Part 7: Innocence Lost
“…take care of our friends,” Shepard finished, looking over the four assorted equines. “All of our friends. If Fluttershy’s right, then whatever’s happening in Bedlam is something that needs to be dealt with immediately. I’ve lost Milligan once already, I can’t risk anything else happening to him.”
Rainbow Dash balked, moving snout to snout with Shepard in the blink of an eye.
“Oh! So you’re going to go and help your friend!? Big surprise!”
“Rainbow Dash, think for a moment!” Shepard showed some teeth as he spoke, a surprisingly primal expression that did actually manage to set the pegasus back. “I don’t have your wings or a horn. I don’t have any of my gear working, my weapons, or even so much as a flashlight. Going into a dense, dangerous forest right now, in my armor, all in nearly pitch black darkness, I won’t do anything but slow you down. I said we needed to help all of our friends… yours and mine. And that means I need your help!”
Rainbow drew back, her expression concerned, but tinged with curiosity as her eyes never left the alien pony.
“Two of your friends are in trouble… and so are two of mine. We can’t put all of our resources into one rescue mission or we end up placing a priority on the lives that are counting on us. If we’re going to save as many as we can, we have to be tactical about this,” Shepard continued, all eyes on him as he quickly fell into a familiar pace of speaking… one often reserved for important missions. “I’m a newcomer to this world; I'm not familiar with the monsters and creatures that live in this forest. But you are, Rainbow. You can move through the trees and cover ground faster without having to explain things to me. You have the guts and the drive to take charge of this mission yourself… And after seeing you stand up for those ponies against the timberwolves, I can feel like I’m putting Patch in good hands.”
At this admission, the mare drew back, rubbing her neck slightly.
“W-whoa, hold on… I’m not a soldier or anything. I don’t--”
“You stood your ground against the monsters when there was no good reason we could have stopped them… You’re rash, hotheaded, and raw. To tell the truth, you remind me of how a friend of mine used to act…” Shepard smiled slightly. “One that I would trust with my life… and do so on a daily basis.”
“And you won’t be alone, Rainbow Dash…” Rarity spoke up suddenly. “I put a turquoise in the vest I made for Patch, and a rather large one at that. We can use my gem-finding spell to track it down.”
“And I can get us to Canterlot quickly… and then get in and talk to Princess Celestia. I know she’ll help us... She’ll want to find out what is happening as well,” Twilight stated quickly, obviously intent on making it perfectly clear that regardless of what was said, she would be seeing her sovereign ruler. “But what about you, Shepard?”
“Fluttershy?” Shepard turned to the yellow pony, who surprised all by standing up straight and tall at being called upon, a very odd reaction to those who knew her well. “I have to get to Dr. Milligan before anything else happens to him. He may be the only one that can help me to understand all of this. Can you take me to Bedlam?”
“Yes… It’s in the lower levels of Canterlot. I know the way.”
“If I’m lucky, then we can get in without anyone getting hurt…” Shepard nodded.
“And if you’re unlucky?” Twilight asked, a slight knot forming in her throat as she realized that Shepard’s plan might very well involve violence towards other ponies; a concept that she found absolutely abhorrent.
Were the circumstances less dire… or personal... she would immediately have objected to the notion, of course. But as it was, with the revelation of Discord’s return, the attack on Ponyville, the abduction of Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and the impact of learning her own memories had been tampered with, she couldn’t bring herself to speak out any more fervently.
“Then I’ll minimize injuries as best I can,” Shepard stated in a serious, somber tone. “I don’t want to hurt your people, Twilight. But if they don’t give me any alternative, I won’t let them keep me from completing my mission and getting both Dr. Milligan and Pinkie Pie out of there safely.”
Twilight shuffled a bit on her hooves, obviously discomforted by this.
“Twilight… I have been completely honest with you since the very beginning. I’ve told you everything… even when you didn’t believe me,” Shepard said simply, moving towards her. “I know it’s hard and neither of us have all the answers… but right now, I'm going to ask you to do the single most difficult thing that one sentient being can ask of another…”
Twilight looked up to him, the red stallion’s demeanor calm, commanding, and all but awe-inspiring.
“I'm asking you… to trust me.”
————————————————————
The Hammerhead
“Vakarian-Squad Leader,” the distorted voice of the geth platform dubbed "Legion" by Shepard and EDI echoed in Garrus’ comm as he tried to focus on maintaining his approach to the moon in spite of the turbulence that was jostling everything on board. “We question the validity of your previous statement as it applies to us. The Geth possess neither ‘socks’ nor ‘jocks.’”
“Old human expression. I picked it up off of one of their classic war vids,” the turian explained as he tried to juke the Hammerhead slightly from side to side, avoiding bursts of light from the lunar surface. “Just hold on and try to stay together over there. Thane, are you praying?”
“Yes. Dutifully,” the drell assassin’s croaky, vibrating voice was calm in spite of the violent shaking.
“Try doing it a bit harder would you?”
“We are still alive in spite of your piloting, Garrus… I would say that my prayers are thus far answered,” Thane’s voice betrayed no emotion as the vehicle continued to rock violently.
The plan had gone off beautifully, of course… Garrus couldn’t complain. The Normandy's M-44 Hammerhead hovercraft had launched along with over two dozen probes, each giving their all to distract the high-powered, highly-accurate weapon on the moon’s surface as they dropped, skirting the atmosphere in a gentle reentry.
It was rough on them, of course; The jet-powered troop transport wasn’t recommended for such high drops. But then again, there were many things that were not "recommended" that the Normandy’s crew did anyways.
Having a geth A.I. platform flying copilot, for example.
“Sensors are unreliable. Visual scans have placed the energy weapon's point of origin at latitude one hundred ninety degrees north, two hundred thirty degrees east,” the gestalt intelligence informed its current squad leader as the shaking lessened. “Update: We have successfully maneuvered below the weapon’s effective range.”
“Any sign of anti-aircraft or aerial defense forces?” Garrus asked, checking the diagnostic of their transportation. The navigational V.I. had been disabled, allowing the geth and turian to share full manual control in order to prevent the possibility of access by whatever it was that was occupying EDI’s full attention.
