• Published 27th Jul 2013
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The Commander of Shepherds - pchn00



An amnesiac Commander Shepard has been living and thriving in the Everfree Forest for several months. Saving the life of a passing pegasus sets a chain of events in motion that could change Equestria forever.

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Chapter 10: Collectable

Chapter 10: Collectable

"Alright. I am officially angry at the poison joke again."

Luna looked over at Shepard. The woman's hair was being whipped back in forth by the wind, while her own mane simply flowed lazily as it normally did. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? What do I mean!?" Shepard jumped to her feet on the cloud they were currently seated upon. "I mean, it makes me a pony. Okay, I get the joke. Ha ha. Very funny. But it made me an earth pony. When it could have made me a pegasus! If I had these babies, I might have learned to live without hands!"

The ‘babies’ in question were a massive pair of cream colored, feathered wings extending from the human’s shoulders, giving the occasional twitch or flap as the wind caught them. "I take it the wing giving spell is to your liking then?" Luna smiled faintly, enjoying the woman's exuberance.

"I'm standing on a cloud. On! A! Cloud! That is... that is cool. Beyond cool. This is maybe the coolest thing I've seen or done in my entire life. Granted, I'm only just now remembering bits and pieces of my life, but it seems like a lot of it involved running, shooting, and screaming, so walking on clouds rates pretty high overall."

Shepard was clearly attempting to make a joke, but Luna found the subject matter somehow less than amusing. Doing her best to push such thoughts aside, she wore a pleasant smile. "I am glad you find cloud walking so 'cool'. Perhaps next time you can tour Rainbow Dash's home? Or we could even visit Cloudsdale. I am told seeing the weather factories is always exciting for ground bound ponies, I suspect the same true of humans."

Wings fanning to their full span, Shepard leaned over the edge of the cloud, gazing at the distant ground. "That could be fun. I wouldn't mind learning to fly sometime either. Can I keep ‘em?!"

Luna's horn glimmered softly as she stared at Shepard closely. Her magically enhanced sight clearly picked up the noticeable amount of mana centered around the woman's hands and feet, and anywhere else she touched the cloud, just like a proper pegasus using their own inborn magic to stop from falling through would. Glancing to Shepard's heavily scarred right arm, she could clearly see her omni-tool was drawing in mana and cycling it through the mithryl enhanced implants to the rest of her body. "We could perhaps look into flight lessons if you like, but for now I think it best we keep heavy transmutations to a minimum for you. It puts a strain on the body if done too often. Think of it as a sort of physical therapy. Every time you can keep them a little longer."

Pushing herself away from the edge, Shepard fell onto her back in the clouds with a blissful sigh. "Honestly, Luna? Right now, I'd like to just keep doing what we're doing."

Settling comfortably on her belly, Luna tucked her wings in close to her sides. "We can remain here as long as you like, of course."

Shepard eyed the Princess from the corner of her eye. "Don't you have, I dunno... royal stuff to do? Plus, isn't it super early for you to be up?"

"I may be magically energizing myself. Think of it as an enchanted cup of coffee. As for my 'royal stuff', you sat in on my last night court and saw just how much activity it received, did you not?"

With a small grimace, Shepard nodded. A week ago, Luna had invited her to Canterlot, and she had indeed sat in on Luna's night court. The two ended up playing cards with a couple of Luna's night guard for a few hours before calling it a night. Not one pony came to petition her for anything. "Is it always like that?"

"More or less. Equestrians are slow to accept major changes. My sister ruled alone for a thousand years, and nearly every pony alive today had completely forgotten the existence of Nightmare Moon, let alone that she was Celestia's sister. My return has caused ripples in the political system; ripples the nobility have been quick to squash flat at every opportunity."

"Can't your sister do anything to help?"

Luna shrugged. "She has tried sending petitioners to me, or recommending the overflow from the day court return in the evening. All opt to simply wait for the next day court."

Thought it was clear she was trying to hide it, Shepard picked up on some of the sadness in Luna's voice. "Well hey, if I need to petition a Princess for anything, you're who I'm coming to."

Playfully swatting Shepard in the face with a wing, Luna rose to her hooves. "As much as I enjoy lounging about clouds all day, we have a prior engagement to get to."

Shepard raised her eyebrows. "We do?"

Smiling faintly all the while, Luna nodded. "We do."

One of the Equestrian space probes sat in the center of the ship's observation deck. The small gem encrusted orb glowed brightly, releasing a pulse of energy and causing the ship's crew to raise their weapons in alarm. Only the raised hand of their leader stopped them from opening fire.

One of the symbols glowed warmly as the image of a small purple equinoid creature appeared. The leader of the ship's crew approached curiously. Waving its hand impatiently to one of its fellows, the crewman hastily activated their translation software.

"—our friends amongst the stars! My name is Twilight Sparkle. If you're receiving this message, that means you're intelligent enough to understand it. The probe before you is my people's very first attempt at space exploration. It's tasked with the mission of retrieving any data it can about space beyond our little planet. If you're capable of speech, feel free to tell it anything and everything about yourself! We're very excited to meet our otherworldly neighbors. whom we have only just recently confirmed exist."

She paused in her speech to giggle softly. "Ahem. The probe will return home after it's three year journey is complete. If you are curious about us as well, the symbol on the side that should now be lit..." The alien crew looked to indeed see one symbol glowing brightly. "...will summon a very basic spell matrix that can answer simple questions put to it. It has plenty of information about Equestria, so feel free to make use of it! Once you're finished, we ask you send our probe back on its way to continue it's journey. Thank you very much for listening, and we look forward to learning more about you."

Looking over the crew, the captain clicked his mandibles, his speech mainly clicks and chirps but easily understood by his crew. "A primitive species, but an unknown. Set course to track this probe to its world of origins. The masters were clear in their demands."

"How many ships?"

"They seem like little to no threat... ours and perhaps one other..." He trailed off as a new message began to play. The small image of a geth appearing drew the attention of every crewman on the deck.

"This is an S.O.S. call for any Council or Alliance ships in the area. My companion and I are stranded on a pre-flight world known as Equestria. The coordinates for this world will follow this message's completion, as will our approximate location. We have been stranded for nearly a year, though the inhabitants are friendly and have taken good care of the both of us. Furthermore, it is my opinion they have much they can offer the galactic community as a whole. Bearing in mind their pre-spaceflight capabilities, I suggest a subtle approach. Shepard-Commander and I eagerly await rescue. That is all.

Now the Captain was considerably more intrigued. 'A living geth? Very interesting. And it seemed to be stranded with some sort of human soldier no less. But that name, Shepard-Commander?' Looking over his crew he saw they had equally mixed expressions of confusion, but more than one wore an expression of fear.

Every ship of the sizable collector fleet turned from their course suddenly, and set a direct route to Equestria.

"This is a what?"

Pinkie Pie bounced cheerfully from hoof to hoof. "Your cutecenera! Everypony has one when they get their cutie marks, but you were in the hospital with your exploded arm at the time, then when you got out we had to rush over to Canterlot for the big space probe launch party! But now there's no parties, no exploded arms, and no big scary monsters attacking, sooo... Congratulations on your cutie mark!"

