• Published 25th Sep 2011
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Pony Effect - Grif



What if ponies replaced humans in the Mass Effect universe?

  • ...
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Chapter 4

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

“Well, looks like our dear commander has returned,” Ambassador Lyra welcomed. “And who are your new friends?” She waved a hoof to the gaggle of ponies and aliens that were standing behind the unicorn. Twilight stared blankly at the ambassador for a moment, before divining her meaning.

Twilight gestured at the pair of C-Sec agents with a forehoof. “This is Garrus and Rainbow Dash from C-Sec. They were the ones in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.” Both gave a slight bow to the ambassador. Lyra nodded politely in reply, but otherwise said nothing.

“This is Pinkie Pie.” Twilight indicated the pink earth pony.

The pink pony half-bounced, half-trotted up to the ambassador and shook her hoof vigorously. “Hi!” she greeted brightly. The ambassador looked slightly uncomfortable shaking hooves with the hyperactive pony. To Lyra’s obvious relief, Pinkie soon disengaged her hoof and took her place behind Twilight.

“And the quarian is… I don’t think I got your name.” Twilight grimaced at her lapse of manners. Throughout their short journey to the embassy, she never thought to ask for the quarian’s name.

“Tali’Zorah nar Rayya,” the quarian introduced herself, saving Twilight the trouble.

“Tali’Zorah,” Twilight repeated, pronouncing the foreign name carefully. “She is the one who found the evidence against Saren.”

“Quite a diverse party you picked up, commander,” Lyra said, raising an eyebrow at Twilight. “Well, let’s see the evidence you collected then,”

Nodding, the quarian fiddled with her omni tool. A slightly metallic voice filled the room. “Appleloosa was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit.” Even though the voice was distorted, Twilight was able to recognise the speaker. The spectre, Saren Arterius.

“I think that most definitely proves who was behind the attack on Appleloosa,” Rarity said, folding her hooves together.

“Hah, I knew that sucker was guilty,” Rainbow Dash declared, fluttering her wings with excitement. Her face became thoughtful. “Hey, what do you think he means about the Conduit?” she asked, not unreasonably.

“No idea, Dash, I have never heard anything about a conduit. As far as I can recall, there’s nothing in my books about any of this,” Twilight answered, shrugging.

“Maybe it’s some sort of ancient Prothean machine…” Rainbow Dash speculated. Gears seemed to whirl in her mind as her imagination ran wild, all those years of trashy doomsday novels being finally put to good use. “...maybe it’s a super weapon! Some super awesome weapon that is so terrible, the Protheans hid it. Maybe... something that can smash planets!” Her words were met with gasps and murmurs.

Prothean technology was centuries, maybe even millennia, ahead of any technology Equestria — or any other race for that matter — currently had. The mass relays were one such piece of technology. No species were able to duplicate the mass relay thus far, even after centuries of careful study. It was not implausible the Protheans stashed away weapons of mass destruction that could obliterate planets.

Twilight turned to the dragon on her back, “Spike, load up as many materials as you can about the Protheans onto the Normaredy. We’re going to have a lot of reading to do.”

“Righto, Twilight.” Spike jumped off Twilight’s back and went to work at the ambassador’s computer terminal.

“This should be enough to convince the Council to strip Saren of his Spectre status,” Lyra said with satisfaction. “Good job, commander. I see the Princess’ faith in you isn’t misplaced.”

Twilight’s cheeks flared red at the compliment. It was nice to hear her abilities being appreciated for once. Aside from the princess of course, who always made it clear she valued Twilight highly.

“Wait, there’s more,” Tali said. Every pair of eyes in the room swung back in her direction. She shifted uneasily at the sudden attention.

“More?” the ambassador asked, the frown creeping back onto her face.

The quarian nodded, and played back the recording again. Again, the familiar voice of Saren spoke, “Appleloosa was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit.”

A harsh feminine voice then continued, “And one step closer to the return of the Reapers.”

“I don’t recognize that voice,” the ambassador said thoughtfully. Neither did Twilight, or the rest of her crew for that matter.

“Who cares? We got our evidence; let’s get this to the council now,” Rainbow Dash said impatiently. The sky-blue pegasus flapped her wings impatiently and hovered above Tali.

“Hold yer’ horses a minute there, Dash. What in tarnation are the Reapers?” Applejack asked, scratching her head. “I’ve never heard of such critters before in my entire life.”

“According to the memory core, the Reapers are some form of hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago,” Tali explained, her faintly accented voice the only sound in the room. “The geth believe that the Reapers hunted the Protheans into extinction. Then they vanished. There has been no records of them since.”

Twilight listened to the story intently. Interesting, so if the Protheans were hunted into extinction then... The unicorn gasped slightly, piecing together bits and pieces of the images that were seared into her brain on Appleloosa. They must have been showing her the genocide of the Prothean race by the Reapers! The beacon, it must be a warning of some sort. It was too bad she couldn’t make head or tail of it. Maybe the Protheans encoded it in some sort of cipher or code. Fortunately for Twilight, nopony else noticed the distant look on her face. Or that she wasn’t even paying attention to the rest of the story.

