//------------------------------// // CHAPTER 16 // Story: Those Who Live On // by SpartanD014 //------------------------------// CHAPTER 16 One month later A gentle breeze blew through Talat, the capital city of Sur’Kesh. The sound of rustling leaves mingled with city noise; skycars flying from building to building, machinery repairing damaged skyscrapers, and the steady hum of voices from the streets below. Twilight Sparkle stood on the balcony of her guest room, looking out at the expansive metropolis. Hundreds of buildings dotted the skyline, each one teeming with life. The pony smiled, her mane blowing gently in the wind. Returning to the interior of her room, Twilight took a seat at a desk that provided a pleasant view of the city. Laid out before her was a portable computer, as well as several hundred pieces of parchment. Each piece had numerous paragraphs explaining the finer details of Equis’s introduction to the galaxy. Among them also were shortened versions of Equestria’s law code, its government structure, and general history. Twilight was busy at work transferring the documents to a digital format, ensuring that every piece of vital information was stored. The “keyboard” worked surprisingly well with her hooves; it had been altered from its regular design to accommodate the larger appendages, and she sat comfortably at around 80 words per minute. Slowly but steadily, the pile of parchment was worked through, and made accessible on the “Extranet.” The concept of the Extranet still baffled Twilight; a massive store of information, accessibly anywhere at any time by anyone. It was like a library with all of the knowledge in the galaxy, and she could find anything at a moment’s notice. A knock sounded on the door. Not looking away from her computer, Twilight called out to the visitor. “Come in!” The door slid open, and Princess Luna stepped in. Her ethereal mane moved slowly, and a set of bags rested beneath her eyes. She offered a grin as she crossed to Twilight’s desk, her heavy hoofsteps echoing through the room. “Hello, Luna,” Twilight greeted, smiling. “How did the meeting go?” “It went quite” - Luna paused to yawn – “well. The ponies will be granted an embassy on the Citadel as soon as repairs are complete. This gives us plenty of time to read over the council laws, and to appoint an ambassador.” “That’s good to hear,” Twilight said. “And what about Equestria? When do we return?” “A ship is coming tomorrow,” Luna answered. “We will go back and relay all that has happened in our time here. Has Legion sent you the book yet, by the way?” Twilight shook her head, and switched her computer to the messaging tab. “Not yet,” she replied. “Somepony else had to finish teaching him our alphabet, which took a bit longer. He did tell me that he was nearly done translating it, though.” Luna nodded, sitting down on a nearby chair. “Good,” she said, summoning a glass of water. She took a few sips before placing it down next to her. “Any more news from home?” Twilight paused, searching through her messages. “Well, Rainbow Dash is still recovering. The wound was deep, but not particularly bad. She’ll be back to normal in a few more weeks. Griffon rehabilitation is still ongoing, but results so far show promise. They anticipate that Gryphonia will be able to run itself again in a year, under the control of Prime Minister Proudwing. And obviously Legion is back, for which we have Tali to thank. He’s finishing up some things on Equis, then he’ll be heading to Rannoch to try recovering the geth.” “So… back to normal, then?” Luna smirked, taking another sip of her drink. “As normal as our new lives can be,” Twilight replied, laughing. She powered down her computer and stepped away from the desk, moving back out to the balcony. Luna joined her a moment later, stretching her wings. “Luna…” Twilight began. “Do you ever stop to think about how… how mind-blowing all of this is? I mean, for the past few thousand years, our two cultures have existed, and only now have our paths crossed. It’s… amazing.” Luna nodded. “It is amazing,” she agreed. “So much history has been made… and now we can make even more. Together.” “Together,” Twilight said, smiling. The two princesses stood in silence for a moment, before Luna looked to her companion. “By the way, we have been invited to dinner with the newly-appointed Council,” she said. “I am told it will not be a meeting, but I am somewhat skeptical.” Twilight laughed, and nodded. “I’ll get ready, then,” she said. “Ready to make more history?” Smiling, Luna nodded and crossed to the door. “Quite ready.” The princess of the night exited Twilight’s room, leaving the younger princess alone. With a sigh, Twilight crossed to her closet and looked through the selection of dresses. Selecting one that she figured would be appropriate, Twilight began to put it on. Pausing to fix her mane, the princess exited her room, heading for the dining hall… One week later… Tali nervously paced back and forth, her mind and heart racing. Occasionally she would divert her attention to a