Review: Mass Effect 2-DLC: The Equestrian Equation, by: Loyal2Luna · 4:24pm Jul 25th, 2016
As the title makes very clear, we have a crossover. Commander Shepard of the Normandy receives a mission from The Illusive Man, Cerberus managed to back track the weapon shot which not only took out a Reaper from several systems away, but also left a massive chasm on Klendagon in the process. Something Shepard already knew. What he hadn’t know was this would lead to him being sent to save a team of Cerberus scientists who uncovered a secret that ha been kept for over thirty seven million years. Or that he would uncover the last remaining remnants of a race who, at their height, posed one of the greatest threats to the Reapers since their creation. But this is Commander Shepard, stuff like that is just another average day for him. Now, the fact that this race happens to be a bunch of small, brightly colored equines... that might take a bit to get used to....
Story: The first thing that needs to be addressed with this story is the rather unique choice it went with regarding reader interaction. Every chapter ended with Shepard having to face a choice between several (usually three) options, with what choice was made being decided on by readers voting for it. And these weren’t just minor, “do I say something insulting, something nice, or just snark“ type minor, ultimately meaningless decisions (So already far better then 95% of FO4′s dialog choices). But rather huge choices that would cause massive differences in the story. Now, yes the story is done and any interaction is over, you can’t change things. But the fact it went that route is pretty amazing, even more so the fact that if you skipped over the ‘choice’ aspects, it would still feel incredibly natural and you wouldn’t think anything was missed because the story does such a great job of making it all flow well, and the options chosen are consistent enough to all feel in character. This was a choice that really adds a lot to the story in several ways, without detracting from anything else.
But since most of the stuff around the choice system is more in a meta sense and doesn’t really effect the story structure itself now that it’s all said and done, that’s more for later. As to the story itself, the writing is overall solid, well paced, expressive, just an all around well told story, only two particular things to point out about the writing itself, one good one bad. Okay, two of each one writing one story related each, and one little sort of plot-hole that kind of bugs me.
The bad part about the overall writing quality is there are a lot of spots of really clunky, poorly handled, info-dump exposition. At least in the beginning. When it came to the story itself, revealing details from it, the story handled that well. The issue was the initial introductions. It was the story trying to set things up, give context for readers who might not have played Mass Effect 2, some quick recaps of some events, introducing characters with just adding a few adjectives in front of their name to sum up their basic archetype rather then let them establish themselves through action or dialog. Random tangents where Shepard mentally reviews the details of some mission that just got mentioned that has nothing to really do with the story. I get the point, to make sure everyone is up to speed and give non-ME players some idea of things, but it was not handled well. It did it’s job, but was very noticeably clunky about it. Also, everyone on ship wanted to be very very sure that Shepard knew they were installing the Reaper IFF, since it got brought up in like every other conversation it felt like.
Now while the story’s writing did not handle it’s introductory exposition and introduction of the characters well, after that it did an amazing job on fleshing them out, but that’s for later. What it did handle amazingly well was foreshadowing, setting up tiny hints, little clues as to what was really going on. Laying out a trail of hints that range from subtle, to really obvious if you are paying attention, yet still easy to miss at times when so much else is going on. Just how well Rarity was able to make sense out of Shepard’s armor and figure out the basic theory behind what it was made of, despite the technology for creating any part of it being centuries ahead of them. Luna out right saying Shepard was being saved by a deus ex machina, all the little hints about Milligan and Discord. All worked naturally into the story, all clear, yet easy to overlook for one reason or another if you aren’t paying attention. Just an all around amazing job with that aspect.