Shepard's shoulders sagged a little more every time the phrase 'cutie mark' came up. Luna noticed, and was doing her very best to keep from laughing at the woman's obvious discomfort, while the other gathered ponies had similar expressions. "W— well thanks for this Pinkie, but I really don't need a party for that."

Pinkie blinked, looking as stunned as if Shepard had said her head was on fire. "Well of course you do! Everypony gets one!"

"I'm not a pony."

"Details! I baked a special cake, and we have all sorts of fun party games! Legion helped a lot with everything!"

Looking about Sugar Cube Corner, Shepard didn't find that hard to believe. Parasprite piñata, pin the wings on the parasprite, parasprite shaped cake, cupcakes, and cookies. Only Pinkie's huge smile kept Shepard's temper in check. "It... looks like you worked hard."

"Work is never hard when you have fun doin' it! Now let's get to partying!"

The crowd was minimal, fortunately. Just Fluttershy and her friends, Luna and the Cutie Mark Crusaders; each of whose expressions seemed to range from depressed, resentful, and—very rarely—happy for the guest of honor.

Helping herself to a cupcake (or five), Shepard scowled down at the image of Legion as he appeared over the mobile disc he housed himself in when not in her omni-tool. "Very funny."

"You have not returned to the Everfree Forest in some time; seventeen days to be precise. I felt you may miss the sensation of devouring a parasprite."

Shepard's eyes widened. "Has it really been that long?"

"Yes. Time flies when you are having fun and trying to seduce a member of the royal family, I suppose."

Cheeks burning now, Shepard's eyes narrowed. "I'm not trying to seduce her!"

Instantly regretting the outburst as all eyes focused on her, Shepard coughed uncomfortably and swallowed a huge cup of punch. She didn't miss Luna's own blush as the Princess discreetly avoided her gaze.

Of course she wasn't trying to seduce Luna. She was a horse, for God's sake. A horse that occasionally turned into the most gorgeous woman Shepard had ever seen... but a horse nonetheless.

After her initial embarrassment was over with, the woman finally started to enjoy herself at the party. Even if it was for the magical ass tattoo she was now sporting. Still, as far as cutie marks went, she felt it was one of the cooler ones she'd seen, and she could live with that.

"What's this I hear about you hanging out in the clouds and not inviting me?!"

Shepard took a step back as Rainbow Dash materialized seemingly from nowhere right in front of her face. "It was nothing personal! It's not like I knew what Luna's big 'morning surprise' was. Next time though, we're gonna check out Cloudsdale. You could hang with us then?"

Rainbow looked from Shepard to the Princess, who was chatting softly with Twilight. "Nah, it's cool. I don't wanna interrupt your 'you' time with your special somepony."

Bristling a little, Shepard hissed softly, "She's not my special somepony! And... don't call it that. It sounds ridiculous."

Tilting her head curiously, Rainbow Dash landed on the floor. "So what do you call it?"

With a shrug, Shepard went back to eating. "Girlfriend or boyfriend I guess."

"Oh that kinda makes sense. We say filly or coltfriend when we first start dating. Like Thunderlane's my coltfriend. Once we're sure it's love though, they move on to special somepony."

"So wait, you just assumed we were in love already?"

Flapping her wings to get in the air and look Shepard in the eye again, Rainbow nodded. "Well, sure. Lookit the way you two sneak peeks at each other and stuff. I mean, if I notice it, I'm pretty sure everypony does."

Smirking at the sputtering Shepard, Rainbow Dash wandered off to chat with a suddenly starry-eyed Scootaloo. The party was fairly subdued as far as Pinkie Pie bashes go, something for which Shepard was immensely grateful. She'd started making brief visits into Ponyville proper, but still got uncomfortable around large crowds.

Nor did it go on longer than she'd like. Only a couple hours in and the guests started to disperse. It was the middle of the week after all, and most still had work or various chores to see to. "I have a special surprise for you for supper tonight, Shepherd. Oh, um... unless of course Princess Luna has plans with you."

Luna and Shepard were walking with Fluttershy toward her cottage. "I did in fact not have further plans for Shepherd this evening, Fluttershy. I should return to Canterlot soon anyhow. Perhaps I may sleep for an hour or two before I must raise the moon. Good day to you both, and I will see you soon, Shepherd."

"Yeah! I, uh... yeah, I'll see you later, Luna."

Noticing the knowing look she was getting from Fluttershy as the Princess took her leave, Shepard frowned. "What?"

"Nothing."

"... What?!"

This brought a little giggle out of the mare. "Nothing." She chirped in a sing-song tone.

"... That's right, nothing."

Luna reappeared in her tower chambers, finally letting her exhaustion show. Spending so much time awake during both the day and night were beginning to take a toll, even with her magically enhanced energy. "Busy day, Lulu?"

With a rather undignified whinny, Luna reared up in alarm at her sister's voice coming from behind her. "Celestia! You... what are you doing lurking about in my chambers?!"

The elder Princess ruffled her feathers indignantly. "I am not ‘lurking’. I happened to be passing by and heard you return."

"You are in the back corner, and my door is shut."

Celestia casually looked from the closed door back to her sister, ignoring the comment. "I think we should talk, Luna. You're letting your interest in Shepherd interfere with your duties. You haven't attended the night court in three days."

Delicately removing her royal finery, Luna set her crown, torc, and hoof cups on her vanity. "How many petitioners must I apologize to for their inconvenience? Surely dozens must have been awaiting me while I was elsewhere."

"That's not the point, Luna. You have a duty to Equestria; to the crown you wear. You can't just ignore them to gallivant about with this human."

The temperature dropped a noticeable amount in the room as Luna turned to fully regard her sister. "You suggest perhaps I am unworthy of my crown?"

Shaking her head hastily, Celestia took a step forward. "Of course not! But Luna, you're not sleeping, you're not attending your court. You raise the moon from Ponyville half of the time. Your chasing after Shepherd is getting embarrassing. Ponies are talking about your behavior. Rumors spreading from Ponyville reach Canterlot. The nobles aren't happy about her in general, but the idea that one of us may be interested in her is causing them to grow downright angry."

Luna's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "If I am causing so much commotion, sister, perhaps it would be best if I abdicated my crown. Equestria managed quite well without me for a thousand years after all. No doubt my presence has only caused unrest and distress among your subjects."

"Our subjects, Luna! You're twisting my words! Nopony wants you to abdicate the throne! They just want you to... to behave like a Princess!"

Brow raised at her sister's uncustomary loss of decorum, Luna shook her head slowly. "They, or you do, sister? I have tried 'behaving like a Princess' and found it neither to my liking nor to the liking of your subjects. In fact, I have behaved 'like' a good number of things. First it was my elder sister's assistant, then it was the least of her companions in the Discordant War. After that, it was her personal assassin. Now it is Princess. It occurs to me Celestia, that of all the things I have not tried behaving like, it is simply Luna.