nearby door, but it stubbornly remained closed with no hint of activity. Finally stopping her pacing, Tali tried to calm herself with a simple breathing exercise. In… she thought, breathing in on a count of four. And out… In… and out… After the first few breaths, it became clear to Tali that her exercise was having no effect, and she continued pacing. “Tali, are you sure you are okay?” Twilight Sparkle asked, standing by an observation window at the other side of the room. Outside was a sea of stars, with Earth in the lower half. Floating above the blue world was the remains of the Citadel; the five arms floated freely several kilometers away from the ruined Presidium, and debris from the Crucible littered the area behind the station. “I’m…” Tali began, pausing. “No. I’m nervous. Terrified, really…” Twilight cantered over to the quarian, placing a hoof on her hand. “Don’t worry,” she said, smiling warmly. “It will be okay. I’m sure he will be overjoyed to see you again.” Tali nodded, not speaking. She simply stood in the center of the waiting room, Twilight’s comment having calmed her down. She felt her heart rate returning to normal, and her mind began to clear. The moment of serenity was shattered as the door opened, and a human nurse stepped out. Tali and Twilight both turned to the door, Tali immediately crossing to the nurse. “He’s ready,” the nurse said. “Just, please try to keep physical contact to a minimum. He is still healing, and any discomfort will only make things worse.” Nodding, Tali stepped past the nurse and walked through the door, which opened into a short hallway. At the end was another door, guarded by a single Alliance marine. He opened the door for Tali, who very slowly stepped inside. Twilight entered the hallway behind her, but stopped at the second door. The room beyond the hallway was small, and brightly colored. The walls, floors, and ceiling were all a glossy white, and a screen on one wall showed the view from one of the ship’s external cameras. Tali continued looking around, and her eyes caught sight of a bed against the wall adjacent to the door. Next to it was a bedside table, filled with flowers and “get well soon” cards. Laying in the bed, eyes closed, was Shepard. Smiling behind her mask, and feeling tears of joy beginning to form, Tali silently approached the bed. She noticed one of his ears shifting as he managed to hear her approach, and a soft smile formed on his lips. “Hey, Tali…” he said. Finally he opened his eyes, and looked upon Tali. Taking a deep breath, Tali took another step toward Shepard, unable to contain her smile. “Hi…” she said, taking his hand in hers. The lovers remained silent for a moment, simply losing themselves in each other’s eyes. Tali felt happiness rising up within her, the fears she felt prior to the reunion entirely disappearing. Tears of joy flowed freely down her cheeks, and she took Shepard into a light hug, keeping the nurse’s warning in mind. “I was so worried…” she whispered, pulling away. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.” Shepard smirked, trying to mask some pain he felt from the hug. “You told me to come back to you,” he said. “I wasn’t about to let you down.” Nodding, Tali grasped his hand once again, sitting down on a nearby stool. “So, what’ve I missed?” Shepard asked. “Nothing too exciting, I’m guessing?” Tali laughed, shaking her head. “On the contrary…” the quarian looked behind her at the door, where she could just barely see a lavender horn sticking through the threshold. “You can come in.” Twilight shyly entered, her bright eyes constantly moving between Shepard and the floor. “John, allow me to introduce Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Tali said, looking to the Commander. His mouth was agape, his eyes not moving away from the pony. “Um…” “I understand this is a lot to take in,” Tali continued. “And it’s a long story. But we’ve got nowhere to be, so I’ll gladly—“ Tali was unable to finish her sentence as Shepard fell back into his pillow, fainting. She leaned forward, concerned, but a quick glance at his health monitor showed that the human was still alright. Tali sighed, looking to Twilight. “Maybe that wasn’t the best way to introduce you…” she said as the nurse re-entered, checking on Shepard. Twilight nodded in agreement, stepping further into the room and taking a seat by Tali. They both watched over the human, observing the steady rise-and-fall of his chest. He would wake again soon enough, and Tali would go over the story, a bit slower this time. For the time being, Tali was content to sit in the presence of the man she loved, with one of her new friends at her side. And for the first time in months, Tali felt no fear. The rest of the galaxy did not matter. Right now, there was only the three of them, together, making history. And, for the first time in her life, Tali was at peace. A heavy wind blew over the barren landscape of Rannoch, blowing dust and sand through the air and making visibility difficult. The only sound was that of the wind; in this remote part