//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: The Final Frontier // Story: The Commander of Shepherds // by pchn00 //------------------------------// Chapter 9: The Final Frontier The sound of hooves clopping on the hard floor roused Shepard from her sleep. Blinking blearily awake Twilight Sparkle’s tentatively smiling face came into view. “Good afternoon Shepherd. How’re you feeling?” The woman’s eyes shifted to the IV bag hanging over her head. “Whatever this is, it has me feelin’ good.” “Shepard-Commander you disengaged the safeties on your omni-tool, blew out a number of critical systems in the tool implant itself, as well as several cybernetics running through your arm. You are lucky I was able to guide the surgeons in repairing them all.” “Nice to see you too Legion.” There was a pause as her A.I. appeared over its portable disc. “…I am pleased you are recovering Shepard-Commander. Would you explain in detail what transpired leading up to this? The most cohesive explanation we could get from Rainbow Dash was…” Legion’s voice cut out to a recording of Rainbow Dash. “And then Shepard was all like ‘raaaagh you’re not hurting anypony while I’m around!’ Then she was like ‘slice!’ and stabbed it in the head! Then BOOM! This big explosion of lightning came outta that orange thing on her arm. It. Was. So. AWESOME! Oh uh…she’s alright, right?” Shepard chuckled softly. “Yeah that’s about what happened. I stabbed it in the head but it still wasn’t going down. I noticed the lightning this crazy bastard over here was throwing at it did some damage…” She nodded toward the quietly listening Thunderlane, who blushed a bit at being mentioned. “…so started jolting it. The normal stuff wasn’t cutting it so I disengaged the safeties.” She looked to Twilight as she finished. “What was all that green goop coming off it?” Twilight’s eyes turned sad. “It’s a serious disease among dragons. The short hand name for it is scale rot. It causes irritation so maddening the dragon loses all sense of himself and turns into a berserk monster. So far there’s no known cure. The only way to handle a dragon in the final stages is to euthanize them.” “Well that’s good. I was wondering if I’d be on trial for like, dragon slaying or something. Is Spike gonna be alright? He’s not gonna catch whatever that thing had is he?” Twilight shook her head. “It’s a genetic disorder so he’s fine, and thank you very much for asking by the way. I should get back out there though; I’m helping with the clean-up.” Shepard frowned. “Clean up? The dragon didn’t do much damage I thought.” Now the Princess looked slightly uncomfortable. “Well not with his attack not but the ah… landing. He hit the ground and sort of…” She rolled her hoof about. “…rolled around before coming to a stop. Took out a few buildings.” The bed-ridden human winced. “Sorry about that.” Twilight laughed softly shaking her head. “You don’t need to apologize for a thing. It could very well have burned down the entire town. Nopony’s upset with you.” “Knock, knock!” All eyes turned to the door as a white and black dappled unicorn stallion stepped in. A white lab coat and stethoscope hanging from his neck made it clear he was a Doctor. “Sorry to interrupt Princess, but I was hoping to talk with the ah… with Legion to see how Miss Shepherd’s arm is healing. Not to alarm anypony but we pretty much had no idea what we were doing while repairing all those ‘implants’.” Stepping to the side Twilight set the disc carrying Legion on the table beside Shepard. The disc went dark suddenly as the omni-tool interfaces appeared over Shepard’s bandaged arm. Head tilted curiously, Shepard watched as a display of what she assumed was the inside of her arm appeared. She wasn’t a medic of any sort but she could clearly see a lot of muscle damage around the implants. What was strange was the odd twinkling lights inside. “Legion are those part of the implants?” It was the Doctor who answered. “No, no. That’s the healing magic in the salve we applied to your wounds. It was a little touch and go but we managed to save the uh…” He checked his chart. “…arm and hand. There was some nerve damage in the hand so your… fingers might not be as responsive as you’d like for the next week or so.” Shepard’s eyebrows flew up. “WEEK or so? I damn near blew my hand off and it’s only going to need a week to recover?” Now the Doc flashed a bright smile. “The miracle of modern magical medicine! We’re improving our healing spells and sciences all the time. You’ll need to wear a sling and keep the bandages on while the salve does its work. The less you move that arm the better understand? I’m going to give you a prescription for some pain medication in case it gives you any trouble. Your bill is paid for by the crown so you don’t have to worry about the bits.” “Jeez this is great news. Thanks so much Doctor uh…” She eyed his name tag. “…Soothing Touch. How long until I get out of here?” “Well you’re fit to go I think. You seem to be alright for the most part just remember what I said about that arm. There is one thing I wanted to ask about.” At the woman’s nod he continued. “The substance you injected Thunderlane here with is like nothing we’ve ever seen. I’d like your permission to do a full study and try to recreate it. Not ME personally of course but the folks at the labs.” Shepard shrugged. “If you can get any of it outta him it doesn’t matter to me what you do with it. Why even ask?” “Well because it’s yours of course. Taking it without asking would be a little rude don’t you think?” Shepard shook her head incredulously. The openness of these people surprised her all the time. “Well you have my permission. If it helps save lives by all means mass produce it by the gallon. I know I could use some more, that was the last of my supply.” Thunderlane winced at that but she hastily shook her head. “I’m glad I got to put it to good use. Ideally this sort of thing doesn’t happen often around here so I don’t think I’m going to need a whole ton anyhow.” “Thank you very much Miss Shepherd. And don’t hesitate to come by if you need anything else. If your arm starts to give you