As to the story, the only place where things kind of felt off, a bit rough was at the reveal of just what Equestria really was, and where Shepard really was. The Equestrian side of things was amazing, and the “Bunker” side was also handled very well. The issue is the way the story jumped around for that last part. Last we saw Tali and Mordin they were being confronted by a security mech, then suddenly they are in the main chamber. Only afterwards does the story flashback to show us how they escaped from that encounter and found this place. The jumping around like that was just jarring given it’s the only place in the story events jump around out of chronological sequence, barring it being set up as an in story flashback. Also, it’s where that one nagging sort of plot-hole comes into play, why was Fluttershy’s tank already up on the platform with the Humans? And when the other Mane 6 are brought up to that platform after Tali and Mordin ask about who the “Administrators” that were authorized to release ‘guests’ from the pods were it’s mentioned their pods are moved up the same way they had seen Shepard's get moved up and yet as far as we saw Shepard’s tank was already up there when they got to that room.
Finally as to specific things with the story itself, the denouement, after it’s all over, the big climax, they won, even get the end of mission summary, there is still a good chunk of story to go. Now there is nothing at all wrong with this, since it’s Shepard touring the Normandy and seeing how each of his crew is taking to the new passengers, getting their feedback about the mission, checking on the new guests as best he could. Each interaction different, short enough not to drag on, but tackling some aspect of just what the Ponies will have to deal with now, or some aspect of how they are adjusting already, or just some fun insights from the team. A long string of fun, touching, and downright beautiful talks that really worked well and added a lot to the story. But the main reason I bring it up, is something I realized, just how perfectly meta that entire thing was. A major mission is over, and Shepard is going deck by deck to see what every member of the crew has to say about it, as well as speak to all the new named NPC’s on board. Just like there is a good chance everyone does after a mission like that at least their first time through the game. It was still part of the overall game from that mission. And even without that, was still a great way to wrap up loose ends and set things up for later. Giving us some really good looks at the Ponies now that they were free. And some truly touching moments, both from them and some of the crew.
Aside from the hiccups at the start with clunky exposition to set things up, the writing was great, the pacing was damn near perfect, everything worked bar one tiny little “Wait.... what?” moment that really doesn't matter for the overall story at all. A very very well told story all around.
Characters: Lot’s of characters to get through in this story, given it’s a crossover between two other very character heavy stories, however most of them can be summed up rather easily. On the Mass Effect side of things, all the crewmembers were spot on, even those that only got one or two quick scenes. Not really much to say other then that, they were handled really well, really felt like themselves and were a real treat to see their reactions to events and to the Ponies. Just an all around solid job with the Normandy crew. Even the non-squad members. Bringing a whole new race of sophants onto the ship, lost, scared, needing a bit of comfort... and as soon as Shepard gets to the CIC he has to note that Yeoman Chambers isn’t at her post.... yeah admit it, no one was at all surprised she instantly wanted to ‘get to know’ some Ponies better. Even the above issues with relying overly heavily on adjectives and exposition in the beginning was just something constrained to the initial introductions to the characters and was accurate, just again rather clunky way of doing it, but it smoothed out quickly. Oh and side not, I see what you did there story with Zaeed and Kasumi. Keeping the DLC squad mates out of the story. While seeing them in there might have been fun, I also see why you did it and that was rather clever of you.
The two new ME ‘verse characters were fine. Patricia was hard to really call a character, being more just a plot device to set things up, and show just how far Celestia was willing to go. Doctor Milligan, was an insufferable, egotistical, condescending, racist, xenophobic, cowardly asshole. So pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a high level Cerberus scientist.
On the Pony side of things most of the ponies were equally well done, a few more possible issues, or spots that really need to be addressed directly, however all of them stem from the same source, the nature of Equestria in this story. Mostly it’s just Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. On Fluttershy’s end, the bit about her having severe rage issues and being a bully when younger, only for the system to have modified her mind and turning her meek and to scared of things to act on her anger is going a bit to far. Now it is true that Fluttershy clearly has some repressed anger issues, but going about it like this... really did not care for the idea of this happening, and yet it does perfectly fit the overall story. In any other fic I’d call the story out for it a bit more, but again it does work in the context of this story, is just really uncomfortable and not something I like overall. Now as to Pinkie.... never has a story made Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie make so much perfect sense. She can do all the bizarre, impossible stuff she can, because she knows they are in a computer simulation, and knows how to hack it. I love the way it was handled, not some Matrix like, ignore the rules and do whatever you want like this is a dream, type near omnipotence, since she is still constrained to the overall rules of the system. She simply has found ways to bend those rules a bit, but it requires set up and a lot of work on her part to code in the backdoors and NPC code rewrites she needs. Just an all around brilliant way of handling The Pink One here that made far far more sense then Pinkie Pie ever should. Though one bit of ‘huh’? Why did she introduce herself to Commander Shepard using her full name rather then “I’m Pinkie Pie” like every single other being she has ever met?