Talicontinued her tale, “The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life.They believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back.” Tali looked expectantly at the ambassador, who was still deep in thought.

“So... this Reapers... are some kind of super robot alien... race that...” Dash gulped, her face visibly paled. “... exterminates all organic life?”

Tali nodded. “That’s what they are. According to this memory core anyway.” Silence descended as each pony processed the implications of the tale. Most looked distinctly uneasy. Fluttershy was already hiding under the coffee table, her body trembling with fear.

“The Council is going to love this,” Ambassador Lyra finally said, a hoof rubbing her temple.

“Well, no matter what they think of the rest, those files still prove Saren is a traitor,” Rarity pointed out.

“Good point,” the ambassador acknowledged. She lapsed into deep thought for another moment, before making her decision. The mint green unicorn straightened her back and said, “Right, I’m going to go and arrange another meeting with the Council. Meet me at the Citadel Tower when I call. It might take some time though, the Council will not be happy to see me again.” She began shuffling some papers around on her desk.

“Wait, where’s Captain Trixie?” Twilight finally noticed the absence of the brash captain. The other ponies began looking around the room as well, apparently just realising her absence as well.

The ambassador didn’t even glance back. “No idea. She left my office in a hurry to take care of some personal business. I haven’t seen her since.” With that, she cantered out of the office.

“Huh, she doesn’t seem too concerned,” Twilight said to nopony in particular.

“Probably ‘cause that no-good blowhard wasn’t such a big loss,” Applejack remarked. The other ponies from the Normaredy snickered, having been subjected to the full force of the captain’s personality on the ship. Twilight however, said nothing. She had a feeling the captain might be trouble in the future.

“Commander? A word please,” Tali piped up.

Twilight turned to face the quarian. “Yes, Tali?” she asked, a quizzical expression on her face.

“I want to come with you,” she said simply. Her tone made it clear it was not a request.

Why is this quarian suddenly offering her help?

“You heard me. Saren is a danger to an entire galaxy. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this? My Pilgrimage can wait.” The quarian’s glowing eyes glinted with determination behind her mask.

“Wait, Pilgrimage? Are you on some—” Spike started, obviously thinking of something else unrelated.

Tali facepalmed at the dragon’s question. “I’ll explain later,” she replied in a patient voice, cutting Spike off. Spike raised a claw to object, but one look at the quarian’s demeanour made him reconsider.

“We’re coming with you too!” Garrus and Dash said in unison. They looked at each other in surprise, before bursting into laughter.

“Great minds think alike eh, Dash?” Garrus said, winking at the blue pegasus.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied, beaming. “That Saren is so going down with the two of us on his case.” She air punched with her hooves.

“Wait, what? I didn’t say anything about—” Twilight began to object. She found her open mouth stuffed full with cupcakes instead. The unicorn glared at the culprit; the party pony who somehow managed to balance a whole tray of cupcakes on one hoof.

“Aw, come on, commander! It’ll be super duper fun. We’ll have makeovers, parties, and kick lots and lots of bad guys flanks!” Pinkie said enthusiastically.

Twilight could only mumble an incoherent objection, desperately trying to chew past the mass of cupcakes in her mouth. Her purple eyes frantically indicated no.

Pinkie took that as a yes. “Yay!” she exclaimed. Applejack and Dash exchanged high hooves. Fluttershy looked uncertainly at the unfolding scene, too timid to voice her objection that she was never part of this outfit to begin with.

“Um... whatever you want to do is fine...” she squeaked softly. On her back, Angel folded his arms and put on his trademark scowl. The rabbit clearly remained unamused at the fact that he was about to be dragged around the galaxy.

Twilight finally had the sense to spit out the pastries in her mouth. She looked at all the enthusiastic faces beaming at her with the sole exception of Fluttershy, and the quarian, whom she still could not read. Pinkie, in particular, was pulling out her puppy eyes again. Defeated, Twilight flattened her ears and sighed. “Fine, you guys can come.”

The resulting cheer deafened Twilight and echoed even across the Presidium.

***

[Presidium, Citadel]

“I guess we might as well explore the place while waiting for the ambassador’s call,” Twilight said. Only Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Dash and Garrus accompanied her. Fluttershy was off to visit the Presidium’s massive arboretum. Rarity was bubbling about going to a fabulous shopping mall in the Wards, and took off in a hurry. Spike stayed behind in the office to make arrangements for the newcomers on the ship. Tali was content to stay with the dragon in the office where she felt safe.

The group were standing in the middle of the Presidium, on one of the many bridges overlooking the massive lake that stretched across the place. Unlike the Wards, the Presidium was considered one of the most exclusive places in the Citadel, being located in the center of the station. An artificial sky was projected overhead, complete with artificial illumination simulating the light of a star, giving the ponies the feeling of being on a planet instead of the deep space station. All around them, various dignitaries and alien beings passed by. It was a peaceful and serene place, all and all.

“Hmm, I wonder if there’s any fish in them lakes.” Applejack stared at the blue waters of the lake thoughtfully.