of the planet, there was nothing else to make sound. And in the distance, a single light blinked. First it blinked green, then blue, keeping a steady rhythm and serving as a beacon to the two figures. Legion trekked through the storm, the light of his eye piercing the sand and dust and lighting the way to the blinking lights. Princess Luna walked behind the geth, a bubble of magic keeping the storm from irritating her. She squinted to see clearly, trusting Legion to lead the way. “Why would you build a base all the way out here!?” she yelled, struggling to be heard over the winds. “These conditions are hazardous to organics,” Legion replied calmly, the volume of his voice elevated. “They cannot survive for extended periods of time here. Additionally, the almost constant sandstorms disrupt sensors. It makes the base more secure.” Luna shook her head, though she did understand the logic. Finally they reached the source of the blinking lights; it was a tall tower, with a similar design to the ship Legion had used all those months ago. At the base of the tower was a door, which opened into an elevator. Legion and Luna stepped inside, and the elevator began to descend automatically. “Are you sure you will find something here?” Luna asked, looking to her companion. “No,” he replied. Luna waited for more, but did not receive anything. Eventually the elevator reached its destination: a small, dark room with a single computer terminal on one side. “This is the main server hub?” Luna asked, stepping out of the elevator and looking around. “It’s not as large as I imagined.” “The hub is all around us,” Legion said, crossing to the terminal and powering it up. “It extends for over two kilometers in all directions. This is only the control area. Maintenance access tunnels are hidden throughout the rest of the desert.” He began typing on the terminal, bringing up hundreds of small windows, each one displaying lines of data. The geth absorbed the information, learning all that he could. When he was done, he stepped away. “Well?” Luna asked, hopeful that something could be done. “… Very little remains…” Legion replied after a pause. “We have found traces of the geth source code, as well as what we believe to be the Reaper upgrades. When contact was lost with the geth on Earth, the ones here must have made backups.” “Can you use them?” “That remains to be seen…” Legion activated his omni-tool and downloaded all that he could onto it. “We will continue working on recovery elsewhere. We… thank you for accompanying us, Luna-Princess.” “After all you have done for us, it’s the least I could do.” Luna offered a smile, and turned to the elevator. “Now come, let us leave this place.” Nodding, Legion crossed to the elevator and entered, followed by Luna. It began its ascent, and Legion did not speak. “You know…” Luna began, hesitating. “If it… if it doesn’t work, you… are always welcome in Equestria. As an ally, a hero, and a close friend.” Legion nodded, electing not to speak. The elevator arrived back at the entrance, and Luna activated her shield to ward off the storm. Legion stepped out first, Luna following, and began to walk back to their ship. “We will attempt to piece together the Reaper code first,” Legion finally said. “It may provide more options for recovery of the geth. Options we have not considered.” Luna nodded, hoping that Legion would be successful. She knew, perhaps greater than anypony, what it felt like to be completely alone. “But regardless of what happens,” the geth continued. “We… thank you. For everything. If we are successful, your kind will always be known to the geth as friends.” Luna smiled, deactivating her shield as they came out of the storm. Legion’s small ship sat a few meters away, door open and waiting. Before Legion could enter, Luna stopped him by placing a hoof on his back. He turned around, and the princess of the night wrapped her hooves around the much larger geth, taking him in a hug. Legion stood still for a moment, slightly confused, before placing his hands on her back. They stood still for a moment, before Luna pulled away, smiling sheepishly at Legion. She entered the ship, followed a moment later by the geth, and entered the cockpit, taking a seat. Legion powered up the engines and lifted off, piloting them back into orbit. Neither occupant spoke, instead choosing to sit together in silence. The blue sky of Rannoch gave way to a sea of stars, the planet soon disappearing behind them. Luna sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, deciding to take a nap on their way back to Equis. The gentle hum of the ship’s engine helped to clear her mind, and in only a few minutes, Luna was asleep… One week later… The sun was beginning to set on Canterlot when Twilight Sparkle opened the doors to the castle loading docks, and stepped inside. A number of shuttles were still present, bearing the markings of the various alien races of the galaxy. Twilight’s destination was one of the Normandy shuttles, around which were gathered the other three princesses, Twilight’s