“Negative, Vakarian-Squad Leader,” the geth answered. “A possible conclusion is that the defense system is automated and those that constructed it did not expect any transgressors to make it past orbital firing range.”
“A sound assumption…” Thane added. “Normandy is one of the most advanced ships in the galaxy and Joker is the Alliance’s finest pilot, and yet we only barely managed to find the weapon’s blind spot in time. Lesser vessels would not be so lucky.”
“Directives, Vakarian-Squad Leader?” Legion asked, turning his flashlight-like head towards the turian.
“...Take us in.”
————————————————————
Canterlot
There was quiet on the streets of the Pony Capital at this late hour, a soft, warm breeze passing through the buildings that gave an eerie feeling to the normally-bustling metropolis.
...A calm before the storm.
This silence was broken in a sudden flash of purple light, depositing three pony shapes near a large fountain.
“Impressive...” Shepard commented as he looked around.
Truth be told, in spite of his superficial nonchalance, Shepard’s mind was reeling… If these ponies’ "magic" abilities were akin to the biotics frequently used by certain individuals amongst the galactic races, then the implications were staggering. Jack, his emotionally-unstable biotic teammate, and Samara, another companion who happened to be an asari justicar of substantial ability herself, were the two most powerful biotics he had ever met. And even they couldn’t hope to use their power to create a mass effect corridor allowing for instantaneous transportation... Such things were considered impossible by the galaxy at large.
And this pastel-colored pony creature had managed just such a feat, while considering it to be something commonplace. Either her power stemmed from something other than what he thought... or Twilight was hands-down (or hooves-down) the most powerful biotic in the galaxy.
That didn't mean it looked easy, however, as the teleportation’s instigator panted for a moment, looking as if she had just sprinted through a marathon.
“Okay… This is as close as I could get you… Canterlot's Lower District…” Twilight drew in deep, gasping breaths as beads of sweat ran down her forehead around her horn. “Just… don’t make me regret this, Shepard… Okay?”
“You won’t, Twilight. I promise,” the Commander stated clearly, setting a hoof to her shoulder.
Twilight, clearly driven by what had transpired around her, nodded, taking a deep breath as her horn began to glow again. Her face looking strained with effort, the unicorn disappeared in a flash of purple light.
“Aaaand chalk up yet another physical impossibility.” Shepard shook his head. “I’ve lost count so far of how many of those I’ve seen since I arrived here.”
“Commander, it’s this way!” Fluttershy spoke up, her expression grim as she moved to the air and started down an apparently random street.
Following along at a quick trot, Shepard looked about at the architecture, which was quite different from that of Ponyville, looking to have an almost Victorian Earth styling to it that was too close to his own culture to be a coincidence.
But this was not the only thing that was on his mind as he heard the yellow pegasus leading the way, breathing heavily and muttering under her breath.
“Fluttershy… Can I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead,” the mare approved, her expression casual.
“What’s happened to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I first woke up in Twilight’s tree-house, you were so withdrawn it was almost painful to watch. You seemed like you were terrified of any conflict, scared in the face of any confrontation… but now you seem to be a great deal more… aggressive, for lack of a better term.”
The pegasus paused, hovering in place a moment with her wings flapping, Shepard watching her expression as it passed between thoughtful and concerned.
“I don’t know… It’s just… as long as I can remember, I’ve found so many things simply terrifying. I was scared… of everything. I remember a lot of therapy growing up, trying to help me get over my fears and anxieties…” she admitted. “But… ever since I saw Pinkie in that wagon… I’ve been thinking about my time in Bedlam… or rather trying to think of my time in Bedlam.”
“What happened there?”
“That’s just it… I don’t really know,” Fluttershy admitted. “My earliest memories are of walking out of its gate as a filly, feeling like the whole world was a predator about to pounce on me. They said that I was ‘fine’… then they sent me to Cloudsdale… where I was picked on and pushed around by all the other pegasus foals. And every single time… I was too afraid to do anything about it.”
“Some things cross species well enough, I suppose…” Shepard nodded. “Social anxiety being one of them.”
The yellow and pink pony grimaced as she came to ground, walking alongside Shepard as she lowered her posture.
“I found I preferred the company of animals to most ponies, so I became a caretaker and a veterinarian. But… you… I can’t explain it, but when you started shouting… I wasn’t afraid. Instead, I felt… like I was suddenly part of something bigger, more important… And strangely enough… I… liked the feeling. And after what happened in Twilight’s library… I can’t remember Spike being there at all, but we all somehow know he was. It’s… terrifying… but…”
Fluttershy turned away, huffing sharply.
“For the first time in my life, I'm angry… Not just frustrated or annoyed… but really, truly angry. I can feel my blood boiling and the gnawing in my head that something has happened that I can’t remember. I can’t explain how… but I know that’s where it all started… Back in Bedlam.”
The two ponies stopped short, coming to the end of the alleyway as it opened up to reveal a large, multistory building that was tucked away in a corner of the city that seemed to prevent it from falling into easy view.
A large ironwork fence surrounded its perimeter, adding a Gothic look and feel to the setting as Shepard took note of the two solid white-coated, gold-clad armored guards standing before the gate leading up to the main entrance.
“Alright… Here goes nothing.” Shepard shifted his shoulders, straightening his armor before starting forward.
There was a moment of hesitation, the yellow mare looking down with a concerned look before her eyes hardened.
“I’m right behind you…” she stated, taking that first step beyond, in her mind, the point of no return.
——————————————————————————
Everfree Forest
“It’s quiet…” Rarity uttered, her horn slightly aglow as she followed the pull of her magic, directing her towards the specific type of precious stone that she had set into the "cow-hoof" vest she had fashioned for the flighty, slightly-disturbed mare that Applejack had taken in.
They had been moving deeper into the dark forest for some time, but had heard not a single chirp or cricket since passing the treeline. Nothing, save for the crunch of dried leaves under her hooves or the soft beat of pegasus wings overhead.