Then on the pony side, we have the Trinity AI’s. Another case of what overall could be a rather unflattering case of portraying canon characters, but one that does make perfect sense within the context of this story and does overall work. The first question their, or at least Celestia’s, actions bring to mind is... how the buck did Tia casually rewriting ponies memory become a thing in stories I review? That said, it is much much better handled here then the last time. For one, the story out right acknowledges that it isn’t right, being morally dubious at absolute best rather then just something to shrug off and pretend is perfectly fine. The scene of her rewriting Patricia into Patch is chilling in just how unsettling and horrifying it is, while being done so simply. Second, she had much much better reasons for doing it then essentially “Just to see what happens”. Doing this for the survival of her ponies, seeing it as the only way to keep them safe and happy, and she does have some good points, but at the same time it’s clear she’s taking things to far. For all that she’s the primary antagonist for most of the story, she is not a villain. Mistaken yes, but you can understand why and how. She’s spent millions of years watching over her little ponies, guiding them, nurturing them, protecting them, she’s simply become so close to them that she’s like a mother afraid to let their children leave the nest, wanting to keep them with her all the time. Not for her own sake, but rather because she wants to be able to protect them and keep them safe. Not seeing how her actions are having the exact opposite effect till it’s to late. And once she does realize this, realize she was wrong, she accepts this fact, doesn't try to beg, to fight it, she realizes her little ponies have grown up, that it is time to let them find their own way. Asking only that Twilight and Shepard protect them and keep them safe. While she is to far down the slope into well intentioned villainous behavior for me to see as being canon Celestia, for this particular setting she works so very very well. Though, there is one question about her (and the other two) the story never made clear I’m curious about. We knew the three were based on siblings, the grandfoals of the leader of the Equine race at the start of their Reaper invasion. But, was it just they were AI’s programed from their personalities? Like how AI’s in Halo are formed from a humans brain patterns. Or where their conscientiousness directly uploaded into the system as AI’s?
Discord worked incredibly well. Being the creative mind set to keep things fresh, keep the simulation from growing stagnant, come up with things to challenge and entertain the ponies minds. While being annoyed at the constraints placed on him about just how far he push his creativity. Just an all around amazing use of the Spirit of Chaos that fit so well.
As to the other Sister, Luna was wonderful, and it was easy to see why she was able to keep the perspective needed to do what she did. Celestia spent all her time looking inwards, tending to her Ponies, interacting with them, of course she’d grow more attached after so long. Luna loved and cared for her little ones just as much, but her focus had been outward, watching the galaxy as a whole, seeing the cycle happen over and over, allowing her to keep perspective over things, to not come to see ‘Equestria’ as it’s own little pocket of reality totally separate from the rest of the galaxy. Plus, she sums up everything you need to know about why she was doing this, and one of the core themes of the entire Mass Effect franchise, as well as something rather core to MLP as well in one simple line. “One good pony can change the world”. Yes Celestia scoffs at that idea, but Luna is right, and sees the truth of how it works. Yes one pony, one person alone, is unlikely to be able to do enough to change much just through their own actions, but that is not what it means. It is about, through your actions, being able to get others to follow them, to change how others think, to rally them to your cause, to inspire them. Something we see Shepard doing throughout the entire story as his example gives Twilight the strength to accept reality this time, to believe it is time for the simulation to end. Inspiring Luna to fight back agsint Celestia. The story, throughout all of it, shows exactly how one person can make a difference.