Turning away from Celestia, Luna moved to her balcony. "And with that in mind, I believe that is who I shall be for the near future sister. Just Luna. Not Princess of the Night Luna, not the former Nightmare Moon, Luna. But the Luna that our visitor from the stars sees. Simply a friend and confidant. Perhaps that will be a more comfortable role for me. I leave my moon in your care, Celestia. Tomorrow I will make the announcement formal if you feel it will assuage your subjects’ fears. Enjoy the rest of your day, Princess."

"Luna! Luna, don't you dare fly away from me while I'm speaking with you!" Celestia rushed to the balcony in time to see her sister become little more than a dwindling blue speck in the sky.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Celestia turned to find Noteworthy standing in the doorway, eyeing her with a disapproving look. "H— how long were you eavesdropping?"

The unicorn's eyebrow rose. "Eavesdropping? Princess, you were bellowing in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Everypony in the castle could hear you."

The Princess' cheeks darkened immediately. "W— well it's nopony's business what Luna and I discuss."

Noteworthy just tsk'd again, trotting off down the hall. Celestia angrily calling after her. "I could banish you to the moon, you know!"

"Then who would make your coffee, Princess?"

Celestia had no ready answer to that.

Of the many dining experiences Shepard had taken part in since coming to Equestria nearly a year ago now, sitting at Fluttershy's dining room table enjoying a very finely sauteed salmon with a full grown bear was one of the most unique. 'Harry' as Fluttershy called him gave Shepard a shockingly polite nod before he tucked into his own meal, sans silverware.

"Shepard-Commander, while I am sure you wish to emulate his eating habits, I recommend the fork."

Glaring at the silvery interfaces of the omni-tool bearing Legion’s (in Shepard's opinion) smug face, she swiped at them with a snort. "I know how to eat at a table!"

"No fighting at the table please." Fluttershy's soft, but firm voice came from the kitchen where she was toiling over the dishes.

Since neither human nor A.I. wished to upset their host, they fell silent as Shepard started in on the fish. Cooked in butter with just a hint of lemon. "Oh, I'd kill to get you to cook me some steak. What about pigs? Do pigs talk here? Can I eat pork and not feel bad?"

Drying her hooves on a dish towel, Fluttershy moved to join Shepard and her bear friend. "You can. Certain animals we raise to use as pet food, or to trade to the griffons. They live in a tall mountainy area where raising their own livestock is next to impossible."

Spearing another bite on the end of her fork, Shepard regarded Fluttershy curiously. "You raise animals for them then? Seems a little... I dunno, cruel? I mean, you guys aren't uh... that... different..." Shepard trailed off, fearing she was moving toward insulting territory.

"We aren't? Does everypony where you're from stand on equal footing? You're all the same level of intelligence? There are no bipedal critters in space?"

Shepard looked to the silently watching Legion. "Are there?"

The construct gave the impression of someone rolling their eyes. "Yes. Mostly apes. They have a rudimentary intelligence but are regarded as simple animals nonetheless. No doubt there are other bipedal animalistic species you do not have data on."

Fluttershy nodded slowly. "Just because I have fur and hooves doesn't mean I'm an animal. It also doesn't mean ponies can't be pragmatic when necessary. We regret having to take the life of any living being of course, but that's nature. Predators feed on prey. Griffons used to eat ponies until we convinced them we could provide something tastier and easier to catch. This was a very long time ago of course, but it's almost tradition nowadays."

Mulling all this over, at length Shepard sighed. "Too existential for me, but I get the gist. Sorry if I was insulting or anything."

"Oh no, not at all. Ignorance is only insulting if the ignorant pony doesn't want to learn and change her views." A sharp knock at the door drew the pegasus' attention. "Excuse me just a moment."

Shepard watched her walk to the door, glancing down at Legion. "Did she call me ignorant?"

"You are ignorant, Shepard-Commander. Her point was that despite your ignorance, you wish to better your understanding, which is an admirable trait."

"Oh." It was hard to miss Luna entering as Fluttershy stepped aside for her. "Luna? What're you doing here?"

Shepard couldn't recall seeing the Princess without her finery on. But right now, she was as bare as any other pony. "Shepherd. I apologize for the intrusion, but I have had a... disagreement with my sister. I was hoping perhaps you would not object to me spending the evening in your home?"

Noting the look of surprise on Fluttershy's face—one that no doubt mirrored Shepard's own—the woman shrugged. "No, of course not, as long as Fluttershy doesn't mind."

Rapidly shaking her head, the timid pegasus smiled. "Oh no, it's no trouble at all. Especially if Shepherd doesn't mind. That side of the door is completely hers as far as I'm concerned."

Smiling in thanks to the woman and the mare, and with a curious look to the bear, Luna settled at the table. "And what is this you are dining on, Shepherd?"

"Salmon! Fluttershy caught and cooked it herself!"

"Truly? I am surprised at that. I had thought you were a proponent for all creatures great and small, Fluttershy."

Putting a pot of tea on for her new guest, Fluttershy shrugged. "Just because I care for every critter doesn't mean I don't understand sometimes a carnivore or omnivore is going to eat another living thing. It's part of Shepherd's natural diet to eat meat, so... she gets meat."

"Like, once a week." The woman put in with a hint of a pout.

"It could go down to not at all if you prefer?"

Swallowing the last bite, Shepard shook her head rapidly. "Nope! No complaints out of me!"

"Good. The tea will be done soon. I'm going over to Twilight's. I'll see you both later this evening."

Shepard waited until the pegasus had left before cleaning her dinner dishes. "Soooo... this fight with Celestia..."

"Yes, it was about you."

Shepard's shoulders sagged slightly. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?"

"Indeed. You can continue to be my friend, as you have done these glorious past few weeks. My sister and her subjects' problems and opinions of you are inconsequential as far as I am concerned. You are accepted in Ponyville, and lauded as a heroine no less. If that is not enough for the snobbish Canterlot elite, then they are the poorer for it. Truth be told, I find less and less interest in royal affairs as time goes by."

Leading the mare to her side of the cottage, Shepard gently closed the door after her. "So can you like, quit? Is that a thing a Princess can do?"

Luna moved to a large sofa Shepard had purchased specifically for her. "I can abdicate, yes. Something I have been thinking on more and more of late."

"Shepard-Commander. I request a moment of your time in private."

Blinking in surprise at Legion's sudden request, the woman offered Luna a wan smile. "Just one minute. He wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

At Luna's nod of acceptance, Shepard stepped outside. "What's so important?"

"I urge you not to overly involve yourself in Equestrian politics. The relationship between the Royal Sisters is very complex, and your involvement could destabilize the delicate balance they have established."

Glancing back to her portion of the cottage, Shepard frowned. "It sounds like it's already unbalanced."

"Yes. The source of their frequent arguments however seems to be you."

Rubbing the back of her head, Shepard sighed. "I guess so. But do you really think it's that simple? If they're fighting so much over Luna and I just hanging out, don't you think there might be other issues at work here?"

"Perhaps. It is easy for me to forget that beneath your buffoonish exterior there lies an intelligent and tactical mind. I will leave it to your discretion, Shepard-Commander. Though I urge you to tread lightly. These are ancient and powerful beings you are dealing with."

Taking a deep breath, Shepard turned back to the cottage. "Thanks. Think you can spend the night with Twilight?"

