple dragon mouth, lest he found the temptation to tell too great. His mouth full, Spike resorted to glaring at Twilight sullenly.

“Darn, now you got me curious,” Applejack blurted. She gave a sheepish smile when Twilight turned her dark glare on her. “Okay, maybe not too curious,” she conceded hurriedly. Twilight could hear giggling behind her.

“I’ll be keeping this safe now,” she announced, quickly keeping the disk inside her satchel before the other ponies could assault her with more embarrassing questions. The very notion that she had been being spied on by the captain unnerved her. She’d have to make a through sweep of the ship later. Especially her room.

The radio in Twilight’s ear crackled. “Commander, you may come up to the Citadel Tower. The Council has agreed to see our new evidence.” A pause. “Also, you might want to brief me about that firefight in the Presidium.” The ambassador’s tone indicated she found the situation somewhat amusing. “Executor Pallin was quite furious about the lapse in security on the Presidium itself. Fortunately, I hear you acquitted yourself well.”

“Yes, ambassador, we survived that fight.” Twilight replied dryly. “We’ll be on our way. Sparkle out.” She turned to the quarian. “Tali, you’ll need to come with us. You’re a star witness now.”

***

[Citadel Tower, Citadel]

The second hearing took place very similarly to the first, with the notable absence of Saren himself. As was customary, the ambassador and captain stood on the podium facing the councilors, with the rest standing in a respectful distance behind. The chamber was now surrounded by a dozen C-Sec agents, apparently stationed after the breach of security in the Presidium.

The recording was played again, Saren’s voice reverberating throughout the chamber, followed by the unknown feminine voice.

“Here’s the proof you wanted,” Ambassador Lyra stated. She wore an impassive look on her face, apparently deciding not to be vindictive about finding the evidence. Twilight thought she was being generous, since the council had dismissed their claims so casually in the first place. Then again, she wasn’t a diplomat, and the subtle nuances of galactic politics were not her forte anyway.

The three councilors glanced at each other briefly, before the turian member moved to speak. “This evidence is irrefutable, ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him to answer for his crimes.” The councillor seemed distinctly unhappy.

“I recognise that other voice, the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia,” the asari councillor said, a worried look on her face.

“Who?” Twilight spoke up.

“Matriarchs are powerful asari who entered the final stages of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people.”

“Well, this Benezia doesn’t sound very wise if she supports Saren,” Rarity remarked snidely.

“Wise or not, the matriarch is a powerful biotic and has many followers. She will make a powerful ally for Saren,” the asari councilor replied. Twilight nodded in agreement. The matriarch sounded like a powerful ally to have indeed.

“I’m more interested in this... Reapers. What do you know of them?” the salarian councilor directed the question at Twilight.

“Only what Tali was able to extract from the memory core. The Reapers were an ancient race of hyperadvanced machines. Then they vanished.” Twilight answered. “The geth believed the Reapers are gods, and Saren is the prophet that will insure their return.”

“We think the Conduit is key to bringing them back. Saren’s searching for it. That’s why he attacked Appleloosa,” Ambassador Lyra continued.

“Do you even know what the Conduit is?” the salarian ambassador asked skeptically, his large amphibian eyes fliting back and forth between Twilight and the ambassador.

“Well... no.” Twilight admitted. “But if Saren wants it, that’s bad right?”

“This is ridiculous. Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be.” the turian councillor said incredulously. “Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? Why have we found no trace of their existence?” He narrowed his eyes at the commander. “If they were real, we’ve would found something by now.”

“But councillors—” Twilight started.

“I agree with my fellow councillor here. This is different. We all agree that he’s using the geth to search for the Conduit. We just don’t know really know why,” the asari councilor interjected.

“The Reapers is obviously a myth. A convenient lie to cover his true purpose. A legend he used to bend the geth to his will,” the salarian councillor said dismissively. It was obvious his mind was already made up.

“But the Reapers are real! They have wiped out civilisations before. Who’s to say—” Twilight argued, before the ambassador raised a hoof to silence her.

“Commander, I believe the Council has already made up their mind regarding this issue,” she said gently. The mint green unicorn shook her head slightly, indicating Twilight should not press the issue.

“But ambassador, if the Reapers really wiped out all organic life fifty thousands years ago, do you really want to chance Saren using the Conduit to bring them back?” Twilight shot back. The lavender unicorn had come too far to let this opportunity go past.

“Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights and resources of a Spectre,” the turian councilor pointed out. She could tell the ambassador... and the Council wasn’t buying her argument.

“I’m afraid that’s not good enough councilors,” Lyra said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Even if he doesn’t have the authority of Spectres anymore, he has had plenty of time to use his power to recruit supporters in the Terminus Systems. By now, he probably has a standing army of geth and an entire armada to back him up.” She paused fractionally. “The Council would have to send a fleet to root him out.”

“The Great & Powerful Trixie offers graciously to lead this fleet of ships to look for this Spectre. With the might of a Citadel fleet behind me, we can have this rogue in custody within the month and the geth broken,” Trixie offered.

“We cannot just send a fleet to look for him. Our actions might spark a war against the Terminus systems,” the salarian councilor countered.

“You no-good alien cattle-rustler. Every time we ask for help, you turn us down,” yelled Applejack from behind. Again, she was promptly silenced by Twilight, who resorted to tying a piece of cloth around her snout.

“I have to agree with our freckled friend here, much I hate to admit it. The Council has not been very supportive of our cause thus far. The princess—” the ambassador said, before the asari councilor cut her off.

“Wait, there maybe another way. A solution that will not require fleets or armies.”

The turian councillor jerked his head towards his peer in alarm. “What?! No! It’s too soon. Pony-kind is not ready for the responsibilities that come from joining the Spectres,” the turian councillor objected with a wave of his hand.

“Princess Celestia personally picked the chosen candidate. I think she’s as ready as she can ever be,” Lyra said, waving a hoof over at the lavender unicorn, who was deep in thought.

“What?” Twilight blurted, a surprised look on her face. She quickly corrected herself, “I mean, yes, I’m ready!”

An enthusiastic voice spoke up from behind the ambassador. It was Pinkie Pie, hopping around in excitement. “Don’t you see? It’s a great idea! We can go together on grand adventures, chasing down the big bad meanie Saren. The Citadel don’t need to send ships, we get our very own pony Spectre and get to have grand parties wherever we want. Everypony’s happy!”

The ambassador seemed surprised at the unexpected help, but she nodded and stared expectantly at the councillors. “I think she made her point very clear, councillors,” Lyra said.

Again, the three members of the Council paused, and glanced at each other. After what seemed like a moment of silent deliberation, both the turian and salarian councilors nodded. Twilight thought the turian councilor seemed fractionally slower in giving his assent.

“Commander Sparkle,” the asari councillor called. Twilight’s ears perked up. “Step forward.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, the unicorn trotted forward, the ambassador moving slightly to make room. She now stood at the edge of the podium, facing the three most powerful figures in the known space. The asari councilor looked directly into her purple eyes, unnerving the unicorn slightly. The chamber fell into a deathly silence. Twilight could feel her heart beating, butterflies suddenly fluttering in her stomach. Dozens of eyes seemed to bore into her.

“It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Team branch of the Citadel,” the asari councilor said in a formal tone.

Twilight felt her heart racing. This was the moment, the day the princess have been preparing for her for.

“Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file,” the salarian councilor continued.

Her mind flashed back to the events of Appleloosa. The battles. The husks. The geth. Nihilus. Disarming the bombs in the colony. The battle on the Presidium.

“Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instrument of our will,” the asari councilor said.

Twilight’s chest puffed. Deep down, she resolved not only to a symbol, but to the embodiment of everything ponykind should reach for. It would be what the princess expected of her. It was what Equestria would look to her as.

“Spectres bear a great burden. They are the protectors of the galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold,” the turian councillor finished.

As the turian councillor spoke, Twilight found her shoulders being weighed down by the enormity of her task. The turian councillor was right. It was her duty and responsibility to uphold galactic peace if she accepted. Ponykind... neigh, all Citadel races would be depending on her to keep the peace.

“This is a great achievement for ponykind, being the first Spectre, Commander Sparkle. Do you accept?” the asari councilor asked.

Twilight was at a momentary loss of words. So much was flying through her mind right now. The responsibility. The prestige. The pride. The privilege. It was overwhelming.

“Well, Commander?” the asari councillor pressed.

All the wild thoughts in mind suddenly crystallised into one single emotion. The lavender unicorn’s face beamed as she shouted a single word.

“YES!”

***

[Crew Deck, ESV Normaredy]

Spike rapped on the door to Twilight’s cabin and called, “Come on, Twilight. You been in there for a whole day already.”

A weary voice replied from behind the door. “Leave me alone Spike. My reputation is forever ruined.” Spike could hear the sound of somepony turning on the bed.

“Aw, come on Twi, it wasn’t so bad.” Spike tried to reassure her. The effect was spoiled by the sound of his two companions giggling. He waved for Garrus and Rarity to keep silent.

“Yeah right, Spike, you’re just saying that to cheer me up.”

“It’s true. I mean, sure, you did scream with joy when the Council made you a Spectre. But everypony will right?”

“Spike, you left out the part where I also shouted ‘Yes!’ continuously for five whole minute, while prancing about in front of the Council AND the ambassador like a foal, in front of a dozen camera who happened to film the moment. It. Was. A. Disaster.”

“But... Twilight... you looked... so cute—” Spike self-control failed and he began to burst out laughing as the memory of the incident surfaced. Unable to control himself, he fell to the floor laughing uncontrollably. Another groan emanated from behind the locked door.

“Spike, you horrible dragon! We should be cheering the commander up, not... laughing... at...” Rarity began to giggle as well. “... her... oh my stars, I can’t help it.” she said, her forehooves desperately covering her mouth.

Garrus gave a chuckle at the words of the white unicorn. “I’ll have to admit, commander, you do look pretty cute jumping about like that. And the extranet seems to agree.”

“Garrus! You’re not helping,” Rarity manage to blurt in between helpless giggles.

“I’m never coming out of this room again!” Twilight wailed.

“Oh, my sides hurt,” Spike said, as he finally managed to control his laughter. “Anyway, Twilight, come on. You’re the first pony spectre ever. We should be celebrating,” he said in his most convincing voice. Which wasn’t much. “We even got you a present.”

“Yeah, Twilight, come on. Your present has already arrived. We ordered it specially from the Citadel,” Rainbow Dash called from the stairs.

“Oh...” the voice behind the door hesitated. “Fine.” The ponies and Garrus outside grinned at each other. Their trap was set.

“We’ll be waiting for you upstairs, darling,” Rarity called, as they made their way up the stairwell.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be right there,” Twilight called back. The lavender pony reluctantly got out of her bed and began brushing her mane, which got altogether tussled from her time in the room. Flicking a final strand of stray hair into place, she unlocked the door and trotted out.

The unicorn stopped in her tracks when she realised just how empty the crew deck was this time. Even during off-hours, there would be at least a couple of crew-members talking over a meal in the galley or taking a nap in the crew quarters. But now... nopony. Not even Ditzy who would stop by the galley every so often for another helping from her muffin collection. Her ears perked up as made out some jaunty tune emananting from the stairs. Strange, why would somepony play such a tune in the CIC? she thought. Twilight began making her way up the stairwell, the tune getting louder with each step.

The moment the door slid open, she instantly knew.

“SURPRISE!”

The yell deafened Twilight, who stood staring in shock at the vastly changed room. The whole CIC was decked in party colours and decorations. The holographic map of the galaxy rotated brightly amidst the balloons and streamers that hung all around. Each workstation was somehow converted into makeshift tables for various party treats.

“Spectre commissioning party!” Pinkie Pie declared, taking Twilight by the hooves. The pink pony dragged the stunned commander around the room. “Do you like it, huh huh? After the totally awesome thing you did back in the Citadel, you looked sad. So I was like, Pinkie, what should you do? Then I thought, of course, this calls for a party! Parties always cheers ponies up!” The pink earth pony paused to take a deep breath, before continuing. “So then I bought all the party supplies on the Citadel and made everypony promise to keep it a secret because then it wouldn’t be a surprise...” Pinkie continued on her whirlwind exposition about how she organised the party.

Twilight had to smile at the Pinkie’s enthusiasm. She could tell the earth pony worked hard to decorate the ship and spring the surprise on her. And all her friends went along with it. Twilight glanced at each in turn. Applejack with a big grin on her freckled face. Rarity delicately trying to drink punch from a glass. Rainbow Dash chatting amicably with Tali. Fluttershy in one corner, terrified of attention, yet flashing a shy smile at Twilight. Spike riding on Garrus’ shoulders, shouting excitedly.

“Thanks girls. I really appreciate it,” she said sincerely, a wide smile on her face. Whatever hurdles Twilight would face on her mission, she knew she could count on her friends.

Intermission 1

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

“Okay, Commander, now that you’re officially a Spectre, you’ll need a ship to get around in the Terminus Systems,” Lyra said, tapping her hoof thoughtfully. She leaned back on her chair and clasped her hooves together. “Fortunately, the princess has already made arrangements.”

“Well, now that the commander will be getting her own ship, I’m sure the Navy has other plans for the Great & Power—” Trixie started impatiently, apparently eager to rid herself of Twilight as soon as possible.

“She’ll be taking the Normaredy, captain,” Lyra said, deadpan.

What?!”

“You heard correctly,” the ambassador replied, unfazed by the shocked look on the captain’s face. “Commander Sparkle will be reassigned as the captain of the Normaredy for the duration of her mission. In the meantime, you’ll be reassigned here to me, as my advisor.” Lyra wrinkled her nose slightly as she spoke. Twilight thought Lyra didn’t look all too happy about the situation either.

“But, but... my ship...”

“Captain, the princess’ decision is final,” Lyra said firmly. She glared at the captain, as if daring her to make more objections. Trixie worked her mouth like a goldfish, but no words came out.

Hearing no further protests, the green unicorn flashed a wan smile. “Good, I’m glad you approve, Captain.” The ambassador turned to face Twilight. “I have already transferred the appropriate clearance and command codes over to your assistant.”

“I’m honoured, Ambassador.” Being the captain of one of the most advanced warship in the galaxy? The princess was sure going out of her way to provide her with the best equipment available. She glanced at the former captain. Trixie seemed to have lapsed into a state of shock, her violet eyes vacantly staring at the wall.

“Cheer up, captain. Think of it as a promotion. Not every captain in the Navy gets to be the ambassador’s personal assistant after all.”

Trixie blinked at Twilight’s words. Her expression changed to one of dawning understanding, then her typical brash arrogance.

“Of course! The princess foresaw my special talents are more useful behind the front-lines.” She used a forehoof to flip her immaculate mane back. “The Great & Powerful Trixie shall not disappoint. The whole Citadel shall know the prowess of this captain. For it is I, the Great & Powerful Trixie!” Trixie reared on her hindlegs and struck a dramatic pose, fanfare and fireworks erupting behind her. Twilight coughed and spluttered as the smoke from the display blew into her face.

Lyra remained impassive, though Twilight thought she saw the corners of her lips curling a litte. “Well, ‘Great & Powerful’ Trixie, you might want to start by clearing up all these outstanding requisition forms that piled up in my office.” Lyra levitated over a dozen PDAs over to Trixie. “Then you can sort out this mess of…” The ambassador went on to dictate over twenty different task for Trixie to do.

Twilight had to stifle a guffaw at the way Trixie scowled after Lyra was finished.

***

[The Wards, Citadel]

The Wards. A place for everypony’s needs, if you knew where to look. Which was why two ponies were on a shopping trip at this very moment.

“Now Fluttershy, you know Angel needs a new outfit. I won’t let him go into a fight with that horrible outfit of his,” Rarity said. She had to suppress a shudder at the fashion disaster that the bunny constituted. Angel was still wearing that makeshift armour he somehow fashioned together on Appleloosa. The unicorn had no idea how the rabbit managed to incorporate a geth’s chest piece into the armour, never mind how he built the whole thing to begin with.

“Um... okay Rarity.” Fluttershy answered, glancing at Angel. The rabbit on her back was wearing his perpetual scowl, and looked at the crowds with bored eyes. “I’m sure we can find a pretty outfit for you Angel,” she said softly to the rabbit. The scowl on Angel’s face deepened.

“Ah, this shop looks promising. Levona’s Fine Armoury,” Rarity said, clapping her hooves. “Come, Fluttershy. Let’s get shopping done.”

***

“Ugh! If I hear one more asari shopkeeper saying, ‘I’m sorry miss, but we don’t stock for small animals’, I’m going to tear my mane out in frustration!” Rarity seethed. The white unicorn was especially distressed at her abject failure to help her friend to find the outfit he needed. For all the wonders of the Citadel, there was a surprising lack of choices in bunny outfits. Especially combat-ready ones.

Fluttershy lowered her head in response, her ears flattened. Really, this shopping trip was stressing her friend out more than even she was. The yellow pegasus scrapped up the courage to speak. “It’s okay Rarity. There’s really no need for Angel to get a new outfit. He looks fine just the way she is.”

“Nonsense, darling. I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll get her a new outfit even it means I have to weld the outfit myself,” Rarity answered firmly. What kind of fashionista she would be if she let the travesty that was Angel go uncorrected on her ship?

The pair trotted past another shop, this one fairly mundane in comparison to the ones they visited previously. The holographic sign was dimly lit and said simply, ‘Harten’s Odds and Ends: Everything You Ever Need.’ The window was caked in grime, and obscured the shop’s interior. Rarity didn’t even give the shop a second glance, dismissing it as yet another run-down store.

“Canterlot-clan. Do you not wish to browse my wares?” a muffled voice called out from the shop’s darkened interior. The pair stopped at mid-trot and turned to face the speaker. It was a volus, standing by the door.

“No thanks, volus. I’m sure we can find our wares somewhere... more reputable.” Rarity replied, a little unnerved by the volus’ sudden appearance.

“I... overheard your little conversation. I might have something you can use.” The short, stocky alien, slightly shorter than a pony, stepped out of the shadow of his store. The volus, like all of his kind, was dressed in a black, durable environmental suit, in a similar manner to quarians. The volus species evolved in a methane-based atmosphere, a rarity in the galaxy. In order to survive in the oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere most of the other Citadel races take for granted, they taken to wearing special environmental suits when off-planet.

“Really? In a dinky, run-down store?” Rarity waggled an eyebrow at the volus. Fluttershy just stared at the alien, wide-eyed. She had never seen a volus before.

The volus merchant shrugged. “I specialises in wares which other shops find too exotic to stock. Unfortunately, that also means I don’t get many... customers, as you might imagine.” He waved a pudgy hand towards his shop.

“Still...” Rarity recalled her stellar lack of success so far in more reputable stores. And the equally unproductive time in the space mall. “Alright, we’ll see what you have. No funny business, mind.”

“Um, Rarity, I’m not so sure...” Fluttershy looked at the darkened store with worried eyes. Tales of evil criminals who kidnapped ponies to torture them and bake them into cupcakes danced in the back of her mind.

“Trust me, darling,” Rarity reassured the pegasus, and flashed a smile. She began to follow the volus into the shop. After a moment’s hesitation, Fluttershy made to follow her friend as well.

***

[C-Sec Shooting Range, Citadel]

Boom!

The loud crack of the rifle echoed across the deserted shooting range.

“Ha, nailed that one in the head,” Dash boasted, blowing the smoke off her rifle with satisfaction. Her chosen target sported a neat hole in the center of the head. Glancing at her companion, she gave a cheeky grin. “Beat that, AJ.”

Applejack just grinned back, and loaded her battle rifle. She reared on her hind hooves and gripped her gun steadily. Seconds ticked by as she slowly sighted the target.

“Applejack, if you can’t—” Dash started, before a series of shots interrupted her words. A neat line of holes in the center of the head of the target indicated where Applejack aim was. Dash’s jaw dropped at the sight.

“How did you—?” she spluttered.

“Rainbow Dash, you ain’t the only pony here who knows how to shoot. I been a soldierpony longer than all y’all been in C-Sec,” Applejack drawled lazily.

“Hmph. Well, I bet I can beat you in a real fight,” Dash replied, a jealous expression passing over her face.

“Now, now, Dash. You can’t be the best in everything you know,” Garrus called from behind. The turian was sitting relaxedly on a bench behind the ponies. His metallic face broke into a grin upon seeing the scowl Rainbow Dash gave him. He ducked as a water bottle sailed over his head.

***

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

“Ooh, ohh, Twilight, can I ask a question?” Pinkie Pie asked in a bright voice. She bounced excitedly as she spoke.

Twilight, who was trying to concentrate on reading her PDA on the couch, sighed. “Yes, Pinkie what is it?”

“Great! Sp you see, there’s this friend of mine. He loves to fight and stuff. He’s also the bestest cook ever. Can he join us in the mission? Huh? Huh? We need all the help we can get right? Plea-a-a-e-se? He’s the bestest friend of mine ever in the Citadel.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. If what she knew of Pinkie’s behaviour was any indication, this would be yet another stray pony she’d have to pick up and nurse during the mission. She also knew the pink pony would not leave her alone to her studies unless she agreed in some fashion. With a reluctant long-suffering sigh, Twilight nodded in agreement. “Just... let me see him before we go alright?” Hopefully, she could find some reason to keep her companion off the ship if he or she turned out to be as annoying as Pinkie was.

“Oh, he’s waiting outside right now,” Pinkie Pie replied happily. Before Twilight could reply, the sounds of a scuffle interrupted the conversation.

’t go in without an appointment,” the guardpony outside was saying, apparently to the intruder.

“Out of my way, pipsqueak. I already have my appointment with a friend,” a rough reptillian voice answered. One that Twilight recognised from Chora’s Den. Her head snapped to Pinkie, who was grinning manically.

“Pinkie! Your friend is Wrex?!” Twilight demanded, already dreading the worst.

“Duh! He’s my bestest best friend. Why wouldn’t we be?” Pinkie Pie answered, as if the very fact was obvious. Her blue eyes were sincere as far as Twilight could tell.

Twilight facehoofed. The pink earthpony was somehow the good friend of this dangerous mercenary bounty hunter. The burning question that was eating Twilight was, How? How the hay she managed to gain the trust of a krogan? The sounds of the scuffle escalating outside broke Twilight’s chain of thought. She better let the krogan in before somepony got shot.

Stepping through the door, she was greeted with the sight of the familiar red-armoured krogan being dogpiled by three different guardsponies. Two were holding Wrex down, who in turn was apparently in the process of breaking the wings of the third guard. Thankfully, the krogan’s sidearms were still sheathed behind his back. All four froze at the sound of Twilight’s hooves clopping.

Twilight sighed. “Let him go, guards. He’s with me.” The guards glanced at each other, then at the commander. Realising that she was serious, they reluctantly let go of the krogan.

“Wrex, you can let go of his wings as well,” Twilight added. Wrex blinked at the command, before releasing his hold on the guard’s wings. The guardspony rubbed his wings gingerly and nodded his thanks.

The sound of galloping hooves behind Twilight was the only warning she got of Pinkie approaching, before she found herself snout-first on the floor. The lively party pony jumped to hug Wrex, who reciprocated the gesture.

“Wrex! Silly krogan. You didn’t have to muscle your way in.”

“Well, I didn’t like the way they’re looking at me,” Wrex said, and shot a glare at the guardsponies around them. The guards glared right back, no love lost between both side.

Meanwhile, Twilight found herself knocked to the floor on her rump. She shook the stars out of her eyes, and turned to look at the mercenary. “I take it you’re the one whom Pinkie mentioned?”

“Yes. I still owe a couple of favours for my pink friend here. Wrex always repays his debts,” the krogan answered plainly.

Twilight let out another long-suffering sigh. “Since I probably won’t get a say in the matter anyway, welcome aboard,” Twilight said sardonically.

“I look forward to see you in battle... Commander.” Wrex replied simply, an amused grin on his face. Twilight had an inkling the krogan knew just how persuasive Pinkie Pie can be. Somehow, that irked her a little.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you so much Twilight. It’s going to be so much fun with so many friends going together,” Pinkie said excitedly as she bounced around Twilight.

d. “Yeah, fun,” she said. Adding the krogan to the crew was certainly going to bring howls of complaints to her ears before long. Already she dreaded on how to explain to the princess of the wisdom of letting so many alien crew onboard one of the Navy’s most advanced warship.

Her letter to the princess was already a week overdue.

***

[Engineering Deck, ESV Normaredy]

“Wow, this ship is a marvel,” Tali said with a note of wonder in her voice. The quarian, along with Spike and Scootaloo, was standing before the Tantalus drive core in the ship’s Engineering deck. Outwardly the core looked like a ball of blue plasma suspended in mid-air, pulsating softly. Tendrils of energy reached out towards the containment pylons which spun slowly around the core itself.

“Yep, one of the most advanced ship in the galaxy,” Scootaloo proudly replied. She felt a thump on her head.

“Scootaloo! We’re not supposed to tell anyone that. Top secret and all that ya’know.” The dragon on the pegasus’ back admonished. He folded his arms in disapproval.

“Oh, come on! She’s going to be on the ship for the next three month or so. You really think she wouldn’t notice the technology in the place. For princesses’ sake, she’s a quarian,” Scootaloo replied hotly.

“I’m still standing right here,” the qurian’s voice broke into the conversation. The two looked at the suited alien sheepishly. “Your pilot is right by the way. There’s no way a quarian can miss the extra tech this ship has built in,” Tali added. “But you can trust me. I owe my life to your commander after all.”

Spike frowned and pondered the quarian’s words. He wished Twilight was here right about now, she’d know what to do. Since she was not however, he’d have to make a decision now on her behalf. “Oh, fine. I hope Rarity doesn’t mind you poking around.”

“I’m sure I can work something out with her,” the quarian replied in an amused tone of voice.

***

[The Wards, Citadel]

A ladylike shriek echoed from the interior of the dark, dusty shop.

“What in the name of Equestria is this?” Rarity cried in shock, as she surveyed the mountains of junk arrayed in front of her. “This... this is an outrage. It’s not... even... “ Rarity spluttered.

“I stock only the finest in exotic wares,” the volus proudly waved his hand over the piles of indescribable debris.

Rarity’s left eye twitched at the volus’ words. How dare this ignorant lout lure her, a purveyor of the finest armour in the galaxy, to this... this... unseemly junkyard. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Focus, Rarity. Fluttershy was counting on her to dress up her pet bunny. She already reassured Fluttershy about this flight of fancy, and she couldn’t go back on her words now. She glanced at Fluttershy again, who was staring wide-eyed at the amount of junk in the place. Yes, she must not fail her friend.

She looked over the (what was more properly termed) junk pile again, and an idea began to click in her mind. “So... how much for that?” she asked the volus slyly, pointing to a random piece of junk.

“Five credits.”

Rarity’s eyes gleamed. “Five, you say?”

“Yes. Five. In fact, every single item here is worth five credits,” the volus replied cautiously. The alien suddenly seemed a lot more nervous.

“Very good,” Rarity replied, a cryptic smile on her face. The volus stared at the unicorn strangely, apparently expecting more resistance.

Closing her eyes, Rarity concentrated, and started casting a spell she had been practising for quite some time. Her horn lit up in a brilliant flash, momentarily lighting the whole shop with the power of a star, before subsiding.

Fluttershy rubbed her eyes in surprise, her vision momentarily blinded by the sudden show of magic. Then as the spots in her eyes faded, she began to notice glowing outlines of various objects within the junk piles. She saw Rarity grinning happily at the volus merchant.

***

“I think that worked out quite well, don’t you think Fluttershy?” Rarity said, a trail of various armour pieces and components floating behind.

“Umm.. yes.” Fluttershy hesitantly agreed. The yellow pegasus was not quite sure what to think of the whole incident. “Was that... another one of your spells?” she asked shyly.

“Of course darling. One I have been practising for quite some time but never got around to using. It’s main purpose is to locate salvagable quality components. I been meaning to use it as a way to salvage usable equipment off the battlefield.” Rarity proudly explained. “And I must say it worked beautifully.” Never before had she gotten such a bargain. Only a hundred credits for well over two dozen quality components. And of bunny size to boot. The engineer pony was sure the volus was steaming on the inside when she counted off the credits.

“Now... onward to the Normaredy. I got a bunny armour to put together!” Rarity said with a flourish.

***

[Engineering Deck, ESV Normaredy]

“So.. being a pegasus, why did you take a job as a ship pilot?” Tali asked nonchalantly. “I thought all pony pegasi would much rather fly than be cooped up in a ship.”

“Now don’t you dare question my position. I got all the way here through on pure merit, my disease has nothing to do with it,” Scootaloo replied with a defensive tone.

“Disease?” Spike blurted. He quickly covered his nose. “Are you contagious?”

Spike. “And no, it’s not contagious.”

Tali shrugged. “I just joined the commander. I only know you’re the ship’s pilot.” Spike, who was still covering his nose, nodded.

“Fair enough, I guess Twilight wouldn’t know either, unless she’s been reading my files.” Scootaloo glanced around shiftily for a moment, as if afraid to tell her tale to anypony else, before turning back to the two.

“I have Vroelik’s disease. That means I have weak wings. I... I can’t fly like other pegasi do,” she admitted in a quiet voice.

“You can’t? But then...” Spike was silenced by a well-timed glare from the pilot.

“When I was a filly on Canterlot, I used to admire other high flying pegasi. Incidentally, one of them was the Rainbow Dash. Boy, was I obsessed with her for some years. I collected posters, pictures, hay, even cardboard cutouts. I dreamt that, one day, I’ll be like her. Soaring through the air, be the envy of everypony, you know.”

***

The pilot could still remember the time she dreamt of flying. She was there, on an open field, lazing about. Her mother was going to ground her afterwards for skipping school, but she didn’t care. Then she saw it. A solid rainbow streak crossing the sky. Rainbow Dash. The fastest pegasus on Canterlot. “One day. I’ll be just like her. One day,” she whispered.

***

Her eyes teared up as she told her tale, the memories obviously painful. “But as I grew older, I found myself being left behind as more of my friends took to the skies. Soon... I was the only filly left in Flight School who still can’t fly.” Scootaloo turned away from the Tali, and trotted a few steps towards the drive core. Putting her fore-hooves on the railing, she continued.

“And I had no idea why. Everytime I tried, my wings just wouldn’t take flight. I can’t even hover off the ground for more than a few minutes, and I get these weird pains in my wings after each try. Eventually they got a doctorpony to look at me.”

***

The doctorpony had summoned her to his room. She had no idea why. All she knew was there was something terribly wrong with her. Being a pegasus meant she was supposed to fly. But after five years of flight school, she hadn’t even manage to master basic flight. Scootaloo sighed as she neared the doctor’s room. The white door suddenly looked even more intimidating than before. Gulping, she rapped on the door nervously. “Come in,” came the doctor’s gruff voice. Scootaloo timidly entered the room and made to sit on the proffered chair. The elderly unicorn had a sympathetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Miss Scootaloo. I have bad news.”

Minutes later, she came out of the room weeping openly. It was official. She would never ever fly. Not even modern medical technology could help her there. Now, she’d never fly like Rainbow Dash. Her life was ruined. Her dreams shattered. Scootaloo moped for the rest of day, not bothering to show up for class. She quit flight school the very next day.

***

“I was depressed for quite some time, moping about in my room. I bet I had my family worried for a time there. I even thought of suicide, as much as I shudder of the thought of taking one’s life today. Then one day, my parents brought me to see the official launch of the cruiser, ESV Fillydelphia, from the Stalliongrad Orbital Docks.”

***

Scootaloo pouted as the space elevator ascended. What was so good about watching a ship fly off anyway? Dozens of ship fly off into space everyday anyway. She knew her parents was trying to cheer her up, but Scootaloo was not looking forward to it.

*Ding!*

The elevator doors opened. “Come on Scoot, we’re just in time to see the show,” her mom said excitedly. Scootaloo found herself being nudged towards the crowd around the viewports. Somehow she managed to land a spot that offered a spectacular view of the dreadnought.

It was a sight she would not forget. The sheer size of the ship. The excitement she felt watching the engines flare into life. The slight tremor as the ship engaged its’ engines. The roar of the ponies cheering as the ship slowly moved out of the dock. It was... exhilarating. A feeling she remembered from watching Dash fly by her all those years ago. Then it struck her. If she couldn’t fly, then she damn well could learn how to fly one of these beauties.

She enrolled into Equestrian Institute for Space Pilots the next week.

***

Scootaloo turned back to face Tali and held out her forehooves. “And here I am. Years of hard work. Now I’m piloting the best ship in the galaxy. And it’s awesome.”

Tali was impressed. Not many would work so hard to overcome their disabilities and come out to achieve something much more. Scootaloo reminded her so much of the quarian struggle.

“Yeah?”

“Why does Trixie insist on calling you ‘Joker’?” Tali asked. She had heard the captain referring the pilot as ‘Joker’ a couple of times during their brief conversations together.

Scootaloo shrugged, and said nonchalantly, “Oh, it’s just a pet name for her. She thinks I don’t respect her enough and called me ‘Joker’ as revenge of some sort. I think. Hard to tell with that showmare.”

***

[Briefing Room, ESV Normaredy]

“Alright, everypony, are you ready to leave the station?”

She was met with words of assents from all those assembled in the room. Twilight spied a raised yellow hoof.

“Yes, Fluttershy, what is it?”

“Um... Rarity made a custom suit of armour just for Angel. Maybe... he... can show it to you... if you don’t mind.” Twilight thought the pegasus looked positively terrified at the fact she was speaking to so many ponies at once.

“Sure, Fluttershy. Let’s see this new armour of his.” Twilight flashed a reassuring smile, if only to calm the pegasus. Rarity looked at Fluttershy expectantly, a worried look in her blue eyes.

The other ponies waited with bated breath. Seconds turned into minutes as everypony looked at each other in awkward silence. Rarity bit her lower lips nervously as she glanced at the direction of Fluttershy.

After what seemed like an eternity, a soft voice broke the silence. “Come on, Angel. Don’t be shy. I think you look pretty.” Pause. “It’s okay Angel, I’m sure they won’t laugh at you.” Another pause. “Pretty please? I’ll even get you a carrot afterwards...” Yet another pause. “Thank you, Angel.” The yellow pegasus looked up towards the other ponies with a shy smile and stood aside to let her friend pass.

Twilight googled as Angel hopped to the center of the room. He was clad in some sort of custom black armour, complete with visor and comm set. Each piece seemed perfectly tailor made to fit the bunny perfectly. To top it off, it was decorated with glitter. Sparkling glitter.

“I... I think it looks wonderful,” Twilight finally manage to mouth. The other ponies mumbled their approvals and comments behind her. Rarity beamed at the praise, apparently overjoyed by the reception. Angel though, seemed unamused by all the attention he was getting.

Twilight made out another hoof from the crowd. “Yes, Dash, what is it?”

“Twilight! What the hay do you think you’re doing letting that krogan onboard?” the boisterous mare thundered. Rainbow Dash hovered out from the crowd, and zoomed straight to Twilight’s face. She pointed an accusing hoof at Twilight’s snout. “He’s a criminal for princesses’ sake.”

“Dash, you can rest easy. The krogan promised not to break anypony limbs while under my command. At least, not without my permission,” Twilight replied, feeling a bead of sweat on her brow.

Rainbow Dash was not so easily reassured. “But Twilight! He’s a krogan. K-R-O-G-A-N. He kills ponies for a living.” Her last sentence caused a few to gasp in shock.

“Rainbow Dash, I know how to spell krogan. I also know he does not kills ponies for a living.” Twilight glanced at the floor for a moment. “Well, mostly anyway.” she admitted in a smaller voice.

“See, Twilight, we can’t just let—” Rainbow abruptly stopped when the briefing door slid open. Twilight saw the flash of fear in the pegasus’ eyes, though the pegasus betrayed no other hint of her unease. Only one pony could induce such a fear in Rainbow Dash...

“Sparkle, is there someplace I can stash my weapons? All the crew lockers are full.” Wrex’s voice behind her innocently inquired.

Twilight whirled around to face the krogan, the biggest grin she could muster plastered on her face. “Uh.. yes. You can try that spare room on the Engineering deck.”

“Thanks,” Wrex answered curtly, and stalked off. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she had just defended the krogan, the mercenary still made her nervous. That was despite the number of times they already met after their introduction. Something about his casual attitude to killing bothered her.

“See, Twilight. I bet he’s just waiting for a chance to betray us.” Rainbow hovered indignantly in front of Twilight, her forelegs crossed. “Why does he need all those weapons for?”

Twilight put a hoof to her head. She knew that she was losing the argument. Yet, she could not in good faith just kick the krogan off the ship after that promise to Pinkie. Instead, she put on the sternest face she could muster. “Dash. Trust me. He’s with us on this mission. And that’s final.” Her voice brooked no other argument in the matter. Twilight fervently hoped she was not making a wrong decision.

“Oh...” The sky-blue pegasus looked like she was about to fire off more objections, before hanging her head in defeat. “Fine. I hope you know what you’re doing, Twi.” Dash pouted and slowly flew back into the crowd.

“Well, anything else?” Twilight called. Another hoof. A party pink one this time. Twilight mentally groaned. “What is it this time, Pinkie?”

“I’m just thinking. Since we’re going on a loo-o-o-o-n-n-n-g-g-g-g trip, shouldn’t we stock up on party supplies. I would hate to throw parties with no supplies, because then we wouldn’t have balloons. And with no balloons—

Twilight put up a forehoof to stop Pinkie’s rambling. “Pinkie, we’re on a mission to stop a very dangerous criminal. We have no space to carry party supplies.”

“But, Twilight—"

Twilight put a hoof to her brow. “No, Pinkie, I’ll have to insist on this. No parties while we’re on a mission.”

Pinkie looked disappointed at the refusal, her lips set in a deep pout. Twilight began to wonder whether she had gone too far. Then, on a dime, pink pony brightened again. “Oh well! I bet I can improvise. Parties will be parties, so long I’m holding one!” Her blue eyes gleamed with determination.

Twilight sighed. There’s no putting down that pink force of nature.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else. Let’s move out.”

Chapter 5

[Briefing Room, ESV Normaredy]

A much smaller group convened at the briefing room this time around. After the somewhat unproductive meeting she had earlier with the ship’s crew, Twilight felt it was better to limit the briefing about their mission to just her trusted friends and alien crew they picked up. She had no qualms including Tali and Garrus, since they were already neck deep in the whole matter, but the krogan was a dubious addition. Pinkie had insisted however, and Twilight relented after hours of badgering. At least she could rely on the mercenary’s professionalism to an extent.

The familiar figures of the Ambassador Lyra and Captain Trixie appeared on the viewscreen, just as the last of her small group filed into the room. Twilight gave them one final glance, before addressing the ambassador.

“Good to see you again, Ambassador,” Twilight greeted. Then spying the captain in the background, she continued with rather less enthusiasm, “And you too, Captain.”

“Yes, Commander. I pray you settled into your new ship,” Lyra replied affably. Trixie just gave a scowl at the camera, obviously unhappy with her current predicament.

“Now, I have a few leads for you to check out, courtesy of our intelligence services. First, we have sightings of geth off the planet of Poneria.” Twilight frowned at the mention of the planet’s name.

From what she could recall, Poneria was a frozen planet that served as a corporate haven. The whole planet was not subject to Equestria’s laws by the simple fact that it was owned outright by corporate interest, a relic of ancient laws. Corporations was free to do whatever they wished on the planet, free from the scrutiny of Princess Celestia’s guardsponies and the Citadel. Many intergalactic corporations were believed to use the facilities of Poneria for their less-ethical experiments. “Poneria authorities so far have denied the reports, but we have reason to believe the reports were accurate.” Twilight snorted. Of course they would deny the news. No point losing potential investors to some geth scare.

The ambassador glanced down at her PDA. “We also lost contact with another colony in the Terminus Systems. Harnos.”

“What?” Applejack blurted, her face taking on a shocked expression. The name didn’t ring a bell with Twilight, however. If Twilight were to guess, it was yet another small colony that went mostly unnoticed by Equestria at large. Well, until the geth attack anyway.

The ambassador looked slightly irritated at being interrupted. “Yes, Harnos. Before we lost contact, they transmitted reports of contact with geth scouts. Then, nothing.”

“Twilight!” Applejack strode up to the lavender unicorn and pushed her snout in the commander’s face. “We have to get to Harnos, now!” Her freckled face wore a worried expression.

“Calm down, Applejack. What’s wrong?” Twilight queried, not flinching from the soldierpony’s sudden agitation.

“It’s... it’s mah little sister. Last I heard she was goin’ on some colony out in the Terminus Systems to open a new orchard for the Apple family. I... I think it’s Harnos.”

“You think?” Twilight had to arch an eyebrow over that sentence.

“Applebloom and I haven’t been exactly close. Not since that incident about her cutie mark,” the orange mare admitted. A guilty look flashed past her face.

Twilight heard a discreet cough by the ambassador from the viewscreen and whirled back to face her. “Apologies ambassador, my... friend believe one of her relative is currently on Harnos,” Twilight said. She gestured for the soldierpony to take her seat.

“Our condolences, but I’m afraid we won’t be able to help you from this end. The Council was adamant their fleet play no role in interfering with geth attacks in the Terminus Systems. There is one more lead...” The ambassador paused, and glanced at Trixie. The captain quickly levitated another PDA for the mint green unicorn, again taking the opportunity to stick her tongue out at the ambassador after she turned her back. Studying the PDA briefly, she looked up towards the camera again.

“You remember Matriarch Benezia, yes? The asari whom we heard in that recording?”

“Yeah...” Twilight was not sure where was this conversation headed.

“Well it turns out she has a daughter, a scientist who specialises in Protheans. Dr. Liara T’Soni. Her last known location was somewhere in the Artemis Tau cluster. We have reports saying that she was exploring an archaeological dig site in on one of the uncharted worlds in that cluster. You will need to search the systems there.” Artemis Tau was considered to be a somewhat backwater cluster. If she calculated correctly, it’ll take weeks to search the cluster thoroughly, given that sheer numbers of uncharted planets in a system alone. Not a very exciting prospect.

The ambassador eyes stared directly into the screen, her expression turning grim. “Commander... Twilight, I cannot stress the importance of capturing Saren. Words of his actions have already reached the public. Many ponies are frightened by the prospect of a geth attack. The princess herself is having a hard time keeping order as it is. You must stop him. No matter the cost.”

Twilight was blinked at the sudden change in tone of the ambassador. She must be under a lot of pressure now. The lavender unicorn straightened her back and gazed back in the ambassador eyes. “And I will, ambassador. I will not fail the princess.”

Lyra’s eyes hovered on the commander for a moment, before nodding in approval. “Good. Now, I have a meeting to get to. Captain Trixie here can answer any other question you may have.” The ambassador gestured at the captain, then trotted off-screen. The slate blue mare shot another irritated look at the ambassador, before taking the ambassador’s place before the camera.

“Yay, I get to play Q-and-A with the obviously capable commander,” Trixie said sarcastically. Her bravado faded and the azure mare sighed as she faced the screen. Her pointed hat drooped slightly. “How can the Great & Powerful Trixie help you?” she asked in a weary voice.

“You can start by giving me more intel on the colony on Harnos,” Twilight said, smirking slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Applejack perking up, her ears flicking with interest.

“Harnos...” Trixie juggled the PDAs levitating around her, before finding the one she wanted. “Let’s see, Harnos. The entire planet used to be one giant Prothean city, though only ruins remain now. There were some infrastructure left intact, and the colonists there tried to build on whatever that remained. Contact was lost approximately a few days earlier, soon after they reported a geth attack.”

An ancient planet filled with ancient ruins? Twilight thought it was strange somepony would even try to colonise the place. “All available data on the colony and planet will be uploaded to your ship’s computer shortly.”

“Right. Thanks Captain.” Twilight flashed the blue mare a smile. It only seemed to infuriate the captain more though. Her scowl deepened for a moment before she composed herself into a neutral expression.

“Yeah, whatever. Is there anything else you wish to know from the Great & Powerful Trixie?” she asked, a trace of bitterness remaining in her voice. Twilight shook her head in reply. “Good, then Trixie wish you luck in your hunt.” The azure unicorn terminated the connection with a glow of her horn.

“So... we’re goin’ to Harnos?” Applejack asked hopefully, as Twilight turned to face the rest of the group in the room.

“Yes,” Twilight replied, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “I thought we’re on a rescue mission?”

[Harnos, Orbit]

As the ship sailed through the upper atmosphere of the planet, Twilight marvelled at the towering skyscarpers reached up to touch the sky. Most were in various state of decay, but the towers still stood firm despite millenia of neglect. At various levels, she could make out skybridges which linked each skyscraper to their neighbours. It was a strangely entrancing, if haunting sight. The lavender unicorn briefly wondered what the city was like when it was still teeming with life.

As her eyes trailed lower, she was met with a vast expanse of white. An almost-permanent cloud formation covered the planet below, giving the illusion of the skyscrapers floating in the sky. Twilight knew otherwise. The cloud layer was actually miles above the actual terrestrial ground. She recalled from her reading that the lower levels were not considered habitable, since the dust clouds from milllenia of decay had practically fouled the atmosphere below. The lowest ground levels themselves were believed to be buried in dozens of metres of debris.

“Approaching the Harnos port, Commander,” Scootaloo reported. “No sign of geth so far.”

Twilight acknowledged the order and told her to take the ship in. She studied the skyscraper that was marked to be the port for the colony. Outwardly, it resembled the other skyscrapers, though it was easily one of the tallest around. It sported the sharp, yet graceful outlines that is common with all Prothean structures. Twilight knew that the colonists choose this spot because of the stability of the structure as well as easy access to a nearby water source courtesy of ancient Prothean aqueducts that ran throughout the planet.

The frigate slowly slid into the indicated opening in the tower. Twilight noted, with relief, the familiar implements of an automatic dock came into view just inside the tower’s open entrance. At least the geth hadn’t taken the docks yet.

She told the pilot to dock the ship and went off to prepare the ground team.

[Docks, Harnos]

“Standby shore party. Decontamination in progress.”

“Why do we’all have to go through this every single applebuckin’ time?” Applejack asked irritably, She pawed at her armour nervously again, the white colour standing in stark contrast with her orange coat.

“Well we could bringing nasty bacteria and stuff, which wouldn’t be good for the local ecosystem. But since the whole place was a city to begin with-” Pinkie began to blubber, before finding a purple hoof in her mouth. The soldierpony stared at the pink party pony blankly.

“What she means is that the process is necessary so that we don’t spread our germs about. It’s...” Twilight fished around for a simple word. “...bad,” she finished lamely.

“Well I don’t see how this helps nopony.” Applejack huffed in reply.

“Decontamination complete. Logged: Shore party is ashore. XO Ditzy Doo has the deck.”

The airlock doors slid open with a hiss.

“Finally,” Applejack said impatiently. She began trotting ahead into the deserted docks.

Twilight was struck by the acrid smell in the air. It was as if somepony went and burnt rubber all over the place. The docks itself was a curious mixture of modern technology and ancient superstructure. Various docking machinery and crates lay abandoned on the crumbling concrete.

“Eww... the whole place smells funny.” Pinkie said as she put a hoof to her snout. “Needs more air fresheners.”

“Hey there!” Twilight heard a voice call out in the distance. A verdant green stallion with red mane stood in what appeared to be the ruined entrance to the docks. He had a gun strapped to his back. Twilight waved at the pony, relieved to see the first sign of life in this otherwise dead world.
The stallion waved back and galloped towards the small group.

“Oh thank Celestia you came. I thought nopony would come after the geth started jamming our communications,” the stallion said with relief. “My name is High Fives.” Twilight glanced at his cutie mark. A pair of playing cards. The stallion must be some sort of gambler.

“Well, we’re here and ready to render any assistance-”

“Hold up. Is mah sister Applebloom here?” Applejack interjected, staring into the stallion’s maroon eyes.

High Fives seemed surprised. “You mean you’re that annoying filly’s sister? Oh yes. She’s over at the colony.” The stallion gestured at the door.

“Whatdaya mean by annoying?” Applejack pushed her snout against his, a dangerous expression on her face. The stallion grinned sheepishly.

“Well, pardon me ma’am, but your sister isn’t... exactly the best of ponies to get along with,”
the stallion stammered, his eyes avoiding the earthpony’s gaze. Twilight put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder before things escalated further.

“Applejack, let him go. We’re here to help them, not start a fight,” the unicorn said.

Applejack glowered at the stallion for a little while longer, before subsiding. “Fine.”

“Anyhoof, the mayor would want to see you. I heard the geth are going to make another push soon,” the stallion gestured towards what Twilight presumed was the indicated exit.

The group of four began trotting forward, with High Fives leading the way. Twilight couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched. As they walked through the deserted dock, the unicorn thought she heard sounds of debris being disturbed. Yet every time she stopped to listen, the sound was gone.

Just as the group approached the doorway, Twilight spotted a flicker of movement at the doorway. “Geth! They’re here!” High Five shouted, apparently noticing the same. The familiar bipedal robots with flashlight heads appeared at the doorway, their guns already raised.

Ambush! Twilight mind flashed.

“Get down!” High Fives yelled, and shoved the dumbstruck Applejack aside, only to be cut down by the whithering fire the geth troopers unleashed. Twilight dove behind a convenient pile of rubble and kept her head down as the bullets peppered her position. Applejack, momentarily stunned by the push, quickly crawled to a nearby pillar and started returning fire as best as she was able to.

Twilight heard a giggle behind her. She turned around to see Pinkie somehow holding a whole belt of grenades in her hooves and preparing to throw the whole unwieldy thing. “Fire in the hole!” she yelled excitedly, the belt sailing through the air and landing neatly in the center of the geth ambushers.

None of the geth survived the subsequent explosion.

“Oh no...” Applejack breathed, as she saw High Fives lay bleeding on the ground. “Somepony help him!” she cried, as the soldierpony rushed to stem the bleeding. Her hooves was stained red as she applied pressure on the wounds.

“Already there AJ.” Twilight replied calmly, as she cantered over and started applying the medigel furiously over the wounds. The unicorn noticed Pinkie was staring at the scene with rounded eyes. “Pinkie! Get some proper health kits. Medigel can only do so much.”

The pink pony seemed to recover her wits with her words. “Okie-dokie.” She hopped off to the Normaredy’s airlock. Twilight thought the hyperactive pony seemed unusually subdued by her normal standards, before her mind drifted back to the task at hand.

The party pony returned later with a few boxes of medkits... with the rest of the ground team in tow behind her. Twilight mentally groaned. Pinkie actually brought everypony else on the ship?

“Twilight! Are you alright?” she heard Rarity’s voice call.

“Yes, I’m fine. Help me with this civilian,” Twilight replied, as she levitated the medkits off Pinkie’s hooves and began bandaging the injury. The stallion groaned in pain as he stirred. “Hush, lie still. We’ll get you to the ship’s medibay.” Twilight said. The lavender pony injected analgesic for the pain and gestured for Tali and Garrus to carry the injured pony to the ship.

“The rest of you, push on to the colony. Hopefully this was just a scouting party and the geth’s main force haven’t hit them yet.”

***

[Lix’s Hope/Harnos]

Fortunately, Twilight was correct in her assessment of the geth’s plan of attack. The ground team just arrived in time when the geth’s main attack swarmed the colony compound. Despite a furious half-hour long battle, they managed to hold off the attack with little losses of their own.

“Lix’s Hope can’t thank you enough for your assistance.” the mayor of the colony spoke, a beige mare with grey mane and tail. Strangely, she was wearing a rather old-fashioned pair of glasses, which Twilight thought looked out of place with all the assortment of weapons on her back and flank.

The Lix’s Hope outpost was all that remained from the colony on Harnos. The geth overran the main colony complex located in the adjoining skyscraper in the initial wave. The Exo-Poni headquarters, the company funding this venture and located further out in another skyscraper, fell after a brief siege. The local pegasus weather control station was gone offline, and the survivors were unable to reestablish contact.

Lix’s Hope itself was just a small outpost, the size of the spaceport on Appleloosa. A malfunctioning Kowloon class freighter sat right in the middle of the outpost, with prefabricated hab units clustering around the damaged ship. Apparently the ship was undergoing repairs for months before the geth attack. The surviving colonists has taken to using the ship as shelter and to handle basic life support on the colony. They also barricaded the two entrances to the colony the best they could, and armed themselves with whatever weapon they scavenged from both their colony and off the geth. Twilight was impressed the colonists managed to hold out this long against incessant geth attacks.

“My pleasure, ma’am,” Twilight replied sincerely.

Days of being under siege have whittled down the colonist number to about fourty out of the original three hundred working and living here. The mayor suspected there might be survivors hiding in the ruins outside the colony complex, but the geth made it impossible to search for them.

“I hear High Fives is being treated on your ship. I would like to request he be transferred to our care as soon as he’s stable,” the mayor said. Twilight frowned at the strange request. The Normaredy had much better medical facilities than whatever they had here.

“But mayor, we’ll be able to treat-”

“I’m sorry, Commander, but it is our custom to take care of our own.” Seeing Twilight’s frown, she added, “It’s important for us. Surely you can understand?” the mayor half-pleaded, a hint of desperation in her eyes.

“I suppose I can’t refuse,” Twilight replied uncertainly, puzzled by the odd request.

***

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack called as she spotted her sister trudging past with a pair of heavy saddlebags on her back.

The tan filly with red mane and trademark red ribbon tied behind her mane stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around to look at Applejack.

“Sis?” she breathed. Then she started shaking her head slowly. “Naw, it can’t be.” She rubbed her eyes once. Twice. Trying to be rid of a speck that just won’t go away. “It can’t be,” she repeated in a disbelieving voice.

“What? Ya’all don’t recognise ya big sister?” Applejack replied, pasting a wide grin on her face and spreading her hooves wide.

The astonished expression turned into anger. “I thought I had seen the last of ya sorry face.” The filly jabbed a hoof at her snout. “I told you not to look for me. You promised!”

The words stung Applejack like a solid bucking in the face. “But.. but... I thought...”

“Did ya really think you could show up like some hero in this here colony and then expect me to fall all over yer hooves?” The cruel words continued, “I think it’s best if ya just leave me alone.” Apple Bloom turned away. “Now, if ya excuse me, I gotta help Apple Fritter with her apples,” she said without looking back. As Applejack stood there stunned, the filly stalked off without waiting for a reply.

“But...” her voice trailed off as she realised Apple Bloom had already gotten out of earshot. “Dangnabit, I will make it up to her, no matter what,” she muttered, already formulating another plan in her mind. She had already wasted five years moping about on Appleloosa, and she was not going to miss this golden chance to repair their relationship.

***

“And we need help with the re-establishing the water supply,” the technician pony rattled off, checking off her imaginary checklist.

“Uh huh.” Pinkie was busy scribbling in her notepad. Then, she innocently looked up. “So, what we need to do is chase away some varrens, get the water working again an-n-n-d-d-d-d...... pick up some power cells for the generator.”

“Sounds just about right.”

Pinkie Pie raised a hoof like a student in class. “Oh oh, can I ask something?” The ochre mare looked unsure, but nodded. “What is a varren?”

The technician seemed taken back by the question. “It’s... you know... well...this four-legged creature...”

“I think we’ll know if we come across one.” Rarity interjected before the technician embarrassed herself further.

“Come on Pinkie, let’s see what’s Twilight is doing.”

***

“So... what’s a salarian doing here on a pony colony?” Garrus asked, a curious tone in his voice.

The salarian named Ledra shrugged and replied, “I’m a merchant. I go wherever the profit takes me. Supplying a newly founded colony seemed like a profitable venture to me.” He waved his hand at the crates around him, presumably his trade goods.

“Then why stay? A geth attack isn’t exactly conducive to business.” Tali folded her arms.

“After I landed, I couldn’t find the heart to leave. Something about the colony made me want to stay,” Ledra answered, his large amphibian eyes directed at the floor evasively.

“I... see.” Tali replied, her tone clearly saying otherwise.

***

“Twilight. I have to talk to you,” Rainbow Dash called. The sky-blue pegasus streaked across the outpost and hovered in front of the commander.

“Yes, Dash, what is it?” Twilight looked up from the PDA she was reading. She furrowed her brow as she took in the stern expression Dash was wearing.

“They said there might be survivors out there. Why the hay aren’t we looking for them now?” the boisterous pegasus demanded.