“I bet there’re thousands of small little fishies in the lake. Wanna go take a look?” Pinkie Pie replied, holding up a snorkeling kit she somehow managed to dig up. The pink pony was already wearing her own kit.

Twilight was horrified at the prospect of two of her friends swimming in a lake in the middle of the most exclusive location on the Presidium. She quickly intervened. “No, Pinkie. There will be no swimming in the lakes.” For good measure, she also levitated the snorkeling kit off Pinkie’s hooves and out of reach.

Pinkie pouted at the restriction. “Awwwwwww....” she said glumly.

“Well, well, look who happened to stumble into my path again. The bright and aspiring commander,” a very familiar voice called out from behind Twilight. Twilight turned to face the speaker with narrowed eyes.

“Trixie,” she spat.

The Great & Powerful Trixie. You would do well to remember the correct title,” Trixie said haughtily. She was now dressed in a more informal cloak, stars of every shape dotting the fabric. It seemed to match her pointed hat rather better than her captain’s uniform.

Pinkie Pie half-hopped past Twilight to face Trixie. She pointed a hoof at her snout. “You! I know you. You’re that meanie Twilight told me,” she said, narrowing her blue eyes. Leaning closer, she half-whispered to Trixie, “I have my eye on you.” Pinkie stared directly into the Trixie’s eyes.

Trixie felt herself sweating as she tried to match the pink pony’s glare. She needed to distract this pink simpleton, fast. Remembering the party pony’s reputation, she tried a simple trick. The captain hurriedly pointed in a random direction. “Oh look, is that a party?”

“Party? WHERE?” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly, breaking the stare and bouncing off in the direction of Trixie’s hoof. The pink pony disappeared out of sight before anypony else could stop her.

“Heh, simpletons. Too easy to manipulate.” Trixie said, her smug look hiding the apprehension she felt at the brief confrontation.

“What do want, Trixie?” Twilight asked, not amused by her behaviour.

“Nothing more than revenge, my dear Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said with a flourish, and swirled her cloak. The bright gem on the clasp of her cloak glinted brightly.

“Behold!” Her horn lit up theatrically, fireworks spouting dramatically around her. Twilight could swear she heard fanfare amongst the exploding fireworks. The fireworks continued to pop across the bridge they were standing on, and black smoke started to envelop the bridge. Twilight and the other ponies coughed, their vision obscured. Trixie herself was no longer visible. Her maniacal laughter however could still be heard.

“Commander! Look out!” Dash suddenly shouted.

Twilight felt herself being shoved to one side by the blue pegasus. Lying on her flank, she heard a single gunshot. It was a trap. The smoke, the fireworks, they were a distraction. Trixie wanted to kill her! The mere thought of the captain turning traitor churned her stomach.

“Ambush! Put up your kinetic barriers!” Twilight called. She began casting a wind spell, hoping to dissipate the smoke.

“Wait, this isn’t part—” the confused voice of Trixie said, the loud pops of the fireworks going off fading. Before she could finish the sentence however, gunfire erupted all around them. Twilight gritted her teeth as she felt a couple of bullets hitting her kinetic barriers. The wind spell she had casted was working, but the dense smoke cloud was taking time to clear.

“Ah can’t see them!” she heard Applejack yell over the sound of gunfire.

“Stay steady, the smoke is clearing.” Garrus called back, his assault rifle emitting a steady staccato. He was still firing blind though, so it was a futile gesture at best.

Bit by bit, the smoke began to dissipate. Twilight squinted through the gloom, and made out about half a dozen hazy figures on each side of the bridge. As the pall lifted, she saw that they were mostly turians and salarians, each heavily equipped with military-grade armour and assault rifles. Their amour were painted in a curious blue scheme. Mercenaries, if Twilight were any judge. At the sight of the smoke clearing, they stopped firing, apparently taken by surprise by the number of ponies on the bridge.

Twilight’s tactical mind quickly distilled the situation. The mercenaries choose their ambush well, having entrenched themselves on both the north and south end of the bridge, using the odd bench and the plaza’s delicate architecture as cover. On the other hoof, the ponies had been standing right in the middle of an open bridge, with no cover in sight, and no way to escape, save jumping into the lake. Unfortunately, jumping into the lake was not an option, since the mercs would probably just finish them off while they were flailing about in the water. They were trapped like a fish in a bowl.

Twilight glanced back at Trixie, who was still rooted to the same spot. She wore a blinkered expression on her face, her jaw hanging loose. Her pointed hat lay on the floor besides her hooves.

“Fools, what are you waiting for? Finish them before the C-Sec arrives!” a krogan voice shouted. Startled into action, the mercenaries opened up with everything they got. It was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed and shredded to pieces by the bulletstorm. Already, Twilight noticed some of her friends’ kinetic barriers starting to fail.

The commander made a decision.

