Sparkle's No. 1 Assistant
Loyalty Mission 5: Derpy's Quest Pt. 2
By Wanderer D
Dinky didn't dare speak. She had been thrown into a small cage with weird devices attached to it. The strange creatures that had taken her were discussing something among themselves, ignoring her completely other than to give her greedy looks.
They were tall… as tall as Mr. Wrex and wearing armor that looked a bit like the one Twilight Sparkle wore. They walked in two legs, but they didn't all seem to be the same species.
Some were soft-looking with little eyes, while others looked like they had bones on the outside. They all spoke completely different languages that she could tell, but for some reason, they could understand each other.
She sniffled, cuddling into a corner of her cage. She had been distracted… after school she had headed up towards the Everfree to get some flowers for her mom. She hadn't even ventured that close to the forest itself, but it had been enough for one of the creatures to appear out of nowhere and… do something to her.
When she had woken up, she had been inside the cage already, and inside some sort of transport. It was boxy like a train car, but she could see outside the window and they were travelling up, really fast, past the mountains and clouds and even the sky… she had been seeing stars soon after before they had floated into a bigger ship.
The creatures had all seemed very happy about catching her, but had thankfully left her alone other than to place a bowl of water in front of her and use the thing Twilight had conjured up earlier in class.
While that relative familiarity gave her some comfort, these creatures did not. They didn't speak anything she could understand, and the fact that they had ignored her pleas and thrown her into a cage made her a lot less inclined to talk to them.
They were dirty, mean, and smelled funny. Not to mention that even if she didn't understand their language, she could tell by the way they acted that they were rough around the edges, as her mom would say.
Remembering her mom gave her a pang of fear. Would she see her soon? Would she ever see her again? It had been hours now, and although Twilight Sparkle and her mom worked together, it would be hard for them to find her. She had no clue where she was, to begin with.
The creatures continued their conversation for a while longer before apparently being called away if their grumbling was any indication.
Silence fell in the room where she was held and she studied her surroundings. It was a large room, with a lot of space and big, metallic boxes… some sort of warehouse? She pressed to the edge of her cage, wishing she knew magic by then. Even levitating something might've been useful… her eyes widened when she heard more voices.
But they weren't coming from the creatures from earlier... where… her eyes drifted to one of the containers as it slowly opened up and three different creatures emerged, carefully looking around, with guns at the ready.
They looked similar to the ones that had captured her—but cleaner—and were whispering furiously to each other, although she couldn't understand then, she could tell an undertone of teasing going around.
One of them, with darker skin, looked at her and its eyes went wide. It grinned and said something excitedly to the others, who turned to look at her with mild curiosity… until the shortest one of the trio, with a longer red and yellow mane stared at her in growing horror.
Dinky backed away as the creature rushed to the cage and knelt in front of it, and then, she—her voice was female—spoke in perfect Equestrian.
"Oh no, how did they capture you?"
"How could this happen?" Derpy asked nervously, drawing on a piece of paper.
"That's what we're going to find out after we kick some ass," Twilight replied.
"Where do you think it went?" Rainbow Dash asked, already wearing her metallic blue, N7 armor.
"We'll probably have to examine the area for clues," Octavia pointed out, doing some final check-ups on Viola. "Our omni-tools should be able to pick something up."
"Foalnapping is not cool," Vinyl muttered angrily. "I'm going reverb the bones out of their bodies!"
The door opened and Rarity walked into the library, already prepped in her armor with her two guns at her sides. She had fashioned a sturdy belt as well where her knives fit snugly. "I'm afraid Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo can't help much," she said, taking a seat next to Derpy at the table. "They joined Apple Bloom for a school project and went straight to Sweet Apple Acres."
"Well, there aren't that many metal vehicles out there. All we need to do is see where it came from and follow them there."
"It might be more difficult than you think, Sparkle," Wrex spoke up, studying the drawing Derpy had made. "That is not something you find in Equestria. That's a shuttle from a larger ship." He gave them all a level look. "A spaceship to be precise. Standard Alliance model."
Twilight slowly lowered her shotgun. "What?"
"It's an Alliance-style shuttle. Widely used."
"And it shouldn't have been able to land here," a new voice said.
Princess Luna suddenly found herself looking down several gun barrels and carefully gulped. "'Tis unnecessary for you to—"
"Oh," Wrex grunted, resting his shotgun on the desk again. "It's just Moon-butt."
Luna's eyes narrowed. "While that is not totally inaccurate, we have requested of you to refrain from that moniker as it makes it sound like our… butt… is fat."
"What do you mean it shouldn't have been able to land?" Twilight, lowering her gun as the others did the same. "And don't worry about your butt, Tavi and I have agreed on multiple occasions that it is glorious."