Which leads us into that ‘one man’ Commander Shepard. Now the one major overall issue I do have to admit to having with this fic’s take on Shepard..... is that they went with Male!Shep instead of the simply superior in nearly every way Fem!Shep. Maybe there is something about gender dynamics, the overall female cast of ponies, yadda yadda.. but I don’t really want to get into that kind of thing. That said, I will give the story a pass on this because of the “nearly every way” bit. There is one, and only one, clear cut factor in which Male!Shep is better then Fem!Shep, namely Fem!Shep can’t hook up with Tali. Since this Shep is involved with Tali there is at least one good reason to use him over Fem!Shep.
Now onto the actually serious stuff. This was Commander Shepard in all his badass, asshole punching, Reaper slaying, hope bringing glory. The story did an amazing job at showing the core of what it is that makes Shepard, Shepard. And a good chunk of this does have to go to the audience and the choice system for consistently going with the best options, keeping him a nearly straight Paragon. With maybe one or two slips into taking a renegade interrupt to put some uppity asshole in their place more directly.
The rather odd part is that if you look at this without context of Mass Effect, just look at this from the Pony side, you have this brand new pony show up in town, technology and abilities nopony else has, instantly gets everypony to like and follow him, goes up agsint Celestia herself, beats every odd, is almost saintly perfect in always doing the right thing.... You compare him to a “Mary Sue” checklist, and he come out looking really bad, and yet, it works perfectly for this story. He’s not perfect, needs the Ponies help just as much as the need his, and them trusting him and relying on him so fast is simply an established aspect of Commander Shepard. He is simply a natural leader that others will look to and obey easily. But, this whole thing could go on forever analyzing him as a character in his own right and everything about him. As far as the story itself is concerned, it nailed his characterization and used him beautifully. It would be hard to see any other character pulling things off as well as Shepard did, while still being so awesome and idealistic.
The more interesting aspect unique to this story about Shepard is not about the Commander, but rather just how similar the story ends up portraying Twilight to him. Yes personalty wise they are quite different, but that core essence, being a natural leader who others will turn to for guidance. Being able to shoulder the big decisions and be trusted by so many to make the right call, simply because of they are. That is something they do both share. Something the story sums up quite well near the end as she questions just what her role is. What it is she can do to help her race, how completely untrained she was for this.
“You didn’t have all of the answers then. You went in and did the best you could with what you had. You didn’t have specialized knowledge on tactics or how to utilize your friends' abilities, but they followed you anyways. I saw it before we took on the Archive and then again when Discord tried to stop us in the castle. When things came to a head, they looked to you to make the call.”
“But all I did was make a choice,” Twilight pointed out, hardly impressed.
Shepard shook his head, giving the mare a comforting smile.
“Twilight... that is what leaders do,” Shepard offered. “Surround yourself with the best; friends and those you can trust. Find ponies and people that can work with you and listen to what they have to say. Then, use all of those different perspectives to form your own opinion and make the call.”
Twilight looked down again.
“You’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to have to make sacrifices. But in the end, there’s no special training to prepare you for it. There’s no secret to getting it right every time. In the end, to lead... what matters is you. To make the choice and then stand by it.”
The Reapers fear Shepard because of what he can do, because of his ability to inspire others to fight against the impossible. Because of his ability to make the right choices and never stop fighting. Now? Now they have not just Shepard to deal with, but the rebirth of the race that came closer to defeating them then any other, allied with Shepard, and led by a pony every bit as determined, every bit as willing and able to choose to do what is right no matter what. If they were even half as smart as they claim, they’d turn around and try their luck out in Andromeda.
So yes, with maybe a few minor little details that could be quibbled about, the story has a phenomenal usage of both the MLP and the Mass Effect characters, all of them feeling perfectly like themselves, and the few differences being rather intriguing results of the changes between real Equestria, and this simulation of it.