Her horn glowing brightly, Twilight began to reach deep into herself. The spell she was casting was a basic barrier spell, designed to temporarily block incoming projectiles. The power of the barrier was proportionate to the power of the unicorn casting the spell. An average unicorn could probably cast a barrier that lasted up to several seconds in a firefight, making the utility of this spell situational at best. Commander Sparkle was no ordinary unicorn. In seconds, she weaved a semi-circular magical energy barrier that covered one end of the group, shielding them temporarily from weapon fire coming from the north side of the bridge.

“I can’t shield both end!” she called, her voice strained from the effort. The mercenaries seemed surprised by the move, but continued to pour fire into the barrier. One of the mercs took out a portable rocket launcher, apparently deciding the extra firepower was needed.

“Let Trixie show her magic,” she heard Trixie say. Another pale blue barrier suddenly appeared on the other side of the small group, complementing Twilight’s semi-circle. The barrier surrounding the group was now an impenetrable wall. Twilight blinked in confusion. No time to ponder the matter though. She needed to concentrate on keeping the barrier up. At least it bought them precious time to figure a plan out of this mess. The unicorn winced as a rocket impacted against the barrier.

“Got one in my sight,” Dash said, the sniper rifle on her shoulder moving ever so slightly as she tracked her targets. The sound of her rifle’s boom cut through the air. In the distance, a salarian merc crumpled to the ground. “Oh yeah! Got that one,” she whooped.

“Don’t get cocky Dash, they still outnumber us,” Garrus reminded. As if to reinforce Garrus’ words, a grenade landed right beside Dash, somehow managing to slip past the energy barriers.

“Oh horseapples!” Dash shouted, and frantically kicked the grenade away. The grenade sailed off the bridge and landed in the lake below with a splash.

“Where the hay is C-Sec? The Presidium is supposed to be the most secure place on the Citadel,” Dash yelled.

“Damned if I know. Must be some emergency elsewhere on the Presidium,” Garrus replied.

***

[A short distance away]

“Freeze!” a turian C-Sec constable yelled. “We have you surrounded!” Two dozen more guns clicked as the C-Sec constables trained their weapons on their target.

“Okie-dokie-lokie,” the shadowy pony in the corner said, raising her hooves. The three salarians who were huddling in the corner quickly scuttled for the safety of the door. “These guys weren’t in the mood for a party anyway.” She trotted out cheerfully to the nearest policepony and held her hooves out.

The radio on the C-Sec captain crackled, “Captain, we have a firefight in the middle of the goddamn Presidium. Where are your men?”

“Sir? We’ve just arrested the pink pony like you ordered. Top priority.”

“Captain, I’m going to personally demote you for the error in judgement you just made. When I said I wanted Pinkie Pie arrested, I DID NOT MEAN FOR YOU ABANDON THE WHOLE PRESIDIUM TO ARREST HER. NOW GET BACK HERE AND CONTAIN THE SITUATION,” the voice on the other end snarled.

“Y-y-yes, sir!”

***

“I’m not sure how long I can keep up the barrier,” Twilight said weakly. The unicorn was panting slightly from exhaustion, though the glow of her horn remained steady.

“Trixie hopes you imbeciles have a better plan than us standing here getting shot at,” Trixie snapped, her voice betraying the effort she was putting in. Both unicorns still kept up the barrier against the hail of bullets being unleashed, but it was clear they weren’t going to last much longer.

“We’re workin’ on it.” Applejack replied, firing her weapon in short steady bursts, keeping the merc’s heads down as much as she could. Dash managed to snipe another merc who was unlucky enough to pop his head out at the wrong time.

The mercs were down to nine effectives, but they were entrenched on either side of the bridge. No signs of C-Sec yet. “Consarn’ it. We can’t break through either side of the bridge. We’ll get shredded if we tried to run fer it.”

“Dash, see if you can distract those mercs over there,” Garrus suggested, pointing a clawed finger towards the south end of the bridge. “With your distraction, maybe we can take out the two hiding behind that railings.”

“Right—” Dash narrowed her eyes as she spotted a small figure moving slowly up behind the mercs on the north side. “Is that Executor Pallin?” The Presidium was mostly empty by this time, so it was relatively easy to make out the turian from the distance.

“The Executor? In person?” Garrus squinted to see the small figure for himself. So it was. The C-Sec Executor in red and black combat armour was carrying a pistol, apparently intent on taking the mercs from behind. “What’s he doing here?”

Dash shrugged. At this point, she was grateful any form of help to even care why. “His office is just next door remember? He must be the only C-Sec officer left in this part of the Presidium. At least he got them distracted.” Dash pointed at one of the turian mercs, who crumpled to the floor as the Executor opened fire with his pistol. The group of mercs seemed to be surprised by the new threat in their rear and a few turned to face the new threat. The hail of fire on Twilight’s side of the shield decreased correspondingly. “Let’s charge them from this end and take them out. Only four left.”

“As good a plan as any at this point. Commander, on the count of three, drop the shield.” Garrus said. He was met with a weak nod from the lavender unicorn. “Applejack, Dash, get ready. Trixie, after we move, you drop the shield as well and run like hell for the nearest cover.”

“Why is the Great & Powerful Trixie the last one to go?” Trixie hissed.