Twilight sighed. It wasn’t that she did not want to go looking for survivors, but she had to prioritise the colony’s safety first. The mayor had steadfastly refused all offers to evacuate the colony. She was adamant they defend their livelihoods and not be chased off by mere synthetics.

Twilight had been charting the pattern of geth attacks on the outpost for the past week. Given that there was no sign of any geth dropships thus far, she inferred the geth have been moving on foot to reach the colony from their base somewhere on the planet. So far, all signs point to the geth using underground means reach the colony, probably somewhere beneath this outpost itself. Probably a tunnel network in the tower itself, odd as it sounds.

“Dash, we need to make sure these good citizens are safe first. We can’t just go off looking for survivors without at least making sure they are able to defend themselves.”

Dash flapped her wings in frustration. “I know! But the survivors! They won’t last long out there.” The sky-blue pegasus looked out to the skies. “And nopony heard any news of the weather control station since the attack.”

“Dash, I promise we’ll get right on the it,” Twilight reassured. Dash looked a little mollified at her words.

“Pinkie promise?” she asked finally, folding her forelegs over her chest.

“Pinkie promise.”

***

“Hey... um... what are you doing? If you don’t mind me asking...” Fluttershy shyly asked the earth pony tending to the console next to the damaged ship. The cream coloured mare with orange mane and tail looked at the pegasus in surprise.

“Me?” she queried. Fluttershy nodded slowly. “Well, I’m taking care of this ship here. Making sure it doesn’t deteriorate further.” She chuckled nervously.

“But.. why?” Fluttershy innocently inquired.

“It’s... it’s important for the colony. Look, the mayor asked me to do it alright.” the earth pony said sharply, before narrowing her eyes in suspicion at the pegasus. “Why are you asking me this anyway?” Fluttershy took several steps back under the colonist’s glare, her ears drooping in response.

“Uhh... nothing. Thanks for your time,” she quickly muttered, before scooting off at full speed. The yellow pegasus galloped past the few colonists that was staring at the exchange. Taking flight, she flew towards a hidden ledge overlooking the entire outpost.

“You’re right, Angel. There’s something under the ship,” the pegasus said softly. Her aquamarine eyes warily watched the colonists below.

The rabbit just nodded, and frowned.

***

“Alright team. Listen up. Since the mayor made it clear they won’t evacuate, we do the second best thing. We take on the geth. There are three immediate problems the colony are facing,” Twilight announced, unrolling a map that detailed the colony and it’s immediate surrounding. She gestured for her companions to gather closer.

“Finally, some real action,” Wrex grumbled. Twilight pretended not to hear. The krogan was already moody enough as it were, without her getting on his case.

“First, we will have to split into three teams. Applejack, Tali and Wrex will be with me. We’ll be going straight to the Exo-Poni HQ to clear the geth there. We believe this is were the main geth force is stationed.” She pointed a hoof directly at the marked location.

“Us against an entire geth army? Sparkle, I like you already.” Wrex replied, grinning at the annoyed look Twilight gave him.

Twilight then shifted her hoof southward, towards a cloud legend in the middle of the map. “Rainbow Dash, Angel and Fluttershy will be scouting the weather station as well as the outer skybridges to see if there are any survivors left.” A nod from the sky-blue pegasus and customary whimper from Fluttershy.

“Rarity will lead the rest of you down the tunnels below the colony, in order to clear the geth and help restore power and water to the colony.” Rarity didn’t look pleased to be leading a team into an obviously filth-filled and dirt-ridden tunnel, but made no attempt to object.

“Any questions?”

Twilight was greeted with silence. She glanced at each member of her team, detecting no sign of objections on their faces. With the sole exception of Applejack, who seemed to be more interested in the distant Harnos horizon.

“Applejack?” Twilight called. No response. Twilight tried again, in a louder voice. “Applejack!”

The orange mare jumped at the sound of Twilight’s voice. She whirled to face the slightly bemused unicorn, a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry, Twi... was thinking about something else.” An awkward silence followed.

“It’s Apple Bloom isn’t it?” Twilight finally said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

Applejack turned her head towards the soft glow of the Harnos horizon. “I need to make things right with Apple Bloom... I don’t think I’ll get a chance like this again.”

“Applejack, when I came here, I expected you to be able to put aside your feelings when I needed you to.”

“I know, Twi. I thought I could! But...” Applejack shook her head helplessly and pawed at the ground. “I haven’t seen hide and hair of Apple Bloom for so long... It just hit me ya know... I reckon I’ll never get this chance again...”

“Please, Twilight, this is important. For me...” Applejack pleaded. Just then the sight of her sister walking past the crashed freighter drew her eyes. The soldierpony glanced back at Twilight. “...for her.”

Twilight sighed, sensing she wouldn’t be able to convince her otherwise. Not without some forceful arguments that could very well destroy the fragile relationship they shared. “Very well. Stay here in the colony then. Keep them safe. Keep Apple Bloom safe.”

“Thanks, Twilight. You’ve no idea what it means to me.”

***

[Skybridges, Harnos]

Twilight’s team was off to a good start. They were not looking forward to the long walk to the Exo-Poni headquarter, with the map putting it at a good ten clicks from Lix’s Hope. Fortune as on their side however. As they were crossing the first skybridge, they stumbled across what seemed to be an abandoned M-35 Mako, lying on its side in a crater.

“Why would the colonists abandon a perfectly good Mako in the middle of the road? It doesn’t make sense,” Tali said, as she inspected the mostly intact armoured personnel carrier left in the middle of the skybridge.

“Probably because of the geth,” Wrex commented sardonically. He watched as Twilight flipped the vehicle to an upright position, before clambering into the vehicle.

“Hey, the main cannon is still working,” Twilight called from the inside of the vehicle. The cannon mounted on the vehicle swiveled slightly as the unicorn fiddled with the controls. “Wow, the thing even has the latest optical targeting software,” she continued enthusiastically.

Tali whistled as she spotted why the vehicle was abandoned. A melted panel near the snout of the vehicle was the apparent cause. Carefully removing the panel, she was greeted with a mess of melted circuits and burning wires. “This might take awhile to fix,” she said.

The click of an assault rifle’s safety made the suited alien look up. “Then you better fix it quick. I don’t think we have much time. Incoming geth,” Wrex said, leveling his rifle. Tali followed his eyes towards the other end of the skybridge.

Three quadruped walkers with the characteristic flashlight-shaped head. Geth armoured support it seemed. Several red-armoured bipedal geth accompanied the walkers, clutching what appeared to be rocket launchers. Fortunately, they were still some distance away, and the walkers were slow, plodding slowly but steadily across the debris-ridden skybridge.

Twilight’s head poked out of the side doors of the vehicle. “Hey guys, what’s happening...” her voice trailed off as she noticed the oncoming geth. “Oh.” Her head disappeared back into the door. A moment later, the main cannon gun began swivelling to track the nearest walker.

“Good idea,” Wrex said, before turning to the quarian. “Better get started, we’ll try to hold them off as long as we can.” He hefted his rifle and took off towards the geth. The krogan bounded over towards the advancing geth, firing as he went. One of the red-armoured geth went down in a flurry of accurate rifle fire.

A boom from the mass accelerator cannon resounded over the landscape. Tali knelt beside the damaged vehicle, and started work on the fried circuits, her hands a blur. The cannon boomed again, and the kinetic shields of one of the walker flared an angry red as the shell hit home. The geth started to return fire, though it was pretty ineffectual at such long range. Still, the stationary vehicle was a sitting duck and a few energy blast from the walkers slammed uncomfortably close to the stranded Mako.

Wrex popped out from cover to hurl a couple of grenades at the nearest geth. A stray rocket narrowly missed his head as he ducked back behind the wrecked vehicle he was hiding behind. The grenades took out another two of the rocket launcher armed geth with a satisfying explosion. Wrex grunted as he checked his grenade supply. He wasn’t going to hold the geth walkers off with explosives anymore. Well, more challenge for him.

Another boom, and one of the walker finally went down, two of its legs ripped clean off by the massive projectile. The crippled walker fell heavily on its side, leaking a curious white fluid on the ground. The other walkers paused momentarily, as if stunned by the apparent death of their companion. Wrex took the opportunity to pepper the geth infantry with several bursts of rifle fire.

“Got it!” Tali yelled excitedly. “Commander, start the vehicle and let’s get out of here.” The quarian quickly shut the panel back in place and gestured to the krogan, who was still up ahead toying with the remaining geth. The krogan acknowledged her signal and began retreating slowly, using the debris on the skybridge to cover his retreat.

“Hurry up, Wrex! The Mako’s kinetic barriers won’t last much longer.” Twilight’s voice barked over the radio. The vehicle’s energy barrier flared brightly as energy balls slammed home. The mercenary sprinted the last few meters to the vehicle and clambered hurriedly into waiting door. Twilight pushed a hoof on the accelerator and swung the vehicle around, narrowly evading another energy blast.

The team quickly drove back the way they came, with the geth in pursuit.

***

[Weather Control Station, Harnos]

The weather station, like all pegasi constructs was built out of a cloud formation. This particular one seemed to have been carved from a large cumulus cloud, with the ragged outline typical of that type. A lone cloud tower and scattered cloud buildings was visible from the distance.

The two pegasi approached the cloud formation cautiously, using the surrounding clouds to disguise their presence. Since the clouds in Harnos were not exactly healthy to breath in, the pegasi also wore their gas masks as a precaution.

“Rainbow, I don’t see anypony.” Fluttershy said softly, her voice slightly muffled owing to her mask.

“Me neither. Maybe the survivors hiding inside. Come on, we need to get closer.” The blue pegasus flapped her wings and increased her speed. Fluttershy glanced at the bunny hanging on to dear life on her back and gave Angel a knowing nod. Then she took after the rainbow trail Dash left.

***

[Tunnels, Harnos]

“Clear!” Garrus called, as the last of the geth troopers went down. The turian walked over and kicked the downed geth for good measure.

Rarity sighed with relief. The new monkey-like geth that went jumping around and firing out of unexpected corners was giving her a headache. Not only that, the damp and musty tunnel was hell on her precious armour. She was going to have to dry-clean the whole thing when the mission was done.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pinkie playing with the geth’s flashlight head. “Wooooooooo~! Fooooooosh!” she playfully cried, as she swung the detached head around, apparently imagining it to be some sort of spacecraft. “Captain Geth, now intercepting enemy aircraft!”

“Pinkie! Put that head down and let’s go,” Rarity barked.

“Aww...” the pink earth pony pouted, and put the geth’s remains down. Then, she giggled. “I’ll come play with you later, Mr. Geth.” she said, before hopping off to join the rest of the squad.

Rarity unrolled the map of the tunnels again, trying to get her bearings in the maze of drab corridors and hallways that weaved beneath Lix’s Hope. Looking ahead, the unicorn thought she spotted a junction where the map indicated led to the gardens. “There, that must be where the varrens are nesting.”

“Right behind you Rarity,” Garrus replied.

“Pfftt... colts these days. Always expecting ladies to go first,” Rarity grumbled, as they reached the junction. The dirt-caked sign on the wall clearly indicated that the garden lay behind the door to the left.

Rarity blinked at the sign, not expecting to have arrived so soon. “That was easy. Let’s get this over with.” She lifted her submachine gun from its sheath and held it floating near her head. “On three.” She pressed against the side of the door and gestured for her companions to get into position. Garrus flattened himself on the other side, with Pinkie Pie hiding somewhere further out.

“One... two... three!” Garrus slammed the button that opened the door.

They were greeted with snarls and growls. Shadowy creatures about the size of ponies stood half-hidden amongst the dying apple trees. The varren.

Outwardly the varrens resembled dogs. Their silvery scales and reptilian eyes quickly disabused the notion that the two was even remotely related. Sharp teeth jutted out from their slavering jaws, their hungry eyes already locked on the trio who stumbled onto their nest.

Rarity froze on seeing the savage appearance of the varren. Oh, she had studied about them while in the academy, and had dismissed them as nothing but annoying vermin. Here, face-to-face with the real deal, she was forced to drastically change her opinion of the creatures. These weren’t annoying vermin, they were downright savage brutes!

The varrens slowly advanced on the trio, snarling as they went. Garrus and Rarity trained their weapons on the advancing creatures. Neither side was making any overt hostile moves just yet. Then a giggle broke the tense atmosphere. Rarity whipped her head around in surprise.

The first thing she noticed was that Pinkie was sitting on her haunches, giggling madly. The second thing she saw was that the pink earthpony’s head was attached to a very large jaw. Filled with teeth. Which in turn was attached to a silvery, dog-like body. The varren’s short limbs waved about uselessly as the pink pony continued to giggle.

“Pinkie Pie! Are you alright?” Rarity gasped.

“Yes, silly. Gummy here just wants to play!” Pinkie replied nonchalantly. She reached up and gently extracted the varren from her head. Putting the varren down on the floor beside her, she then took out a monocle and a top hat from her saddlepacks and attached it lovingly to the varren. “There Gummy. You look all prettier.” The varren blinked in surprise, but did not attempt to move.

“Um... Rarity, you might want to take a look at this,” Garrus piped up behind the unicorn. She turned around again, to be faced with a curious sight. The turian was actually petting one the creatures gently. The varren hissed in pleasure, its fins rising slightly in response. Apparently the varren Pinkie had somehow snagged was the alpha male. The other varrens dropped their aggressive posture and began barking hisses of approval at the trio.

She shook her head in resigned disbelief. That pink pony would never cease to amaze with her unorthodox ways. Besides, Rarity thought the varren looked adorably cute with the monocole and tophat on.

***

[Skybridges, Harnos]

“Well, we certainly showed those geth.” Tali said approvingly. The interior of the Mako was cramped, and Tali was sitting awkwardly in one corner, just behind the driver’s seat with the large bulk of Wrex occupying the other end. The krogan was slouched forward slightly, owing to the limited height of the sturdy vehicle.

“Yeah, hopefully we won’t run into anymore geth.” Twilight replied, driving past the derbis strewn skybridges carefully. “We should reach the Exo-Poni headquarters after...” Twilight brought up the map of the area on a separate viewscreen. “... this tower ahead, and taking Skybridge 22.”
The cabin was silent for a moment as they approached the indicated tower.

“I’m picking up radio signals.” Tali announced, as she worked the communication console she found on her side. “There’s someone out there.”

“...bzzt... somepony is coming... not...bzzt... geth...bzzt... friendly?....”

“I can’t get more of it, the geth must be jamming radio communications.”

“Can you get me a fix on their location?” Twilight queried.

Tali looked up from her console. “It’s... right ahead of us. In that tower ahead. That’s how we picked up the signal. We’re close enough to intercept the signals despite the geth jamming.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go rescue these survivors.”

***

[Weather Control Station, Harnos]

“Hello? Anypony here?” Dash called out. The sky-blue pegasus hovered near one of the cloud shacks. She turned around as Fluttershy flew up behind her.

“Nopony. Weird. There should be somepony around. The geth didn’t even touch the place.” Dash said, waving a hoof towards the abandoned weather station. It was spotless, saved for abandoned work equipment and sheets of paper lying about.

“Um... maybe we should take a look around...” Fluttershy suggested softly, as she glanced around nervously.

“Good idea. I’ll take the main tower. You and Angel search the outlying buildings.” Without waiting for a reply, Rainbow Dash took off in a blazing trail of rainbows towards the weather station cloud tower.

“O.. okay.” The yellow pegasus replied to breeze Dash left in her wake. She flew slowly towards the outlying buildings. Standing on her back, Angel already had her shotgun out and ready.

***

[Lix’s Hope, Harnos]

The soldier pony twiddled her hooves nervously as she waited for Apple Bloom to walk by. Would she even consider a gift? It was quite hard to actually scourge up something from the ship’s stores, considering it mainly consisted of military hardware. Fortunately, Spike had a little store of collectibles which he had hidden somewhere on the ships. He assured her that his prized sapphire was guaranteed to—in his words—steal the heart of any fillies. Applejack hoped he was right. Otherwise, she was going to have very strong words with the dragon. And her credits back.

After about an hour’s wait, her patience was finally rewarded with the appearance of the sister on the other side of the ship. “Listen here, Apple Bloom. I can explain things—” she began, fumbling for an excuse to bring out her surprise.

“Applejack! Why won’t ya just leave me alone? I’m happy here.” Apple Bloom said, refusing to even address her directly.

“But I want to—”

“Go. Away. Leave, before ya git into more trouble.” The filly huffed and turned her head away.

Applejack bent her head sadly and turned away from her sister.

As she trotted off, something about her words nagged her. Applejack frowned slightly as she replayed their short exchange in her mind. Why was Applebloom so adamant she leave? And what trouble?

***

[Skybridges, Harnos]

Unlike the tower which the colony occupied, this tower was fairly small in comparison. It was also in a pretty bad state, with most of the entrances blocked by collapsed debris.

Twilight parked the vehicle just outside the only entrance she could see. No point driving into an ambush. She involuntarily gagged as she exited the clean atmosphere of the vehicle. Twilight forgotten how bad Harnos was on the nose. She waved for her companion to join her at the large gate.

The first room past the gate was actually a large tunnel leading to the other side of the tower and the skybridge ahead. From their position at the entrance, Twilight could see a smaller hallway leading off the main tunnel.

“That way,” she gestured. The trio made their way towards the egress, eyes on the outlook for any geth ambushes. Twilight sneaked a peek down the corridor. Empty. They trundled forward slowly along the hallway. As they walked, Twilight glanced at Tali questioningly, who was fiddling with her omni-tool. The quarian gestured down the corridor. Apparently the radio signals were originating somewhere ahead. Just as they rounded a sharp bend in the corridor, they blundered into a makeshift steel barricade. Which was bristling with guns.

“Stop right there!” a slightly panicked voice shouted. Ponies. They must be the survivors they were looking for. She could make out the outline of at least four ponies taking refuge just behind the barricades.

Twilight raised a hoof to stop her companion from firing. Judging by the panicked voice, one wrong move and they could trigger a firefight. “We’re from Equestrian Navy. We’re here to help,” Twilight said slowly, clearly, so that the whoever behind the barricade would not miss a single word.

After a moment, an alabaster head peeked out. He seemed satisfied with what he saw and waved to somepony behind the barricades. He trotted out with a relived smile. “Finally, some help. Damned synthetics have been hitting what’s left of us hard.” Twilight studied the alabaster stallion. Black uniform. Exo-Poni armband on left foreleg. Standard shoulder-mounted assault rifles. He must be one of the surviving Exo-Poni private security force.

“I’m impressed to see you managed to hold out here.” Twilight finally said. The guard shook his head. “We wouldn’t have lasted much longer on our own. Come now, the director would want to see you.” He gestured for the trio to follow him.

***

“As you can see here, we’re perfectly safe for the moment,” the deep blue unicorn with a neatly cropped white mane and tail spoke. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the unicorn. The guards introduced him as the sole surviving ranked official on the planet, Director Jong. Two dozen ragged survivors are all that’s left of the hundred-odd workforce of the Exo-Poni on Harnos.

“Director Jong, don’t you want to get to Lix’s Hope where it’ll much safer?” Twilight asked curiously, arching an eyebrow. “You can’t hide from the geth forever.”

“We can’t. The geth controls the skybridges, as you no doubt are aware. Besides, we stand a much better chance defending this spot.” The director smiled nervously. All very logical answers, yet Twilight sensed it was not the complete truth.

“Fine. We’ll take care of the geth problem then. The geth are holed up in your former headquarters, correct?”

“Yes,” the director replied, clearly relived at the change of topic. “Also, those are private properties. Remove the geth and nothing else,” he added primly as if it was a matter of merely polishing up the building.

“You would think they would be more thankful to us for ‘removing’ the geth for them,” Wrex said sardonically. Twilight shot him a we-are-not-going-to-steal-anything-that-is-not-bolted-down look. The krogan just shrugged in reply.

“Of course director. We’re not looters.” Twilight forced a smile to her face and trotted off towards their vehicle. Why was the director so reluctant to retreat to the outpost, where it was much safer?

Curiouser and curiouser.

***

[Tunnels, Harnos]

“Alright, that’s the last of the valves. The colony should be getting water now.” Garrus said, as he finished fiddling with the panel on the pipes. They have already travelled deep into the bowels of the tower and currently in the middle of a long tunnel, with pipes of various sizes running around them. A musty odour permeated the dank air.

“Marvellous, now all that’s left is-” Rarity let out a shriek and reared as a hiss sounded behind her. Then she realised what it was. Gummy.

“Pinkie Pie! Put your pet on a leash or something. I can’t abide a varren sneaking up to my flank every five minutes!”

“Okie-dokie.” Pinkie turned to the tame varren. “Bad Gummy! You should know better than to startle Rarity like that.” The varren seemed to blink slowly in response, before letting out another hiss. “Good boy!” she happily bubbled. Rarity was suddenly struck by a irresistible temptation to bonk her head with a hoof, but that wisely fought down that compulsion.

“As I was saying. We only need to collapse the tunnels ahead and the colony should be reasonably secure from future attacks.” Rarity continued. She brought out the map and put on her glasses. “Hm... there should be a nice spot just ahead to set up our explosives.”

“Wait... I spot someone...” Garrus knelt behind the pipes and scoped his rifle. “Is that... the pony we carried back to the Normaredy? What’s he doing here?” In the gloomy darkness of the tunnels, Rarity could barely make out the outline of the injured pony shuffling about.

Rarity shrugged. “Last I heard, he was recuperating back in the colony. The mayor insisted he be taken back for their care.” She brought her rifle out and zoomed in on the distant pony on the far end of the tunnel. The scoped view confirmed their suspicions. She let out a sigh. “Let’s get him back to the colony before the geth find him.”

The trio made their down the dimly lit tunnels, wary of any ambushes by hidden geth hoppers, as they taken to calling the agile monkey-like geth. Rarity approached the injured stallion and tapped him gently on the shoulder. She was very nearly bucked in the head as the startled stallion reared.

“Brute! You almost kicked a lady in the head!” Rarity exclaimed, as she jumped back. High Fives looked alarmed as he spied the weapons aimed at him, then visibly calmed down as he recognised the trio.

“Oh hey... sorry about that...” the stallion said, wincing in pain as he said so. The wound in his chest was obviously not healed just yet. “What... what are you doing down here?”

“We’re here to stop the meanie-pants!” Pinkie replied enthusiastically.

“Oh... err... so you’re not going to bring me back to the colony?” he asked hopefully. Rarity shook her head.

“Because... you’re not... ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” the stallion continued, before moaning in pain. He held his forehooves tight against his head, his ears flattening. “You... are... not... going... to... control... owwwwwwwwww.... me.” The stallion dropped to the ground, his eyes squeezed shut.

Garrus and Rarity exchanged questioning looks. The stallion clearly gone mad. Question was, how mad? And how dangerous?

“I... can’t come with you...” High Fives managed to choke out, as he lay twitching slightly on the floor. “It’s... hurts...” he moaned.

“I’m not sure if we can help him, Rarity. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to come with us.” Garrus observed.

“We can’t just leave him here. What if the meanie pants find him?” Pinkie protested.

“Pinkie, we still have think of the colony. Those geth will keep coming unless we seal those tunnels,” Rarity pointed out.

“Leaving a pony out here is so not cool... wait. I know!” The pink pony broke into a wide smile. “Gummy here can protect you.” She nuzzled the tame varren following behind her. “Won’t you Gummy?”

“Is... is that a varren?” High Fives eyes widened as he got a first proper look of Gummy.

“Don’t worry, Gummy here won’t bite,” Pinkie reassured. The varren bared its sharp teeth for the benefit of the stallion.

***

[Lix’s Hope, Harnos]

Applejack sat at her room, staring at the forgotten gift that she meant to give to her sister as a gesture of apology. How the hay was she supposed to apologise on the incident that brought her cutie mark to light? For that matter, she was still quite surprised Apple Bloom took it so hard. The filly had always looked forward to getting her cutie mark when she was younger...

The door to her room creaked open. “Applejack?”

“Apple Bloom!” the soldierpony exclaimed in surprise.

“Shhhhhh! You’ll wake the others,” the small filly said urgently, as she slid the door shut. “Applejack, you need to leave. Now! I ain’t fooling around when I said that earlier.”

“Now just what you mean by that-”

“No time to explain. You need to leave now!” Apple Bloom repeated, her yellow eyes glancing at the door nervously.

Applejack put her forehooves on the shoulder of her sister. “Applebloom! You’re mah sister. I can’t leave you here all alone,” she said with every bit of sincerity.

“Please Applejack—” Applebloom’s face suddenly contorted in pain. “... owwwwww... it hurts so bad.” She put her hooves on her forehead and sunk to the floor, moaning in pain.

The soldierpony stared at her sister in shock.. She had never seen her sister in this state before. Applejack knelt at her sister’s side and tried to comfort her the best she could. “Apple Bloom! What’s gotten into ya? What’s happening?”

“It.... its.... arrggghhhhh... t-t-the... p-p-p-lant...” Applebloom’s voice faltered as the intense pain wracked her body. Applejack winced at the pain the filly must be feeling.

“What plant? Tell me, Apple Bloom. What plant?” Applejack asked, cradling her sister’s head gently. By now though, the filly was whimpering incoherently, too exhausted to answer Applejack’s questions. The soldier pony mind was filled with burning questions and no answers.

“Come on Apple Bloom, we’ll get ya back to the ship—”

The door suddenly chimed and slid open. Before she could react, the soldierpony found herself being surrounded by a dozen ponies—all from the colony. Her alarm bells went off as she saw everypony wielding some sort of makeshift weapons in their mouths. Standing at the head of the crowd was the mayor herself. “I’m sorry, Applejack. I really am,” she said softly, before bringing down a broken pipe on the surprised mare.

Intermission 2

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

“We’ve received your reports of your mission on Harnos. Good work with saving the colony,” the hologram of the asari councilor congratulated. Twilight nodded slightly, but remained stiffly at attention. It wouldn’t do for a Spectre to look smug... or at least that was what she thought. Nihilus never did manage to give her a crash course on Spectre decorum. She found herself actually missing the gruff turian.

“Hmph, if it wasn’t for the fact it was a pony colony, I doubt the commander would go to such pains to keep the colony alive,” the turian councilor sneered. Twilight felt an eye twitch.

“I would do the same no matter whose colony it was. Nopony deserves such a fate by the geth and the Thorian,” Twilight ground out, fighting to keep her tone neutral. She was painfully aware that her face was betraying her true feelings.

“A pity really, the Thorian. We may never see the likes of it again,” the salarian councillor commented.

“We await further news of your mission,” the asari councillor finished, before the images faded away.

Twilight turned away from the console to face the crew members who had assembled in the office. “Alright girls, we’ll be needing to stock up on supplies for our long trip to the Artermis Tau cluster, which might take quite some time. So, go ahead and enjoy yourself for the next few days.”

The assembled ponies gave a cheer and began to chat excitedly amongst themselves. The alien crew’s reactions were more subdued, though Twilight suspected they were just as eager to take a break off the mission.

“Wow, thanks Twilight!”

“Dash, you think we should head back to C-Sec HQ and see if they actually missed us?”

“Nah, I’ll rather not face the Executor for skipping out like that. How about we hit the shooting range instead? I know I could pull a few favours to get us in unnoticed.”

“Um... I’m just going to visit the botanical gardens again... if that’s okay with you.”

“Fabulous. Now I can get all the proper materials needed to fabricate this new custom armour of mine. Speaking of which Twilight, you must simply let me take your measurements. You look dreadful in that battered onyx armour of yours...”

“I reckon I’ll go ahead and write a letter to Big MacIntosh. He’s probably worried sick and all about Apple Bloom.”

Twilight smiled as they chattered excitedly. Her? Well, she was planning on going to that nice spa in the Wards she heard so much about...

***

[The Wards, Citadel]

“Commander Sparkle! Commander Sparkle!”

Twilight blinked in surprise as she searched around amongst the busy crowd for the source of the voice calling her. The very fact that somepony recognised her was surprising, considering she had gone to great lengths to keep a low profile; though the news broadcast of her saving Harnos was a little hard to hide.

“Over here!”

Twilight finally spotted the one who called her. A turquoise green coated unicorn with pink fluffy mane and tail. She had yellow highlights running down her relatively unkempt mane. The unicorn was jumping frantically and waving at her. Her expression turned to joy as she saw Twilight looking at her.

“Yes?” Twilight greeted, as she trotted up to the turquoise mare.

The unicorn squealed with glee. “It’s really you! Commander Sparkle! Personal protege of the Princess herself. I’m Dewdrop Dazzle. I’m your biggest fan!” As she jumped around with excitement, Twilight could make out her cutie mark half hidden beneath saddle-dress; an open umbrella with little hearts around it.

“Do you mind if you sign this for me? It’ll mean so much!” Dewdrop gushed, taking out a piece of paper and a marker pen.

“Err... sure,” Twilight replied, slightly puzzled at the request. Autographs? Now that was a little unexpected. She was expecting some request for help or something, judging by how ponies seemed to always come to her for help. Shrugging, Twilight picked up the pen being offered and scrawled her signature on the paper.

“Oh, oh! And sign my bags as well,” Dewdrop added, turning sideways to display her saddle bags. She used her muzzle to indicate an empty spot on the body of the bag. Twilight did as she was asked and handed the pen and paper back. Dewdrop scanned the signature carefully and squealed again.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou. You’re the greatest!” she gushed, replacing the signed autograph into her saddle bags with care.

“My pleasure,” Twilight said, smiling at her reaction. It was a nice feeling to have a fan for once. It couldn’t hurt to indulge her, right?

“I’m going to tell all my friends that I met the great Commander Sparkle! Squeee!” Dewdrop squealed and quickly dashed off, apparently eager to spread the news. Twilight stared at the disappearing filly, before shaking her head in bemused resignation.

Fillies these days.

***

[VR Training Course]

Applejack dived into the burnt out store as bullets stitched across the ruined sidewalk.

“Consarn’ it... she’s good,” she muttered as she impatiently waited for her gun to cool down. Her ears twitched as a sudden silence punctuated gunfire. She cautiously poked her head out, spying a glimmer in one of the towers overlooking the street.

Dash.

Applejack quickly ducked below the window. Just in time too. Another shot rang out, it’s sharper report distinguishing it from the previous shots.

She must have switched to her sniper rifle. How the hay am I supposed to move now? Applejack knew Dash was one of the best snipers she had seen, if not the best so far. The pegasus was probably waiting for her to poke her head out. Applejack decided to survey the interior of the store more thoroughly. Broken counters. Overturned tables. A small hole on the other side of the room...

Her ticket out of this mess.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Applejack began to edge her way across the room, flinching slightly with every burst of sniper fire. The earth pony reached the small hole after five minutes of agonising progress. Holding the butt of her rifle firmly with her mouth, she bucked the adjacent wall to make the opening wider. The wall easily crumbled in a fine cloud of dust. Applejack reflexively ducked another shot rang out, this time hitting disturbingly close to her position. Dash must have seen the cloud of dust.

After a moment of silence, the earth pony crawled out slowly out of the store, taking care to leave no sign of her departure. Applejack found herself in the alleyway behind the store, running parallel to the street in front. Cautiously leaning out of the corner, she was relieved to find the glimmer in the tower hadn’t disappeared. Good, Dash probably didn’t notice her escape. Flipping her gun’s safety, she tucked it on her back and broke into a gallop down the alley.

Time for some good ole’ fashioned sneak attack.

***

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was having the time of her life. She got Applejack pinned. She had the store’s entrances covered. There was no way she’d escape this time. All she needed now was an accurate shot, though Applejack was proving frustratingly adept at dodging her sniper fire. No matter. It was only a matter of time before she slipped.

The rainbow mare adjusted her sniper scope slightly and settled down for a long wait at her elevated perch, satisfied in the knowledge that victory was within her grasp.

“Boom. Head shot,” Applejack’s voice rang behind her.

How did—

Before she could move a muscle, she felt the familiar sensation of paint bullets impacting on the back of her head. Rainbow Dash froze in shock for a moment, before slamming her forehooves on the ground in frustration.

She lost... again!

The C-Sec agent turned as the combat simulation ended and the lights in the artificial arena came to life.

“I... lost!” Rainbow Dash repeated with disbelief.

“Aw, sugarcube, don’t feel bad. You almost got me there,” Applejack said, giving her a sympathetic smile, before adding with a smirk, “I’m just better.”

“I hate losing...” Dash muttered, obviously not taking her third loss in a row well.

Applejack looked a little taken aback by her slightly venomous words. “Come on Rainbow, it’s all in good fun. Besides, we’ll kick them alien flanks no problem at this rate.”

“Yeah... whatever.”

***

“Ah, Twilight, you have a private message from the princess. I thought I should let you know.” Lyra said without looking up as Twilight walked into the office. “It’s Priority One, so you should take a look.”

Despite the casual way of which the ambassador delivered her little message, Twilight knew it was not a request. Priority One meant something extremely urgent had come up and probably involved national security. “Do you mind if I use the office for a moment?” Twilight asked, a million questions suddenly assaulting her mind.

“Not at all. I could use a break anyway.” Lyra got up from her chair and stretched her legs. She grabbed a PDA and whistled as she made her way out of the office. The commander waited till the door slid shut with a hiss before approaching the communication terminal. Her heart beating anxiously, she activated the control lectern.

An image of Princess Celestia appeared, regal as always. Twilight frowned as she saw the princess wearing a serious expression, her lips set in grim determination. Gone were the gentle smile she always wore for her subjects, the light-hearted twinkle in her eyes, and the assured pose she held herself.

“My faithful student Twilight Sparkle. This is a Priority One message. It is imperative you share this with nopony else. This is... a delicate subject.”

The princess paused as she licked her lips, as if unsure of what to say next. Twilight’s frown deepened. She never seen the princess so... distraught before.

“As you may know, Princess Luna heads our branch of covert operations, better known as Manticore. It has come to my attention that my dear sister has went missing for at least a week now. True, she has had gone missing for a longer periods than this in the past, but she always gave a warning ahead of time before she did anything that required her extended attention. Last week, she had informed Manticore HQ that she would be going out to scout a suspected geth base in the Horsehead Nebulae. Alone. I was told this was supposed to be a routine recon mission, nothing more. Luna... never reported back. Not a single word since she departed. HQ did not sense anything amiss until they realised that even her locator beacon went silent.”

Twilight stiffened as she heard the princess’ words. The Princess of the Moon... missing? But how... how did one manage to kidnap or subdue a demi-god?

Princess Celestia’s worried voice disrupted that train of thoughts. “Please Twilight, find out where my sister gone. But do so discreetly. That means you are not allowed to detract from your current mission.”

Twilight blinked. That was a surprise. She half-expected the Princess to order her to drop everything and go chasing after Princess Luna. She was after all one half of Equestrian Royalty. Princess Celestia’s dearest sister.

“I have my reasons for this. From my sister’s notes, I suspect her disappearance is in some way connected to Saren and the Reapers. I think you would find clues to her whereabouts as you scour the galaxy for Saren.”

Twilight nodded. That seemed reasonable enough. She was well aware or at least suspected that she wasn’t the only agent at the Princesses’ disposal that was looking into Saren’s plan.

The princess’ voice dropped into a concerned tone. “Stay safe, my little pony. The galaxy has become a darker place.”

The hologram disappeared, leaving her to stare at thin air. The galaxy had just become a whole lot more darker indeed.

***

[C-Sec Academy, Citadel]

“Commander Sparkle? Commander Sparkle!”

Twilight frowned as she heard her name being called. It was the second time already in two days. She had no idea she was so famous. The unicorn noticed a slate-gray coated stallion pushing through a group of volus, a hovering camera in tow.

“Commander Sparkle?” the stallion repeated, a polite expression etched on her face. His slivery mane was neatly shaved and cropped, and a press card hung around his neck. A reporter. Twilight immediately felt uneasy. She never had to deal with the press before as the personal student of Celestia. Why now?

“I am Twilight Sparkle. May I know who am I speaking to?” Twilight said warily.

“Ah, pleased to meet you. My name is Khal Al-Jilal from the Equestrian News Network. Would you mind answering a few questions?”

“That depends.”

“Ponies back home has heard a lot of wild stories about you, Commander. The Princess have not been forthcoming either. I think the public deserves some answers. Straight from the horse’s mouth as some would say.”

Twilight pondered the matter for a moment. Surely it wouldn’t do anypony harm to give an interview right? She wouldn’t want wild rumours floating around back on Canterlot anyway.

“Very well.”

She flinched as the hovering camera next to the reporter suddenly lit up and shone a bright light into her face. Khal adjusted the camera a little and grinned at the commander. “Commander Sparkle, for years now, ponies have been trying to earn the respect of the galactic community at large. With that in mind, what are your feelings at being the first pony Spectre?” she asked, slipping in that professional reporter tone.

Well, easy enough question, Twilight thought, relaxing a little. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as bad she feared.

“Honoured of course. This is a great chance for pony-kind to prove their worth to the galactic community.”

“I see. Some believe without firm action on our part, the Council will continue to treat us like poor relations. Have the Council demanded that you put their interests above ours?”

“So far, no. I have great faith they will not ask me to make such a choice,” Twilight answered.

“Huh, you seems to have believe in the Council a great deal. Very well. You have been given command of an advanced warship for your mission. Do you have anything to say about it?”

“I believe it is a great honour to be commanding such a warship. The Normaredy is the product of what our species can do if we work together, and I am proud to be commanding the fruits of such collaboration between our races.” Twilight was a little surprised on how the topic suddenly changed.

“Right. There have been some concerns in the Navy that such an advanced warship was being handed over to the Citadel instead of being rightfully used in our fleet. What do you think of this?”

Twilight hesitated for a moment. “I... I suppose the Citadel had the right, they did invest a large sum of credits into the project.”

“But do you not think the Navy deserves a little more credit for their work? That ponies should be more independent from the Citadel? That we should look out for our interests more?” Khal pressed, an eager expression on his face.

“What?” Twilight blurted, registering a confused expression.

“Do you think the Citadel is right in demanding that we surrender our best assets to them in the name of ‘galactic peace’ and part of the price we pay for ‘membership’ to the Citadel?”

“I did not even—” Twilight took a deep breath to forestall herself from saying anything rash. She recomposed her thoughts and stared at Khal—who was grinning broadly—right in the eye. “You’re trying to get me to paint the Citadel in a bad light aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean, Commander. It was an honest question from an honest reporter,” Khal replied lazily.

Twilight gave the reporter a cold stare. It was slowly becoming evident that the interview was nothing more than a setup to get her to condemn the Citadel to please the xenophobic crowd back on Canterlot. Celestia knows, they were vocal enough when they heard about Equestria joining the Citadel. Many of them had believed Equestria was better off going it alone like the batarians did. The same crowd also advocated stronger measures against their batarian neighbours. Princess Celestia had bend over backwards just to appease the crowd, since they theoretically could make life very difficult for her in the Equestrian Parliament. Twilight imagined their leaders had apoplexies when they heard the Normaredy was being palmed off to the Citadel after pony-kind spent years labouring on the project.

“This interview is over,” Twilight said, firing up her horn. The hovering camera suddenly seized up, and fell to the ground, sparking and smoking.

“What the- You mule! I’ll make sure everypony on Canterlot sees how you bullied an innocent reporter.” Khal shot the lavender unicorn a venomous look as he fell to his knees to piece together his precious camcorder.

“Feel free. Without evidence, you can’t prove anything. Have a good day, sir.” Twilight nodded her head curtly and stalked off, leaving the reporter to stew in anger.

***

[Park, Presidium]

The botanical gardens of the Presidium boasted well over tens of thousands of different plants and animals from the various alien races of the Citadel. It was one of these gardens that Tali and Fluttershy decided to take a walk together. The yellow pegasus and quarian made an odd couple as they strolled along the permacrete path, surrounded by verdant foliage.

“So... Tali, what did you do before you...um... you know... came here?” Fluttershy shyly asked the quarian.

“Hm? Oh, I lived on the Migrant Fleet before I set out on my pilgrimage.”

“Oh, I heard you mention that... but what is it?”

Tali tapped the side of her facemask lightly, pondering on how to best answer the question. “It’s... well... it’s like a rite of passage. You see, when my people reach maturity, we leave our birth ships and seek acceptance among a new crew.”

“What for?” Fluttershy asked innocently. Tali smiled, despite the fact that she was sure the pegasus wouldn’t be able to see her expression. There was something endearing about the way this pony asked questions.

“It’s necessary to maintain genetic diversity among the fleet. But no ship wants to accept someone who would be a burden on them. So, to prove our worth, we embark on a journey. We set out alone, leaving the flotilla and our family and friends behind us. We only return when we find something of value we can bring back to the fleet.”

“That sounds dangerous...”

“Trust me, it isn’t as dangerous as it sounds. Otherwise our numbers would suffer. Before we embark on our pilgrimage, we are given lessons on how to survive outside the flotilla. We’re also given gifts and additional implants to help us survive.”

“But what do you do when you return?” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head.

“We present the captain of the ship of our choice with the gift. If he accepts, then we are welcomed back as part of the new crew,” Tali explained.

“That sounds... nice.” Fluttershy glanced at the quarian questioningly for a moment before looking down shyly.

“Why... why do you hate the geth so much?” she quietly asked. “I know we met a lot of bad geth and all... but there’s good geth, right?” Tali came to a sudden stop, startling her companion. She had to force down the bitter retort she had ready. She forcibly reminded herself that this pony was by all accounts, innocent. It was evident that she didn’t know of the geth-quarian war, nor of the precarious situation the quarians as a species found themselves in at the moment.

Tali stared at the distance in silence for a brief moment, before speaking again. “You see, we quarians originally created the geth...” Tali began to recount the short version of how the quarians had invented the geth to use as a mechanical labour force and the subsequent evolution of their intelligence. She told tales of bravery and horror as the Geth-Quarian War raged. How the quarian had taken to survive after their loss in the war. How they fled their homeworlds in despair and defeat. How they had subsequently learned to survive and the creation of the Migrant Fleet as it wais today.

A short distance away, Garrus and Rarity were watching the two conversing intently. “Frankly, I don’t know why you keep her around. She’s at best a hindrance in a real battle and would be downright painful to watch out for,” the turian remarked, watching the Fluttershy bobbing her head up and down.

“Hush now, you shouldn’t be questioning the commander’s decision.”

“Hey, our lives are on the line here. We should kindly remove her from the team while we can. Well, we could keep the bunny. I’m not about to turn down a potentially powerful biotic like him. Even if he’s only two feet tall. He definitely can put a lot of asari to shame.”

Rarity sighed. Truth to be told, she had to agree with the turian. As much as she liked the company, Fluttershy was a little too... innocent to be dragged around the galaxy like this. Sure, she had no place to go after the incident on Appleloosa and she had needed a new place to stay. But bringing her along on their mission? It made no sense no matter how you sliced it. Maybe she’d need to talk to Twilight about this...

“You two should be ashamed for talking behind Fluttershy’s back like that!”

Garrus and Rarity nearly leapt off the park bench at the sound of Pinkie’s voice behind them.

“Pinkie Pie! You know how I detest you sneaking up on me!”

“No buts. Talking about friends like that is mean.” Pinkie insisted, folding her forelegs in disapproval.

“Fine, Pinkie, maybe we were wrong. But you have to admit Fluttershy is utterly unsuited to a mission of this nature. She’s...” Rarity had to dig deep to find a suitable word. “...delicate.”

Pinkie pouted and shook her head vigorously. “Give her time... I’m sure she’ll be super duper bad-ass in no time! You’ll see!”

Garrus merely raised an eyebrow at her words. “Assuming she doesn’t get herself killed first.” The turian was rewarded with yet another Pinkie glare.

***

“Hey, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash called out, poking the napping solider in the ribs.

Applejack grunted slightly at the touch and opened one eye. “Wha... what in tarnation do ya want, Rainbow Dash?” she answered wearily, evidently annoyed at being disturbed during her nap.

“I just got the greatest idea to settle the score between us once and for all!” Rainbow Dash said, her wings working up a good storm.

“Dash, have ya been hittin’ them salt bars again? What’s this tomfoolery about a score?” Applejack said, closing her eyes again.

“You see, you think you’re the best soldier in the team...”

“Rainbow Dash... if yer still sore about me beating ya in combat training-”

“... And I think I am the best soldier. Let’s settle this once and for all. A race around the Presidium. Today. Noon.”

Applejack’s eyes sprung open, and she stared wordlessly at Rainbow Dash in astonishment for several moments. Rainbow Dash grinned nervously, hoping that Applejack would take the challenge. She would show her why she was named best speedster of the year four times in a row back on Cloudsdale City. This was one contest she was guaranteed not to lose. No sir. She would prove once and for all who was the best pony.

Then, Dash saw a grin spreading on Applejack’s face. She tilted her stenton hat back and said, “Yer know what Rainbow Dash? You’re on.”

***

[The Wards, Citadel]

“Oh, oh! Commander Sparkle!”

Twilight found herself being accosted from the same unicorn she met earlier. Her eyes bulged as she saw just how the unicorn changed since they last met. The turquoise unicorn now styled her mane and tail to match hers, right down to the single highlight that ran down the middle of her mane.

“You look my new look, Commander? I did it just so I could look more like the great Commander Sparkle!”

Twilight forced a plastic grin on her face and chuckled nervously. Surely Dewdrop meant it as a joke... right?

“It’s... interesting...” Twilight replied, unsure of how to reply to that. She couldn’t very well tell her off, as disturbed as she was by the filly’s copy cat behaviour. “I think it’s-” Twilight said slowly, fumbling for polite words to dissuade her.

“Oh, Commander, you’re being too modest. This is totally manestyle of the year material. I even brought a camera to take a picture of both of us together! Come on, let’s take a picture.”

“I... err...”

“Cool! Wait here...” Dewdrop went off to approach a nearby salarian who was conversing with another of his species. After several moments of gesticulating and loud words, the salarian reluctantly nodded and followed the filly, camera in hand. Twilight thought he looked positively terrified of the filly.

“What did you tell him?”

“Oh nothing, just that I’ll stalk him and his entire family if he didn’t help me with this...”

“Wha-”

“Smile!”

Twilight turned just in time to catch the full glare of the camera flash full in the face. The unicorn staggered slightly as her vision blurred, spots dancing about in the front of her. She started rubbing her abused eyes gingerly in a vain attempt to clear those pesky spots.

“Thank you so much!”

She felt the filly embracing her in a tight hug. Twilight tried to object, to tell the filly this was unacceptable. Hero worship was fine and all, but this was taking it too far. Then the sounds of pattering footsteps told her it was too late; she was gone.

“Wait!” Twilight shouted, finally recovering the use of her mouth. It was no use. She frowned as Dewdrop disappeared among the crowd.

Much as she liked having devoted fans, this was one step too far...

***

“... and we fled our homeworlds. It was fortunate the geth never pursued us beyond the Veil. So we have drifted through the stars since, always running. Looking for ways to get home...” Tali’s voice ended on a note of wistfulness.

“Um... I see...” Fluttershy said, visibly moved.

“But enough about the geth, how about you?”

“Me? Um... really, there’s nothing to talk about...”

“Surely you have something to share.” Tali thought on what little she knew about Fluttershy. “I know, tell me about your life on Appleloosa. Sparkle mentioned that she found you hiding among the cargo in the space port. Did you work at the port?”

“Um... okay...” Fluttershy took a deep breath before continuing.

“Yes, I was a dockworker there. But I had a special job there. You see, my special talent...” the yellow pegasus glanced at her cutie mark for a moment. “... is being able to make friends with animals. So Appleloosa, in addition to all those delicious apples we export, also sells some of the animals we raise as pets or for resettlement to other worlds.”

She looked down at the bench, seemingly studying the fake wood intently. “You see... my job is to make sure they stay happy and calm when the time came for them to move. Sometimes I exchange animals who don’t want to go. We don’t force anypony to actually leave. Angel here was one such bunny who refused to move.” Right on cue, the rabbit appeared and hopped on top of her head. He pointed to his mouth and made a chomping motion.

“Oh, you’re hungry? Hold on...” Fluttershy dug into her saddle bag and produced a carrot. Angel whisked the carrot off her mouth and began nibbling on the end eagerly.

“I see he’s grown attached to you,” Tali commented, amused.

“Oh yes... Angel seems to like me alot.” Tali noted with amusement that the rabbit stopped her impromptu meal for a moment to scowl at the pegasus behind her back.

“Anyway, that was what probably saved my life when the scary geth attacked. I was at the starport, talking to a family of beavers. At first, I hid myself as the shooting started. Then I remember all the poor defenseless animals out there. So I crept out and let animals out... then I found myself a new place to hide. You know the rest of the story...”

“Interesting. I suppose all you ponies have cutie marks? Sorry, I’m not very familiar with your culture.”

“Yes... we all get our cutie marks when—”

“There you are!” Applejack’s voice rang out. Both Fluttershy and Tali turned to look at the soldierpony and Rainbow Dash who was apparently hovering impatiently behind.

“Mind helping us with something?”

***

[Presidium, Citadel]

“Okay, girls! You know the rules. First one past the finish line here wins the race!” Pinkie Pie sang as she bounced around the two potential racers. Applejack and Rainbow Dash gave each other a knowing glance before positioning themselves on the hastily drawn line on the metal floor.

“That’s right, fillies and gentlecolts. Today, Rainbow Dash and Applejack will race right here, right in the heart of the Citadel, to determine the who has the right to claim the coveted ‘Best Soldier in the Team’ award!” Spike announced into a mock microphone, a twig actually. His loud voice however, attracted a few curious passer-bys.

“... We have such an award?” Fluttershy whispered, her aquamarine eyes a reflection of her confusion.

“Nope, just play along,” Spike whispered back. “Hey, where’s Garrus?”

“Twilight wanted him for something. Something about a personal problem...”

“Huh, I guess he’ll be missing all the fun. His loss.”

Spike adjusted his ‘microphone’ and switched to his announcer persona. “Alright! Ladies, take your position!”

“Oy! What do you think you ponies are doing?” a turian voice demanded. Spike glanced towards the direction of the speaker and grimaced. It was a C-Sec constable. The dragon guessed their impromptu race was probably breaking a few dozen C-Sec regulations as they spoke. But then again... Rainbow Dash promised sapphires...

“Uh... right. I can explain this...” Spike hemmed and hawed, stalling the irate C-Sec constable.

“You better have a damn good explanation for this farce. The Presidium is not a public race course,” the constable snapped. He looked past the dragon and pointed at the two contestants. “Tell them to stop. Now.”

“Sure, sure. Let me just—”

Meanwhile, Pinkie was waving a chequered flag merrily in front of the pair.

“Ready. Set. Go!” she yelled.

The two contestants took off in a blur, with Rainbow Dash in particular leaving a rainbow-coloured trail behind. The small crowd that gathered whooped and cheered noisily.

“What the... Stop! Stop!” the constable yelled as the two sped past him, toppling a few potted plant and weaving past the Krogan Memorial Statue. The constable tried in vain to run after them, but found himself choking on their dust trail as they disappeared over the horizon. He raised a hand to his earpiece.

“Constable Toruk here. We have a problem.”

***

Speed. That was what Rainbow Dash was built for. That was her advantage her entire life.

Yet for in the spirit of this competition, she had her wings tied up with a rope. She very reluctantly agreed to the restriction; even she recognised that Applejack wouldn’t be able to match her speed in the air. Despite all the handicaps she was saddled with, she managed to maintain a razor-thin lead on the soldier pony. For the moment. Applejack was pretty close behind though. She could hear the soldierpony breathing hard behind her.

Then she saw an insurmountable obstacle ahead. A group of various aliens blocking the bridge. She slowed down a little as she tried to push her way through the crowd.

“Coming through, coming through!”

“Heads up ya’all!” Applejack shouted as she rounded a pair of Hanar diplomats and gave a mighty leap over a group of startled volus merchants hawking their goods. She cleared the group handily and began opening up the distance by the time Dash managed to squeeze her way past a pair of asari.

Dash narrowed her eyes. Applejack in the lead! Again! The rainbow pegasus willed her legs to go faster and took off after the earth pony.

***

“Commander Sparkle! There you are!”

Twilight Sparkle was beginning to dread that voice. It seemed every time Dewdrop managed to find her, she would find some new way to creep her out.

“Hey since we’re best buddies and all, I was wondering...” her voice trailed off coyly as she looked at the commander expectantly.

“Wonder what?” Twilight snapped, her patience finally worn thin by her antics.

“Commander... maybe...” Dewdrop fluffed her mane and struck what the filly though to be a gallant pose. “You can let me join the Spectres! We could totally go on adventures together and stuff and things...”

Twilight held up a hoof. “No.”

“What?”

“You heard me, no. Spectres are not some game you play. This is real life and death.”

Dewdrop stared at Twilight in shock, as if not expecting for her hero to reject her request.

“But, all those things I did for you... you can’t make an exception? Just this once?” she pleaded, flattening her ears.

“No. I’m sorry.”

The turquoise look-alike stared at the commander for a long moment in silence before finally nodding her head. “Fine. I see what it is. You heroes are all the same. A little glory and it suddenly goes into your head. No time for the little people eh?”

Twilight shook her head. This filly was stubbornly misinterpreting everything she was trying to say. “No, it’s not like that—”

“Don’t bother. I know what you mean. I’ll prove it to you I can make it, you’ll see!” the turquoise pony turned to leave.

“Excuse me, but I believe it’s my cue to appear,” a smooth turian voice spoke behind Dewdrop. Garrus emerged from the shadows he was hiding and walked up to the pair. He placed a firm hand on the filly, stopping her dead in her tracks.

“Wha-? What is this?” Dewdrop whirled back to face Twilight. “You set me up didn’t you?”

“Actually, I’m not here to arrest you, although the commander here did have her fears.”

“Then you have no right to stop me!”

“Just answer a question of mine. Have you ever handled a gun before?” Garrus asked casually, gesturing at the pistol on his hip.

“Um... no. I’m sure it’s easy!” Dewdrop answered hotly.

“Uh huh. Have you ever felt a gun being pointed to your face before?” Before the filly could respond, Garrus had his pistol out and pointed discreetly at her chin.

“Garrus, enough.” Twilight said, putting a hoof on his hand to lower his aim. She turned to Dewdrop, who seemed to have turned two shades paler. “Listen, being a Spectre is not all fun and games. Sometimes... sometimes we have to make sacrifices... do things we don’t like doing...” She paused fractionally, gathering her thoughts. “... maybe even make difficult choices.”

“But we’re doing it not for glory. Not for the killing. We’re doing it for ponies everywhere. Ponies like you. Equestria needs you. But not as a spectre. Go home, and be safe. For me. For us. It’s what I am fighting for.”

“I—”

“You better listen to the commander here. She certainly knows what she’s talking about.”

Dewdrop’s eyes flitted between Twilight and Garrus. Then the unicorn’s ears drooped and her gaze dropped to the floor. “... I guess... you’re right. I shouldn’t be out here... mom’s already worried sick,” she said in a smaller voice.

“Then go home to her. Now go on. Don’t let us keep you...” Twilight gave the unicorn a little nudge on the flank. Dewdrop glanced at both Garrus and Twilight, before nodding reluctantly and started to trot off. Compared to the bubbly filly earlier, Dewdrop now seemed like a shadow of her old self. Deep down, Twilight wondered whether this was really better for her.

“Phew, I’m glad that was settled. I was starting to think she was a little unhinged...”

Before Garrus could respond, his radio chimed. The turian listened intently for a moment, before letting out a groan. “Rainbow Dash... you idiot...” he muttered under his breath before glancing at Twilight. The commander gave him an odd look.

“Let me guess, Rainbow Dash broke something valuable again?” Twilight said dryly.

“Commander, you’re not going to like this...”

***

“Hah hah!” Rainbow Dash whooped as she tipped the statue over. Applejack, who was following closely behind, yelled loudly as she swerved to one side to avoid the falling edifice. The statue shattered with a loud crack. Fortuitously, no one was injured by the toppling structure.

“Why you no-good...” she shouted back at the pegasus.

“Fair’s fair!”

“Alright, enough’s enough. Yer goin’ down, Rainbow Dash,” the soldier pony shouted back, jumping to snag the flying pegasus tail with her mouth. The speedster found herself being yanked back the sudden force and crashed hard on the ground. She found herself staring at the dust trail of Applejack as she planted her snout into the artificial permacrete of the Presidium.

“Oh no you don’t!” Dash shouted, getting to all fours and taking off in a rainbow blur.