"Certainly. I will return in the morning, Shepard-Commander. Happy cutecenera, by the way."

"You're lucky you're just data or I'd beat the crap out of you." A faint crackle from her omni-tool signalled Legion's departure, and she stepped back inside.

"Everything is well, I hope?"

Offering Luna a smile, Shepard took a seat in the armchair across from her sofa. "It is. He wanted to make sure I didn't mind him heading to Twilight's for the night. So, you've been thinking about quitting being a Princess?"

"I have. It has never been easy for me. Many years past, my poor reputation combined with my unpopular domain had our subjects veritably shun me. Now it is not that they find my presence detestable as it was then, so much as I am seen as an interloper. Celestia has ruled Equestria for a thousand years on her own. My return has been seen as somepony who has no business sitting on a throne and butting her nose into the 'proper' princess' affairs."

Eyes full of sympathy, Shepard nodded. "Is there anything you like about it?"

"I love raising the moon, of course. It is an intrinsic part of my being. I draw much of my strength from it, in fact."

"Really?"

"Indeed. Powerful magic wielders such as Celestia and myself draw strength from specific points of power. The sun and moon for she and I. Celestia's niece Cadance's power comes from the crystal heart of her empire. Twilight's from her crown. Starswirl the Bearded—a famous unicorn magus of many centuries past—drew his strength from a staff."

Shepard felt her eyes drawn to her omni-tool, the now silver translucent interfaces had been tingling along her arm whenever a unicorn wielded magic around her. DId it have something to do with all this magical point of power stuff? "So what else do you like about being Princessy?"

Smiling a little at the word, Luna gazed out the window, remembering fonder times. "Helping the ponies of Equestria. No matter how small their problem was, I was always eager to assist. Before the time of constant war and strife, I was 'Luna the Generous'. Ponies were very fond of titles back then, you see. Always would I go out of my way to help in any capacity. Once the night became my chief domain, chasing away the nightmares of every pony became my primary duty."

"A little different nowadays I guess?"

Luna's expression darkened. "Indeed. You have seen how nopony comes to my night court. The citizens of Ponyville are accepting of my presence, but it seems they will accommodate anything once they have determined it will not eat them."

"Well... you've got me at least. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Are you not? Have you given up hope of being rescued and returned to your native world?"

Shepard frowned. "No... no, I guess I haven't. I still want to get back to... to wherever I belong. But nothing says you can't come with me, right?"

Luna's eyes widened at the thought, and again she looked out the window to the darkening sky. "To travel to the furthest stars on the wings of one of your spaceships. Truly it is a tempting thought."

Luna's winged flared in surprise as Shepard laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'd like it if you came. It wouldn't be forever. Legion says according to the omni-tool's data, space travel is pretty quick. You could probably come home whenever you like."

Swallowing a sudden lump in her throat, Luna did her best to keep her composure. Shepard's uniquely cloying scent was filling her nostrils and making it hard to focus on much of anything. "I would... like that."

"Yeah? Well then it's settled. You tell your sister to shove it, and when my rescue comes, we'll take off together."

"Yes." Luna smiled dreamily as she gazed out the window toward the rising moon. "Together." She suddenly found the idea of Celestia shifting her moon into the sky not as bothersome as she first thought she would.

Princess Celestia paced outside of Luna's chambers well into the night until Noteworthy finally had to fetch her to raise the sun. "Princess, you know where your sister is. Why are you tormenting yourself outside her bedroom?"

Celestia huffed softly as she paced to her own balcony to raise the sun. "I just don't know what to say. Every time we speak, I end up making a bigger mess of things. How about you talk to her for me, Noteworthy?"

Her personal aide raised an unamused eyebrow. "You don't pay me nearly enough to get in between the two of you, Princess. But if you want my honest advice? Princess Luna needs friends. She needs ponies who care about her for her. Maybe it's not a terrible idea if she takes something of a sabbatical; allow her time to get integrated with modern Equestria? Get to know the ponies she's to rule over?"

"My dear Noteworthy, if you insist on making yourself so very indispensable to me, I may just have to render you immortal to advise me throughout the ages."

"I'll keep that in mind, Princess. Now, the... the ah... star is falling."

Celestia blinked at the sudden change in topic. "The what?" Following the unicorn's gaze, her own eyes widened. "A star is falling!"

Shouts of surprise, confusion, and alarm sounded throughout the castle. It did indeed seem as if a star was hurtling through the sky directly for the castle courtyard. "Clear the courtyard! Everypony take shelter within the castle!"

Celestia hastily erected a shimmering magical barrier around the general area the star was falling toward. It drew closer and closer until finally hitting the ground with a cacophonous boom, throwing up stone, dirt, and debris all around.

As the smoke cleared, the first guards on the scene began to approach, muttering softly to one another. Celestia herself joined them. "Step aside, one side please. Let's see what we have, hm?"

Summoning a gust of wind to blow the rest of the smoke away, the ponies of Canterlot Castle got their first view of the extraterrestrial object. It looked very much like a large, metallic beehive. All the ponies looked to each other curiously, then back to their Princess as she approached with Noteworthy close by her side. "What is it, Princess?"

Celestia slowly shook her head. "I don't know. It might be... it might have been flung by somepony from the ground? Or perhaps it's a changeling device? It looks insect-like, doesn't it?" Regarding it a long moment, she waved to one of the waiting pegasi. "Fly for Ponyville as swiftly as you can. Inform my sister there is an emergency, and I require both she and the human Shepherd immediately."

Smartly saluting, the swift winged messenger dashed through the air in a flash. Celestia turned her attention back to the strange honeycomb, just as several chambers hissed upon upon it. Brows knitting together in concern at the sudden buzzing emitting from it, she reared back in alarm at the sudden swarm of insects that burst from within. Calling on her magic to seal them in the crater the honeycomb's impact had made, she felt a faint sting on her nose where one had landed. Then she felt nothing at all.

Shepard woke slowly, and felt confused at the darkness outside. Did she have to go to the bathroom or something? Why was she up before the sun today? Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she noted Luna missing from her sofa. She could hear the Princess conversing with Fluttershy in the other room.

"S'goin on?"

Luna was pawing at the floor with a forehoof in concern. "Celestia has not raised the sun. She has never been late to raise the sun, and it is nearly a half hour overdue."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Shepard homed in on the steaming pot of coffee like a magnet. "Can't you do it?"

"I... well... I can, yes... I... should I?"

Shepard shrugged, pouring a cup and sipping it with a blissful sigh. "Go for it. She raised your moon last night."

Luna brightened at that. “She did, did she not? Very well! I shall raise the sun!” Her voice spoke of confidence, but Fluttershy noted her slightly shaking knees.

Offering the Princess of the Night an encouraging smile, Fluttershy walked to one side while Shepard took the other. “You’ll do great, Princess.”

Taking a deep breath, Luna stepped outside, fixing her gaze on the eastern horizon. Closing her eyes, she reached out with her magical senses, delicately touching her sister's heavenly body. It felt... hot. Very hot. Wild and untamed. Sweat immediately broke out upon Luna's forehead as she reached harder, and began to nudge it into its proper daily orbit. With a loud gasp, she sagged to her knees just as the sun appeared over the horizon.

