> Mass Effect: Gathering Embers > by ColvaMoon5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue: An Experiment Gone Wrong? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the dead of the night, at the top of the Canterlot astronomy tower, a pony is about to make a amazing discovery. Little does she know that this will not only change her life, but the future of everything they know. "Celestia, come quick!" the pony yelled, gaining the solar alicorn's attention, "I'm almost done." The pony kept tinkering with her telescope, making last minute adjustments. "Please, do be careful," Celestia said, "Using magic to augment the telescope so you can teleport yourself to the moon is very dangerous, my student. If something were to happen to you, Flash Sentry would kill me!" The two shared a chuckle. "No," the pony said calmly, "Mom would most likely do far worse." "Touche," Celestia exclaimed as the telescope was aimed at the moon, "Is it ready?" "Yes, but it might take a minute. Once my body energy is in the telescope, it will take a good ten seconds before it shoots me to the designated target." She takes a deep breath, and she ignites her horn with aqua colored magic, "Well, here goes nothing!" Her body then turned into a white blob of energy, and entered the telescope. However, as the telescope began charging, the tower began shaking. Celestia face was that of worry. "An earthquake?" Celestia yelled, "Now!" As she said that, several books along the walls fell, knocking the telescope... and pointing it away from the moon. "NO!!!" But Celestia was too late. The telescope fired the pony, launching past the moon, into the great beyond of stars. Celestia stared at the vast darkness, and could only form one sentence among her panic, "Twilight's gonna murder me." The pony expected to land on the moon, but, before she was launched, her whole world shook. Then, she saw the moon past by her. Wait, what happened, why am I going through nothing? Did something go wrong? She didn't have much time to think about it, as the stars she knew quickly passed by, and she was in total darkness. She knew, based on how fast the moon past her, that she was easily going hundreds of times past sonic rainboom speeds. She had know idea where she was goin~ Wait, she saw another set of star, all in a strange whirlpool shape. Before she knew it, she was slammed into a small area of metal. Her body reformed instantly upon entering, so she could get a sense of her surroundings. But, before she knew what was happening, something behind her yelled something. She turned around, and saw a very unusual creature. Before she could respond, it pointed some form of device at her. Based on the shape of it, it must of been some form of weapon. Sweating, she could only think of one thought. Why do these things happen to me? > What Is That Thing? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the Milky Way galaxy, located in the Sol System, a ship known as the SSV Normandy was on her first official test flight. At the helm of the ship, two humans pilot the shuttle towards a mass relay. A turian also stood behind the two, seeing how good they would be at testing the experimental ship. "Steady as she goes," Joker, pilot of the Normandy, says to his assistant pilot Kaiden Alenko, "Hitting the relay in 3...2...1" The Normandy blasted off, towards it's destination. "Board is green around the board, speed set at 1500k." "1500k is good." the turian said the Joker, "Your captain should be proud." The turian then walked out of the cockpit as another human into the cockpit. "I hate that guy," Joker says soft, but sternly. "Nihlus gives you a compliment," Kaiden retorts to Joker, "and you hate him for that." "Remembering to pull up your zipper after you went to the bathroom, that's good. I just warped us to a target the size of a pin, that's great! And it doesn't make any sense, sending a Spectre on a prototype ship." "They don't send Spectres for testing out new ships." The man behind them, Commander Shepard, stated. "So there is more to do with this." "Joker!" an voice at the intercom yelled out. "Send Shepard to the comm room." "Yes, Captain Anderson. Well, you heard the captain, Shepard." Shepard left the cockpit, and, after a short talk with Jenkins about being over excited, he entered the comm room, only to be met with the turian. "Nihlus?" "Aw," the Spectre said, "Shepard, now that you're here, I can get you up to speed." "What is it? I know this can't be a simple test run." "Very perspective. Yes, this isn't a normal run. We'll be heading to Eden Prime. The colony there appears to have found a working Prothean artifact." "Really? That could do wonders for the Citadel." "Yes, but this is more than that. Humanity needs to be brought into the bigger picture, and I'm hoping you can do just that. Your battle during the Skylian Blitz is just one example that prove my point. Which is why I recommended you for the Spectre program." Shepard was shocked at this, but kept his emotions in check. "I'm honored, Nihlus." "Don't feel honored yet, Commander. You haven't done anything yet." At this point, Anderson came into the room. "I assume you've briefed him on the mission." Anderson said, but before Nihlus could reply, Joker came in over the comm. "Sir, emergency message from Eden!" "Patch it through." The three then saw what appeared to be human soldiers, engaged with several unknown forces. Before the video cut out, they saw a massive metal squid shaped ship make a loud, painful noise. "This mission just got a whole lot more complicated. Shepard, take Jenkins and Alenko down to the planet. Since we're the only