trouble somepony will be here to take care of it.” Nodding with a smile Shepard slowly eased herself out of bed. She felt a little wobbly but managed to steady herself. “Thanks again Doc. Hopefully I won’t need to come back in.” She waited patiently as he jotted down some writing on the prescription pad levitating the paper to her waiting hand. With a small wave to Thunderlane she started for the door, before stopping. It took her a second to recall she was wearing just a hospital gown, with the back wide open. Slowly she went back to her bed and sat back down. “Twilight could you get my armor?” Soothing Touch’s eyes widened. “Armor? Absolutely not. You need that arm completely uncovered.” Shepard was about to protest when Twilight cut her off with a raised hoof. “It’s alright. As it just so happens Rarity has been working on a ‘secret’ project for you Shepherd. Sit tight for just a little longer, I’ll send her along right away.” Unhappily settling back in bed the woman sighed. “Better not be covered in priceless gems again.” *** “Now Twilight gave me SOME idea of what humans where SHE went wear, but something tells me you’re not the sort who would like to parade about in colorful skirts.” Rarity had trotted right into the hospital room, a rack of clothing floating along behind her as If it were the most ordinary thing in the world. “These are just some basic prototypes of course, but if you find something you like I can flesh them out as it were.” Shepard gently nudged aside various articles of clothing. “Long sleeves and something that covers my legs all the way. Those are the only things I care about.” It was the middle of summer outside, and not exactly the coolest weather. Rarity was about to ask why when the reason dawned on her. Her own reaction to Shepard’s scars seemed to cause the woman pain, no doubt she wanted as little of her body exposed as possible. Eyes warm with compassion Rarity touched a hoof to the woman’s hip. “Shepherd you don’t have to hide yourself away. Why you’re a hero to everypony in Ponyville. There’s talk of a parade in honor of you, and everypony who helped bring down that horrid brute. A few scars aren’t going to matter to anypony.” “They mattered to you. I’m not angry, but I saw your face. Same with Fluttershy. Twilight tried to hide it but it was there in her eyes too. If I’m going to start walking around town I don’t want that look of… of pity on everyone’s face that looks at me. So… cover me up.” Heaving a dramatic sigh Rarity nodded. “Very well. These will do for now then.” She selected a pair of long pants somewhat flared at the ends. Shepard thought they almost looked like sweat pants, if sweat pants were typically made out of silk. A matching shirt of pale silvery silk dropped over her head, one sleeve hanging empty as her right arm was cradled against her chest by the sling. “Thanks. They’re uh… silky.” “Only the finest for my friends of course. I’ll get to work on a few variations of those for you.” Shepard nodded. “Maybe from a slightly more sturdy material?” Rarity tilted her head. “Well if you insist I can accommodate. Glad to see you back up and about already of course. Wouldn’t want to miss this mysterious event in Canterlot coming up.” Nodding slowly the woman regarded her new clothes. It was definitely softer than anything she usually wore. “Yeah… I wasn’t sure if I was gonna go or not. But Luna is pretty persuasive.” Rarity turned to the door, the clothes rack levitating after her. “That she is, that she is.” Shepard didn’t miss the little knowing twinkle in the unicorn’s eye as she departed. With a grumpy harrumph she looked to Thunderlane. “What d’you think she meant by that?” Every stallion knew that when a mare started asking questions down this avenue and she wasn’t YOUR mare, there was only one sane answer. Shrug helplessly and feign interest in something other than said mare. Which is exactly what Thunderlane did. *** The small box containing her medal held in her good hand, Shepard was slowly inching her way down the busy main street of Ponyville. A mixture of fatigue and complete lack of footwear kept her from bolting away from the heavily populated area. Not that the population was anything but kind, friendly, and at times slightly curious about her presence. Once it started to get around that she was the heroic mare from last night, just under the influence of poison joke things really started to get exciting. Every pony wanted to shake her hand and personally thank her for saving the town. While the praise was nice the increasing crowd was starting to make the twitchy woman acutely aware of how exposed she was out in the wide open, with no weapons and no armor. “Hey, hey, hey! Give her some space huh?! Cant’cha see she’s nervous? She lives out with Fluttershy for the same reason Flutters lives out there. So just back off a little and let her breathe.” A twinge of annoyance at her living location being handed out to the entire town mixed with her gratitude at Rainbow Dash arriving and scattering the growing crowd. “…thanks.” Dash hovered at eye level, and gave her a playful nudge in her good shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. After what you did last night? We’re friends for life. You officially made the list, congrats. It’s pretty exclusive.” Shepard had to grin at the pegasi’s false smugness… at least she hoped it was. “Well I’m honored Miss Dash. You heading to the hospital?” “Yeah. I hear Thunderlane’s been whining about the Princess kissing you and not him, so I’m gonna go tease the heck out of him about dropping me for Princess Luna already.” “I didn’t know you two were together.” Rainbow Dash flashed a grin. “We’re not. Yet. But nothing gets me hotter than somepony goin’ all out like he did last night. And I knooooow he wants all’a this.” Dash wiggled her flanks suggestively. Shepard laughed, shaking her head. “Well go get him killer. He seems like a pretty great guy. Just hope he can handle you.” “Ha! Nopony can handle ME! But I’ll go easy on him cause he’s injured. Catch ya later Shep!” Shepard’s eyes were unfocused as the pegasus blazed away. She wasn’t seeing