“Too quiet…” Rainbow whispered back, her eyes darting from side to side as her earlier enthusiasm was worn thin.
Something wasn’t right here.
“Where are we?”
“Well, we’re nowhere near Zecora’s hut…” Rarity looked around, trying to get her bearings as she looked for any familiar landmarks, and sorely wishing that the forest's resident zebra apothecary was around to guide them. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say we were heading…”
“…to the ruins of the Sisters' Palace…” Rainbow completed for her.
Rarity nodded, but couldn’t help but add:
“That doesn’t seem right though… I mean, doesn’t the path seem a bit less… convoluted… than it did last time we went there?” The fashionista shook her head. “Are we coming at it from a different direction? We haven’t passed the cliffs… or the river where we met that charming sea serpent.”
Rainbow put a bit more effort into her flight, gaining some altitude above Rarity as she squinted, looking around. “I think I see those creepy trees that scared us last time, but they’re way off in the distance…”
“Rainbow Dash, how can you tell one grove of creepy trees around here from another?”
“The same way you can tell the difference between all those hoity-toity fabrics you--” Rainbow gasped suddenly. “RARITY! STOP!”
“Wha--” The unicorn didn’t have a chance to finish even that word as her hoof went down… and the ground simply wasn’t there. “AAAAAIIIIIIEEEEE!!”
Rainbow wasted no time, throwing herself in a dive at a speed even she would have been impressed by, shearing through wind and branches as she quickly caught up with her friend and grabbed hold of her.
“GOT…cha...” Rainbow strained, suddenly feeling dizzy as she tried to surge upward. “Ugh! What’s with the air down here? It’s so… thin and…”
“Dash…” Rarity’s eyes were wide as the two friends pulled up and were able to get a better look at what was before them.
If they didn’t have to worry about the fall, Rainbow’s wings would have likely seized up as she took in the scene.
This part of the Everfree Forest was gone… large strips of land and trees simply… gone. No holes or dirt remained, it hadn’t burned or been plowed over by some large monster… no chasm was there in place of the large tract of land.
There was only empty space… filled with a swirling white mist that seemed to go down forever.
“What… in the name of Celestia…” the pegasus was dumbstruck as she made out shapes in the distance, like floating pieces of debris.
“Maybe we should turn...” Rarity started to look back the way they had come, clearly beyond mortified by the devastation before her horn glowed again, tugging her along.
In the direction leading across the blank, swirling white mist.
“Applejack… is in THAT?” Rainbow looked horrified, her wings still beating and keeping them aloft.
“I don’t know… but apparently, Patch is.”
The two ponies looked to one another… clearly asking one another the same question.
—————————————————————
Canterlot Royal Palace
Twilight Sparkle passed the armored guards stationed in the hallways without harassment, her hooves clipping sharply along the polished floor as she made a desperate rush forward.
Her entire life was spiraling out of control; questions that she had never before given a second thought coming to mind and throwing what she knew about her world and her place in it to the winds.
How could Discord be free and Trixie be a puppet? What had happened to Spike, her dear friend… practically her sibling?
Part of her mind was still screaming at her that he had gone off to visit somepony… That he had been gone for days. But then she also remembered specifically telling Shepard that they would get Spike to send a letter…
Shepard…
She remembered him so clearly; Far more so than most of the other recent events of her life. Why did he think that Celestia, her beloved Princess of the Sun, wanted him… dead? If Shepard was an alien, why had he taken on the appearance of a pony? What were these amazing things he spoke of…? This galaxy in peril that was filled with wonders, horrors, and technologies beyond even her wildest imagination… all sorts of thinking, unique creatures that interacted across the galaxy...
And most damning of all… Why did the concept appeal to her so?
Yesterday, Twilight Sparkle had been happy; content in everything that her life had provided her… But now… there were so many questions.
Questions she was depending on a single pony to answer.
Reaching the Princess’ throne chamber, Twilight moved to set her hoof against the large, decorated doors...
“This is all your fault, Discord!”
...and stopped cold. The familiar voice, long a source of pride and comfort to the unicorn, was filled with a terrible malice.
Drawing her hoof back, her eyes widened in horror at the voice that answered her.
“Now… that’s unfair, Celestia… I think you’re at least as much to blame as I.”
Leaning forward, her ear to the crack in the door like a naughty filly eavesdropping on a conversation she shouldn’t partake of, Twilight Sparkle held her breath…
...and listened.
———————————————————————————
Bedlam Hospital
“Name?”
The grey-maned unicorn showed no expression as a clipboard remained leveled in front of his snout, the white lab coat he was wearing perfectly pressed and wrinkle-free.
He had no cutie mark, but the emblem on his wardrobe was one of two winged unicorns, one white, one dark blue, apparently chasing one another with a green and blue globe centered between them.
And on a table before him lay his patient, surrounded by a dozen varied and complicated-looking machines that were hooked into the slab. The brown-coated pony was quite secure in spite of his struggles, his forelegs strapped down to either side while his hind legs were spread out. Given his violent nature, his head was likewise restrained, preventing the earth pony from moving more than his lips.
“Milligan, Horace… Doctor. Homosapien… Xeno-technology Specialist… Cerberus,” the patient huffed out, a spiteful, angry tone permeating every syllable while he strained against his restraints.
“That is quite a deep-seated delusion, Mr. Tart…” the grey unicorn shook his head. “One that it is in your best interests to put behind you.”
“Fuck you, equine!”
*BZZZZZT-ZAP*
Dr. Milligan winced as voltage passed through his body, gritting his teeth as his head burned.
“Hmmm… a very deep-seated delusion it seems. Come now, Mister Tart… I have your file right here, and it does not lie… Bitter Tart… Marital status: single. Cutie mark: an orange diamond with black lower outlines, symbolizing the Gem-Stroke Writing Society… An avid and renowned science fiction writer… recently moved to Ponyville from Fillydelphia. Don’t you enjoy writing science fiction, Mr. Tart?”