“Because we need you keep the other mercs off our backs while we take out those mercs on our side,” Garrus replied tersely. The turian was not in the mood for arguments. Mercifully, Trixie decided not to press the issue.

“On three. One,” Garrus slowly counted.

“Two.” Dash had her wings flared and ready to fly, while Applejack had her gun in her mouth, her entire body tensing in anticipation.

“Three!”

Twilight’s horn abruptly lost its glow and the purple barrier collapsed. Unhindered, bullets began to patter across the open surface of the bridge and onto the kinetic barriers of the four stranded on the bridge.

“Go, go, go!” Garrus yelled as he ran forward in a crouch to minimise his profile. He fired his rifle on full auto to keep the mercs’ heads down. His battered kinetic barriers took a few more hits. Fortunately, it managed to hold until he found a convenient bench to seek cover behind.

Applejack broke into a gallop towards the mercs, with Twilight following closely behind. Rainbow Dash flew up and away, perpendicular to the bridge in an attempt to distract some of the fire off the ponies on the ground. Her speed was the only thing that kept her safe from the heavy rain of weapon fire from the mercs.

Trixie maintained her side of the barrier for several more precious seconds. Sensing that her time was up, she let go of the spell. Quickly turning tail, she galloped as fast as she could after them, somehow managing to evade the hail of fire from the other end of the bridge.

Applejack managed to reach one of the entrenched mercs relatively unscathed and delivered a sound kick to his face. The turian was flung to the floor, unconscious. Taking his place, Applejack took the gun from her mouth and began firing on the mercs on the opposite side of the bridge.

Not far behind Applejack, Twilight found herself sheltering behind a row of square pots of plants. Sensing that her foe was on the other side of the plant, the unicorn took stock, the hundreds of different ways to take out an enemy behind cover flashing through her mind. In the end, she took the most direct method. The unicorn kicked the plant pot with her hind legs, toppling the edifice. The merc scrambled away from the falling pot and out into the open. He was greeted with an energy blast from Twilight’s horn, which knocked him all the way into the lake.

The last salarian merc still standing saw the his comrades being taken out by the ponies. He threw down his weapon and began running.

“Not so fast,” Executor Pallin bellowed, the turian rising from his hidden position with his pistol raised. A single shot was all it took to bring down the fleeing mercenary.

At that exact moment, the blaring of sirens on the other end of the bridge signalled the arrival of the rest of the C-Sec officers. A brief but furious exchange of fire on the other end of the bridge erupted, before all went silent. Twilight could see the remaining mercs were raising their hands in surrender.

The battle lasted precisely five minutes and forty-three seconds.

***

[Equestrian Embassy, Citadel]

“As usual, the Great & Powerful Trixie saved the day,” Trixie blustered, as they walked through the door of the embassy. Twilight was too tired to argue with the captain, her energy sapped from maintaining the magical barrier that protected them in that fight.

The C-Sec had arrived metaphorically red-faced to round up any surviving mercs. Most quickly surrendered after seeing their hopeless situation. The krogan leader had chosen to charge headfirst into half a dozen C-Sec officers armed to the teeth. He did not survive the charge.

As the C-Sec contained the situation, Executor Pallin praised the commander for her resourcefulness in handling the ambush. The executor seemed relieved that she hadn’t been killed: that would have raised a lot of awkward questions about the competency of C-Sec, something which he wasn’t too keen on. He even released Pinkie Pie into her custody, provided Twilight keep the pink pony in line and ‘off my goddamned station’ as the executor so tactfully put.

“Wow, Twilight, that was some battle! We could see the whole thing from up here!” Spike gushed.

Tali nodded her suited head at the lavender unicorn. “Impressive work, commander. You took down a whole army of mercs gunning for you. Not many could have done that.”

Twilight flopped on the couch and glanced at the captain wearily. Trixie looked disgustingly fresh, despite her earlier exertion. Maybe Trixie does have some talent hidden behind all that bravado.

“I thought you set us up when it first started,” Applejack said to Trixie. The soldier pony still glared at the captain with distrust.

“Please, Gunnery Chief. The Great & Powerful Trixie may be the greatest unicorn in Equestria, but she is also a decorated captain of the Equestrian Navy. Why would the Trixie betray her own country?” Trixie said, her face genuinely surprised.

“Um... because of how she humiliated ya in front of the princess?” Applejack hazarded. Trixie looked at the orange mare with a mixture of pity and condescension.

“Gunnery Chief, that was just a minor setback. Trixie fully expect the commander to slip up in some way and the princess will come begging for me to fix the problem. Why should Trixie work to hasten the inevitable?” Trixie said, as if stating a fact of life. Twilight shook her head at the captain’s words. Were it not for her huge ego, she would have made a fine leader.

“Trixie, I don’t plan to fail. Not when the princess and all of Equestria is counting on me,” Twilight said dryly. Before she could continue, the embassy door slid open again with a hiss, revealing the worried figures of Rarity and Fluttershy (and Angel).