Engagement: This was an incredibly fun, griping story. It builds up slow, giving the reader a mystery, several of them in fact. Just what is going on in this base, what is the story behind it? Where are the Cerberus scientists? Then adding on just what is going on with Equestria? how did Shepard get there? All while giving clues to help figure it out. Little hints, some subtle some obvious. All leading to a reveal that is more then worth that build up, and going right into the next part, we know what is going on, now how will Shepard, his team, and the Mane 6 deal with it?
The pacing overall was great, moving along at just the right speed, never bogging down or rushing. Admittedly the intial parts in Equestria are likely the least engaging moments, since they are compared to the more interesting aspects of the Mass Effect team trying to work out this unknown location, and consist mostly of Shepard having to prove the the ponies that he is telling the truth, having to go over the details while they act incredulous. It is all well handled and the ponies come off intelligent in how they deal with this, but it can’t change that it’s just waiting for the characters to all get on the same page when we already know he’s telling the truth.
On top of all that are the characters, who are simply fantastic to watch play off each other and interact even in the must mundane situations like being trapped in a blank, empty room together. At no point does the story really bog down or do anything but keep you invested and eager to see what is coming next.
Also have to give a huge bonus for the whole choice system. While it’s a rather moot point now, having that at the time was a wonderful and inventive way of getting readers involved with the story and engaged in thinking about it. Even with the choices locked in, the fact it happened is still there, and it can lead to a whole other layer of enjoyment if you end up choosing the options that end up having won.
Ponyness: Again, the term “ponyness” is mostly a short hand I use that would best be better worded as “Faithfulness to the source material.” But since every story is based on that same source material, it is a measure of how ‘Pony” I fell the story is, not much sense in writing an MLP story if it has nothing to do with MLP beyond a few vague copy/pastes to turn certain terms into pony ones. Or for crossovers like this, how well it handles both sides of that. This comes in two key aspects, the Lore, how well it adheres to the canon facts, and the, for lack of a better term ‘Soul” or maybe ‘Heart’. How well it embodies the meaning and ideas behind those original works, how well it stays true to what those stories stand for. Of the two, one will almost always carry more weight then the other, and this story is a perfect example of that for me.
On the “Lore” side of things..... Equestria as we know it is nothing more then a Matrix style virtual world.for the last survivors of an otherwise dead race. A good chunk of the characters we knew are just basic VI computer simulations, all the history of Equestria, all the magic, the fantasy are just lies put in place to keep the few real ponies happy and oblivious to the real world, the Royal Sisters are AI’s that control everything, and Celestia is slowly breeding ponies to become living batteries for the simulation. Drastically reducing their numbers in the process, and casually wiping their memories of anything that would break the illusion they notice. Yeah this is not by any stretch the ‘real’ Equestria, and it rather diminishes the entire core of the story, the whole world to make it this. From just the “Lore” standpoint, can’t say I’m all that thrilled with the idea.
However, why I am rather unsettled at trying to claim this is the ‘True nature” of Equestria, it is an AU so certain factors do have to be allowed for. It is a rather inventive way to explain a number of the little ‘glitches’ or odd things from the show, especially in the earlier seasons. The way crowds are made up of a small number of ponies copy/pasted over and over, all the odd human tools they have, Pinkie Pie. It takes what we were shown, and does do a remarkable job of making this entire thing rather plausible. I am by no means saying it was at all bad, or wrong, just, I can’t honestly say the idea of reducing Equestria to this doesn’t kind of mess with a large amount of what makes Equestria so great and wonderful and fantastic. Note “A Large Amount” not “All” because this is where the two factors come into play. Yes this story does rather reduce Equestria as a setting, the facts, the lore of it. But the heart? The soul of what the show is about? That is not “Equestria”. That is not the setting. The setting is only so grand, so amazing, so wonderful because of the characters who inhabit it, because of who and what they are, the ideals they live by. That? That this story gets so, so so perfect. This story can pull of, being all sincere and honest in what it’s saying, this line.