"Quite," Octavia nodded.
Luna cleared her throat. "It should be impossible for spaceships to reach Equestria," she explained. "Equestria is… separate. While our friend Wrex managed—have you been discussing my butt?"
"Please, girls," Rarity spoke up. "Focus. There's a filly in possible danger. This is hardly the time to discuss these matters."
"And discuss them we will," Luna said, leveling a look at the cellist before turning her attention back to Twilight. "Back to the subject at hoof, as I was saying, Equestria's time/space location is disjointed from the universe at large. We believe that something akin to a galactic event of great importance similar to what brought Wrex to us was strong enough to temporarily join us with his universe again."
"Does that mean that Dinky is…"
"Nay," Luna said, stepping forth to put a comforting hoof on Derpy's shoulder. "She is still within our reach. For now that both Celestia and I are working together, the barriers between our world and the universe can be managed."
"Uh, I hate to be that pony but, that still leaves the problem of finding a way to go into friggin' space to find a small ship," Vinyl said, raising a hoof.
"Twilight Sparkle," Luna spoke up. "On my authority, Algol is re-established with your current team."
"Yess..." Twilight whispered, a grin growing on her face. "It seems we'll be visiting your place sooner rather than later, Wrex."
"Ehehehe…" the krogan chuckled ominously. "I've been waiting for this." He pushed up. "Well, better head there now. The quicker we get this show running, the easier it will be to find your daughter."
Earlier…
"You know," Vetra said, "I thought we had agreed to not do this again."
The Turian female was leaning against the side of the container they were hiding in, arms crossed and giving the other two crew-members a level look. "Do you remember what happened last time? I do."
"I do too," Liam answered his sheepish grin struggling to stay sheepish instead of the smirk he really was feeling like showing. "But we had fun, right, Ryder? Don't tell me you didn't get a kick out of our overlord-wannabe friend."
"Sure was fun, but it doesn't mean I wanted a repeat of floating in space in a metal box for several hours in the off-chance some pirate crew would pick us up."
"It worked though," Liam replied, crossing his arms and allowing his smug smile to flourish into full power.
"Yes, and it is the surprising frequency of these dumb plans working that worries me. It either speaks highly of you and badly of all outlaws or the universe is planning some crazy-ass payback for this."
"Come on, Ryder," Vetra chuckled. "I saw the look you gave the crate before we all jumped in and were dropped in the middle of an outlaw-infested system. You were looking forward to it."
"I was not. Well, okay. I might have acted impulsively and grabbed you both when I jumped in here rather than head to that vid conference with Tann…"
Vetra gave her a level look.
"...and sure, I didn't necessarily have to order Kellos to 'drop us into the void'..."
"But?" Liam prompted.
"...but I'd rather float in the vacuum of space with you two and be picked up by exiles than deal with politicians right now. Especially after what we went through."
[I can confirm this is correct: The Pathfinder suffered the signs of a mild panic attack when she was informed of Director Tann's summons.]
"Thank you, SAM. They so needed to know that."
[It's my pleasure to help, Pathfinder.]
"I was being sarcastic, SAM."
[So was I.]
The trio chuckled.
"Anyway, SAM, are we clear?"
[Scanning. We appear to be clear, Pathfinder. I detect another life form in the hold, but it appears too small to be any of the pirates.]
"Hostile?"
[Unknown. Initial scan does not match any known species in the Andromeda Galaxy.]
"Well, that's comforting." Liam unlocked the seal. "If they're not here, we should get out and set up for when we get to their lair. We'll need to activate our beacon soon so that the Tempest can get to us in time."
"Aww, just when we were starting to get comfortable."
"You take me to the best places and prime locations when we go out, Ryder." Vetra said, pulling out her gun and nodding at the others.
Liam slowly pushed the door open and peeked outside. "Hey, no turret this time."
"Thank goodness for small miracles."
"Ha. Ha. Ryder." Liam emerged fully, raising his automatic rifle as he assessed the area.
"What? I honestly expect this to devolve into something completely insane in the next few minutes," she replied.
"Well, at least I'll be here to give you a hug if we're suddenly spaced," Vetra chirped.
"Seriously. You two make it sounds as if every time I think of something, shit's gonna hit the fan," Liam mumbled. He turned around and his eyes went wide. "Ryder. Vetra. You won't believe what these guys caught."
"Seriously Liam if it's…"
Liam and Vetra both looked at Ryder.
"Are you okay?" Vetra asked.
"You look pale, Ryder," Liam pointed out.
But she ignored both when she saw what the pirates had captured. She felt ice in her stomach. This couldn't be.
Slowly, she approached the little unicorn filly.
[This creature appears to be very similar to what Earth myths used to call a unicorn…] SAM's voice came through.