The two racers sped past the various monuments and landmarks of the Presidium, tipping various landmarks over and leaving bewildered passersby behind. The race gradually descended into a mess of tackles, tail pulling, tripping one’s feet and other dirty tricks as they neared the finish line.

“It’s Rainbow Dash taking the lead... Now, it’s Applejack. Rainbow Dash. Applejack. Rainbow Dash! It’s too close to tell!”

A indistinct trail of clouds approached the finish line, the only visible sign that the racers was still in the fight. Pained grunts and shouts emanated from the dust cloud as the two tumbled over the final lap and deposited the now battered and thoroughly exhausted competitors onto the floor.
The crowd whooped and cheered as the two turned as one to look at Pinkie. The same question shot out of their mouth.

“Who won?”

Pinkie made a show of fiddling with her PDA for dramatic pause before shouting, “It’s a tie!” The crowd went wild.

“WHAT?!” the two again shouted as one.

“Ahem.”

The two turned as one to the source of the cough. A very angry looking Twilight, together with Executor Pallin with an equally livid look. The gathered crowd suddenly went silent, looking at each other uncertainly. As if on cue, the C-Sec constables appeared and began herding the on-lookers off. Soon the small group was the only ones left.

“You two have some explaining to do.”

***

[CIC, ESV Normaredy]

“... I can’t believe you two were foolhardy enough to hold a race in the Presidium of all places. We’re already in enough trouble with C-Sec. If it weren’t for the ambassador’s pleas and my own status as a Spectre, we would be unceremoniously serving jail time on a prison ship. Or worse.”

“Sorry, Commander... I guess I got a lil’ carried away.”

“I totally won that race you know,” Dash retorted smugly, still not completely in the program. She was rewarded with pinpoint glares from the rest of the crew. “Uh... I mean, sorry, shouldn’t have done that,” she quickly corrected, grimacing. She convinced nopony however.

Twilight glared at the rainbow pegasus a little more before moving on. “Since you two also so kindly inflicted approximately three million credits of damage to the Citadel, both of your pay will also be docked for a year. Be thankful the princess picked up the rest of the tab.”

“A.... year? How am I supposed to afford that Wonderbolts show ticket now?!”

“Oh boy, Big Mac ain’t going to be pleased hearing this.”

“Maybe the both of you should have thought of the consequences before running off into the wind next time,” Twilight answered sardonically. The two shuffled their hooves guiltily at her words. Rainbow Dash even briefly sported a contrite look on her face, though she gamely recovered and put on her usual expression of smug satisfaction.

“Anyhow, since we had to cancel the rest of shore leave due to your antics, we might as well start our search for Dr. Liara T’Soni.” The crew stiffened slightly and glanced at each other. Playtime was over. Here was the next phase of their quest.

“Ditzy, pass the coordinates of the cluster to Scootaloo. Let’s go get our doctor.”

Chapter 7

[Pilot’s Deck, ESV Normaredy]

“Remind me again, why are we wasting our time in this miserable excuse of a star system?”

The pilot answered the pointed question with an air of resignation, having been subjected to the exact same question a dozen times for the past week. “To find Dr. Liara T’Soni. Her university mentioned this was where she headed before she dropped out of radio contact,” Scootaloo replied evenly, her eyes not moving from the numerous monitors on the pilot’s console.

“Right. So why are we scanning this obviously lifeless hunk of rock?”

“Because she could be anywhere in this cluster. Which includes this barren planet which you just called a lifeless hunk of rock.” The orange pegasus stopped her work for a moment and looked up at the white unicorn leaning grumpily over her seat. “Maybe if you fixed that shorted circuit board faster, we might have completed the scan long ago.”

“Please, Scootaloo, you wound me.” Rarity snorted and pouted at the pilot. “If it weren’t for my meticulous work in triple-checking each subsystem, we might have missed that and the scan results would have been scrambled. We would have been stuck for weeks. You should be grateful that I am the chief engineer.” It had become a daily ritual for the two to trade barbs every waking cycle, though the two were well aware both did not mean a single word.

Scootaloo only shrugged, before turning her attention back to her piloting duties. In a more conversation tone, she continued, “Think we’ll get lucky this time?”

The engineer sighed. “To be honest, I’m not putting my hope on this.” The search was taking its toll on everypony on the ship, especially after the forceful way they were shown the door at the Citadel.

Why, she hadn’t had nearly enough time to finish the acquisition of the needed spare parts for the Normaredy. The ship had already burnt through two flux converters and she was down to her last spare. Clearly, the experimental nature of the warship hasn’t helped one bit. Rarity was sure she had done enough to rewrite the entire maintenance manual that came with the ship. She would need to have a talk with the pony who wrote the useless waste of good paper. A very long talk indeed.

The unicorn’s blue eyes fell on the view of the barren planet below them, the latest in the dozens they have scanned. The commander better find this doctor soon. Or things might just get very interesting...

***

[CIC Deck, ESV Normaredy]

“Right, next planet?” Twilight said, studying the map of the cluster being displayed in the center of the CIC.

The sound of a book being flipped through furiously filled the room. Stopping halfway through, Spike studied the page briefly and said, “Let’s see. Name: Stirrum. Volcanic planet... from initial surveys—”

“Captain. I’m picking up an Equestrian signal,” Scootaloo’s voice crackled over the speakers, interrupting the report from Spike. “Looks like a colony.”

Twilight looked up from map, suddenly very much more interested. “Weird. There was no records of a colony here. How big?” she said, her hooves working the keyboard to bring up a video feed of the planet.

“Hold on.” A brief pause. “About 2,000 ponies. The colony of Nova Yakterinburg.” A dull reddish planet replaced the galaxy map in the center of the CIC. Wisps of yellowish clouds drifted lazily across the surface, with visible lava pools and rivers snaking through the surface.

“Not exactly uncharted, isn’t it?”

Spike snorted, waving the paper charts about roughly, a few pages fluttering to the floor. “It’s been years since anypony updated these charts. I mean, c’mon, how could we still be using paper charts?”

“Captain, the colony is hailing us now.”

“Patch us through, Scootaloo. Let’s greet our hosts.”

***

“Turns out they were only setup last year... right after the yearly census update. Trust these ponies to be so inadvertent in their timing.” Twilight dryly explained, as the ground team made themselves comfortable in the briefing room.

Rainbow Dash hovered about in the room impatiently. “Yeah whatever. Let’s hear the good news already!”

“Please, Rainbow Dash, all things in due time. As I was about to say, I have spoken to the colony’s liason. He confirmed that there were several ancient ruins detected when they surveyed the planet in detail.” The white unicorn lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Prothean ruins.”

“The miners have also lost contact with a mining facility at the far end of the planet. Coincidentally, this one sits right next to one of the ruins,” Tali added.

Applejack whistled. “Ain’t no such thing as coincidence in this galaxy.”

“Geth?” Twilight directed the question at the pilot, who was listening in from her post on the Pilot’s Deck.

“No sign of them on the ship’s sensors, Captain. Though with so much thermal interference, it is hard to be certain for sure. As for the colony’s defense net? They might as well paint a big ‘Hit Me!’ sign to their colony. It barely covers a quarter of the planet’s surface. Certainly useless for our purposes,” Scootaloo replied, a tinge of derision lingering in her voice.

Twilight furrowed her brow as she pondered the matter. It was quite probable that the geth had caught wind of their mission and set out to silence the doctor before they could find her. Perhaps Saren was more tuned in to their mission than she thought. Which means they were running out of time. They’d need to go in hot and fast, and extract the doctor before the geth could catch her.

“Scoot, prep the Mako. We go in with a hot insertion.”

***

The ESV Normaredy SR-1 was a small warship by the standards of traditional warships in space. However, the small size also meant that the warship could enter planetary atmosphere without risking a burn-up or worse: crashing into the planet. Taking that line of thought, the designers of Normaredy had helpfully designed the ship to be able to carry and deploy a single M35 Mako Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) for the purpose of rapid deployment, consistent with its role as a stealth frigate. The Mako was built to be a tank, designed to withstand high drops, extremes of temperature and rough terrain. The battered but still working Mako that the commander had found on Harnos was only testament to that fact.

The idea was simple. The Normaredy (and eventually ships of the same class) was to literally drop the vehicle onto the location where it needed to be deployed. With the vehicle’s sturdy construction, element zero core and micro-thrusters, it could be air-dropped at a relatively high height without endangering the crew. This helped minimise the exposure of the frigate to anti-aircraft fire and enable it to swiftly and stealthily drop ground teams at any location of their choosing.

Which was why Twilight was crammed into the Mako together with Garrus, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. If she thought the ride on Harnos was small enough with three ponies, then four was an absolute squeeze.

“Pinkie, do you think you can stop shoving your tail into my mouth?” Twilight said grumpily, trying to her utmost best to keep the pink pony’s tail from obscuring her view of the driver’s console.

Pinkie let out a happy giggle. “But this is funnnnnnnn!” The pink earth pony continued her obviously fantastic exploration of the interior of the Mako, her fluffy tail now wriggling in front of Twilight.

“Pinkie, I can’t concentrate if you keep distracting me like this.”

“Fine!” The pink pony wriggled her legs about and maneuvered her body onto the passenger seat proper in the driver’s cabin. “Better?”

“Very much,” Twilight muttered, thankful that she didn’t need to breath in a maneful of pink hair anytime soon. She glanced back towards Garrus and Rainbow Dash and was met with similar relieved looks.

“Captain, approaching mining facility. Prepare for air-drop.”

“Right.”

“Airdrop in 5 seconds.”

The entire vehicle shuddered as the cargo bay doors opened. Strong winds began to buffet the Mako, the windy roar slowly increasing in volume to a deafening cacophony. Twilight held the vehicle steady, motioning for her companions to brace for the inevitable drop.

“Mark.”

A loud click resounded through the win as the clamps on the vehicles released. Twilight felt her stomach drop as she was suddenly pulled forward by the surge of gravity. Thank Celestia for seat-belts.

The Mako was in free-fall, at least for a brief moment.

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” the pink pony beside her shouted with glee, giggling uncontrollably, apparently enjoying the thrill of the ride.

Moments later, the automated landing system kicked in, activating the element zero core and reducing their speed. Twilight began firing the mini-thrusters located at each end of the boxy vehicle, further slowing their descent. For what seemed like an eternity, the Mako hung in mid-air, the wind whistling past as the Mako continued to plummet under the pull of the planet’s less-than-Canterlot gravity. The vehicle landed not so much with a loud whump that was more heard than felt, a testament to the vehicle’s sturdy suspension system.

Nopony moved for several seconds, apparently content to savour the fact that they actually survived the fall. Twilight was the first to recover from the shock. The unicorn glanced at her companions to make sure they were unharmed. Pinkie seemed to be rather enjoying the whole affair, and began giggling again in glee. Garrus looked a little shaken, but otherwise composed. Rainbow Dash however, seemed to be looking a little on the green side, holding a forehoof to her lips.

“Dash, you alright?”

“Yeah… just need to—“ The rest of her words were lost as the rainbow speedster gagged and buried her face in a paper bag that she found conveniently tucked nearby. Garrus couldn’t help but snicker at the pegasus misfortune.

“Looks like someone couldn’t handle their dinner,” he teased Rainbow, grinning broadly. Before he could do more than chuckle, the turian was met with a solid hoof to his face. The turian fell back onto his seat with a yelp of surprise. Fortunately, before either descended into blows, the radio crackled with Scootaloo’s voice.

“Captain, we’ve detected some unusual activity in the mining shaft 23-B, a few clicks to the north of your position. You might want to check it out.”

“Thanks, Scootaloo. Heading over now,” Twilight replied, sobering up.

“Let’s go kick some bad guy flanks!” Pinkie bubbled enthusiastically.

***

[Mining Facility CJ-32, Stirrum]

Twilight made a mental note she would never ever visit this place ever again.

Stirrum was by all standards, a very desolate and bleak planet. A dark pall hung over the entire sky, Stirrum’s sun a faint orb of red. (Stirrum apparently did not have a local weather station yet.) The harsh glare of the open lava pools in the distance tinted the landscape with faint, red light. Black, volcanic rocks rose up on either side of the Mako as they traversed down the small valley they landed in. The only break in the desolate landscape was the pony-made tunnel ahead that Twilight knew linked the valley to the mining complex on the other side.

As Twilight steered the through the tunnels and out to the other side, she got a first glimpse of the so-called ‘mining complex’. The ‘mining complex’ was actually a loose collection of buildings that was scattered all over the compound. Seemingly at random, circular portals half-hidden in the volcanic rocks marked the entrance to yet another mining shaft running deep underground. Metal pipes originated from those shafts, and ran haphazardly around the lava pools that dotted the site. From her limited perspective on the Mako, most of the pipes seemed to run in direction of a large building in on other side of the compound. Twilight guessed it must be this site’s collection and processing facility.

***

[CIC Deck, ESV Normaredy]

Wrex frowned as he studied the numbers displayed on the console. “What do you mean the population count don’t match up?”

“Nova Yakterinburg has 2,345 colonists. The colony reported a total of 2,379 colonists,” Rarity explained patiently, her tone not unlike a schoolteacher giving the dolt of the class a lesson in Mathematics 101.

“That’s um... three... fourty... darn these fancy mathematics. Anyhow, I reckon y’all mean the numbers don’t add up?” Applejack said, doffing her hat.

“Precisely. Since Nova Yakterinburg is the only colony on the planet, where are the remaining thirty-four colonists?”

Wrex looked blankly at the white unicorn. “Dead?” he offered.

***

“Twilight...” Pinkie’s voice was unusually serious. The earth pony pointed to a dark shape on the ground. More precisely, lots of dark shapes on the ground. Twilight stifled a gasp, bringing the vehicle to a dead-stop as she realised the full implications of just what the earth pony pointed out.

The dark shapes were bodies. Dead ponies in full environmental suits, scattered about on the ashen earth. Already, most of the bodies were covered in ash. A few vehicles, wrecked beyond repair, lay burning a short distance away. Apparently the workers had tried to escape the facility when the alarm was raised. Judging from the remains, they didn’t get very far. They seemed to have taken down a few geth with them, as was apparent by the broken remains of a few geth troopers scattered about.

“Oh those poor ponies...” Twilight heard Rainbow Dash mutter. A loud clop resounded as the pegasus vented her frustration on the vehicle’s reinforced windows. “I’m so going to kick their flanks for this.” Her magenta eyes was locked onto the nearest body, whose faceplate was mercifully obscured by the black ash.

“We will, Dash. We will,” the turian responded, putting a hand on his partner’s shoulder. Twilight smiled a little at Garrus’ words; she had an inkling Rainbow was taking this very personally. She turned to glance at Pinkie. The pink earth pony seemed to be staring at out of her window with fascination, her expression a far cry from the usual jovial face she always wore. The lavender unicorn idly wondered what could the pink pony be thinking. Surely there was more to her than just parties. As she debated whether to probe the matter further, she noticed the earth pony stiffening.

“Twilight, incoming!”

The vehicle was suddenly rocked as a series of dull thuds resounded around them. Twilight snapped her head towards the onboard radar and cursed under her breath. At least four walkers and a few dozens troopers on foot. More were appearing out of nowhere, and closing in on the vehicle. The geth had planned their ambush well. Probably with radar dampening and jamming. Twilight accelerated ahead and pointed the Mako towards the large building she seen earlier. They would need the cover if they wanted to survive this.

“Twilight! What the hay?!”

“Geth ambush,” Twilight shouted back, before turning to her pink companion. “Pinkie! Man the turret! The big ones first!” The thought that Pinkie might not be qualified for the job seemed to have slipped her mind.

Pinkie had a maniacal grin on her face. “Okie-dokie! Let’s do this!” The party pony tapped a button on her console and was greeted with the cannon’s targeting screen overlaying her viewscreen. She grasped the joystick that popped up and began tracking the nearest walker that was blocking their path.

“What the hay are we supposed to do?” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Hang on... and don’t throw up!”

“What?!” Whatever words Rainbow had in store after that was lost as she was flung to the floor by the vehicle’s violent momentum.

Twilight was taking the Mako through a hailstorm of weapon fire, thankful that the kinetic barriers on the vehicle were designed to weather just such a situation. But even the toughest shields would eventually fail under such pressure and the unicorn needed to even the odds soon. With another tight turn she weaved the vehicle in between two walkers who moved in to block her way and sent an unfortunate geth trooper flying into a nearby lava pool. Just as she cleared the obstacle, the Mako’s cannon boomed, and knocked the walker into the same lava pool.

Pinkie whooped with delight. “And that’s how I parrrrrrr-teeeehhhhh!”

The vehicles wheels screeched as the Mako bounced onto the paved surface of the processing facility, with Twilight taking an immediate left turn towards the collection of small pre-fabricated buildings and pipes that were on the south side of the building. The sound of weapon fire slowly receded as they drew away from their ambushers. At least the walkers are slow, the unicorn thought, as she slowed the vehicle down. The huge metal pipes and buildings seemed to have brought them time and space, if only for a little while. She felt a hoof tap her shoulder.

The unicorn looked up to find Rainbow Dash’s eyes staring right in the face. The pegasus seemed agitated. “Twilight! Let us fight! We can take ‘em!” Rainbow Dash pleaded. The commander thought she heard a hint of desperation in her voice. That haunted look that she sported when they discovered the bodies earlier was back in her magenta eyes.

Garrus cleared his throat and weighted in his opinion as well. “Commander, we might be able to distract the foot soldiers so that you and the pink one here can concentrate on taking down the walkers.”

Another loud whump rocked the vehicle. Humming a jolly tune, Pinkie Pie spotted the source of the disturbance. She zoomed her targeting reticule on the offending target. A lone geth trooper standing on one of the balconies, calmly reloading his rocket launcher. A second later, the balcony and geth vanished in a merry explosion. Pinkie whooped again, and waved her hoof in excitement. “This is so much fun!”

Through all this, Twilight hemmed and hawed. She was leery of letting the two fight on foot: the geth walkers would cut them to pieces in the open. On the flip side, there was plenty of cover around. And she trusted them. Finally, the unicorn sighed. “Fine. Don’t go engaging those geth walkers, you hear me?”

“Armatures! Those are geth armatures!” Pinkie corrected.

“Whatever, Pinkie.”

The cocky grin was back on Dash’s face. “Twilight, please. Me and Garrus can handle these amateurs no problem. Right, Garrus?”

“We’ll be careful, Sparkle,” Garrus said in a more guarded tone.

The two secured their helmets and weapons. As they moved to step out, they turned and gave Twilight a wink each, almost simultaneously. One could almost swear they choreographed that move. Then they darted out of the vehicle and out of sight, leaving only a rainbow trail. Twilight thoughts lingered briefly on the fact that the two were now alone, without backup. She shook her head clear of those morbid thoughts. She trusted them. That was enough.

Twilight accelerated as she cleared the pipes and out into open space again. From the yellow markings on the paved concrete, the unicorn deduced it was the local landing pad.

“Oh! Oh! More of those big spider-things!”

Twilight saw them alright. Another of those armoured walkers, slowly lumbering up to meet them. Odd, Twilight was sure she counted only four when she sped away from the ambush. None were in position to flank her over on this side.

Dropship. It has to be. That and they probably did all sort of wonky things to radar in the area. It’s blinking with all sort of false signals. Something that’d have to be dealt with later. Twilight thought about radioing the Normaredy for a moment, then decided against it. Geth probably jammed their communications anyway. A quick check on the comms confirmed her suspicions.

“Fire at will, Pinkie,” Twilight calmly ordered, again, swerving the vehicle hard to the right to avoid another energy blast.

The cannon’s roar and Pinkie’s subsequent cheer answered her order. Twilight noted that Pinkie’s shot was dead accurate, blowing clean through the kinetic barriers and the ‘head’ of the walker off. The geth slumped to the floor, its limbs flailing about as it seemed to lose control. The geth troopers who was escorting the walker scattered as the walker exploded in a giant fireball. They were slowly picked off by Twilight’s hull mounted machine gun and Pinkie’s accurate cannon fire. Soon, the field was clear of enemies and the commander slowly turned the Mako around towards the other side of the facility.

Garrus’ voice crackled over the radio, his voice breaking up slightly. “Commander, *krzzt* Dash spotted two dropships ferrying reinforcements in. We might need backup.” Sounds of gunfire echoed in the background as he spoke. The turian must be engaging the geth in the facility itself.

“Twilight! There’s more coming every minute! I don’t know how long we can hold them off.” Rainbow Dash cut into the channel, her voice sounding slightly panicky.

Twilight reassessed her rapidly dwindling options. All seemed bad. “Alright. You two get the hay out of the facility, we’ll cover you.”

“Roger.”

“Um, Twilight. I think we need to take care of those bad guys first.”

“What bad— Oh sweet Celestia.”

She brought to the Mako to a complete stop, stunned by the sight. Facing the Mako, and conveniently blocking her from reaching both Garrus and Dash, was an entire platoon of geth troopers, backed up by at least six walkers. It was a sobering sight. Even with the Mako, they were probably going to last all one minute before being blasted to atoms.

Pinkie giggled again. “Oooooh— I think they want to play.” Twilight just nodded numbly, her body now on automatic drive. The Mako lurched as she threw the IFV straight into reverse, hoping to at least make herself a harder target to hit.

***

[Pilot’s Deck, ESV Normaredy]

“What’s that?” Scootaloo said, zooming in on a tiny dot that was flying under the ship. The image was slightly blurred due to the speed of the object, but the shape was familiar enough to anypony who studied grade school.

“Oh my, is... is that a d-d-dragon?” Fluttershy squeaked.

Scootaloo worked her keyboard, plotting the trajectory of the dragon on her console. The pilot gasped slightly. “It’s heading straight for Twilight’s position!”

“Why in the name of the Princess is there a dragon here of all places?”

“Ain’t dragons supposed to be fierce critters who don’t like ponies all that much?” A snort sounded from the far side of the room, where Spike had been busy. The purple dragon shot the soldier pony an unamused look. Applejack smiled sheepishly in response. “No offense, Spike.”

“Whatever its intentions are, we best warn Twilight about it.”

“Aye,” the pilot agreed. She punched a button and began broadcasting. “Commander, do you read me?” Static greeted the ponies. “Commander, do you read?” Scootaloo repeated.

“Sounds like we’re being jammed.”

“Geth. I knew it. Ain’t no such things as coincidences. Commander must be in trouble. We gotta help her.”

“How exactly you want us to do that? We’re a spaceship, not some atmospheric craft. We’re sitting ducks if the geth deployed AA guns.”

“We could always use the GARDIAN lasers,” Tali suggested.

“But then we’ll have to take the Normaredy to knife-fight range. The ship won’t be able to take that kind of stress in the atmosphere!” Scootaloo countered.

“Well goshdurn it, we have to do something!”

***

ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR~!

Twilight knew that roar anywhere. After all, she had grown up hearing it on Canterlot. Thing was, she never thought to hear it here of all places.

A dragon’s roar.

What the hay is a dragon doing here? Twilight thought. She glanced again at the geth, suddenly realising amount of fire she had been receiving seemed to be tapering off. The formation of geth milled about uncertainly, their aim suddenly wavering. The unexpected noise must have thrown the group into confusion.

As Twilight watched, a dark shadow enveloped the geth who were still standing about. Before the geth could react, a group of geths abruptly vanished in a column of flame that erupted from the sky. True to their robotic nature, the geth did not panic. Instead, the remaining geth and armoured walkers turned as one and pointed their weapons skywards, firing their weapons in a steady staccato.

Another gout of flame erupted in the dense mass of geth, frying another dozen troopers. As the some of the walkers begin to catch fire and burn, the more agile geth began retreating for cover towards the processing facility. Never once the geth, faltered, or turned tail. The distinctly draconic shadow swooped overhead again, darkening the interior of the vehicle momentarily. Another roar shook the unicorn’s bones again. The geth’s counter-fire seemed to have only succeeded in angering the dragon.

The last roar finally spurred Twilight into action. Seeing her chance in the chaos, the unicorn said, “Let’s hit them while they’re distracted.”

“Okie!”

Rainbow Dash’s frantic voice burst over the radio. “Twilight? What’s going on?! What’s that roar?”

“No time. Keep the geth busy.”

“You better have a good reason, Twi!” the radio link ended with another burst of gunfire over at Dash’s end.

The unicorn revved the IFV and accelerated into the dispersing group of geth, taking the full advantage of their confusion to run down several geth troopers. Instinctively, Twilight jinked the Mako to the left, narrowly avoiding yet another blast of dragon-fire that toasted the unfortunate geth walker that she bypassed. Beside her, Pinkie was firing the Mako’s main cannon as fast as her aim would allow. Twilight ears’ perked up as she noticed another whining noise cutting in amidst the roar of the cannon and general tumult of battle.

The shrill report of geth gunships.

Twilight’s felt her ears drooping. A dragon might be a powerful being, but even it must bow to the superior firepower that a modern gunship could bring to the battle.

“Twilight, look!”

Twilight craned her neck in the direction of Pinkie’s hoof, just in time to watch the dragon swoop towards the gunship, shrugging away the machine gun fire and evading the energy cannons with ease. The dragon opened its maw wide and let loose another gout of flame towards the port engine, charring the the entire section.

The creature gracefully flew above the now-crippled ship and grabbed the sides of the gunship with its claws. With a mighty roar, the creature then flung it towards the ground as if it was nothing more than a toy. The ship fired its other remaining engine in a desperate attempt to correct its descent, to no avail.

The gunship hit the ground nose first, bouncing off the paved concrete once, twice, before coming to rest on the edge of the landing pad: all the while hemorrhaging bits and pieces from its interior. A brief moment of silence punctuated the landscape, as the ship lay smoking on the ground. Then, with a brilliant flash, the geth gunship exploded spectacularly, leaving nothing but a burning wreck. Twilight was briefly startled as a piece of metal debris landed with a thunk on the Mako.

The dragon hovered silently above the processing plant. Large leathery wings flapping slowly, it’s black scales dully reflecting the orange glow of the burning wreck. The dragon let out a roar, this time of victory, and made to land on the landing pad with a loud thump. The creature slowly waddled over to the wreck, apparently surveying its kill.

“Hey! Let’s go say thank you!”

Twilight stared at the pink earth pony in shock for a moment. “Are you insane? We don’t even know if he’s friendly or not.”

“Now that’s just mean. He helped us turn all these meanies into roasty roast! See?” Pinkie pointed at the charred remains of the geth on the landing pads. Not one geth was left standing, and what’s left of the geth force seemed to have retreated.

Twilight paused to reconsider her companion’s suggestion. True, the dragon had not overtly attacked her, and instead focused on the geth. But Twilight doubted it had anything to do with the dragon’s compassion. More like the fact that the geth had been shooting at the dragon and the Mako hadn’t.

The unicorn brought her six-wheeled IFV to a stop in front of the dragon, staring up at the magnificent being in awe. Oh, she had seen dragons back on Canterlot, usually far-off in the distance or during one of annual dragon ambassadorial meeting with the Princess. Being this close to one, and after that display of violence... was something else altogether. Dragons were temperamental and reclusive creatures. Even after the unification of Equestrian Alliance, they kept mainly to their own kind. Ponies were either outright ignored, or treated with grudging respect. This respect was strained at best, kept in line only by the dragon’s sense of honour. It was not unheard of for dragons to snap and go full out feral with very bloody results. These were usually quickly put down or exiled. Fortunately, these incidents were becoming increasingly rare as the dragons got used to the arrangement.

The vehicle shook a little as the dragon bent down to study the occupants more closely, apparently deciding that they were not hostile. Twilight flinched slightly as a small gout of flame licked the windows.

A deep, gruff voice emanated deep from within the dragon’s chest. “You don’t look like the invaders.” The dragon lowered his snout further, his green reptilian eyes staring directly through the windows. “Who are you and what do you want?”

***

“Whatchu’ mean we can’t see ‘em?”

“That’s just it. Soon after the dragon sped past, our sensors got scrambled as well. The geth must have noticed us and are actively jamming our scanners as well.”

“Great. Can’t this tub go any faster? We need to help Twilight now!”

“Applejack! We’re already going a little past the engines’ optimal capacity. Any more and we would end up with a dead engine instead,” the chief engineer scolded, already looking a little frazzled by the stress.

“Whose brilliant idea was it again for us to be hiding out on the other side of the planet after we dropped them off?” Applejack said, clearly spoiling for an argument now.

“It wouldn’t be much of a stealth mission if we hung around being obvious,” Rarity said.

“Well, if we stayed behind, we wouldn’t be in this fine pickle, wouldn’t we?”

Tali cleared her throat discreetly. “Guys? Those geth fighters don’t look too pleased to see us.” The quarian pointed to half a dozen angry red dots on her monitor.

“Aw, horseapples,” Scootaloo groaned.

***

“... so you mean you live here? All of your brood?” Twilight asked the dragon, straining her neck to look up at the dragon’s face.

The ponies had been wary of the dragon at first, with Rainbow Dash in particular advocating explosive violence with the Mako. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. It had helped when Twilight tactfully pointed out that the dragon could probably crush all of them at a whim should it be angered. The dragon seemed amused by the whole argument.

“Ponies, you would do well to remember me as an Equestrian dragon first and foremost, and not some mangy feral,” he had said. He then flashed Rainbow Dash a toothy grin and chuckled loudly when the pegasus quailed. Twilight decided then and there he liked the dragon.

The dragon had graciously offered to escort them to the mining shaft after a brief explanation. He seemed rather pleased with the offer of having the crew of the Normaredy help any remaining survivors of the geth attack. The ponies parked the Mako next to the mine shaft and stared at circular entrance that marked Mining Shaft 32-B. It was an amusing sight really. The dragon towered over the buildings and ponies, and had to look down just to talk with them. Compared to the huge beast, they were but gnats on a buffalo.

“Yes. My brethren are scattered all over the planet. We find it more comfortable to live in our own nests, rather than being forced to live communally back on Canterlot. Do you know how hard it is to find a decent nest on Flame Peak now?”

“Fascinating,” Garrus said, studying the dragon with great interest. It was evidently the turian’s first real look at an Equestrian dragon. “Why prompted you to move from Canterlot? It must have been hard.”

“Our partriach opted to start our brood anew on a new planet. As I said before, Canterlot was getting a little too crowded for our taste. We were pretty excited actually. New place to visit, prospect of unlimited food. Trouble was, not many colonies were willing to accept us. It was fortunate that the colonists on Stirrum had kindly agreed to let us stay, so long we don’t consume all the precious gems they’re mining. In return, we’re obligated to help their defense of the various mining outposts the colony has set up.”

“Wow, that’s pretty generous of you.”

“I suppose it is a fair trade, considering the Terminus Systems are supposed to be contested. Besides, they let us roam free, something which we cannot do in Canterlot.” The dragon shrugged. “The colonists openly admitted they could not afford the cost of a decent defensive installation. At least not yet.” The black reptile glanced back at the processing plant they just left behind, the trail of smoke from the burning geth gunship still visible. The spikes on the dragon drooped visibly at the sight.

“This particular facility was supposed to be under my protection...” the dragon lamented. “I... I have failed. I should not have let my anger lured me away from my true duties. I should have known that flying machine was just a distraction to lure me away...” The dragon let out a fiery snort, evidently frustrated at his failure. The creature suddenly tilted his head upwards and let out a cry of anguish, deafening the ponies who was standing near him.

Twilight cringed at the sudden roar, covering her ears. For the longest moment, the dragon’s roar filled the landscape. As soon as the noise died down to a more acceptable level, the lavender unicorn lowered her hooves from her ears and cautiously asked, “Mr Dragon... are you okay?”

The dragon bent his head in apology. “I... I apologise for my lapse. Our brood do not take to failures kindly. There will be... repercussions for this.” Even from her awkward vantage below the dragon’s chin, Twilight could see the black reptile was troubled.

“Oh, cheer up Mr. Dragon! I’m sure the others will understand it was the geth that did this. They were pretty smart to lure you away.”

“Please, just Ordrak.” The dragon turned his gaze on the commander again. “I must commend you on your reckless driving back there. I could have just as easily smothered you in flames had you strayed even half a metre off course.”

“It’s the Commander Sparkle! Of course she’s awesome.”

Twilight just flushed bright red at the compliment. It wasn’t everyday one got praised by a dragon anyhow. She cleared her throat to break the awkward silence, and said, “I think we best get going. Dr. T’Soni is somewhere in that mine and the geth might already be searching down there.”

“I will stay here and keep any invaders off your back. You have my word.” Ordrak actually gave the four a short formal bow. “Now go. Do not tarry here.”

“Right. Dash, if you would do the honours?”

“Yeah! About time we got this show on the road.” The rainbow speedster sped off to open the metallic doors. Twilight smiled briefly at the tomcolt’s enthusiasm as she trotted off to follow her down.

***

“That’s some slick moves there, Scoots,” Applejack said, wiping perspiration off her brow.

“Thanks. Though I think we should be thanking those dragons for showing up as well.” The viewscreen panned over to the three dragon who had showed up to help. One of them waved at the ship.

Applejack chuckled. “Heh, yeah. Good to know them dragons are friendly. ‘Least we know Twilight’ll be getting some backup.”

“Remind me never to prank Spike again. I don’t think I want to know what he’ll do when he’s angry.” Scootaloo joked.

“Yeah! You better not!” Spike called from his station..

“Pilot, how far are we from Sparkle?” Wrex asked curtly, folding his arms over his chest plate.

“Twenty minutes out. Give or take a few.” Scootaloo shot the krogan a dark look. “It would be nice if you could call me by my name for once.”

The krogan just snorted, before turning his attention to the screen showing the dragons. He tapped his chin thoughtfully as the dragons flew off. “Hmm, I wonder if I can get one of those dragons as a pet. Sure will impress those weaklings back on Tuchanka. Maybe I could even feed them to the dragon.”

Rarity stared at the krogan with shock. “Wrex, you’re a horrible, horrible pony.”

“Lady, you don’t know the half of it,” the krogan replied nonchalantly.

***

“Why is it that I always get picked to navigate potentially hazardous underground tunnels?” Garrus remarked sardonically as they slowly descended down the dimly lit mining shaft. The long, straight, circular shaft was remarkable for its’ monotony.

“Technically, the tunnels on Harnos are above ground.”

“Semantics. It’s still dark, damp and dank; like this one.”

Pinkie bounced past the two, bubbling happily. “This place is spoooooky!” she declared, giggling rather happily. The bubbly earth pony began outpacing the group, jumping ahead into the darkness.

“Pinkie, wait!”

The party pony disappeared from sight, her head mounted light apparently not turned on.

“Great. Let’s go get her before she does something we all regret.”

“Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed exasperatedly. The trio picked up their pace down the tubular tunnel. A few minutes of frantic galloping later, they reached the end of the shaft. An already open airlock marked the start of the mine proper, with the pink pony nowhere in sight. The crumpled remains of two geth troopers lay just behind the open portal.

The turian whistled as he inspected the nearest body. “She’s efficient, I’ll give her that. Straight through the head.”

“Does she even have military training?” Twilight queried incredulously.

“From this? She would had to have some form of training. Then again, we don’t know much about Pinkie before she suddenly appeared on the Citadel and started throwing parties randomly. A headache for the Executor that’s for sure.”

“Right... anyway, she can’t be far ahead. That one is still sparking.” The unicorn caught Rainbow by the tail as the pegasus tried to slip past. “And no, Rainbow, we need to stick together. Going off alone in this tunnel is dangerous.”

“Phooey.”

***

“Incredible...” Twilight breathed. The airlock had opened into a walkway that zigzagged through a grotto. What caught Twilight’s attention was not the contents of the small cave, but rather what lay beyond in the large cavern.

At one end, a clearly artificial construction was protruding out of the cavern walls. It appeared to be part of a building that was buried under millennia of neglect. The smooth white walls appeared as immaculate as the day it had been built, with no sign of wear, unlike the Prothean ruins in Harnos. Twilight guessed the conditions of the cavern was more forgiving. Curiously there were also smooth oblong shaped openings set in the walls in regular intervals, forming a checkerboard pattern. Some sort of energy field was covering each opening. Any sign of the ruin’s original purpose was long gone, buried under a millennium of geological upheaval.

Rainbow let out a whistle. “This place is old... wait, is that Pinkie?”

Twilight squinted at the direction of Rainbow’s hoof. So it was. The pink earth pony was sitting on her haunches on the one of lower walkways, facing one of the oblong opening. She seemed to be focused on something on the inside.

“Let’s go get her,” Twilight said, gesturing at a nearby elevator shaft.

***

The trio heard the pink pony giggling as they approached her. They heard another voice speak as well. A female, though her voice seemed oddly distorted.

“... Ponies do not come here, you’re hallucinating. And talking to yourself. Hah. Oh, goddess. I’m going to die here..”

Another giggle. “Silly filly. I’m real. See?” The pink pony wriggled a hoof at the direction of the barrier.

“You’re unusually lucid for a hallucination. They usually don’t claim to be real... or do they?”

“Pinkie, who are you talking to?” Twilight said as she trotted up to the mare.

“Her.” Pinkie pointed at the energy field. The unicorn frowned slightly as she saw the object of Pinkie’s attention. An asari, suspended in midair. Unlike the commando on Harnos, this asari was wearing civilian attire. A scientist by the looks of it. She seemed to be looking at the ponies with a mixture of fear, hope and incredulity all at the same time.

“More hallucinations? Oh, Liara. Your imagination certainly is active today.”

“We’re not hallucinations.”

“I think she’s playing a game!”

“I thought hallucinations don’t usually talk back... or do they? Huh, I never had a hallucination before. I think.”

Twilight dragged a hoof down her face. This was the doctor they were sent to rescue? She fought to keep her composure. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m from the Special Recons and Tactics.”

“A Spectre? Huh, that’s good. What else will I conjure up? A protector figure. Yes. Perfect. Comforting. Well, I’ll play along.” At this point, the asari seemed to be reassuring herself of her tenuous grasp on her sanity.

“As you can see, I’m trapped here. If you’re as real as you’re claim, find me a way to get out of here.”

“How in the world did you end up in there?” Garrus asked, not unreasonably.

“Ah yes, the figment of my imaginations want to retrace my steps: see if I can figure out where I went wrong.” Twilight rolled her eyes at the asari’s words. She was seriously starting to doubt the merits of her mission.

“I was exploring the ruins. When the geth showed up, I ran in here and activated the defenses, hoping the barrier curtains would protect me. But I must have hit I wasn’t supposed to and now I’m trapped here.” The asari seemed to break for a moment. “Please! You must get me out of here,” she pleaded.

“Calm down. We’ll figure a way out,” Twilight said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. Garrus shook his head and indicated to the unicorn he would be taking a long walk. A moment later, Dash joined her partner, apparently done trying to communicate with the obviously maddened scientist.

“Of course, what good would a hallucination be if it didn’t offer false hope?” The asari sighed, clearly tired of the charade. “Listen, if you’re real. Find some way past the barrier curtains. Find some way past the geth. Then use the control panel to release me.” Twilight peered past the floating asari, spying a lectern just behind her. “If you’re not real... leave me alone. I grow tired of talking to myself.”

Twilight shook her head and turned towards Pinkie, who seemed to be content at making funny faces at the asari now. “Come on Pinkie. Leave the poor girl alone for awhile.”

“Okie!” The pink earth pony got to her feet and bounced off to join Garrus and Rainbow Dash, who was looking around the cavern. The pair seemed to be studying something in the other end of the cavern.

“Hey Commander?”

“Yeah?”

“We might have a problem.” The turian jerked his head towards the group of geth troopers that emerged from the makeshift work camp in the far end of the cavern.

***

“Geth. Why are they so persistent?”

“‘Cause they’re big meanies! That’s why,” Pinkie answered in a matter-of-fact manner, bouncing about.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Pinkie’s answer. “Pinkie! This is serious. You saw what they did outside. Ponies are dying!”

Pinkie stopped bouncing right in front of the rainbow maned pegasus and fixed her with a stare. Her expression seemed to harden just a little. “I know Dashie. That’s why I’m fighting with Twilight here. Because I don’t want to see anypony hurt like this. Nopony deserves a fate like this. Nopony.” The joy seemed to drain out of the party pony as she spoke.

She glanced at Twilight, then at Garrus, her jaw set grimly. “I laugh because at the end of the day, everypony needs a break from tragedy. I laugh because somepony needs to be the one that can cheer everypony up. No matter how bad things can be, there’ll always be a light at the end of the tunnel. I want everypony to see that.”

Twilight’s jaw was literally hanging open by now. “... wow.”

“Besides!” The pink pony resumed her jovial persona. “Parties are fun!”

The unicorn was taken back by the sudden about-turn. “For the love of...” Twilight shook her head and smiled resignedly. “Pinkie Pie, you’re so random.”

“I aim to please.”

“Look, I know this is a sentimental time and all, but we still have an asari to save.” Dash jabbed a hoof at the floating scientist. “Already scouted the cavern. No way we’re getting past that.”

“Have you tried using your head? You always seem to solve problems with it.”

“Harr harr Garrus. That was only one time. Besides, headbutting that salarian was worth it after the way he jerked us around.”

“Guys, guys! We need to figure a way past the barrier curtains... maybe if we find the power source—”

“Hey! What does this machine do?” The pink pony sat in the controls of a large tractor-like machine, its’ cylindrical business end pointed towards the one corner of the ruins’ walls. Her hoof hovered a large red round button.

Twilight’s eyes bulged as she saw Pinkie was about to activate what appeared to be a mining excavator. “Pinkie, wait!”

A loud roar erupted, brilliant flashes of angry red light searing the rock. As Twilight watched as the lasers began eating away at the rocks, horror building in her heart. The cavern began to rumble slightly as if the very earth itself was protesting against the abuse. That pony is going to bring down the whole cavern with them! Then understanding dawned as she realised where the excavating machine was pointed at. Straight at the underside of the building!

“Pinkie, you’re brilliant,” she yelled over the roar of the machine.

“What?”

“I SAID, IT’S BRILLIANT!”

“What? Hold on, let me turn this off.”

“WAIT!”

The machine powered down, stopping short of breaching the walls of the ruins. Twilight facehoofed, trying hard not to vent her frustration at the randomness of her companion.

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Ugh, never mind Pinkie.” If Twilight could plant her hoof any further into her face, she would have. Unfortunately, reality meant that she had to settle for a normal facehoof. Pinkie just gave a giggle and bounced off, apparently distracted with another toy.

Garrus jogged over to the rapidly cooling hole made by the excavator and examined it closely. The mining laser had eaten its way through the rock and left the section of wall exposed. “Commander, I think we can break through the wall. The mining laser seemed to have weakened it significantly at least.”

“Incoming!”

A rainbow blur flew past Twilight and headed straight for the weakened wall section. A loud thump and cloud of dust later, the skyblue pegasus lay on the ground, her magenta eyes spinning dizzily.

“Didth I breakth it...?”

The turian moved closer to the wall and tapped it with the butt of his rifle. “Nope.”

“You owe me a root beer for this, Garrus,” Dash said, slowly getting to her haunches. She began rubbing the back of her head, wincing slightly as she touched a sore spot.

The turian held his hands up helplessly. “Hey, not my fault your thick skull can’t break everything.”

Twilight tapped the two on the shoulders, and pointed at the wall. “Guys, look.”

The two turned just in time to see the wall crumble on its own, without any further intervention. Immaculate white corridors lay just beyond the walls.

“Hah! Told you.”

“That proves nothing! It crumbled on it’s own!”

“Root beer float, please. Vanilla ice-cream. Thank you.”

“Not in a million years, Dash. You still owe me five credits for...”

Twilight shook her head slowly, trying to hide a crooked smile. “Come on guys, let’s keep moving,” she said, interrupting the light-hearted banter.

***

“Now I’m hallucinating that you’re inside the tower. I must be getting worse. Earlier I even imagined I heard thunder,” the asari intoned, closing her eyes.

Twilight had to resist a sudden mad impulse to just grab the asari by her shoulder and give her a good shake. “Doctor, we used the mining laser to bore through.” Twilight stated evenly.

“You bore through...” The asari gasped slightly, a look of relief washing over her blue features. “By the goddess, you— you’re real!”

“Of course we are, silly! Why won’t we be?”

“I- ah... I’m sorry. I thought you were a hallucination. I thought—”

“Yeah, yeah, we heard all your rants earlier. Don’t you worry, Rainbow Dash and his turian sidekick is on the case.

Garrus bopped the pegasus’ head with the butt of his rifle. “Turian sidekick?! Rainbow Dash, now that’s just low.”

“Please, just get me out of here, before more geth show up.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much on that part...” Garrus said, smirking, referring to the very big dragon currently sitting outside the mineshaft.

Twilight trotted over to the lectern she spotted earlier and studied the control. Various symbols of undecipherable script flashed past the unicorn’s eyes. But for all their alien-ness, there was a strange sense of familiarity there. Almost as if she had seen these symbols before, but had recently forgotten about them.

“There should be a flashing rune on the bottom end. I think that is the release key.”

The commander found the indicated key and activated it with a hoof. A loud wail suddenly pierced the air, making the lavender unicorn cringe a little. Fortunately, before any permanent hearing loss was incurred, the cacophony stopped as abruptly as it started. The asari who had been flailing about in mid air, suddenly dropped to the ground, only to land on Rainbow Dash’s back.

“Gotcha!”

“It wasn’t that much of a fall, you know,” Liara said dryly, picking herself off the pegasus and brushing off the nonexistent dust off her form-fitting attire.

“Hey, nice way of thanking your rescuers!” Dash huffed.

“Lay it off, Dash.”

Dash shot the turian another glare, before addressing Liara. “So, how are we getting back out?”

“The same way we came in? Duh?”

“There’s an elevator at the back of this ‘tower’. We can use it to get to the upper levels.” The asari indicated a circular room just behind the group. “At least I think it is.”

“You think?” Dash asked incredulously.

“Pretty sure.” The group followed the asari into the circular room. The lavender unicorn looked around the room, and belatedly found that the ceiling was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a long smooth shaft that led into the darkness above could be seen. At least this seemed to strengthen the doctor’s theory that this was an elevator of a sort.

Liara walked up to the lectern in the center of the room. “Here goes,” she said, activating the lectern. The entire floor shuddered for a moment, a gentle hum rising in the background as ancient machinery whirled into action. The platform began to rise, albeit slowly.

“Well, at least that’ll save us a walk.”

“So, Dr. T’Soni...”

The asari smiled at the use of the title. “Call me Liara, please.”

“Liara. Do you have any idea why the geth are after you?”

“I still cannot believe all this. Do you think Benezia is involved?” Twilight managed to keep a straight face as she heard Matriach Benezia’s name. So, Liara had some inkling about her mother’s involvement with Saren? This could be interesting.

“Saren is looking for something called the Conduit.”

“The Conduit? How did—” A loud rumble intervened. As the ponies looked around in surprise, the sounds of falling rocks rumbled deep beneath the caverns. Twilight herself was caught in a small shower of rocks. “These ruins are not stable. The mining laser must have triggered a seismic event!”

Rainbow Dash’s magenta eyes was wide with fear. “Wait, you mean we could be trapped in here?!” she shrieked.

“Sheesh Dash, calm down. We’re not trapped yet,” the turian replied.

Twilight trotted over to the lectern and peered at the controls. “Do you think you could speed this thing up?” she asked, looking up at the scientist.

“I’m afraid not. I am concerned that any further input on my part would only derail our journey.”

The rest of the journey was made in strained silence, with the ponies glancing up fearfully every so often as another shower of dust fell. The rumbling slowly intensified, and the entire chamber was rumbling by the time they nearly reached the top.

“Great, let’s get out of here before—” Dash’s words died in her mouth as she noticed a krogan battlemaster, together with a squad of geth troopers walking up towards them. Twilight stiffened as she realised that they would have to go through them in order to escape this death trap.

“Heh, nice of you to break past the energy shield for us,” the krogan said, stopping at the door. The geth troopers filed in beside the krogan, their weapons already leveled.

“Do you really think this is the time?” Twilight asked, not unreasonably.

“The atmosphere is perfect for a life-and-death struggle.” The krogan motioned for his geth followers to move forward. “Kill them, spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn’t matter,” he ordered with a casual shrug.

“Get back!” Twilight’s horn suddenly lit up with a brilliant light, sending out a shock wave that pushed the krogan back and knocked over the geth troopers that were leveling their weapons.

Dash and Garrus immediately opened fire, taking down a couple of the geth troopers before they could recover. Pinkie surprised the nearest geth with a grenade shoved down its back, and hopping off merrily as the poor trooper exploded, taking out its comrades.

As the initial shock wore off, what geth troopers that were left started to open up with their weapons, their fire unfocused and ineffectual. Rainbow Dash sped across the chamber, bucking geth where she could, and sniping away the geth she couldn’t reach with commendable efficiency. Garrus just calmly stood his ground and continued cutting down his enemy.

As her squad was facing off the remaining geth, Twilight was holding off the enraged krogan, using her magic to weave a magical shield blocking his every shot. Maddened with rage, the krogan began to charge at the lavender unicorn. Twilight concentrated again, and sent the krogan flying with a levitation field; smacking him right into a wall. The krogan fell heavily on the floor, apparently dazed.

“Come on! Let’s get out before the whole cavern collapses.” Twilight shouted, motioning for the group to hurry up. She reached a hoof to help Liara up and quickly galloped down the newly cleared path leading towards the mining shaft, with the good doctor and Garrus following closely behind.

“Pinkie Pie! Move!” Dash shouted desperately, dodging the rocks as they fell around her.

“Co-o-o-ming!” Pinkie replid in a sing-song voice, bouncing along without a trace of urgency. The rainbow pegasus scrunched her face at the thought of Pinkie being accidentally crushed by the falling rubble, flew back down towards the party pony and gave her a not-so-gentle shove toward the entrance.

“Hey! That tickles!” Pinkie giggled, but she didn’t resist to being helped along towards the now-partially obstructed mining shaft. Rainbow groaned as a pile of rocks collapsed right on top of the airlock, blocking the way completely. She continued on anyway, very much intent on digging herself out if that was what it took.

As they neared the airlock, the rocks obstructing their path suddenly blew apart. “Rainbow! Pinkie! Hurry up!” Twilight shouted, her voice slightly strained from the effort of keeping the cavern from collapsing completely.

Without a second thought, Rainbow shoved Pinkie inside through the newly-cleared airlock and dove inside after the party pony. Just as the rainbow speedster cleared the portal, the chamber behind them finally collapsed in one final huge rumble. The entire shaft lay eeriely silent, save for heavy breathing of the two ponies who went through last.

“Jeez, Pinkie, you worry me sometimes.”

All she got for a response was another high-pitched giggle. “Oh Dashie. We still got out safe and sound right?”

“Girls? It’s not over yet.”

The ground shook again, this time more violently.

“Run!”

The group picked themselves off the floor and ran for their dear life towards the open portal at the far end. The rumbling beneath their hooves only intensified as they neared the entrance.

“Little ponies, we must go. The very earth itself is convulsing.” Twilight heard Ordrak bellow. Despite the prospect of imminent danger, she felt a small rush of relief. At least there wouldn’t any danger of geth ambushing the group as they staggered out. Not with the dragon around.

“Into the vehicle! Now!” Twilight shouted, urging the group forward. The tunnel wouldn’t be stable for long at the rate of the collapse.

Another huge rumble shook the entire mining shaft. A whole section of metal support on the ceiling began to buckle dangerously, screeching as each rivet failed. A few seconds later, the entire thing collapsed into the tunnel. Unfortunately for the hapless Garrus, the wreckage fell just as the turian tried to sprint past. Garrus grunted in pain as the debris knocked him down and pinned his legs, drawing the attention of his partner.

“GARRUS!” Dash shouted desperately. The pegasus zoomed over to the turian’s side and tried bucking the metal. To no avail. “Help! Somepony, help!” she cried, trying to pull the turian out.

Twilight cantered to a stop as she heard the cry and gasped softly as she saw the full extent of the new disaster. “Hold on, Garrus!” Her horn lit up brilliantly and she tried to lift the wreckage from the turian. “I... I can’t... lift it...” she cried, gritting her teeth.

“Allow me,” Liara said, kneeling beside the struggling unicorn. The asari held out her hand, just like Angel did back on Appleloosa. A shimmering blue field enveloped the metal wreckage, in addition to the soft purple glow of Twilight’s magic. Twilight felt her load lessen considerably and renewed the push. Slowly, but surely, the two began lifting the impossibly heavy metal wreckage from the turian’s trapped legs. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie pulled the C-Sec agent out as his legs were freed. As soon as the turian was clear, Twilight released her hold on the wreckage and went to check on the turian.

“Come on, Garrus, you’re not dying until you get me that root beer!” Dash cried, hugging the turian with her forelegs.

The turian winced in pain as Pinkie and Twilight helped to lift the turian onto the pegasus’ back. “Heh, never one to forgo a debt eh, Dash?” he riposted weakly.

“You betcha, Garrus. Now let’s get out of here!” With Garrus secured on her back, the rainbow pegasus galloped up to catch up with the rest of the group who were already scrambling through the open portal of the mine shaft.

The gaggle of ponies, turian and asari emerged from the rumbling portal and sprinted towards the parked Mako. They tumbled into the vehicle in an disorganised heap without further delay. Ordrak was nowhere to be seen.

“We’re never going to make it!” Twilight shouted, as she engaged the Mako’s engine.

The lavender unicorn flinched as a dark shadow enveloped the cabin. It was Ordrak. “Who said you needed to drive?” the dragon’s voice boomed over the steadily increasing roar of moving earth in the background. A moment later, the vehicle shuddered as the sound of sharp claws grating against modern armour filled the cabin. Before the unicorn could question the dragon, Twilight felt herself being thrown back as the vehicle yawed to the left, her view of the ground abruptly replaced by the gloomy sky of Stirrum.

“Hang on!” Ordrak bellowed.

***

“Woah nelly, what in the name of golden apples is that?”

Tali’s fingers were literally flying over the console now, her screen filled with a constant stream of figures and data. “Seismic readings are off the chart! I think it’s a volcanic eruption. The mine must have been sitting on a dormant volcano.”

“Scootaloo, turn this ship around at once! Do you know what molten ash can do to the ship’s delicate hull?!” Rarity cried, visions of the ship being irreparably scarred beyond repair filling her mind.

“Rarity, I have intention of frying ourselves on a volca—” The pilot paused briefly. “Jamming is gone! Switching to short-range scanners.”

The map in the CIC morphed to a 3-D representation of the processing facility and its surroundings.

Applejack whistled as the graphical display began to update. “That’s a lot of dead geth. Twilight been busy.”

“Look, the dragon is there as well. Along with the Captain’s signal. And the Mako!”

A dull roar shook the ship, and the whole room vibrated slightly from the sheer force of the explosion. “The volcano is erupting! They’ll never make it out in time!” Tali shouted.

“Girls...”

“Oh no! We can’t reach them without risking the ship as well!” Rarity said.

“Well, there must be something we can do!” Applejack argued.

“GIRLS!” Fluttershy shouted suddenly. The pegasus cowered when she realised she was suddenly the centre of attention in the room. “Um... look. The dragon... he’s doing something...” she squeaked, wings folded tight.

Everypony’s eyes swung to the viewscreen. “Looks like he’s lifting the Mako... well, bless that dragon’s golden heart, that critter is flyin’ em out!” The ponies watched in silence as the dragon gracefully flew upwards and away from the steadily disintegrating mine. The ship rocked slightly again as the newly born volcano sent another huge plume of smoke into the air.

“You ponies never cease to amaze me,” Wrex commented, a grudging tone of respect in his voice.

“It’s kinda what we do,” Applejack replied dryly. “Somepony hail that dragon!”

***

[Briefing Room, ESV Normaredy]

“Okay, girls, allow me to introduce Dr. Liara T’Soni. She’s one of the galaxy’s foremost experts on Protheans.”

A murmur of polite greetings cascaded around the small briefing room. Twilight smiled as she glanced at Garrus, who was sitting in his usual spot. The turian seemed to have come off relatively unscathed from that scare in the tunnels, which Twilight suspected had something to do with the turian’s unique physiology. Of course, his armour also mitigated most of the potential damage from the weight of the debris.

The asari nodded her head politely. “I must thank you all for rescuing me from that ruins. Goddess knows what would have happened had you not showed up.”

“Ya better be worth the trouble,” Applejack muttered. The earth pony earned a swift jab from Rarity.