"Wow! Look at that! You raised the sun! That's... pretty amazing, actually."

An exhausted Luna slowly rose to her hooves. "I did... did I not? I cannot believe how much more difficult that was than raising the moon."

Shepard shrugged. "Well, the sun is a huge ball of burning gas while the moon is a big rock. I'm betting flaming gas is harder to get a grip on than a rock."

Not quite liking her moon being referred to as 'a big rock', Luna nevertheless found it hard to disagree. "Yes, I suppose so. And Tia has been managing it for so very long..."

Patting the Princess on the back, Shepard grinned. "Well you did it today!"

Feeling her spirits lift at both Shepard and Fluttershy's bright smiles, Luna took a deep breath. "Perhaps I should have words with Celestia again. Less... hostile words this time. Thank you for allowing me this time to clear my head."

Further words fell silent as Shepard stared toward distant Canterlot. Or more specifically, above distant Canterlot as a dark shape began to appear in the brightening sky. "Is that... normal?"

Judging by the sudden alarm on Luna's face, it wasn't. As if on cue, a rapidly approaching pegasus appeared, the dark coated stallion's fur slick with sweat from his rapid pace. "Princess Luna! There's an emergency at the castle! Something fell from the sky!"

Shepard's omni-tool crackled into view. "Shepard-Commander!" All eyes looked to the A.I. and his strangely panicked voice. "I am detecting multiple ships overhead. If the data is correct, they belong to... the collectors."

Shepard staggered to her knees clutching her head as memories flooded free, unbidden from her mind. Insect-like aliens harvesting whole colonies of her people. A once proud race reduced to simple servants of the...

A collector, its skin cracked and burning. A voice booms out, too deep to be from the insectoid alien. A familiar tone… that of a reaper. “If I have to tear you apart, Shepard… I will.”

The three ponies stared wide-eyed as Shepard whipped her head back and forth frantically. "They're back! Legion, they're here! What do we do!"

The woman yelped at the sudden jolt of energy running up her arm. "Calm yourself, Shepard-Commander. These collectors are likely rogues left over from the main force you wiped out some time ago."

Flexing her aching hand, Shepard closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to compose herself. It was impossible to entirely ignore the images of her people in cocoons... being liquified. And now the Collectors were here, on Equestria. Were they going to do the same to the ponies?

Even Luna took a hesitant step back at the steely look in Shepard's eyes as she reopened them. Turning on her heel, she marched smartly to the cabinet containing her weapons and armor. The Princess was the only one of the three to follow her in. "Shepherd, what is it? What is happening?"

Fastening the clasps on her breastplate, Shepard methodically donned her armor with swift, military precision. "The collectors. They used to collect members of every species with genetic abnormalities."

"Why are they here? As Legion said, they were destroyed by you, were they not?"

Swiftly attaching her guns to their proper place, the woman nodded. "They were... I think. I don't know why the collectors are here, but I promise you, it's not in the interest of peaceful introductions. They've been genetically altered to serve a race of genocidal machines. We need to get to Canterlot, quickly."

"Very well. I shall bear you to the castle myself." The two hurried from the cottage, Luna lowering herself so SHepard could more easily climb onto her back. The woman securely astride her, Luna looked to Fluttershy. "Inform Twilight Sparkle of the emergency. Assemble the Elements of Harmony, I fear you may well be needed before the day is done."

Nodding rapidly, Fluttershy raced off to comply. With a grim look to the messenger, Luna nodded toward the cottage. "Rest here for now, good sir. Your duty is completed. Recover in comfort, knowing your message has aided in Canterlot's defense."

The grateful stallion could only nod as he trudged inside, exhaustion clear in all his movements. Shepard tightened her grip on Luna's barrel as the Princess sprang into the air, approaching Canterlot at speeds she didn't think possible.

"Shepard-Commander, be aware! I am detecting heavy concentrations of seeker swarms within the city, most notably originating from the castle. I cannot be certain, based on what little I know of Equestrian physiology, but it is safe to assume ponies will be paralyzed as any other affected. I recommend the Princess erect a magical barrier in the hopes it functions identically to a biotic one."

About to ask Luna if she heard, Shepard's question was answered as a cobalt orb of magic sprang to life around the pair. The city was soon in view, and Shepard's heart sank at the sight. Here and there, the dark cloud of a seeker swarm could be seen buzzing through the streets, but their job was already completed it seemed. Everywhere she and Luna looked were more paralyzed ponies. Smaller collector vessels had already landed, and ground troops were rapidly placing the unmoving Equestrians in waiting pods.

Luna was trembling with fury at the sight of her subjects so swiftly subjugated. "We have to get a message to Twilight and the others; let them know if they come in, they need to be protected!"

Luna's ear swiveled toward Shepard's voice and she nodded. Adding an invisibility charm to her barrier spell, she moved for her balcony. "I will send a letter via Spike informing her of the situation and the necessary precautions she must take."

Carefully remaining within the shield's area of effect, Shepard peered from the balcony out at the sky. More and more Collector vessels were appearing in the air overhead. "The way I see it, we have two problems. The aerial forces, and the ground troops. How much of a magical whammy can you dig up, Luna?"

Sending the hastily written scroll to Twilight's assistant along the waves of her magic, Luna joined Shepard at the window. "Plenty. What are these vessels offensive and defensive capabilities?"

Legion was the one to respond. Several displays of miniature versions of the ships overhead appeared. "The smaller ships have little offensive or defensive ability. They are shuttles dispatched to carry ground troops to the battle and retrieve collected victims. The larger cruiser class ships are the true problem. They possess powerful cannons and heavy shielding." The cannons in question were soon highlighted. "Your main advantage over them is your maneuverability. It is difficult for such large weaponry to strike a swiftly moving target."

"Very well. I will focus my attentions on the three larger vessels then. I am concerned for my ability to carry you safely while I engage them however, Shepherd."

"Shepard-Commander. The seeker swarm counter-measure developed by Doctor Solus should still be present in your system. So long as you avoid the largest of the swarms, they will ignore you."

Shepard nodded at that, already moving toward the door. "Right then."

Luna followed her movements with a concerned look. "Shepherd? What do you intend to do?"

The steel nerved Princess of the night felt a shiver go down her spine at the look in Shepard's eye. "Hunt."

"Alright girls. I don't know exactly what we're heading into, but it must be serious if the Princess told Fluttershy we need the Elements."

Her five closest friends fidgeted with their necklaces, the powerful magical artifacts sitting around their necks. "After much careful experimentation, I've devised a way for each Element to share in a spell cast on the Element of Magic. I'll provide everypony with the shield Princess Luna says we need. When we arrive, I want Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy on rescue duty. Get as many ponies away from these... ‘collectors’ and into hiding as you can."

Rarity nodded firmly at the order. "Of course, darling. What will the rest of you be doing?"

Twilight shared a grim look with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "We'll be dealing with these monsters while you save the ponies they're trying to foalnap."