"SAM, shut up for a bit." Ryder knelt in front of the cage. She had thought…
The little filly looked at her in horror. She probably was scared out of her mind. "Oh no, how did they capture you?" she asked gently.
The filly looked at her in confusion, then slight, growing hope. "Y-you understand me?"
Ryder nodded. It brought back some... difficult times. "Yeah… what's your name?"
"D-dinky. Dinky Hooves. What's yours?"
Liam tapped his omnitool. "SAM, my translator doesn't seem to be functioning. I can't understand what they're saying."
"Neither can I," Vetra added, sounding slightly annoyed.
[That would be because there is no translation being transmitted,] SAM explained. [The Pathfinder is speaking the creature's native language.]
"Since when does Ryder speak horse?" Liam asked.
He stepped back when Vetra knelt down next to Ryder, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Ryder? Hey…" She hesitated. "What's wrong? How can you speak to this creature?"
Sunset patted Vetra's hand, giving Dinky a smile. "Sorry guys, it's… hard to explain. Give me a second, alright?"
She turned back to Dinky, making a fist and putting it forth so that the filly could bump it with her hoof. She ignored Liam's small squeal. "People call me Pathfinder but… you can call me Sunset."
Ooooh SNAP!!
[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GhMvKv4GX5U]
I kind of lost it here. This was so damn funny.
So apparently the Sunset Shimmer in this universe managed to find her way into the Andromeda universe and became our beloved Pathfinder. Actually, come to think of it, I'm thinking that maybe your Equestria is situated within the Andromeda galaxy somewhere. Huh. I also find it odd that Ryder is obviously still in pony form, and her two squad mates don't seem to realize that the species are the same.
wha... ba... ma.... huh?
plz tell me equestria has been building a ship based off the normandy
8078769
Pretty sure this
means that she's just short and has fancy hair
Sunset Rider. Pathfinder of the Ark Hyperion. W. T. F. This story is now hit new levels of Mass Effect
Oh, this should be good.
from the creatures from earlier..
1. Just forgot one more fullstop to make an ellipses.
When you posted that blog post I didn't know what to expect. I'm so glad I didn't.
Huh. I wonder what Wrex will think of the Andromeda explorers. He's from the Times of Sheppard, after all.
... a neat twist. Makes me wonder where she picked up ryder though.
Now this... I did not see coming.
I do believe things are going to get interesting!
This way!
...Not this way!
8078714 I see someone is using a picture of Hildibrand.
Do you plan any nice asari?
8079026 Haven't played it yet, but as I understand it, so were the people on the Ark. They went into cryopods, but were from before Mass Effect 3.
holy Shit they are in the Andromeda Galaxy and 600 years in the Future
Well, that's the one Equestrian guaranteed to be on the human side of things...Of course, it was probably a little more advanced than high school!
8079034 Probably because other people thought they could Ryder into the Sunset.
I'm so glad you made Ryder and Vetra pair up with Liam for another loyalty mission. That was the funniest mission in the entire game.
8079311 They're from early ME1. There is mention of Shepard becoming a Spectre before they had left and then they get transmissions about the Reaper attack. They left before the reapers were known about.
8079311 Yeah, it takes some suspension of belief to accept the timeline Andromeda lines out
8078714 I KNOW RIGHT!
MY MIND IS BLOWN! BUT IT IS NOT BECAUSE I MUST KEEP IT TOGETHER FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT!
please please please please make the updates faster, this story is so good it's in a separate fav' folder.
8079640
TBH i was expecting someone "explaining" that ryder is the new protag. This is much preferable. Thanks.
I have many questions. And I see why you were concerned about this one. I admit, some of the ramifications are going over my head since I'm not well-versed in Mass Effect lore in general, least of all Andromeda's backstory. Still, this is a most intriguing development. I look forward to what promises to be a very enlightening explanation.
great... now I can't read any future chapters until I finally get my hands on Andromeda...
FUCK YOU KAGE! AND FUCK YOU JABLES! I'LL GET YOU TENACIOUS (Wanderer) D!!!!!!!!
8079814
The timing of when they left is sometime between mass effect 2 when the galaxy has seen the Normandy SR-2 as there's a collectable model for it and the arrival dlc
Also so Sunset in this universe is Ryder, so I'm guessing she's adopted?
So, in this universe, besides Liara, Wrex would be the ones alive from Shepards crew...
Female Ryder...
Vetra romance...
Acknowledgement that Liam's loyalty mission was the best thing ever...
Are you me? Also, this twist is brilliant. I love this story so much right now
8080485 I mean more of the fact that some of the things they say make no sense, like how right up until the ass end of ME3 quarians were looked at as Vagabonds, and still had a relativity small population, but were somehow in the process of making an ark, Or that Krogans were randomly let onto the Nexus for roles they never really attempted to fill before. Even the way some of the races are treated and talked about feels like it would be something you'd hear people talk like near the end or after the 3rd game. But hey when you rush production and screw an ending up that much its kinda hard to tie it in.