“Applejack! Mind your manners,” the unicorn whispered harshly, before turning back to flash a big smile at the scientist. “It is our pleasure indeed Miss T’Soni... you are single, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Miss would do fine, although I would not mind you ponies calling me Liara. After all I am considered just a child in asari terms.”

Applejack looked the asari up and down with a confused expression. “Just how old are ya exactly?”

The asari looked thoughtful for a moment. “I am only a hundred and six years,” she finally answered.

“A hundred?! But ya look just as young as a filly out of grade school—” Another nudge in the ribs interrupted her rant yet again.

“I simply must apologise on behalf of my uneducated friend here. She clearly have not read up on asari’s physiology.” Rarity shot Applejack a piercing glare, as if she had just violated the sanctity of a holy shrine.

The asari chuckled. “A hundred years may seem like a long time for a short-lived species as yours. But among the asari I am barely considered more than a child.” Liara paused, her gray eyes glancing briefly at Twilight. “Though even the longest lived matriarch are like a babe compared to your princess.”

“What did Saren want with you anyway?” Dash piped up.

“Um, I hate to interrupt... but shouldn’t we ask Miss T’Soni about the Conduit... if that’s okay with you all.”

“Fluttershy’s right. Doctor, do you know anything about it?”

“Only that it is somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them.”

Applejack whistled. “Wow-wee. Fifty years studyin’ this piece of dead history? Mighty dedicated of ya.”

“What have you found?”

Liara seemed to relax more, apparently finding it comfortable to discuss something she was intimately familiar with. She slipped into a teacher-like voice. “What is interesting is what I did not turn up. There are remarkably little archaeological evidence of the Protheans, and even less and why they might have disappeared.” She frowned a little. “It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It is like someone came along and cleansed the galaxy of clues. But here’s the incredible part.” The asari paused dramatically, clearly excited about the matter. “According to my findings, the Protheans are not the first galactic civilizations to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them.”

“Hang on jus’ a cotton-pickin’ minute! What ya mean them Protheans are not the first one to vanish? I thought they’re the first aliens and stuff.”

“Cycle? What cycle?”

“The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great galactic civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive.” The ponies in the room were hanging on her every word at this point, even the normally hyperactive Pinkie Pie. “The Protheans rose up from a single world; their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed on top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements, the Citadel and the Mass Relays, were based on those who came before them.” Her expression turned grim. “And then, like all the other forgotten civilization throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared.”

“I have dedicated my life to figuring out why.”

“Wow. That’s a lot to take in.” Twilight commented, shaking her head slowly.

“Do you think this has something to do with that awful Reapers you mentioned?” Rarity offered.

Fluttershy squeaked and cowered behind Wrex. “R-r-reapers?”

“Oh Fluttershy, stop hiding like that! They’re not here yet.”

“Get this pegasus off my back before my trigger finger gets itchy.” Fluttershy gave another loud squeak and disappeared behind Tali’s seat.

The turian frowned with disapproval. “Wrex, stop scaring the poor thing like that.” The two glared daggers at each other.

“What is this ‘Reapers’ you mentioned?”

“If I may, Commander?” Tali asked the lavender unicorn. Twilight nodded her approval. The quarian repeated her brief story of the Reapers and the geth. The asari scientist looked sceptical, but seemed to accept the quarian’s word at face value.

“Surely you have more proof than the damaged memory core of a geth unit?”

Twilight hesitated. Despite the fact that she already entrusted this secret to her friends and companions on this ship, she was still leery about sharing her visions with outsiders. Partly it was because the story was so fantastic, nopony would believe her. Or maybe she just didn’t want to be called crazy. “I... there was this Prothean beacon on Appleloosa. It burned images in my mind... horrific images.” Twilight shuddered a little as she recalled her nightmares. It was recurring less frequently, but the images were as vivid as ever. “They seemed to have a common theme. The destruction of the Prothean race. Apparently by a machine. Or a machine race.”

“A becaon?” The asari’s eyes widened. “Yes, that would make sense. But the beacons were not meant for pony physiology. I am surprised you are able to make any sense of it.”

“Well... there’s this nice asari lady who gave us the Cipher...” Fluttershy whispered from her hiding spot behind Tali.

Rainbow Dash snorted in amusement. “Oh yeah, that crazy asari who was eaten by the plant. Supposed to help Twilight here understand the visions or something. Personally, I think it’s a load of hooey.”

“Well, it did alter my perception a little. The images have cleared up a little, though I still can’t make heads or tails of it.”

“So... this was something another asari did to you?” The asari got to her feet. “Commander, with your permission I would like to try something.” She stopped in surprise as Applejack moved to bar her way. The orange earth pony eyes narrowed.

“Hold on there, missy. Jus’ what ya think ya gonna be doin’ to Twilight here? I don’t right see how yer asari mumbo jumbo can help us all here.”

“Applejack, calm down. She’s only trying to help.”

“Have you lost ya marbles Twilight? Did you forget she’s also the daughter of that no-good Benezia tramp?”

“AJ. She’s not her. Besides, the geth were after her.” Twilight looked straight into the brilliant green eyes of the soldierpony. “I think she might be onto something. If there’s anything that can help us stop Saren, I am willing to try it.”

“Well, I still don’t trust her...” Applejack glanced at Liara, then back at Twilight. “But if ya think she can be trusted...”

“I do, Applejack.” Twilight nodded slightly at Liara. “I trust her.” Applejack sighed and bowed her head in defeat, trotting back to her seat. The lavender unicorn gave the earth pony a grateful smile and turned her attention back to Liara. “What do you intend to do?”

“One of my kind have given you deeper understanding of the visions. But you still cannot put together the pieces.” The asari held out her arms. ”Like her, I can join my consciousness to yours. Maybe my knowledge of the Protheans will help clarify the visions.”

“Okay...” Twilight gulped, not really keen on reliving the visions. “Let’s do this then.”

“Oh, this is going to be good!” Pinkie commented idly, munching on popcorns she procured from the galley. The pink pony seemed to not mind the black looks both Rarity and Tali directed at her.

The asari approached the unicorn, kneeling to bring them face to face. “Relax, Commander.” Twilight felt the world slow as the asari locked her eyes with hers.

“Embrace eternity!”

The nightmares followed with a vengeance.

***

“...mander!”

Darkness. Pure darkness. Where was she again?

“Comma...!”

Twilight sensed that she was floating.

“Flut... git.. Cherilee now!”

The unicorn looked around with unseen eyes. Darkness. Why was it so dark? She shivered, even though there no cold. No warmth. Nothing at all.

“By all that’s... you... Liara?”

Liara. That sounded familiar. Asari... was it? The half-formed image of the asari flitted through.

“I... idea... mind... Prothean...”

Prothean.

The memories suddenly flooded back. The visions. The Reapers. The Protheans. Death. Burning cities. Barren wastelands. The eternal darkness around her faded away as her mind rebooted. The unicorn stirred, and began to open her eyes. A chatter of voice immediately assaulted her ears.

“Look! She’s awake!”

“Twilight! Are ya feelin’ better?”

“Sparkle, don’t you dare die on me now.”

The harsh glare of the lights in the briefing room blinded her for a moment. Twilight blinked rapidly for several moments, trying to ascertain her condition. It appeared she had fallen onto the metal floor, her snout and chin touching the cold metal. Her knees must have given way at some point, and she was currently lying belly-first on the floor. The lavender unicorn groaned, and put a hoof to her head.

“That... that was interesting...”

Rarity let out a shocked gasp. “Interesting?! My dear Twilight, you are never doing anything like this again. I absolutely forbid it!”

“Twi, did that asari scramble your brains as well?” Rainbow Dash’s tomcolt voice added.

The blue freckled face of Liara came into view. Her concerned expression seemed genuine, at least to Twilight’s addled eyes. “Commander, how are you feeling? It appeared the visions have overwhelmed your pony mind for a moment there. You literally collapsed during our mind-meld.”

Twilight shook her head stubbornly. “Never mind about me... What have you learned?”

“Nothing you don’t already know. The beacon must be more damaged than you originally thought. The ones that you have are incomplete... fragments of the original message. I’m surprised you were able to make sense of it at all. It would have destroyed a lesser mind.”

Twilight remained silent as she processed this new factoid. No wonder the visions were jumbled. But the horror she felt was real. Even if she didn’t lose her mind in the initial process... she felt like pieces of sanity was still being chipped away each time she relived that memory. It was unpleasant.

The prim voice of Nurse Cheerilee cut through the voices of the briefing room. “Coming through!” Twilight could fell the nurse checking her pulse as well as scanning her with a portable medical scanner. The unicorn tried to get to her knees, but the artificial gravity proved too much. Or was it the nurse holding her down? Twilight wasn’t quite sure, her senses still somewhat scrambled.

“Hm, Commander seem fine, if a little weak. Though next time I would appreciate it that you at least inform me before trying something like this.” She felt a strong hoof grab her by the shoulder. “Come along now, you need to rest in the infirmary.” The nursepony looked up. “You too, Dr T’Soni. You don’t look too well.”

The asari’s voice seemed fatigued as well. “Y-yes. I think I need to lie down as well. Process all this information.”

Twilight smiled weakly at the rest. “Sorry, everypony. Doctor’s orders. Dismissed.”

***

[Captain’s Quarters, ESV Normaredy]

The lavender unicorn lay on her sparse bed, watching the stars lazily drift by through the oval window next to her bed. She turned one eye towards Spike, who was busy sorting out her report to the Council.

“Spike?”

“Mmhmm?” Spike muttered, not looking up from his perch on the workstation’s chair.

“Do you think I’m going mad?”

Spike sighed in exasperation. “Twilight. You asked me that a dozen times now. No, you’re not mad. We believe you when you say the beacons gave you nightmares. Get some sleep, Twi.”

Twilight grunted slightly and turned her head towards the viewport, staring again into the deep void. Somehow, Spike’s words rang hollow for her. She only hoped she could make sense of the whole thing in time. It was maddening to have these visions flitting about in her mind, ever-present, but out of reach.

Her morbid thoughts were interrupted as Spike suddenly gagged, holding a claw to his mouth. The diminutive dragon belched out a gout of green flame, an ancient scroll materialising in thin air. Twilight caught the scroll with her magic and studied the wax seal on the parchment.

“Oh, a message from the princess.”

“Well, open it Twi.”

The lavender unicorn unfurled the scroll and began reading. Her eyes gradually widened as she digested the contents of the letter.

My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

It has come to the attention of my sources on Poneria that Matriarch Benezia was recently sighted in Port Heihen, the capital of the colony. Her motives are unknown at this time. It is imperative you act on this information at once and glean what information you can from her about Saren... and my sister if possible.

Above all, stay safe, my little pony.

Your loving teacher,
Princess Celestia

Twilight reread the letter a few times more, blinking in disbelief. Finally, a real lead. A chance to trap Saren’s second-in-command and unravel his plans.

“Spike. Get Scootaloo on the line. We’re heading for Poneria.”

Chapter 8

[Engine Room, ESV Normaredy, Artemis Tau cluster]

“Wrench! Where’s that soldering gun?!”

Rarity’s shrill voice pierced even the thick bulkheads that separated the engineering section from the cargo bay at the bottom of the ship. A clatter of hoofsteps answered her call, and the engine room door slid open to reveal a hassled looking indigo-coated earth pony balancing three different sets of toolboxes on his head, back and tail. He held the requested tool in his mouth.

“Right ‘ere, ma’am,” he replied in a muffled voice.

The chief engineer sighed with relief and flashed him a charming smile. “Thank you, darling. Now go and fix that heater in the captain’s quarters like I told you to. Spike has been complaining about it for ages. He does so love his coffee.”

Despite his obvious fatigue, the technician still managed to salute. “Yes, ma’am.” Wrench scurried off without another word, still managing to balance his load all the while.

Rarity shook her head sadly, wishing she could do more to help one of the few remaining competent engineer on her team. Among her small engineering crew, Gears was enjoying an enforced rest in the infirmary after an unfortunate incident with a plasma conduit. Screws was busy trying to fix one of the GARDIAN lasers. Quickfix was in the CIC, troubleshooting yet another glitch with the galactic map display. Ultimately, it left her and Wrench manning the engine room alone. Well, that was before the electric heater in the mess hall broke down. Not for the first time, she wished the Normaredy carried a bigger crew. Space considerations had precluded the Equestrian Navy from assigning more engineers to the ship.

Rarity sighed and picked up her soldering gun, resuming her dreary task: to repair this confounded circuit board that also happened to regulate the cooling sinks for the Normaredy. It was unfortunate this one had to break when it did. It meant the ship would be unable to utilise its stealth systems as much as it should be able to. Needless to say, it was top priority. Which was why she only trusted herself to do it.

The engineer nearly bumped her head on the hatch cover, and she bit back a curse. Another thought crossed her mind; she had forgotten to remind Wrench to bring her a spare capacitor as well. Now she’d have to go and get it herself. Hoping that he was still within earshot, she shouted, “Wrench! Are you there? I need that capacitor as well!”

Only the steady hum of the Tantalus Drive Core greeted her.

“Sapphires and rubies. Now I need to—”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Rarity nearly burnt her own hooves by mistake at the sound of that voice. By Celestia, what was the quarian doing down here? Rarity knew the quarian was very interested in the ship. Spike told her as much.So far, she had refused all of the quarian’s polite inquiries into the ship’s workings. Her obligation not to reveal the best of Equestrian technology demanded as much. Tali seemed to have taken the hint after a while and was content working instead on the Mako which they obtained on Harnos. However, their relationship remained frosty, and they only exchanged brief words throughout their time on the ship.

She spun around to face Tali, a polite smile affixed to her face. “Why, yes. Could you be a dear and call my assistant Wrench down here? I need a certain spare part if I want to properly fix this.”

Tali seemed to regard the unicorn with mild interest. “I think I saw him busy in the mess hall on my way down here. What kind of capacitor you need? I may be able to get you what you need.”

Rarity’s smile got a little tighter, forced. “Oh no, no, no. I wouldn’t want to be a burden on you now.”

Tali shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s not like I got anything better to do. Fluttershy is busy with her pet bunny. Besides, you look like you could use the help. Don’t worry about me leaking your tech. I have given my word to the commander.”

If Rarity wasn’t so short-hooved, she would have still refused outright. Some standards must be maintained after all. Still, the quarian’s logic was undeniable. She had been nothing but reliable thus far. “If you insist.” Rarity proceeded to describe the precise component she needed, along with a few others she thought she may as well have on hoof for the other repair works she had planned. Tali nodded once and quickly exited the room. Not five minutes later, she returned with the required components, all according to her instructions. Rarity was mildly impressed. The quarian knew her stuff alright.

“Very well. Hand me that capacitor. I’ll get started on fixing this panel,” Rarity said, lifting her solder gun into the air. “So, how much do you actually know about ships?” she asked while lifting the hatch open again.

“I lived on one all my life. I know enough to know when an environmental unit is failing.” Nopony lived on a ship and merely “know about subsystems failing”, Rarity was sure of that. Which meant Tali was being modest about her true abilities. Her respect for the quarian went up another notch.

Rarity didn’t reply immediately, focusing on detaching the damaged capacitor and welding the new one into place. Putting down her tool, she glanced at Tali again. “So, what do you think of the Normaredy?” she asked. It was a loaded question, but she was interested to see how the quarian would answer.

“The Normaredy? Your pilot said it was the most advanced ship in the galaxy. I see nothing to challenge that observation that far. Design wise, she is a marvel, incorporating the latest in ship design and applying it in generous doses. The engine is a marvel, and the new drive core, simply a delight to watch. The stealth system is one of a kind.” Tali’s voice steadily grew more animated as she spoke.

“I see.” Rarity flashed a dazzling smile at her companion. “I seem to be rather short-hooved for the moment. Would you be kind enough to assist me with something?”

For a moment there, Rarity sensed that the quarian was actually smiling. Not that she could see through the cloudy face mask, but her sharp intake of breath was audible. Her response however, was rather more restrained. “It’d be an honour,” she said evenly.

“I think you’ll like this, darling,” she said, putting her tools down. “Now, the Normaredy has a...”

***

“Thank you, Cheerilee,” Twilight said quietly at the disappearing figure of the ship’s nurse. She smoothed her uniform and trotted up to the door marked the entrance of the ship’s small laboratory. Taking a deep breath, she tapped open the metal door.

“Liara, you wanted to see me?” Twilight asked, stepping through the door. Liara was hunched over the table, evidently studying something on the workstation. She waited for the door to close before turning to face Twilight.

“Yes... I do,” she said heavily, her intelligent eyes studying Twilight.

Twilight held up a hoof to forestall her inevitable question. “First things first. How are you feeling?”

Liara blinked in surprise. “Much better actually. Nurse Cheerilee assured me that I would be fine. I was quite impressed by her knowledge of asari physiology.”

Twilight’s lips curved into a small smile. “That’ll be her recent course in alien physiology paying off. I’ll be sure to pass your compliments to her.”

Liara chuckled softly. “Yes, please do.” Her brief expression of joy disappeared. “Pleasantries aside, I wanted to talk to you about something...” Liara’s voice trailed off as she seemed to struggle to find words. Twilight said nothing and waited patiently for Liara to continue. After several seconds of palpable silence, Liara sighed and looked Twilight in the eye. “You’re going after... Matriach Benezia aren’t you?”

Twilight just nodded in reply. “Yes.”

“Tell me. Is it true? My mother turned against the Citadel? Against the goddess?” Liara asked, a pleading note in her voice.

“We... have conclusive proof that she had colluded with Agent Saren...” Twilight went on to describe the audio tapes which Tali had extracted from the geth memory core she had obtained.
Liara’s head seem to sink lower with each word.

“I... cannot believe she would do this. This is not like her...”

Twilight put a sympathetic hoof on Liara’s shoulder. “Dr. T’Soni, we don’t know what compelled her to work with Saren or the geth. But she is and you have to accept the fact.”

“I have seen the looks on your crew. They do not trust me.”

Twilight sighed and put her hoof down. “It’s not hard to blame them. You’re technically the daughter of the second in command of Saren after all.”

“I am nothing like my mother, Twilight Sparkle. I have not spoken to her for several years.”

“For what’s its worth, Dr. T’Soni. I do trust you.” Twilight smiled gently and continued, “After all, I did let you peek into my mind.”

Liara seemed to relax visibly. “That is true, commander. It means a lot to me for saying that. Thank you,” she said with complete sincerity. “I’ll do all I can to help you bring down Saren, even if I have to oppose my mother for doing so.”

“That’s reassuring to hear.” Twilight wriggled her shoulders to ease some of the tension out and made to sit on the floor. “Anyway, since we’re here, I’d like to know about you.”

“Me? I am afraid I’m not very interesting, Commander. I spent most of my life on remote digs, unearthing mundane items buried in long-forgotten Prothean ruins.”

Twilight looked at the scientist curiously. “That sounds dangerous... and lonely.”

“Sometimes I’ll run into dangerous indigenous wildlife or small bands of mercenary or privateers. But I was always careful. Until the geth followed me to Artermis Tau, I never found myself in a situation my biotics could not handle.” Liara let out a sour laugh. “I guess I never thought I would be hunted by a race of sentient robots. Sent by my own mother no less, if you are to be believed.

As for the solitude, well, that is one aspect that most appealed to me. Sometimes, I just need to get away from other people.”

Twilight nodded sympathetically. “I understand the feeling. I used to be like that before joining the Normaredy... I would retreat to the library or my room for my studies. Needless to say, I hadn’t had much friends.”

“Huh. I guess we are similar after all. Might I ask why did you choose to do so?”

“It was a silly thing. Really. When I was five, my parents brought me to watch my first Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot City.” Twilight smiled a little at Liara’s quizzical look. “It’s a day where we ponies gathered to watch the Princess raise the sun. An old tradition, dating back to the founding of Equestria itself. Anyway, since it was my first, I was extremely excited. So, there I was. In a crowd of thousands of other excited ponies. In fact, it was so packed that I lost sight of my parents while waiting for the princess to show up. Somehow, I managed to squeeze into the front row...” Twilight sighed wistfully at the memory.

***

The little purple filly looked up in awe from her position squeezed between two pony legs. Just beyond the barrier ropes, a simple wooden platform awaited. Banners displaying the royal insignia fluttered merrily in the light wind, the semi-darkness preventing the young filly from making out any more details. Stern-looking guards stood at attention at either end of the platform. Just beyond, hover cameras captured the unfolding events through their attentive lenses. Though the young filly may not have known it, the guards were more for show and tradition rather than any real attempt at crowd control or bodyguard protection. Still, they looked very imposing and the young filly felt intimidated by their presence. She carefully avoided looking in their direction.

The general excitement of the crowd soon faded into an unnatural silence as the hour of the Summer Sun Celebration approached, the calm before the storm. The young filly found herself holding her breath in excitement, too overwhelmed by the experience to remember that she was supposed to be looking for her parents.

A flurry of trumpets sounded, marking the start of the ceremony. A cheer began to rise from the crowd, and all around the filly, ponies shuffled around, ostensibly to get a better view of the princess. Flash of light filled the air as spectators took their pictures. The young filly, unfortunately, was unable to see through the mess of limbs, and tried in vain to climb above the adults around her. Then she saw her. The Princess. In all her regal glory. She strode proudly past and came to stand just to the right of the filly.

“My little ponies. It is time again for our annual Summer Sun Celebration. As always, I thank you, citizens of Equestria, for doing our nation proud. We now stand tall amidst the races of the Citadel. Without further ado, let us begin the celebration!”

A great roar of approval erupted from the crowd, their infectious enthusiam roused even the young filly to cheer wildly, although she would not know what it was all about. The princess’ eyes glowed and she began to rise in the air, one hoof pointing to the sky. The young filly watched with rounded eyes as magic swirled around the alicorn, her horn lighting up the area like a miniature sun. As she watched, the light from the princess faded. But not because of any diminishing in her power. Instead, a greater light began to rise from the background. For a brief moment, the princess looked like she was engulfed by the very fiery orb; only the faintest outline of her was visible. Just as quickly, the moment passed and the sun rose higher. When the young filly turned her eyes back towards the princess, she was already back on the platform and waving at the cheering crowd.

I want to be just like her, the filly thought.

***

“Fascinating. You ponies still maintain that tradition despite Equestria growing exponentially since its inception?”

“We love our tradition. It’s a way of reminding ourselves of our humble origins... and how far we have come since then. These days, the ceremony is aired through the extranet, convenient for anypony to watch. Yet, the crowd remains as large as ever, with thousands of ponies taking the time to attend in person. Some say the crowds had grown even larger, with all the tourists on Canterlot these days.” Twilight found herself smirking at her last words. The Citadel races, despite their inherent technological superiority, found themselves unable to explain how the royal sisters managed to manipulate the entire Canterlot system to their whims. Decades of study had yielded no satisfactory answer. Just as well, Twilight thought. Sometimes, you’ll just have to accept it is magic. Of course, that explanation did not satisfy the naturally curious salarians and they continued to labour to uncover the mysteries of pony magic.

“I see. What happened then?”

“Ah, after being found by parents and alternately being scolded and hugged? Well, truth be told, I had no idea how to even be like the princess. But I was determined to do it. So I started to read. Any book I could get my hooves on. Eventually I found that magic interested me the most. So I poured my heart into it. Day and night, you probably would find me either in my room, or in the local library. As you can imagine, I didn’t have many friends. Like you, I preferred the solitude.” Liara nodded, listening with rapt attention.

“Eventually, my parents managed to obtain an invitation for me to join the School for Gifted Unicorns. It was especially poignant for me, as the school was ran personally by the Princess herself. Till today, I have no idea what strings they pulled to get that invite.” Twilight rubbed the back of her head ruefully. “Anyway, I went to this exam...”

***

Twilight felt the butterflies in her stomach whipping up a storm. It wasn’t really so much as she was unprepared. Hardly. The library in Hurricane Street was probably her second home by now, and she knew every librarian there by first name. In theory, she was confident she was able to handle any magical tests they might entrust to her. In theory.

The ornate oak doors to the large hall opened, and four grim-faced unicorns filed into the room. Each was dressed in what could only be described as ostentatious formal wear and held a clipboard in mid-air. The four took their place at the back of the hall, staring down at Twilight for several seconds from their elevated position. Then, the middle left unicorn, a cream coloured stallion wearing a decidedly old fashioned spectacle, stood up and spoke in a gruff voice, “Miss Sparkle. Please use your magic to hatch the dragon egg.” As if on cue, a cart bearing a curious purple, green-speckled egg was wheeled into the room.

Twilight gulped, feeling stuffy all of a sudden. Of all the magic schools, nature spells was one of her weakest. She most certainly never tried to hatch a chicken egg before, much less a dragon one. Willing her heart to slow down, she tried to think. It shouldn’t be hard right? Hatching a dragon egg was merely an application of temporal magic to speed up the natural... That was it!

Twilight nodded once and exhaled slowly. That was it. All she needed to do was to cast a time dilation spell to speed up the hatching process. No biggie. She cast a nervous glance at her examiners, who suddenly seemed to loom over her. Flashing them a nervous smile, Twilight turned her full attention towards the egg. The smooth surface of the dragon egg seemed to mock her. Calm down! Eggs can’t talk.

Fighting down yet another panic attack, Twilight closed her eyes and carefully reached deep into herself. Her horn glowed softly, and she weaved her magic on the egg. When done, Twilight’s eyes fluttered open. Apart from a soft purple glow, the egg remained still. Anytime now... Seconds ticked past. Seconds turned into minutes. Twilight’s ears could hear pens scratching behind her back. She could almost imagine four pairs of eyes boring into the back of head. The unicorn licked her now-dry mouth and redoubled her efforts, pouring more and more magic into the stubborn egg. The egg didn’t even stir. Finally, after what seemed like hours of theatrical waving, magic and whatnot, she collapsed on the floor. Twilight could feel the warm tears running down the cheek, even before she heard the inevitable words.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sparkle.”

***

“That must have quite the blow,” Liara said sympathetically.

“Quite. I literally ran out of the room sobbing, past my parents. Right out into the busy streets of Canterlot. I don’t quite recall what I did for the next few hours, only that I walked. And walked. And walked. Then I met her.”

***

“Come one! Come all! The Great & Powerful Trixie hereby challenges you Canterlotians. Anything you can do, I can do better.”

Twilight was dimly aware that she was in the middle of a massive crowd, much like a particular one she had attended so long ago. This time however, the crowd seemed to be actively jeering and booing. Twilight was momentarily jerked out of her self-induced stupor when she felt somepony roughly shoving her from behind. She stumbled forward, the crowd in front of her parting as if by magic. Twilight found herself unceremoniously dumped in front of the crowd, snout-first into the ground.

“How about... you?”

It took Twilight several seconds to realise the speaker meant her. She blinked and looked up, noticing for the first time that the speaker was in fact, a fellow unicorn. Azure blue coat, sliver mane and garbed in the most gaudy star-studded cloak she seen.

“Well? Or has your little pony mind shrunk before the awe that is the Great & Powerful Trixie?”

Twilight felt herself blinking in confusion. “Bwuh?”

“There is no dishonour in backing down, little unicorn. Trixie understands if you do not wish to challenge the most powerful equine in Equestria.” Another roar of disapproval met her words, mixed with some gasps, whistling and cat-calls.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but I accept. One more failure today won’t make a difference.” Twilight’s voice was oddly flat.

“Very well then.” Trixie seemed a little bemused by Twilight’s disinterested reaction. She took off her pointed hat and laid it on the table beside the mare. “A contest of magic then! Name your challenge.”

Twilight blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind. “Summoning.”

“An interesting choice.” Trixie’s horn glowed ever so briefly. Then, with a flourish, she lifted her hat off the table and tilted it upside down. The white head of a bunny poked out of the hat. “It appears Trixie is already ahead of the game,” she boomed, a confident smile crossing her face.

Twilight snorted. It was a cheap parlour trick, which even a foal could do with the right preparation. Her own horn glowed in response. For a moment, nothing happened. Trixie seemed like she was about to laugh when suddenly a dog popped out behind Trixie, barking enthusiastically. She squealed and jumped three feet into the air, landing awkwardly on the ground. The hat dropped to the ground forlornly, and the rabbit scrambled off to freedom.

Trixie glowered at her newest rival, apparently not used to being upstaged like this. “I see you have some skill. Unfortunately for you, peasant, Trixie is not done yet.”

“We’ll see.”

The contest went on, back and forth, the two unicorns summoning ever bigger and more varied animals into the square. Finally, Trixie, visibly spent, stomped her hoof on the ground. “Enough! Trixie tires of this game. The Great & Powerful Trixie shall show you what is true power.” Her horn began to glow brilliantly, and the unicorn dug deep into the ground to steady herself.

“Behold! The Ursa Major!”

A loud roar punctuated her words, and a large clawed foot stomped down on sidewalk next to Twilight. The unicorn looked up to see a huge, angry bear, towering about the square. At the sight of the creature, the onlookers finally realised the danger they were in and began simultaneously erupted in howls of terror. The square quickly emptied as ponies fled the scene, leaving naught but Twilight and Trixie, who by now had collapsed on the ground from the effort. Trixie still held a stupid grin on her face. “Who’s the greater power now, hm?”

Twilight stared at the street magician with disbelief. “Trixie! You unleashed an Ursa Major! It’s going to destroy the city!”

“Pfft. This is nothing. Trixie will be far more than capable in handling any—” A large foot stomped crashed into the ground, sending Trixie squealing into the air. Her pupils shrunk as she seemed to finally realise the magnitude of her folly. “By the suns and moons...” she breathed. With a plaintive cry, Trixie stomped her hooves on the ground. A gout of smoke and blinding light erupted... and she was gone.

This left only Twilight that was within arm length of the Ursa Major. Twilight realised, belatedly, she was now in very real danger of being scooped up and eaten by one angry, giant, celestial bear. Surprisingly, she felt at peace with herself. There was nothing else to look forward to after all. She had failed her life’s ambition. Nothing else mattered.

*Boom!*

The very sound of it startled Twilight. Not for its loudness, for it was merely barely a whisper amongst the more immediate sounds of growls, slobbers and roars of the Ursa Major. But for the sheer unexpected nature of it. Even the celestial bear paused, its massive ears cocked in puzzlement. As the surprise wore off, Twilight thought she heard a melodic tune floating past her ears, so faint that one might miss it, yet at the same time, buzzing insistently in her ears. The unicorn glimpsed what seemed to be a rainbow radiating outwards from the horizon. For a moment, it seemed to be a signal. A sign which Twilight’s unconscious mind seized upon as a beacon of hope. Even as the rainbow dissipated, she felt a new surge of power run through her being. Her heart began to race, her mind suddenly emptying itself of any and all distractions. There only was her, and the Ursa.

“Stop it.”

The ursa roared back at Twilight, plainly not understanding.

“STOP IT!”

The entire world turned white.

***

“The next thing I knew, I was lying facedown on the street, with somepony touching my shoulder. Turns out, it was the Princess herself, who witnessed my little... ‘act’ of heroism. I was told the bear was punted clear of the city and back into the wilderness known as the Everfree Forest. My... breakthrough also inevitably discharged several beams of magic, effecting various transformations on poor passerbys and buildings. Ironically, one of my magic discharges made its way back to the Canterlot Academy for Gifted Unicorns and struck the egg that I was struggling with earlier, driving it to hatch. A small purple dragon emerged.” Twilight smiled at the memory. “Spike. My life-long friend and number one assistant.”

“Fascinating. Do you have these bursts of power since?”

“No. The first thing the princess did was to adopt me as her personal student in the School of Gifted Unicorns. She said she had never seen such raw potential in somepony so young. Which, in hindsight, was probably pretty obvious. Trixie was already an accomplished magic user and I stood toe-to-toe with her for well over an hour. Me, a high school student who had just failed her entrance exams.” Twilight found herself chuckling softly. It must had surprised Trixie even then.

“Needless to say, she quickly taught me on how to control my magic, and the words of power to completely dampen my magical ability; at least temporarily should my own self-control fail. So far, it has worked.”

The asari leaned back on her chair, and stroked her chin thoughtfully. “What about Trixie?”

“Her? Oh. The Royal Guards found her hiding out in a motel. She was sentenced to three years of hard community service. Naturally, she blamed me for this humiliation.” Twilight had to stifle a laugh. The very thought of the Captain Trixie in an orange jumpsuit doing community work was amusing. “After being forced to work in community service for a year, the Princess made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. The princess made it clear she saw incredible talent in Trixie and would like her to sign up for the military. Naturally, Trixie accepted, much to her chagrin. From what I was told, she quickly adapted and eventually weaseled her way into command of a ship. Don’t ask me how, but she was named as the commander of the Normaredy before I was. I do like to believe the princess didn’t know better, but I suspect she was testing me. The princess does so love her little jokes.”

Liara chuckled softly, apparently quite amused by Twilight’s own insights. “If the princess is anything like my mother, yes, it is quite probable. I wish my life was as memorable. Looking back, the entire reason I came to be an archaeologist was to spite my mother.”

“Why in Equestria would you do such a thing?”

“I suppose it comes from being a matriarch's daughter. People expected me to follow in Benezia’s footsteps. They wanted me to be a leader of our people. Matriarchs guide their followers into the future. They seek the truth of what is yet to come. Maybe that’s why I became so interested in the secrets of the past.”

“Ah. Do you not wish to lead your people?”

“No. I always somehow manage to find something... embarrassing to say around other people. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Okay. Do you know why Benezia joined Saren?”

“I don’t understand it. She was always outspoken about the need for the asari to become more involved in shaping galactic events. Maybe... Maybe she thought of allying herself with Saren would somehow be for the greater good in the long run. At least, I hope so.”

Twilight shook her head. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“None of these make any sense! I have not spoken to Benezia for many years, but I know her! And this is not like her. Something’s changed.”

“For her sake, and ours, I hope you’re right, Liara. I hope you’re right,” Twilight replied. The asari nodded sadly, and turned away.

***

[ESV Normaredy, Pax System]

Poneria gleamed like a pearl in deep space, its brilliant white and blue surface contrasting sharply with the rust coloured blobs that made up the Horse Head Nebulae in the background. From Twilight’s vantage point on the pilot’s deck, it was quite a stunning view. The fact that they reached Poneria in record time despite the appalling condition of their ship was a miracle in by itself.

Rarity, with the able help of Tali, was able to keep the Normaredy running in spectacular fashion as they made the week-long run from Stirrum to the Artermis Tau mass relay. For two weeks, the two worked frantically, repairing malfunctioning subsystems using whatever parts they scavenged and patching others with nothing more than duct tape and engineering brilliance. The frigate managed to limp to the primary relay in the Artemis Tau cluster. By the time they reached the mass relay in the Poneria system, Rarity was singing praises of her quarian friend, even going so far as to making her number two in the engine room.

“So that’s Poneria? Doesn’t look like much,” Applejack commented, scratching her head.

Twilight shook her head as she studied the planet. “Appearances can be deceiving, Applejack. Poneria is one of the few planets in Citadel Space that isn’t under Citadel law. Neither it is under Alliance’s law, since it is technically a privately owned colony.”

“What? You mean that... somepony owns a planet? All of it? How is that even possible?” Rainbow Dash sputtered.

“A company actually. The Poneria Development Corporation. Two dozens of some of the biggest movers in the bio-technology, cybernetics, and other companies at the edge of high-end technology all invested in this corporation. I think you can imagine how much credits went into acquiring this particular piece of real estate.”

“Probably bribed a dozen Citadel officials to help smooth things along as well,” Garrus remarked.

“I hear the technologies being developed here are absolutely cutting edge. I would love to take a look at their latest hardware...” Rarity’s voice trailed off as she noticed Rainbow Dash and Garrus staring at her. “I mean, um, yeah, Poneria is definitely a scum of villainy and thievery!”

Twilight rubbed her chin. “It’s not all bad. I mean, some of the galaxy’s latest breakthroughs in biotic implants did originate from here.”

Garrus snorted. “Yeah, if you overlook all the unethical testing that slipped under C-Sec’s radar because of their ‘special’ status.”

Twilight had to give him points for that. Poneria was the lynchpin of many wild conspiracy theories, mostly involving some shadowy organisation funding hugely illegal research in order to develop forbidden weapons of mass destruction or mind control. Hyperbole, obviously, but like all rumours, it had a grain of truth to it. Poneria was the go-to place for research subjects that were controversial or unsafe to be conducted in Citadel space, since the planet was technically not under Citadel rule and thus not subject to its laws. The Princess herself had expressed concerns multiple times regarding Poneria’s unorthodox status.

“Well, we’re here to look for the Matriarch, not judge them, much as I hate to admit it,” Twilight said. Even with her Spectre status, it wouldn’t do to push her luck with the locals. She was but one mare.

“Approaching Poneria space, Commander. They’re requesting authorisation,” Scootaloo’s voice crackled over the intercom.

“Tell them we’re on Council business.”

“Aye, aye.”

***

[Port Heihe, Poneria]

Decontamination complete. Logged: the commanding officer is ashore. XO Ditzy Doo has the deck.

Twilight was immediately greeted with a blast of chilled air as the airlock hissed open. The unicorn shivered as puffs of smoke escaped through her nostrils. Spike was right, I should have worn my scarf. The spartan docks were definitely not built for passenger comfort in mind.

Liara stepped out to stand beside the unicorn. “I am quite thankful that I am somewhat used to these cold conditions. Living out in remote dig sites does have its perks.”

“Lucky for you, Twilight, I pack extra every time we visit a cold planet,” Rarity added, a snug pink scarf wrapped around her neck. The engineer took out another scarf, a tasteful purple. If Twilight hadn’t known better, she would have sworn Rarity knew exactly what Twilight needed. “Come on darling, you need to the extra warmth.”

“T-thanks...” Twilight said, through her chattering teeth, as the scarf wrapped itself around her neck. She felt a little better. Just a little. She comforted herself with the thought that the main facility should be warm. “Come on, let’s not stand around,” she said, leading the party towards the dock’s entrance. Her hooves clattered noisily on the icy metallic surface as they approached the nondescript metal doors that marked the exit of the port. She noted the unusually large security detail at the door, complete with automated turrets and drones. These guys don’t do things in half.

The guards moved to bar their way as they approached. A griffin, and three ponies, all heavily armed. “Halt! That’s far enough,” the griffin said, raising a sharp talon. “This is an unscheduled arrival. We will need to confirm your credentials.” His voice was one who brooked no dissent.

Twilight stared at the griffin in bemusement. Credentials? Spectres didn’t exactly carry namecards around. She tried reason. “I am Commander Sparkle, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Haven’t Scootaloo passed the message?” The guards seemed to be slightly taken aback by her words.

“Since when they made ponies Spectres...”
“... She looks more like...”
“... You got to be kiddin’...”

The griffin waved for his charges to be quiet. “Sorry ma’am, I can’t let you out of the port area without confirmation,” he said politely but firmly. One talon was resting comfortably on the pistol on his hips.

A red-coated unicorn standing beside the griffin spoke up. “They look like trouble, captain. Maybe we should disarm them first.”

The griffin nodded. “Very well. Sergeant Thistle, you have my permission to disarm these ponies.”

Twilight’s expression hardened. Disarm her? Not while a potential criminal was on the loose. “What? Look, I’ve already contacted—”

“Captain, we have identified this pony. She is authorised to bear weaponry,” a feminine voice spoke over the port’s loudspeaker. “Stand down your guards, and give her my regards.”

The griffin glanced at the loudspeaker in annoyance, but waved his fellow guards down. “You may proceed, Spectre. I trust you will not cause trouble while you’re here,” he said warily, eying her up and down. He gestured for his guards to open the doors.

Twilight gave the griffin a small smile, noticing the small badge on one shoulder that proudly displayed his name: Captain Viktor. “I’ll try not to, Captain Viktor.” She gave him a superfluous salute and marched past the griffin towards the now-open doors. The unicorn tried to ignore the stares from the guards and the automated turrets being pointed in her direction.

***

The reception hall was warmer than the frigid docks, for which Twilight was thankful. The white, sterile walls here reflected the purposeful nature of the facility. The hall itself was devoid of any other decoration, save for a small curtain waterfall in the middle of the room and some spartan seats beside the reception counter. Just behind the counter, she could see weapon detectors emplaced in the walls.

A cheery earth pony receptionist greeted them at the counter. “Welcome to Poneria, Spectre. Secretary Zecora would like to welcome you personally. Please wait here,” she said in a silky voice and motioned for them to wait.

“This place could use some more sprucing up,” Rarity commented as they took their seats. Twilight shrugged in reply. It was apparent the PDC had decided the money was best invested in more practical applications rather than wasteful decorations.

“It’s a research colony. I think decorations are at the bottom of their priorities,” Twilight replied dryly.

Rarity just shot Twilight a withering look. “Some day, Twilight, you’ll learn that art is worth more than the bits you spent it on,” she said, imperiously.

“... Yes, Secretary, they are right here.” A shuffle of hoofsteps could be heard behind the counter. The unicorn turned in time to see a zebra dressed in a formal white uniform stepping out of the hidden area behind the counter.

“Commander Sparkle, I must presume. Accept my sincere apologies, before you fume.” she spoke in a slow, rhythmic manner, almost as if she was reciting a poem. The zebra gave a short bow. “I bid you welcome, little ponies, to our humble abode on this snow-covered world.”

Twilight had to repeat her words twice in her mind before she deciphered the meaning. “Uh... hello. Pleased to meet you.”

“Questions I see in your pony eyes. Ask anything you desire and be wise.”

“I have one. Why is a zebra working in such a place? I thought your kind don’t stray off your ancestral lands on Canterlot,” Rarity said.

“Ah, a normal zebra, I am not. I yearn for the stars; to stay at home, I simply cannot.”

Twilight crooked an eyebrow upwards at the cryptic reply. “O-kay. So, why all the heavy security?” she tried again.

“The facility is a private institution, and so security was the solution. Our investors pay for the best, and thus we are at their behest,” Zecora explained in a matter-of-fact manner. “I do hope the commander watches her step, ponies here don’t take too kindly to outsiders.”

“Relax, we’re not here to step on anypony’s hooves.”

“I am pleased to hear that, for too many troubles start from a simple spat.”

“Anyway, I heard Matriach Benezia passed by recently. Any idea where she went?”

Zecora’s eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise. “The asari matriach of great renown? It is known she had departed from town. Peak 15 is now where she stays, where Binary Helix holds sway.” Her eyes narrowed a little. “Unfortunate it is, that the administrator has barred all access; you would need to acquire permission to progress.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. Nothing was ever simple it seemed. “Fine. Where do we find this administrator?”

“Down towards the main elevator, first left off the main plaza yonder. Should the commander require further assistance, this zebra would be happy to provide guidance.” Zecora looked at Twilight questioningly. The commander shook her head.

“I think we can find our way around.”

Zecora gave another of her short bows. “Very well. I wish you luck in your quest, and may the rest of your journey be made in zest.” She turned with a clip of her hooves and disappeared behind the reception counter.

Twilight sighed and waved for her squad to follow. “Let’s go meet this ‘Administrator’ then.”

***

[Anoleis’ Office, Port Heihe]

By the time they reached the office, Zecora was already at her station in front of the administrator’s office. The zebra nodded at the Spectre and pinged her boss on the intercom. “Mr Anoleis?”

“What, what?” came the impatient reply. Twilight recognised the trademark salarian twang in the voice. It didn’t surprise her that a salarian would be the one leading a research outfit out here. The entire species was known for its scientific prowess.

“Our mutual friend is here for her audience, do you wish to meet with her and her companions?”

“Yes, yes, send her in. And stop that silly rhymes! It annoys me.”

Twilight frowned slightly at the administrator’s treatment of his secretary. The administrator seemed to be an impatient person, at least. For Zecora’s part, she seemed not to mind and gestured for the group to proceed to the office in the hallway beyond.

Twilight trundled past Zecora’s table and made for the unmarked glass doors that marked the administrator’s office. The portal opened soundlessly as they approached the door, revealing a modestly furnished office. Twilight’s eyes were immediately drawn to the adult salarian seated behind the large desk in the middle of the office, holoscreens and datacards stacked haphazardly on his desk. From the untouched appearance of the rest of the office, it was evident where Anoleis spent most of his time.

“You’ll excuse me if I don’t get up to greet you,” he began without preamble as Twilight trotted in. “I don’t have time to entertain nerdy bookworms.”

Twilight felt an eye twitch at his words. “I see you read my files,” she said evenly, determined not to lose her temper over his baiting.

“Only a fool would enter a negotiations without knowledge of the other parties’ tendencies,” was the nonchalant answer. The salarian blinked and steepled his fingers. “This greeting is only a courtesy. I’ll only cooperate as required by the Executive Board. Businesses come here to avoid the second guessing of galactic law.” His large amphibian eyes were studying each pony and asari coldly.

Straight to the point. A blunt alien, this one. “Very well. My sources tell me that an asari matriach has passed through here recently. Matriarch Benezia?”

Anoleis didn’t miss a beat. “She arrived a few days ago, accompanied by a personal escort and some cargo. She’s up at Peak 15.”

“Cargo? What kind of cargo?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Large, heavy and sealed. It passed weapons screening. Beyond that, it is not our concern.”

Twilight herself was intensely curious about the cargo. What could Benezia possibly be bringing out here? But she would have to find out later. “What brought her out here?”

Anoleis shrugged. “If I knew I wouldn’t be at liberty to say. Lady Benezia was here as Agent Saren’s executor.”

Twilight eyes bulged. “His what?” she blurted, hoping to have heard the last part wrong.

Anoleis rewarded Twilight with a disdainful look. “E-xe-cu-tor. Agent Saren is a major shareholder in Binary Helix. Lady Benezia is authorised to act in his name.” The commander frowned. Apparently news of Saren’s disgrace hasn’t reached this remote research outpost. Or Anoleis chose to ignore it. Either way, it bode ill for their mission.

“She’s here on business for Binary Helix. There were issues in Peak 15 that required Agent Saren’s attention.”

“Issues?”

The salarian’s eyes hardened. “As I said earlier, I am not at liberty to disclose confidential information,” he said coldly.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. I need to see her.”

“I’m afraid that you cannot. Peak 15 is a private facility in the Scathi Mountain. Regardless, there is a blizzard in that area. Shuttles are grounded and surface access is cut off.” Anoleis seemed to be taking great pleasure in throwing obstacles in front of Twilight.

Rarity snorted in disbelief. “Now you’re pulling our tails. Don’t you have pegasi weather teams for these?”

“They’re currently occupied in the southern region of the planet, calming a hurricane at Peak 12. I was told they would be unavailable in a few days. As good as you ponies can be, you still cannot control the weather all the time.” He seemed to sneer at the trio for a moment.

“We have our own pegasi—”

“Cut. Off. I said. Don’t make an issue of this.”

“Commander, perhaps it would be best to find another way,” Liara said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I can see that.” Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her own rising temper. “Very well, I have no further requests. I’ll see you around, administrator,” she said.

Anoleis waved them off dismissively and turned his attention towards his computer. “Good. I received seven new urgent messages while we were wasting each others’ time.” Twilight gritted her teeth and turned away without a reply.

“Don’t worry, darling. We’ll find a way to get to Peak 15 with or without his help,” Rarity said as they walked out the door and began to head toward main plaza.

“Commander, I think the secretary is waving us over,” Liara commented. Twilight blinked in surprise and turned just in time to see Zecora walk up to them.

“My little pony, I see your meeting was not fruitful. Fear not, for there are others who might be useful.” The zebra glanced around shiftily. “Lo’rik Quinn. He wishes you well, and could be found in a certain hotel. Alas, I cannot stay to attend, lest I betray all to our mutual friend.” Zecora winked conspiratorially and brushed past the group, apparently on business of her own.

“Oh-kay... what was that all about?” Twilight said, blinking in confusion.

Liara stroked her chin thoughtfully. “I think there might be more going on that meets the eye, commander.”

“Well, let’s see what this... Lorik Qui’in has got to say,” Rarity said, trotting off towards the plaza.

***

[Hotel Lounge, Port Heihe]

The group found their mysterious friend in Port Heihe’s only luxury hotel’s lounge. The fact that the turian was the only one who seemed to be sitting alone, unoccupied by business, in contrast to the rest of the lounge, was a giveaway. As was usual for most turians, white face paint adorned his facial platings, a bygone relic of a strife-torn era for turians. Lorik seemed to perk up as Twilight approached his table.

“Afternoon. Sit down, have a drink. What can I do for you?” he greeted, evidently expecting her.

Twilight nodded back pleasantly but elected to remain standing. Her companions did the same.. “Lorik Q’uiin, I presume. I heard you might be able to help me.”

Lorik nodded in response. He gestured with his half-empty glass at Twilight. “You’re the Spectre that just arrived, are you not? What could an old turian like me possibly help you with?”

“I need to get to Peak 15. Anoleis won’t give me permission to go.”

Twilight swore she could hear the turian chuckling, though all she saw was the corners of his lips curving upwards. “Ah, you need a way up. How fortuitous.” He took a sip of his drink, and let a brief silence punctuate the air.

“Yes, very.”

“I’m the manager of the local Synthetic Insights office. For the moment at least. Mr. Anoleis closed my offices. He claimed to be investigating reports of my corruption.”

“Corruption?” Liara interjected.

Lorik just smiled thinly and leaned back into his seat. “Mr. Anoleis is a very interesting person. He has become quite wealthy since he took direct control of the rents.”

Twilight nodded slowly. So their mutual friend was corrupt as well? Somehow, that did not surprise her the least. “Interesting. Go on.”

“I have acquired evidence of his actions. He has his hired goons ransacking my office to find it as we speak. If you can acquire the evidence, I will give you my garage pass — it should let you bypass security — and a sum of credits.”

“Twilight, how about the blizzard? The roads would be treacherous!”

“Oh, you actually bought his song-and-dance about bad weather?” Lorik chuckled and took another sip of his drink. “There has been no actual bad weather for years now since you ponies moved in. I must admit, your pegasi weather teams are most efficient.”

Twilight already half-expected the administrator to lie through his teeth, so this wasn’t really a shock. Still, it was nice to have confirmation. “Hm... this changes things. We could actually fly up there. Though I doubt Anoleis will let us take a shuttle to the place.”

“Actually, don’t we have pegasi who can fly us there?” Liara mused.

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “I think you have something there. They won’t even need to carry us all the way.”

“Oh? Do elaborate.”

“I have this spell for cloud-walking. With it, we could actually ride on a cloud with the two pushing us there. I’m sure Rainbow and Fluttershy could tow us to the facility faster than if we used ground transportation.”

Liara looked sceptical. “Commander, that sounds a little dangerous. Wouldn’t it be easier to just borrow a shuttle?”

“Not quite. You can be sure Anoleis has his own guards inspecting each and every shuttle passing through his airspace. Besides, I’d like to avoid killing innocents if necessary. The spell is simple enough to cast. I cast it a dozen times myself.”

“There’s still the air defenses clustered around each outpost in this planet. Not to mention the possibility of them using pegasi or fighters to intercept us.”

Lorik coughed discreetly, interrupting the discussion. “Perhaps I could assist you in that. I have also come into possession a few local weather pegasi transponders. It should let you fool the anti-air defenses.”

Twilight smiled thinly and eyed the turian with renewed interest. “Interesting, Mr Qui’in. One would have thought you didn’t engage in such activities.” Not such a reputable character yourself, huh? she thought silently to herself. Still, they would need his help if they were to make any progress on this desolate outpost.

Lorik just shrugged off the subtle jab at his character. “In troubled times like this, one must take all sorts of precautions. I trust my deal is acceptable?” He seemed a trifle impatient now.

Twilight thought a little more about the offer before nodding firmly. “Fine. We’ll do it. Make sure to have the goods on hand when we come by to pick it up.”

Lorik leaned back into his chair, his mood seemingly very much improved. “Very well. Oh, and I should warn you, violence against Mr Anoleis’ thugs may be necessary. He has members of Heihe’s security team searching my office. Captain Viktor is unaware of their outside employment.”

“We’ll... manage. One way or another.” Twilight shuddered as she considered the prospect of needlessly complicating their stay here with killing members of the security, even if they were dirty. Not only she found killing to be abhorrent, on the practical side, far too many things could go wrong. She noticed Rarity giving her a disapproving look from the corner of her eyes.

Lorik produced a colourful plastic card from a pocket and slid it across the table. The unicorn caught the card and raised an eyebrow. “Excellent. Here’s the pass to my office. The elevator should take you straight to the floor.” Twilight nodded and stowed the pass in her saddlebags. Sensing there was little else to discuss till she got the job done, she began to turn away.

Lorik, however, had one final instruction for the unicorn. “Oh, and keep the blood stains off the carpets, will you?”

***

[Main Plaza, Port Heihe]

Twilight had a thoughtful expression on her face as they rode down the hotel elevator. “So, all we have to do is to go into his office...”

“Illegally.”

“... and retrieve whatever information he stored...”

“Illegally.”

“... and hand it back to him?”

“Illegally.”

The elevator chimed and the doors opened to the main plaza of the complex. The sounds of the busy plaza filled Twilight’s ears as they strolled out towards the office complexes on the other end.

“Oh hush, Rarity. It’s not like we haven’t broken the law before... not intentionally at least. Besides, it looked like Anoleis had something to hide. The turian hinted as much.”

Rarity shot her another black look. “I still don’t like all this business of sneaking about. We’re civilised ponies, not some batarian brute from the Terminus Systems who bludgeons their way through everything they cannot get their hooves on. I’m sure we can come to—”

A hesitant voice called out behind them. “Sis?”

Rarity stopped mid-sentence, her face frozen in surprise and shock. “Sw- Sweetie Belle?” she stuttered.

Twilight blinked in confusion. Another relative of her crew? What were the odds of that? She studied the young filly that called out to them. About the age of Apple Bloom, with cream coat. Her curly pink and purple mane was neatly bound into a tight bun. The resemblance between the two was quite uncanny. Her green eyes were both lively and intelligent.

“Rarity! What are you doing here?” she asked, in a somewhat nasal voice.

“I should be asking you the same thing, Sweetie Belle. I thought I left you to watch my boutique on New Atlanta.”

“Yeah... about that...” Sweetie Belle said sheepishly, a guilty expression suddenly crossing her face. An awkward silence followed, with the filly fidgeting nervously.

Rarity was clearly not amused. “Sweetie Belle. What. Happened. To. My. Boutique?” she asked in a dangerous voice.

“It’s fine! I promise! I’m just here to look over a new line of accessories I thought would be a good addition to the shop.”

Rarity blinked in surprise. “What accessories?”

“You know, the new shield modulators Synthetic Insights were planning to release? I hoped to negotiate a deal to add them to our latest Heavy Armour line. Together with your patented exoskeleton design, I thought maybe... we could have a shot of finally get one of those big contracts to outfit of those private security firms. You know, like TriSec.” Twilight had to dig deep to recall where she heard the name TriSec before. From what she could recall, it was a relatively largish security firm based on New Atlanta.

The change in Rarity’s expression was remarkable. Shock, surprise, pride, worry. All that flashed through her face in rapid sucession before she composed herself. Sweetie Belle flinched when Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. “R-Rarity?”

“Sweetie Belle... I’m proud of you for taking such an initiative. I knew you had a good business sense... but this... this might actually take our business to a whole new level...” Rarity hugged her sister tightly.

Sweetie Belle seemed to too surprised to react properly. Her hooves clung to Rarity’s back. “Wow... thanks, big sis,” she said, a little surprised, though there was no doubting the sincerity of her gratitude.

Liara however, seemed baffled by the whole affair. “Just hold on a minute here. Rarity, your boutique sells armour?” she asked, seemingly incredulous at the whole affair of a boutique for armour pieces. Twilight herself wasn't fazed. Ponies had stranger ways of making their living.

“Why yes. Only the finest custom made armour on New Atlanta,” the engineer replied proudly, puffing her chest.

“Who would even buy such—”

“Um... well. It’s still a small market. Give it time...” Sensing her opportunity to change the awkward subject, she quickly turned her attention back to Sweetie Belle. “As for you, Sweetie Belle, there are still standards to uphold, young lady! What were you thinking coming here alone?”

Sweetie Belle raised a hoof to object. “B-but...”

Rarity was having none of it. “Do you know how dangerous Poneria is?! This is the Traverse, not Canterlot! Equestrian laws do not apply here. What happens if you got yourself into trouble?!” she continued, as if her sister never spoke.

“But...”

“No buts. You’ll march yourself to the Normaredy and let Rarity take care of this. I will not have you endanger yourself any further!”