“Oh Twilight, I’m so glad you’re okay. We came as soon we got the word.” Rarity stopped as her eyes caught sight of Trixie. “What is she doing here?” Rarity pointed an accusing forehoof at the captain.

“It’s alright, Rarity. Believe it or not, she helped us during the battle. I think that should be enough reason, no?” Twilight answered, a wan smile on her face. She didn’t like defending the captain, but she had to give credits where it was due.

“Err... of course, darling. Whatever you say,” Rarity said, clearly not convinced.

Twilight tilted her head questioningly at the captain. “Anyway, if that ambush wasn’t your idea, then what was your plan?”

Trixie smiled cryptically. “Twilight, you should know that a good magician never reveals her secrets.”

“You mean this data disk I found in your satchel?” Pinkie said brightly, holding up the disk with a hoof. Trixie’s smiled faded and she quickly emptied her bags in search of her ‘mysterious secret’. Not finding her prize, she turned disbelievingly at Pinkie.

“How did you—?” she sputtered, her confident voice gone. Twilight just giggled at Trixie’s shocked appearance. By now, she was getting used to Pinkie picking up random items off the floor or somewhere equally improbable. Even if it was a little unsettling.

“Let me see that, Pinkie,” Twilight said, levitating the disk towards herself. She examined the disk closely. It was seemed to be an ordinary data disk except for some words scrawled in a corner. Squinting closely, she made out the words, ‘Twilight’s Private Moments’. Twilight felt her cheeks reddening with embarassment. She turned to glare at the captain. “Trixie! Were you spying on me?” Twilight demanded.

Trixie shuffled her hooves guiltily, avoiding Twilight’s gaze. Twilight shook her head. “Honestly Trixie, humiliating me with my own ‘private moments’ has to be a new low for you,” Twilight admonished. A split second later, the unicorn regretted her hasty words, having inadvertently revealing out the contents of the disk. The other ponies stared at Twilight, wide-eyed. Even Tali and Garrus suddenly seemed more interested in the exchange.

“Private moments... huh?” Spike began. “I wonder if she recorded that time where—

my friends do not need to know the details,” Twilight quickly interjected, her face now bright red with embarrassment. For good measure, she shoved a handy sock into the purple dragon mouth, lest he found the temptation to tell too great. His mouth full, Spike resorted to glaring at Twilight sullenly.

“Darn, now you got me curious,” Applejack blurted. She gave a sheepish smile when Twilight turned her dark glare on her. “Okay, maybe not too curious,” she conceded hurriedly. Twilight could hear giggling behind her.

“I’ll be keeping this safe now,” she announced, quickly keeping the disk inside her satchel before the other ponies could assault her with more embarrassing questions. The very notion that she had been being spied on by the captain unnerved her. She’d have to make a through sweep of the ship later. Especially her room.

The radio in Twilight’s ear crackled. “Commander, you may come up to the Citadel Tower. The Council has agreed to see our new evidence.” A pause. “Also, you might want to brief me about that firefight in the Presidium.” The ambassador’s tone indicated she found the situation somewhat amusing. “Executor Pallin was quite furious about the lapse in security on the Presidium itself. Fortunately, I hear you acquitted yourself well.”

“Yes, ambassador, we survived that fight.” Twilight replied dryly. “We’ll be on our way. Sparkle out.” She turned to the quarian. “Tali, you’ll need to come with us. You’re a star witness now.”

***

[Citadel Tower, Citadel]

The second hearing took place very similarly to the first, with the notable absence of Saren himself. As was customary, the ambassador and captain stood on the podium facing the councilors, with the rest standing in a respectful distance behind. The chamber was now surrounded by a dozen C-Sec agents, apparently stationed after the breach of security in the Presidium.

The recording was played again, Saren’s voice reverberating throughout the chamber, followed by the unknown feminine voice.

“Here’s the proof you wanted,” Ambassador Lyra stated. She wore an impassive look on her face, apparently deciding not to be vindictive about finding the evidence. Twilight thought she was being generous, since the council had dismissed their claims so casually in the first place. Then again, she wasn’t a diplomat, and the subtle nuances of galactic politics were not her forte anyway.

The three councilors glanced at each other briefly, before the turian member moved to speak. “This evidence is irrefutable, ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him to answer for his crimes.” The councillor seemed distinctly unhappy.

“I recognise that other voice, the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia,” the asari councillor said, a worried look on her face.

“Who?” Twilight spoke up.

“Matriarchs are powerful asari who entered the final stages of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people.”

“Well, this Benezia doesn’t sound very wise if she supports Saren,” Rarity remarked snidely.

“Wise or not, the matriarch is a powerful biotic and has many followers. She will make a powerful ally for Saren,” the asari councilor replied. Twilight nodded in agreement. The matriarch sounded like a powerful ally to have indeed.

“I’m more interested in this... Reapers. What do you know of them?” the salarian councilor directed the question at Twilight.

“Only what Tali was able to extract from the memory core. The Reapers were an ancient race of hyperadvanced machines. Then they vanished.” Twilight answered. “The geth believed the Reapers are gods, and Saren is the prophet that will insure their return.”