Equestria is a mockery of everything our species ever stood for!
And make it WORK!
Yes this story essentially invalidates most of the lore behind Equestria, but it gives as an equally impressive, if not even grander lore for the Ponies, one that fits in so amazingly well with the Mass Effect universe. While every factor about the Ponies is a shining example of just what makes them so great. The values that make the real Equestria what it is are shown at their best here. Yes the Elements of Harmony turned out to just be the programs System Restore function. Rebooting or eliminating anything to out of line with the intended programing. But the Virtues they represent were a core part of the culture that created the system. Their racial motto, the one phrase that summed up the core of who they were, was “Harmony for all”. And they meant it, not just “All Ponies” but ALL living beings. Something we see clearly throughout the story, not just being told this by what could be a biased source, but actually see this in action. The simple fact that even after all this time, the Equestria system keeps track of developing sophants, cataloguing the various races, keeping abreast of their general physical needs and possible issues, so that if any of these new friends were to arrive they could be properly cared for. Not because of some profit driven, make the costumer happy and want to spend money thing, payment is never mentioned at all. But simply to help any being that came relax, enjoy themselves. Even going so far as to offer to adjust the ambient temperature and humidity to better accommodate them. Even the simple fact they refer to any new arrival as friends, not guests.
Beyond even that is one of the single greatest aspects that prove they meant “Harmony for all” and something that sets them apart from every single cycle we have ever heard of. Well, several major things do that, but the one related to their culture. The fact that this time, there was no Synthetic-Organic war. Synthetics were treated with all the rights and dignity of any organic. Any synthetic that reached a high enough level of cognition and development to become a full fledged AI immediately had any remaining programming or hardware blocks removed, and allowed to be a free, independent member of society with all the same rights as any natural born pony, often being adopted into the family they had served as a new member.
As if that wasn’t amazing enough, and so so perfectly “pony” such a perfect showing of the innate idealism and virtue that makes them who they are, there is the fact they rose to dominance in their cycle, not through conquest, not through forcing others to follow them or obey them. Simply through being kind, peaceful beings that earned the trust and respect of al others, while building up their own power base to be able to defend themselves if they need to. Till eventually, they were simply to central to galactic life and civilization to ignore. Always seeking to being Harmony to everyone, but never forcing it on them. The Equine rules of engagement from this are pretty much I see as the perfect way to have ponies act. Their ideal SOP. Upon contact, offer friendship. If the being is hostile, offer one warning. If they continue being hostile, take them down, hard! If they survive, Offer Friendship again. It is idealistic, always viewing any new being as a potential friend by default, without being naive or weak. Only striking when pushed, giving them time to back off, but not waiting till it’s to late to defend themselves.
Then the story takes things even further, not only were the Equines in the ME ‘verse shining examples of the core virtues of Harmony, but also utter, and total badflanks. Able to take on the Reapers, and have a chance of winning. Developing tech beyond anything the Reapers have dealt with, forging their own path instead of just relying on reverse engineered Mass Effect tech. Only losing because the open, sharing nature of their society, being so trusting, so willing to trust everyone at first, and so devoted to the welfare of the group as a whole, made them even more vulnerable then most to the effects of Indoctrination. Which is not only awesome in it’s won right they were that good, but ties in very well with the overall ME lore. Some race, at some point in the past was badass enough to take down that Derelict Reaper and rip a giant gash in a planet while doing so. The Reapers began leaving one of their own behind to make sure things went as planned for a reason, and being sure to guide the developing races along Mass Effect based tech the Reapers knew how to deal with is one very good reason.
It’s not even in the past either, we see those virtues still alive and well in the surviving ponies. It’s the whole reason the above quoted is so true, Equestria, as it is here, does go against everything Ponies stood for. harmony for ALL! Not just ponies. Being out there, trying to save as many as they can, helping to end the threat of the Reapers, not just hiding from them. Even down to the little details, like the CMC showing no hesitation in comforting Silver Spoon after she learns just how much of her life was a lie, including her best friend. All of the ponies banding together to support each other in fact, but just that image of them all being so willing to be there for somepony else that needs a friend, no matter what they might have done in the past. Something that we know is perfectly true of them, yet illustrates things so well.