Applejack tugged her hat down a little tighter while Rainbow Dash flexed her wings in excitement. "Alright. I'm going to teleport us to Canterlot. Everypony get ready."

"Um... Twilight, is that safe? It just seems very far to bring five other ponies at once..."

With a shake of her head, Twilight trotted outside. "We don't have time for the train, Fluttershy. I've been practicing teleporting back and forth from the castle for a while now. And that was without my Element augmenting my magic. It'll be fine. Gather close, girls."

Only slight reluctance showed in their movements as they huddled around the young Princess. None of them doubted Twilight's ability to get them there safely, they were simply concerned with her overtaxing herself. A brilliant raspberry aura surrounded the group as with a bright flash they vanished, leaving one baby dragon alone to fret over their safety.

The six appeared in the center of Canterlot Castle's courtyard, Twilight not even seeming to be winded from the powerful magics. "Alright, let's all stay close together for now, but be ready for—"

A harsh, high-pitched whining crackle preceded several projectiles impacting Twilight's shield all at once. The alicorn's eyes went wide and she staggered from the resulting feedback. The element bearers followed the sound to the perpetrators; a pair of brown, carapace-covered bipedal aliens, with four glowing yellow eyes gazing at the ponies out of bulbous heads. The two collectors had weird looking guns that they were firing liberally at the moving ponies.

The girls scattered, Applejack slinging Twilight over her back and rushing into cover with her. "Whadda we do, Twi?! how long can yer shield hold up under that?!"

Now Twilight was sweating from the exertion. "N— not very long. We have to stop them! Can anypony see them?!"

Rarity and Pinkie Pie had taken shelter behind a pillar next to Twilight and Applejack, the two pegasi nowhere to be seen. "I see them! Let's see if I can just seize their weapons, hm?" Rarity's own horn began to glow as she focused on the guns in the aliens' hands. As her magic began to reach for them, it encountered some sort of resistance as strange purple shields flared to life around the Collectors. The insectoid aliens had only a moment to look confused as their biotic barriers were triggered before a tremendous explosion ripped through the courtyard.

As the smoke cleared, the four ponies saw only large chunks of what used to be Collectors hitting the ground with meaty splats. Three sets of wide eyes looked to a mortified Rarity. "Wowee, Rarity. I know they were bad guys, butcha didn't have to make them explode!"

Fur raising along her neck, Rarity whirled on Pinkie Pie. "I most certainly did not make them explode! I don't know any spells of that sort!"

Twilight was looking from the now very deceased Collectors, and back to Rarity. "They were using biotics to protect themselves. ... Alien magic, basically. Legion taught me about it. This is only a theory, but it seems that the energy they use to create their own shields reacts... harshly with our magic."

Applejack snorted as she slowly approached the smoldering remains. "BIt of an understatement, I think."

Rolling her eyes, Twilight had to concede the point. "Yes, well, it may be safe to say that their biotic attacks will have a similar reaction if they impact against our magical shields."

By now Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were descending from the high ceiling. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you saying if they shoot their magic at us we'll explode like that?!"

"Um... very likely, yes. Oh, this complicates things so much more. There are so many unknown variables! I have no idea what to do now. We can't run the risk of one of us exploding!"

The other elements shared a look and came to an instant decision. "It's a risk we have to take, Twilight. There are ponies depending on us, and I for one can't stand the thought of these brutes ruining fair Canterlot."

Looking from Rarity, then to the rest of her determined friends, Twilight sighed. "Alright girls. Just... be careful. Watch out if they get an aura around them. That means they're about to unleash their own magic. For Celestia's sake, take cover if they do, okay?"

Clearly more nervous than before, but determined to do their part, the six moved as a group through Canterlot castle. Each pony couldn't help but flinch as the occasional swarm of insects would bounce into the shield bubbles before buzzing their way back down the halls. Aside from that and the clip-clop of nervous hoofsteps, the castle was silent.

The members of Twilight's troupe kept their ears perked and forward in a sign of alertness. It was clear that Rainbow Dash in particular was on edge, growing more and more impatient with their attempts at stealth. Every pony froze in place as they rounded the hallway and entered the throne room. A dozen or more royal guards lay broken and bleeding on the floor. Their fine armor protected them to a degree, but the collectors’ bullets that found unarmored places to hit had punched through flesh and bone with ease.

Tentatively entering first, they started to move from pony to pony, looking for any signs of life. "I don't understand... how come they killed these fellas but took so many others?"

"They're all unicorns Applejack,” Twilight answered, “No doubt they managed to protect themselves from the bugs. When the Collectors found them still moving, they...." She trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence.

Rarity had to blink tears from her eyes. "This is horrible; far worse even than the changeling invasion. Worse than Discord! Where is Discord?! Shouldn't he be helping?"

Twilight's jaw tightened as she summoned a bit of mail from her desk at home. Offering it to Rarity, the unicorn took it carefully. It was a postcard from the Gallopagos Islands. Over the image of the picturesque islands was a picture of Discord waving his backside back and forth with the words, 'Glad You're Not Here!' running across the top. "Princess Celestia sent him on a vacation."

"Oh, yes I could have told you that. He sends me letters all the time." All eyes turned to Fluttershy now. Most widened in surprise at the sight of the ordinarily timid pegasus carefully arranging the deceased ponies in more respectful positions.

An excited chitter from overhead drew the ponies attention upward. Lining the narrow balcony overlooking the throne room were collectors. A lot of collectors. Easily two dozen or more, and all had their weapons trained on the group. Slowly, the ponies moved toward one another, standing back to back and looking up at the assembled alien invaders.

Emotions ranged from terrified to outraged. Rainbow Dash grit her teeth. "If I'm goin’ down, I'm goin’ down fighting!"

Fluttershy's eyes darted from alien to alien overhead as she felt her legs lock up in fright. She was going to die. All her friends were going to die. And... and... suddenly she tilted her head curiously, gazing up at the furthest collector. It might have been her imagination, but she swore the air... rippled.

Shepard took in the scene below, Fluttershy and her friends squarely in the merciless collectors’ sights. With insurmountable calmness, she had silently scaled the nearest pillar, easing onto the balcony between two of the bug monsters. Careful, deliberate steps took her to the end of one of the firing lines. She stood beside the last collector in the line as she unslung her rifle and leveled the barrel at the side of it's enormous head, very nearly touching it.

When she was certain she had the perfect shot lined up, she squeezed the trigger. The recoil punched the gun into her shoulder, leaving a (in her opinion) pleasant painful sensation. Far less pleasant was the sensation the collector she'd shot—and the next six of its fellows in the line—experienced as the powerful rifle ripped through shields and carapace with equal ease, causing heads to burst and bodies to tumble.

The other aliens responded rapidly, whirling in alarm as her cloak dissolved, leaving the living legend visible for them all. Time stood still as each and every collector had to take a long minute just to register what had happened, and who had caused it. "I wonder if collectors can piss themselves. I bet you would be if you could."

Ignoring the ponies below, every collector rounded on Shepard and began to open fire. By the time they started pulling triggers, her rifle was already up. Her second shot dropped one at the far end of the room that was in the midst of charging a biotic attack, while her third took out the first in the line ahead of her; a line she was presently sprinting at. She felt a few rounds impact against her shields as her omni-tool blinked a warning, already down to twenty-five percent power.