Ponyville and it’s cheerful citizens. She was seeing a human woman, much of her face obscured by her hood. The faintest trace of an accent betrayed her Asian descent. “I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way.” They were standing in an office together. The traitorous hanar’s corpse cooling on the floor. “Sorry Shep, we’re friends and all but no way am I following you on another suicide run.” “Shepard-Commander? Are you unwell?” Shepard blinked out of her memories at Legion’s voice. “N-no I’m fine. Just.. remembered another friend I think. Kasumi. Kasumi Goto.” “One moment. Yes there are files on a Kasumi Goto. A master thief, evidently you assisted her with a heist of some sort in exchange for her services.” “A thief? I was friends with a thief? Was I a thief? Maybe some kind of criminal? That’d explain all the guns and extreme penchant for killing things.” Legion was silent for several long minutes as Shepard walked the path to Fluttershy’s. “I do not believe you were a criminal of any sort Shepard-Commander. I have uncovered data that may explain some of your past. The logo on your armor represents an elite military squad in the Alliance, which I presume is human kinds primary military force. I believe you were more likely a special operative of some sort who was forced to work with individuals of questionable character from time to time.” Shepard’s eyes lit up. “Are you saying I was a secret agent?” “That is not at a-“ “Shepard! Elite N7 secret agent! I like the sound of that.” “Yes. Clearly you were a secret agent. No doubt travelling the galaxy wooing all in your path with your amazing charm and wit.” Grinning and nodding as she walked now Shepard chose to take Legions words at face value and ignore the very obvious sarcasm within. “Everything’s coming up Shepard lately don’tcha think?” “You were magically transformed into an alien equine, nearly died, sustained catastrophic damage to your arm, and are still stranded with little memory on a foreign planet that I feel is safe to assume well out of reach of another civilized world.” “But I got magically transformed back! Didn’t die! My arm is MAGICALLY on the mend and my memory is returning! I’ll give you the last point though. Also can we stop saying magic? It still feels wrong.” “Some good news on that front Shepard-Commander. I have discovered how magic works.” Now Legion had her full attention. “You have? But I thought you said it was I dunno, undetectable or something.” “It was undetectable because I did not know how to detect it. Their magic utilizes an as far as I know, until know unknown energy source. Through exhaustive discussion with Twilight Sparkle and after much demonstration I have developed a filter to see this energy. Would you be interested in doing so?” “What? Of course, let’s see it.” No sooner had she finished speaking than she felt a jolt run through her injured arm and toward her eyes. Shepard’s vision blurred momentarily before slowly refocusing. Everywhere she looked the air was filled with tiny particles of… something. They ranged the seven colored spectrum of a rainbow and danced through the air seemingly at random. They were nearly transparent so Shepard had no problem seeing through them, there were simply an infinite amount filling the air. Slowly she waved a hand about watching them dance around and away from her appendage. A bright glow from her hips drew her attention. Her new marks on either hip had an intense glow of magic about them. Looking at her limbs themselves only the faintest bit of color could be seen beneath the skin. For the most party her body was dull and grey save a very clear line of color running from her injured arm toward her heart. “So that’s the healing magic in me? And my hips is my um…” “Your cutie mark. Congratulations by the way Shepard-Commander. If I understand Equestrian society properly you have taken the first steps into adulthood.” “Funny.” Shepard walked slower, swiveling her head left and right and taking in all the sights. With the exception of herself EVERYTHING seemed saturated with the magical energy. The occasional pony she passed on the small dirt lane up to Fluttershy’s were no exceptions. She noted with interest that while earth ponies had a lot circulating through their bodies, pegasus magic was focused in their wings and hooves, while unicorns were focused in their horns. “Ok, so how does all this work. How do they use rainbow stuff in the air to do what they do?” “I have not had the chance to closely study pegasi and earth pony magic. However unicorns use complex mathematics to excite the magical energy in the air. They constantly recite a mental formula in their head which excites the ‘mana’ in the air as they call it. Their horn focuses and directs the ambient mana and produces the desired effect so long as they focus on the proper formula.” Shepard’s face dropped into a disinterested frown. “They cast spells with math?” “That is the simplest explanation, yes.” “The kid in me is incredibly disappointed by all this. So could I cast a spell if I knew the right math?” “No. At the base of a unicorns horn is a small organ they call the ‘carbuncle’. Their horn draws in ambient mana and stores it within the carbuncle. Once it has been excited properly by their mental calculations the organ releases the mana back into the air producing the desired effect. This is simply speculation but I suspect pegasi have similar organs in their wings and hooves that allow flight and weather manipulation. I had hoped to have one of the locals carry me with them during their weather patrol duties in the very near future.” Shepard was busying herself by slowly waving her good hand through the air, watching it push around the mana. “Alright, what about earth ponies?” “Personally I feel they are the most interesting. They absorb mana directly from the ground beneath their hooves, internalizing it and using it to enhance their already impressive musculature. I am unsure if they do this consciously or not. My brief observations have determined they can release some of this stored mana back into the ground, which causes their crops