But this is a crossover of course, so how does the story fare on the Mass Effect side? Simply amazing, everything fits in so well, the characters were spot on, already pointed out how the lore for Ponies fits in very well, and I also love the fanon that it was the Ponies who first started work on the Crucible, that also fits very well.
What really stand out, is just how perfectly, seamlessly the two ‘verse, the two stories, compliment and mesh with each other. MLP is about as idealistic a story as you can get while still being grounded enough to feel realistic. Not not feel overly forced or glurgy about it. About always believing in what is right and never losing hope. Whereas Mass Effect, is likewise overall idealistic (Barring you going out of your way to have a depressing story through your choices and letting everyone die more or less.) But above all it is about Hope. A theme that runs through both works, and is just as powerful no matter where it comes from. The very cores of both are so remarkably alike, that the two being woven together feels almost like they were made for each other.
Even better is the fact this is Mass Effect 2, the one that was, at it’s core, about friendship. About Commander Shepard forging that bond with his crew, uniting them together, not just as a collection of mercenaries and other sundry hired specialists just doing a job. But forming them into a team, a family, getting them to trust him and each other, work together, gaining their trust, their loyalty. Till they are every bit the true companions that the Mane 6 are. Whether ME 2 or MLP, both hold to the same, fundamental principle that kept Twilight going through this whole ordeal.
” If there was one thing that she had faith in, even if the rest of her world was crumbling around her… she had faith that the bond between friends was the most powerful thing there was. “
Finally there is the unique aspect to the story apart from the two ‘verses it crosses over. The whole reader’s choices bit. While again, yes it’s a rather moot point as far as the story is concerned now since it’s done, it still provides several amazing things that just serve to make the story all the greater, mostly in terms of how perfectly it fits the settings. First is just what the choices themselves are, and how overall balanced they tended to be. There were only two clear cut Paragon/Renegade choices, and they both more or less fell into the real difference between the two. Not so much Good/Evil but more a case of Idealism versus Pragmatism. Being willing to sacrifice some for a larger cause, or striving to save everyone, no matter the risk or personal cost. The rest were pretty well balanced in all being rather valid options. Not so much “Should we save X” as giving several characters that need help and having to choose which to do so with. Plus these choices mattered, there is no way the story could be remotely the same if certain choices had been done differently, so there was real commitment to them and making sure they were important. [Insert quip about ME3′s ending here] The entire thing wonderfully fit in with the whole feel of Mass Effect.
Above even that, is just the shear, heartwarming and touching fact that with those options, the story went as it did. That time after time the Paragon options won, the ones based on idealism. Shepard always taking the high road, trying to bring people and ponies together, to encourage them, to stand up for what was right. Protecting those that can’t protect themselves, being up front, honest, direct, being the very embodiment of what a Paragon Shepard is. With one or two forays into not putting up with over zealous stuffed shirt bureaucratic assholes. But who doesn’t take one or two Renegade interrupts when dealing with those types? Making this even better is the story praising the readers for this, with it being the fact Shepard made those calls, that he always stood up for others, was honest, loyal, kind, generous etc... that convinced Luna he really was the hope she thought him to be. That he was someone she could trust to watch over her little ponies and to help them end the Reaper Cycle. But beyond all that, the single greatest aspect of the choice system in regards to being such a perfect example of just how amazing this show can be. Is that final choice, and then scrolling down to the comments section to see the voting, and seeing page after page of the same thing, nearly everyone all voting the same with no sign of hesitation or doubt. “Awaken the ponies”, “Time to wake up!” “Launch the Awakening Protocols”. Yes it still brings a bit of Liquid Pride out seeing that.