“But!”

“I think you might want to listen to your big sister, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said.

Sweetie Belle looked like she just swallowed a whole mouthful of baked bads, her eyes flitting between Rarity and Twilight. Finally, she sighed heavily. “... Fine. I’ll... go and wait at your ship.”

Rarity nodded with approval. “That’s a good girl.”

“I’m not sure you could get anything done, since Synthetic Insights are closed anyway. I been waiting around for them to reopen...”

Twilight glanced slyly at Rarity, who suddenly became very interested in the floor. “Don’t you worry, Sweetie Belle. I’m sure we’ll have a chat with the boss of Synthetic Insights himself...”

“Oh, that’ll be great! Um... see you later then...?”

“Yes, Sweetie Belle. Run along now.”

Twilight waited until Sweetie Belle disappeared in the direction of their ship before turning to Rarity with a sly smile of her own. “About that job...”

Rarity waved her friend away impatiently. “Yes, yes. When do we start?”

Twilight smiled. “This evening. After office hours.”

***

[Synthetic Insights, Port Heihe]

Twilight glanced about furtively as they stood about in front the main office complex elevators. Despite the lack of attention from the local guards so far, she remained wary about the possibility of being discovered. There would be many repercussions if they were found out.

Rarity herself seemed to be remarkably unconcerned. “Let us begin,” she said softly, and pressed the card against the reader. Immediately one of the elevator doors opened, chiming softly.

“Quick,” Twilight hissed, ushering everypony into the elevator. The seconds seemed to tick by slowly as she watched the glass doors close slowly and felt the lift beginning its ascent. She breathed a sigh of relief, before gesturing for her companions to ready their weapons.

After minutes of anxious waiting, the elevator finally slowed to a halt and chimed again. The glass doors slid open to reveal two pony guards aiming their weapons at the trio. “Freeze! This office is closed for investigations.” As if to punctuate their warning, their assault rifles clicked menacingly.

Almost by reflex, Twilight had already started channeling her magic, though she soon felt a hoof gently tapping her shoulder. She turned to see Rarity slowly shaking her head. “Let me,” she mouthed. Twilight blinked for a moment before letting her magic dissipate. She let Rarity step past her towards the guards. The ERCS guards tensed visibly and focused their weapons on the white unicorn.

To their surprise, Rarity just smiled. A deadly, predatory smile. “Tsk tsk. We all know what’s really going on here. Now why don’t both of you be a dear and run back home before we tell on you?” The guards flinched a little at her casual words.

“I... uh... ”

Rarity clicked the safety off her gun, then decided to admire the filings on her hoof. All the while keeping the same smile on her face.

“Dude, we’re not paid for this. Let’s bail,” the first guard said, his voice verging on panic.

“... Right.”

The two guards squeezed past the two ponies and rode down the lift before anypony else could say a word. “Huh. You certainly have a way of charming colts,” Twilight commented.

Rarity flashed a smile, this time a friendlier one. “Being a lady, my dear Twilight, does not mean one is helpless. Now come on, let’s move before more of these brutes decide to investigate.” As Rarity brushed past her, Twilight had to wonder what exactly Rarity did before coming to be the chief engineer of the Normaredy.

***

“Here we are,” Twilight exclaimed. She popped out from underneath the massive desk that dominated Lorik Qui’in’s office, holding up an OSD triumphantly. “Exactly where he said it would be.” The unicorn carefully stowed the storage device in her saddlebags. Liara, who was cautiously peering out the door, motioned for the group to hurry.

“Let’s go,” Twilight said firmly, and made to move out of the plushly decorated office.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here.”

Twilight stopped in her tracks as a small group of guards appeared, surrounding the only entrance of the office. She frowned as a red-coated unicorn emerged from the lines of stone-faced ERCS guards. The griffon’s second-in-command. His green eyes glittered with malice as he grinned triumphantly. “Thank you for finding the data disk for us. It makes my job so much easier.”

“You? You’re working for Anoleis? For shame,” Rarity spat, eyeing the leader with contempt.

The corrupt ERCS sergeant just smiled. “Smart unicorn. Too bad you won’t be walking out of here.” His eyes roved up and down Rarity’s flanks. “Pity, you had such a nice body too. Would be a shame to waste such beauty.” His smile grew wider as Rarity turned purple with contained rage.

“Sergeant Thistle, what do we do with the intruders?” one of the guards asked.

“Kill them and dispose of their bodies. Spectre or not, they still die to a bullet to the head.” A series of clicks answered his order, the goons under his command prepared to fire their weapons.

“Enough,” Twilight shouted, her eyes flashing with anger. She stomped her hooves on the delicate marble floor, and sent a shockwave reverberating towards the guards, throwing them off balance and shattering the office’s glass windows and doors. Whoops. Looks like Lorik was just going to have pay for clean up after all, Twilight idly thought as she sprinted out of the room and leapt off the balcony, landing on the floor below with a clipped thud. She turned just in time to see Rarity and Liara landing smoothly beside her. Relived that her friends escaped as well, Twilight looked up towards the sergeant, who had somehow managed to stagger to the balcony railings. “Let’s not be hasty. Walk away and we won’t be forced to put you down.”

Sergeant Thistle opted to sneer at Twilight. “Hah, you won’t be getting away that easily. My ponies have this office surrounded. There is no way you’re getting out of here alive.”

Twilight shook her head sadly. “I hoped to avoid this. Very well. I do what I must for Equestria.” Her horn lit up brilliantly again with a intense purple glow, eliciting a frightened shout from the guards. She hovered off the floor, crackling with magical energies.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Shoot her!” Sergeant Thistle screamed. Nopony seemed interested in obeying in the slightest, to her dismay.

Rarity stared at the sight with foal-like wonder. “Twilight...?”

“Rarity, I think seeking cover would be a very good idea now,” Liara said, dragging the unicorn under an overturned desk. The entire room was enveloped with brilliant blue light. A loud voice boomed throughout the room.

“In the name of the Princess, SLEEP!”

***

The disheveled ponies (and asari) that emerged from the elevator were a far cry from the group that went up earlier on an ostensibly simple retrieval mission. Rarity blew a stray lock of mane off her eyes and eyed her equally tired friend. “Twilight. Warn us next time before you to do that. At the very least you could let us find some decent cover.”

“Sorry... I wasn’t really thinking all too hard at the time...” Twilight replied, resisting the impulse to just rest her head on the cool floor and sleep off her momentray fatigue.

“Commander, I can see you weren’t exaggerating about your previous stories. I admit I found them to be quite the tall tale,” Liara commented, brushing the dust off her suit.

Twilight’s cheeks coloured slightly and looked away. “Yeah, it was something I practiced for quite some time...” she said, a little embarrassed. “I’m glad it worked so well.”

Rarity chuckled softly. “I can see why you got that M7 now, Twilight. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

Twilight paused in her hoofsteps, turning to look at Rarity. “You wouldn’t be scared of me now... would you?” she asked, a little hesitantly.

“Nonsense, Twilight. Why would—”

“I am pleased to see you return unharmed. Many others would have perished unlamented.”

“Zecora?”

“This matter is quite unpleasant, yet it is important to all that is present. It is imperative we talk, and it would be unwise to balk. The hotel bar is open and there, we must leave nothing unspoken.” Zecora glanced at the timepiece on her foreleg, for a moment, before continuing. She seem to note the disheveled appearance of the ponies with disapproval. “Do get yourself tided up, you looked like you just woke up.” With that, Zecora turned and disappeared down the corner, leaving the befuddled ponies to ponder on her cryptic words.

“I wish she wouldn’t do that so often. It’s so unbecoming of an official of her position,” Rarity said.

***

They found the mysterious zebra exactly where she said she would be: at the hotel bar. This time however, there was something subtly different about how the zebra carried herself. Instead of the deference and polite respect she exuded throughout their prior meetings, there was now an authoritative air around her. She gestured for them to take seats beside her.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. Zecora, Poneria’s Internal Affairs,” she said in a crisp voice, her Zebraic accent almost gone. She smiled a little at the bewildered faces of Twilight and Rarity. “Yes, contary to most ponies’ assumption, zebras are perfectly capable of normal speech. We just do not use them most of the time. Over here, things are a little different, and one must adapt. After all, you cannot hardly expect a krogan or even a hanar to understand the subtle nuances of Zebraic speech.” Zecora had the tact to leave out the fact that even ponies did not understand their neighbours at times. Said misunderstanding had led to wars in the distant past.

“So, why all the secrecy? What is an Internal Affairs agent doing here?”

Zecora chuckled and resumed in that slightly accented Equestrian. “The peculiarities of Zebraic culture has its uses, especially in a place like these. Nopony takes a zebra with that funny accent seriously. Anoleis thought he finally had a break when I transferred in from HQ.”

Twilight just nodded slowly, beginning to take stock of the situation. Evidently, there was some sort of political jockeying going on and she just walked right into the middle of a brewing firestorm. The fact that she was just a convenient pawn for the various parties to juggle around did not escape her.

“But let us not dawdle any longer, for time is short and profits at stake. The Executive Board knows of Anoleis’ corruption. I want you to convince Qui’in to testify before the Board. With his evidence, this planet can run profitably again.”

“How did you...?”

Zecora slipped back into her more traditional speech. “If you recall, it was I who spoke of Qui’in. I know of his troubles, much to his chagrin.” Her blue eyes glittered with amusement.

“Of course. How else would you set us up?”

“Commander, we still need his... passes to get to Peak 15,” Liara interjected.

“Ah, Spectre, favour for a favour. The way will be clear, on my honour.”

“Darling, I strongly suggest we follow this lady’s advice. Anoleis is a thieving cad that should be brought to justice. If we can get our ticket up to the mountain along the way, it’ll be just cherry on top.” Twilight glanced at her friend for a moment, before nodding in agreement.

“Very well then. Let me see if I can convince Qui’in.”

***

“What? You have my property and now you presume to dictate me on how to use it?” Qui’in barked.

Twilight winced. It was a reaction she half-expected, and he actually sympathised with him on this one. “Look, Mr Qui’in... I’m sorry we’re backing out on our end of the deal, but it is really for the best. Anoleis is frankly a criminal, and we should be working together to bring him to justice.”

Lorik glared back. “I’m not interested in helping those Internal Affairs lackeys to apprehend their own. They all are the same, corporate bureaucrats who do nothing but profit off the back of honest businessmen like me.”

That struck a nerve with Twilight. This selfish turian was willing to put his own interest above that of the common good? She kept her voice pleasant, although she could feel her own face tightening slightly. “Mr. Qui’in. I do not wish to threaten you, but I am the one holding your OSD now.” She smiled a little as the turian recoiled briefly. That certainly got his attention. He recovered gamely and stared back at Twilight with an impassive face.

“Very well. I’m listening.”

“Mr. Qui’in... Lorik. I understand you’re leery about trusting the authorities in this one. After all, it was one of them that had closed down your business in the name of ‘corruption’. I assure you that Zecora is nothing like Anoleis. If it helps, I’ll make sure Zecora properly rewards you for this.”

“Think about it. You’ll be hailed the hero who brought down the oppressive rule of Anoleis. You’ll be famous!” Rarity added, with a touch of her own dramatic flair.

For a full minute, Lorik stared at the two ponies in disbelief. Then, he shook his head and gulped down the rest of the drink. Putting down his now empty glass with a audible clink, he chuckled softly. “It is quite odd to see such idealism. Odd... but refreshing.” Twilight held her breath. This was it. Either he agrees or he walks away.

Lorik did not disappoint. “Very well, since I cannot convince you otherwise, I will testify in this trial of yours. Tell this... Zecora, I will be her witness.”

Twilight let out a small squeal of delight. “Thank you!” she cried, hugging the turian.

Lorik seemed a little perturbed by the hug and gently eased Twilight off as best he could without being rude. “Please, do not thank me. I fear I will regret this when I’m sober.”

“A boon, Mr. Qui’in, if you will,” Rarity said, stepping past Twilight.

“What is it? Haven’t I already given you enough?” Lorik replied, his voice wary again.

“I think you will like this proposal...” Rarity said with a small smile, before leaning forward and whispering into the turian’s ear.

Lorik smiled slightly as he listened, and nodded at Rarity as she stepped back. “Interesting proposal... hm... this could work. Tell this... Sweetie Belle to call me on my personal number later. We will need to have a talk. I won’t make any promises, but I am cautiously interested.”

Rarity beamed. “Mr. Qui’in, I do most appreciate your time.”

***

Zecora nodded happily as Twilight relayed the good news. “Relived I am, that Qui’in saw reason. Truth to be told, I wasn’t at all certain.”

“Okay, time to hold your end of the bargain. Let us through the air defense grid.”

“It has already been done, Twilight Sparkle. The skies are yours for your gamble. Please understand this never happened, and all shall be denied if questioned.” Zecora was certainly still interested in covering her own flank in case Twilight’s mission went pear-shaped. Not that it mattered to the Spectre. She did not intend to fail.

“That’s fine by me. This should ease our journey considerably.”

Zecora rummaged through her drawer to produce a pistol. “Only one more matter left to wrap up. The criminal behind all this must be locked up.” She winked at Twilight, and smoothed down her uniform. Satisfied that she was properly ready, Zecora stepped into the hallway and disappeared into Anoleis’ office.

A series of shouts and sounds of a minor scuffle later, Zecora reemerged with her hooves firmly holding Anoleis’ thin arms in a lock hold. “This is an outrage!” he shouted, much to the amusement of the ponies outside.

“Please cease your cries of disdain. I assure you, your protests are in vain.”

“I demand to see my lawyer! I’ll make sure you won’t work in this sector again!” Anoleis’ face was contorted with anger, and he continued his feeble struggles.

“Child, your threats are hollow as the cold air. Might I suggest you spare us the despair?”

“Zecora! You will regret this. Sparkle! I know you had a hand at this. I won’t forget this insult!” Anoleis cried.

Ignoring Anoleis, Zecora tilted her head in goodbye at Twilight, before marching the still-struggling salarian off towards the port. Twilight could still hear Anoleis shouting insults long after they disappeared from view. Mostly about how he would take pleasure in grinding them under his boots.

“Well, good riddance to bad apples, as Applejack might say,” Rarity commented.

***

[Briefing Room, ESV Normaredy]

Rainbow Dash paced impatiently in front of the viewscreen as the ground team filed into the room. She huffed as the last of the ground team took their seats and tapped the screen. “Okay everypony. Since you guys are unfamiliar with basic safety on pegasi cloud structures, I’m going to give a crash course so that we won’t have any accidents later. Fluttershy, bring up the next slide please.”

The viewscreen switched to a mouth-drawn diagram of a cloud. A dead silence permeated the room as everypony absorbed the masterpiece shown on the screen. It resembled one of those hastily sketched doodles one might do during a boring lecture. It even had the requisite stick figures and smileys. Unsurprisingly, the briefing room burst out in laughter, with the loudest coming from Applejack and Wrex.

“Pony, where did you learn to draw? From a child’s nursery? I seen weanlings who drew better than this,” Wrex bellowed, clutching his sides in mirth.

Rainbow Dash flushed angrily and stomped her hooves. “Hey! This is the best I can do with only an hour prep time, okay!”

“Dash, it might be better if you let me handle the art next time. At least I know how to use a graphic illustrator program,” Garrus quipped, much to the delight of the rest and earning a murderous glare from Rainbow Dash.

“Um... girls. Maybe we should...”

Rainbow flew up to the turian and poked him angrily on the nose. “Oh yeah, if you’re so smart, why don’t you give the presentation, huh?”

Garrus held up his hands in mock surrender. “C’mon, Dash, relax. It was only a joke,” he said, a little defensively.

“Girls...?”

Rainbow Dash snorted, her wings flaring. She looked ready to engage in fisticuffs. “Yeah! Well, it wasn’t funny!”

Wrex cracked his knuckles. “If it’s a fight you want, I’ll give you one.”

“Bring it on, fish-head!”

“GIRLS!”

The entire argument juddered to a halt. Fluttershy squeaked as eight pairs of eyes fell on her and used the suddenly inadequate table for cover. “Um... maybe we should start the presentation before Benezia gets away... you know... um... I mean, if it’s okay with you.”

Twilight quickly stepped in before Rainbow and Wrex could resume their grudge match. “Yes, please. Rainbow, we promise not to laugh okay?” She glared daggers at the worst offenders. Applejack had the grace to look ashamed, while Wrex just shrugged nonchalantly.

“No promises, Sparkle.”

“Just try, okay?”

Wrex grunted and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Twilight took that as a sign of his agreement and waved for Rainbow to continue.

Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, so here is a graphical representation of a cloud...”

***

[Landing Pad, Port Heihe]

Twilight stood at the edge of the landing pad, scanning the skies for signs of Rainbow and Fluttershy. Ankle-deep snow swirled around her feet, threatening to bury the unicorn. Twilight was glad that Rarity took the time to install a personal warmer in her M7 suit. Otherwise, she would be freezing her hooves off in this weather. Apparently “calm” weather in Poneria meant the absence of snowstorms. Snow falls like these were considered to be mild, even when they bury a pony three feet under the snow. Twilight was surprised at how unsurprised she was by the absurdity of the Ponerian’s weather classification.

“I wish Rainbow would hurry the hay up. A snowstorm ain’t the best place to be standing about,” Applejack said, the earth pony billowing great puffs of steam as she huddled near the blast doors. AJ seemed to have an even lower tolerance of the cold than Twilight herself.

“Weeeee!” Pinkie shouted, sliding all over the snow. The party pony had already built an improbably large snowfort already in her first ten minutes outside.

“Sorry!” A familiar rainbow blur approached from the distance, together with a large cloud formation trailing behind her. Twilight could just glimpse the fluttering of yellow wings behind the cloud. Fluttershy must be pushing from behind.

The two pegasi pushed their chosen cloud down onto the half-frozen landing pad. Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Twilight. “You have no idea how long it took to find an ice-free cloud of a suitable size,” she grumbled.

Twilight nodded with approval at their choice. It was about twice the size of the Mako, and the insides appeared to have been hollowed out to accommodate passengers and to protect somewhat from the chill. “All right! All aboard the Cloud Express. Let’s get this show on the road!” Rainbow Dash called out. Twilight went first and stationed herself the small opening, casting her cloud walking spell on each pony that entered the “transport”.

“Wow, I never knew clouds felt this soft...” Garrus said, leaning forward as he stepped through the slightly too-small opening. “Then again, I never thought I’ll be stepping on a cloud myself.”

Tali took her seat on what appeared to resemble a seat and prodded the soft material with a gloved finger. “Remarkable. Is this how clouds really feel like?” she said with wonder.

“Please don’t poke the cloud. It’s um... very fragile...” Fluttershy reprimanded shyly.

“Yeah. Trust me, it ain’t pretty if we lose integrity in mid-air and we all have to catch you...” Rainbow added, patting down an errant stump on the cloud’s exterior.

Twilight was the last to enter the cloud “cabin”. “We better hurry. The cloud-walking spell will only last a few hours and we have a long way ahead of us. Rainbow, are you sure you can get us there without being detected?”

“No problem. With Fluttershy’s help here, we should be able to cruise below Peak 15’s anti-air defense grid and get to the emergency entrance on the south side with nopony the wiser.”

Fluttershy seemed to wilt under the expectant gaze of the group. “Uhh... Rainbow, I’m not sure...”

“Trust me.”

“Let’s go then!” Twilight said, glad to be finally on her way. One step closer to finding Saren and with luck, finding out and stopping his master plan.

***

It was dark. So dark that she could almost reach out and touch the inky darkness. If only her hooves weren’t bound.

Just like a certain Nightmare once upon a time.

The pony shook her head clear. Not this time. She would not be so weak as to fall again. Once was one time too many.

Once again, she tried to reach out to her magic. Any magic. Her horn let out a weak fizzle, but that was it. The pony grunted with effort and tried again. She was rewarded with a stronger fizzle. Worn out even by this weak effort, she slumped again to the floor, panting slowly.

A slow clap sounded behind the bound pony. “A valiant struggle. But ultimately futile Princess. I have taken steps to... ensure your safety.”

“Who are you?”

“My name? I am known as the Prophet by the geth. But you may know me as Saren.” The sharp intake of breath brought a smile to the turian’s face. “You will learn to serve. As everyone on this ship did.”

Chapter 9

[Scathi Mountains, Poneria]

Ponerian weather was definitely not for her, Fluttershy decided. Despite the special thermal flight suit she was specially assigned for this trip, she had been anything but warm, with the bone-chilling cold somehow managing to seep through despite her best efforts. Even her hoofcovers managed to acquire a layer of frost within fifteen minutes of flight. At least she had Angel for company, the bunny volunteering to stay with her despite the atrocious temperature. Even now, she could feel the comforting weight of Angel riding on her tail.

“Fluttershy, we’re approaching the Peak 15 sensor range. On my mark, we’re going to ease the cloud down slowly,” Rainbow’s voice crackled over the radio.

“Remember, we’re supposed to remain hidden. So no heroics, Rainbow. Just ease us in, nice and slow,” Twilight added.

“Relax, I got this.” Rainbow’s confident voice made Fluttershy relax. Just a little.

Not for the first time, Fluttershy wondered how she was managed to be roped into this. Just three months ago, she had been living her dream on Appleloosa—caring for animals and adjusting to life on a new, pristine colony. The next thing she knew, monsters landed and started to do horrible things to her friends. The weeks after that had been a blur, anchored only by the fact that she had followed Twilight because she had nowhere else to go. To her dismay, they seemed to lurch from one life-threatening experience to the next. Still, she had grown close to this strange group of ponies and aliens that were following Twilight around in their quest to save the galaxy. She found herself opening up to Rarity and Tali in particular. She took to Rarity for their shared interest in fashion and the fact the unicorn took her in like an older sister. As for Tali, she found her to be a pleasant conversation partner, ever since their little talk in the park—

“Fluttershy! Concentrate! We’re drifting off-course,” Rainbow barked.

“Y-Yes!” Fluttershy squeaked, adjusting her course to match Rainbow’s lead. She felt a tap on her shoulder just then, and turned to see Angel pointing downwards. Blinking, Fluttershy glanced down, following the rabbit’s outstretched paw. It took her a moment to recognise the domed shape amidst all the craggy rock formations below. Ominously, the dome seemed to whirl and move as she watched, growing steadily taller in profile. Her eyes widened as the dome unfolded to reveal what even her inexperienced mind recognised as some sort of large gun.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Fluttershy quickly fumbled for her radioset, and said quickly, “T-Twilight! There’s a big gun below us!”

“Huh, what?” A few second of silence. ”Rainbow, she’s right! I’m detecting multiple heat signatures coming online...” A deep intake of breath from the other side of the radio. “These aren’t standard Ponerian defense turrets. Unknown IFF. These must be geth. They must have known we were coming.”

“Rainbow, I’d be mighty appreciative if we’all didn’t die on this here planet,” Applejack dryly added.

“Yeah, way to encourage a pony, AJ,” Rainbow replied. “Hang on!”

Fluttershy yelped as the precious vehicle they were pushing along suddenly took a nosedive, leaving her pushing empty air for a moment. Shouts and curses echoed through the radio accompanied the sudden course change.

Scant seconds later, she reflexively ducked her head, as a searing bolt of plasma passed mere inches from her mane. The shock of the near-miss was enough to spur her on to catch up with Rainbow. “W-Wait!” she exclaimed softly, angling her body downwards to catch up with the speeding cloud. All around her, explosions and plasma fire began filling the air, making her wince and yelp with each close call. It seemed like the entire world was filled with fire and smoke.

“Pony! I swear if I die on this miserable planet I will haunt your afterlife and kill you there too,” Wrex snarled.

“How crude,” Rarity managed to admonish, before going off in another shriek as their makeshift vehicle swung abruptly to the left. A few stray rockets trailed past the cloud as they dove through the air and towards the general direction of Peak 15.

“Fluttershy! We need to get to ground as soon as poss— Gyah!” Rainbow cried, a bolt of energy narrowing passing through the air space she had just occupied. “Just push!”

“R-Right!” Fluttershy blurted, willing her wings to go faster. She squealed as another barrage of blue plasma whirled past her. Finally, reaching the cloud, she laid her hoof to the soft structure and begin adding her own effort to the desperate move. Just beyond the outline of the cloud, Fluttershy could finally make out their destination, a cluster of low buildings set into the mountain. A tall tower, adorned with all manners of radio dishes and antennas, jutted out from west end of the compound. The only relatively open area she could make out was a flat clearing on the east side of the compound. On the edge of the snowcapped cliffs, she could make out a thin gray line, presumably the sole road winding around the mountain leading to the facility.

“I knew we should have taken the goddamn Mako!” Wrex said, anger infusing his voice. “At least we wouldn’t be in danger of falling to our death.”

“Shut up, Wrex. Rainbow can handle this,” Garrus snapped.

Fluttershy was suddenly aware of how fast the snow-covered landing pad seemed to be growing. Too fast for any form of controlled landing. “Uh... Rainbow, shouldn’t we um... slow down—”

“Are you crazy? Those turrets would—Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!” Rainbow broke off in a cry of pain. Fluttershy snapped her head towards her fellow flier, just in time to see Rainbow dropping back, the fringe of her left wing smoking slightly. It looked like a surface burn, but it was enough to cause Rainbow to fly unsteadily, every beat of her wings causing Rainbow to wince in pain.

“R-Rainbow?”

“I’m okay!” Rainbow said, in a strained voice. “Just land this thing before they actually score a hit.”

“B-But... I don’t know if I can...”

“You can, Fluttershy. Just keep going. I can already see Peak 15 from here,” Twilight encouraged. Fluttershy squeaked as another bolt of angry energy passed between her legs, punching a neat hole through the fluffy material.

“Oh-okay!” Fluttershy replied, willing her wings to pump harder, straining to push the bulky cloud past the hail of fire. She wasn’t really adding to the speed of the ride, but at least it was still moving.

“By the goddess!” Liara squealed as yet another plasma bolt pierced clean through the cloud, following by a mad scramble of curses on the radio. Amongst the chatter, Fluttershy could pick out a familiar bubbly voice squealing with joy, as if this was a ride on the theme park.

Fortunately for them, the volume of fire decreased as they neared the facility at almost sonic speed. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as the ground seemed to rise up to greet them all. She squeezed her eyes shut, fervently hoping that her passing would at least be quick and painless.

*Fwumph!*

The cloud disintegrated into vapours of air as it hit the snowy ground at full speed, causing everyone to tumble out onto the snowed under landing pad. Fluttershy herself bounced off a dissipating cloud, and landed belly first into a mound of soft snow. The pegasus lay still for a moment, taking the time to savour the lack of pain and the fact that she was still breathing. Miraculously, she didn’t seem to have broken any bones. Moments later she heard another smaller wet thud beside her. From the angry chitter, it appeared Angel had survived the crash as well.

“Hey, everypony alright?” Rainbow gasped as she finally fluttered down on the pad.

“No thanks to you, Dash,” Garrus said good-humouredly, as he sat up from the edge of the landing pad. He nonchalantly scraped the snow off his mandibles and face, and looked up at Rainbow Dash as she trotted over. “Good thing clouds are as soft as they look... You need help there?” The turian hurried over to the injured pegasus and began inspecting her wings. Against the Rainbow’s protestations, he began applying medigel on the smoking wound.

“A little help here?!” Rarity cried. Fluttershy, who just managed to extricate herself from her little snow pile, quickly trotted over to where two primly manicured rear legs was sticking out. Applejack, who seemed to have the same idea, trotted up from behind and took one leg. Fluttershy, naturally took the other. With a mighty heave, they plucked Rarity out of her mound of snow.

“Oh, my mane! My beautiful, beautiful coifs! Ruined by the snow,” Rarity wailed as she inspected her tousled mane.

“Aw shucks, Rarity. It ain’t so bad.”

Rainbow Dash piped up from the other side of the landing pad, “Yeah! I mean, it’s not like you got shot or anything.” She punctuated her sentence with a yelp as Garrus began bandaging the wing. “Garrus, watch it!” She glared at the amused look the turian gave her.

Rarity scrunched up her face and let out a loud hmph. “Why, I never!”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile shyly as Rainbow Dash and Applejack alike shouted down Rarity, then at each other. Even after that close brush with disaster, they still found the spirit to make banter. It really surprised the sheltered pegasus. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Tali making a beeline for the green-hued door marking the entrance to the facility. The quarian kneeled, her omni tool already active in her forearm, the other hand navigating through the control panel. Pinkie bounced beside the quarian, apparently assisting.

“Hah, these geth aren’t as formidable as they appear, if they cannot even shoot us out of the sky,” Wrex said. He looked none the worse for wear.

“Actually, we were probably lucky there,” Twilight said, shaking the last of the snow out of her mane.

“Oh? Explain, Sparkle.”

“Those turrets are firing via visual acquisition. We don’t have the normal heat signatures that a shuttle would give off, and that makes targeting us all the more difficult. A conventional shuttle would have been downed the instant it even approached the mountain range. We’re lucky we stayed undetected for as long as we did.”

Wrex snorted, clearly not convinced. “I thought our weather passes are supposed to bypass those defenses?”

“They did. Matriarch Benezia installed her own defense guns apparently. I guess the geth don’t mind the cold as much as we do. At least they didn’t install any guarding this close to the facility. I guess they didn’t expect anypony making it this far.”

The two stopped as a loud chirp pierced the wind roaring in the background. “Door’s open, commander,” Tali radioed. Apparently, she had been busy unlocking the door while they were talking.

Twilight only hesitated briefly before moving towards the now-open door. “Let’s move, ponies.” The commander quickly cantered past Fluttershy, and was followed by the rest of the team on her tail. As she debated whether to follow the team in—staying outside in the frigid cold seemed preferable to almost certain death inside—Fluttershy felt a weight settle on her back of the team in. She turned to see Angel glowering at her, shotgun in paws.

Fluttershy sighed and began trotting into the darkened interior. “Yes, Angel. I know. Twilight needs all the help she can get.”

***

[Peak 15, Poneria]

The last geth trooper fell to the floor with a metallic thud, its head shot clean off by three different guns. Twilight grimaced as she waved away the steam from her submachine gun and holstered her weapon.

“Where is everypony? We seen nopony but geth,” Twilight wondered aloud as they stepped into the room at the end of the hallway. She picked her way through the overturned tables and chairs, in what appeared to have been a cafeteria in a happier time. Much of the lighting were dimmed or turned off, as if the entire complex had suffered a massive power outage.

“Beats me,” Rainbow said, shrugging. Her ears perked up as a synthetic female voice boomed over the intercoms.

“User Alert: All Peak 15’s facilities sustaining heavy damage. User Alert: Biohazard materials present throughout the facility. Virtual Intelligence user interface offline.”

Applejack scratched her head. “I thought we’re s’posed to break into breaking into the place, not be the cleanup crew. What the hay happened?”

“I don’t like the sound of biohazard materials, Twilight,” Fluttershy squeaked. Angel, who was riding on her mane, pumped his shotgun and frowned.

Tali looked up from her omni-tool. “It appears the main reactor for the facility is also offline. They’re running on backup power at the moment.”

“Whatever it is, it’s too late to turn back now.”

Twilight led the group through the cafeteria down another steel-lined corridor. Just around the corner was another unmarked door. Looks were deceptive though, as Twilight remembered from memory that this should be one of the security checkpoints guarding the outermost ring of the facility.

“Alright, get ready. They should know we’re in by now,” Twilight whispered, a hoof on the control panel. A series of radio clicks indicated her team’s readiness. A brief glance around showed that her ground team was already taking cover behind whatever they could find, though the sight of Wrex crouching behind a slightly too small table nearly brought a chuckle to her lips.

The door released a hiss, before sliding open smoothly. Twilight pressed herself against the wall as soon as the door opened, expecting the corridor to be filled with metal and fire shortly. Five seconds. Ten seconds... nothing.

Twilight blinked and peered cautiously around the door. The security choke was empty. Actually, not quite empty. Several security turrets, set on tripods were up and active. Oddly enough, Twilight noticed they were facing towards the inwards. The security room beside was likewise empty, as far as she could tell from the blurred reinforced glass.

“Why... are the turrets facing inwards?” Tali questioned.

Rarity joined Twilight’s side and studied the turrets. “It looks like they’re trying to keep ponies from getting out.” She grimaced slightly at the thought. “But why?”

“Ooooh! Maybe they’re having a big party and they don’t want anypony missing out!” Pinkie added.

“I don’t know. Something feels weird about this...” Twilight said, going over to deactivate the turrets. “Keep your eyes peeled, ponies. I have a feeling we’re walking into another big mess.”

“Sparkle, I think that’s becoming all too common around you,” Garrus quipped.

***

Twilight stepped through the elevator doors cautiously. So far, the facility had been quiet. Too quiet. Except for a few more stray geth, they did not encounter any more resistance past the security checkpoint. The station VI kept repeating its announcements, as if to warn any deaf enough not to heed its warning the first time.

A quick hack by Tali on the computer systems showed that that they were currently still in the central Peak 15 hub facility, where most of the support systems were contained. There was a tram system that they were supposed to be able to take to reach the real heart of the facilities: the laboratories of Binary Helix.

Twilight tapped her omni-tool again and brought up the map of the facility. “Okay, we should be coming up to... administration offices. Beyond that would be the hallway leading to the VI core and the support systems.”

“No problem,” Rainbow said, pushing past Twilight towards the closed door. Twilight’s eyes fell on Rainbow’s bandaged wing. It suddenly occurred to Twilight that she probably won’t be flying for quite some time. The door slid open as Rainbow approached, and they were immediately greeted with a blast of freezing cold air.

“Oh dear, did the life support system break down?” Rarity commented, wrapping her scarf around her neck tightly.

“Looks like somepony left the freezer open,” Pinkie said cheerfully.

Twilight peered into the room, noting the large gash in the normally impenetrable armoured glass windows looking out onto solid ice. The interior was blanketed in snow, and more was pouring in through the crack. “I think the VI wasn’t exaggerating when it said they suffered heavy damage. Not many weapons can break armoured glass.” They slowly filed into the room after a cursory glance indicated that it was just as abandoned as the rest of the facility.

“I don’t think we have to worry about weapons...” Tali said, walking ahead and kneeling down beside a fallen geth. With a loud snap, she wrenched the head unit off and held it up. A half-chewed geth head unit. Twilight cringed as her imagination began to run wild. Was Binary Helix working on some secret, forbidden xenobiology project? And now their creations are loose in the facility? Or did they unearth a previous unknown alien race which then ran amok in the facility?

Twilight’s train of thought was derailed by a high-pitched wail, followed by what seemed like skittering. The group tensed, weapons held at the ready.

“What the hell was that?” Garrus said, swinging his rifle about slowly.

“This better not be zombies, Twilight. I hate zombies,” Dash added, her own sniper rifle unfolded on her shoulder back and following her head movement gently. Twilight caught Garrus rolling his eyes.

Rarity let out a most unladylike snort despite her best attempt not to. “Oh, Dash. You’d loved it on Appleloosa.”

Twilight frowned. “No... it doesn’t sound like zombies. More like... insects...” Sure enough, they heard the skittering again. This time, it seemed like it came from under their feet.

“This feels like one of them bad horror holovids...” Applejack remarked, swinging her rifle on her two hoofs warily.

The next thing Twilight knew, the entire room erupted into chaos as the ventilation duct covers exploded in a mass of angry mandibles, poisonous spit and green writhing horrors. She watched as a swarm of small green aphid-like creature crawled up toward her... before exploding in a shower of green goo. Eyes widening in horror, the commander rolled and narrowly dodged the liquid, which splashed on the metal floor. The liquid fizzled and bubbled angrily as Twilight rolled away. She quickly resolved to make it a point not to get hit, ever. The next swarm was already reaching her by the time she got to her feet. This time, however, she swatted them away with a telekinetic shockwave, leaving them to splatter harmlessly on the metal walls.

“Ponyfeather! The green goo stings like a nest of angry bees!” Applejack cried, hopping from one leg to another in a vain attempt to shake the offending liquid off the armoured piece on her right leg.

“Careful! These creatures are loaded with some form of corrosive acid,” Liara shouted. She quickly put a table to squash the little aphid-like creatures and quickly jumped away as the table melted.

“A lil’ too late for that, sugarcube,” Applejack dryly replied. The soldier had shook off the armoured boot, leaving her right foreleg exposed to the elements. The discarded armour piece lay on the ground, slowly melting into its constituent elements.

The room shook as a grenade erupted, taking out most of the swarm of little green insects. “Hah! Nothing a grenade can’t solve,” Wrex said, his battle rifle barking away steadily. The floor was now covered in green offal and puddles of bubbling acid, happily eating away at the metal floor. “These puny creatures are not worthy adver—”

A loud crash interrupted the rest of Wrex’s words. Twilight looked up in time to see a large insectoid creature crawling out of a hole ripped in the walls of one of the offices. Its sleek red carapace gleamed in the light, as the creature reared up to its full height—about twice as tall as Twilight. Sharp, gleaming, large mandibles and a pair of thin, wavy tentacles arising from its midsection all spoke of a creature bred for one purpose only: to kill. True to form, it immediately lashed out at the glass window separating it from the group, cracking the glass with a solid thump. It reared back and spat a glob of green liquid at the offending barrier; the crack widening with a slow fizzle. Another quick stab and the glass shattered.

Letting out another piercing hiss, it took several step towards the group... before a dozen bullets ripped through its torso. The creature thrashed and fell to the ground, quivering and twitching in its death throes. A brief silence fell as the stunned group first stared at the creature, then at each other.

Garrus was the first one to lower his rifle. “Well... that was an anticlimax.”

Another series of the same shrill piercing cry answered the call. The large ventilation grates that had lined the room and the offices beyond began to rattle ominously.

“Garrus, shut up,” Rainbow said, as the first of the grate flew upwards, revealing the top of another red-caraspaced nightmare.

Gunfire filled the room as more of the creatures emerged. Wrex let out an angry roar and charged down the nearest alien, bashing its skull in just as it clambered out of the opening.

“They’re using the ventilation systems!” Twilight shouted. She lifted one of the dislodged steel grate and slammed it against another of the creature that emerged. The metal connected with a sickening crunch, and crushed the creature’s head. It slumped to the ground, hissing even in its death throes. Just as Twilight stepped back, another emerged from the opening, spitting green acid, its tentacles lashing furiously against the unicorn. Twilight deftly stepped back out of reach and brought her submachine gun to bear, firing as she retreated behind a desk.

More and more emerged even as the defenders cut the first wave down. The small green aphid-like creatures made a second appearance, further complicating matters. Grenades exploded, magic and biotics swept the creatures aside and volleys of weapon fire cut swathes into the advancing xenos. Still, they were slowly, but surely being pressed to against one corner of the room.

Then suddenly, just as suddenly as it began, the horde of creatures stopped pouring through. The remaining creatures charged in a suicidal frenzy, only to be met with a wall of bullets.

“I think that didn’t turn out too bad, right?” Garrus said, brushing a stray chunk of offal that landed on his arm.

“Except for the few close calls with acid to the face you mean,” Rainbow retorted.

“Well, what’s life without some excitement, eh Dash?” Garrus replied, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes.

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you two could stop bickerin’ and find me a spare right boot...’ Applejack said, picking her way gingerly across the pile of insectoid corpses that had piled across one of the entrances.

Rarity was quick to the rescue. “Applejack! You really have to cover that hoof. We don’t want to lose a limb to frostbite now, do we?” She fussed over Applejack’s exposed hoof, before taking out another scarf. The engineer only hesitated for a second before wrapping it snugly around the hoof. “There! That should tide you over till we get a spare.”

Applejack favoured Rarity with a small, but sincere smile. “Thank, Rarity. I guess all that fashion hubbub has its uses after all.”

“Applejack, someday you’ll learn that fashion always has its uses. Anyway, happy to help.”

Twilight smiled a little as she walked past, carefully picking her way past the corpses, to join Liara who was kneeling, studying one of the fallen alien.

“Commander, those insectoid creatures, have you seen them before?” Liara asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No. I don’t recall seeing such a creature in my studies. Then again, xenobiology is a constantly evolving field, and Binary Helix could have found these on the frontier.” She glanced at the gently steaming corpses that lay beside her. “They must have attacked before we arrived. I wonder just how many they are.”

“I wonder what they had hoped to gain from them,” Garrus said. rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Twilight nodded. “Whatever they were doing, our top priority is still Benezia. If we can stop their plans along the way, then it’s a bonus.” The commander peered carefully into the adjoining corridor, noting the lack of pony-eating giant bugs. She waved for the team to move on.

***

They reached the core after fighting through several more of xeno-infested corridors. The VI core room itself was a spartan affair, consisting of only a circular room and a hollow CPU tower in the centre of the room. An elevator led down to the main controls of the VI unit, which was actually housed underground. Rarity, being the natural tech guru of the group apart from Tali, had gone down to manually start the VI unit on backup power.

“So, what do you think caused the facility to go dark?” Tali said, folding her arms over her chest.

“Assuming those creatures are from the labs, I think we can safely assume a biological weapon gone wrong. If this was what Saren has been working on...” Twilight felt a chill run down her spine, despite the mind-numbing cold. As if as a reminder, the VI echoed its announcement again.

“There!” Rarity’s voice shouted with glee. A steady hum began to emanate as various panels began to light up in sequence on the outer circuit banks of the circular CPU core. The elevator returned with the triumphant engineer, her face beaming with pride.

Twilight saluted Rarity as she stepped off the platform. “Good work, Rarity. Now let’s get this station running and find out where Matriarch Benezia is.”

Just as the words left her mouth, an image of a holographic pony appeared beside the two. Twilight was startled by the sudden appearance, though she quickly regained her composure. It intoned in a smooth monotone synthetic female voice, “It appears you’re trying to restore this facility. Would you like help?” Twilight stared at the VI for a moment, debating on whether it was trustworthy or not. Technically it could be programmed to stonewall any potential intruders. However, she took comfort in the fact that VIs were only allowed a limited amount of independent thought and throughly limited in their capability for critical analysis.

Rainbow Dash snorted behind Twilight. “Well, duh?”

Twilight ignored the snide remark. She began earnestly, “Yes. My name is Twilight Sparkle, Commander of the ESV Normaredy.”

“One moment please.” The VI hologram shimmered and flickered. “I am sorry. You are not authorised to secure access of this facility. Please contact the technical team for support.”

Twilight smacked her hoof against her head. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake...” she groaned in disbelief.

“Commander, maybe you could try using your Spectre rank instead?” Garrus suggested.

Twilight very nearly smacked her own face again. How could she have forgot? “Oh. Right,” she answered sheepishly. “Authorisation for Commander Sparkle, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance.”

“One moment please... Council authority confirmed. You are entitled to secure access of all systems. Please note that queries regarding to corporate secrets require privileged access that is only available to Binary Helix executives. This system is ready to process queries.” The VI stared at the commander with a blank look.

“Well, looks like Binary Helix thought of everything. Anyway, how do we refer to you?”

“This construct is programmed to respond to the name Mira,” the VI replied.

“Very well. Mira, where is Matriarch Benezia?”

The VI did not hesitate. “Lady Benezia has made her way to Rift Station. User Alert: Tram links between the Central Hub and Rift Station is currently offline.”

“We... kind of got that. Mira, what happened to the facility?” The million bits question, Twilight thought.

“One moment please...

Diagnostics in progress...

Critical failure: Main reactor shut down in accordance with emergency containment procedures. Manual restart required.”

“C-Containment?” Fluttershy blurted nervously.

“Must be those creatures we fought earlier. No wonder the whole place was deserted.” Twilight felt a chill run down her spine. If even their emergency containment failed, these creatures must have overran the whole place.

“Turn off the heat and hope the cold puts whatever you unleashed to sleep,” Wrex commented.

“Didn’t work too well, by the looks of things.”

Mira was not finished with her report. “Critical Failure: Landlines connection are disabled. Passenger tram systems are offline. Report complete. Do you have any additional system queries?”

“Great. Sounds like we have to repair both before we can get to Rift Station.”

Mira interpreted that as a statement directed to her. “That is correct, Commander. Would you like to know how?”

“That would be appreciated.”

“The main reactor system can be...”

***

“There’s that,” Twilight said with satisfaction as the group reassembled in the VI room. “Good job, ponies.” She nodded at the team led by Garrus who went to the roof of the communications tower to reactivate the land lines. The turian’s team had no trouble reaching the roof, with only a few more of the ravenous xenomorphs barring their way.

Twilight herself led the other half to reactivate the He3 reactor of Peak 15. To their surprise, what remained of the geth seemed to have holed themselves in the reactor room, delaying the fire team. They found themselves unable to advance, being caught in a crossfire on an open walkway leading to the reactor proper.

It was Angel who finally broke the stalemate. The shrewd rabbit crept forward unseen through the ventilation system, and reappeared in a small vent above the largest geth that was spewing deadly plasma on the fire team. The oblivious geth—a Geth Prime as Twilight later nicknamed it—did not notice him until it was flying halfway down the reactor core. The fire team wiped out the remaining opposition in short order, and restarted the reactor as instructed.

She turned towards Mira, who seemed to be politely waiting for the commander to make a request. “Mira, please reactivate the tram station between Central Station and Rift Station.”

“Very well, commander. Tram link activated.”

“Good. Now send a distress signal towards Port Heihe requesting reinforcements. Warn the port authorities that unauthorised weapon emplacements are in place around Peak 15 and they would need to approach with extreme caution.”

“Acknowledged, commander. Message sent to Port Heihe’s administrator.” Twilight briefly recalled the fate of the former administrator of Poneria. The memory of the salarian being led away to his fate brought a small smile to her face. Then she sobered. That meant Zecora would probably be the one receiving the message, though Twilight herself was unsure how the system worked in the event of a temporary power vacuum. Perhaps removing the administrator wasn’t such a good idea. The idiots in Port Heihe will be debating over how to pass the buck.

“Twilight, what now?” Applejack said.

“Now?” Twilight brought out her sub machinegun and slid the safety back. “Now, we go to Rift Station and bring Matriarch Benezia to justice.”

***

[Rift Station, Peak 15, Poneria]

“Now arriving in Rift Station. Please secure your belongings before leaving the tram,” Mira intoned.

The tram slowly rumbled into the station, giving the passengers inside a clear view of the battle-stricken place. The station looked like it could comfortably serve dozens of passengers at any one time, with two platforms hanging out from the main waiting area. A deadly firefight had clearly taken place in the station, with upturned benches, pockmarks from bullets, various piles of rubble where the ceiling caved and the occasional splatter of blood or ichor. Not much of the combatants remained though. Twilight presumed the fallen were consumed by the ravenous creatures. The sound of Fluttershy gagging over the sight was indicative enough of the rest of the crew’s feelings, with the possible exception of Wrex.

“... That’s just plain wrong,” Applejack said slowly.

“Goddess... it looks like the survivors tried to make a run for the trams,” Liara said.

Wrex snorted, slinging his assault rifle over his broad armoured shoulders. “And they failed miserably.”

Rainbow Dash pressed her snout against the window, her breath making leaving a fine mist of the glass. “Well, we can’t just leave them here, can we?” she croaked.

“Damn straight. They might be workin’ for Benezia, but they sure as hay don’t deserve a death like this,” Applejack said, tilting her hat back. “Not even them batarians deserve it.”

The tram finally coasted to a stop, the glass doors sliding open. Despite the cold, Twilight could taste the sharp tang of death and decay in the air. Grimacing, she cautiously peered out of the tram, her submachine gun floating steadily beside her. Seeing nothing, she waved for Wrex and Applejack to scout ahead. The two moved past her and took up positions covering the only walkway leading to the tram.

The team secured the station arrival hall and soon found themselves looking at the three doorways leading off the arrival hall. One led to the Hot Labs, where Twilight presumed was where they held the dangerous experiments. One more led to the Xenobiology Research Laboratories I and II. The last door was unmarked, but appeared to lead to a secure storage facility-cum-maintenance area of the station.

“Where to?” Twilight said.

“I think we can safely rule out the Hot Labs,” Tali said. The quarian thumbed through the undamaged console she had found behind the reception counter. “The security logs indicate that the containment failure started there. No further logs beyond the initial report.” Twilight could add two and two together. The Hot Labs was probably overrun by the creatures by now.

Rarity spoke up from her position by the unmarked door. “I don’t think we can go through this door, Twilight. Somepony had locked down access on both end. It’s not possible to bypass... at least not without considerable time.”

Twilight bit her lower lip a little as she mulled over her choices. “I guess that leaves the Xenobiology labs,” she finally said, trotting towards the elevator.

***

The first thing Twilight sensed when the elevator door opened was the overwhelming stench of decomposing alien bodies—even worse than the arrival hall. The second was the sound of bullets ricocheting over her head as she reflexively ducked behind the elevator walls. The third was that the corridor beyond was barricaded haphazardly: filing cabinets, assorted desks and even one that Twilight suspected was once a lab table piled over the small hallway.

“Stop firing, you idiots! The aliens never used the elevator before and they sure as hell won’t this time,” a gruff voice shouted over the commotion.

“Glad to see a working brain on that side of the barricade,” Wrex dryly commented. The amount of fire steadily dried up rapidly, until only the sound of two assault rifles remained firing. “If you idiots are done shooting at us, mind actually stopping the bullets?”

A solid thump answered his request, followed a heavy thud hitting the metallic floor. The same voice spoke, “Sorry for the warm welcome. My ponies have been living on stims for days now and this poor boy snapped.” Twilight peered out to see a somewhat burly dark blue earth pony stepping out of the barricades. His armour seemed badly scratched and dented. A dark bruise marked the side of his head, with an ear partially torn off. “Damn insects. If there’s one thing I give them, it’s that they’re relentless. Security Chief Frostfire. Glad to see help finally arrived.” His green eyes were lined with bags, but were unusually alert, darting side to side occasionally. He offered a hoof out.

Twilight finally stepped out to greet Frostfire, very much aware of the uncomfortable amount of guns still pointed out at her. She shook the proffered hoof. “I’m afraid we’re the only help you’ll get for the time being. Commander Sparkle, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance.”

“A Spectre, eh?” Frostfire actually grinned back. “At least I know you can handle yourself out there. I definitely wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth... pardon the pun. At this point, I’ll take even the administrator himself—if he knows how to bring a gun.” He glanced about at the two aliens which joined Twilight. “I take it you’re not alone?”

“Actually, I have more ponies waiting downstairs.”

Frostfire sighed with relief. ”Perfect! When can we evacuate?”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple...”

***

“... I see. Well, I cannot help you with Lady Benezia. All I know she went into the Hot Labs soon after she arrived. Well, I don’t see how one person could help.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “I don’t know about you, but I think the Board was crazy only to send her.”

“Interesting...” Twilight debated whether to mention that Benezia probably left geth to secure the central facility. She decided to hold onto that little piece of information, in part because she wasn’t sure if she could trust Frostfire and the fact that Frostfire technically worked for Binary Helix and might be complicit in the whole shady business.

“At least we have plenty of supplies to last us... not many of us left after the aliens broke into my command post. That was the first warning of the containment failure we had,” Frostfire said grimly. He seemed mildly amused at Rarity’s horrified expression and Fluttershy’s inevitable cowering. “We managed to seal the vents, and secured the Xenobiology Labs against further intrusions. The only way in now is through here. Well, there’s the maintenance entrance at the other end of the this facility. But then they need to trek their way across the mountain and they still freeze like anypony else, thank Celestia.”

“How many survivors?”

“Around forty, including twelve armed guards. Well... eleven now, with him down.” Frostfire gestured at the unconscious pegasus lying on a stretcher in the corridor. “We’ve barely gotten a break since we retreated back here... those creature attack every few hours. And those noise. The scratching. Poor Barley Hop here finally broke when you showed up.”

“You poor things! I must insist you get a good nap first. We will help you stand watch against these foul creatures.”

“Sparkle, we’re here for Benezia, not to rescue some corporate scumbags from their own goddamn mess,” Wrex interrupted

“I don’t think I can leave them here in good conscience as well.”

Wrex waved at the guards. “They can take care of themselves. You said Benezia went down to the Hot Labs?”

Frostfire seemed unamused. “Yes. The whole place was overrun by the aliens the last we heard. That part of the station was built into an old glacier, very stable kind. There’s supposed to be a kill switch that melts the glacier and sinks the whole thing into the frozen sea, but Benezia specifically forbidden us to even do that.”

“Must be something pretty important,” Liara commented.

The security chief shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care. It got a lot of good ponies killed. Han Olar was the only one who made it out alive. Even he isn’t all there anymore. The rest of us might join him soon.”

“Hold on, you said Han Olar was the only survivor from the Hot Labs?” Twilight asked. Frostfire nodded once. “I need to talk to this Han Olar. Garrus, can you handle a team helping the guards?”

Garrus nodded. “Of course, commander. Dash and Applejack might need medical attention though.”

“There’s a doctor in the labs. Dr. Bones is down in the makeshift infirmary. He could help you with those,” Frostfire offered.

“Right, anything else we might need to know?”

“The maintenance area, as I said, has been sealed to prevent further incursion by the aliens. I would suggest you avoid that entrance if possible. There’s nothing there of importance anyway, so it’s not a big loss to us.”

Twilight heard enough. “Alright. Let’s go.”

***

The volus in question was in the lower levels of the living quarters adjacent to the Xenobiology labs. The living quarters themselves were standard colonial design, with a central common room and the individual quarters branching off on the outside corridor ringing the common room. The team found themselves swiftly directed to the common room by an irate scientist.

Oddly, the short, stout alien was standing alone in a corner of the room, staring at the wall. He turned as Twilight’s hooves clipped towards him. His voice was dull and monotone as he looked up at Twilight slowly, the glowing eye ports on his environmental suit studying her intently. “Canterlot-clan. What do you wish of me?”

“Mr Olar, right? My name is—” Twilight began.

“You came to find out about them, didn’t you? Everyone is talking about the new Spectre who arrived.” Han Olar paused. “Huh. I thought you would be bigger.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly. The volus seemed unsurprised by her rank and status. Even the monotonous voice that all volus seemed to possess sounded even flatter than usual. “Yes, those creatures. Are they aliens?”

The volus sucked another breath of air and pondered the question for a moment. “Aliens? I suppose that is true. In a way.”

Something about the volus’ stance made her wary. “Care to explain?” Twilight said.

“They’re rachni, you know,” he replied, almost conversationally. It took a moment for Twilight to process the name before it hit her. The rachni? The insectoid race that waged an intergalactic war against the then fledgling Citadel Council, long before ponies ever discovered space flight? From what she read, it was by mere chance that a hapless Citadel expedition discovered the rachni, after activating a then-dormant relay leading to their worlds. Unfortunately, the rachni proved hostile and declared war on the rest of the galaxy.

“Don’t screw with me; they can’t be rachni,” Wrex spoke up.

“He’s right. The krogan wiped them out over a thousand years ago!” Liara said.

The battle went poorly for the Citadel races in the opening moments of the war, losing world after world to the merciless rachni without a means to strike them back on their toxic worlds. Then, the salarians discovered the krogans. Tough, long-lived reptilian species that had just nuked their own homeworld back to the pre-industrial era. In view of the Council’s desperate position, the salarians was forced to uplift the pre-spaceflight krogan to help them turn the tide against the rachni. True to their savage potential, the krogan began to systematically pushed the rachni back. Using superior numbers and their adaptability to toxic worlds, the krogan exterminated the rachni—one world at a time—until they were declared extinct. For a brief moment in galactic history, the krogan were lauded as heroes.

Han shook his head slowly. “They found it in a derelict ship. An egg. Waiting since the last battles. They brought it here—”

The angry voice of a turian cut into the conversation. “Shut up! Are you trying to get us killed?!” Twilight glanced at the source of the voice. A turian dressed in the civilian attire of a scientist, and even had the ID card of Binary Helix tucked into his breast pocket. He glowered at Twilight, then back at Han Olar.

“I have no control about who lives or dies on this station. Do you?” Han Olar answered.

“If you want to be the crazy, be the quiet kind,” the turian said in a huff.

“Crazy? I’m sane. God, I’m sane.”

Twilight shot the turian scientist a black look. “What? Why did he call you crazy?”

“Do you know how I got out of the Hot Labs? I killed her. I was sane then.”

“You wha—?”

The volus ignored the little interruption. “I killed her. Dr. Blueheart. We were going to lunch, when the alarms went off. I ran into the tram and I closed the doors. She banged on the glass once, then they sliced her to pieces. Her head came apart like a melon. I closed the door; I killed her.” Twilight found herself recoiling a little as the volus calmly told his tale.