to grow or allows them to ‘grow’ gems and other minerals. Again I hope to study this closer in the near future, perhaps at Miss Applejack’s orchard.” “Alright turn off the magic detector, it’s getting a little too psychedelic for me out here.” She felt a small jolt run through her body again as the colors faded. “So is this energy off world? Like could other species harness it somehow?” “Unknown. It is possible. If other species have no means of detecting the mana around them it may very well exist throughout the galaxy universally. I will not know until we get off planet.” “If we get off planet.” “Indeed.” They walked in silence for a time after that sobering thought. “So how’d you guys fix all my implants? They have the same alloys we do?” “No. Some similar metals exist but I was forced to improvise on repairs for your omni-tool and many of the other metals in your ruined implants. Fortunately the Equestrian’s have some unique metals native to their world. The bulk of your implants in your right arm now contain a mineral they term ‘mithral’. It’s conductive properties are greater than anything my data base has encountered, and I am assured it is the strongest metal to be found on this world.” Shepard’s eyes drifted back toward her bandaged arm. “So I have weird magic metal in me now too?” “Actually it would be more accurate to say you have ‘anti-magic’ metal in you. It is my understanding that mithral armor repels many forms of magical attack.” There was a pause before Legion spoke again. “Shepard-Commander I am detecting an unusually high amount of perspiration for such a simple walk. I have installed a wireless transmitter that I can access remotely in Twilight Sparkle’s home. Should I contact her for assistance?” Shepard shook her head with a frown. “No. Just… a little tired. I did almost blow my own arm off.” “Yes. You should have asked for assistance in returning home in the first place.” With a grumpy huff Shepard trudged on ignoring Legion’s sound advice. With some relief she saw the cottage come into view and she let out a faint sigh. Spotting Fluttershy starting to make her way from the cottage Shepard lifted a hand in greeting. The demure pegasus rushed over eyes wide. “Oh my goodness! Shepherd you walked all the way from the hospital alone? Why didn’t you wait? Didn’t Rainbow Dash tell you I was on my way?” “Uh… no. She did not. But hey I’m here! All on my own like a big girl and everything.” Fluttershy just sighed softly and walked next to Shepard. “I didn’t mean it like that, but you were hurt very badly. Your body needs time to rest and recover. As it is I think Canterlot isn’t a very good idea.” Shepard offered the fretting mare a small smile. “I’m fine, really. A little worn out but I’ve got all today and tomorrow to loaf around and get better. Plus this is just some fancy party for royalty right? It’s not like it’s going to be a huge strain.” “Well you’re right. And you’re home now, that’s what matters. Would you like something to eat?” Shepard stopped listening after ‘home now’. Was she home now? Part of her was worried about her campsite in the Everfree. Obviously she couldn’t go back out there in her current condition. Then there was the fact that this wasn’t even her world. She may have lost most of her memory but she was reasonably sure of that at least. The mystery of who she used to be was ever so slowly unraveling. She’d suspected she was military of some sort but Legion confirming it filled in a big piece of the puzzle. The question weighing on her mind the last few days however, was if she became the woman she was, what happened to the woman she IS? Was the old Shepard incredibly different from the Shepard she was now? What if the old Shepard liked daffodil sandwiches and hated s’mores? That was a pretty horrifying thought. “…Shepherd are you alright? I think you should lie down while I fix you some lunch.” Shepard blinked out of her reverie at Fluttershy’s voice. “Oh uh… yeah sorry. Just thinking y’know?” “No need to apologize. You’re a big hero after all.” Cheeks reddening a little Shepard stepped into her addition to the cottage. Delicately she set the box with her medal on the stand by her bed. “Don’t you start that. Besides from what I’ve heard you and your friends are pretty big heroes. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra. It’s a pretty impressive rap sheet. All I’ve done is kill a hydra and kill a dragon. I guess if there are big reptile problems I’m your woman.” “Well. You’re the hero of Ponyville today at the very least. And the hero of Ponyville deserves some fresh cupcakes courtesy of Pinkie Pie.” As Fluttershy brought in the bright white bakery box, Shepard’s thoughts turned from embarrassed about her new hero status, to wondering if there were any more giant monsters that needed killing. Free cupcakes were a great motivator. *** “No.” “Shepherd be reasonable, I promise to be gentle.” “Absolutely not.” “Trust me darling it won’t hurt a bit! I’m quite experienced with this sort of thing, even if you’re not exactly the shape I’m used to.” Shepard glowered at the fashion-centric unicorn. “I’m not wearing a dress.” “But Shepherd this is CANTERLOT! We’re the personal guests of the Princess for a very important function. The other girls all have THEIR dresses already.” Rarity sighed dramatically, looking away. Though if anypony could see her face they’d detect a cunning glint in her eyes. “It’s just such a shame.” Despite herself Shepard had to ask. “What is?” “Well if I remember correctly this is Princess Luna’s first big function since her return. The nobility have all been a little skittish around her you see? I know she was SO looking forward to seeing you. I guess you can just show up in your regular old armor. She won’t be too disappointed I’m sure.” Rarity caught Shepard chewing her lip from the corner of her eye. ‘Gotcha.’ “Alright! Alright fine but nothing you know… too flashy. I don’t want to walk in there and sparkle like a disco ball. And do your best to you know…” Shepard motioned toward her shoulders. “Not to worry, your dress is very conservative.” Shepard frowned. “You say that like it’s already done.” “Well…” Rarity’s horn ignited with magic as she slide open a curtain to reveal a long silvery gown. It was a light material, obviously primarily silk like most of what she’d made for her so far. The skirt was long; coming down a bit passed her knee. The neckline was a bit deeper than she’d have liked but it wasn’t too bad. A paler sash hung loosely ready to be fastened around her waist. “Huh. Actually that’s not too…” Then her eyes drifted to the brooch that would pin the sash. “…what is that?” “Oh! Well I was a little iffy about it myself but Legion insisted it was perfect.” It was fortunate the window happened to be open. Seconds after Rarity finished speaking a perfectly shaped jeweled pin of a parasprite soared through the air to land a good ways from the boutique. Licking her lips and forcing a smile Rarity cleared her throat. “Perhaps… a different pin.” “Perhaps.” The woman ran her hands over the smooth material. “I like it Rarity. Where’re the shoes?” Rarity smiled and laid a pair of slippers at Shepard’s feet. Very thin, silk slippers. “…where’s the rest of them?” “Whatever do you mean rest of them? They go perfectly with the dress.” “Rarity they’re paper thin. I don’t have hooves remember? I need protection for my feet.” Rarity’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh! Oh no how could I have overlooked something so obvious? The shame! The humiliation! Oh what must you think of me?!” “It’s fine! It’s fine! Don’t worry really. It’s no problem, I’ll get by.” Rarity peeked out from under the foreleg she had dramatically flung over her face. “I’m every so sorry. If I had the time I’d happily find something to reinforce them with.” Shepard shook her head with a faint smile. “It’s fine. You’ve done MORE than enough for me, really. The dress is great. The clothes are great. Though don’t take Legion’s advice on anything for anything involving my tastes, alright?” “Oh of course. Not if you’ll excuse me I have to see Pinkie Pie for something very important. I’ll see you at the train station Shepherd.” Raising an eyebrow at the mare’s sudden departure Shepard looked to Sweetie Belle still watching from the door. “What was that all about?” Sweetie just shook her head. “When it comes to my sister, I don’t ask.” With a knowing nod Shepard looked back to the dress. Her dress. “…she knows how to make a dress though huh?” “It’s her special talent!” Some of the excitement left the fillies voice as she focused on Shepard’s hips, where the tips of the star making up her own mark could just faintly be seen over the waistband of her pants. “Ehe… well I should get ready to go. I’ll catch you later.” She beat a hasty retreat of her own. The cutie mark crusaders had been less than pleased that she received a cutie mark after being a pony for two days. The walk back to the cottage was a slow one. She was feeling better physically but it seemed like just about every pony liked to stop and say hi. At first she assumed it was because of what she’d done the other day, but observing the friendly and open citizens of Ponyville she realized this is just how they treated all their neighbors. Which she supposed she counter herself among now. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world she decided. *** “Luna.” “What about this one? It is certainly eye catching is it not? A ‘Rarity original’ I am told by the shop keep. I had to have her enlarge it a bit of course but I do think it rides just right on my flank…” “Luna for goodness sake. Don’t you think you’re being a bit… silly about this Shepherd business?” Luna looked from her reflection in the mirror where she was admiring herself in the latest of a growing pile of potential outfits for the evening. “What do you mean?” Celestia frowned gently as she considered her phrasing. “I agree she’s an impressive… woman.” The unfamiliar rolled felt awkward to her. “She has a vibrant spirit and a good heart but she’s… not like us sister.” It was Luna’s turn to frown. “She is not like us? And that means I cannot show any interest in her Celestia? We do not look the same so there is no chance for affection to grow between the two of us? I am not intending to ask her to marry me this evening. I simply wish to explore the prospect.” “Luna it’s not just that. She’s from an entirely different world. What are you going to do when her people come looking for her?” Luna’s ears splayed against her will at the idea. “I… well of course her people are looking for her. She is the greatest hero they have ever had after all. She is also a great hero here in Equestria now too I remind you.” “I’m not disputing her heroism Luna; just… she has a temperamental disposition. She is capable of great violence when roused. From all we’ve heard she has little to no difficulty taking a life if she’s placed in a situation where it’s an option.” “You may have forgotten the years of war and bloodshed we saw during, and after Discord’s reign Celestia but to me it is as if I wielded my blades on the field of battle not long ago at all. While you have had a millennium to grow calm and perfect in all your judgments and decisions I was in a dreamless slumber. I remember quite well the many lives that fell to your magic and sword. We were warriors once ourselves. I still am. I am glad beyond measure my skills are not needed in this time of peace and tolerance but they remain honed. I find myself tense around griffon or minotaur ambassadors. It is… not easy to forget the blood spilled.” Celestia’s expression softened. “Lulu if you’re having troubles why haven’t you talked to me? I’m here for you.” “So you claim. Yet you claim you are too busy most days to even have lunch with me. Upon my return I made it a point many a day to remain awake throughout the morning until noontime so we might dine together. I spent my last birthday alone in my tower. Only Noteworthy had good wishes for me. You were away in Saddle Arabia if I recall correctly.” “Luna you know I love you but I have so much to do. There seems to be a new problem all the time, I try to make as much time as I can for you but my duties…” Luna lifted a hoof sharply to stop