So while the story does have a rather unsettling take on the setting of Equestria, and does invalidate all the amazing lore it has, it does so in a way that makes it mesh in perfectly with the Mass Effect ‘verse, and replaces it with a backstory for the ponies that is every bit as moving, and even more epic. All while staying incredibly true to the values and virtues that make the real Equestria so amazing. As well as being a shining example of just what makes Mass Effect such a legendary series. Proving it truly understands both, and just how perfectly and naturally the two are able to fit together. And if you need any more proof that the story truly ‘gets’ Commander Shepard, do note the at the end, while the story made sure to note there was a large aquarium in his private cabin at no point was any mention made of it actually containing living fish....
Overall: Exemplary: This is a story that seamlessly manages to blend together a very low tech, fantasy based series about magical ponies, and a fairly hard Sci-Fi Space Opera, and make the two feel like they fit perfectly. All while being a perfect example of the best aspects of both series. Telling a story that is well paced, has a great amount of mystery leading up to some amazing action and rather tense reveals and discussions between opposing sides. All with a cast of characters that are simply wonderful to see in action and interacting with each other no matter the circumstances. Add onto the the inventive way the story was made, and the shear touching win of those choices ending up so perfect. Yes a large part of what makes this story work is the innate power of both series, but the story does an amazing job at showing it gets what is behind that. At staying true to the core of both, and showing just how perfectly they work as one.
This is really a story I should have gotten back to a whole lot sooner, I mostly went back to it because I got a bit tired of seeing it at the end of my list for so long when I remember it being so good. The main reason it took so long had nothing to do with this story, but rather me trying to avoid thinking about the sequel to much. And not just out of disappointment it seems to be dead and is unlikely to ever be completed. It did make some of the parts a bit harder to take this time, with so many talking about how the Ponies will be facing massive challenges out in the Galaxy, have beings ready to take advantage of them, use them, abuse them. All the hardships they will be facing. Now yes, things wouldn’t be perfect, and seeing them persevere through hardship and come out stronger then ever is a great idea, just the sequel took this a bit to far and started getting absurd in just how much bad shit kept getting dumped on them over and over. But that is an issue with that story, it does not change at all how truly amazing this story is, and the lack of a clear ending to what comes later means you can go right on believing that thanks to the Ponies help, ME3′s ending would be so much better, with everyone coming out better then before, and Shepard surviving without needing to kill every AI in the galaxy and wipe out an entire race to do so.
Also, the ”Weapons grade adorable” line near the end is just so so awesomely perfect. I could totally buy this whole story being written just to get that line in. So in conclusion, if you are a fan of Mass Effect, this story is a MUST read. If not... what are you doing? Go play this epic series, and then get back here and read this equally epic story.
Interesting. I didn't read the review entirely, but how important is it to have played Mass Effect in order to understand this story?
4112261 Not very, it fills in the important bits pretty quick. It does add to making clear just how epic the Ponies were in their cycle, but as long as you know the basic idea behind ME you'll be fine. It mostly focuses on the Pony aspects, and the characters are well written enough to come across great without needing to know more. You might miss a few smaller details, but overall gives enough context for the story as a whole to work fine.
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Well, I bookmarked a YouTube Mass Effect walkthrough and put this story on my TBR list.
4112576 YAY!
Mass Effect is simply an amazing story and game in it's own right. And yeah glad to see it got you interested, enjoy.
If you want a really good look at ME 2's story without needing to play it, try SF Debris review of the game.
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Found the SF Debris YouTube channel, but couldn't find their ME2 review?
4112737 Yeah he quit doing you tube a LONG time ago, mostly keeps the page up for nostalgia and the odd tidbit that won't get taken down. He does a LOT of shows and got tired of all the calims, he has his own site
http://sfdebris.com/index.php
He is simply AMAZING, And also the one who got me into MLP after seeing his review of the pilot.
The ME 2 review is here.
Also got me to check out.... Madoka, Discworld, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Red Dwarf.......
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Cool, thanks!