She ignored it. The first collector in the line was backing away as she zigzagged back and forth, evading more bullets than they likely expected before bringing her overheated sniper rifle up and around like a club, smashing the thing in the face and sending it tumbling over the balcony. Not stopping to watch it or her useless rifle land, Shepard rolled to the side behind a fallen pillar. It was providing cover for one side, not so much the other.

Thrusting her hand at the far end with clear line of sight on her, Shepard released a powerful overload. The electricity arced through the air and impacted with first collector, then jumped to the two nearest. All three fell to the ground, jerking spastically. That still left more than a few firing on her. That is until sparkling raspberry and cornflower blue auras sprang around a different pair. They had a second of comical confusion on their ordinarily expressionless faces before they detonated with enough force to blow Shepard's hair back even from here.

"Well, alright unicorns!" The brief moment of confusion was all Shepard needed for her shields to recharge. Unholstering her SMG, she vaulted over her cover, charging the next line of suddenly panicking aliens. Several had already broken ranks and were running or flying for an exit. Up came her custom Locust, the firing weapon sounding vaguely reminiscent of a chirping cricket as it released a rapid spray of ammunition into the nearest collector. It's shields flickered and faded before it was cut down with another burst of gunfire. Two more fell in the same manner before it too overheated. With a grunt, she whipped the gun into the next monster's face, staggering it long enough for her to vault through the air and ram her omni-blade through its face.

The final three on the balcony stared at her, absolutely aghast. With a flippant shrug, she rose to her feet and unholstered her pistol. Six quick shots to the head, one for each of their shields, then one for each of their faces put an end to the threat.

Gripping the railing, Shepard vaulted over and landed on the floor below with a grunt. "Everyone okay down here?"

"Are we okay? Are we okay?! Shepherd, that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life! And I've done a sonic rainboom! A few times! You're the coolest mare in the entire world!"

Rainbow Dash's five friends looked to the excited mare in surprise. whether because she was admitting someone was cooler than her or because she found all the gratuitous violence exciting would remain a mystery. Shepard just brushed it off with a shrug. "You guys saved my butt up there. What kind of spell was that anyway?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not a spell. Their biotic barriers react... extremely when prodded with our magic. Even simple magics set them off."

Shepard's omni-tool crackled to life as Legion appeared. "Interesting. However, it would be safe to surmise a similar reaction would occur if biotic attacks were brought to bear against your magical shields as well."

Twilight Sparkle was nodding even as he finished speaking. "Yes, I think so as well. But we can't let the shields down or those bugs will paralyze us, according to Princess Luna's letter."

"Can we, I dunno, juice them up with the swarm countermeasure too, Legion?"

"We cannot 'juice them up', Shepard-Commander. Doctor Solus' seeker swarm countermeasure is a highly advanced electrical signal that renders the wearer undetectable by the swarms."

Applejack tilted her head. "So, what? Shepherd's armor sweats bug spray?"

"Essentially, yes."

Bristling at the less than pleasant description, Shepard practically growled, "Essentially no! It's a lot more complicated and scientific than that!" Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to compose herself. "Alright, here's the plan. You six stick with me. Do exactly what I say, when I say it, alright?"

As the ponies started to get themselves into a marching order, Shepard collected her discarded weapons. Spying a few collector weapons strewn about, she helped herself to the thermal clips. "Happy Hearth’s Warming to me."

Noting the ponies were ready, the woman set a brisk pace out of the throne room. She moved quickly but carefully. Several times, Legion warned her of approaching hostiles. A quick hand signal sent the ponies into hiding while she would cloak herself and dispatch the oncoming collectors as silently as possible, often with just her combat knife and omni-blade.

A deafening explosion drew all eyes to the nearest window. Racing toward it, the six ponies and one human saw one of the huge collector cruisers starting to list in the air, trailing smoke as it went. "What in Celestia's name is that?"

Shepard had to squint to make her out, but a faint streak of blue gave away Luna's position. "That would be Celestia's sister. Come on, we need to hurry. Has there been any sign of Princess Celestia?"

Looking more worried than ever, Twilight shook her head. "No, none. You don't think they took her did you?!"

With a grim nod, Shepard started out again at a quicker run. "It's likely. They're drawn to unique specimens. She and Luna are pretty unique, don't you think? Can't you do some... magic thing to find her?"

"Oh! Yes, I can!" Stopping in place, Twilight closed her eyes, focusing on her magic. "It's similar to the spell used to send mail via Spike's dragon fire. I simply have to picture who I want the magic to go to and..." A small orb of glowing raspberry light appeared and started to drift rapidly through the hallways. "Follow it!"

Shepard didn't need to be told twice. She was already sprinting after the orb. More than once, a collector patrol attempted to bar passage, but were swiftly cut down by Shepard's guns or—to her slight surprise—Twilight and Rarity's magic. It seemed when threatened, the normally peaceful ponies wouldn't hesitate to use lethal force.

Not entirely surprising, she mused. They were the dominant form of life on this planet after all; you don't get to be in charge by rolling over every time someone demands you do so. In a world filled with enormous predators and fearsome until-now mythological monsters, you'd have to be made of stern stuff to get to the top of the food chain. The thought struck a chord with the woman, as if her own people had experienced similar origins.

Had they? Was she starting to remember more about her own people? She could definitely recall that the first humans lived in caves and had to fend off enormous, seemingly monstrous predators themselves. Glancing at the determined alicorn Princess at her side, Shepard wondered how many of the ponies’ enemies had been lulled into a false sense of security by their seemingly harmless cuteness, only to meet a violent end. Diplomacy certainly seemed like their preferred way of handling a dispute, but clearly they weren't above violence when the situation called for it.

The orb led them outside the castle and into an open lane leading onto the main street. A large shuttle was parked there, and it looked to be in the midst of taking off. The orb flitted directly into the sealed shuttle doors. "She's in there!"

"My weapons can't bring it down! Can you stop it?"

Twilight looked wide-eyed from Shepard to the shuttle. Taking a deep breath, she again focused on her magic. A pale glow began to surround the shuttle, just as its take off jets fired and it lurched forward. Twilight cried out in alarm as she was dragged along after it. Gritting her teeth, she hauled back, trying to keep it from escaping. The hatch hissed open as one of the collectors started gesturing wildly at the group. Shepard was already bringing her rifle around, when a low whistle overhead drew her attention. A large form growing bigger and bigger as it fell was dropping right atop them. "Scatter! Take cover!"

Shepard herself scooped Twilight into her arms and dove aside just as the massive collector Praetorian slammed into the ground. The dazed ponies could only stare in mute horror as the monstrosity folded its deceptively slender legs under itself and it hovered into the air. Blazing violet eyes took in the group. When it's mouth gaped open, they recoiled at the dozens of shrieking human shaped heads within. "What... what is it?"

Setting the dazed Princess down, Shepard readied her weapons. "Trouble."