her sister’s words. “I understand your duties are many and important. Duties you do not wish to share with me. I raise my moon and chase away your subjects’ nightmares. And truthfully I am not as resentful as I make it sound. That being said…” The younger Princess rounded on the elder. “…if I finally find somepony to call friend, to empathize with and see some of myself in whether she be a strange alien from beyond the stars or a… a talking boulder I would at the very LEAST expect my elder sister to allow me the opportunity to get to know this friend as best I can. If said friend holds more interest than simple friendship for me I expect my sister to allow me the chance to explore those feelings without her looking down her nose at this friend. Now if you will excuse me Celestia, I wish to get ready alone.” Celestia frowned. “Lulu...” She was interrupted by Luna’s horn flashing brightly. When her vision cleared she was sitting in her throne room. Snorting in irritation she looked to a surprised Noteworthy. “Sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with her Noteworthy. She acts like a filly still.” Her aide nervously licked her lips. “Princess if I may…” At Celestia’s nod she continued. “…well she’s barely a mare.” Celestia regarded her personal assistant with a raised eyebrow. “I think she’s been around a little bit longer than most mares in Equestria, Noteworthy.” Clearing her throat now and looking more uncomfortable all the while the unicorn shook her head. “I beg your pardon Princess, but existing for over a thousand years is a very different thing than LIVING for over a thousand. Princess Luna was only nineteen when she was banished to the moon for a millennia. Technically she is one thousand and twenty two years old; however a thousand of those years were spent in a magically induced slumber.” Celestia stared at Noteworthy in silence long enough for the aide to grow uncomfortable. “How is it my little ponies manage to see so much that I miss Noteworthy? I feel like such a fool.” Noteworthy offered her Princess a smile. “Now now, no need for that Princess. You run an entire kingdom after all. Though if you don’t mind a suggestion?” “Of course not.” “Give Princess Luna more to do. Much of her restlessness stems from boredom. Princess Cadance is busy running the Crystal Empire of course, but you have Princess Twilight ready, willing, and QUITE eager to take on some duties of her own. I’m not suggesting you turn over the yearly budget for the kingdom or have them deal with the nobility of course. But perhaps Princess Twilight could handle some of the daily petitioners; she’s certainly memorized every law in the books. Princess Luna would no doubt enjoy ambassadorial duties. I think it would be good for her to get out among our allies. It would go to great lengths to help her get over her unease around them.” Shaking her head with a bemused smile Celestia sighed. “Noteworthy perhaps you should wear this crown instead of me.” Her aide backed away hastily. “Are you kidding? You couldn’t get me to do the amount of paperwork you slog through every day for all the bits in Equestria.” Celestia laughed softly at that, but she still looked to Luna’s tower with a worried gaze. “Make it a point to be kind to this Shepherd human tonight Princess. Show your sister that what she is doesn’t matter to you as much as who she is. Which personally I feel should be the case anyhow. Discriminating against somepony for their race goes against just about everything I’ve learned from you.” Now the Princess had an annoyed snort for Noteworthy. “I understand. I think I’m just being overprotective of my little sister.” Noteworthy finally smiled. “It’s an older sibling’s duty to be over protective. Just don’t drive your sister away in the process. Caution is fine, being over cautious doesn’t help anypony.” “Right again as always it would seem of late. Give yourself a raise Noteworthy.” Her aide raised her eyebrows. “Are you kidding? Having to deal with your schedule day to day, the pranks, the nobles, the rude ambassadors? I give myself a raise every month.” Celestia’s laughter rang through the halls of Canterlot castle. *** The sun was well on its way to setting when the train rolled into Canterlot station. Plenty of ponies were coming and going, but all gave a wide berth to the six mares, one dragon, and one human that made their way off the platform. Shepard shifted uncomfortably at all the eyes focused on her. “Is it gonna be like this everywhere I go?” Twilight offered an apologetic smile. “Ponies can be a little skittish around something new. Especially when it looks as intimidating as you do.” “I’m in a silver silk dress! One of my arms is bandaged and in a sling tight against my arm! How is that intimidating?! Clearing her throat gently Fluttershy tapped Shepard’s hip. “I don’t think all the yelling is helping.” Shepard looked around to find most of the ponies about looking at her somewhat fearfully now. She finally recalled the ‘predator’ vibe she tended to give off around the ponies. “Ehe… sorry folks. Sorry…” She picked up her pace and hastily climbed into the waiting carriage. The others piled in right behind her. Applejack tilting her hat back and giving the woman a grin. “Don’t fret too much about makin’ a good impression in Canterlot anyway. Just about everypony has their nose stuck so far in the air they ain’t gonna pay ya more’n a quick glance anyhow.” Nodding silently she fidgeted with some of the interfaces on her omni-tool. Bringing up the magic filter she regarded the ponies around herself curiously. Like Legion had said earth ponies had it spread faintly throughout their bodies. Pegasi was the wings and hooves, Rarity it was all in her horn. Twilight however was filled with so much magic throughout her entire body it hurt Shepard a little to focus on her too long. Still it was entertaining watching all the colorful little particles swirl through the air as the carriage rumbled through the streets. Shepard leaned against the window watching the buildings pass by. One thing she noticed and didn’t like were how the ponies seemed to be ignoring