//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: First Contact // Story: The Reapers Legacy // by Maximumoversaiyan96 //------------------------------// Chapter One: First Contact The longer Shepard was in this forest, the more she was convinced something was not right. She was walking in circle for days, now. She came by this big rock at least three times already. And even Edi couldn’t explain what was going on. According to the compass they had been always walking north. When that didn’t work she tried to mark her way, only with the result that she found her own marks again. Shepard was going crazy. If not for the plenty wild-life for her to hunt and eat, she would have lost all hope. She hunted creatures similar to boars, rabbits and other small animals of earth. They all resembled her own earth’s animals very much, but a little bit was always different. And they seemed to be a bit smarter, too. Not as intelligent as to develop an own civilization, but still not so dumb as the animals back home. But she also met animals which didn’t bear any resemblance to earth’s animals. For example, there was also a strange little bug like creature. Edi scanned it and assured Shepard that it wasn’t poisonous. It didn’t taste very good. Shepard started to believe that this was a parallel earth or something until she had an encounter with a Dragon. A freaking, fire breathing, princess robbing, knights eating Dragon. It was on its way to its cave, when it passed Shepard. Its green scales let it blend in well with the environment. It sniffed the air for a bit, but then eventually continued its walk without spotting Shepard. Shepard and Edi agreed unanimously to stay as far away as possible from that Dragon. The Dragon had been huge, at least as big as a three stories high building. His claws looked like they would cut Shepard in half with frightening ease. Shepard was now sleeping the fifteenth night in the forest. She always found herself a spot high in a tree, save from potential predators, for the night, but not before she put up a few sensors to warn her about incoming danger. Then this night Shepard’s dreams were extraordinary fierce. She was just running from a Reaper, when suddenly it was destroyed by a bright light. ‘’Greetings, citizen. What is your peril?’’ A woman said descending from the skies. The world around them had changed into a night sky. When their eyes met, the face of the woman was in total shock. Her eyes were widened and her mouth was slightly apart. ‘’What… What are you?’’ The woman asked apparently shocked. She had dark hair resembling a clear night sky spiked with sparkling stars. On her head she had a black crone, she was wearing a dark blue dress, which covered her feet. She had deep blue eyes. Her face, her whole being was just beautiful. Shepard wondered if this dream was maybe taking a turn in a certain direction. She had always believed her taste to be straight, but maybe after a relationship with an Asari, her taste may have changed. For the time being, it couldn’t hurt to be polite to this dream lady. ‘’I am Commander Shepard,’’ Shepard introduced herself. ‘’Commander… Shepard,’’ The strange woman repeated slowly. ‘’Is this your name? But what kind of creature are you?’’ She demanded to know. That was weird. Since when could her mind have a mind of its own? ‘’I am Human. Same as you,’’ Shepard answered amused. ‘’What?’’ The woman jelled in shock and looked down on herself in panic. She seemed to calm down. Shepard chuckled. This conversation was really amusing. ‘’Very impressive. Your mind must be remarkably strong to force my appearance to match your own,’’ The strange woman said. ‘’I am Princess Luna, Guardian of the Night and Co-Ruler of Equestria. This is not your domain. Explain your presence in this world,’’ Luna demanded again. ‘’What do you mean domain? This is my dream. Admitting it is more realistic that any dream I ever had before but this is all in my head,’’ Shepard replied not believing anything this strange woman said. Luna sighed. ‘’I sense a virtuous heart in you, so I will be patient. You are right. This is your dream, but what we are speaking is real. I have the ability to enter the dreams of others, protecting them from nightmares and bringing their mind equilibrium,’’ Luna explained. Shepard laughed out loud. ‘’Yeah, right. You talking to me in my dream. I must be really going crazy,’’ Shepard mused. ‘’I see talking to you at the current time is proving to be a stressful task. You are not ready for this, yet,’’ Luna said calmly. ‘’Your mind is clear, your heart honorable, yet I feel you have experience the utmost of pain. You deserve peace. You deserve help. I see that you are searching for a way back home. Follow my symbol, it will lead you,’’ Luna said and disappeared slowly. Shepard awoke jerking up. ‘’What is it, Shepard?’’ Edi asked concerned. Shepard’s vitals had spiked drastically in her sleep. Edi had even considered waking up Shepard with a little electro shock. ‘’I just had the weirdest dream. I saw a strange woman. She had a calming presence and she was beautiful. She said to me to follow her symbol,’’ Shepard told Edi still a bit startled by the weird dream experience. She could almost feel how Edi was grinning. Yet, her voice remained calm not showing her amusement. ‘’Of course, Shepard. It sounds totally logical to me. We should always do what our dreams tell us to,’’ Edi agreed with her sarcastically. Shepard rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It was already morning. There hadn’t been any alarms during the night. The sun was already up, enlightening the forest with its warm rays of light. ‘’You don’t really mean that,’’ Shepard accused shaking her head. ‘’No,’’ Edi replied amused. ‘’I know it sounds stupid and to be honest I doubt this dream myself,’’ Shepard said and was about to climb the tree back down. ‘’But something was strange about this dream,’’ Shepard had to admit. Touching the solid ground, Shepard stretched herself a bit to dispel the numbness in her body. ‘’You just had a bad dream,’’ Edi said dismissing. ‘’Well, it wasn’t a bad dream, at first maybe, but the second part was really strange. I remember it so clearly,’’ Shepard replied. Then she spotted something. Shepard let her arms fall and stared at a tree. ‘’Edi, do you see that?’’ Shepard asked and approached the three. On the tree was a big arrow carved in, pointing in the right direction of Shepard. ‘’Did I do that?’’ Shepard asked unsure when she looked closer at the carving. ‘’No, I am absolutely sure you didn’t,’’ Edi replied also wondering where that mark had suddenly appeared from. ‘’Then who did it? It wasn’t here yesterday,’’ Shepard wanted to know looking around the forest, but not seeing anything out of the ordinary. ‘’Maybe, it was your dream lady,’’ Edi said now considering taking Shepard’s dream seriously. ‘’At first, I thought you were going crazy, but now this. The timing is too precise. And you always were the magnet for the most bizarre things possible,’’ She added. Edi was right. Shepard had come back from the dead for example. ‘’Maybe, I sleepwalked and did this myself,’’ Shepard offered weakly as an explanation. ‘’I don’t require any sleep. I monitor you all the time. I would have noticed it, if you had been sleepwalking,’’ Edi replied. No, somebody else must have done this. ‘’So, it was the dream lady, then,’’ Shepard said a little amused. ‘’Doubtful. It is still highly improbable that it was your dream lady. I have many other possibilities to offer, which would be more likely. But I won’t bother you with the details and skip to the result of my calculations,’’ Edi paused for a moment. ‘’Whoever did this, probably don’t want us any harm. It seems that they want to help us. It is still possible that it is a trap, but if they would have been hostile, they would have attacked when you slept. But it is still a concern that whoever did this, managed not to trigger any of our alarms. That shouldn’t be possible without any aid of technology,’’ Edi said. Shepard was in thoughts herself. ‘’Nevertheless, it is our best shot of getting out of this place. Whether the dream lady made this or another being, if they try to attack us, I am sure I can handle them,’’ Shepard decided confident in herself. ‘’Then we should follow the arrow,’’ Edi said and went silent. After a half an hour Shepard found another arrow. It seemed she was on the right track. Shepard followed the arrows all day long. The sun rose high into the sky and then was setting again. Shepard decided to make camp. The sun had already set. Shepard, after a filling meal, went to sleep. The Commander was expectant whether he would see the dream lady in her dream again, tonight. She did not. The dream lady didn’t visit her this night. Shepard had a dreamless sleep. She woke up the next day and continued her marked path. It was already noon of the next day. Shepard had a quick lunch. She had eaten a leg of the rabbit she caught yesterday. Then Shepard came across a cliff. ‘’Well, that is an obstacle,’’ Shepard said out loud. ‘’It is too far for you to jump,’’ Edi commented. ‘’Naw, I could make it,’’ Shepard said convinced. ‘’It would be most ironic. Commander Shepard, savior of the galaxy, survived every battle she fought in and then she fell to her death, because she overestimated the length of her jump,’’ Edi stated sarcastically. ‘’Fine. What do you think about this tree? Do you think it will work?’’ Shepard asked Edi inspecting a nearby tree. Edi understood without a proper explanation. ‘’Yes, this tree should do it. The trunk is long enough. It should provide an acceptable substitute for a bridge,’’ Edi agreed. The next hour Shepard spent chopping down the tree. She used her preinstalled omni-blade. She usually relied on her biotics, but she wanted to make sure that she knocked the three over in the right direction and didn’t send it down the cliff. Shepard exclaimed, one hand beside her mouth. ‘’Timber!’’ And the majestic tree fell across the cliff. A few moments later Shepard was on the other side and walking forward on the path marked by the arrows. Like the night before she expected the dream lady to show up, but she didn’t. The next day Shepard reached a lake. She kneeled down to drink a bit. Then she saw something yellow moving on the other side of the lake. Shepard raised her Black Widow sniper rifle to take a better look. What she saw, shocked her. There was a small yellow horse with a pink mane gathering some herbs. But the weird thing was she was levitating, uphold by a pair of wings on her back, which flapped evenly. Shepard set the sniper rifle down to comprehend what she just saw. Then she looked again. The yellow horse was still there. ‘’Edi are you seeing that?’’ Shepard asked flustered. ‘’Yes, thanks to the neural implants in your eyes, I am able to see everything you see,’’ Edi replied. ‘’That is convenient,’’ Shepard commented neutrally. ‘’And what do you think?’’ Shepard wanted to know. ‘’Since she is collecting herbs in a bag, I conclude that she is sentient,’’ Edi said. ‘’That is all?’’ Shepard exclaimed. ‘’She is a horse with wings!’’ Shepard stated excitedly. ‘’Her anatomy resembles more a Pony than a horse,’’ Edi corrected Shepard. ‘’Whatever, I just can’t calm down after seeing a horse with wings,’’ Shepard explained herself. ‘’You faced pirates, mercenaries, Collectors and Reapers, then you get excited over a Pony with wings. Your taste is more girlish than I first thought, Shepard,’’ Edi stated jokingly. ‘’Make your jokes, Edi. She is gathering herbs, that means she is taking them somewhere. Since she is intelligent, and we haven’t seen her kind in the forest until now, it is safe to assume that she lives around here, maybe a settlement of these creatures,’’ Shepard reasoned. ‘’That would be correct,’’ Edi agreed with her. ‘’If we follow her, we can find out where it is,’’ Shepard said and was making her way around the lake. The adorable yellow Pony was completely unaware of the Human, who was closing in on her. After she collected enough herbs she gently landed on the ground and trotted back. Shepard was still a bit away but had clear sight of the Pony. As she took a few steps into the forest, they both heard a loud roar. The little horse was frightened and stepped away. A big manticore stepped out of the bushes. The beast roared again and looked at the Pony hungrily. Shepard put her sniper rifle up again. The Pony was too scared to move properly. Her little legs were shacking heavily. The manticore slowly closed in on its target. ‘’This isn’t good, Shepard,’’ Edi commented seeing the situation. Shepard took aim. She didn’t want to kill this beast, but she would. The manticore took another step towards the yellow Pony. The Pony slumbered down completely and was now shivering with her front hoofs covering her eyes. ‘’I am sorry. But you don’t leave me any choice,’’ Shepard said softly. She pulled the trigger and the shot echoed through the air. The manticore fell to the ground, a big hole through its head. Shepard closed in on the Pony, but she didn’t step out of the bushes, just yet. It took a good ten minutes before the Pony dared to look up again. She slowly peaked through her hoofs. When she noticed that she wasn’t eaten, yet, she looked around. Her look fell on the corpse of the manticore. She carefully and slowly approached it. Shepard observed the Pony curiously. When the little horse saw the big hole in the manticore’s head she fell backwards seemingly losing consciousness. ‘’I think that Pony just fainted,’’ Edi commented amused. Shepard wanted to go to help her, but the Pony recovered herself surprisingly quick and looked nervously around. She jelled something into the forest. ‘’Can you translate that?’’ Shepard asked. ‘’It doesn’t match any galactic known language. This must be an undiscovered species,’’ Edi explained. ‘’Can you analyze her language and then do a translation?’’ Shepard suggested. ‘’I can do that, but for that I need more data. I suggest talking to her, but cation is advised. We don’t know what her people are capable of,’’ Edi replied. Shepard shrugged. She just saw her faint from the look of a bloodied corpse. She was sure, she could handle her. The Commander slowly stepped out into the clearing. The yellow Pony immediately spotted her and backed away. She addressed Shepard, but she couldn’t understand what she way saying. ‘’Easy, easy. I don’t mean you any harm,’’ Shepard tried to speak in a calming matter. Hoping her diplomatic demeanor wouldn’t let her down now. It seemed Shepard was getting through to the yellow Pony. The Pony stopped shaking and looked at Shepard curiously. She probably had never seen a Human before. Shepard gently put her gun down. The Pony began to shake again by the sight of this unknown instrument. Shepard stepped back and went to a spot where beautiful yellow flowers were growing. She had seen earlier the yellow Pony sniffing them. She hoped that their scent was pleasing to her and they would convince the Pony of her good intentions. She picked one up and went back. The Pony observed all her actions with a curious look in her eyes. Shepard now put the flower beside her gun. Then she pointed at the gun and shook her head and hands in a nixing way. Then she gentle picked up the flower and offered it to the Pony, while having the friendliest smile on the face, she could muster up looking at a sentient Pony creature. The Pony was hesitant, but it seemed to understand the gesture. She slowly arched her head towards Shepard’s hand. She held her gaze firmly on Shepard. The Human Commander patiently waited. Inch by inch the Pony’s head came closer. Then finally she took the flower out of Shepard’s hand with her muzzle. She quickly retracted her head and then looked at Shepard expectantly again. She had the same friendly smile as before. The eyes of the Pony became teary. She dropped the flower and tackled Shepard. They were in too close proximity for Shepard to react in time, before Shepard realized it the Pony had caught her in a hug and was crying into her shoulder. Shepard was stunned for a moment before patting the yellow Pony on the back in a calming manner. After the strange horse calmed down a bit from the experience, she started to speak again. She was talking quickly which Shepard believed were probably expressions of her gratitude. After a couple of moments, she let go of Shepard. Fortunately, this species seemed to be friendly, at least this specimen was friendly. The Pony stopped talking and it was now waiting for a response. Shepard shook her head and said. ‘’I don’t understand you,’’ Shepard tried to explain it through hand gestures. The little yellow horse frowned and then brighten up again. She pointed with her right hoof at Shepard and then at the ground. Next, she pointed from her to the forest and then back to Shepard. ‘’I think she wants you to wait for her to return,’’ Edi analyzed the Pony’s charade. The Pony shrieked away on hearing the new voice. ‘’Damnit, Edi!’’ Shepard cursed and was now trying to calm the Pony down again. She repeated the movements, which the Pony just did. She pointed at herself then to the ground. And she pointed to the Pony and then to the forest and back to herself. The Pony seemed happy that Shepard understood her. She smiled brightly and nodded her head vigorously. She quickly stood up. Shepard remained seated her legs crossed. The Pony walked towards the forest but not without every step looking back, checking whether Shepard was still there. Eventually she vanished into the forest. ‘’Interesting little creature!’’ Edi commented taking an interest. She always relished the chance to study the organics more. And this species seemed almost as interesting as the Humans. ‘’You scared her half to death,’’ Shepard said accusingly. ‘’And I apologize for that, but her actions are different from everything I have studied and learned about organics. You don’t trust strangers and are afraid of the unfamiliar, but that Pony was way too trustful,’’ Edi said. ‘’I saved her live, after all,’’ Shepard pointed out. ‘’Yes, you easily killed a being which posed a great threat to her existence, which should make you even more dangerous. Normal behavior would be rejection and escape,’’ Edi explained. ‘’I see your point,’’ Shepard understood. ‘’Do you think it is a trap?’’ Shepard asked. ‘’If so, she must be very deceiving. I didn’t recognize any ulterior motives in her behavior. And her fear and shyness were too real to be staged,’’ Edi stated. ‘’Still, I can’t shake the feeling that something is not right with her,’’ Edi said in an unsatisfied manner. ‘’Since we are waiting, are you up for a game of tic tac toe?’’ Shepard wanted to know. ‘’That children’s game? Fine, I will entertain you accordingly to your intelligence,’’ Edi said mockingly. ‘’Hey, what else could we do?’’ Shepard replied indignantly. ‘’We could play chess?’’ Edi suggested her favorite game. ‘’Alright, this won’t be fun, though. I am no Traynor,’’ Shepard gave in. ‘’For me it will be,’’ Edi said gleefully and loaded the chess program in Shepard’s omni-tool. Twilight was just reading a book, sitting comfortable in her favorite chair without any worries in the world. She had managed to do all her princess duties for today already yesterday. Now she would use the whole day to read old books about her favorite topic: Magic. She was just getting to the good part. Twinkle Horn’s essay about illusion magic was just great. Sadly, Twilight could hear hoof steps coming quickly her way. She sighed and put her book aside ready to greet her guest. Moments later Fluttershy busted the door open. ‘’Twilight, you won’t believe what happened to me today,’’ The Pegasus said out of breath. Twilight certainly didn’t expect Fluttershy. She was now really curious about what Fluttershy had to say. ‘’Calm down, Fluttershy. What happened?’’ Twilight asked patiently. Fluttershy took three deep breaths before continuing. ‘’I was at the hidden lake in the Everfree Forest today,’’ Fluttershy began. Twilight frowned. She didn’t like that Fluttershy went alone into the forest. The Everfree Forest was a mysterious and dangerous place. Ancient magic coursed through the forest. Many dangerous creatures lived there. ‘’When I was collecting herbs, I was suddenly ambushed by a manticore,’’ Fluttershy told Twilight. ‘’A manticore?’’ Twilight shouted horrified. ‘’Yes,’’ Fluttershy nodded. ‘’I was so scared. I couldn’t move. I closed my eyes and then there was that loud noise. It was really, really loud. I became even more scared. When nothing happened, I looked up. The manticore laid in front of my hoofs slayed with a big hole through its head,’’ Fluttershy told Twilight. Twilight gasped. To kill a manticore with one magic strike, the user must be very powerful. Of course, any Alicorn or some magically talented unicorn could do that, still it was a considerable feat. But at least it seemed whoever did that, tried to protect Fluttershy. ‘’Then a strange being appeared, which I have never seen before,’’ Twilight ears peaked up. Fluttershy knew almost all animals or creatures in Equestria. If she really came across something she couldn’t recognize, then that could be a new species. ‘’It was really strange. It walked on two legs instead of four. She didn’t have any fur except on her head. And her whole body was shining like metal,’’ Fluttershy described the strange creature. Twilight became suspicious hearing Fluttershy’s description. That sounded awfully a lot like a Human, but that couldn’t be. The Human world was beyond the mirror. ‘’It was really sweet. She saw how scared I was and offered me a flower,’’ Fluttershy told Twilight, smiling back on the memory. Twilight deep in thought tried to follow Fluttershy. ‘’That is great,’’ Twilight answered her friend. Fluttershy looked at Twilight curiously. ‘’What is the matter Twilight?’’ She asked. ‘’Nothing, do you know where that creature is now?’’ Twilight wanted to know. Fluttershy nodded. ‘’Through hoof signs I was able to convey to her to wait for my return,’’ Fluttershy explained. ‘’Her?’’ Twilight raised an eyebrow. ‘’Of course, taking care of creatures of all kind is my hobby, after all. I can easily tell the gender, even if I don’t know the species,’’ Fluttershy said a little proudly. ‘’Fluttershy, you acted very well. It was a good thing that you came straight to me. If my suspicions are correct then you found a Human,’’ Twilight let her words sink in. ‘’A Human?’’ Fluttershy’s ears flapped wildly. ‘’But if she is Human, what is she doing in our world? Why isn’t she in her own world?’’ Fluttershy wanted to know. ‘’I don’t know, yet, but I am determined to find out.’’ Twilight stated. ‘’I think it is time to round up the girls. We should inspect this matter together,’’ Twilight decided. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Nopony of her friends would like to miss such a big event. Shepard was getting anxious. She had been waiting for quite some time. And it didn’t help that she lost the fifth game of chess to Edi in a row. ‘’My readings indicate that you are nervous,’’ Edi stated reloading the playfield after her latest victory. ‘’Yeah,’’ Shepard admitted. ‘’Waiting here out in the open… And there is the first contact with an undiscovered pre-space flight race issue. The council will have my head for this,’’ Shepard said thinking about the consequences of her actions with this race. ‘’Nonsense. You saved them from the Reapers. If they dare to charge you for this offense, I personally will hack myself into their private accounts and delete everything,’’ Edi promised determined. ‘’Thanks, Edi. Let’s just hope this first contact will go smoother than ours,’’ Shepard said. ‘’Yes, that would be preferable. But as I already said, her behavior is different from any other organics,’’ Edi answered. They heard footsteps now. ‘’I detect multiple life signs. Our little friend is not alone,’’ Edi informed Shepard. ‘’I thought she would bring more with her,’’ Shepard said and readied her gun. She didn’t take a hostile position but was ready for anything. If they would attack her, she would retaliate in kind. The yellow Pony stepped out of the forest followed by five similar wildly colored ponies. One was an intense pink, the other was orange and had a hat similar to a cowboy hat, then there was a Pony with wings like the yellow one. She had light blue fur and her mane had the coloring of a rainbow. There was also a white Pony with a horn on her head. The last one was purple and had likewise a horn and wings. The purple Pony stepped forward. It seemed she was the leader of the group. Shepard waited. The purple one spoke to her. Naturally Shepard couldn’t understand her either. The purple Pony sighed and then suddenly her horn started to glow. Shepard took a few steps back. ‘’Edi, what is she doing?’’ Shepard wanted to know. ‘’Unknown. I don’t detect any known energy signature. Unknown energy is charged. Advice not being hit by it,’’ A light shot from the purple Pony’s horn forward towards her. Shepard quickly dodged it. She put her gun up and took aim at the shooter. The ponies seemed to be more surprised than angry. The purple one was talking rapidly. She pointed to her horn then to Shepard. ‘’I think she wants you to be hit by that light,’’ Edi said analyzing the gestures. ‘’We don’t even know what it is. It could kill me,’’ Shepard answered still not lowering her gun, keeping an eye on the ponies. ‘’How is the translation going?’’ The Human Spectre wanted to know. ‘’I have completed five percent.’’ Edi informed her. Shepard’s shoulder plummeted. ‘’Then we have no choice,’’ She put her hands in the air. ‘’What are you doing?’’ Edi asked worried. ‘’Taking a leap of faith,’’ Shepard stated firmly. The purple Pony understood and charged her horn again. Shepard saw the bright light again, rushing towards her. Shepard closed her eyes not to see the impact. When the ray hit her, she felt a soft tingling, that was all. She had expected more pain. She opened her eyes again and looked down on her body. Everything seemed to be intact. ‘’Can you understand me now?’’ The purple Pony asked. Shepard face’s fell in disbelief. ‘’What did you do? How can I understand you, now?’’ Shepard wanted to know. ‘’I used a simple translation spell,’’ The purple one explained as a matter of fact. ‘’You have surprised me when you dodged the first one,’’ She added. ‘’I almost thought you would attack us,’’ The rainbow maned one said. ‘’I still can’t believe it. Which type of software did you use? Do you have omni-tools, too?’’ Shepard couldn’t calm down. ‘’I don’t know what that is. We used magic,’’ The purple one said. ‘’Magic?’’ Shepard said in disbelief. ‘’Edi, did you copy that?’’ Shepard asked the AI. ‘’No, Shepard, I did not. I am able to understand what you are saying, but I don’t know what the quadruples are saying,’’ The AI told her. ‘’You don’t understand them?’’ Shepard said surprised. ‘’That is correct. Whatever she used on you, it didn’t have any effect on me,’’ Edi stated. Shepard frowned in thought. The ponies had observed the conversation of the Human and her hand. Then the white Pony with the horn and deep purple mane elbowed the purple one who had shot Shepard with this magic. She coughed. ‘’It is polite to introduce yourself.’’ The purple one blushed a little before saying. ‘’Rarity is right. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am the Princess of Friendship and these are my friends,’’ Now Twilight introduced the others. Princess? She then must be the leader of their people. Shepard noticed that she was the only one with wings and horn. Maybe that had something to do with her status as royalty. But it was too soon to infer. ‘’This is Applejack,’’ Twilight began. ‘’Howdy!’’ The orange one said pulling her hat. ‘’Rainbow Dash,’’ The Rainbow maned one flew a bit into the air and crossed her front hoofs. ‘’Yo!’’ She tried to appear tough. ‘’This is Pinkie Pie,’’ The pink one jumped at Shepard. Inches away from her face the pink Pony was trapped in a purple aura. She froze in the air. That didn’t keep Pinkie Pie to rapidly ask questions. ‘’What are you doing here? Where do you come from? What do you eat? Do you like parties? I like parties. I will throw a welcome party for you. Do you like balloons? I like balloons,’’ Twilight Sparkle set Pinkie back down and sealed her mouth with another purple aura. Shepard was a biotic herself, but she would never have been able to use it so precisely. And the color was off. Biotics were blue not purple. ‘’This is Rarity,’’ Twilight continued unshaken by her fellow Pony’s antics. The white Pony made a fancy curtesy. ‘’It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,’’ She said politely. ‘’And this is Fluttershy. You saved her from the manticore,’’ Twilight ended the introduction. The yellow Pony hid behind her mane and weakly replied. ‘’Hi.’’ Shepard took in their appearances, behavior and names for a moment. A smile cracked on her face. They didn’t seem so bad. ‘’My name is Commander Shepard. I am from the Alliance Navy,’’ Shepard introduced herself. The ponies looked at her confused. ‘’Navy? As in ships?’’ Rainbow Dash asked. Shepard chuckled and put her gun away. The ponies looked in awe as her weapon shrank down and she put it behind her back. ‘’You could say that. Can you tell me where I am?’’ Shepard asked. ‘’You are in Equestria,’’ Applejack replied. ‘’Is your planet called that?’’ Shepard asked. ‘’Silly, Equestria is our kingdom, our planet is called Equus,’’ Pinkie Pie said who was release from Twilight’s purple light. ‘’I know this may sound hard to believe, but I am an alien. I come from outer-space,’’ Shepard pointed towards the sky. ‘’And I need your help to get back home,’’ Shepard said. Rainbow Dash and Applejack snickered. ‘’Alien. She said,’’ Dash whispered to Applejack. Twilight shot them an angry look. ‘’Commander, my translation is at 37%. If you would keep up the conversation, then I will soon be able to join in,’’ Edi informed Shepard. Twilight shook her head. ‘’You probably came through the mirror. This is not another planet. You are in another dimension,’’ Twilight stated. Shepard gasped at first, but then thought about it. That just couldn’t be possible. ‘’I didn’t come through any mirror,’’ Shepard stated. ‘’But you are Human, aren’t you?’’ Twilight asked confused. ‘’Yes, I am,’’ Shepard affirmed. She was a little surprised that they know she was a Human. ‘’Then you must have come through the mirror,’’ Twilight insisted. ‘’But weren’t you turned into a Human in the other world. And Sunset Shimmer and you back into a Pony when back in Equestria. Shouldn’t she be a Pony in this world then?’’ Rarity pointed out. Rarity was right. Twilight’s ears twitched a little. How could she have overlooked such a crucial detail? And the problem with the language. Twilight didn’t have any problems communicating in the Human world. Also, the clothes were different. Twilight remembered the fashion in the Human world being similar to Equestria’s. Twilight recognized the suit as some kind of armor. It was very damaged, though. Maybe she was a guard or something. ‘’If you didn’t come through the mirror, how did you come here?’’ Applejack asked, while Twilight was in thoughts. ‘’I don’t know. I remember a flash of light, an explosion. Then I woke up in this forest,’’ Shepard wasn’t sure how much she should tell them about the reapers and the war. ‘’Likely story,’’ Rainbow Dash said. She tipped Shepard with her hoof on the chest. She used her wings to be on eye-level to Shepard. Shepard chuckled. This adorable creature tried to be intimidating, but only added to her cuteness. ‘’What are you laughing at? Do you want a piece of me?’’ Rainbow snorted angrily, not pleased with the woman’s amusement. ‘’I can take you,’’ Rainbow stated. She used her frontal legs to box in the air. But before she could act, Applejack grabbed her tail and pulled her back to the ground. ‘’I apologize for Dash. She is just very competitive,’’ Applejack apologized for Rainbow Dash and tipped her hat slightly. ‘’Are you really an alien?’’ Twilight asked. ‘’Afraid, so,’’ Shepard replied. Twilight breathed in deeply, then jumped up and shouted. ‘’That is so awesome!’’ Shepard was taken aback. Twilight had seemed to be the serious type of the group of ponies. ‘’This changes everything. We always speculated whether there were Extra-equestrials. Finally, we have proof.’’ Twilight was in her own world now. She imagined the scientific discussions she would have with her fellow scientists. What they could learn from the aliens? ‘’Do you have anywhere to stay?’’ Fluttershy asked. The question woke Twilight up from her daydream again. ‘’I was wondering the forest now for more than two weeks,’’ Shepard said. ‘’No wonder then. Your flagrance is almost unbearable,’’ Rarity said wrinkling her noise. Shepard looked down at herself. She was really in a bad shape. ‘’Sorry, about that,’’ Shepard apologized. She sniffed herself. She was indeed reeking. ‘’Finally, it is complete,’’ An unknown voice said. ‘’Who said that?’’ Pinkie Pie exclaimed and looked around searching for the source of the voice. The other ponies also searched for the source of the voice. ‘’I am here,’’ Edi said. The ponies now looked closer at Shepard’s left hand. ‘’What are you?’’ Twilight asked with big eyes. ‘’My name is Edi and I am an AI,’’ Edi introduced herself. ‘’What is an AI?’’ Applejack asked. ‘’AI means artificial intelligence,’’ Edi explained. ‘’What intelligence?’’ Applejack still didn’t understand. ‘’That means she was created,’’ Twilight explained. ‘’Correct,’’ Edi affirmed Twilight’s statement. ‘’Then what are you doing in Shepard’s arm?’’ Pinkie Pie asked bouncing around excitedly. ‘’I am not in Shepard’s arm. I am preoccupying a small computer, which was planted into her arm,’’ Edi tried to explain. Pinkie’s eyes went in circles, not really following her. ‘’Just a moment ago you were talking differently,’’ Rarity observed. ‘’I analyzed your language and initiated a translation program. Once it was complete, I was able to communicate with you,’’ Edi explained. The ponies had now gathered around Shepard’s arm and looked at Edi in awe. ‘’You can do that?’’ Fluttershy asked impressed. Shepard coughed politely. The ponies avert their attention back to Shepard. ‘’How were you able to leave the forest?’’ Twilight wanted to know. ‘’Usually, you should have got lost,’’ Twilight knew a bit of the hidden powers of the forest. Anypony who ventured too deep into the forest was lost forever. ‘’A dream woman appeared in my dream and then I followed her signs,’’ Shepard replied. She felt stupid saying that. Who would believe that? ‘’That was Princess Luna, no doubt,’’ Twilight said without any disbelief. ‘’Well, since Princess Luna guided you here, that means she wants us to take care of you,’’ Applejack concluded. ‘’That means a welcome party!’’ Pinkie exclaimed and threw confetti in the air. ‘’I suppose Applejack is right. You can stay with me for the time being,’’ Twilight offered. ‘’Hold on a minute!’’ Rainbow exclaimed. ‘’We can’t take her back to Ponyville. We know nothing about her. Maybe she is dangerous or maybe she is a rogue Changeling,’’ Dash said. Shepard didn’t know what a Changeling was, but the ponies didn’t seem to like it. ‘’Don’t be rude, Rainbow Dash. She is clearly not a changeling. Since they can only transform into creatures, they have seen before. And where should they have found a Human. No, this is clearly somepony who needs our help,’’ Rarity said. Dash pointed from her eyes to Shepard and back. ‘’I will keep an eye on you,’’ Dash promised. ‘’Just before you go to Twilight’s place, you have to drop by my place. I will take your measurements and make you a new outfit. Then you can go to the spa. You seem like somepony who is in dire need of relaxation.’’ Rarity decided their next course of actions. EveryPony agreed and Shepard decided to go along, so they went back to Ponyville. Shepard was relieved. It seemed this first contact wouldn’t end in a disaster.