Okay... so Alec Ryder and his wife adopted human Sunset Shimmer and she became the new Pathfinder? Seems legit.
Though does this mean we will a) get to see the other two Ryder siblings, twins Scott and Sara and b) will we get to see Wrex interact with Drack?
1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-zmq-2YgW4/UhmpB_SSmPI/AAAAAAAACJU/FD9we-P_NHI/s1600/GenieJawDrop.gif
That is all.
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/236/130/354.gif
Time to do the Ryder shuffle, everybody.
Well it looks like we got our paragon everypony
.... , OKAY now that, right there.. Sir D, is what you call an ACTUAL Plot-Twist! BRAVO Sir!
Haven't seen one of those in quite a while! I mean I didn't see it coming!
oh my gosh its the Andromeda crew this gonna be fun and Sunset is the Pathfinder.
it sorta makes me want to make a female character and call her Sunset..... once the patch that i heard that will improve the character creation a bit.
also loved Liams Loyalty mission with the funny parts like when he opened the door which had a turret behind and quickly closed it
Look at all the comments! I'm glad this was a positive twist.
8078714 Indeed.
8078769 I think the dialogue could be a bit better: "Am I missing something? Since when does Ryder speak horse?" to fit more with Liam.
8078797 heh, well, I hope it lives up to your expectations!
8078818 Not exactly...
8078846 Indeed, she's quite human. Sort of. I mean, she's the Pathfinder.
8078851 Increasing the viability of the story by 10%
8078879 I hope!
8078885 I'm happy for the positive response!
8079026
8079034 8079640 I thought the Sunset Ryder was pretty awesome as a name XD
8079037 Surprise!
8079092 That whole mission was a blast.
8079209 All sorts of asari
8079311 8079370 Indeed!
8079609 A bit of explanation will come up regarding that.
8079679 Yep! I have a soft spot for Turians
8079912 KEEP YOUR MIND TOGETHER!
8079932 I'll try!
8080359 I know, I was really on the edge because this could have gone south with readers pretty fast!
8080397 Nah, I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum if not avoid them all together.
8080485 Pretty much, yeah.
8080853 Eeeh...
8081381 TBF all of the pairing in the Tempest are actually pretty cool. I love Vectra, but I don't think there's a single character I wouldn't pair up with Ryder. Even Cora after she's woke.
8081634 Well, the Quarians were in charge of the Ark, but it wasn't just them. It was all the minority species: Hanar, Quarian, Krell, etc. It makes some sense they would be a bit more tolerant with each other given it's a multi-species project getting them all together, but I feel the game did a good job of basically sending the delicate balance to hell asap.
8082150 Part of your question is still up in the air. But pretty much.
8082355 I'll take that as a compliment.
8082451 Ah, one of the many Ryder crazy moments of emotional and expressive interpretative dance moves.
8082852 Well, I... wouldn't say paragon.
8083443 LOL, glad you approve and that it took you by surprise.
8083955 There's a hair option that gets the right shades for bacon head. So that's the first thing I did.
8084333 thank you, also, any word on "the three sisters like chocolate"?
HO-LEE-SHIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!
please we need more of this!!!!!
8084333
You got me good! Now I am impatient to read more.
8084333 I'm just upset that we didn't get to finally see some sweet Turian tits in the romance.
8084333 Oh god, is Sunset going to join Twilight's harem?
8084333
...
sunset ryder...
So, just to clarify- does she call her motorcycle "sunset" too? given that she seems to be taking the role of the... err... "professional" pathfinder from ME:A, that joke makes perfect sense.
Sorry about this freakout but; YAY!! VETRA!!! MY SECOND FAVORITE TURIAN!!
You know, I wonder how the Adramada team will take the whole Reapers take. I bet many of them will click why after 2183 there was a major up turn in funding the project since the Arks could be everyone's last chance of survival. I also wonder if the leaders knew, including the original Pathfinders but said nothing well to prevent panic and all died before they told a soul. Also, Ponies are in the Adaramda Galaxy, they're doomed and would only be really doomed if it was the Milky Way.
Seeing as Andromeda is only a few weeks old, can you request people tag any story discussion in spoilers? I'm making my way slowly through it and was not expecting to see anything in here and some unspoilered stuff seems pretty close to content I haven't seen yet.
8092208 true but crystal armor was likely lost with the empire
8093555 there was once a soldier who sneaked into an enemy camp and captured no less than 3 generals want know what happened to him? he ws immidiately executed for disobediance (dont know how to spell that word)