one another. Maybe Ponyville was the exception to the rest of Equestria? Were all the other settlements like this or like Ponyville? Her eyes were drawn to what could only be the castle. The beautiful towering parapets and fanciful construction drew a smile from her. There was a line of carriages lining the way up to the castle. It wasn’t too long a wait until it was their turn to exit. Shepard followed the natives out and up the long walk to the castle entrance. “Hello Shepherd.” She looked to the left and was momentarily stunned into silence. The radiant silver and midnight blue hues of mana swirling in and around Princess Luna’s body were arguably the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Beautiful but it was growing painful to look too long. Almost regretfully she dismissed the magic filter returning to normal sight. “Uh… Hey Luna.” The Princess smiled radiantly. She was wearing a dress of a similar silver color to Shepard’s. Certainly not missing the similarities Shepard looked to Rarity who was busying herself looking everywhere but at the woman. “You look wonderful this evening.” Her eyes drifted down the woman’s form, to her feet. Where the boots of her armor were clearly standing out against the shimmering silver silk. “How is your arm?” Shepard shrugged and fell into step with the Princess. The others had gone on ahead allowing them to walk at a leisurely pace. Rather than into the main castle Luna was leading Shepard to a side path toward the gardens. “Just fine. I took one of the pain pills before we left so I should be good to go all night. Aren’t we supposed to go in there?” Instead of Answering Luna just kept walking. “Is Legion with you this evening?” “Oh uh… no he’s with Twilight Sparkle. He felt he would learn more being carted around by her all night than me. Which is probably true.” The moon was working its way up into the sky illuminating the garden with bright moonlight. Shepard took a moment to admire the sprawling gardens sporting flowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors. “Wow.” “Only the finest earth pony gardeners tend the gardens here. Celestia makes it a point to rotate the head gardener every year and allow them total creative freedom to redesign the arrangements out here.” Not knowing what else to say Shepard gave an eloquent. “Oh yeah?” Chuckling softly Luna nodded. “Indeed. I suppose the day to day affairs of the castle gardens are not terribly interesting are they?” Laughing herself Shepard shrugged. “No it is, sorry I’m just not sure y’know… is this ok? Us being alone like this? Aren’t you a Princess? There aren’t guards about to jump out at me are there?” “I assure you no one will disturb us. For the most part everypony is too terrified of provoking ‘Nightmare Moon’s wrath to come near me unless absolutely necessary.” Tentatively Shepard rested a hand on the regal alicorns shoulder. “It’s not that bad is it?” “…not entirely, no. The good citizens of Ponyville are very kind and welcoming toward me. And there are some fine ponies here in Canterlot I enjoy the occasional talk with. But I am more like you than you may suspect. I have taken many lives in my time, all necessary but still… the blood is hard to wash away.” Shepard found herself nodding as she listened to the Princess. The way her mane constantly shifted and undulated in the air was distracting, but in a pleasant way. Likewise the Princess’ floral scent was just as pleasantly distracting. “I’m remembering more all the time. Some of the uh… things I did.” “Would you like to talk about it?” Shepard met Luna’s beautiful teal eyes with her own vivid emerald orbs. She held the gaze for a moment before looking away. “This morning I remembered this… I can’t think of the name. It was a four eyed alien with sharp teeth, a terrorist. He had a gun on me. I could have talked him down or threatened him into backing down but… I took his gun and shot him. I killed him right there like… like it was nothing. He’d done horrible things, killed so many people but…” Shepard shook her head slowly. “Is that who I was? Executing anyone I thought deserved it without a second thought?” “…the years after Discord was deposed were filled with blood and turmoil. The history books like to gloss it over as a ‘time of disharmony’ and leave it at that. However with the draconequus gone griffons, minotaur’s, dragons, and other monsters attacked Equestria en masse. My sister and I were of course the vanguard of Equestria’s defense. The bards wrote songs of Celestia on the battlefield, in her golden armor cutting a swath through our enemies.” Luna had Shepard’s full attention now. “No songs were written about me. My talents lay more in infiltration, assassination. Eliminating high profile targets was my forte. At times I would slip into their dreams and simply… snuff the life from them. At others my blades did the work. I was quite skilled with them; I still am I suppose though I have had no chance to test myself. My very last mission was to remove a dragoness who was instigating her fellows to continue their attacks even though they were clearly defeated.” Luna closed her eyes with a shuddering sigh. “To Celestia it has been over a thousand years. To me significantly less time has passed. I remember with perfect clarity stealing into the target’s caverns. It was a fledgling dragoness, buying the loyalty of her fellows with precious gems only she knew the location of. I attempted reasoning with her, she attacked. She was young, foolish, and unskilled. I could have easily disabled her and simply returned her to Equestria for imprisonment. Instead I stabbed her through the heart after I tired of toying with her.” She smiled wanly to the silently watching woman. “I had no malice for the dragoness. In truth I cared neither one way or the other about her. She was simply another target who needed to be removed. For the good of Equestria yes, she was responsible for dozens of pony deaths but still… I killed her without thought or feeling. It was not until the war times passed and I found myself with nothing to do that the Nightmare arose from within me. All the