“... That sounds horrible.”

“At least you got out of it alive. I don’t think you would have survived had you opened the door,” Liara said.

The volus nodded his head slowly, his reply still devoid of emotion. “Yes. That is true. Of course.”

“Perhaps it’s best if we... um... don’t dwell on the matter.” Fluttershy said. She shrank shyly away when Twilight glanced at her. “If... you don’t mind, of course.” She blinked as Twilight nodded slowly.

“Of course. Mr. Olar, perhaps you could tell us more about the Hot Labs?”

“Nothing you wouldn’t already know from Mr Frostfire himself. Assuming you already asked about the facility beforehand.”

“How about Benezia?”

The volus just shrugged. “She went into the Hot Labs herself to deal with the matter.”

“Could she have survived there?”

“It’s... possible. The creatures are sensitive to biotics.” Han Olar glanced away for a moment, before looking back at Twilight. “Whether or not the matriarch manages to survive, I do not wish to speculate.”

***

Rainbow Dash grimaced as she trotted down the hallway leading to the infirmary. Several beds were laid out on the corridor, with various ponies and aliens lying on the bed, moaning softly. As she walked past, one of the patients—a salarian—leaned over and vomited over the side of the bed.

“What the hay happened here? I though’ they all were supposed to be healthy as a whistle.”

“Beats me. I just hope they aren’t infectious.”

“They’re not, in case you’re wondering.”

Rainbow Dash looked up to see a slate-gray unicorn dressed in science personnel attire standing at the door of the infirmary. The dark bags under her amber eyes spoke belied her energetic speech. “I see you’re not from our little group. Are you the rescue team?”

“‘fraid not, ma’am. We’re here to nab that varmint, Benezia. We didn’t know you’re in trouble.”

The unicorn’s face fell a little. “I see.”

“We’ll do all we can to help you! Don’t you worry... Owwww!” Rainbow Dash yelped as she accidentally unfurled her bound wings in her excitement.

“Oh dear, let me have a look at that,” the unicorn said, unwrapping the bandages with a steady glow of her horn. She made a few thoughtful sound as she inspected the burnt wing, before glancing up at Applejack.

“Well, she’s lucky. Any closer and her muscles or joints might have been damaged by whatever caused this nasty burn. As it is, she’ll heal, though you won’t be able to do some heavy flying for some time.”

“Ya hear that, Rainbow? No more of them fancy stunts of yours.”

Rainbow grumbled and muttered under her breath, but nodded grudgingly.

“Come along now, we’ll need to look at that properly and dress the wound...”

***

“Hey Doc?”

“Yes?” Dr. Bones replied, bandages floating around her in a field of magic. She deftly dabbed the worst of the injury with more medigel, eliciting a winced gasp from Rainbow. Then she began wrapping the worst of the injury with gauze and bandage.

“Mind tellin’ us ‘bout those patients out there?”

The doctor did not answer for a long moment, busying herself with bandaging the last of Rainbow’s wing. Finally, she put her things aside and spoke softly, “There... was an outbreak. Right after we lost all communications with Central Hub.”

Applejack nearly choked on her cup of water. “An outbreak? I thought you said this wasn’t contagious!”

Bones looked away. “It’s not. I mean, not now...”

Rainbow rolled off the bed and tested her wings gingerly. After a few test stretch that found her bandages adequately tight, she looked up at the doctor. “Hey buddy, are you trying to hide something here?”

“I... um... I really shouldn’t discuss this with you guys...”

Applejack looked at the unicorn in the eye, her own green eyes drilling into her amber. “But you’re goin’ to. I can tell.”

“Uh... I like to think the company values our lives more than their secrets...” She rubbed her fore hooves nervously, glancing at the door. “You see... we were working on a toxin. The toxin only reacts with a specific species found on the frontier. Don’t ask me why the company wants such a specific toxin, I am not cleared to know the details.”

“Uh huh. Go on,” Applejack said, with a slow nod. Rainbow just continued to stare at the doctor with a quizzical expression.

Dr. Bones gulped. “So we worked with it some more. Tinkered with it. Made it infect more species.”

Applejack stomped a hoof down. “Hold on! Yer sayin’ yer made it even more deadly?!”

The doctor shrank from Applejack’s outburst. “Y-Yes. I mean, we weren’t really going to sell it or anything, but our lead thought it would be an interesting application of the toxin. Anyway, during one of our experiments, our link with Mira, the central station VI, failed. It was, simply put, disastrous. The quarantine protocol was all handled by her and when the link was cut, so did the quarantine. Many of the staff were infected on-site—”

“How the hay was this not contagious again?”

“Let me finish. We designed it to be spread pandemically on first contact, but subsequently limited to only the being it was infected to. A biological weapon without the secondary effect, to paraphrase my colleague.”

Bones sighed. “Speak Equestrian, girl. I can’t make head or tails of this.”

“To put it in layman’s terms, it’s not contagious after the first hour.”

“Great, so why aren’t ya curing all these poor souls?”

“We... can’t. Our labs were locked down after the initial quarantine failure and in our haste, we did not bring our notes on our work with us. The chief refused to let the staff in, convinced that the toxin was still a threat.”

“Are you guys dumb or what? Why are you messing around with a virus with no cure?” Rainbow demanded.

“First off, it’s not a virus. Second, our lead was more interested in getting the job done before moving on to the antidote. We were just about to complete our final sequence when... well, you know the rest.”

“Who’s your ‘lead’?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, our project leader. Dr. Green Hooves. A brilliant mind. A shame he succumbed to the virus so early. He would have been able to figure out a cure even without the any help as it is.” Dr. Bones seemed to be momentarily lost in her recollections.

Applejack tapped her hooves impatiently. “This is all leading somewhere, right?”

“Of course, of course! See, now, the only remaining hope for a cure lies locked up in our labs—”

“And you want us to get it, right?”

“... Right. I’m sure the guards would let you in. I mean, you do have some pull with him right? Saving us and all.”

“And you wouldn’t have to be exposed to this toxin of yours, right?” Applejack said, jabbing a hoof at Dr. Bones snout. The unicorn cringed at the accusation, but one look at her guilty eyes told Applejack all she needed to know. “Fine. We’ll git yer cure. You better be right about these toxin not bein’ contagious and all or I swear mah sister will be the one doin’ you in.”

***

Twilight turned away from the last group of scientists in the living quarters, looking glumly at Wrex and Liara. “Well, none of these scientists know more than Han Olar about the whole incident. Wonder what they meant by the outbreak anyway... I guess we might as well check out the Hot Labs.”

“Hey, Twilight!” Applejack and Rainbow greeted.

“Oh, hello, Applejack, Rainbow. How’s your wing?” Twilight peered at the newly bandaged wing. Rainbow seemed more at ease now, at least.

“Better. Doc says I can use it after a few weeks.” Rainbow winked. “Don’t ya worry, Twi. I’ll be back in action sooner than you think.”

“A few weeks of complete rest, Rainbow,” Applejack said.

Rainbow waved away Applejack’s words. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

Applejack rolled her eyes, but declined to press the issue. Instead she turned to Twilight again. “Twilight, we need to talk.”

“What is it, Applejack? You sound concerned.”

“There’s sick ponies down in the infirmary. We gotta help them.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Applejack, as much as I liked to, we’re not here to treat a cough.”

“Ponies lives are at stake. Yer gotta listen to me, Twi.” Applejack briefly narrated their talk with Dr. Bones and her plea for help.

At the end of it, Twilight gave Applejack a firm nod and marched up to Captain Frostfire demanding entry to the quarantined labs. Much to her surprise, Frostfire immediately agreed, probably not keen on antagonising the commander; not when Garrus, Tali and Rarity were helping out in the perimeter against the “aliens”. However, he also stipulated that only a maximum of three ponies were allowed in. He would not be risking losing the new reinforcements he just acquired on the ramblings of a scientist. After some deliberation, Twilight chose Applejack, and Fluttershy along with Angel to accompany her.

The team found themselves hustled through the sealed airlock, with a nervous ERCS turian guard closing the door swiftly behind them. “You ain’t coming out until every molecular scanner on this base says you’re clean,” he declared as he shut the door.

“Well, that was fast. So, um, lead the way, Applejack. Just where exactly this ‘antidote’ might be located?”

“Doc said it would be in the toxin labs. Their notes should all still be inside.” A paranoid part of Twilight’s mind suddenly hoped that Applejack didn’t inadvertently lead them into a convenient trap.

***

“Well, that wasn’t so hard,” Twilight said, inspecting the flask of colourless liquid sitting in the chemical mixer. With a glow of her magic, she opened the transparent panel and held it out for Applejack to see.

“Speak for yerself. My head is still spinin’ over all them numbers, words and fancy-schmancy chemicals,” Applejack grumbled.

Twilight spun around to face Applejack, an excited expression visible on her face. “Nonsense. It makes perfect sense. It’s a brilliant design in a way. I must congratulate the scientist that came up with this concept. Did you know that the antidote is designed to block the receptors on the leucocytes that mediate...” Fortunately, Fluttershy intervened before Twilight could run her mouth.

“Uh, Twilight? Did we leave the door open?” she managed to squeak in between a handy pause, peering down the corridor.

Twilight turned to stare at Fluttershy. “No. Why?”

“Because there’s an asari coming through and she has those scary robots—”

“What robots—”

Applejack was the first to realise the danger. She quickly dove towards Fluttershy pushing her behind some crates. “It’s an ambush, git into cover!” she yelled, rolling into the same crates herself as bullets ricocheted past her legs.

“How perceptive of you!” the asari shouted as she stormed into view, her figure already glowing a light blue. A table in front of Twilight flung itself at her, only to be batted aside by the glow of the unicorn’s own magic. Twilight quickly fired a few bursts from the submachine gun levitated from her own holster as she scrambled behind the counter. Behind the familiar figures of several geth troopers began advancing, firing steadily to suppress the beleaguered defenders.

“How the hay did they get into the station?” Applejack shouted.

“I recognise that asari! It was one of the scientists I talked to earlier. Benezia must have planted her here in order to tie up loose ends!” Twilight shouted back.

The asari chuckled. “Lady Benezia would be pleased to know that one of her biggest thorns in her side finally meeting her end.”

“Not if I had anything to say about it!” Twilight riposted harshly. Her horn began glowing a brilliant purple, and a similar glow enveloped a nearby pipe. With a metallic clunk, she wrenched the pipe off its hinges and launched it at the asari.

Instead of trying to match her power for power, the asari just ducked to one side and slammed Twilight against the wall in a flurry of biotic powers. The unicorn squealed in pain as she was pinned against the wall, her horn flickering out as her concentration was disrupted. “Nggh!”

“So... the famous Spectre is nothing more but a novice in combat. How pitiful,” the asari mocked as she tightened her grip on the spectre, slowly but surely crushing the air out of Twilight’s lungs.

“Leave her alone, ya blue-haired skunk!” Applejack shouted, rising from the shadow of the crates she had been hiding behind and giving the party a healthy dose of her assault rifle. The asari quickly ducked behind a nearby pipe, but that was enough for her to loosen her hold on Twilight. Applejack was quickly forced to duck again as her kinetic barriers shorted out with a visible buzz.

With the brief respite, Twilight managed to crawl to a reasonable safety of a fallen filing cabinet. She nodded gratefully at Applejack, and forced herself to bring her gun up to at least cover for Applejack and force some of the geth troopers back into their cover.

“Don’t think we can hold ‘em off fer long, Twi. Sorry.” Somehow, Twilight managed to imagine that apologetic smile on Applejack’s face.

Then another thought occurred to her. She began to smile slowly. “I think we’re missing somepony... or rather, some rabbit.” True to her words, a loud crash punctuated the gunfire. Twilight peered over the metal walls to see two of the geth trooper lay on the floor, their innards crushed. Angel stood tall on one of the overhanging pipes, his ears twitching irritably. With another wave of his hand, he sent another of the geth flying into the wall.

“Obstinate animal. I will flay you alive for intruding on our plan!” the asari screamed. Though Twilight could not see what the asari was doing, she could very well see what Angel was being subjected to. The rabbit’s biotic field crashed against the asari’s creating a brief light show. If any time was a good time to break the stalemate, this was it.

“AJ. Now!”

“You got it, Twilight.” With a cheesy warcry, the earth pony leapt from the shelter of her crates and galloped down the corridor swiftly. Applejack did not even hesitate as her kinetic barrier failed for the second time under the withering storm of fire. Instead, she reached into the bandolier of grenades she had carried by her side and flung one, two grenades down the corridor and slid just behind the pipings the asari had ducked into prior. Leaning on the pipes, she held her breath as the specially modded grenades went off in searing column of flame past her. As the flames died, Applejack stepped out, took two steps forward and reared her hind legs to strike the stunned asari hiding on the other side.

By the time Twilight arrived, she could see the unconscious figure of the fake asari scientist slumping to the floor. “Good job, Applejack.” she said. A flicker of movement in Twilight’s peripheral vision caught her attention. The unicorn turned and sent another barrage of magic missiles flying down the corridor. The geth trooper—which by now was missing an arm—promptly lost its head as well and fell to the floor in a clatter.

Applejack tilted her head in appreciation, seemingly unperturbed by the near-death experience. “Just doin’ my job, ma’am.” She glanced over at the crates she had took shelter behind. “Come on out, Fluttershy. It’s safe now.” A now-familiar squeak of fear sounded behind the crates. A pale yellow face peeked out from a corner.

“A-Are you sure?”

“Sure as rain,” Applejack replied in her best drawl.

“Oh-Okay...” Fluttershy peeked out of her hiding spot, and glanced around nervously Seeing no murderous robots about, she meekly rejoined the group.

Rarity’s voice crackled into her intercom. “Commander. Are you there? What’s happening?”

“I’m here, Rarity. Sitrep?”

“Oh, thank Celestia. We heard gunfire over the radio,” Rarity said. Her normally dignified voice had an undercurrent of worry.

Liara’s calm voice cut into the channel. “Commander, we were ambushed by geth in the scientists’ quarters. Minimal casualties, though a guard was fatally wounded by the crossfire. We are fortunate that you warned us in time. We were just about to to intervene when the geth burst into the room. It is clear there are elements in the survivors that are fanatically loyal to the the matriarch.”

“Garrus here. Perimeter team saw no geth, though we had a boatload of rachni trying to come through about an hour ago. The perimeter held, though Frostfire took a blow to his head. He seemed to be shaking it off just fine. Captain’s tougher than the bugs themselves, I swear.”

“Any idea where they came from, Liara?” Twilight said.

“The volus, Han Olar said he saw the geth emerge from the sealed maintenance area. Looks like it’s not as empty as we thought.”

“I see.” Twilight reassessed her options in her mind. “Let’s not waste time. Benezia might attempt an escape once she finds out her ambush failed. Liara, Wrex, Pinkie Pie, meet us at the maintenance entrance. We will meet you there. Garrus, you stay put at the perimeter. Rainbow Dash, sorry, but I need you to stay with Garrus. Moving now might trigger suspicions amongst the remaining guards. We have to assume that they’re on Saren’s payroll. Keep an eye out for any potential betrayal. Especially the good captain.”

“Roger, Twilight. I’ll have Tali prepare a little surprise for the ERCS guards if they try anything funny.”

“Alright. Let’s move. It won’t be long before they find out.”

“Twilight, what about the cure?”

Twilight stared at Applejack blankly for a moment, before she remembered the original reason they came to the abandoned lab. “Oh right! Mustn’t forget. Despite my words, I do sincerely believe the scientists here are just here doing their job. Here, Applejack. Take this to Dr. Bones and double time it back to the entrance.” She levitated the vial containing the colourless liquid towards the earth pony.

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

Applejack quickly made her past the long line of patients parked outside the infirmary. It still made her queasy, even after the doctor’s assurance. “Okay, doc, I got ya cure,” she said, stepping through the door.

Dr. Bones looked up from her console and greeted Applejack with a big smile. She swiftly snatched the vial and ran a sample through the lab equipment next to her workstation. Her smile turned into barely contained glee as she read the results of the tests on her console. “Oh, thank you so very much. You don’t know how many lives you have saved,” she gushed.

“No problem, ma’am. Ya have Twilight to thank for that.”

“Be sure to pass my compliments to her. This batch of serum is as perfectly mixed as an understudy of mine would have done.” Dr. Bones paused and then tilted her head at Applejack. “I heard there was some commotion outside. Was there any trouble with the guards getting the cure?”

“Oh nothin’. Just some run-in with the geth,” Applejack replied nonchalantly.

Dr. Bones blinked. “The what?!”

“Geth. Ya know: tall, walks on two legs, has a flashlight for a head.”

Bones whistled. “Dear Celestia... I heard about the attacks on Appleloosa but I never thought they would come all the way here to Poneria. How did they even manage to get past our port security?”

“Well, it’s a long story...”

Before Applejack was forced to elaborate further, her earpiece saved her the trouble. “Applejack. Come in.”

“Yea, Twilight?”

“Apparently we need a keycard to unlock the maintenance doors. Han Olar suggested we ask around, preferably a project leader or somepony important.”

“Hold on a sec.” Applejack looked up at Dr. Bones. “Hey Doc. Ya owe me right?”

“I suppose...” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not going to ask for credits, are you? I don’t have much on me and I doubt I can access my extranet account at the moment.” She grimaced and quickly added, “Not that I don’t want to pay or anything. You have been most helpful.”

“How ‘bout you lend us the keycard to the maintenance areas?”

The scientist hesitated for a long while. Then she sighed and opened her bag on her workstation, fishing out a dull coloured plastic card. She waved the card in the air. “Just don’t tell anypony, okay? And try not to do anything too illegal! I don’t want to lose my job. The economy for rogue scientists are not what they used to be.”

Applejack swiped the card out of the air with her mouth and winked at the scientist. “Don’t you worry. We’ll just need to have a quick look around, m’kay?”

***

Twilight nodded her thanks at the volus scientist still patiently awaiting them at the door. “Thank you for your help, Han. We’d never known if you hadn’t told us.”

“A part of me died when the rachni overran the Hot Labs. I don’t consider Binary Helix to be paramount to my interest anymore.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

The volus snorted derisively; the first sign of emotions Twilight seen ever since she met him. “As I said, I don’t control who lives or die. Perhaps you do. I most certainly don’t.” His eye ports looked towards the frozen passage beyond. “I wish you luck,” he said simply, before turning and waddling away.

“Twilight, shouldn’t we... um... protect him or something?”

Twilight shook her head sadly. “No time. Besides, I think he knew the risks of helping us. He simply didn’t care.”

Fluttershy frowned. “B-But...”

“Listen, Fluttershy, if we don’t move now, then all our efforts would have been for naught. I’m sorry, but the mission takes priority over a civilian scientist.”

Fluttershy frowned and dug her hooves into the snow, as if she wanted to protest. After a brief silence however, the pegasus bowed her head, flattening her ears against her head. “Whatever you say, Twilight...” she whispered, before turning away.

Twilight watched Fluttershy join the group. “I wish I could help everypony, Fluttershy. I really do...” Twilight murmured.

***

The door to the secure storage facility slid open, with Twilight the first one to creep through the door. At first glance, it seemed to be partially filled by crates of various kind. A large tank of some sort was built into the middle, with elevated walkways ringing the tank and the upper levels of the room. Her eyes widened as a familiar rasping voice greeted her.

“Commander Sparkle. We finally meet.”

“Benezia!” Twilight cried, galloping ahead so that she could see where the matriarch was hiding. Her team thundered behind her, trying to keep up. The unicorn blinked and slid to a halt as she realised the matriarch wasn’t hiding at all.

On the contrary, she was standing on an elevated platform overlooking a large transparent tank behind her—in full view of Twilight—her back towards her. Despite the frigid atmosphere, Benezia only wore a simple black gown, topped by an elaborate headpiece covering her scalp crests. Just behind the matriarch, Twilight could glimpse a much larger version of the rachni they had encountered previously, sealed within the tank. The queen, Twilight guessed.

“You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life: turn it toward happiness or despair...” Benezia said as she watched the large rachni squirm within the tank. “Her children were to be ours; raised to hunt and slay Saren’s enemies.” Benezia slowly turned and strode slowly towards the metal railings. The matriarch clasped her hands behind her back, her gaze fixated on somepony just beyond Twilight. “I won’t be moved to sympathy, no matter who you bring into this confrontation.”

Twilight stared blankly at Benezia for a moment, before she realised Benezia meant Liara. “She came her of her own free will!” the commander replied.

Benezia’s eyes lingered on her daughter. It was not a look of affection or pity. It was a look of contempt. “Indeed? What have you told her about me, Liara?”

“What could I have told her? That you were insane?” Liara said. “Evil? Should I explain how to kill you?” She shook her head. “What could I say?”

“You could have just walked away.” A flicker of regret danced over her features before she refocused her gaze on Twilight. The ghost of a smile lit her face. “Have you ever faced an asari commando unit before? Few ponies have.”

Twilight flicked an ear with interest. “Asari commandos?”

“Allow me to demonstrate.”

Benezia’s body glowed a brilliant blue and hurled a powerful shockwave towards the group. Twilight found herself knocked off her feet and thrown into the ground. Feeling the stars dancing in her eyes, she nonetheless got up, just in time to hear the familiar sounds of armoured boots thundering into the room through the other entrances.

“Incoming!” Twilight yelled, diving aside to dodge a slew of grenades rolling past her. Her world exploded into a brilliant flash of white and her ears was assaulted by a deafening ringing. Time seemed to slow as she unholstered her submachine gun by reflex. The sea of white resolved somewhat into a blurry view of her surroundings, just in time to see one of their assailants—an asari in black skin-tight body armour not dissimilar to the one worn by Shiala on Harnos—bounding towards her, her rifle spitting metallic death.

Twilight let her kinetic barriers absorb the few bullets that connected, while she charged one of her tailor-made spells: a special spell she kept in reserve to overload an assailant’s kinetic barriers. She nicknamed it “Overload”. With a brilliant flare, she unleashed the full power of her magic on the asari; overloading her barriers instantly and causing her to stumble. With a precise motion, she aimed her weapon and riddled her head and chest with bullets.

Her ears still ringing and her sight somewhat hampered by dancing spots, Twilight drunkenly stumbled into the cover of a pile of crate nearby, trying to find some space to recover. To her surprise, she found Liara sharing the same space with pistol in hand.

“I never thought I would be facing a squad of my mother’s commandos.”

“What?”

“Never mind!” A rocket whizzed overhead and impacted noisily on the far end of the wall, leaving a smoking crater. Twilight’s ears flattened in a desperate attempt to keep the ringing out. “Oh goddess, they got us pinned!”

***

Wrex was having the time of his life. Killing enemies was one of his few pleasures in life and he revelled in the opportunity whenever he could. The krogan popped out around the metal piping and fired off a couple more bursts. A smile curled around his lips as he spied one of the pesky commandos staggering, her kinetic barriers vanishing with a loud zap.

As he darted back into the relative safety of his cover, his hand fell onto the pack of grenades he had carried just for such an occasion. One would do to flush the now-shieldless enemy out where he could cut her down. As he rummaged through his pack, Wrex couldn’t help but think of the enemy Benezia had pitted them against.

Asari commandos were known for their resourcefulness and cunning, together with their fearsome biotic powers. He was pointedly reminded of his time on a space station with an asari commando. Now that was a true test of his strength. The two had spent days on the station trading ever increasingly creative ways to kill each other. Said stalemate ended up in the station self-destruct.

By contrast, the group facing him and Commander Sparkle were not showing any of the positive qualities he had come to expect from their kind. For all their biotic prowess, Wrex thought the this particular batch of asari commandos were quite unimaginative in their application of their powers. Their tactics seems to consist of mainly saturating an area with bursts of their—admittedly powerful—singularity fields and biotic shockwave, before moving in to finish their enemy off. They were more like a pack of feral varren rushing in for the kill.

All in all, it seemed to have contributed to a surprisingly robust display by Sparkle’s team. Sure, they had cut through the geth on Harnos, but Wrex never took their ground forces too seriously. Synthetics would never match a true krogan battle fury. But here, they were holding their own, taking down the commandos with little losses of their own. As he readied his grenade, Pinkie Pie waltzed past him, seemingly dancing past the bullets flying through the air. As Wrex leaned out to toss his grenade, a flicker surrounded the pink pony and she vanished from sight. The krogan grunted, sensing that Pinkie had already guessed his plan and moved ahead to take advantage. With a precise movement, he tossed his live grenade and ducked back.

“Grenade!” one of the asari shouted.

A mad scramble of feet followed, before the explosion Wrex was waiting for thundered. The krogan leaned out to see two of the commandos stumbling in the open and the one whom he was targeting within plain sight. He ended her misery quickly with a quick shot through her chest. Pinkie reappeared behind the second one and bucked her head in with a powerful kick.

“Thanks, Wrex!” she cheerfully called out, before somersaulting away towards the next cluster of commandos.

***

“Fluttershy! We need to move!” Applejack said, urging the pony forward. An explosion rocked their left side as Applejack ducked lower by reflex. She winced as it was followed up by a singularity explosion, sucking the crate upwards and dumping it down again. It was only by sheer chance that the two weren’t pulled into the artificial gravity well. Feeling their time was up, she forcibly pushed the pegasus to her feet and started galloping towards the next line of safe cover she could find. “C’mon!”

Fluttershy, shocked into action, quickly followed her and resumed her cowering as soon as she thought she was safe. “Make them go away...” she whimpered, putting her forehooves over her face.

“Well then, stay ‘ere where it’s safe,” Applejack said, not unkindly. She leaned out and swore as another hail of bullet sailed past. If only she hadn’t lost her gun earlier when Benezia thrown them apart. The best weapon they had now was her own feet and angry words and Applejack very much doubted the latter would actually have any effect. The commandos seemed to know that fact as well and were pushing ruthlessly ahead. The two were rapidly running out of crates, pipes and space.

“Girls, we might need a lil’ backup,” she shouted into her radio.

***

“Hey Wrexie! I think Applejack and Fluttershy need help.”

Wrex quickly took stock of their tactical situation. The two seemed to have been cornered by a better organised group. “I see them. Distract them. I’ll flank.”

“Okie-dokie!” Pinkie replied, disappearing again.

The krogan crouched low and began making his way across the room. He sped from cover to cover, using the large crates and various disused machinery in the room to minimise his profile. From a corner of his eye, he saw Twilight and Liara taking shelter from another trio of commandos. Too bad, they’re handling this on their own. Wrex doubted the cowardly one and the headstrong one would last much longer against such odds.

The krogan ducked past the next set of crates and found himself staring at the behind of a black suited commando. Without further hesitation, he charged and knocked the asari down. With a sickening crunch, he broke her neck and then flung her aside. Just as he did so, Pinkie appeared on top of a nearby crate and launched herself downwards on the other side. A surprised yell followed by the satisfying sound of solid hooves on flesh told Wrex all he needed to know.

“Two down, two to go,” he murmured, as he popped up to assess his options. The remaining two were about thirty feet away, each to one side. From their demeanour, they seemed to have realised what happened to their companions and are trying to regroup. As he watched one of the commandos gestured at the other, before darting towards her. The other commando rose up and began spraying suppressive fire on Wrex, forcing him down.

“Damnit. They know.”

“At least Applejack and Fluttershy are okay,” Pinkie said, as she reappeared beside him. Wrex was not surprised to find her somewhat splattered in blood, the retractable gun on her shoulder following her every turn of her head.

“We’re not letting them regroup.”

“Don’t think we have to,” Pinkie replied cheerfully. She raised a hoof and pointed towards the fleeing asari commandos.

Wrex followed the hoof and was surprised to find one of the asari thrown aside to the wall before his very eyes. Then he realised why. The bunny. “Always knew the furry one had something in him,” he said. Angel deftly dodged the singularity hurled by the remaining commando and knocked the gun out of her hands with a small shockwave of his own. With a smooth motion he jumped and landed behind the stunned asari. Two shotgun blasts later, the asari crumpled to the floor without further resistance.

***

Rarity trotted up to her post on the barricades facing the elevators. She glanced around, only to find Tali and Garrus in one corner, chatting away. “Garrus. Where’s Captain Frostfire? I haven’t seen him. Actually, where’re all the other guards? You’d think they’ll be more people here.”

“Now that you mention it, he hasn’t appeared at the barricades for quite some time. Did he return to his command post?”

“Not at all. I just came from there.”

Tali activated her omnitool and looked expectantly at the C-Sec officer. “Shall I prepare our contingency plan?”

“Yeah, I think it’s about time—”

“Greetings, gentleponies,” Frostfire said, interrupting the little conversation. Rarity looked up to see the captain in his full armour outfit, his twin assault rifles staring down menancing at them. He was flanked by two equally heavily armed turians. “I think there might be a slight change of plans.”

“Let me guess, is it the betray-and-kill-us-at-the-behest-of-your-master time?”

Frostfire gave them a grim little smile. “I see you’re as well-informed as I suspected. Truth to be told, I wished there was some other way. But Lady Benezia was adamant. And so here I am. I am sorry, but I much rather take my chances with you guys than her.” He nodded at the turians, who raised their weapons, forestalling Garrus’ move for the pistol on his hip. “We’ll make this painless.”

Rarity glanced at the quarian, who was busy fiddling with her omni tool behind Garrus. Tali nodded at the unicorn, then activated a button on her omni tool.

Frostfire raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to order his men to shoot. His eyes widened as the smell of acrid smoke filled the air, his HUD piece on his left eye flashing red. He quickly detached his guns and watched his guns, sparking and smoking, fall to the floor with big round eyes. His two bodyguards yelped and dropped their weapons as well.

“Now, I’m pretty sure we have the upper hoof here, so let’s do this peacefully and avoid any incidents. After all, we still need to protect the civilians from the Rachni and that just got a lot harder with only the four of us remaining.”

“But... how...?”

Rarity adjusted her coifs, and gave Frostfire a sly smile. “Tali and I have a certain skill in machines, see. That also extends to your weapons. It’s a simple matter of modifying their programming when you weren’t looking.”

Frostfire’s gaze flitted back and forth between Tali and Rarity, before finally settling on Garrus. He let out a tired resigned sigh. “I guess I underestimated you more than I thought. Fine. I’ll tell my ponies to stand down. No point throwing away lives in following an order that we cannot carry out.” He gave Rarity a pointed look. “You saved more lives than you know. Lady Benezia wanted the entire facility silenced after we eliminated you.”

Rarity knew enough the implications of that order. She favoured Frostfire with a smile as she gestured at the door. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing it worked out the way it did, yes?”

“Rarity, we might want to get Rainbow Dash. No telling what she might do to the poor guards when they try to knock her out...” Garrus said.

A raspy voice screamed in the radio, followed by the sound of bucking.

“I think that pretty much answers your question,” Rarity replied dryly. She quickly put a hoof to her earpiece. “Rainbow, try not to injure anypony too badly please?”

“You’re not the one who was just grabbed by two thugs!” Another solid buck. “Okay, so maybe one might only suffer concussion. Happy?”

“Quite.”

***

Twilight was certain she saw one of the commandos moving towards the stack of machinery on her left. She cautiously raised her submachinegun and put out another burst of suppressive fire. Thank Celestia for virtually unlimited ammo, Twilight thought. The only thing she needed to worry about was heat-build up. Then she heard the dreaded click of her gun locking itself out to cool its weapon. Speak of the devil! I should have paid closer attention to the heat monitor. Twilight quickly dropped the now-useless gun, and clumsily levitated her pistol instead. She cursed the precious seconds this manoeuvre cost her.

“Commander! Behind us!” Liara shouted.

Twilight turned sharply to see another commando popping out from the cover of heavy-duty forklift, her hand already glowing with blue energy. Twilight’s own horn flared in response. The two opposing energies collided into a flare of brilliant light midway between the two. “Come on, Liara! It’s not safe here anymore.”

“And just where do you think you’re going?” Benezia intoned. Twilight raised her head cautiously above the line of now-battered crates. The matriarch was standing out in the open, a faint blue sheen covering her being. She seemed to be unconcerned about herself being exposed to weapon fire. A biotic barrier. Powerful one at that, Twilight thought. Her eyes widened as Benezia raised her own arms. Before she could react she found herself pinned towards the wall for the second time of the day, struggling against an invisible force.

Benezia stared at Twilight squirming for a moment, before nodding at the rocket launcher wielding asari, who had stood up from her vantage point on the elevated walkway. “Sergeant, take care of the others. I’ll take of these two personally.”

“Yes, Lady Benezia!” the two commando rose and disappeared through the crates.

“Mother!” Liara cried, raising from her own covered position with her pistol raised.

Benezia shook her head and Twilight soon had company of Liara. “Ah, Liara. I should have disciplined you when I had the chance,” she said, a little wistfully. Twilight felt her magic being resisted despite her desperate attempt to free herself. For the first time in a long time, she realised she was evenly matched power-wise. She had always taken for granted that her innate affinity for magic would grant her an advantage nopony else had. Then, she realised something else. Benezia was alone. More importantly, the sound of fighting had died off.

“Ordinarily, I’d chosen to take you back to Sovereign... but you have interfered with our plans for far too long. Goodbye, Twilight Spa—”

“Not so fast, yer ladyness,” Applejack called out, kicking the body of a dead commando towards the surprised Benezia. She flash a lazy grin at Twilight. “Sorry, got held up for a bit there.”

“Fools. I’ll destroy you all myself then.” Benezia lifted her hand and sent a massive singularity flying towards Applejack.

“Applejack!” Twilight cried, and renewed her struggle to free herself, even as she felt the air being slowly crushed out of her. Unlike the asari who had ambushed her previously, it looked like Benezia had supreme mastery over her own biotic powers. That and the lack of air was making it hard for her to focus. A quick glance at Liara showed that she was similarly struggling.

Applejack quickly ducked out of way of the glowing blue ball of death, which instead smashed harmlessly into a metal crate that got in the way. The earth pony stopped to pepper Benezia which her rifle. Infuriated, the matriarch began hurling her biotic powers at Applejack. The earth pony ducked and dodged deftly, always pausing a moment to whittle down the biotic barriers as she danced.

“You’re up, Pinkie!”

“Look out below!” Pinkie shouted from above. She apparently had somehow climbed all the way to the elevated walkway overlooking the room. The pink pony leaned over the railings and then to Twilight’s amazement, dived headfirst towards Matriarch Benezia!

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Benezia herself seemed taken by surprise by the stunt. She hesitated briefly before blasting Pinkie off with a ball of blue energy. Pinkie continued to squeal in delight as she was sent flying off across the room. Despite her somewhat asphyxiated condition, Twilight noticed a couple of glowy discs dropping around Benezia.

“Imbeciles! Is this the best you can do?”

“Guess again, sugarcube,” Applejack called out.

“What—” The matriarch disappeared in a cloud of explosions that erupted at the same time. Unsurprisingly, the explosions were multi-coloured as well as shrouding the room in confetti. Twilight felt the hold on herself disappearing immediately and gasped for breath as she fell to the ground. Even in her dizzy state, she quickly began to scramble around for her dropped pistol.

As the smoke cloud began to clear, Twilight could make out the outline of the matriarch hunched over. Apparently even grenades were nothing to such a powerful biotic. The figure slowly rose to her full height, and Benezia emerged from the pall seemingly unscathed. “This is not over. I will destroy you and—” The matriarch suddenly tumbled forward roughly and fell facefirst on the metal flooring. Her body twitched as she hit the floor with a loud thud, but even Twilight could see she was knocked unconscious by the blow. Wrex emerged from the smoke, grinning.

“Always wanted to headbutt a matriarch.”

***

“So... Twilight, what do ya reckon this critter is?” Applejack said, looking down on the large transparent tank. The creature trapped within seemed to be well-fed and thrashed about occasionally. Its large tendrils brushed and tapped against the glass in regular intervals. Unlike the smaller rachni they encountered before, this one has multiple glowing orbs staring at them.

“I... don’t know. It looks like the queen, from the large size and the extra large abdomen at the end, but there is no way to tell for certain. It could just be a huge warrior breed that they managed to raise.” Twilight could feel those glowing blue orbs staring at her, even if she couldn’t be sure if they could even see. It gave her a chill.

“I say we flush it and haul Benezia’s ass back to the Normaredy,” Wrex said.

“Uhh... Twilight... I think she’s coming to...” Fluttershy squeaked.

Twilight quickly scrambled Benezia’s side with her gun ready. She motioned the others to do the same. The matriarch slowly opened her eyes and shook her head in apparent confusion. ‘Wha...” Benezia glances around at the pointed weapons to her head. She began to chuckle, despite the apparent pain lancing through her face. Her eyes shone with the conviction of a religious zealot. “You will never stop us. Saren’s unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light! Everything is cle—” Benezia suddenly clenched her eyes shut.

“Lady Benezia?”

The matriarch’s eyes opened again, this time filled with a wild light... and something deeper. With one desperate motion, she grabbed Twilight by the shoulders roughly, ignoring the ominous clicks of the guns around her. By some miracle, Twilight managed to still her own reflex to shoot Benezia right now in the head, and motioned for her companions to lower their weapon as well.

“You... must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind.”

“Saren... what? How?” Twilight said, trying to release herself from the hold Benezia has on her.

Benezia’s fingers tightened around Twilight’s shoulders. “I can fight the compulsions. Briefly. But the indoctrination is strong.”

“Hold on a darn tootin’ minute. You’re sayin’ you’re bein’ brainwashed?” Applejack demanded.

Pinkie shrugged. “Personally, I think she’s just cuckoo in the loco.”

“People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolise him. Worship him. You would do anything for him,” Benezia replied, her previously smug face cringing. Whether from physical pain or wounded pride, Twilight found it hard to tell.

“Mother. What have Saren done to you?”

“The key is Sovereign, Saren’s flagship. It is a dreadnought of incredible size and its power extraordinary. Thoughts echo strangely within Sovereign. Its rooms are built at unsettling angles. The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren’s will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist. Instead, I became a willing tool, eager to serve...”

Twilight asked, “Why did you come to Poneria then?”

“Saren sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay, as well as deal with our little problem here.”

“The Mu Relay?”

“The Mu Relay’s destination was lost thousands of years ago. I know not of Saren’s destination. But you must find out quickly. I have transmitted the location of the relay as you fought below. Here! Take this OSD. I have transcribed the coordinates in it.” Benezia clumsily fished out a data disk from her robe and shoved it in Twilight’s direction. After a brief hesitation, the unicorn floated the data off her hand and into her bags.

“But... why? Why is the Mu Relay so important? How did you even get the coordinates? Who gave them to?” Twilight asked rapid-fire.

Benezia abruptly let go, her hands going to her forehead. “You have to stop... me... I can’t... His teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine. You should... uh... you should—”

“Twilight! We got to help her!” Applejack cried, her green eyes flitting back and forth between Benezia and Twilihght.

“I don’t know how! I don’t even know what is affecting her!” Twilight replied desperately, racking her mind for anything that matched Benezia’s apparent condition. She came up empty.

Liara knelt beside Benezia.“Mother! I— Don’t leave! Fight it!” Tears streamed down her freckled face.

“I... I’m always proud of you, Liara.” The matriarch eyes rolled back, before closing with a solemn finality.

Twilight bit her lower teeth and glanced upwards at Liara, who seemed to be choking back tears. The asari quietly looked away, before nodding slowly.

“I’m sorry, Liara.” Twilight said.

Twilight looked back on Matriarch Benezia, who was beginning to open her eyes again. That religious fanaticism was back in her eyes. Benezia opened her mouth to speak, her body already flaring with power, straining against her bonds. “Di—”

A single gunshot boomed through the room.

Twilight turned away from the now-limp body of the matriarch, her eyes clenched shut. She forced herself to walk away, to not look at the life of the one she had just taken. She blinked as she felt a foreleg wrap around her shoulder.

“It’s okay Twi. You did what ya had to...”

“I know... Applejack. I just wish... I could have helped her...”

“I don’t think anypony could have helped her...” Twilight nodded again and wrapped Applejack in a tight hug. Celestia knew, she needed it.

Twilight nodded softly, blinking away the tears that formed around the edges of her eyes. She glanced around for Dr. T’Soni and found her leaning against the edge of the railings. Twilight slowly trotted up to join the asari, with Applejack in tow. She reared up on her hind legs and leaned against the metal barrier, looking down on the aftermath of their battle below for a moment, before addressing Liara. “I... I’m sorry. I know she was your mother and—”

“What is done is done. I prefer to remember her as the way she was before. A kind, loving mother.”

“Yeah... I guess that is for the best...” Twilight bit her lip, debating whether she should ask the burning question in her mind. Thankfully, Liara pre-empted her before she could ask.

“I don’t know how Saren got to her. She’s one of the most iron-willed person I know.”

Twilight frowned hard. “What do you think she meant about Sovereign?”

“It sounds like that ship has a power of its own. I guess whatever it was... this... ‘indoctrination’... is a subtle brainwashing process. If it could turn Benezia into a willing slave, I dread on the possibilities—” Liara’s voice suddenly died.

Twilight blinked for a moment, puzzled by the sudden silence. Then she realised everypony was staring at something behind her.

“T-Twilight! Z-z-zombies!” Fluttershy stammered.

“What? Where... Dear Celestia...”

Twilight’s eyes bulged as one of asari commando, who had just recently been rendered dead, rose unsteadily to her feet. Despite the obvious hole in her gut, there seems to be otherwise no impediment in her movement. Clicks of weapon safeties being turned off sounded as Twilight drew her own gun, ready to shoot.

“This day just keeps gettin’ weirder and weirder,” Applejack muttered as her green eyes followed the erstwhile alive asari shambling towards the control area of the tank. The group stood aside to let it pass, seemingly unwilling to take the first step.

“This one. Serves as our voice,” the dead commando intoned. Her voice was reminiscent of the asari’s, yet mixed with something more alien echoing beneath it. “We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colourless.” Twilight sucked in a deep breath as she realised it was the creature in the tank that was controlling her.

“Musics?”

“It... it speaks?” Fluttershy said. Twilight blinked as the shy pegasus’ face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming Eve tree. She flapped her wings excitedly. “Oh, Oh! Do you have a name?”

“Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not colour the air. When we speak, one moves all.”

“This is going to be a fun conversation,” Wrex said dryly.

“I wonder if they have the word parties in their language. I can’t imagine them holding parties if they don’t even have the words to describe it!” Pinkie added. “Oh, oh, do you think they have words for balloons, and party streamers, and fruit punch. I mean, how could somepony have no words for fruit punch...”

“We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced.

We are rachni.”

Fluttershy continued, oblivious, “So, your name is rachni? That isn’t a proper name. Hm, maybe I’ll call you Miss Queenie instead. You don’t mind, right, Miss Queenie?”

“Wow... just... wow. How are you doing this? This... err... reanimating body thing?”

“Our kind sing through touching of thought. We pluck the strings, and the other understands. She is weak to urging.”

“Why can’t somepony in this place speak normal for once?” Applejack grumbled.

“I think she means she can communicate through telepathy!” Pinkie offered.

“How the hay do you even understand the gibberish the critter is spoutin’?”

“Experience!” Pinkie replied, her typical infectious grin lighting up her face.

Applejack buried her face in her hat. “... Never mind.”

“She has colours we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful.”

“You don’t seem like the others we encountered. Why do you send your own kind against us?” Twilight asked.

“The children we birthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are.”

“Wait. Why? You can’t control them?”

“Those needle-creatures. They stole the eggs from us. They sought to turn our children into beasts of war. Claws with no song of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their mind.”

“Those... poor babies...” Fluttershy whispered.

Pinkie nodded sagely. “I know I would go insane if I was locked up for too long! Trust me, it’s not a pleasant experience.” Twilight knew better than to open that can of worms.

“We will do as you ask. Are you sure we cannot save them? At all?”

“It is lamentable. But necessary. Do what you must.

Before you deal with our children, we stand before you. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?”

“There are acid tanks rigged up on that thing. Set them off. Millions of my ancestors died to put these things down. Don’t let them come back,” Wrex urged Twilight.

“Twilight! Please don’t! I mean, they are scary and they did try to eat us and poison us and uh... melt us with acid...” Fluttershy pleaded.

“Fluttershy, ya ain’t helping yer case,” Applejack said with a sigh.

“But they are still intelligent beings! Scary, maybe... but they don’t deserve to be wiped out like that. And the queen seems like a nice pony. Right, Miss Queen?”

“Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory.”

Fluttershy stared at the puppeteered asari with wide round eyes. “Miss Queen, you wouldn’t attack the other races if we let you go, right? That wouldn’t be nice and then everypony would be sad.”

“Fluttershy is asking the right question though. What is there to prevent you from attacking again? Rachni already tried to conquer the galaxy once.”

“No. We—” The asari twitched and craned its neck in an unnatural angle. For the first time in their short conversation, Twilight detected a note of fear in its voice. Not of death, of that Twilight was certain. But something more sinister. “—I do not know what happened in the war. We only heard discordance, songs of the colour of oily shadows.”

“Discordance? Do you mean that you were being tampered with? Mind-controlled perhaps?”

“We do not know. We were only an egg, hearing Mother cry in our dreams. A tone from space hushed one voice after another. It forced the singers to resonate with its own sour yellow note.

Then we awoke, in this place. The last echo of those who came out of the Singing Planet. The sky is silent.”

“Interesting...” Twilight frowned and turned towards her assembled group, noting the varied emotions on each member. Applejack seemed mildly bemused. Wrex plainly itching to finish the job his race started thousands of years ago. Fluttershy was staring at the asari and the Queen in the tank with fascination, Liara had an unreadable polite mask, and Pinkie was... Pinkie.

“What do we do?”

“Sparkle, don’t screw around with this thing. You know what happened the last time they were let loose.”

“But Miss Queen said that she would behave! Shame on you for judging a pony just from her past actions. She had nothing to do with it; she said so herself.”

“We have no way to account for her actions if we let her loose, Commander. It would be a risk, certainly.” Liara said thoughtfully.

“Aw, shucks. I don’t know if I like the idea of genocidin’ an entire race... there’s just some things ponies shouldn’t stick their snout into, if you know what I mean.”

Wrex stepped forward. “Sparkle, if you won’t do this, step aside and let me do it. I’ll even take responsibility, if you like.”

“Wait. No. I won’t allow this. You can’t just kill Miss Queenie just like that,” Fluttershy quickly said, taking a timid step forward as well.

“Try and stop me.”

Twilight stared in awe as Fluttershy seemed to snap, her face contorting slightly in anger, her ears standing up straight. With a single flap, Fluttershy leapt over the krogan and planted her hooves firmly on the metal flooring. Her aquamarine eyes locked onto the krogan’s reptilian face.

“No!” she said, in a firm authoritative voice.

The krogan jabbed a large finger into Fluttershy’s snout. “I’ll give you one chance to move out of the way.”

“Make me,” a firm, unnatural voice that resembled Fluttershy’s replied.

The krogan and Fluttershy glared daggers at each other; the pegasus’ determined gaze never wavering. After a long moment of awkward silence, Wrex grunted and looked away. Twilight quickly took the opportunity to intervene. “Wrex, Fluttershy. Stop it. I’ll make the decision. I’ll take the responsibility.”

Twilight trotted forward and pushed past the awkwardly animated caricature of asari that served as the Rachni’s Queen voice. She blinked as a yellow shadow fluttered down in front of her.

“Please, Twilight. Please don’t do it,” Fluttershy pleaded with both hooves.

“Are you sure, Fluttershy? You seen what her children can do. You seen what rachni has done to the ponies of this place.”

“I believe in her, Twilight. Miss Queen won’t hurt a fly.”

The pegasus turned and hovered over to the tank. Slowly, she set a hoof on the reinforced glass. The queen seemed to tilt its armoured head at the pegasus, its glowing “eyes” studying Fluttershy closely for a moment. Then, one of its tentacles reached for the hoof, touching the glass just opposite the hoof. Fluttershy turned to Twilight and gave her a soft smile.

Twilight blinked, reaching out to catch a closer look of the queen. Though the frosted glass somewhat obscured her view, she noticed the Queen seemed less agitated. More calm. She noticed Fluttershy seemed to be speaking softly, almost as if she believe the queen could hear her words. Her hoof never moved from the glass, and tellingly, neither did the tentacle. With a smile, she turned and addressed the puppeteered asari again.

“Very well. I will let you go.”

“You would let us compose our song anew? We will sing to our children tales of your kindness.”

Twilight shook her head and gestured at Fluttershy. “Don’t thank me. Thank Fluttershy.”

“A strange name. But we shall do so. We shall sing songs of Fluttershy’s kindness. We shall take our children to a hidden place, where we can teach them how to sing. With time, we might return.”

Twilight nodded, this time at the Rachni Queen herself directly. With a telekinetic push of the button on the console, she began lowering the suspended tank to the floor. At the same time, the whirl of machinery began to start on one end of the room, opening a sealed entrance on the ground level. The tank soon reached ground level, and a tube extended from the open entrance to the tank. With a hiss, the tank’s airlock opened and the last barrier to her freedom was gone. Yet, the queen hesitated, turning her head to look first at Twilight, then at Fluttershy who was sobbing quietly.

Again, the queen reached a tentacle out to the pegasus, who replied in turn with a hoof. Despite herself, Twilight couldn’t help but feel that Fluttershy probably made a powerful friend on this day. The Rachni Queen pulled back her tentacle and then scuttled out of tank and out of sight. As the queen disappeared, the dead asari collapsed to the floor.

Twilight watched as Fluttershy slowly fluttered over and landed on her four hooves beside the unicorn. “I guess that was goodbye, huh,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy used a forehoof to wipe away her brimming tears. “Yeah... she was saying goodbye to me too,” she said. “She has a very nice voice...” Behind them, Pinkie began bawling, somehow procuring a handkerchief from her seemingly endless stash of random odds and ends, claiming this was the most touching moment yet.

Twilight shook her head. “That wasn’t her voice. It was the asari... Wait a minute, I didn’t hear the asari say anything...” She whirled to face Fluttershy. “You... You can hear her? In your head?!”

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “I guess. She said it took some doing, but she finally managed to ‘pluck my strings’, whatever that meant. I think she’s being nice.”

“Fluttershy. Do you even know what this means?” Twilight quickly grabbed her shoulders eagerly, flushed with enthusiasm.

“N-No. What does it mean?” Fluttershy squeaked, squirming at the sudden intrusion of personal space.

“You communicated with a Rachni Queen! I mean, sure we all did, through that asari over there—which we probably should bury and all—but the point is, you are probably the first one to communicate with a rachni telepathically! Do you what this means for science?!”

“Um, Twilight. I don’t think I want to be—”

Twilight continued. “Can you imagine it? We might open a whole new world of possibilities with telepathic communications! Imagine the day when we don’t need radios! Where even non-unicorns can send messages through their mind and without effort as well! The day when—”

Applejack coughed and waved her hat in front of the commander. “Ahem. Twilight, I think we still have a job to do?”

Twilight blinked, slowly letting Fluttershy go. She grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. “Oh right. Sorry. Got carried away there.”

“Shall we go, commander?” Liara said.

***

“Were they any trouble with the guards, Rarity?” Twilight asked.

Rarity shook her head, and gestured at Frostfire who was standing at attention stiffly beside her. “None at all. The captain here proved to be most reasonable. I can’t say the same for the guards though.”

“Yeah! These two creeps tried to jump me in the living quarters!” Rainbow said grumpily, glaring at the huddle of prisoners sitting sullenly in the corner of the room. They were all disarmed and bound with rope. Her magenta eyes fell specifically on a poor red-coated unicorn and a hapless turian, who was both still groaning in pain.

“Now, now Dash. I think giving them a near concussion with those hooves of yours are lesson enough.”

Rainbow Dash folded her hooves and turned her nose away. “Hmph.”

“What now, Spectre?” Frostfire said. His voice remained genial, even friendly. His good ear twitched erratically.

“You disappointed me, Captain. I was hoping that I could trust you.”

Frostfire held his gaze steady. “Like I said, it was nothing personal. Benezia paid my fees. I’m duly obliged to carry out her will. Even if I don’t like it.” A flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes.

“You know what Benezia did here was illegal. Even by your world’s standard. Even if it’s not, it’s still extremely dangerous. By the suns and moons, it’s the rachni! What were you thinking?! You know what happened before!” Twilight said furiously.

“Don’t you lecture me on what to do and what not to do. Not everypony is born with a silver spoon.” Frostfire’s eyes hardened. “I have no say in the matter and certainly little choice else. Do you think we would be able to stand up against the asari commandos like you did?”

“Well... no, but—”

“Then what would you have us do? Face up against the asari commandos who can tear our faces off with their brains? Or kill the unknown quantity that is you, Commander? My men are not faceless monsters here. They have family. Friends. They don’t want to die anymore than you do. I just took what seemed like the choice that would have the best outcome.”

“To you, you mean,” Rarity muttered darkly.

“I regret nothing,” Frostfire said.

Applejack spoke up, “Yer gotta admit, I don’t think he’d much of a choice there. Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Twilight stomped her hooves. “The fact is: he tried to kill us. Or at least some of us. By right, I should drag you off to the Citadel now and charge you for attempted homicide.”

Frostfire stared at Twilight steadily. “But you won’t. I can see it in your eyes,” he said evenly, never wavering.

Twilight glared back murderously for a moment. Then her shoulders slumped. “... no, I won’t.”

“What?” Wrex demanded.

“He’s right. I cannot in good conscience sentence a pony to death for doing his duty. Even if he was on the wrong side at the wrong time,” Twilight replied heavily.

“A-Are you just going to let him go? Twilight, please tell me you are not serious.” Rarity said, her eyes flicking back and forth between the commander and Frostfire.

Twilight’s eyes twinkled, as a smirk slowly crossed her face. “I think I know what we can do with him.”

***

[Port Heihe, Poneria]

It proved to be a simple affair of ridding the main nest of rachni in the facility, as they seemed to have clustered around the Hot Labs, where they were originally raised. It only took a quick sojourn down the emergency elevator to manually set off the detonation charge to sink the entire subsection into the cold, deep ice, where even the rachni would have no hope of living. Fluttershy accepted the decision quietly, though it was clear even to Twilight that the pegasus mourned the loss of these creatures, lost as they were to redemption.

Even after the eliminating the rachni, it had been an anxious wait for the ground team till the rescue team from Port Heihe and Normaredy arrived. The team suffered one more suicidal attack by another agent planted within the remaining scientists. The asari managed to free Frostfire and exhorted him to follow Benezia’s order. Frostfire responded with a solid buck to the face and handed the asari over to Twilight. There were to be no further dissent by the Rift Station’s surviving personnel.

Handling the aftermath of the incident took a further week, in which reports were filed, prisoners interrogated and the corpses studied and preserved for further study. The Normaredy crew took the time to unwind in the small port. Surprisingly, Sweetie Belle proved to be an invaluable help in obtaining the necessary parts to fix up the Normaredy, her established contacts on Poneria proving to be a blessing in disguise. That and Twilight’s Spectre status ensured that it was in their best interest to get the only representative of Citadel authority off the planet as quickly as possible.

“Phew. I reckon I seen enough snow to last me two lifetimes,” Applejack said as she stared out the frosted windows of the hotel lounge. “I had just about enough of this snow-accursed world. Too much white and ain’t enough green.”

“Applejack, it wasn’t too bad now, was it?” Rarity replied. She deftly put the finishing touches to her newly made hat and admired her new creation.

Applejack snorted and looked away. “Rarity, there’s just something about warmer weather that I fancy.”

Twilight trotted into the room with a broad smile. Rainbow Dash and Zecora followed in her footsteps. “Girls, saddle up. The Normaredy is fueled up and ready to go,” she announced. “Oh and Rarity, Sweetie she needed a ride back home. So she would be hitching a ride back to the citadel, so you two won’t have to say goodbye. Not yet anyway.”

Rarity’s eyes widened with joy. “Oh Twilight, you’re such a dear!” She stepped over and wrapped her friend in a tight hug. She practically skipped with joy as she made her way out of the door. Applejack and Rainbow Dash snickered as they made their way out. Twilight shook her head and moved to follow, only to feel a tap on her shoulders.

“Commander, a word if you please. It’s only quite fitting I tell you about a certain sleaze.”

“Sleaze? What, sleaze?” Then light dawned. “Oh, you meant Anoleis?”