Luna would never admit it to another living soul, but she was having more fun now than she had in years. Speed and strength augmented by her magic, she was gleefully smashing through each of the smaller ships that had caught her eye. Now and again their doors would open and the strange bug-like bipeds would fire their cute little chirpy guns at her, all of which bounced harmlessly away from her corona of magic. She'd had a close call when one of them unleashed a magical attack of their own, causing her shield to detonate rather violently. Fortunately she was made of sterner stuff than the average pony, and was only dazed.

Dazed and infuriated. That particular ship had been crushed into a ball of collector ship dust.

She was careful however. A simple magical sweep of each vessel allowed her to identify which held trapped ponies within. These she boarded personally, dispatching the interloping aliens with hoof or magic and setting the craft gently to the ground. The ones without ponies received a far more violent treatment.

It wasn't until the larger ships began to fire on her that she gave them her attention. With careless ease, she swooped about the large energy discharges, focusing in on the one that had attempted to shoot her. Drawing in as much magic as she was able, she streaked forward like a brilliantly glowing blue arrow, punching through one side and drilling her way out the other. She must have hit something vital, as multiple explosions rocked the craft and it began to rapidly lose altitude. Sensing ponies aboard and not wishing it to crush her country's capital city, she engulfed it in a sheath of magic, maneuvering it to a clear field at the foot of Canterlot's mountain.

After this display, she was alarmed to find the other ships rapidly withdrawing, each having several ponies aboard. One in particular caused her blood to turn to ice in her veins. Celestia's magical signature veritably screamed its presence to her. Once more willing her power to speed and strengthen her wings, she angled for the flying behemoth bearing her sister.

The fleeing craft was building speed of its own, however. Already leaving Equestria's atmosphere and heading toward the moon. Adrenaline laced with panic to force her body to move ever faster. She could very nearly touch the hull of the ship when suddenly it's engines flared brighter and with a strange sound, it seemingly teleported right out from under her hooves. Luna could only stare in mute shock at the space the huge ship had occupied seconds ago.

The huge ship that was even now carrying her sister and many of their subjects far from Equestria.

Rainbow Dash would never tell any of her friends this, but this was shaping up to be the greatest day of her life. Her reasoning for joining the Wonderbolts had always been twofold. The first of course, because they were awesome. And she being as awesome as she was, simply belonged in such an awesome organization. This wasn't opinion, it was fact. Celestia raised the sun. Twilight was a nerd. Rainbow Dash belonged in the Wonderbolts.

The other reason she wanted to join, and this was a carefully guarded secret from her more timid companions... was she liked to fight. She didn't just like it, she loved it. The adrenaline surging in her veins, the pounding sensation in her ears, and that sweet sweet moment when her hoof connected with some jerk's face... it was heaven. Now, she could do without all the death; that sucked. It just wasn't cool to the poor ponies up in the castle who'd been killed by these alien freaks.

But that just added more fuel to her inner fire. More reason to crush these freaky bugs underhoof. Let Shepard and Twilight play with the big screechy guy shooting lasers out of its eyes. Let Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie run around dragging everypony out of harms way. Rarity and Applejack could do whatever they pleased. Rainbow Dash knew what she was gonna do. Her friends had things well in hoof with the silver bug thing, they didn't need her help.

But not every chicken alien had run away. From the air, she spotted plenty of the smaller ships where even now the aliens were stuffing innocent ponies. That was what Rainbow Dash was interested in. Her element of loyalty blazed brightly as she streaked through the air, little more than a rainbow hued blur of light. The first Collectors she came upon didn't even know what hit them.

Literally. One second they were loading up the last of their cargo, the next, something hard as rock and colorful as a rainbow impacted the first one's face. Chitin cracked and burst apart under the impact, and the collector dropped dead before it even realized it was under attack. It's fellow got a better look at their assailant as Rainbow Dash landed before him, but it only got a brief look before she reared forward and drilled her hind legs into its stomach. Actually into its stomach. Making a disgusted face, Dash realized she'd kicked it hard enough to blow right through the front and out the back.

"Oh gross, this stuff's gonna take forever to wash off." Of course, the alien corpse had little to say on the matter. Hearing more freaky bug alien voices coming from inside the ship, Dash hastily shook the body off her legs and flitted to the top of the ship, overlooking the entry ramp. As the pilot emerged to find the source of the hold up, she smiled a feral, toothy grin and pounced.

Like the first collector, it never knew what hit it.

Twilight and Shepard leapt away from one another as the Praetorian unleashed another blast of energy from its eyes, tearing deep furrows in the cobblestone street. Shepard sprang to her feet and vaulted behind a fallen wall, releasing a searing arc of electricity into the monster's barrier. Likewise, Twilight fired a solid lance of magic from her horn, the impact causing a small explosion and rocking the Praetorian onto its side. Naturally, it whirled to face what it considered to be the larger threat, and hovered menacingly toward the cornered alicorn.

"No you don't!" Shepard rapidly fired her sniper rifle into the collector monstrosity’s back, the first two rounds impacted against more barrier, but the third punched through its heavy armor, drawing a gout of glowing blue blood. That got its attention. With a piercing shriek, it rounded on the woman, giving Twilight a very clear view of the new wound.

Gritting her teeth, she poured her magic into the oozing hole, then started to pull it apart. The monster thrashed and bucked in agony as the stinging hole started to widen into a gaping one. The aura around her horn grew brighter and brighter as she poured more strength into it. Shepard hastily retreated as Twilight's eyes ignited with white, magical light. With a final cry of fury, Twilight ripped the Praetorian clean in half, sending the top flipping end over end into the air, while the lower half twitched its legs feebly a few times before dropping to the ground.

The youngest Princess panted heavily, sucking in deep breaths of air. Looking to the bisected half of Praetorian still on the ground, she shifted her astonished glance to the approaching Shepard. "Did I do that?"

Then she fainted.

Between the returned Luna, Shepard, Rainbow Dash and Applejack—who were all assisted by the remaining Canterlot Guard—the city was swept clean of invaders in short order. There were several minor firefights, but the formidable defenders put the remaining aliens down quickly. The highest remaining guard commander approached Luna tentatively as she was resting. "Princess? Has there been any sign of your sister?"

Luna pushed aside the immediate flash of irritation at the question. Celestia's absence was glaringly obvious, and a cause for great concern of course. "I am afraid my sister has been taken by the creatures who escaped."

All the color drained from the stallion's face at this revelation. "Taken? Taken where?!"

Grimly, the Princess rose to her hooves, regarding the approaching Shepard and still-conscious Elements of Harmony with a small frown. "I do not know. But it is my hope that they will."

"The elements, ma'am? Or the, uh, friendly alien?"

Shaking her head, Luna nodded toward the smoking collector cruiser she had dropped from the air. "Not the Elements of Harmony. Them."

Author's Note:

Here it is! This marks the beginning of the story starting to get more 'Mass Effecty' than 'My Little Pony-y'.

Aaaalso. In case anyone HASN'T read Loyal2Luna's amazing Mass Effect 2: Equestrian Equation DLC story, shame on you. And go read it now. It blows my trash outta the water. XD http://www.fimfiction.net/story/20545/mass-effect-2-dlc-the-equestrian-equation