Codex updated: entries added
New entry: 'The Conversion Bureau'
The Conversion Bureau was the name given to the section of the Equestria government charged with the alteration of as much of the galaxy's sapient life as possible into Ponies to live inside Equestrian borders.
Shortly after determining the state of the galaxy (which was in the midst of the Reaper War) the Conversion Bureau hit upon the idea of offering themselves as a 'safe place', a nation that the Reapers would be physically unable to enter or attack, due to the anti-technological Barrier. As planned, they immediately had much of the refugees of the galaxy seeking asylum inside their borders. That choice between being a pony or being a husk was seen as a 'no-brainer'.
However, shortly after Equestria began to hit refugee saturation, the renowned SPECTER Commander Shepard managed to secure an audience with Equestria's ruler, Princess Celestia. Before, she had refused all communication with the outside world unless it was with the Conversion Bureau.
With the hard and fast persuasion that the Commander was famous for, Shepard managed to convince the Princess that not even Equestria's Barrier would save them from the Reapers when they turned their attention to her world. Thus, Equestria simply could not afford to 'sit the war out'.
Equestria's troop contribution to the Alliance was minimal: the still planet-bound civilization had less then ten thousand trained troops to its name. The main contribution the nation was famous for were the 'Safe-Zone' spells. Based on the original Barrier, these were designed as anti-Reaper defenses, and affected Reaper technology only, allowing allied troops the ability to rest and recuperate where they were safe from counter-attacks.
The Safe-Zone spell was not a perfect defense. As Shepard pointed out to the Princess originally, they were still vulnerable to sabotage from Indoctrinated troops. Additionally, the Safe-Zone spell was Alicorn-level, meaning only four individuals in the entire galaxy could cast one. Naturally, those four were prime targets for Reaper assassination/Indoctrination, and the utmost care was taken to ensure their safety.
However, this had the result of exposing the troops of Equestria, as well as its four most influential inhabitants, to the battlefields and planets all across the galaxy. They marveled at the grace of the Asari, the toughness of the Krogan, the sheer determination of the Humans, and the forgiveness of the recently-reconciled Quarians and Geth. They saw the cultures of the galaxy in the rawness that only war can bring.
After the war's conclusion, not only had the driving force behind the refugee influx disappeared, but the motivation behind the backers of the Conversion Bureau had disappeared as well. The Conversion Bureau was officially dissolved in 2188.