Zecora nodded. “You’d be pleased to know that he’s currently enjoying his time in jail. It is not pleasant to go without bail.”

Twilight found herself giggling at the mental picture of the diminutive salarian in jail. “Very pleased.” She sobered up as another thought struck her. “Did they find any connection to Benezia and Saren?”

“Unfortunately, though we had our conjectures, we cannot tell for certain at this juncture. The witness was unable to prove any dealings with Saren and the Board is not interested in being associated with his brethrens.” Zecora seemed a little disquieted by her own words. Perhaps even she was disturbed by the rumours floating around Port Heihe.

“A shame. What about Frostfire?”

“He is still in custody, awaiting a Poneria tribunal. It is expected to be short, and most genial. I believe he wishes to convey his thanks, and the gratitude of his men in his ranks. As for the rest, the scientists were most relieved. Many have claimed that they were deceived.”

“Yeah, right. And I am Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied dryly.

“You do not understand Poneria, Sparkle. These scientists are valuable and they are fickle. To lose them now, is something Poneria can ill-afford to allow. Our business is the art of research, and profits is our church.”

Twilight shook her head slowly. Politics. The one thing her great intellect could not fathom, no matter how much she tried.. “I will never understand this place.” She looked up at Zecora, favouring her with a smile. “But at least I know I can count on a friend here.”

Zecora answered her smile with a wink. “Someday, Commander, we would sit down for proper tea. Not today, I fear. For too much work remain and so you must excuse me.”

“Of course.”

Zecora nodded her head politely and trotted out of the room.

Twilight stopped and glanced back at the hotel lounge.. She watched as a snowflake drifted down from the ceiling vents. A corner of her mind told her that it was impossible, but she followed the snowflakes’ journey through the room, drifting gently to rest on one of the pillow couch. With a blink, it melted and disappeared.

“Goodbye, Poneria,” Twilight said, turning and closing the door.

***

[Unknown location]

The room was dark. So very dark.

Luna could hear the whispers all the time now. They were clawing at the edges of her mind, and she swore she could feel the presence of shadowy figures flirting at the edge of her vision. It was unnerving and she dared not fall asleep, lest they take her.

She had long since lost track of the time she spent here, though she managed to count at least two dozen meals since she came to. Not that it mattered. They fed her when they pleased and only after she behaved. The first time she tried to buck her asari guard in the face, she was left to starve until she begged to be fed. It was a humiliating experience.

She shook her head again, trying to gain some respite from the incoherent whispers tickling her ears.

“Leave me alone,” she mumbled, a tear slowly falling from an eye.

The whispers redoubled, as if sensing weakness.

“Leave me alone...”

The voices filled her ears with a roar. Shadowy figures danced in and out of her sight.

LunaLunaLunaLunaLunaLunaLuuuuuuunnnnnnaaaaaaaaaa

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” she screamed.

The whispers disappeared. Luna slumped back onto her restraints, her eyes closed.

A moment later, the door to her cell opened, filling the room with the dim light of the corridor. An asari peeked through the door. She spoke quickly into her earpiece, before nodding rapidly. Several more minutes passed before Saren and an asari medical orderly walked into the cell. The orderly knelt and injected a stimulant into a foreleg. She stood up and nodded at the turian, before bowing out of the room. Saren grunted and folded his arms, eyeing the seemingly comatose pony.

Soon enough, the restrained pony opened her eyes. Cyan pupils studied the turian standing before her. “What is it?” a deeper and more sultry voice demanded. Her star-field mane glowed dimly.

“Congratulations on your victory... other Luna. I was quite surprised it took this fast to drive the princess into her shell.”

The not-Luna snorted. “Of course not. She never was very strong mentally, despite her recent centuries of questionable work.”

Saren tilted his head. “The question is, are you more pliable than she was?”

“Pliable? No. More willing to listen? Certainly. But do not take me for a fool. We both desire different things, I can tell. The real question is, what can you offer me?”

Saren smiled and bent to whisper into her waiting ears. The cyan eyes widened as she listened and the traces of a smile began to form at her lips.

“I see. As long as your... masters are willing to let me... enact my revenge, I have no objections... for now.”

“The Reapers are most willing to accommodate you. Provided you remain loyal.”

The smile on her lips widened into a toothy grin. “Then you just have to give me cause to remain loyal... Saren.”

“Of course.” Saren smiled, his fangs bared for the not-Luna to see. “By I can’t very well call you Luna now, can I?”

The not-Luna stiffened “Never address me by that foal’s name.” Her starry mane rose and caressed the side of Saren’s cheek. “Call me... Nightmare Moon.”

Intermission 3

[Zakera Ward, Citadel]

The Citadel. The teeming hub of galactic civilization in the Milky Way, where everypony could come and live the great Citadel dream.

Not that it mattered to the pony who stood at a secluded corner of the 34th floor of Zakera Ward. He glanced warily at the crowd teeming all around him, the portable camera drone hovering silently behind his back. Dressed in a plain black leather coat, he stuck out rather conspicuously amongst the colourful crowds of ponies, turians, salarians, and asari. At least no one gave him a second glance; stranger beings had walked these streets after all.

“I hope the dumb blonde comes by soon. I paid good credits just to get information on her whereabouts,” he grumbled under his breath.

Fortunately, his prayers were soon answered. Through the thick of the crowd, Khal spied his target striding into view together with a sky-blue C-Sec pegasus. He frowned. Drat. Didn’t realise she was going to be here together with that loud-mouthed C-Sec agent. Wait a minute, that might actually work in my favour... A smile slowly lit his face. Khal wouldn’t have gotten to where he was without aces up his sleeve.

His inner trepidation settled, Khal Al-Jilal emerged from the alcove and called out, “Gunnery Chief Applejack? May I have a word with you?” His camera drone’s lamp shone in their surprised faces—a tactic Khal hoped would disorient them and keep them off balance.

“What in tarnation? Git that off mah face,” Applejack cried, her hooves pushing the drone off.

Rainbow was quick to poke Khal in the chest. “Hey! Don’t make me arrest your butt.”

Khal quickly interjected in a smooth voice, “My apologies, ma’ams. It was the only way to get your attention.”

“You could try... y’know, askin’?” Applejack grumbled. She blinked a few times, before turning to regard Khal fully. Her green eyes seemed to conceal a rustic sort of cunning, the type that would give lip to anypony who crossed her. Khal suddenly had a feeling this might prove more difficult than expected. “Anyhow, always happy to be of service. What can we help ya with?”

Khal gave a short bow. “My name is Khal Al-Jilal from the Equestrian—”

“Khal Al-Ji-what?” Rainbow stifled a snort. “What kind of name is that?”

“I beg your pardon?” Khal said, a little miffed that he was so rudely interrupted by this buffoon.

Applejack, to her credit, seemed to have retained some tact. “What Rainbow means here”—she shot her compatriot a sharp glance—“is that it doesn’t seem like a proper pony name. Were ya born on a non-pony world?”

Khal-Al-Jilal huffed. “Well! I’ll have you know that I was born on the jewel of the Equestrian Federation: New Unicornia.” He ran a hoof through his finely styled mane. “A modern name to suit these changing times—rather more respectable than the stale old naming tradition that dates back to our grazing years, I say.”

Rainbow Dash broke into helpless giggles, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Tch... bwahahahahah!” She collapsed on the floor, laughing.

Beside her, Applejack brought a hoof to her lips, chuckling as well. “Ma’am, ain’t nopony call New Unicornia th’ Jewel of Equestria no more. Least, not ‘round these parts.”

Khal was stunned. “Everypony knows New Unicornia!” he said, his lips trembling slightly. “How ignorant you louts are to—” Khal cringed, his words trailing off.

Rainbow stopped giggling, and pinned Khal with a glare. “Who you callin’ a peasant, huh?” Her magenta eyes narrowed. “Hold on a minute. Aren’t you that reporter dude who wanted to make Twilight look bad?”

“Who now?” Applejack asked.

Khal was suddenly aware of how intensely the two were studying him. All he intended to do was hammer the dumb blonde until she admitted to some indiscretion of the captain’s, imagined or not. It should have been a simple quick in-quick out, but things were starting to look complicated. Time for Plan B.

“Oh, that was just a slight misunderstanding between myself and the commander. It’s really nothing to be—”

Rainbow poked Khal’s chest. “Twilight said a reporter was out to smear her reputation. She didn’t exactly say who, but she did say he had a weird name. I guess that means you.”

Applejack’s eyes flashed with sudden anger. “Why I oughta just—”

Time to pull out his trump card. Khal puffed his chest out and tried to look unintimidated. “Now, I warn you: I’m a member of the press. Any acts of violence against me will be severely punished under Citadel laws.” Sparkle’s random act of violence notwithstanding, C-Sec tended to look unfavourably on those who assault members of the press.

To his delight, Applejack bristled, muscles tightening beneath that orange coat. That’s it. Get angry. Show the galaxy that you’re yet another dangerous maverick who needs to be brought under control. Oh, the spin I can put on this! Sparkle’ll have a fit.

Then the C-Sec pony ruined everything. Rainbow put a hoof on the earth pony’s shoulder and said, “Woah there, AJ. Why are you letting this punk rile you up?”

Applejack subsided and contented herself with a good old murderous look. “Rainbow, let me just have one good buck at ‘im. I promise he won’t have any broken bones... mostly.” Khal did a second-take on that well-toned flank and shapely hindlegs. He suddenly had a feeling Applejack might just be understating things.

“And get arrested by C-Sec afterwards?” Rainbow took to the air and folded her forelegs around her chest. “Listen AJ: I like you, but I can’t go around ignoring a blatant case of assault like that. Don’t do it.”

“This snake is out to make Twilight look bad. Are we s’posed to go on as if nothin’ happened?”

“No.” Rainbow gave Khal the evil eye again. “But that doesn’t mean we can go around breakin’ the rules. You know how much trouble we got into the last time we did that.” The two shared a knowing look.

Khal tapped his hooves impatiently. This was not at all going as planned. No dirt on the good commander and no spectacle to make up for that disappointment either.

Applejack straightened herself. “You just stay clear of us,” she declared in a low, menacing voice. Her green eyes glittered with dangerous intent. Khal swallowed hard. The warning was crystal: this was not a pony he would cross.

“Good. Have a nice day now, y’hear.” She doffed her stetson hat and waved for Rainbow to follow. The two disappeared back into the crowd without even a single glance back.

Khal let out a breath he hadn't realise he had been holding. That was too close.

***

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

The normally busy office was silent, save for the soft sound of running water of the Presidium’s lake beyond the balcony. Commander Sparkle stood alone, facing the communication lectern, patiently awaiting for her call to be put through. Ambassador Lyra had been kind enough to lend her office for this private meeting.

Moments later, the hologram of Princess Celestia sprang to life. Twilight bowed deeply.

Celestia gestured for Twilight to stand. “No need for formalities, my dear Twilight. Now, what have you found so far?”

Twilight shook her head slowly. “My apologies, Princess. We have found no information to Princess Luna’s whereabouts.”

“I see.” Celestia hummed. “Regrettably, there have been no new developments here in Canterlot either. Whatever happened to my dear sister, there is no trace.” She sighed.

“That’s terrible, Princess,” Twilight said. “Do you think she’s been... kidnapped?”

“To be honest, I have no idea,” Celestia replied, her brow furrowed. “Luna is skilled enough that she could take on a small army should she choose to.” Twilight suspected Princess Celestia was understating things—the power of an alicorn monarch was nothing to be sniffed about. “I suspect foul play, but I know my sister. Even after all these years, she is still reserved and reluctant to trust. It is highly unlikely she would be led into a trap.”

“So... you mean to say she allowed herself to be captured?”

“That is indeed possible, though to what end, I do not know. Perhaps she sought to gain the enemy’s trust, or perhaps she had thought that this would be the best way to obtain further information. The geth and Saren are pretty elusive, after all.”

Twilight cringed. “But that doesn’t make any sense! She could have just sent somepony else to do it!”

“Luna can be very... headstrong at times. She firmly believes in doing things by herself if she deems it too dangerous for ordinary ponies.” The hologram sighed. “I think her experience with Nightmare Moon still haunt her to this day.”

“Princess, does anypony else know?”

“So far? No. I was very careful to keep news of Luna’s disappearance under wraps. However, some are beginning to question her absence in the Royal Castle of late. Such unfounded assertions are still that: just rumours.” The princess gave her one of her trademark cryptic smiles. “We are already encouraging those involved not to pursue the matter further.”

Twilight had a distinct feeling there was more to the “encouragement” than the Princess let on. She cleared her throat. “At any rate, we’ll continue looking. We’ll find her, Princess. I promise.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I certainly hope so. If what you say about the Matriarch was true, then Luna may not have much time.”

Twilight suppressed a faint shudder. Being brainwashed like Benezia wasn’t a fate she would wish on anypony, especially not one of the co-rulers of Equestria.

***

[Tayseri Wards, Citadel]

“Hey, Garrus?” Spike asked.

The turian paused and looked to the dragon perched on his left shoulder. “Yeah, Spike?”

“Do you ever see... you know, griffons around here?”

Garrus scratched his chin in thought. “Griffons? You mean those weird half-bird, half-lion, half... something creatures?”

“Yeah, those guys,” Spike answered.

Garrus shrugged. “Some. Mostly when they get into trouble. They’re like quarians and krogans around here—mostly poor, homeless and struggling to find work. To be fair, they’re not as bad as krogans, but a lot of griffons are on C-Sec watchlists for being troublemakers.”

“Huh, I thought they would be more welcome. Y’know a griffon is pretty strong and all that. I’m sure somepony could use that.”

“So is a krogan or quarian. Don’t let those slender quarians fool you; they can still break your back if they wanted to.” Garrus grinned at Spike’s blanched expression. “Don’t worry. You’re in safe hands here. C-Sec, remember?” He tapped the badge on his torso.

“Oh, please,” Rarity interrupted before Spike could speak. “Don’t you think we should be discussing something more pleasant? Like— Ooof!” She turned her head and found herself nosedeep in a plume of feathers. “Watch where you’re going, you clumsy...” Her eyes widened as she saw just who she had bumped into. “Oh dear.”

Spike tried to salvage the situation. “Rarity, maybe you should—”

“What did that she say?” a deep voice boomed. Spike gulped as he looked at the owner of the voice: a massive griffon—the biggest he had seen yet. Grey and black plumes dominated his face, the visage marred only by a thin scar running down his left cheek.

“Something about you watching where you’re going,” a smaller griffon answered, moving to the first griffon’s side. Where the large griffon had dark grey plumage, the female griffon had an all-dirty white plumage crowned with red head-feathers—likely dyed. Behind her, another pair of young griffons—both with the same dirty white plumage—watched with mild interest. One was dressed in a black leather jacket, while the other opted for a more simple blue vest. Both were evidently well-worn.

“Is she trying to tell me what to do?” the scarred one demanded. Spike swallowed nervously again. The quartet of griffons seemed to press in closer.

Garrus quickly stepped forward, holding up his hands. “Now, now, gentlemen, I’m sure there is no cause for quarrel.”

The big one gave Garrus a scornful look. “No cause for quarrel, eh? Why don’t you tell that bitch to mind her own business?”

Rarity recoiled in disgust. “You uncouth brute! Somepony should rinse that filthy beak of yours with antiseptic.”

“Rarity! I don’t think this is the best idea!” Spike hissed.

“Nonsense, Spike. This is a civilised age we live in and, we should all hold ourselves to a higher standard of conduct, don’t you think?” Rarity seemed patently oblivious to the danger she was in, or that the massive griffon was bristling visibly.

The female griffon shifted her wings. Spike’s eyes widened as he glimpsed the tell-tale shape of a pistol holster. Garrus apparently spotted the holster too, because a moment later, his pistol came flying out, pointed directly at the female griffon.

“Paws where I can see them, wings folded behind your back. You know the drill,” he shouted. The quartet of griffon took a step back and reluctantly did as they were told. He waved his pistol at the female griffon. “You. Put that down that weapon on the floor. Slowly.”

The female griffon plucked the weapon from its handle-grip and slowly placed it on the floor. Garrus frowned as he went over and picked up the pistol with this free hand. It was strangely lightweight for its size; The material felt almost like plastic.

“It’s not a real weapon, you crazy C-Sec idiot. It’s something we picked up for ”

Garrus seemed a little disconcerted. He hefted the pistol and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. “Hmm, you’re right. Alright, fine.” He waved for them to lower their paws. “Just don’t... cause any trouble, okay?”

“We ain’t never caused trouble before. Why do you cops love to pick on us honest griffon folk?”

“Your ‘toy’ could have been a weapon,” Garrus said pointedly.

“Hah! As if you cops would let us touch anything that looks like a weapon to begin with. I can’t even bring my tribe’s ceremonial knife on board this station.”

Spike scratched his head. “Dude. It’s a knife.”

“But it’s a sacred relic of my family! My tribe has passed it down for generations, from the days of The Strife.”

“It’s still a knife,” Spike repeated. He shuddered to think what could the griffon do with a knife. “You can hurt ponies with it.”

The griffon rolled his eyes. “If I wanted to, I could have just gutted you three with my bare claws without breaking a sweat.” He narrowed his eyes at Garrus, who was staring at the griffon warily. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’m not actually going to hurt anypony. Believe or not, I actually want to earn an honest living here.”

“Then why are you not?” Rarity asked.

“Because everypony here seems to think I’m good for nothing but hired muscle.” The griffon smiled, though his eyes remained bitter. “The only job offers I got were from gangs and mob bosses who needed warm bodies for their turf wars.”

Rarity blinked. “If you don’t have a job, where are you...”

“The second ventilation shaft behind the Liniments. It’s actually pretty comfortable once you get used to the downdraft.”

Rarity’s jaw dropped, her expression aghast. “How could you...” She quickly pushed her jaw up, recovering her composure. “How could you live like this?” she demanded.

“We make do.” The griffon shrugged.

Rarity raised a hoof, seeming about to protest, before thinking better of it. Her expression hardened. “I must insist you come with me now.”

“Say what?” The griffon looked at Rarity, then back at Garrus. “I’m not under arrest now, am I?”

Garrus gave a helpless shrug.

Rarity wrapped her magical aura around the griffon’s claws and started tugging. “No buts. You four: with me now. We’re going for dinner, and then we’re finding you some respectable clothing.”

***

[Dock 411, Zakera Wards]

Sweetie Belle knew it was a bad idea to come out here without telling anypony. Rarity had specifically forbid her from straying off into the unknown parts of the Citadel. But she was tired of being told what to do. She was seventeen this year! Besides, the mysterious message she got on the extranet was bugging her to no end. Besides, she wasn’t alone.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle, you sure this is the right place?” Scootaloo said, putting a hoof to her head and scanning the dock area. The two were standing in the shadow of one of the cargo elevator shafts servicing this particular dock. Automated drones, dockworkers, ponies and aliens scurried back and forth, each busy in their own business.

“Quite sure. The message said Dock 411.” Sweetie Belle answered nervously. “This is Dock 411, right?”

Scootaloo raised a hoof to indicate the large number imprinted on the dock wall. “Pretty sure,” she answered dryly.

“Huh...” Sweetie Belle scratched her head. “I wonder who sent the message. I mean, why meet us here?”

“Have you ever considered this might be a trap?” Scootaloo asked.

“Um...”

“Thankfully, I have this.” Scootaloo stretched out a wing and pulled out a pistol from somewhere beneath her uniform.

“Woah... where did you get that?”

“After Twilight stirred up the hornet’s nest back on Harnos and Therum, I thought we all could use some protection. So I got one off the Normaredy.”

Sweetie Belle eyed the pistol warily. “Are you sure that’s necessary, Scootaloo? We’re on the Citadel.”

“Bad things happen to fillies on the Citadel,” Scootaloo declared solemnly.

“You sound like a bad action hero.”

Scootaloo chuckled. “Okay, so maybe I stole that line from that movie...”

A familiar voice drifted over to their ears. “Oh, there you are. I been looking all over for you.” A young mare emerged from the crowds and stepped up to them with a smile.

“Apple Bloom?!”

***

[Ambassador Lounge, Presidium]

Applejack settled down on her haunches, eyeing hungrily the fresh, frothy glass of cider placed in front of her. It had been so long since she had had time to enjoy a mug in peace. Even better, she managed to convince the stuffy asari doctor, Liara to join her for a taste. Rainbow, of course, never turned down an opportunity for cider, and Garrus seemed to have picked up his partner’s taste in drink.

Grinning from ear to ear, she raised her mug. “Bottoms up!” she declared, touching the rim of the mug to her lips. Just as the delicious froth teased her tastebuds, she noticed a pony waving at her. Strange, she seemed oddly familiar. Then the ball dropped.

“Apple Bloom?!” she spluttered, nearly spilling her precious mug of cider.

“Hey, sis!” Apple Bloom greeted happily. She skipped up to her sister and wrapped her in a hug.

Applejack could only blink slowly. “Rainbow. I’m dreamin’, right? Please tell me I’m dreamin’,” she pleaded.

“Nope.” Rainbow said, grinning from ear to ear.

“She looks very real to me,” Liara added.

Applejack slowly wrapped her own forelegs around Apple Bloom. “Land sakes, Apple Bloom! What in the name of Celestia possessed ya to come all the way here?” she found herself saying.

“I was worried, Applejack! I can’t let you go off and fight those aliens alone. I want to help too!”

“Apple Bloom, what did I tell you to do on Harnos?” Applejack said, a tinge of exasperation creeping into her voice.

“Um... let’s see... stay safe...”

“And what do you think you’re doing here...?”

“Staying safe, of course! What’s safer than having my big sister here to protect me?” Apple Bloom wrapped her hooves tighter around her sister’s chest.

“Apple Bloom, we’re fighting to save to stop a race of genocidal robots hell-bent on attacking ponies for some reason. It’s not safe.”

“Are ya sayin’ staying on a distant, isolated colony is safer than travelling with you on one of the most advanced warship of the Alliance?”

Curse the irrefutable logic of younger sisters! “Well, uh...”

“I think she got you there, AJ,” Rainbow said with a chuckle.

“Alright, fine! Since you came all the way here, I’m leaving you in the care of Ambassador Lyra. There is no safer place than the Citadel.”

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom cried.

Applejack frowned. “No buts, young lady. Yer in enough trouble already as it is.”

***

[The Flux, Zakera Wards]

“... and then I said, ‘Noooo, you can’t have a party without ginger beer! It just isn’t a party without ginger beer!’” Pinkie giggled-snorted, and flopped back in merriment. The booth shook a little.

Wrex chuckled lightly at Pinkie’s joke and sipped his glass of ryncol. By korgan standards, a sip meant a whole glass. “Personally, I prefer a party with a lot more real alcohol, fertile females and a whole load of head-butting.“

“Pffft. Wrexie, you don’t need those for a good time.”

“True, but they make it so much more enjoyable.”

Pinkie giggled again and pointed an accusing hoof at her krogan companion. “Naughty, naughty! You krogans all have dirty minds!”

“Hey, can’t blame a krogan for looking out for his own bloodline.” Wrex’s reptilian eyes twinkled with amusement.

The booth fell silent again as the two refilled their glasses: more ryncol for Wrex and ginger beer for Pinkie. The pink mare rolled her glass in her hooves before looking up at Wrex. “Wrexie... do you ever think of going back? You know, to Tuchanka?”

Wrex snorted. “Bah, that ball of dirt? There’s nothing left for me there.”

“Don’t you miss home? Friends? Family?” Pinkie pressed.

“I might. If I hadn’t been betrayed,” Wrex answered curtly.

Pinkie’s ears flattened. “That doesn’t sound very nice,” she said in a decidedly less cheery voice.

“It wasn’t.” Wrex gulped his drink. As he set down his glass, he noticed Pinkie putting on her best imitation of a puppy dog. Wrex sighed heavily. “You won’t stop pestering me until I tell you the whole story, huh?”

“Yep!”

Wrex eyed the entrance of the bar, weighing his options. Being a krogan, he’d likely outrun Pinkie in a straight sprint. Avoiding her was another matter altogether. It wasn’t a battle he’d win. “Fine,” he said with a resigned grunt.

“Yay!” Pinkie bounced up and down her seat happily. Then, she put on her best serious expression and leaned forward to listen. Wrex eyed her briefly, wondering again for the hundredth time what was going on in the pink ball of energy he called a friend.

“See now. I was the head of a small clan on Tuchanka. I—”

“I didn’t know you once led a clan, Wrexie!” Pinkie interrupted. “You should have told me! Think of all the parties we could have thrown with your clanmates!”

“Pinkie, there are some things I done in my life that would make you not want to be my friend. This is one of them. Even if that would save me a great deal of headache in the long run, I still like having your pink weakling ass around. Now do you want the story or not?”

Pinkie’s ears flattened and she subsided into her seat. “Sorry Wrexie, I’ll be good.”

“I was trying to help our kind recover. We were trying to restore order after the war. But the other tribes were against us. They followed Jarrod, one of the few warlords who survived the war. But he was old, and so was his idea. He wanted to continue fighting; the turians, salarians, each other. Didn’t matter who. But he didn’t realise how much things changed. We needed to be breeding, not throwing away lives by fighting. The genophage made sure that our numbers are too few to even consider fighting again, at least for one generation. For a while there, I was getting through. But Jarrod didn’t like my plans.” Throughout his monologue, Wrex’s voice retained a matter-of-fact tone.

“Ooooh. What happened?”

Wrex smiled thinly. “He arranged a Crush with the tribes—a meeting on neutral ground. He wanted to talk.”

“Talk?” Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t seem very krogan-y to me. You silly krogans just love to kill ponies and stuff.” She mouthed the last part with a grimace.

Wrex smirked. “There are some laws that even we krogans hold sacred. We met at the Hollows, on the graves of our ancestors. It’s as sacred as a krogan place can be. Violence was forbidden there. We talked, but we didn’t get anywhere. Then when he realised I wouldn’t join him, he gave the signal. His men leapt out of the graves of our ancestors like krogan undead. The few that were loyal to me died quickly. I escaped, but not before sinking my dagger deep into my father’s chest.”

Pinkie blinked. “Hold on. Just waaaaaaaaaait a minute,” she said slowly. Her eyes narrowed at the krogan. “Did you just say you killed your own father? As in kill kill?”

“Jarrod was a fool. He deserved to die after violating our ancestor’s graves,” Wrex replied simply.

“But killing your own father...” Pinkie repeated softly.

“We’re krogans, Pinkie. Death is part of who we are.” Wrex sipped his ryncol again. “Best get used to it.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Pinkie said sulkily, pouting like a foal denied candy. An awkward silence fell on the booth. Just as Wrex thought Pinkie had given up, she brightened again. “Oh! Oh! Tell me how you escaped!”

“Escape?” Wrex snorted. “Pah. It was just a matter of hauling my sorry arse to Tuchanka’s only spaceport, commandeering a freighter off the planet and shooting some more of my father’s men on the way out. Nothing to it.”

“Aw. I’d thought you would be more like”—Pinkie began to mimic the sound of guns firing—“and then more, ‘Hey! Stop right there you criminal scum!’, shouting and”—she moved to demonstrate some choice wrestling moves of her own—”some really fancy moves to escape the dastardly krogans that were out to get you.” She ended with a critical eye on Wrex. “C’mon now, spill the beans!”

“Hey, now. I’m a mercenary, not some holovid actor paid to look fancy. I shoot, I kill, I move on. That’s all.”

Pinkie pouted again. “Aww... you’re no fun sometimes, Wrexie.”

“Business is business.” Wrex downed another glass of ryncol. His reptilian eyes settled on Pinkie Pie again. “Speaking of which, how did you know I was looking for my family’s ceremonial armour?” Wrex had been on a job on Ilium when he first stumbled on Pinkie Pie. Or rather, he had been accosted by the hyperactive pink pony. One destroyed park bench later, he was pleasantly surprised to receive his familial heirloom straight from the hooves of the mysterious pony. The two had been on good terms since, keeping in touch mainly through extranet and the occasional pastry service.

“My Pinkie Sense told me,” Pinkie said, giggling.

Wrex knew better than to question her preternatural sixth sense. “Well, you never did tell me how you got it in the first place.”

“Oh, it’s nothing really. See, I was just stopping by on Omega, when I saw this suspicious stand. There’s this turian who was selling this piece of krogan armour. I think his name was Tonn Actus. So I thought, hey, it looks cool as a party prop. But then he tried to cheat me of my bits, saying it’s now worth double thanks to me asking. I was like, ‘What? That can’t be right.’ So one thing led to another and kinda...” She tapped her hooves together. “... ended in a huge fire.”

Wrex whistled. “I hope that scumbag died a messy death,” he said.

“Oh, that meanie pants escaped. I think he had an aircar stashed somewhere. But at least I saved your armour.” Pinkie didn’t quite catch Wrex’s disappointed rumble. “Anyway, Aria wasn’t pleased of the damage the fire caused but I think I got all of that worked out now.”

Wrex perked up. “Aria? The Aria T’Loak?” he repeated with disbelief.

Pinkie giggled. “Oh, I just threw her a Sorry-For-The-Unexplained-Fire party! She seemed pretty happy after that. In fact, she was so happy that she asked some turian to get me the next ship to Ilium. It was pretty sad to leave Omega, but then again, Ilium had far better atmosphere. I think that was pretty nice of her.”

Wrex snorted, and shook his head. “Typical.”

***

[Arboretum, Citadel]

Khal Al-Jilal put a hoof to his chest to steady his laboured breathing. He took comfort in the fact that he was safe behind this gazebo for now. That was entirely too close. Who knew a shy pegasus like her would have such a... such a...

He shuddered to even put words to it.

He thought it would be an easy affair to tease information out of the shy one of the group. After all, she was just an emotionally scarred pegasus, while he was a full grown stallion complete with a certified press card. But no, she had to travel with that bitch of a quarian. His multi-thousand credit camera drone was now a smoking wreck somewhere in the arboretum. But that hadn’t the worst part. Oh no. It was those... those...

Those aquamarine eyes.

Khal quickly put that memory to rest. Sparkle could keep this psycho for all he cared. He most definitely wasn’t going to risk his soul just to get the scoop of the lifetime. No sir.

“Come out, little birdie. I promise I won’t hurt you...”

That voice chilled him to the bone. It was also just around the corner. Khal let out a small whimper as the sound of soft hooves trampling the grass hovered closer.

“I see you...”

Khal’s felt the colour draining out of his face. His skin crawled up his spine as he imagined those eyes again. He let out a high-pitched scream and ran forward wildly, no longer interested in hiding. All that mattered was escape.

Escape from those eyes.

***

Fluttershy watched the fleeing figure disappear into the underbrush of the arboretum. “Do you think I was too harsh on him, Tali?”

“That boschtet deserved every second,” Tali replied without hesitation. “He’s lucky I didn’t get my hands on him. I’d have made him regret he ever took up journalism.”

“Oh... okay...” Fluttershy scuffed the ground with her hoof, her ears drooping. She wasn’t proud of what she had done, but the rage...

She shivered. For the first time in her life, she was afraid.

Afraid of who she was.

Tali didn’t seem to notice her momentary introspection. “C’mon. Let’s go before that imbecile comes back waving his camera in our faces again.”

***

[Zakera Wards, Citadel]

Sprinkle’s Milkshake Bar was one of the major highlights of the Wards—according to the tourist guide Apple Bloom got off some salarian—which was why the three were now sitting in his bar, drinking his signature milkshakes. All things considered, it was still inferior to the Canterlot variety. The trio had retired to a quiet corner of the bar and spent the day reminiscing.

“I still can’t believe you travelled all the way out here just to join us,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Can’t just sit there on Harnos while you two go off on an adventure without me, can’t I? Besides, Applejack agreed,” Apple Bloom said. She took a long sip from her specially ordered milkshake—vanilla, sprinkled with a hint of cinnamon and cocoa. Just the way she liked it.

“She only said you can stay here. Not follow us around.”

“Hey, I’m a big pony now. I can do what I want!” Apple Bloom glared as her two friends snickered. Then she sighed, “Still, it’s been a long time since we gathered like this.”

“You mean since high school?” Scootaloo replied dryly.

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle said. Then she frowned. “Wait, was that a trick question?”

Scootaloo snickered and leaned back, sipping her own chocolate milkshake. “Let’s just enjoy the moment,” she said quietly.

“Aw, Scoots. Yer no fun anymore,” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo shrugged. “Piloting a spaceship does that to ya.”

“Hey! I survived a mind-controlling plant on a remote colony.” Apple Bloom shuddered, her eyes distant for a moment. “Not something I wanna repeat.”

Sweetie stirred her own milkshake. “Say, Apple Bloom, did you ever find out what your cutie mark meant?”

Apple Bloom’s ears wilted. “No...”

“I guess it’s not a “Working In Far-Off Colony” cutie mark huh...” Sweetie Belle said.

“It’s a box, Sweetie Belle. I’m not even sure what th’ hay a box is supposed to mean.”

“Maybe it’s a box packer cutie mark?” Sweetie offered.

Apple Bloom huffed. “I tried that! It’s not it!”

“How did you—” Sweetie Belle did a double take. “Hold on, since when did you work at a box-packing factory? You never mentioned it before.”

Apple Bloom tapped her forehooves nervously.“Well, it was right before I went to Harnos and I... uh... sorta left...”

“You burned down the factory, didn’t you?” Sweetie deadpanned. It was a reasonable guess. The CMC always had a reputation for disaster after all.

“It wasn’t my fault!” Apple Bloom said defensively.

Scootaloo chuckled. “Sure it wasn’t, Apple Bloom. You just happened to trip over a wire or something, right?”

“H-How did you know?”

“I guessed.” Scootaloo calmly sipped on her milkshake as two pairs of eyes glued on her. “Also, there’s that report on the extranet about some freak accident on New Maretania that cost the planet nearly one billion credits. They even gave a detailed account of how it happened. Let’s see now: a filly with a blond mane and a yellow coat, was suspected to be involved.”

“Oh...” Apple Bloom looked even more downcast.

“You didn’t follow up on the fire, did you, Apple Bloom?”

“Why would I? I was kinda busy high-tailin’ out of there after my employer fired me.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “We didn’t exactly get extranet on Harnos. Geth and plant monster thing and all that.”

Scootaloo snickered. “Then you’d love this. Turns out, he was running a highly illegal red sand processing operation just under his factory. Your ‘accident’ just happened to uncover the biggest red sand smuggling operation on the planet. The ‘one billion’ credits was from the drug cartels. They call it the best industrial incident to happen to the planet.”

“Hold on, wha...? So that dirty no-good lout was smuggling red sand right under my nose? That’ll explain all those time I caught him sneaking around...” Apple Bloom slammed her hooves together. “I can’t believe I missed that!”

“Ah well, at least it turned out well in the end, yeah?” Scootaloo offered.

“Yeah, heh heh.”

The trio went silent as they sipped on their drinks thoughtfully, letting the sounds of the teeming milkshake bar fill the air.

Scootaloo broke the lull. “You know, I don’t think Twilight is taking this well. She looks so... haggard now.”

“Yeah...” Apple Bloom said. Her green eyes stared into her glass. “I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t bear to sit around while Saren is runnin’ loose tearin’ up the galaxy. That Conduit of his sounds too dangerous for us to walk away like that.”

Sweeti Belle chuckled. “You’re beginning to sound like Tali.”

“Hey, it’s jus’ common sense. Where the hay are we s’pose to run if he takes over the galaxy?”

Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “Are you planning something, Bloom?”

“I was jus’ thinking... Maybe it’s time to reform the Cutie Mark Crusaders... Only this time”—Apple Bloom grinned—“we’ll be saving the galaxy!”

Scootaloo pushed her pilot’s cap back and whistled. “Now that’s an idea I can get behind. I think I still have the contacts of all the Cutie Mark Crusaders branches we formed.”

“And I still have our ceremonial tambourines!”

The weight of the ensuing silence was palpable. Sweetie shrank a little from the sharp glances the other two gave her. “What? I thought it was a shame to throw them away.”

Apple Bloom quickly shook her head. “Never mind that. Are we agreed?”

“Count me in!” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo smirked. “I might be the most awesome pilot on this side of the galaxy, but I’m still a Crusader at heart.”

Apple Bloom held a big smile on her face. “Together, nothing can stop us.”

“CUTIE MARKS CRUSADERS, YAY!” they cheered together, clinking their milkshakes.

Apple Bloom rubbed her hooves together. “Now, I got a plan to sneak on the Normaredy without Applejack knowing...”

***

[Equestrian Embassy, Presidium]

Twilight stared at the sight of an entire platoon of guards blockading the entrance, their shoulder-mounted weapons pointed directly at the doorway. She just went to get a drink at the bar... How did things escalate so quickly?

One of the guard cantered up towards her and saluted. “Ma’am, we have a terrorist situation.”

“Let me take care of it...” Twilight sighed. She pushed through the line of guards that had formed around the entrance of the embassy, determined to get to the bottom of this latest disruption to her schedule. To her surprise, she found the source of the disturbance not to be some wild-eyed stallion asking for asylum, but rather, Rarity brandishing her weapon around.

Rarity lowered her gun as soon as she spied the commander. “Twilight! I’m so glad to see you. These ingrates just don’t understand Equestrian.”

Twilight quickly plucked the submachine gun out of her grasp and stowed it in her saddlebag. “Rarity, what manner of insanity possessed you to point your guns at our own embassy guards?”

“I told her it was a bad idea!” Spike’s voice said from under a potted plant.

“They wanted to arrest the poor griffons. I simply cannot allow such an affront to go unpunished.”

“Wait... what griffons?”

“Oh.” She gestured at the counter. “You can come out now.” Four feathered heads peeped out from behind. “This is Commander Twilight, captain of the SSV Normaredy and our very own pony Spectre.”

“Rarity, why are there griffons in the office?” Twilight asked, a twinge of exasperation in her voice.

“Oh, these poor dears have been living on the streets, Twilight—in the ventilation shafts no less. I couldn’t just let them be,” Rarity answered. She put a hoof to her head and sighed. “It’s really no place for any living creature to live.”

Twilight felt her eye twitch. She glanced at the quartet of griffons standing uneasily at the door then back at Rarity. She bit back the surge of anger that percolated in her mind. “Rarity, no offense, but we can’t possibly keep them here. This is an embassy, not a shelter for the homeless. If we started taking them in, we’d end up with half of the homeless population of the Citadel.”

Rarity recoiled in mock horror. “Why, I’m shocked, Twilight! Shocked! How could you possibly condemn them to the cold and wintry nights of the Citadel?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “In case you didn’t know, the entire Citadel is maintained at a constant temperature. It’s quite unlikely anypony would actually freeze to death on this station. Also, there isn’t a day-night cycle in the Wards anyway.”

Rarity wasn’t to be deterred. “You know what I mean,” she offered with a haughty sniff.

“I do, and I don’t understand, Rarity...” Twilight turned her head towards the griffon and waved a hoof. “They’re aren’t exactly incapable.”

“Excuse me, Miss Rarity, but the purple one is right.” Twilight’s eyes widened as one of the griffons rose to his full height. He looked like one of those old buff griffon actors in one of those cheesy action movies back in Canterlot. He also looked more than capable of inflicting mortal wounds if he so wished. Twilight found herself tensing unconsciously.

“Wha—?”

“I may be poor and homeless, but I sure as hell ain’t gonna start begging now. The dinner was good and the... shirt”—he tugged at his masterfully designed suit, taking care not to rip the delicate fabric with his sharp talons—“is very nice, but I can’t take this. My clan’s honour demands that I repay you with equal value, and I simply cannot afford this.”

“Oh, but I paid for all that. You don’t owe me a single cent,” Rarity countered.

“Look, lady. I’ll be the laughing stock of the Ward if I accept your help. We got on fine without you and we sure as hell can survive with ot without your help.” The griffon winced, evidently realising his slip of tongue. “No offense,” he added belatedly.

Rarity did look somewhat offended, but her lips continued to smile. “None taken,” she said tightly.

Twilight decided to intervene. “Rarity. These are griffons. They have their own code of honour,” she said, glancing at the griffon. The griffon nodded back.

“I don’t see why they would refuse perfectly sincere gifts.”

“Well, see, they don’t like accepting free help. It’s abhorrent to them. A sign of weakness, if you will. Gifts, if accepted, must be reciprocated in kind. Otherwise a griffon would be regarded as a burden to the clan and risk being shamed and cast out,” Twilight explained. She tactfully refrained from mentioning that once exiled, lone griffons rarely survived for long in the wilds. Of course this all happened back before the rise of technology in Equestria.

Rarity raised an eyebrow, then turned to regard the griffon with a thoughtful expression. “Hm... so if I make you work for me...”

The griffon nodded slowly. “That would be acceptable...”

The smile on her face got wider, her eyes suddenly twinkling with renewed enthusiasm. “Perfect! I got just the job for you. Would that satisfy your honour?”

“What might this job be?”

“Shopping!” The griffon took a step back uncertainly. “You can be my personal assistant.” For a moment there, Twilight thought she spied a look of horror cross the griffon’s face.

***

[Zakera Wards, Citadel]

Khal Al-Jilal was fairly certain this time he would finally catch a break. By all accounts, the white unicorn, Rarity, following the commander around was a fashion fanatic. And from his experience, ‘fashion fanatic’ meant a ditzy lifestyle full of closet skeletons and embarrassing secrets. Perfect fuel to blackmail her into becoming an informer on Twilight Sparkle.

He rubbed his hooves eagerly as he spied the unicorn walk into one of the Zakera Ward’s premier departmental store: The Mirage. Khal quickly fell in step behind, using the crowd as a shield. He soon noticed a couple of griffons trailling not far behind. Odd. Such riff-raff normally did not enter such an establishment. Unless... Khal broke into a smile. Maybe there was more to this than he thought.

Rarity soon stopped at a clothing line and began browsing the dazzling fabric on display. So busy he was with trying to guess which fashionable ware Rarity was picking out that he didn’t notice two griffons walk up behind him.

“Hey, mister.”

Khal froze. He slowly turned towards the source of the voice, who turned out to be the biggest griffon he seen yet, towering over him. The glower the griffon was giving him was sufficiently intimidating to make him wonder if he crapped his exquisite suit or not.

“Uh... hi?”

“You seem to be taking a great deal of interest in Miss Rarity.”

“Thomas! What’s the hold-up?” a refined voice sounded in the distance.

The griffon looked behind him and pointed downwards at Khal. He followed his gaze and winced as Rarity walked towards them, a few bags filled with clothes floating behind her. His rump bumped into the muscular chest of the other griffon. Running appeared to be not an option he could use.

“And who might this gentlepony be?” she asked.

“Dunno. Seems like he was following you, though.”

Rarity’s piercing blue eyes studied Khal. “I think I recognise him. He’s that reporter that Twilight mentioned earlier.”

Khal groaned. “Do you all know me by appearances now?”

“Well, not everypony I know would come stalking me with a camera drone,” Rarity said with a demure flick of her eyelashes. Khal felt himself colouring slightly. By Celestia, this mare knew how to seduce a stallion. Then he felt his blood run cold as those beautiful blue eyes hardened. “I am aware of what you been doing to poor Twilight. Let’s just say I fully intend to repay the favour.” She smiled, showing a perfect set of sparkling teeth. “Boys, why don’t you... educate our friend here on the perils of misinformation?”

The griffon smacked his claws together. “With pleasure.”

Khal gulped. This was so not his day.

***

[Equestrian Embassy, Presidium]

“You did what?” Twilight exclaimed, her jaw dropping.

Rarity continued to file her hoof. “Oh relax, Twilight. It’s not as if we physically harmed him.”

“You just sent your crew of griffons to, I quote, ‘educate’, him. How can I not be worried?”

“They just told him that they’ll rip him limb from limb if he ever tried to approach any of us ever again.” Rarity blew her hoof and inspected it. “I must say, I quite enjoyed the show.”

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh, Rarity. I know you all are upset by his inflammatory reports, but really now, you could have just ignored him.”

“Nonsense, Twilight. Such abuse must not go unpunished. Lady’s dignity and all that,” Rarity declared with all the dignity she could muster.

“Ugh. Never mind that. Let’s just hope you didn’t scare him too badly. He could press charges, you know.” Twilight sighed and started pacing the room. This was bad. The fallout from this incident alone could set their mission back for weeks. “Maybe an apology letter...”

“No. You’re not getting me to apologise to that mule.”

“Well, you should have thought of that before siccing your griffons on him. Now we have to play clean up.” Twilight stopped in her tracks and looked around. “Say... where are they?”

“Them? Oh, I let them off after that. I only went along with the thing to satisfy their honour.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “That’s it?” she said.

Rarity shrugged. “That’s it. Oh, he did mention something about helping us keeping a tab on the reporter as well, but I thought he was just being polite. Thomas is such a nice griffon when you get to know him.”

“I sincerely hope your friend is as trustworthy as you think he is,” Twilight sighed.

The intercom beeped, jarring the two from the conversation. Ambassador Lyra’s voice came through, “Commander, the Council wants to speak to you.”

“Put them through, Ambassador.” Twilight replied.

Moments later, the communication lectern lit up. Only two councillors this time: the asari and the salarian. Twilight felt a sense of perverse relief at the absence of the turian councillor. She presumed he was off attending duties on his homeworld. Council members rarely go off-station after all.

“Commander Sparkle, we received information that might be critical to your mission against Saren,” the asari began, without preamble as usual.

“I’m all ears, councillor.”

The salarian councilor nodded. “We received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse.”

“Don’t you mean spies?” Rarity said, arching an eyebrow.

“Spectres tend to attract a lot of attention, but they are only one arm of the Council. Special Task Groups are often the better option for monitoring developing situations,” the asari councillor explained.

“We currently have several infiltration units stationed on the borders of Citadel space. This particular unit was gathering information on Saren.”

“What did they find?” Twilight said, her ears perking up.

“Unfortunately, the message that we received was garbled. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they can’t set up proper interstellar communications. But, the message was sent on a channel reserved for mission-critical information. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know that it is important.”

“Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate. Find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet Virmire.” Twilight turned and nodded at Spike, who began scrolling furiously on his PDA.

The asari councilor spoke again, “The Council prefers not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre activity. We only want you to be aware of all your options, including Virmire. Good luck, Commander Sparkle.” The holograms winked out.

Twilight turned to Rarity with a small smile. “Looks like we have our next mission, girls.”

Chapter 1

In the year 1248, explorers on Luna discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization.

In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars.

The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time. They called it the greatest discovery in pony history.

The civilizations of the galaxy call it...

MASS EFFECT

***

[Unknown location]

“Well, what about your protégé, Twilight? Unicorn, but I don’t recognize her cutie mark.”

“Her talent is magic. Pure magic.”

“She has no friends, withdrawn and by all accounts, anti-social.” A short pause. “Is this the kind of pony we want protecting the galaxy?”

“Twilight is intelligent, smart and incredibly talented. Given time, she will learn the magic of friendship.”

“I defer to your judgment, sister,” the first voice reluctantly said.

“Do not worry, my dearest, I have absolute faith in my student.”

“I’ll make the call.”

***

[Canterlot System, Outer Space]

My dearest, most faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

You know I value your diligence and I trust you completely. But, you simply must get away from your books. A good student must also learn about the world by experience, not only through her reading. To this end, I’ve decided to assign you to the new ESV Normaredy as the second commanding officer on its’ maiden voyage to Appleloosa. I trust you will enjoy the experience.

Your loving teacher,
Princess Celestia.

Twilight let out a small sigh as she reread the letter for the twelfth time. If it was such an honour, why did it feel like punishment instead? Had she not been the Princess’s best student all these years? Granted, she didn’t leave the palace for the past year, but she had been studying diligently about military tactics, strategies and all that. She rolled up the scroll and carefully stowed it in her saddle-packs, and returned to brooding on the events of the past few days.

Being the good student she was, she had immediately packed her bags after receiving the letter. The unicorn had set off for the nearest starport on Canterlot (which so happened to be Ponyville Intergalactic Starport). To the credit of the officials at PIS, they were already waiting for her when she arrived. With speed and efficiency she could scarcely credit the normally laid-back workers of the starport, she had been whisked through the terminal. Twilight was up and flying in the shuttle to the Normaredy in less than an hour after arrival.

“Approaching the ESV Normaredy, ma’am,” the pilot’s voice chimed over the speakers.

Momentarily distracted from her dark thoughts, Twilight glanced out of the window. She managed to get a glimpse of the ship she was about to serve on. It was… impressive. From the distance, Twilight’s logical mind estimated it to be almost triple the length of the shuttle. It’s streamlined shape reminded her of an eagles; with two wing-like structures attached to the main body of the craft. Just in the background, she could make out Luna, the small moon of Canterlot.

Twilight nodded. It should be impressive. It was the product of the first collaboration between turians and ponies in designing an entirely new class of stealth frigates. Years had been spent in the design of the ship, with emphasis on speed and stealth. True to its design, the prototype ship boasted the galaxy’s first ever stealth system. The princess herself was said to have had a personal hoof in the project. Billions of credits had been sunk into the project, and now the fruit of that labour was right before her eyes.

As the shuttle neared the frigate, she began to appreciate the finer details of the ship. The ship was painted in sleek white with alternating black strips. The name Normaredy SR-1 painted proudly on the aft section of the ship. The ‘wings’ that she noticed initially was actually the anti-photon thrusters of the ship.

Twilight sighed again, deciding it was time to put on her armour. It was uncomfortable, but this was a formal occasion, and she was supposed to look her best during her first time round. Or at least, that was what her books on ship protocols had to say on that. She carefully levitated the various pieces of her onyx armour out of her packs, and starting putting them on. Shoulder guards. Saddle-piece. Flank-piece. Leg armour. Each piece clinked into place with practiced ease.

At least she didn’t need Spike anymore for this, having been subjected to countless sessions of training on just putting on her own armour. It was harder than one would think. She smirked slightly as she recalled the memories of the combat magic training course she had been put through.

It was supposed to be a tough affair, meant only for the most elite of combat magic users. Yet the Princess insisted Twilight take the course, reasoning it was only proper for her student to learn how to defend herself. Twilight had balked at first. It was, after all, a combat course. Ponies could get hurt. It was unpony-like. Military training was unpleasant at best. The very notion of combat made the bookish unicorn queasy. The Princess persisted. Eventually she caved, and enrolled in the course.

At first, it had been everything she feared. The instructors were harsh. Life was brutal, with long days and late nights. It wasn’t uncommon for Twilight to stumble into bed, bone-weary and tired to the core. Yet, over the months, she began to enjoy it the challenge of it. Her affinity to magic was a boon. It had enabled her to easily cast spells where other unicorns stumbled.

However she rarely, if ever, socialised with her fellow candidates, preferring instead to spend long hours in the library on the theories of magic and combat. The other candidates labelled her as a recluse and loner. It suited her just fine.

In the end, she graduated with flying colours, easily outclassing the other candidates. Her marks in the final assessment were said to be the highest in the history of the military academy. As a reward for passing the course with the highest honour, she was allowed to wear the rank M7, one of the highest ranks for combat magic forces in the Equestrian Navy. It had been a proud day for her when the Princess herself appeared to present her with the coveted insignia.

Since then, she went back to her former position as the protégé of Princess Celestia. Twilight merely considered her military rank as a formality and gave no further thought to it. The Princess herself did not press the issue. Until now.

“Initiating docking sequence with the Normaredy, ma’am. Please remain in your seats until we have fully docked,” the pilot’s voice chimed again, interrupting Twilight’s reminiscing.

Her purple eyes betraying a flash of annoyance, she nevertheless began to repack the odds and ends that fallen out from her pack while she was on board. Just as she finished, the shuttle shuddered, presumably having docked with the ship. The muted sounds of the shuttle engines went silent.

“We have docked with the Normaredy. Commander, please exit through the door indicated by the light,” the pilot calmly announced.

Twilight stretched her limbs, testing the feeling of her armour on her body. Satisfied that it was properly fitted, she gathered her saddlepacks and trotted slowly to the indicated exit. Twilight begin tapping her hooves as she waited for the airlock to disengage.

With a hiss, the airlock doors slid open, revealing a marine pony in full dress uniform standing at attention. At the sight of Twilight, he saluted smartly.

“Welcome aboard the ESV Normaredy, commander.”

***

[Canterlot system, Outer Space]

The ESV Normaredy cruised through the vacuum of deep space, her anti-photon thrusters gently firing as she approached the mass relay in the system.

“The Ponytar Prime Relay is in range, initiating transmission sequence,” the ship’s pilot’s voice said crisply over the speakers.

“We’re connected. Calculating transit mass and destination,” the pilot’s voice announced again. “Relay is hot, acquiring approach vector. All stations, secure for transit.”

The twin engines of the ship began to fold and align themselves to prepare for FTL travel.

“Board is green. Approach run has begun.” A note of anticipation entered the pilot’s voice. “Hitting the relay in 3… 2… 1…”

The sleek black and white frigate aligned itself in parallel with the mass relay. A moment of silence. Then a burst of energy from the core of the relay struck the ship, propelling the ship instantly to faster than light speeds.

The ESV Normaredy accelerated out of the Canterlot system and disappeared into deep space with a flash.

***

[ESV Normaredy, Pilot cabin]

“A smooth transition. Your captain will be pleased,” the turian said flatly, before turning his back and walking away. The bipedal alien stood out amidst all the equine crew members in the ship; his dull grey skin and black armour contrasting sharply with the colourful coats of the ponies manning the ship.

“I hate that guy,” the pilot mumbled under her breath, as soon as she was sure the turian was out of earshot.

“Scootaloo! Nihilus gives you a compliment and you hate him? Such shocking manners,” the white unicorn sitting beside her admonished. The tag on her uniform identified her as Chief Engineer Rarity. A cutie mark of three diamonds could be seen beneath her uniform.

“I hope you don’t mess up that pretty mane of yours in the bath,” the brown pegasus retorted, her wings flaring in annoyance. “I jumped us halfway across the galaxy, aiming for a target that is the size of a pinhole. It’s not great; it’s incredible!” She waved her hooves about theatrically, to which Rarity just gave her a cold stare in response. The brown pegasus seemed unperturbed by the show of disapproval.

Scootaloo glanced around for a moment to ensure the turian was not in earshot and whispered in a conspiratorial voice, “Besides I don’t like Spectres: they’re bad news. Call me paranoid.”

“Paranoid? More like rude,” Rarity said primly.

“I think you better watch what you’re saying,” the lavender unicorn standing behind the pilot finally spoke. She eyed the pilot critically for a moment before continuing. “The Council funded this project, with the explicit support of the Princess. They have a right to check up on their investment.”

Twilight’s thoughts wandered as she reconsidered her words. Spectres — formally known as Special Tactics and Reconnaissance unit — were the elite soldiers chosen by the Citadel’s Council themselves. They were supposed to be the right hand of the Council, enforcing the Council’s will where a fleet would not do. Given the importance of their task, they were given virtually unlimited powers and privileges at their disposal. The presence of Nihilus on the ship only meant the Council was taking their investment very seriously.

Before the pilot could reply, the commlink on her console chirped. “Joker, the Great & Powerful Trixie demands a status report.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes at the use of her nickname but kept her voice professional. “We just cleared the mass relay, captain. Stealth systems engaged, everything looks solid.”

“Good, link us to the nearest comm buoy. I want the Equestrian Command to know every single glorious deed we’re about to do. Also, send that dolt of a commander over to me for a debriefing,” she ordered, her voice akin to a rich brat demanding sweets.

Scootaloo had to stifle a chuckle. The commander had heard every single word. She responded in a gleeful voice, “Captain, she’s right here.”

“Oh… then tell her!” The captain abruptly cut the link. Scootaloo looked disappointed, evidently expecting a more colourful reaction.

Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Joker?”

“Long story. Maybe I’ll tell you about it later,” the pilot said dismissively. She quickly steered the conversation to another topic. “Anyway, you heard the lady, commander. She doesn’t like to be kept waiting,” Scootaloo continued, noting the annoyed look on the Twilight’s face. “Good luck.”

“Thanks a lot, Scootaloo,” Twilight said, a trace of sarcasm in her voice. She turned around and began making her way to the briefing room. Great, now I’ll have to face Trixie again. Her brow furrowed as she considered the unpleasant thought.

As she trotted off, she overheard the last scraps of conversation between Rarity and Scootaloo: “I don’t know how you put up with that...”