“I… am not one of you, you bastard!” The patient twisted and writhed. “I’m… human!”
“A fictional species of your own creation that seems to have struck quite a chord in multiple patients over the years since it was first published,” the nameless unicorn assured him, keeping a flat, level tone. “And it seems you’ve delved a bit too far into your own mythology, Mr. Tart.”
Another jolt ran down the patient’s spine, forcing him to grind his teeth together.
“I take no pleasure in this, Bitter. But rest assured, we will be able to correct this unfortunate dementia. Bedlam Behavioral Correction has an absolutely perfect record of recovery.” The grey-maned unicorn looked at his chart again. “Hmmm… no reaction. Odd... The brain chemistry is off. There should have been at least some synaptic alteration by now.”
*ANNNGGGHHHHH-ANNNGGGHHHHH*
A sudden, blaring klaxon sounded, drawing both the patient's and attending physician’s attention.
Much to the unicorn’s surprise, there was an unbidden chuckle from the restrained patient.
“Something amusing, Bitter?” the unicorn asked.
“Yeah…” "Bitter Tart" answered. “I’m not a fan of military action… or soldiers in general… But if that’s who I think it is… and if even half of the stories are true… then you should be running.”
———————————————————————————
“We have an unauthorized breach!” a guard shouted, charging forward with his head lowered in an aggressive fashion, intent on bowling the intruder over...
...only to be caught by the weight of the other guards as he was thrown back, crashing into his compatriot with a dull thump that sent the pegasus soldier skidding across the floor and into a far wall with a crash.
“CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS!” another colt, younger than the others, took a step back. The grey unicorn's horn was aglow as he launched another attack; a bolt of grey energy that should have been more than enough to fell any pony.
An attack which did little as it struck a shimmering blue barrier surrounding the red stallion, lighting up for just a moment as he engaged with another pegasus guard. Twisting around as the white-armored pegasus charged in, attempting to tackle him outright, the red stallion kicked his legs low, snapping the attacker’s legs back with a cry as his armor weighed him down in the front, sending him collapsing to the side.
“I’m sorry…” came a voice that trotted past the injured pegasus, following in the red stallion’s wake. “But don’t worry, we’ll send somepony out to help as soon as we can.”
“My leeeegg…” the guard whimpered pathetically as he laid there.
“Well, you did charge him first.” Fluttershy found herself… strangely at ease with the violence as Shepard took a few more steps forward towards the last of the most recent wave. The grey unicorn from before was continuing to fire bolt after bolt into Shepard’s kinetic barriers, eyes wide as the armored stallion wasn’t even slowed.
“Impact threshold: minimal. Raw kinetic stunning bolts. Non-lethal. Kinetic barriers at seventy-six percent,” his armor’s V.I. informed him, resorting to audio cues as his usual HUD was unavailable.
“What… in… Celestia’s… name…” the unicorn panted, firing shot after shot with the stallion not even flinching. “…are… you!?”
The stallion moved into melee range… and immediately reached up to smack the unicorn’s horn with his hoof, which reverberated with a painful twang that sent spasms of pain down the unicorn guard’s spine.
“I’m Commander Shepard… And I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to shoot me,” the stallion told him, watching the grey pony recoil in mild agony. "Now, I tried asking nice… I tried being polite and diplomatic. But after the guards at the gate... and the front desk… and now you lot... tried to put me down, I am out of patience. All I want to know is where you’re keeping Dr. Milligan and Pinkie Pie!”
“I… can’t…” The guard looked around, cowering slightly as he tried to find some way around the stallion who was backing him into a wall. “Protocols indicate--”
“Make an exception!” Shepard demanded.
“You’re… not authorized… I… can’t...”
Shepard was stunned when he felt a hoof at his flank nudge him aside, the yellow pegasus scowling as she moved towards the guard.
Then she opened her eyes… wide… her pupils seeming to shimmer as she leaned towards the unicorn, setting her nose against his.
“Tell us where Bitter Tart and Pinkamina Diane Pie are… RIGHT… NOW!”
Whatever fear was in the colt’s face while facing Shepard turned into a fully-submissive wilt right before the Commander’s eyes as the yellow pegasus glared.
“Administrator authority recognized…” the guard stammered slightly.
“What?” Shepard puzzled, looking at the sudden change in the guard’s demeanor.
“Patient Bitter Tart is being processed in the Behavioral Correction Center… Down the hall and to the right. Administrator Pinkamina Diane Pie is in isolated containment.”
“Wait, what do you mean ‘Administrator’?” Shepard asked.
The grey unicorn ignored Shepard completely.
“Answer the question!” Fluttershy’s voice spiked again with anger.
Before the unicorn could respond… the air began to shimmer.
“Fluttershy! It’s starting to--”
“Error!” the grey unicorn barked out suddenly… then collapsed to the ground in a heap, causing Fluttershy to draw back a step in shock.
Shepard and Fluttershy stood silently for a moment, looking to one another before the red stallion asked:
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah… I… felt it that time. I was demanding to know where Milligan and Pinkie were… then it got fuzzy, but… it all fizzled before anything else happened.” The mare shook her head a bit, looking down at the guard for a moment.
Her eyes widened in shock as she leaned down, setting a hoof in front of his snout.
“...He’s dead,” she confirmed her suspicions, but to both her own shock and repulsion… felt no hint of remorse.
Shepard turned and saw that the hallway behind them was empty; none of the stallions he had managed to incapacitate anywhere in sight with the exception of the grey unicorn.
“Error…” Shepard narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing as the pieces fell together.
“What?” Fluttershy looked back to him, stunned.
“The last thing he said… ‘Error’… I think I’m starting to understand…”
———————————————————————————
Everfree Forest
Rainbow Dash’s wings and body cried out for rest as she finally touched down on solid ground, collapsing into an unceremonious heap.
“Ooohhh... I never thought I would be so happy to be on the ground…” she panted, her flight muscles aching terribly as Rarity flicked her hair.