“We think the Conduit is key to bringing them back. Saren’s searching for it. That’s why he attacked Appleloosa,” Ambassador Lyra continued.

“Do you even know what the Conduit is?” the salarian ambassador asked skeptically, his large amphibian eyes fliting back and forth between Twilight and the ambassador.

“Well... no.” Twilight admitted. “But if Saren wants it, that’s bad right?”

“This is ridiculous. Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be.” the turian councillor said incredulously. “Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? Why have we found no trace of their existence?” He narrowed his eyes at the commander. “If they were real, we’ve would found something by now.”

“But councillors—” Twilight started.

“I agree with my fellow councillor here. This is different. We all agree that he’s using the geth to search for the Conduit. We just don’t know really know why,” the asari councilor interjected.

“The Reapers is obviously a myth. A convenient lie to cover his true purpose. A legend he used to bend the geth to his will,” the salarian councillor said dismissively. It was obvious his mind was already made up.

“But the Reapers are real! They have wiped out civilisations before. Who’s to say—” Twilight argued, before the ambassador raised a hoof to silence her.

“Commander, I believe the Council has already made up their mind regarding this issue,” she said gently. The mint green unicorn shook her head slightly, indicating Twilight should not press the issue.

“But ambassador, if the Reapers really wiped out all organic life fifty thousands years ago, do you really want to chance Saren using the Conduit to bring them back?” Twilight shot back. The lavender unicorn had come too far to let this opportunity go past.

“Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights and resources of a Spectre,” the turian councilor pointed out. She could tell the ambassador... and the Council wasn’t buying her argument.

“I’m afraid that’s not good enough councilors,” Lyra said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Even if he doesn’t have the authority of Spectres anymore, he has had plenty of time to use his power to recruit supporters in the Terminus Systems. By now, he probably has a standing army of geth and an entire armada to back him up.” She paused fractionally. “The Council would have to send a fleet to root him out.”

“The Great & Powerful Trixie offers graciously to lead this fleet of ships to look for this Spectre. With the might of a Citadel fleet behind me, we can have this rogue in custody within the month and the geth broken,” Trixie offered.

“We cannot just send a fleet to look for him. Our actions might spark a war against the Terminus systems,” the salarian councilor countered.

“You no-good alien cattle-rustler. Every time we ask for help, you turn us down,” yelled Applejack from behind. Again, she was promptly silenced by Twilight, who resorted to tying a piece of cloth around her snout.

“I have to agree with our freckled friend here, much I hate to admit it. The Council has not been very supportive of our cause thus far. The princess—” the ambassador said, before the asari councilor cut her off.

“Wait, there maybe another way. A solution that will not require fleets or armies.”

The turian councillor jerked his head towards his peer in alarm. “What?! No! It’s too soon. Pony-kind is not ready for the responsibilities that come from joining the Spectres,” the turian councillor objected with a wave of his hand.

“Princess Celestia personally picked the chosen candidate. I think she’s as ready as she can ever be,” Lyra said, waving a hoof over at the lavender unicorn, who was deep in thought.

“What?” Twilight blurted, a surprised look on her face. She quickly corrected herself, “I mean, yes, I’m ready!”

An enthusiastic voice spoke up from behind the ambassador. It was Pinkie Pie, hopping around in excitement. “Don’t you see? It’s a great idea! We can go together on grand adventures, chasing down the big bad meanie Saren. The Citadel don’t need to send ships, we get our very own pony Spectre and get to have grand parties wherever we want. Everypony’s happy!”

The ambassador seemed surprised at the unexpected help, but she nodded and stared expectantly at the councillors. “I think she made her point very clear, councillors,” Lyra said.

Again, the three members of the Council paused, and glanced at each other. After what seemed like a moment of silent deliberation, both the turian and salarian councilors nodded. Twilight thought the turian councilor seemed fractionally slower in giving his assent.

“Commander Sparkle,” the asari councillor called. Twilight’s ears perked up. “Step forward.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, the unicorn trotted forward, the ambassador moving slightly to make room. She now stood at the edge of the podium, facing the three most powerful figures in the known space. The asari councilor looked directly into her purple eyes, unnerving the unicorn slightly. The chamber fell into a deathly silence. Twilight could feel her heart beating, butterflies suddenly fluttering in her stomach. Dozens of eyes seemed to bore into her.

“It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Team branch of the Citadel,” the asari councilor said in a formal tone.

Twilight felt her heart racing. This was the moment, the day the princess have been preparing for her for.

“Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file,” the salarian councilor continued.

Her mind flashed back to the events of Appleloosa. The battles. The husks. The geth. Nihilus. Disarming the bombs in the colony. The battle on the Presidium.

“Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instrument of our will,” the asari councilor said.

Twilight’s chest puffed. Deep down, she resolved not only to a symbol, but to the embodiment of everything ponykind should reach for. It would be what the princess expected of her. It was what Equestria would look to her as.

“Spectres bear a great burden. They are the protectors of the galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold,” the turian councillor finished.