Twilight strolled past the rows of workstations just behind the pilot’s cabin, each crew member busy in their their assigned station. Occasionally, a pony would call out routine reports to the pilot’s cabin, followed by acknowledgement by either the pilot or another crew. Twilight nodded at each crew member as she passed them, more out of protocol rather than any sense of friendship.

Finding herself reaching the CIC deck, she stopped to glance at the holographic starmap located right in the middle of the CIC. The three-dimensional holographic representation of the galaxy rotated slowly, a small blue dot indicating the Normaredy’s current position. The starmap was overlooked by a small podium and surrounded by more workstations. All along the walls of the room, various switchboards and monitors flashed and beeped. A crew member had her head in one of the panels, effecting repairs of some sort. The smell of acrid smoke wafted past Twilight’s nostrils as she trotted past.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the navigator and the ship’s nurse chatting merrily in a corner. The latter was bent over in laughter, probably in response to a joke. Twilight dredged up their names from the depths of her memory. Navigator Ditzy Doo... and Nurse Cherilee. Twilight had not actually talked to them much, having spent most of her time in her cabin. Studying about the ship’s design and function naturally.

Just behind the CIC was the briefing room. Two pegasi marine stood guard in front of the unassuming door. Their black armour shone as if they have just been polished, and the guns on their shoulders well-oiled. They saluted briefly with their wings as Twilight trotted past. She inclined her head in response, acknowledging their salute before trotting past and into the room beyond.

***

[ESV Normaredy, Briefing Room]

The spectre was standing in front of a monitor, watching a promotional video of Appleloosa. He turned as the lavender pony entered the room; the doors sliding shut smoothly behind her. The turian flicked the video off, and turned to address Twilight.

“Ah, Commander Sparkle, so good of you to join me. Good thing you got here first, it’ll give us a chance to chat,” he started conversationally, his voice inflection-less. His small, black eyes seemed to study the unicorn with great interest.

The commander stared in fascination, her first real chance to get a good look at one of the famed Spectres. Nihilus, like all others of his kind, had metallic plates covering his face. Elaborate white markings covered his facial metal platings. He wore black body armour; lined with red markings, apparently customized to his taste. A pistol hung comfortably from his right hip.

“What about?” Twilight finally replied, a curious look in her purple eyes.

“I’m interested in this world we’re going to… Appleloosa, right?” He pronounced the planet’s name with care. “The pride of ponykind. Proof that ponies can establish colonies across the galaxy and protect them.”

“I don’t get what are you trying to say.” Twilight feigned ignorance, even as she knew all too well what Nihilus was trying to imply. Many alien species regarded the new pony race which so recently joined the galaxy with suspicions. Not all were friendly.

“Ponies are newcomers to the galaxy, commander. Do you really think—”

“I think we are more than capable enough to protect our own. With the Great & Powerful Trixie in command, we have nothing to fear,” a haughty voice behind the commander broke into the conversation. Both the turian and commander turned to the source of the intrusion.

A slate blue unicorn trotted into the briefing room, an air of superiority preceding her every step. She was garbed in a gaudy blue uniform and a pointed hat resembling a wizard hat of legend, decorated with stars. Her blue eyes met the commander’s own set of purple eyes.

“Twilight Sparkle, we meet again.”

“Yes, captain, I am well aware of that,” Twilight replied, trying not to grit her teeth at the memory of her past encounters with Trixie in Canterlot, which included a certain Ursa Minor. Why in the name of Equestria does it have to be her? she thought rather gloomily. Although she had been forewarned of the presence of the captain since getting on the ship, meeting her face-to-face brought reality home like a bucketload of apples.

“Hmph, after our incident in Canterlot, I had hoped that I wouldn’t need to see your plebian face again. I still remember how you humiliated me.” Trixie’s face darkened for a moment, before being replaced by her characteristic smug look. “Fortunately for you, I am magnanimous enough to let old petty hatreds slide,” Trixie continued, clearly not meaning a single word. Her violet eyes dared Twilight to do something reckless.

Twilight did not rise up to the bait. Instead, she just glared at the captain sullenly, her anger obvious on her face.

A discreet cough interrupted the exchange.

“I think we should get the briefing started, don’t you think captain?” Nihilus suggested, his voice tempered with an undercurrent of menace. A taloned hand was already resting casually on his pistol. Clearly, the Spectre was a being with little patience for fools.

“Y-y-yes, of course,” Trixie stammered uncharacteristically, the confidence in her voice lost. She tugged her uniform nervously with her hooves and took a deep breath. With a more professional voice, she continued, “The situation is this, commander. We have been assigned to a covert operation of transporting something off the colony. From initial reports of the research team on Appleloosa, it appears to be some sort of Prothean beacon.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she digested the implications of the captain’s words. The Protheans were an advanced race that vanished 50,000 years ago. The mass relays and the Citadel itself were said to be relics of the Prothean race. To this day, Prothean relics were some of the most sought-after items in the galaxy, the potential for technological advancement from studying such a relic literally priceless.

“Unfortunately Appleloosa is just a farming colony, and does not have the facility to deal with a discovery of this magnitude. We need to bring the relic back for proper study at the Citadel,” Trixie continued.

“This discovery would mean a great deal to all the council races, not just ponies,” Nihilus added.

“Nihilus is also here for another purpose, to evaluate you.” Trixie’s eyes were suddenly shifty.

“What? Whatever for?” Twilight narrowed her eyes at the captain’s choice of words. The princess never mentioned anything about an evaluation.

“Our dear Princess apparently nominated you to be the first pony candidate to join the Spectres.”

Twilight initial reaction was one of surprise. The Princess... Spectres? Then understanding dawned as she reconsidered the cryptic way her mentor had worded the letter to her. My mentor wanted this to be a surprise. Princess Celestia sure knows how to keep a secret, she thought happily, an involuntary smile broke on her face.

Trixie scowled. “Personally, I think she’s making a terrible mistake. But she’s the princess and I’m just a captain. Unfortunately.” Trixie’s voice left no doubt on how she felt about this. Twilight managed to keep a straight face as she imagined the reaction of the captain on hearing news that her rival was about to be inducted into the Specters. She pitied any crew member who had been unfortunate enough to be within range of the captain’s wrath.

“Nevertheless, you must realize the importance of this task. The Spectres represents the Council’s power and authority. If a pony is accepted into the ranks of the Spectres, it shows how far ponykind has come.” Trixie ground out the obviously rehearsed speech.

“I look forward to working with a personal student of Princess Celestia.” Nihilus offered a short bow. “I hope you do not disappoint your princess’s decision to endorse your candidacy into the Spectres.”

“I won’t, Nihilus.” Twilight’s chest swelled with pride with the knowledge of her mentor’s confidence in her. All her training, all the years of preparation, just for this. Suddenly, the princess’s intention was made clear. Twilight realised with a start that Princess Celestia probably planned for this years even before she took her in. I guess being thousands of years old makes one take the long view.

“Good, the sooner you’re off my ship, the better,” Trixie said disdainfully.

Nihilus continued, ignoring Trixie entirely. “You will be in charge of the ground team, commander. I will be there… to observe.”

“Whenever you’re ready.” Twilight saluted the spectre smartly. The spectre nodded, his facial features betraying no hint of what he thought of the lavender pony.

Scootaloo’s voice boomed over the intercom, interrupting their meeting. “Captain, we have a problem. Just intercepted a distress signal from Appleloosa.”

“Well, play it on screen, Joker,” Trixie snapped. Twilight and Nihilus exchanged questioning looks. What could possibly be happening on Appleloosa?

“Aye aye,” the pilot replied, a trace of annoyance lingering in her voice.

The monitor in the briefing room flickered to life again, showing soldier ponies on a lush landscape. The sound of gunfire echoed erratically from the background. A soldier pony yelled into the camera, “We’re under attack by an unknown enemy force, I repeat, we’re under—” the soldier’s voice was cut off with a grunt of pain as a stray shot hit his flank.

The view shook wildly as the camera fell to the ground, then righted itself as somepony else picked it up. An orange mare’s face came into view. “We need evac now! I don’t right care who’s gettin’ this, just send help…” Her voice trailed off as the camera swung around to catch a huge grayish ship coming down from the sky. Even from the low-quality of the feed, Twilight could make out a distinct insectoid shape to the ship. Red lightning trailed the ship as it began its descent towards the colony.“Sweet horseapples…” the soldier whispered, before the transmission was abruptly cut. Static filled the viewscreen.

“Our mission just got a lot more complicated,” Twilight observed.

Chapter 6

[Exo-Poni Headquarters, Harnos]

After another brief engagement with the geth outside the makeshift Exo-Poni bunker, Twilight and her companions managed to reach the Exo-Poni HQ without further complications. They stormed the building front door in a blaze of cannon fire with the Mako and pushed into the building on foot.

For most part, the geth seemed quite taken by surprise by the bold attack on their base. The squad managed to gun down several unsuspecting geth troopers before the alarm was even raised. Even after alerting the entire base, the team didn’t slow down as they plowed through the defenses the remaining geth put up.

In an act of desperation, the geth enacted energy barriers throughout the building, sealing the team and any surviving geth in. To the horror of the team, the energy barrier was impervious to conventional weaponry. Nothing they had could break through. Furthermore, attempts to establish radio contact to the Normaredy and Lix’s Hope had so far been futile. One small consolation they had was that the energy barrier probably took a lot of power and the power source had to be somewhere within the building. Or so they hoped.

“Shh... I think somepony is coming.” Twilight held up a hoof as they approached the doorway to another research lab in a dimly lit corridor. The crunch of small pebbles under their feet echoed loudly in the silence.

“Okay, this one doesn’t seem locked, going to open it now.” Twilight punched the button on the panel.

*Bang!*

Fortunately for the lavender unicorn, she had ducked into cover upon hearing the shot. Tali and Wrex brought up their weapon in response, covering the pony who aimed a pistol shakily at the trio. “S-stay back. I know how to use this.”

“Kid, put that gun down before you get hurt,” Wrex replied, his rifle aimed steadily at the pony’s head. Twilight quickly put a hoof to the krogan’s arm to stay his aim.

“We’re from the Equestria Navy. We’re here to help,” Twilight said, injecting a note of reassurance in her voice. The civilian looked warily at the trio for a moment, before dropping the pistol.

A profuse round of apologies and explanation later, the civilian, who was a scientist in the employ of Exo-Poni Corporation, tagged nervously behind the trio. Despite his obvious aversion to combat, Twilight thought the gray stallion held up pretty well considering the situation. Plus, he had access codes to every locked door in the building, barring the energy barrier. At least they wouldn’t have to blast their way through the doors now. She idly wondered how much property damage their little excursion had caused thus far.

“So, what do think the geth are after in Harnos?” Twilight asked, still keeping her eyes peeled for any roaming geth.

“I don’t know, there’s nothing particularly valuable on Harnos... unless they’re after the Thorian.” the scientist aptly named Deep Six replied. He shook his silver mane free of the dust that collected in copious amount.

“What’s a Thorian?” Tali quizzed curiously.

“It’s a plant species native to the planet.” The scientist looked around nervously before continuing. “The properties of the plant is... rather unique. Exo-Poni has been studying it for quite sometime.”

“Unique?” Something about the way the scientist answered the question triggered alarm bells in Twilight’s mind. She brought the group to a halt and glowered at the scientist. “Tell me about this Thorian. Now.”

It turned out the Thorian had been inadvertently discovered by a small group of surveyors just beneath Lix’s Hope some two years prior to the geth attack. The corporation found that the group was infected by some sort of organic spores which nopony could identify. Instead of evacuating the colony, the corporation had decided to isolate all infected personnel there and observe the effect of the alien spores. Obviously this was done without knowledge of the inhabitants of the outpost.

Within a month, 80% of the colonist were infected. By the end of the year, everypony on the outpost had been infected with the spores. Outwardly, they showed no sign of behavioural change, save for an extreme reluctance to leave the colony. When taken for tests, the infected colonists were wracked with unexplained neurological pain and headaches. The Exo-Poni scientists had postulated that the Thorian was sentient, and in fact keeping the colonists as its thralls. It imposed its will via negative reinforcement, unleashing pain on the subject until it acquiesced to its will.

Twilight felt her eyes shrinking to pinpricks as the scientist continued his story. Were they already infected? No unexplained headaches and mysterious voices in my head so far. She glanced at her companions. Tali should be immune, with her environmental suit. The krogan might be susceptible, but he didn’t show any signs either. Neither did the other ponies for that matter. Twilight took that as a good sign.

“You mean to say, you let those poor ponies get infected by an alien lifeform. And you told nopony about it?!” Twilight thundered, as she fought to keep her anger in check. Deep Six shrank back from the murderous looks the trio was giving him.

“I’ll say we off him now and hightail it back to the colony,” Wrex snarled, clicking the safety off his rifle. The stallion looked positively terrified now.

“Wait! Please, I don’t want to die here. You could stop this madness. Kill the Thorian. That should set the colonists free,” he cried desperately, shrinking from the krogan.

“Wouldn’t the Thorian force the colonists to defend it?” Tali said thoughtfully.

“Yes... yes, that would be the expected reaction. But I have been working on the company’s contingency plan to remove the plant should it ever pose a problem.” Deep Six fumbled in his saddlepacks and produced a grenade mod in his mouth.

“This is a form of nerve gas—” the scientist began, before Twilight cut him off.

“Nerve gas? We’re not going to poison innocent civilians here,” Twilight interjected harshly. Deep Six gulped and shook his head frantically.

“No! Nothing like that. See, the Thorian’s control over the colonists comes at a price. By now their neurological systems are so weakened, that even a harmless dose of neurotoxin will disable them. At least in theory.” He gave a nervous grin at the still-irate unicorn. Twilight stared at the earthpony scientist for good long while, thinking of her alternatives. They could probably knock the colonists out with blunt force, but the risks of doing so were high. Killing them were not an option obviously.

She nodded at the scientist slowly. “Fine. We’ll test your theory in action,” she said grudgingly, taking the mod from the scientist’s mouth and stowing it in her backpack. Deep Six looked relived at her apparent acceptance.

“Now, all we need to do now is to find a way out of here...”

***

“Kee’lah,” Tali whispered, as they stood before the geth dropship which was attached the outer walls of the office. Tubes of various sizes snaked from the grey ship, disappearing into makeshift holes in the room.

“They’re using their own ship to power the energy barriers?!” Twilight said incredulously.

“We don’t have the firepower to bring that thing down,” Wrex said thoughtfully, as his eyes studied the ship.

Twilight groaned in despair. They made it all the way here, only to be foiled by a lack of high explosives. She began pacing around the room, searching for anything that might help them.

“Hey! There’s a blast door control here.” Tali was hunched over a console at the far end of the room. “Hm, the maintenance log here says that the blast doors will shut with enough force to shear steel under a certain amount of pressure.”

“Good idea, maybe we can—”

A loud explosion interrupted her speech. The compression blast from the explosion swept over the trio, knocking them off their feet.

Coughing from the smoke filling the room, she looked up to find the geth ship suddenly sprouting flames, a hole tore clean right through the ship. The geth ship creaked and groaned, as the supporting clamps failed and the tubes began snapping one by one. Finally, with one final groan, the whole ship fell off the building, into the cloudy mist below.

“How did the ship explode?” Twilight exclaimed, her eyes wide at the spectacle. Then she heard a familiar voice cut through the smoke.

“And Rainbow Dash saves the day again!”

***

[Weather Control Station, Harnos]

Just a few minutes before, Rainbow Dash wasn’t so supremely confident of her ability to save the day. In fact, she was downright uncertain whether she would stay alive for next minute.

The weather station was completely deserted. Empty. Nada. Rainbow Dash had never heard of a weather station being completely abandoned before. Even if the geth did attack the place, the pegasus ponies stationed here would at least make a stand... wouldn’t they? At any rate, the eerie silence and lack of ponies was starting to creep the sky-blue pegasus out. She began to take a hesitant step towards the open entrance.

A soft whimper behind Dash sent her flying to the roof.

“Dash, are you in there?” a soft voice called out.

Dash shook the stars out of her eyes and glanced irritably at the shy yellow pegasus who startled her so badly. “Fluttershy! Don’t sneak up on ponies like that. You’re going to give me a scare.” Well, she was unprepared, so it was totally not her fault.

“I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... maybe I should just stand here and um... wait for you to finish...” Fluttershy said slowly, her face turning away in embarrassment. Dash let out an irritated sigh and tried to hide her exasperated feelings.

“Let’s try this again. Fluttershy, have you found anything?”

A whimper. Dash thought it wasn’t possible for anypony to curl up in fear like that, but Fluttershy went ahead and did it anyway.

“Fluttershy! This is important,” Dash pleaded.

Another whimper. Dash clenched her teeth in frustration. Sometimes Fluttershy can be too darned shy for her own good.

Angel apparently had the same thought as Dash and stomped his feet in an annoyed fashion on the pegasus’ back. The bunny marched up to the pegasus’ left ear and whispered a few words for her benefit. Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t!” she cried. Angel just shook his head in reply. The pegasus sighed softly. “Alright, Angel Bunny. Only for you.”

She took a deep breath, before starting her tale. “We found some geth... bodies. But nopony else. Everypony seemed to have... disappeared.”

Dash stamped her hooves on the ground. “That’s what I thought. The geth must have foalnapped them.” She gave her wings a strong flap and hovered in the air. “Come on Fluttershy, we need to search for other survivors at the skybridges-” A steadily increasing whine outside the building interrupted the rest of her speech.

“What the hay?” Dash exclaimed.

Bullets stitched through the cloud walls, peppering the whole room with indiscriminate fire. Angel instinctively put up a biotic barrier, shielding them from the rain of bullets temporarily.

“Come on, Fluttershy. We need to get out of here now!” Rainbow grabbed Fluttershy and Angel by the hoof and dragged them out of the door in a rainbow blur. They rocketed out of the cloud tower.

They were met with a chilling sight. Dash had to slow down to avoid crashing head on into the geth dropship circling the tower. Her violet eyes widened in fear as the machine guns on the ship swivelled to track her.

“Fluttershy! Fly! Now! I’ll distract ‘em.” She dropped Fluttershy into the clouds below, hoping that the pegasus would regain her wits enough to fly off and raced off in a completely random direction. Then she flew. Flew like the wind.

Dash did every trick she remembered to throw off the geth dropship. Loop-de-loops. Corkscrew dance. Everything.

The geth ship followed her acrobatics unerringly, closing the gap steadily with every minute. Dash could feel a couple of bullets whizzing past as the geth ship closed in. Only one trick left up her metaphorical sleeve. The Sonic Rainboom. A feat, most pegasi thought impossible. A feat, she only managed to pull off once. A feat, she had been never been ever to replicate since.

Okay, Dash, you can do this. All you need to do is pull off the Sonic Rainboom again. That’ll knock the geth ship out handily enough. Hah, that sounds easy enough.

Her mind wandered back to all the failed attempts of her trying to recreate the Sonic Rainboom. Countless times of her crashing awkwardly back into the ground or some other object. Dash squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the failures in the past. She could do this. She’d have to.

Rainbow began increasing her speed again, angling her body downwards towards the clouds. She’d need every bit of help gravity could provide. The geth ship followed her down, guns blazing. Dash could feel a few bullets hitting home now, but her kinetic barrier remained intact... barely.

Faster... faster.

She could feel the air heating up around her, and a glow began forming at the tip of her hooves.

Faster... faster. C’mon, faster. Dash clenched her teeth as she pushed herself harder than she ever did in years.

Silence.

For a fraction of a second there, Rainbow thought she failed. She wasn’t fast enough. She lost. Now, she was going to pay the price with her life.

Then she heard it. The roar of onrushing air being swept apart at sonic speed. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the familiar hues of a rainbow forming and spreading out in a circle behind. The Sonic Rainboom. She grinned wildly as she sped ahead.

“Yeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!” she whooped as she did a corkscrew.

The geth ship wasn’t so lucky. The Sonic Rainboom, if anything, was a manifestation of pure electromagnetic energy. The ship shook and went silent as the rainbow wave of energy washed over it, its systems apparently overloaded. The mass effect core of the ship however, kept it afloat.

Rainbow Dash did a wide 180 turn and hovered in front of the now silent ship, unsure of her next move. Then her radio crackled. The geth jamming must be gone. “Dash... a-are you there? *eep* P-P-Please respond.”

“Yeah, I’m here Fluttershy,” she answered as insouciantly as possible, masking her relief that Fluttershy survived as well.

“Dash! Thank Celestia you’re alright... What happened to the geth ship?... If you don’t mind me asking,” the pegasus’ soft voice said.

“I disabled it, of course.”

“Wow... you’re a brave filly Dash.” Fluttershy answered. After a brief pause, she continued. “Um... I found another of those geth ships—”

“What?! Get out of there!” Dash half-shouted into the radio frantically. If that silly filly got herself killed like that... Dash didn’t have the heart to think further.

“It’s... stuck to a building. It didn’t notice me hiding above it...” came the shy reply.

“Oh...” Dash’s voice trailed off as a crazy idea sprung to life in her head. “Wait right there, I got a special delivery to make.”

***

[Exo-Poni Headquarters, Harnos]

“... Rainbow Dash, that’s both insane and brilliant, crashing the geth ships into each other like that.”

“Of course!” Dash said smugly, striking a heroic pose while hovering. “Wait, insane here means good right?”

Twilight giggled at her uncertain expression. “In this case, yes,” she reassured.

“You definitely got a quad there Dash, taking down two geth ships like that,” Wrex nodded with new-found respect. The rainbow-hued pegasus looked at the krogan blankly.

“What’s a quad?” Dash asked innocently. Twilight wasn’t so oblivious to the meaning though, and began to giggle uncontrollably. “What?” Dash asked, a confused look on her face.

Her radio crackled into life just then, sparing Rainbow from further potential embarrassment. “...this is the ESV Normaredy, calling for ground team. Please respond...” Twilight quickly sobered up and forced her mind back into reality.

Twilight put a hoof to her ear and cut into the channel. “This is Commander Sparkle. We have disabled the geth jamming in the area.”

“Twilight?!” Scootaloo’s voice seemed relieved. “Thank Celestia you’re safe. Listen, something’s wrong. The entire colony gone crazy. They’re swarming the airlock and are trying to break into the ship.” Twilight winced. That was bad. And Applejack... Oh no.

“Scootaloo, get any remaining marines on that door and make sure they don’t break through. Worse come to worst, you are authorised to take off and seek reinforcements.” She did not mention the fact that the entire ground team would also be left stranded on the planet.

The pilot took the hint well enough. Her voice became grim. “Aye, Commander.” She broke radio contact and turned towards the her companions.

“Okay, here’s the plan. First, we need to stop by the Exo-Poni bunker and drop this scientist off.” Twilight pointed a hoof at Deep Six, who staring wordlessly at the gap in the wall. “I have a few hard questions for the director himself.” Her tone left no doubt what kind of question she would be asking.

***

[Tunnels, Harnos]

Rarity watched curiously as the pink earth pony bounced and twitched all over the crumbling concrete floor. The spectacle went on for a full minute before subsiding.

“Wow. That was a doozy alright,” Pinkie Pie said.

“What’s a doozy?” Rarity asked, already frowning. So far, Pinkie hadn’t done anything to jeopardise the mission, but her randomness was really starting to grate on her nerves.

“My Pinkie Sense. Something bad is happening to one of our friends,” Pinkie said rather ominously.

“Nonsense Pinkie. They’re quite capable of taking care of themselves,” Rarity replied, dismissing the warning out of hand. “Now let’s finish arming the explosives so we can get back to the colony... and to civilization.”

“I warn you, they’re super duper accurate,” Pinkie said.

“All set,” Garrus called from the distance.

“Right. Let’s move.” Rarity said, ignoring Pinkie’s comment.

The trio took cover behind the corner in the hallway and detonated the explosives. The ancient tunnels collapsed spectacularly, leaving a giant mess of debris blocking the tunnels. “That should put a crimp on the geth’s plan,” Garrus said with satisfaction.

“Weeeeeee, let’s go pick up Gummy.” Pinkie Pie said, apparently already forgetting about her prior warning.

***

“Wait, where’s High Fives?” Garrus said, scratching his head. The unstable colonist was missing from his spot in the tunnel. Looking around, they spotted the varren lying still in a corner.

“Oh no! He knocked out Gummy!” Pinkie exclaimed, as she rushed to her newfound pet.

A bullet whistled over their head. The trio turned to see High Five slowly walking them, a pistol in his mouth. “... must... protect... the colony...” the stallion slowly mumbled, as he shuffled towards them, apparently oblivious to his injuries now.

“Has he gone completely insane?” Rarity yelled, as she dodged another shot from the deranged colonist.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Garrus replied curtly. He sprinted towards the obviously deranged stallion. The deranged colonist tried to kick him, though his efforts was feeble, his injuries slowing him down. Garrus evaded the flailing hooves and gave him a solid thump on the head with the butt of his rifle. The colonist went down with a whimper and lay still.

The turian slung his rifle over his back and eyed the approaching ponies. “I got a bad feeling about this,” he remarked. He arched his eyebrow as Pinkie began shaking and twitching again.

“Twitchy, twitch; twitchy, twitch! Something bad is happening at the colony!”

***

[Skybridges, Harnos]

Director Jong was standing before a partially destroyed window, apparently admiring the view of horizon. He turned towards the commander with a smile as she was shown in by the guards. The director seemed unperturbed by the angry look on Twilight’s face.

“Ah Commander Sparkle, you have returned. I presume you have—” Director Jong began, before being cut off by Twilight.

“You were lying about the colony,” Twilight pointed an accusatory hoof at the director. “How could you leave all those ponies there to be infected?!”

The director looked surprised for a brief moment, before recovering gamely. He started to explain smoothly, “Ahhh.... see it was the collective decision of the company board to study the natural history of-”

“To hay with with your company!” Twilight all but shouted. Her eyes blazed with anger. “These are ordinary ponies. NORMAL PONIES. How could you?”

“I...” For once, the director seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked away, and pawed the ground nervously.

Twilight shook her head in disgust. “You... disappoint me, director. I hope you can live with your decision.”

She glanced at the ponies who hung at the door of the room. “Come on girls, let’s see if the nerve gas actually works. With luck we can disable the colonists without lethal force on our part.” She turned and trotted off without so much a goodbye to the director.

***

“Come on, sis!” Applebloom cried, as she excited bounced up and down. “Ah got something to show to ya.”

“This better be important Applebloom. Big MacIntosh wants me to take care of that patch of apple trees lickity split.” Applejack replied, her freckled face wearing a not-so-well-disguised grin. The orange mare followed her enthusiastic sister in a darkened barn.

“Applebloom, this better not be one of ya pranks.” the farmer pony warned as the filly disappeared from sight. “Applebloom?”

No answer.

“Applebloom?” the mare called out again, in a more worried voice. She spied a glint in the darkness and took several steps towards it. She can feel the darkness closing in around her. Her heart began to hammer rapidly in her chest.

Then she saw what the glint was.

A huge gaping jaw, filled with sharp teeth.

Applejack opened her mouth to scream.

The maw engulfed her.

***

[Unknown Location, Harnos]

Pain.

It was the first thing she felt as her senses started to return. Applejack could do nothing but lay still as she struggled to regain her wit. She tried to think back on her last coherent memory. Applebloom. Plant. Mayor swinging a lead pipe to her noggin. Oh right, that was it.

As the pain in her head settled into a dull ache, Applejack tried opening her eyes. Nothing. The strip of cloth she felt over her face probably had something to do with it. She wriggled her legs. No dice. Bundles of rope-like material prevented her doing more than a twitch.

Frustrated, the mare tried to struggle violently against her restrains. The ropes remained secure despite her best efforts. Whoever did this knew their stuff. Then she heard the sound of approaching hooves.

“Now, now Applejack, don’t struggle. You’ll make it worse,” she heard a melodic voice sing. One of the colonists. Song Bird... or something. “The Thorian will make you understand. You will understand.” Her words took on the edge of a religious zealot.

Applejack felt terror building in her heart at her words. What the hay is the Thorian? What were they planning to do to her? Where was Applebloom?

She hoped her friends knew of the colonists’ insanity.

***

[Tunnels, Harnos]

Garrus grunted as he dragged the unconsious stallion on the floor. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and gave a questioning look at Rarity for the umpteenth time. “Rarity, I appreciate your concerns for this civilian, but he just tried to murder us. Do we really need to drag him back?”

“Garrus, we’ve been through this. I rather drag the crazy colt back than leave him to die here in the tunnels. At least we’re reaching the outpost.” She grimaced as she inspected her now-filthy hooves and armour. The trio approached the stairwell which led back to the outpost.

“Oh look! The colony has thrown a party to welcome us!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, as she bounced beside the white unicorn. “Wait, they didn’t invite me to throw the party! No parties are complete without Pinkie’s hoof on it.” She pouted at the thought.

“What party? I only see...” Rarity narrowed her eyes as she saw the colonists emerging from the stairwell and taking what suspiciously seemed like defensive positions around the stairs. She stopped in her tracks, and gestured for her companions to do the same.

“Hey guys, look who we found—” Rarity called out, before being rudely interrupted by a sing-song voice.

“Protect the heart of colony! Kill the intruders!”

“What?”

Bullets began to whiz around them. “Get to cover!” Rarity exclaimed as she dived into a pile of rocks nearby. At least the colonists’ aim was even worse than the geth.

“Okay, so has the whole planet officially gone insane while we were snuffling about in a dank musty tunnel?” Garrus asked sardonically, as he flattened himself against a pillar. Rarity shot him a dark glare in response.

Rarity noticed Pinkie was still sitting on her haunches in the open. She promptly dragged her into the relative safety of the rock pile by the tail. “Hey... this is no party! Those meanies are shooting at us!” Pinkie mused aloud as she put her hoof thoughtfully to her chin. Gummy waddled over towards the pair, also apparently oblivious to the hail of bullets being showered around them.

Rarity felt her eye twitching at the antics of her two companions. Here they were, under fire by insane civilians, and they were still going on about parties. She began to wonder if she’d ever make it out of the planet alive. Rarity certainly didn’t want to die here in a miserable wasteland. Not when there was still so much fashion to be done.

***

[Skybridges, Harnos]

Twilight herself wasn’t having much of a good time. The drive back to the outpost had been uneventful, but that was the extent of their good luck. Currently there were sitting in front of the second last skybridge leading to the tower. Well and good. Except for the fact there was a green blob sitting in the middle of the roadway. “What the hay is that?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash’s voice crackled over the radio. “I don’t know. Just run over it.”

“What? And risk the Mako? We don’t have wings like you do,” Twilight answered, as she maneuvered the vehicle safely around the blob as best she could.

“Well, you’re going to have walk then,” Dash replied. “Take a look in front.”

Twilight frowned and focused the optical sight on the entrance to the skyscraper where Lix’s Hope was situated. The entire road was covered with dozens of green blobs. Some even seemed to be visibly growing. The unicorn groaned, and brought the vehicle to a halt just in front of the field of blobs on the roadway.

“Why are we stopping?” Tali asked, as Twilight opened the driver’s hatch.

“Mutant blobs blocking our way. We’ll need to go on foot.”

“Great. Is this something that plant of yours cooked up?” Wrex queried, as he followed the quarian out.

“Don’t know. But the thing looks organic. Plus it wasn’t there before. You make the connection,” Twilight replied, a little sardonically. She looked up to Dash, who was hovering expectantly above the Mako. “Dash, go on ahead. Scout the way for us.” The rainbow pegasus saluted smartly and zoomed off towards the outpost.

Twilight then turned her gaze on the nearest greenish blob of funk on the road. It seemed to be composed of an amorphous green organic material, with slime oozing slowly around it. As she watched the blob, she noticed the blob was steadily growing in size... and forming a disturbingly familiar shape.

“Get back, something’s happening,” Twilight shouted, as she took several steps back. “Tali, man the Mako’s gun, give us cover.” The quarian acknowledged the order and clambered back into the vehicle. Fluttershy landed on back of the armoured personnel carrier, staring at the blobs with wide eyes. Angel and Wrex already had their guns out, with Angel balancing his shotgun delicately on the krogan’s head.

The blobs steadily grew, and grew. It begin to form the unmistakable outline of a pony. The ‘face’ of the thing even had the vestiges of eyes, ears and mouth. The creature emitted an unearthly moan as the blob solidified, before turning its head unerringly towards the ponies standing near the Mako. The sequence was repeated all across the roadway, with the blobs turning into shambling caricatures of ponies.

“Okay, mutant plant zombies.” Twilight aimed her shoulder-mounted guns at the shambling abomination. No further words were needed. These were clearly hostile. The group opened fire, shredding the nearest plant zombies to their constituent goop. That was when they learned something potentially groundbreaking in the field of mutant plant zombie physiology: they could run. The whole roadway was suddenly filled with a heaving mass of bodies as the more and more plant zombies emerged from the blobs and began swarming towards the group.

***

“At least we had warning about the colonists going insane,” Twilight remarked dryly as they took shelter behind yet another pile of rubble. Tali just nodded, and leaned out to spray the colonists with yet another burst of submachine gun fire to keep their heads down.

“Sparkle, if you’re going to use that nerve gas, you better do it before I actually start killing these amateurs,” Wrex called, the krogan sheltering behind a shattered vehicle wreck several paces ahead of her.

Twilight nodded, despite the krogan not being able to see doing so and more than likely to busy to care either. She took the grenade mod out of her pack and affixed it to the grenade launcher module. Satisfied it’s fully functional, Twilight levitated the launcher and shot two disc-shaped grenades at the colonists taking shelter by the elevator. A cloud of gas erupted among the defenders, causing them to stagger and gasp for breath.

A few minutes of coughing and wheezing later, Twilight emerged from the pall to find the colonists all lying unconscious on the floor.

“Let’s go. We need to rescue Applejack and the others,” Twilight called, as she broke into a gallop towards the elevator. She prayed she wasn’t too late to rescue her friends.

***

[Lix’s Hope, Harnos]

The sound of explosions and gunfire rattling through the ground startled Applejack from her uneasy slumber. She lay quiet for a while, listening intently to the pattern of battle. It seems somepony was attacking the colony from the outside. But where?

***

The colonists were expecting them. And they had help. Dozens more of the plant zombies swarmed the team as they exited the elevator, along with some more of the possessed colonists. Luckily being civilians, they weren’t particularly skilled with their weapons, though a lucky shot would still put anypony out of comission. Also, Twilight’s insistence on non-lethal force on the colonists was severely crimping the tactical options of the team. They had to resort to nerve gas grenades, or melee combat. The plant zombies were still open to lethal force, fortunately.

“I’m really sorry for this,” Twilight apologised for the umpteenth time as she kicked another colonist unconscious.

“Twi, you can stop apologising, you know. It’s not like they can hear you,” Dash called, as she swooped to smack a plant zombie right in the flank with her hindlegs. “Ewwww. These things are gross,” she declared, as her hooves and armour was splattered with green gunk.

“Never mind those. You know you could still use your gun on them right?” Twilight said. She cut down a pair of zombies with rifle fire to further demonstrate her point. Rainbow just made a face and zoomed off into the air again.

“Have you found Rarity and the team in the tunnels?” Twilight said into her radio.

“... Yes, Commander. *bzzt* Signal *kzzt* still bad here, but they’re alive and well. *kzzt* We’ll be *kzzt* joining you,” the slightly scrambled voice of Tali responded.

“Well, that’s one less worry. Now we need to find Applejack. Who knows what they might have done to her.” Twilight wrinkled her brow in worry. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

***

Applejack heard the sounds of a door sliding open. She tensed her body, for no reason other to spite her kidnappers if they tried to move her.

The blindfolds came off.

Applejack blinked at the sudden influx of light into her eyes, her vision unable to compensate after spending so long in absolute darkness.

“I’m sorry Applejack, but your friends left me with no choice.”

The mayor. Applejack focused on the blurry image of the tan pony, mentally willing her eyes to recover faster. She seemed to be holding something in her mouth. The shape resolved sharply into something black. Metallic.

A pistol.

Applejack’s heart skipped a beat as she realised the murderous intention of the mayor. She began to struggle futilely against her bonds. Her eyes widened with fear as she saw the mayor readying the pistol. Where is Twilight? Where are her friends? Her friends would never leave her hanging... would they?

“I’m really, really sorry,” the mayor repeated, her expression a sorrowful one.

Applejack squeezed her eyes shut. She hoped it would be a quick death.

*clatter*

Applejack peeked open an eye. The pistol lay on the floor, right in front of her. She turned to look up at the mayor, both eyes wide open again.

“No. I will not do this. I will not,” the mayor suddenly declared. Her forehooves were clenched tightly on her head, her body twitching slightly with pain. Applejack eyes widened. Was the mayor fighting... whoever it was that was controlling her?

“Leave her alone!” a familiar voice shouted. Twilight!

The soldierpony heard a solid thump and the mayor suddenly crumpled to the floor. She could see Twilight standing over the unconscious body, relief evident on her face.

Applejack, despite the gags covering her mouth, began to smile. She knew she could count on her friends.

***

“I don’t like none of this mind-controllin’... thingamajig,” Applejack said, as she nuzzled the unconscious body of her sister. They found Applebloom lying unconscious with a nasty bump on her head. Apparently the colonists decided that she was a liability. They laid her uncounscious body, along with the other colonists, in the cargo hold of the damaged freighter in the outpost. For added security, Twilight got a couple of the pegasi marines from the ship to watch over the unconscious survivors.

“Neither do I. But that’s what they were under. Some form of mind-controlling spell. And the source is somewhere in this colony.”

“Twilight! We searched every inch of the outpost. There’s simply nothing else to be found.” Rarity responded primly.

Twilight felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Fluttershy shyly pointing towards the damaged freighter in the outpost.

“What about it Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, curious.

“Well... um... see Angel and I think that the colonists were hiding something under that ship. I stole a look at that console nearby.” She pointed to a workstation next to the ship. “I think that ship can be moved.”

“Huh. Let’s take a look then.”

Twilight trotted over to the controls and began scrolling through the screen. On first glance, it was mostly mundane stuff. Ship records. Power levels. Life support. Crane control. Personnel records. Wait, Crane control? Why would a crane control be attached to what seemed to be ostensibly a ship maintenance console. She looked up towards the ship. A pair of metal cable was attached around the midsection. Her eyes trailed upwards, and found the cables attached to a set of machinery that suspiciously looked like a crane. Duh. She wondered how she could have missed such an obvious clue. Hindsight was always all about the obvious.

“You’re right. There is a hidden control here.” She activated the crane.

Twilight jumped a little as the crane started with a loud splutter, before settling into a steady hum. The ship midsection began to lift, the seals connecting it to the other section breaking free easily. Interesting. They must have rigged the entire thing to be easily detached and closed when needed.

As the ship was lifted, Twilight saw what the colonists had been hiding. A small flight of stairs, leading downwards towards... somewhere. Probably the Thorian’s lair.

***

“Okay, we just need to find this creature and determine what it... what it....” Tali’s voice trailed off as the group entered the large multi-storied chamber. Like most of the rooms in the area below the colony thus far, it was covered with debris and damaged beyond recognition. This particular chamber appeared to have suffered some sort of catastrophic structural failure though, as a large gaping hole opened right in the middle of the room. Light from Harnos’ weak sun could be seen just peeking through the gap several stories above.

What drew Tali’s attention was not the deep yawning pit however. It was what hung above it. A vaguely octopus-like green creature hung suspended by various tube-like protrusion into the walls surrounding it. The front of the creature tapered into an orifice that resembled a mouth, with tentacle-like appendages surrounding it. Clear liquid can be seen dripping from the opening.

“Kee’lah...” Tali breathed as she looked the creature up and down.

“How are we supposed to bring down that monstrosity?” Rarity said, staring at the creature with rounded eyes.

“We’re going to need bigger guns,” the krogan quipped, his favourite rifle already in hand.

“Shh, something’s happening. Be ready.” Twilight’s horn glowed faintly as she readied her magic.

The creature suddenly heaved and shuddered, causing Twilight to take a step back. The ‘mouth’ suddenly bulged and a humonoid shape slid out of the opening and fell onto the ground on one knee. It was an asari, albeit with green skin instead of the usual blue hues the species had. She wore a skin-tight black bodysuit and seemed unarmed. Her blue eyes seemed unfocused, yet gleaming with alien intelligence.

The asari stood up and took several steps towards Twilight. She spoke in an eerie alien voice, her very words seemed to echo in Twilight’s mind. “Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose.”

“Well, that certainly clears things up,” Dash remarked.

“I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands you to be in awe.”

Twilight blinked in confusion. Saren was here before? That was news. Then she heard Applejack speak. “You! You’re the one who messed with mah sister’s head. I don’t right care who or what you are, but nopony messes with the Apple family,” she shouted.

“The Thorian is a piece of this world, extending across the land and back through the ages. You can no more kill it than cut the sky.” The asari’s eyes narrowed, her hands began to glow with a faint blue light.

“Your blood will feed the ground and new growth!” she boomed in a loud voice. The green skinned alien raised a hand and knocked everypony back.

Twilight felt an invisible hoof pick her up and fling her against the wall. Momentarily dazed, she heard gunfire erupting as her companions opened up. She saw the asari being flung off the edge of the pit by Angel’s biotics. Her team was peppering the creature with gunfire, though the thick skin seemed impervious to their bullets. Then her blood chilled as something landed with a wet smack beside her. It was the green glop they found in the colonies. Twilight watched as more of the green blobs landed on the floor amongst the chaos and began to grow. They’d be overrun by plant zombies if they didn’t make a move.

“We need to move, now!” Twilight shouted as she gave the growing blob next to her a swift stomp, smashing it to its constituent goo.

Twilight double-timed it to a nearby doorway, which led to a stairwell going to the next floor. She sighed with relief as the rest of team scrambled in after her, with Rarity and Garrus firing out the doorway to put down more zombies.

“Now what? We can’t even scratch the darn thing.” Applejack said, in between gasps of breath.

Twilight took a quick peek outside, and her eyes strayed to the various appendages keeping the Thorian suspended over the chasm. An unlikely idea began to form in her mind.

Just maybe... She looked up to find one of the tube-like protrusion running above them.

“Wrex, how many grenades you got left?” The krogan held out three fingers. “Try strapping them to that tube above us.”

Wrex nodded in understanding, divining her intention. He primed the grenades, and gestured for everypony else to take cover. With one smooth motion, he let the grenades fly, the disc-shaped explosives embedded themselves into the tube.

A moment later, the tube exploded in a gory mess of green organic sludge and orange goo, splashing all the ponies in the room. An inhuman wail pierced through the air as Twilight cautiously peeked out and watched the plant shake and thrash.

“Yeech... at least we know that works. Girls, break out all your explosives. We’re going to need them...” She glanced at Pinkie who was holding out a large pink balloon with a hopeful expression in her eyes. Twilight sighed. “Yes, even your improvised party bombs.”

“Yay!”

***

In the end, it was just a matter of cutting off all the limbs of the plants, figuratively speaking. The Thorian spawned a dozen more of its asari clones and countless of its zombies in an attempt to drive the invaders off. It wasn’t to be.

One by one the tubes were inevitably blown off, sliced by magic or simply weakened by gunfire before broken off by sheer brute force.

As the last stalks holding the Thorian aloft was broken, the creature let out another inhuman wail, akin to one dragging claws over a chalkboard. Twilight flattened her ears in response, grimacing at the sound. She watched in slow-motion as the creature fell heavily, bouncing off the edge of the pit, before disappearing into the abyss below.

“Good riddance,” Rarity declared, as she trotted up to stand beside Twilight. “You think that’s the last we’ll see of it?”

“I doubt it,” Twilight answered grimly, as she stared at the silent abyss. Her radio chimed.

“Hey, Commander. I think you’ll want to see this,” Tali’s voice spoke.

***

“We found her in that thing.” Tali pointed to a partially torn open pod-like structure glued against the wall. An asari lay face down, unconscious in a pool of liquid below the pod. Disturbingly, she was also clad in the same black bodysuit as the asari clone who attacked them. Her skin colour was the normal blue though.

Twilight turned the asari over with a hoof, unsurprised that the asari had the same face as the clones did. Well, that explained a great deal on how the creature managed to clone an asari of all things in this desolate planet.

The asari’s eyes fluttered open. Twilight’s horn glowed in anticipation of trouble, but the asari just put a hand to her head and groaned.

“T-thank you for releasing me from the Thorian,” she said weakly. The blue-skinned alien sat up and eyed her rescuers.

“My name is Shia-la, and I serve...” Her brow furrowed for a moment, before she corrected herself. “I served Matriach Benezia,” she continued, her voice strangely calm. “When Benezia allied herself with Saren, so did I.”

“Why did you join her?” Garrus asked, folding his arms over his chest. The turian was obviously unconvinced by her sudden about-turn.

“The matriach foresaw the influence Saren would have. She wanted to guide him down a gentler path. Unfortunately... Saren was compelling. She soon lost her way. We all did.” A tinge of regret coloured her voice.

“Typical asari meddling. About time it bit you in the ass,” Wrex snorted.

“I thought asari matriachs were among the most intelligent and powerful beings in the galaxy. How could one such as Benezia fall under his influence?” Twilight said, puzzled.

“Saren has a vessel. A giant warship unlike anything I ever seen. He calls it... Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of its followers; bend them to Saren’s will. The process is subtle; it can take days, weeks. But in the end, it is absolute.” She looked away. “Even the matriach couldn’t resist such a powerful influence.”

The asari stood up and began walking towards the partially destroyed pod. She fingered the soft material for a moment, before turning back to face Twilight. “I was a willing slave when Saren brought me here. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian. I was given by Saren as part of the exchange for the Cipher.”

“The what now?” Applejack said, a puzzled look on her face.

“The Cipher... it is difficult to explain in mere words. Think of it as cultural knowledge of the entire Prothean race. Their knowledge. Their experience. Their history. Their very existence. All which make up for their racial outlook.”

“Why do you need such a thing?” Tali asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

“The beacon. It is filled with meanings that only a true Prothean mind can understand and interpret. The Cipher allows you to understand the subtle message interwoven in the visions.”

“And Saren used it to decipher his version of the beacon’s message!” Twilight cried, slapping her hooves together. “Of course. And he wanted to kill the Thorian to prevent me from obtaining this Cipher.” The other ponies looked at the unicorn in confusion.

“Correct. The Thorian, as you can see, was initially very pleased that you arrived. It saw you as a tool to defeat Saren’s treachery,” the asari elaborated, folding her hands over her chest. “Obviously, it underestimated your resolve once you turned against it as well.”

“I need that Cipher. Saren is out to bring back the Reapers. I know it.”

“Why would you be needing that now, Twilight? Is there something you ain’t sharing with us? What’s this about a message in that beacon?” Applejack interjected, her eyes narrowing.

Twilight sighed. It probably wasn’t the best time to reveal the visions and nightmares she had ever since she touched the accursed beacon, but at the same time, she could not very well leave her friends out in the dark. The piercing stare that Applejack gave her probably helped as well.

“Look... there’s something I been meaning to tell.” Twilight started to describe her nightmare to her companions. Her visions of doom. The horror she felt as she watched every single image replay in her dreams, even if she could not understand the any of the visions.

“Woah... Twilight, why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped!” Rainbow Dash cried indignantly.

“I... I didn’t think it was important. Not until we first heard about the Reapers. Even then I thought it was best I kept this to myself.” Twilight looked away guiltily. “I don’t want you girls think I’m starting to go crazy.”

“Twilight, we’re your friends. Of course we believe you,” Rarity said.

“Ya really need to trust ya own friends more, Twilight.” Applejack remarked.

Twilight looked at the two with genuine appreciation, before hugging the white unicorn. “Thank you... for not doubting me.” she said in a muffled voice.

“So, commander, do you wish to learn the Cipher?” Shia’la finally piped up, after remaining silent throughout the exchange. Twilight detached herself from Rarity and glanced at the asari.

“Yes, please.” Twilight answered. A tiny voice in her mind told her it was a trap, the asari was just another of Saren’s minions waiting to kill her. She willed the voice to be silent.

“Very, well, step forward.”

“Try to relax commander. Slow deep breaths.” Twilight did as she was told, her heart hammering in her chest. The asari approached the lavender unicorn and put her hands between the unicorn’s head.

Twilight felt the world around her blurring as the asari recited what was clearly a memorised script.

“Reach out to grasp the threads that binds us, one to another.”

“We’re all connected, every living being united in a single glorious existence.”

“Open yourself to the universe, commander.”

“Embrace eternity!”

Twilight suddenly felt her mind being pulled in ten separate directions at once. Again, the sequence of imagery from the beacon flashed through her mind. This time however, there seemed to be an order to sequence of visions. Then... darkness.

***

“...ommander... re... ight... coman... Spark...”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The blurred outline of Rarity’s face came into view.

“Twilight! You’re alright! You were knocked out for a minute there.”

Twilight groaned in pain as she struggled to get up. “What... happened?”

“Shia’la happened, darling.” Right. The asari who they rescued from the Thorian. “Though you seem perfectly fine now. What did she do to you?” Concern was etched on her face.

“I don’t know... more weird dreams.”

“I have given you the Cipher, just as I have given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now,” the asari spoke from behind the white unicorn.

“Wow... so... do you know any secret Prothean stuff? Martial arts? Kung-fu? Super magic?!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly.

“Actually... I don’t feel any different. Sorry Rainbow.” Twilight answered, much to the disappointment of the sky-blue pegasus.

“This Cipher thing is lame.” The rainbow speedster stomped the ground in annoyance, kicking up small puffs of dust.

“You have just been given the experience of the entire Prothean race. It’ll take time for your mind to process such a wealth of information,” Shia’la said.

“I guess so...”

“I am sorry if you have suffered, but it is the only way. In time, the Cipher will help you understand the visions from the beacon.” Twilight nodded in reply. At the very least, it didn’t seem to be doing her any harm.

“So... whatcha goin’ to do, now what you’re free from the Thorian?” Applejack asked.

“If you allow it, I would to stay with the colonists and help them rebuild. Think of it as penance... for my previous misdeeds.”

“And how do we know you won’t betray the colony to Saren again?” Garrus queried, not unreasonably.

“The Thorian... it broke whatever hold Saren had on me. And now you freed me from the creature, I have my own free will again.” She looked sorrowful for a moment. Twilight suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the asari. Being subverted of her own free will, betrayed by her own master, and now probably alone on a hostile planet.

“I think the colonists could use all the help they can get,” Twilight said finally, flashing a warm smile at the Shia’la.

The asari returned the smile, grateful for the second chance. “Thank you, commander. May fortune smile upon you.”

***

[Docks, Harnos]

“... and the colony of Harnos can never thank you enough for all that you done here,” the mayor said formally. “Let’s give a round of applause to Commander Sparkle, hero of Lix’s Hope!”

A ragged cheer and stomping of hooves arose from the assembled ponies around the makeshift stage. Twilight waved at the crowd shyly, unused to the attention. The mayor turned to the commander. “I am sorry we cannot offer you any more. You are however welcome back any time.” Another round of applause. “And that concludes our little ceremony. Ponies, you may go back to assigned stations.”

The mayor waited till the crowd dispersed somewhat, before leading Twilight into a corner behind the stage. “I really cannot apologise enough for what we had done back in the colony. The Thorian... simply left us no choice.”

Twilight shook her head. “No need to apologise mayor. We understand. I hope your colony can rebuild from this disaster.”

The mayor gave a shrug. “I’m sure we can. Now with the geth gone, we’ll go right back to just being another backward outpost in the middle of nowhere. I wish you luck in your future endeavours.” The mayor tilted her head in goodbye and trotted off to join the other colonists on the way back to the outpost.

Twilight smiled at the departing beige mare for a moment. Then she started to make her way to the waiting airlock of the Normaredy. The lavender unicorn was eager to leave this desolate planet. Before she could reach the entrance, she heard another another voice call out to her.

“Commander, I must speak with you for a moment.”

Director Jong. She turned to face the deep blue unicorn, who cantered to a stop a few steps before the lavender unicorn. Twilight felt herself scowling at the director.

Wearing an apologetic look, the director spoke, “I truly regret the suffering that the policy of this company has caused to the Harnos’ colonists. It is only fair that I shall lobby for the company to continue their support of the colony... despite the number of questionable incidents that happened here.”

Twilight arched an eyebrow at the director’s apparent change of heart. It was a generous gesture by all accounts. Exo-Poni was a large well-known intergalactic corporation. Their continued support, both material and financial, would be invaluable to the survival of the fledgling colony. “We’ll see about that. I, for one, will only believe it when I see it.”

“Oh... you will. I do believe the colony has a bright future, now that the Thorian and geth are gone. Of course, it is unfortunate the geth destroyed the plant before we could study it further, no?” The director’s eyes were twinkling as he spoke.

Twilight had to hide a smirk at his words. Despite his benevolent intentions, the director was still a political animal at the core. Well, Twilight was content to play along... for now. “Yes, director. What a shame that was.”

She nodded formally as goodbye and entered the ship’s airlock.

***

[Lix’s Hope, Harnos]

The reconciliation was easier than either of the two thought. Giant, mind-controlling plants had a way of making such trivialities easier though. Apple Bloom woke up to find her mind finally clear and free again. Applejack was just happy to get her sister back, mind and all. That didn’t mean their reconciliations was free of emotions.

“Oh, it’s you again Applejack,” she greeted curtly as Applejack entered the makeshift hospital room. “What do ya want?” the filly asked plainly.

“Apple Bloom...” The soldierpony started in a weary voice. “Look, I’m sorry for the whole cutie mark thing. I thought you’d be happy—”

“Happy? Applejack! I don’t even know what my cutie mark mean! I still don’t!” The filly pulled the blanket to reveal her cutie mark... an upturned cardboard box. She glowered at Applejack. “That unicorn ya paid to reveal it done a mighty fine job indeed... now I don’t even know what my special talent in life is...” She seemed almost close to tears. “Do you know how embarrassing it is to not be able to tell anypony what you’re good at?”

Applejack put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Listen here, Apple Bloom. I don’t rightly care what your cutie mark is, and neither should you. It only represents our special talent, not our destiny in life. Look at me, my cutie mark are three apples yet I’m here, running around to save the galaxy.”

“But—”

“Don’t you ‘but’ me, lil’ lady. So your cutie mark’s an empty box. Who cares? Important thing is, you live your life the way you want it. Not how you think your cutie mark wants it...” Applejack’s voice softened. “Apple Bloom, we all missed you when you ran away... We still do. Granny Smith nearly threw a fit when she found out...”

“I know... but—”

“No buts. You know we’ll always love you.” The tears in Apple Bloom’s eyes were practically flowing now. She rushed forward and locked the elder pony with a tight hug.

“I missed you so much!”

The two sisters, suitably reconciled, spent the rest of the day catching up on gossip and family news. Applejack was understandably reluctant to leave when the time came.

“Apple Bloom, I’m goin’ to miss ya.”

“Yes big sis. I know you’ll.” The two sisters locked each other in a tight embrace. “Just... don’t go off gettin’ yourself killed ya hear!” Applebloom said, through her sobs.

“I won’t Apple Bloom. I promise.”

“I’ll hold ya to that promise sis. I swear to Celestia I will!” Apple Bloom said fiercely, tears streaming down her cheeks. The elder sister could only smile at her reaction. That was the Apple Bloom she knew. Always promising the impossible.

***

[ESV Normaredy, Harnos Orbit]

“Spike, take a letter.”

“Right!” Spike magically produced an old-fashioned inkwell pot complete with parchment and quills. A tradition that has survived pony-kind’s transition to a galactic community.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have successfully dealt with the geth problem on Harnos. Unfortunately, we could only mourn the loss of 60% of the colony’s population to the geth attack. The colony’s long term future has been assured by the Exo-Poni Company. I’m also happy to report that Applejack has reconciled with her sister, after years of estranged relationship. Strange how one can even find family in the most desolate corner of the galaxy. On a related note, it appears Pinkie Pie has adopted a varren named Gummy as well.

As for the matter of Saren, I think we have obtained a vital piece of information regarding the Prothean beacon. It will take time however for me to process that information. In the meantime, we will began our search of Dr. Liara T’Soni in the Artemis Tau cluster.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Commander of the ESV Normaredy

The diminutive dragon wrote furiously on the parchment, before looking up. “That’s it?” he inquired.

“That’s it Spike. Send it.”

Twilight looked out of the viewport at the planet below. She wondered idly if the Thorian was truly killed. Her gut feelings told her this would not be the last of the strange plant.

At least they were now one step closer to understanding Saren’s true purpose.