darkness, sadness, loneliness I’d been bottling up erupted most violently. My sister was forced to wield our most powerful weapon to seal me away without killing me.” “I am telling you all this so you know, you are not alone. You are not the only one who has done harsh things for the greater good. I very much know how you feel, at least in some regard. Obviously I have not rushed about the stars righting wrongs and saving entire planets…” Shepard tilted her head smiling softly. “No… no I get it. And I think maybe it might be nice to just sit and talk about this stuff with someone who understands. Fluttershy and her friends are great but…” “But they would not understand.” Shepard nodded. “No, they wouldn’t.” Luna brushed a wing gently across Shepard’s shoulders. “Well come, let us enter the castle hm? Celestia was quite insistent we both be in attendance for her announcement.” Nodding once Shepard walked with Luna into the castle. She received a few looks from the guards but none of them said a thing or made a move to stop her. The pair wove through the various halls toward the sound of chattering voices. Crossing to the other end of the castle they stepped out onto a large terrace. Tables of food, bowls of punch, and mingling ponies were all around. Shepard peered over the edge of the balcony seeing several large objects hidden by a sheet. This held her interest for about ten seconds before she noticed the vast assortment of cakes filling the dessert table. Heedless of the many looks she was receiving she quick stepped to the mouthwatering delicacies and started loading up as best she could with one hand. “The custard filled are my favorite.” Shepard looked back, mouth full of said custard filled pastry to find Luna’s older sister regarding her with a faint smile. Swallowing the huge bite she smiled back. “Yeah uh, they’re pretty good.” “Enjoying the party?” Looking around from the somewhat snooty looking nobles doing their best to ignore her friends from Ponyville, as well as Princess Luna herself Shepard gave a half-hearted shrug. “Sure?” Shepard found herself having a difficult time looking away from the Princess’ violet eyes. They were a rich, deep color like Luna’s but seemed infinitely more fathomless. As if she’d seen more than any living thing ought to. “Stay for the after party, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it more.” With a little wink she cantered off to speak softly with Twilight and her sister. Shepard was soon joined by the Ponyville natives as the Princess stepped up to a small stage near the sheet covered objects. “Fillies and gentlecolts, if I could have your attention for just a moment?” The crowd silenced immediately and all eyes turned to Celestia. “Thank you everypony. I’m very glad so many of you chose to come be a part of Equestrian history this evening. Sometime ago a proposal crossed my desk that many ponies might have thought far too fanciful to ever consider being real but I was intrigued. I have long encouraged my little ponies to better themselves not only through magic, but the sciences as well. So many of you have taken this to heart and I am very proud.” “With that in mind, allow me to introduce Professor Star Gazer. The mare in charge of this momentous project and the designer of these miraculous devices here beside me.” An obviously nervous unicorn mare stepped forward. Her coat was an inky black with a silvery mane and tail, her cutie mark a number of stars across her flank. “The good professor asked a question many of us ask. What is beyond the stars? What mysteries lay in the sprawling sea of blackness over head? Unlike many of us, myself included… the Professor decided asking wasn’t enough. She had to know.” At a nod from her Princess the Professor’s horn glowed with a blackish aura, seizing the sheets and lifting them away. Beneath were six strange orb shaped objects. Magical runes and sigils covered them from front to back. Lining the orbs were a multitude of small camera lenses. The mare cleared her throat. “Ah… good evening everypony. My team and I have decided to call these devices ‘space probes’. Their function is to be launched into space and with a combination of star light, mana batteries, and speed enhancing spells they will be launched from Equestria in several directions. As most of you can see we have cameras installed in each. They will periodically take photographs and store them inside the probe. After their three year journey completes, a stored teleportation spell will trigger and return them to Equestria, where we can recover the pictures and well… hopefully learn more about what’s out there beyond the stars.” As soon as she finished the crowd erupted with questions, jibes, and one shout of how this idea was utterly insane. Celestia cleared her throat and instantly brought silence to the crowd. “I myself worked with the Professor’s team to ensure the spells would work properly. Our own Princess Twilight Sparkle assisted with the inner machinery. We’re confident the devices will work as intended, and in three short years we may very well learn more about outer space than we’ve learned in centuries of study. And now without further ado… Twilight, Luna, would you care to join the Professor in the launch of these devices?” Obviously they had expected this, and the two Princesses hefted a pair of the devices with their magic, the Professor doing the same. Several of the sigils glowed brightly, reflecting each spell casters aura as one by one the probes streaked away from the balcony and into the night sky, rapidly dwindling to colorful points in space. Shepard watched the whole presentation in tense silence. She didn’t move until her omni-tool flickered to life. “Shepard-Commander. I assisted Twilight Sparkle with some of the circuitry in her devices. While doing so I took the liberty of embedding the S.O.S. code as well. With any luck one of these probes will be picked up by a proper space faring race.” Rather than the excitement Legion expected, Shepard’s looking only grew more troubles at the news. Her eyes fixed firmly on the night sky as the colorful probes disappeared from sight.