“Oh, come now, Dash… it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“Dragging your sorry flank across an endless, bottomless abyss filled with floating chunks of rock that can’t possibly exist?” Rainbow growled a bit in her throat as the unicorn smiled. “Next time… I swear I’m dropping you.”
“You know you don’t mean that... Besides, I’m doing my job… Magic compass, remember?” Rarity pointed to her horn, its faint glow indicating that they were still going in the right direction.
“I just... need a minute to catch my breath…” Rainbow shook her head, looking back over her shoulder.
It was like standing on the edge of the ocean. An endless, open, white ocean made of clammy mist. She didn’t know how far she had carried Rarity or how long they had been flying, but she knew it was no short distance to bring them from the edge where the Everfree Forest ended… to the first solid bit of ground they had found.
Turning back, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were looking up at the ruin of a once magnificent castle… The place where they, along with their friends, had once faced Nightmare Moon, the corrupted form of the now-recovering Princess Luna, and unleashed the Elements of Harmony for the first time.
“You’re sure they’re here?” Rainbow asked, looking around. “This isn’t the kind of place you would expect an ursa to show up..."
"Maybe Applejack did escape and they made it here as refuge?”
“Yeah, still doesn’t explain the fact that… you know… HALF THE FOREST IS GONE!” Rainbow shouted, a bit louder than she knew she should have as she pointed back to the empty space. “What in the name of Celestia is that all about!?”
“I don’t know, but--” Rarity didn’t get a chance to say any more as she suddenly felt something grip around her neck. “Wha… ACK!”
The grip became a powerful tug as the white unicorn was pulled backwards violently, Rainbow twisting around to watch her get pulled down.
“RARITY!” she started forward, her exhaustion slowing her just a half second or so.
Long enough for something to slip around her midsection, strapping her wings to her flanks before yanking her to the side.
“WHOA!” Rainbow as sent sprawling on her side while Rarity tried to pull herself up, her horn glowing more vibrantly as she felt a hoof suddenly plant itself on her chest, causing her to look up and gasp.
Rainbow struggled for a moment more before she was pulled back and pinned against a dead tree, suddenly face to face with the last pony she would have expected to ambush her.
“Tell me somethin’ y'all ain’t never told nopony else!” the orange mare demanded, her tone as aggressive as her southern drawl was thick.
“APPLEJACK!? What the buck do you think you’re doing!?” Rainbow was shocked as she recognized the rope around her midsection.
“Patch!?” Rarity gasped slightly, finding it remarkable to see the brown and white-spotted mare glaring down at her, the end of a lasso in her mouth. The brown work-vest she had fashioned, with a turquoise brooch as the latch, was fit snugly around her shoulders.
“Tell me who y’all rolled in the hay with last Cider Season!”
Rainbow Dash’s cheeks went redder than the red stripe of her mane, her tone terrified.
“You promised we would never speak about that again!”
“WHO!?” Applejack’s green eyes glared angrily into the magenta set of the blue pegasus, demanding an answer as she pressed her friend more firmly into the trunk of the tree.
“Awwww, BUCK! Caramel, OKAY!? Me and your cousin Caramel! In your barn! Now GET THE BUCK OFF!”
Applejack let out a tense sigh before she relaxed, pushing off and giving her friend a bit of space.
“It’s okay, Pat… It’s really them.”
“OF COURSE IT’S REALLY US!” Rainbow rushed forward with her new-found freedom, shoving the farm pony away in anger. “WHAT THE HAY, AJ!? THIS IS WHAT WE GET FOR COMING OUT HERE TO SAVE YOUR FLANK FROM AN URSA!?”
“Rainbow…” Applejack started.
“NO! What the hay is WRONG with you!? What, you think we're changelings or something!?”
“That’s exactly what Ah was worried about! And it wouldn’t be the first time today! Ah had ta be sure!”
“Changelings!?” Rarity pulled herself up as Patch moved her hoof, undoing the coiled rope around her neck. “Those horrid black insect ponies that can change to look like anypony? Did they do that?” She pointed out towards the empty, broken space.
“No… they didn’t…” Patch spoke up, her voice even and her accent foreign-sounding, bowing her head. “Your Princess Celestia did that…”
Both unicorn and pegasus rocked back in shock, trying to keep up as this new bit of information was thrown at them.
“What? That’s… How!? WHY!?” Rainbow turned on the strange filly.
“She was trying to prevent our rescuer from getting out of the Everfree,” Patch explained.
“Who?” Rarity turned about inquisitively.
“Me,” came a new feminine voice from the doorway to the castle, an odd reverberation drawing the four mares' eyes to her.
———————————————————————
Bedlam Hospital
The brown-coated, salt and pepper-maned stallion writhed and struggled against his bonds as the machines around him beeped, a muzzle placed over his mouth that he desperately strained against.
“Dr. Milligan…” a voice caught his attention, causing him to go still as he tried to strain and turn his head towards the words, his muffled voice attempting to speak. “It’s okay…”
A sharp set of hoofsteps brought an unfamiliar stallion into view, bright red coat and grey eyes, but wearing a definite Alliance-style body armor.
“I’m Commander Shepard; I’m going to get you out of here.”
The bound stallion tried to shake his head violently as the Commander reached up with both hooves and undid the muzzle, pulling it free.
“It’s a trap!” Milligan practically exploded as the muzzle released its grip.
“I know…” Shepard replied calmly, hardly surprised as a sudden shimmering energy dome exploded into life around them.
“Well, this is unexpected.” A grey-maned unicorn stepped out of the darkest corner of the room, having deliberately hidden as he looked to the two stallions. “Unregistered Neural Anomaly detected and contained. The Princess will be pleased.”
“Well, that’s something at least.” Shepard nodded, remaining calm. “But if you don’t mind my asking: Now that you have me, what do you intend to do?”
“Neural Purge will begin momentarily… Biometric rewrite and registration, followed by personality restructure to facilitate seamless integration. Please remain still for the duration of--”
“NO!”
The doctor turned at the sudden voice with only a moment’s notice to see a streak of yellow and pink impact him around the middle, slamming him into the energy curtain in a shower of rainbow-colored sparks.
“NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!!!” Fluttershy shouted with a desperate anger, tears welling up in her eyes as she took one hoof and repeatedly slammed the stallion’s head into the barrier, sparks flying all around, multiple machines bursting into overpowered cascades of spilled energy as the system overloaded.
“NOPONY ELSE!” The yellow pegasus, a mare suffering from a lifelong, debilitating timidness and anxiety at any provocation, released all of that pent-up frustration and aggression in one final strike, pushing all of her effort into shoving the now painfully-familiar unicorn against his own magical ward.
*FZZZZZT-THOOOM*
The energy curtain fell, as did the pegasus and unicorn pushed up against it, Fluttershy landing atop his limp form as tears rolled freely down her cheeks.
“Nopony else…” she sobbed, her eyes clenched shut as a torrent of suppressed memories came rushing back: A reckless, angry foalhood… A small yellow monster bullying foals twice her age with the ability to cow full grown adults without fear of retribution or punishment…
...A trip to Canterlot… and the doctors that promised to make her a "good little filly."
“Nopony else…” she shuddered.
“Hey… it’s okay…” A warm, calming presence stood over her shoulder, offering a hoof to coax her up. “It’s over… Come here…”
The pegasus stood on shaky legs, allowing herself to hang onto the red stallion like a lifeboat for a moment as it all settled in her mind.
“Not to interrupt this moment, Commander… but a little help would be greatly appreciated,” Milligan spoke up, sounding a bit annoyed as he strained to turn his head. “If we’re going to get out of here, we need to hurry. I doubt the system is going to take long to move in and attempt to repair whatever the equine just broke.”
“Doctor Horace Milligan…” Shepard confirmed, releasing Fluttershy with a comforting nod before moving to his fellow human-turned-pony. “You’re a hard man to find.”
“Commander Shepard... The Illusive Man sent you to recover our work, I take it?” Milligan inquired as the red stallion tried to find a release for the bindings around his legs. “I have to admit, I’m flattered. Figured the greedy bastard would leave us to the crows… Never thought he would send you of all people.”
“Well, you did ask for me.” Shepard found the release latch, working it with his hooves a moment before it popped open. “Luckily for you, the Illusive Man passed it on.”
“What are you talking about?” Milligan pulled up his free hoof and tried to pull over and release his other while Shepard moved to unbind his legs.
“Cerberus got your message, though it was pretty garbled. Most of the report was corrupted beyond recognition, but we got your radiation sample and the underlying Morse Code was genius,” Shepard explained, undoing the two straps holding down the Cerberus scientist’s legs and allowing him to hop down.
Much to Shepard’s surprise, he was met with a worried glance.
“I… didn’t send any such message,” the doctor stated. “I didn’t have time… Our ship was destroyed as soon as we entered planetary orbit. Some sort of global defense weapon placed on the moon.”
“Yeah... Killer rainbow beam with orbital strike capability… We encountered that as well,” Shepard kept his surprise suppressed.
“Myself and one of my associates, Patricia Hern, managed to get out in a lifepod before the core went critical. The V.I. pilot was overridden and we got drawn into an underground compound. One moment, I’m trying to access an alien control panel. The next, I woke up here in Equestria.”
“Well, Doctor, I’m hoping you can confirm my suspicions as to exactly where Equestria is.”
“A better way to put it, Commander…" Milligan said, an academic expression on his muzzle. "...would be what Equestria is...”
———————————————————————————
The Bunker
A pod, a metal and glass-looking tube at least six feet tall and rendered opaque from condensation, stood in easy view, with a slightly white tinted glow.
"We never left the bunker at all…" Commander Shepard commented, his thoughts so close, and yet so far away as he followed the evidence to its logical conclusion. "External forces with complete control over all physical law… altering perception and reality at whim. It’s literally not possible… except in one scenario."
Now drawing closer, a purple and black hand with three fingers reached up to wipe the condensation away...
...revealing the face of a human male, clad in armor and immersed in a clear fluid, eyes shut as if asleep.
"VR…" Shepard could be heard, although not by the quarian that now stood separated from him by only an inch or so of transparent material. "Virtual reality…"
“Shepard…” Tali’Zorah vas Normandy recoiled in shock, her breath taken away as she looked to the human, apparently fast asleep.
“Tali’Zorah! Here!” came the voice of her compatriot, the quick-thinking salarian drawing her attention towards another nearby pod, where an older-looking human with greying brown hair and an impressive beard wearing a Cerberus science uniform was to be seen as the obscuring moisture along the edge of the pod was wiped away.
"No, far beyond that… Not virtual reality, Commander Shepard… Simulated reality," Horace Milligan confirmed as the two alien crew members continued to look around, investigating the strange place. "Full cognitive immersion in a computer-generated reality… Neural integration to the point where the brain cannot tell the difference."
“Occupant of this pod likely the missing Doctor Milligan,” Mordin Solus indicated, bringing up his omni-tool. “Lifesigns strong. Preliminary scan shows full cognitive and spatial awareness. Appears to be some form of suspended animation. Neural interface synced to all synapses. Brute force separation from alien tech… not recommended.”
"So, what you’re saying is that none of this is real…? All these ponies and the people I’ve met? They’re all computer programs?" Shepard asked.
"What? I... I’m not a program… I’m real…" Fluttershy voiced as Mordin moved down… to the next tube in line.
Drawing his hand across it, he took a step back in shock of what he saw…
A short, pale yellow equine creature with wings… belonging to no species known to the Citadel, floating suspended in the nutrient solution.
“Mordin… You’d better come see this,” Tali called, drawing the fascinated biological expert from his stunned academic stance and towards a railing…
...standing over a large cavern… filled with hundreds of upright pods, many of them glowing with the same pale white light and tended to by the small, equine-shaped black mechs that had been identified as "Changelings."
"I’m alive…"
———————————————————————————
Bedlam Hospital
“We have no way of knowing that… Miss…”
“My name is Fluttershy… And don’t you dare tell me that I’m not real!” The pegasus glared at the stallion she had first met when he was set into a straitjacket.