friends from Ponyville, and several members of the Normandy crew. Legion was present as well, though he stood some distance away, looking out over Equestria. Twilight cantered up to the group, smiling. “Sorry I’m late,” she said, coming to a stop. “I sort of lost track of time…” “No worries,” James said, gently rubbing a scar on his forearm. “There’s still a few minutes before we go.” “We will see you again, I trust?” Celestia asked, hopeful. Luna nodded, echoing her sister’s question. “We’ll visit as often as we can,” Liara promised. “For some of us non-Alliance personnel, that may be sooner rather than later.” “I am pleased to hear that,” Cadance said, smiling. “I regret that I’ve not been able to get to know you as well as everyone else here.” “Well, there’ll be plenty of time to do that in the future,” Garrus said. “With Cerberus out of the way… the only real threats in the galaxy now are the merc gangs, and they’re still disorganized after the Reaper War. I think we’ll have plenty of time to visit.” “Once the Citadel is rebuilt, you should come visit us as well,” Liara added. “It is… quite a sight to look upon for the first time.” “We will do that,” Celestia said, nodding. “I promise you. But until such a time comes, I suppose this is goodbye.” James nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. Rainbow Dash approached the human, the healing bullet wound still barely visible against her blue coat. “See ya, big guy,” she said, smirking. “If you ever need backup again, you know who to call.” “Applejack?” James replied, smirking in return. Dash frowned, glaring. Applejack and James broke out into laughter, and Twilight found herself smiling as well. “Alright you two, let’s get everything else loaded up,” Garrus began, turning to a pile of crates. He began lifting them into the shuttle with the help of Liara and Javik, while James jumped into the shuttle and began organizing them. Noticing that the geth remained motionless, Twilight slowly walked over to him, joining him at the edge of the platform. Luna, Celestia, and Cadance joined him a moment later, all silent. Suddenly, Legion’s optic light went out. His body went rigid and the internal components went offline. Now alarmed, the princesses pulled the geth away from the edge of the platform, looking at him with worry. “Legion!?” Luna yelled, putting her face close to his. She pulled away as the optic came back on, its bright light temporarily blinding her. She covered her eyes with a hoof, and Legion stood back up. “Are you alright?” Cadance asked, raising an eyebrow. Legion looked to her, and nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Apologies. I successfully reconstructed the Reaper code, and applied it to myself as a test. It has been successful.” “You’re speaking in first-person!” Twilight noticed, grinning. “Programs have been unified,” Legion continued. “I am now exploring possibilities for recovery of the geth. Numerous promising methods have appeared. I will utilize them as soon as I return to Rannoch.” “Legion!” Garrus called from the open doors of the shuttle. “We’re taking off in a minute!” “Well, you had better go join them,” Luna said, finally able to see again. Legion nodded, looking at the shuttle, then back to the princesses. “I will be kept busy with the process of restoring my people,” Legion said. “But as soon as an opportunity arises, I will attempt to visit in person. If not, I will always be available for a video call. Goodbye, Princesses. I hope to see you soon.” The princesses all said their own goodbyes, and the geth waved as he stepped aboard the shuttle. The door closed and the engines fired up, sending the shuttle away from the loading docks and into the Equestrian sky. In moments it disappeared, and the ponies stood alone on the platform, looking up to where the shuttle had been. “Well, this has been quite the ride…” Cadance commented, smiling. “A most interesting year.” Rainbow Dash stretched her wings and looked at her bullet wound with a grimace. “I could go for a few months of boring after this,” she said. The rest of the ponies nodded in agreement, though they knew that the next few months would be some of their busiest. Meetings, negotiations, public appearances; all of it would leave them with little free time. Not to mention having to learn all about the new technology of the galaxy. Twilight felt her eyes widen as she began to realize just how much work she had ahead of her. “Well,” she began, “I suppose we had better go. History to make, and everything.” Nodding in agreement, the ponies slowly filtered out of the loading docks, returning to the inside of the castle. The sky above Canterlot remained busy, with shuttles flying from ships to the city, and vice versa. Within the space of a few minutes, the lights of the ships were joined by a sky of stars as the sun set on Equestria, closing out the day and welcoming the moon. Very soon, a new day would rise on Equestria, and would bring with it untold adventure. There was history to make, and the races of Equis were ready to make it.