As the turian councillor spoke, Twilight found her shoulders being weighed down by the enormity of her task. The turian councillor was right. It was her duty and responsibility to uphold galactic peace if she accepted. Ponykind... neigh, all Citadel races would be depending on her to keep the peace.

“This is a great achievement for ponykind, being the first Spectre, Commander Sparkle. Do you accept?” the asari councilor asked.

Twilight was at a momentary loss of words. So much was flying through her mind right now. The responsibility. The prestige. The pride. The privilege. It was overwhelming.

“Well, Commander?” the asari councillor pressed.

All the wild thoughts in mind suddenly crystallised into one single emotion. The lavender unicorn’s face beamed as she shouted a single word.

“YES!”

***

[Crew Deck, ESV Normaredy]

Spike rapped on the door to Twilight’s cabin and called, “Come on, Twilight. You been in there for a whole day already.”

A weary voice replied from behind the door. “Leave me alone Spike. My reputation is forever ruined.” Spike could hear the sound of somepony turning on the bed.

“Aw, come on Twi, it wasn’t so bad.” Spike tried to reassure her. The effect was spoiled by the sound of his two companions giggling. He waved for Garrus and Rarity to keep silent.

“Yeah right, Spike, you’re just saying that to cheer me up.”

“It’s true. I mean, sure, you did scream with joy when the Council made you a Spectre. But everypony will right?”

“Spike, you left out the part where I also shouted ‘Yes!’ continuously for five whole minute, while prancing about in front of the Council AND the ambassador like a foal, in front of a dozen camera who happened to film the moment. It. Was. A. Disaster.

“But... Twilight... you looked... so cute—” Spike self-control failed and he began to burst out laughing as the memory of the incident surfaced. Unable to control himself, he fell to the floor laughing uncontrollably. Another groan emanated from behind the locked door.

“Spike, you horrible dragon! We should be cheering the commander up, not... laughing... at...” Rarity began to giggle as well. “... her... oh my stars, I can’t help it.” she said, her forehooves desperately covering her mouth.

Garrus gave a chuckle at the words of the white unicorn. “I’ll have to admit, commander, you do look pretty cute jumping about like that. And the extranet seems to agree.”

Garrus! You’re not helping,” Rarity manage to blurt in between helpless giggles.

“I’m never coming out of this room again!” Twilight wailed.

“Oh, my sides hurt,” Spike said, as he finally managed to control his laughter. “Anyway, Twilight, come on. You’re the first pony spectre ever. We should be celebrating,” he said in his most convincing voice. Which wasn’t much. “We even got you a present.”

“Yeah, Twilight, come on. Your present has already arrived. We ordered it specially from the Citadel,” Rainbow Dash called from the stairs.

“Oh...” the voice behind the door hesitated. “Fine.” The ponies and Garrus outside grinned at each other. Their trap was set.

“We’ll be waiting for you upstairs, darling,” Rarity called, as they made their way up the stairwell.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be right there,” Twilight called back. The lavender pony reluctantly got out of her bed and began brushing her mane, which got altogether tussled from her time in the room. Flicking a final strand of stray hair into place, she unlocked the door and trotted out.

The unicorn stopped in her tracks when she realised just how empty the crew deck was this time. Even during off-hours, there would be at least a couple of crew-members talking over a meal in the galley or taking a nap in the crew quarters. But now... nopony. Not even Ditzy who would stop by the galley every so often for another helping from her muffin collection. Her ears perked up as made out some jaunty tune emananting from the stairs. Strange, why would somepony play such a tune in the CIC? she thought. Twilight began making her way up the stairwell, the tune getting louder with each step.

The moment the door slid open, she instantly knew.

SURPRISE!”

The yell deafened Twilight, who stood staring in shock at the vastly changed room. The whole CIC was decked in party colours and decorations. The holographic map of the galaxy rotated brightly amidst the balloons and streamers that hung all around. Each workstation was somehow converted into makeshift tables for various party treats.

“Spectre commissioning party!” Pinkie Pie declared, taking Twilight by the hooves. The pink pony dragged the stunned commander around the room. “Do you like it, huh huh? After the totally awesome thing you did back in the Citadel, you looked sad. So I was like, Pinkie, what should you do? Then I thought, of course, this calls for a party! Parties always cheers ponies up!” The pink earth pony paused to take a deep breath, before continuing. “So then I bought all the party supplies on the Citadel and made everypony promise to keep it a secret because then it wouldn’t be a surprise...” Pinkie continued on her whirlwind exposition about how she organised the party.

Twilight had to smile at the Pinkie’s enthusiasm. She could tell the earth pony worked hard to decorate the ship and spring the surprise on her. And all her friends went along with it. Twilight glanced at each in turn. Applejack with a big grin on her freckled face. Rarity delicately trying to drink punch from a glass. Rainbow Dash chatting amicably with Tali. Fluttershy in one corner, terrified of attention, yet flashing a shy smile at Twilight. Spike riding on Garrus’ shoulders, shouting excitedly.

“Thanks girls. I really appreciate it,” she said sincerely, a wide smile on her face. Whatever hurdles Twilight would face on her mission, she knew she could count on her friends.