“I don’t know one way or another what you are…” Milligan huffed, turning away. “And I apologize, but we can’t take the chance in trusting any of these things…”
“But why?” Shepard asked, shaking his head. “Why do it? Why create a computer-generated reality and draw humans into it?”
“This is insane! Equestria is NOT some computer simulation!” Fluttershy shouted again, her words now edged harshly.
“I’ll add that to the list of academic questions I can ask once we get the hell out of here, Commander!” Milligan huffed. “Whatever dragged us in, I don't think it's designed to work on humans… which is why we’ve managed to retain our personalities and memories. But there is no doubt that we are DEEP in hostile territory!”
“Wait!” Fluttershy shook her head. “Pinkie Pie! We still have to rescue her!”
“Another program?” Milligan asked.
“WE ARE NOT PROGRAMS! WE ARE PONIES!” Fluttershy shouted back.
Shepard looked to her curiously.
“Fluttershy... What is a computer program?” he asked suddenly.
“A collection of algorithms and programming code within a set system designed to perform specific tasks within a virtual setting…” the pegasus rattled off casually… pausing for a moment before a hoof went to her mouth. “H-how do I know that?”
She looked frightened… confused at the sudden rush of understanding.
“You see…? Nothing here is what it seems, Commander! The only people we can trust are ourselves!”
“You were in a straightjacket!” Fluttershy stomped her hoof. “Why should we believe you!?”
“And you just killed that unicorn! Why should either of us trust you!?” Milligan shot back, an admission that made Fluttershy recoil and look over towards the body of...
Much to her shock… the grey-maned doctor was gone… not a trace of him to be found anywhere.
“But… where did he…?” Fluttershy looked mortified, unsure if it was more terrifying that he wasn’t there… or if he was, and he was dead by her own actions.
“Shepard! We need to go before the system comes here to fix things! We don’t have time for anything else! If we’re going to find a way out of this place, it will have to be together!”
“But… what about… Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy drooped, her tone soft and confused. “She’s still trapped here… We can’t just leave her!”
“I’m leaving Shepard! If you want to play with the ponies, that’s YOUR prerogative! But I have spent QUITE enough time as a prisoner!”
Shepard huffed, looking back and forth between the two…
Choices:
"Nobody is getting left behind." (Save Pinkie with Fluttershy)
"We're all in this together." (Reconcile Companions)
"We can't afford to stay here." (Leave with Milligan)
Stats
Page generated in 0.049 seconds
Total duration
731 users online
781,406 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Left option, reconcile companions.
Why can't weeee be friends? Why can't weeee be friends?
Reconcile companions. I don't see either "split up" choice ending well.
Reconcile companions.
Reconcile companions; the scene in the bunker would indicate that some of the ponies are real, unless we can find a way to distinguish them from the VIs we can't afford to leave anyone behind. Also, given that we KNOW Milligan is real we can't leave him either. The only option left is to get everyone out together.
reconcile is the way to go!
well Milligan seems to be dead set on leaving so i'm not sure if a reconciliation can be made. i vote to save Pinkie.
i'm just glad that the games didn't force you to choose within a limited time-frame or i would've been screwed!
You can probably save Pinkie faster with both. Left to get Pinkie then the Hell out of dodge.
Reconcile
We are all in this together.
Reconcile Companions.
Paragon Interupt! Reconcile companions.
Reconcile. Amazing speech powers, activate!
Also, I have to ask. How much of this story is made up as you go along?
We're all in this together.
gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs/50851_o.gif
I'm so sorry.
Reconcile Companions
Well, I think I know who the savior in the forrest is. And this is beccoming a regular Matrix.
Reconsile. He's Sheaperd, he should be able to do it.
Every chapter leaves me with more questions then answers.
Damn you and your amazing fic.
Reconcile companions! No need to split up when you have gotten so far.
Can't reconcile, the man has begun to lose his mind and any sense of rationality. I want to say go with Fluttershy but the earlier 'Administrator' Pinkie Pie has me slightly worried.
Egggghhhhh... I can't say I like this twist. Turning out that Equestria is basically the Matrix? I mean WOW. Talk about depressing as all hell. Especially when it sorta means that, by extension, things like magic, the elements of harmony, maybe even entire species such as dragons (including Spike) and all sorts of other things may not even be real. Who knows what may be lost if they ever get out of there. Nothing is guaranteed to be true since memories can be overwritten and ponies can apparently be replaced easily by 'bots.' Really, for me anyway, this fic just took a one way ticket to downerville.
I also really REALLY hate it when Celestia turns out to be a villain. She's my favorite pony (tied with Pinkie Pie) and NOTHING we've ever seen has ever suggested that she has in any way a malicious - or even misguided - bone in her body. And now, apparently, she's Agent Smith. That rather grinds my gears.
I guess I say save Pinkie. It doesn't look like the doc is going to stick around to help her. That said, I'm not sure I'm going to stick around for the next chapter. This is just the sorta twist that turns me off of stories. I think I'll go back to your Doctor Whooves series instead. They're by far the best Doctor Whooves stories I've ever read and I really need to catch up with them
Reconcile companions.
Milligan can't fight, he's a scientist, so if you wanted to you could have added a renegade option, "Then I hope you can take care of yourself, Milligan " to counter your Paragon option. In order to frighten Milligan into following you.
If you choose to do that I pick: Then I hope you can take care of yourself, Milligan.
I'm gonna go with Reconcile companions, besides if Fluttershy is real then the fact that both her and Pinkie where labelled as Administrators makes me believe that Pinkie is possible real too and just maybe the rest of the mane six are as well seeing as they are the only ones affected by the memory rewrites .
'Nobody is getting left behind." I would chose reconcile, but' I'd prefer to take the sure bet if it's to save pinkie.
916163 I second this. If this option doesn't get available, then go for RECONSILE COMPANIONS
RECONCILE COMPANIONS. Everyone lives.
Reconcile companions indeed. We'll save everyone... but now I'm curious about Administrator Pinkie Pie. Is she the one involved in this? Is this all some big recruitment mission/loyalty mission? I have to find out.
I choose reconcile, he CAN make it happen, like Miranda said; he has that fire that makes his friends willing to follow him to Hell and back (and its already having an effect on Fluttershy
) Plus, he gives pretty kickass speeches.
Maybe something Milligan said made 'administrator' Pinkie question her reality and now is about to be "reprogrammed" like Fluttershy all those years ago? So many questions.
916153
Just saying, stick around, won't you all... while this revelation may seem a bit cliche, I assure you, you haven't seen 'anything' yet.... I ask for nothing in return but the time it takes to read. Oh, and comments... I love the comments. More please.
ehe, kinda the point in reference to depressing... to discover everything you know is a lie... Drama!!
Life is filled with the pains of growing and learning that things are not all that they seem... no santa claus... no tooth fairy.... But we have to find the world, and make our place in it.
Also, 'IS' Celestia a villian? Is Discord? Really? Their motives have not yet been uncovered, and just because they are opposed to the protagonist does not automatically make one a villian.... and considering the effect Shepard is having... one has to wonder if her concerns are not 'justified'
Reconcile companions and if that fails pinkie
Definitely reconcile. I mean, it IS shepard, so he should be able to do it, even if it means knocking out Milligan and dragging him along for the ride, but I doubt it'll come to that.
God-damnit you two, stop fighting! If we're sitting on our asses arguing about "does this unit have a soul" then we all get corrected!
(Reconcile)
Good chapter, as always.
I vote for "Reconcile Companions" but only because I expect them to go get Pinkie if they do. However if that is not the case then I vote to go get Pinkie.
reconcile companions
learning that equestria is a computer program
images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/5/23/0af36e9d-da9e-45f3-9006-f679d05608ff.jpg
916695
So that means...mother of god...are OUR lives real? What if this is a lie?! What if we had some emotional trauma at our birth and this is just some virtual reality?!!! WHAT IF WJHHKJKGAKGAEKMKGAD JNH L"DASL ztukj
This is a nice story.
Reconcile Companions.
Goodbye.
Reconcile Companions!
Wow, now that's one hell of a plot twist
. I'm can't wait for the next chapter. I'm really hooked on, and the only thing I want right now is to read more
...more
...MOAR!
Now for the voting part: reconcile. I mean, c'mon who doesn't want to see all the good guys(ponies,mares, colts....and zecora...and spike...you get the picture) team up with the power of friendship and help save the day?
P.S: I don't know..I've got a funny feeling about that person (or pony, don't know...doesn't particulary matter at the moment) who is with Applejack, the one Celestia is keeping away, is she E.D.I.?
P.P.S: Sorry for bad grammar, english isn't my first language.
I knew something was up!
I say reconcile them and go to pinkie.
Oh, and these ponies don't have to worry, they aren't programs! Equestria is a program, they're just subroutines.
Left, then Upper Right
Pinkie Pie!
Reconcile companions. Flutter rage is to be weaponized. And Shepard had better not be "the one". However, I think discord became "the one" a long time ago. Or is the archetect.
916153 Eh, not every fic has to be a happy sugar bowl. Specially one that crossovers with a game built around galactic annihilation. It makes more sense than the ponies being the only species in the galaxy that has magic and can control the weather, the sun and moon.
In fact, there is a species in canon that digitalized themselves in order to survive. They made contact with the salarians.
922570
Well, that's fine and all, but I've never played it, so I wouldn't know that. In any event, I'm not saying that every fic has to be a sugar bowl or be full of happy dancing bunnies and lollipops and butterflies and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. That said, when it comes to ponies anyway, I much prefer things that aren't sad or dark. But that's beside the point.
The point is that basically nothing in this story really seems to matter anymore. It's pointless. It's like it all turning out to be a dream. Anything could be fake. And I feel it's kinda false advertisement. It was basically advertised as 'Sheperd and co. go to Equestria' not 'Sheperd and co. get plugged into the Matrix' It's hard for me to get invested in the story when any of my favorite characters could be nothing more than programs that can be wiped at any moment, which subsequently makes it depressing.
I'm not saying it's a bad story or anything. Far from it. L2L is a brilliant author. But it's the sort of thing that's really not for me. On more than one level. That's all I'm really saying.
923347 That's fine, I'm not criticizing. There are many ways this can end in a positive note. Seems the enter Virtual reality in order to survive something and Discord and the Alicorns are programs designed to rule and give the ponies a good life, even against their will. The question is, is better to live happily in bliss, or live in reality and face it? In the end it's a matter of perception. Reality is subjective here, even if the events are fake, does that mean the ponies friendships are fake?
Reconcile companions.
RECONCILE DEM COMPANIONS
reconcile companions
Why is there even voting for this one?
Reconcile then save the Pink one. But there Shepard has no proof that they all of them are just programs, ifhe and Milligan are real then so o can some of the ponies be real. As for twists, meh, wasn't that surprising given some of the other evidence.
Curious as to who saved AJ and Patch, and what Celestia and Discord are playing at, and if either is the "evil" one. For all we know they are both using their own methods to prevent detection bythe reapers. Going to ignore the changeling and the matrix comment though.
I vote for reconciliation. Through renegade means.
Also, I frakkin' love this story. I just found it today, but it's great. Truly. You should post this on fanfiction.net as well. It would make it easier to find.
925606 Honestly I didn't think that it would be like this, I figured fans would vote for one companion or the other rather than take the time to try and reconcile them... But at this rate... it looks rather one sided.
reconcile/save pinkie
i really like this keep it up
oh and this pic
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1300_1319421697654.png
...holy buck that is a massive pic
Okay...voting is over... but then again, I think Voting on this one was over several days ago.
This is another one of those times where I expect a great deal more division and then everybody votes one way... Seriously, I thought there would be a lot more polarization between helping the Ponies and going with your fellow Cerberus officer.
Yeah, I don't even need to tally the votes: Reconcile Companions won... by... alot.
a WHOLE freaking lot