military force close to them, you have to retrieve the beacon." "What about civilians, sir?" "They must come secondary. What's important is getting that beacon before whoever's attacking the colony does first." Nihlus then began walking out of the room. "I'll head to the cockpit to get Alenko." As Nihlus reached the hallway leading to the cockpit, he was blinded by a white light. He instinctively pulled out his pistol, and aimed at the source of the light. Once he could see, he was shocked at what he saw. "Spirits, what is that?" He saw a creature that was half the size of an elcor, but looked like it was as soft as a hanar. He didn't know what it was, or why it was here. > Introductions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Someone behind Nyx yelled something she didn't understand, but she didn't bother looking behind her to find out who said it. If countless battles have taught her anything, is that you should never take your eyes off of your foe. She had to find out where she was, and the small hallway she was in would be too small for a fight. She used a silent scanning spell to discover her surroundings. Her scans discovered a large open area in front of her, and straight down. She instantly teleported to it, and quickly got a feel for her surroundings. The area appeared to have been some sort of hanger bay. Before she could continue, she spotted another creature, this one appeared to be similar to the humans her mom met in the portal world. She also noticed it was raising some sort of weapon larger than the one drawn by the first creature. Well, time to see if Uncle Armor's Shield Spell still works against alien weapons Nihlus was blinded by another, aqua light, and the creature was gone. "Dafuq was that thing?" Joker yelled, as he nearly fell out of his chair in surprise. Before he could respond, several gunshots were heard in the armory. He sprinted downstairs, where he ran into Shepard and Anderson. The three took the elevator down. "Any idea on what we are up against?" Shepard said as the elevator began to move, while gunshots were still being heard. "No clue." Nihlus responded as they pulled out their Predator pistols. When they reached the armory, they quickly got out, and saw that the mysterious creature had pulled up an aqua colored barrier around itself. One of the soldiers was currently firing at it with an Avenger rifle. Nihlus saw that the creature was sweating, it's eyes darting around the room faster than the bullets being fired at it. It's not trying to attack, it's just scared. Nihlus thought. "Stand down, private!" Nihlus yelled at the soldier as he relinquished his pistol, and headed towards the barrier. The creature then gave Nihlus a quizzical look. Shit, it won't understand me, so how can I help it? As if they heard his mental question, Anderson spoke up. "Shepard, I have an old translator module in my office. It looks life a dog collar. Bring it down here." "On it, Captain." Shepard replied as he went back up. Good, but that won't work unless we can get it to drop the shield. As much as I need to help the colonists, I can't risk traumatizing what could be a first contact scenario. He then went up to the shield and put his hand to it. "Private, leave, otherwise you may end up causing more harm than good," he said to the soldier, which he did so. He then proceeded to sound as calm as he could. "Don't worry, I am not your enemy. We are trying to help both of us. Could you please lower the shield?" Nyx couldn't understand what the scaly creature touching here barrier was saying, but since he sounded calm, as well as the guy with the strange projectile weapon left, she felt at a much safer position. Not to mention that the individual seemed rather...peculiar. She wasn't stupid, however. She needed to formulate a plan in case this went south. Okay, I'll drop the barrier, then I'll pull out Longclaw and Wolf's Howl, as well as put some distance from them. Good thing I brought my Ethereal Hoofbag with me. Nyx deactivated her shield, and instantly backed up to the far end of the room. She immediately brought out Longclaw and Wolf's Howl. The individuals in front of her backed up at the sight of this. She then saw the white human return, and hand the dark skinned human some sort of red collar. He as well as the scaled one then spoke to each other, with the black one giving the scaled one the collar. The scaled one then approached her. She raised Longclaw and pointed at him. The creature put it's hand up in innocent defense. I can't believe I'm doing this! Nyx thought as she lowered he sword. The creature then knelt down, and wrapped the collar around her neck. She felt agitated because she thought it was like an animal being collared. It then glowed slightly. "How's that?" the creature asked. Nyx's eyes widened in shock. Whatever this device was, it somehow allowed her to understand them. Let's hope it works the other way around. "Feels okay," Nyx replied as she raised her sword again, "Now, before you ask, my name is Nyx, I don't know how I ended up here, and I'll only attack if you provoke me." The scaled one then gave a chuckle as he backed up. "Well then, my name is Nihlus." Nihlus exclaimed, "And you seem to be in quiet a strange place now, aren't you, Nyx?" "Anderson," Joker yelled over the intercom, "approaching Eden Prime." "What's that?" Nyx asked. The black one, she assumed to be Anderson, approached her. "Eden Prime is a human colony that has uncovered an ancient relic. We were heading to go pick it up, when we got a distress signal from the planet." Nyx then realized what this was. A smash and grab. Get the 'relic' before the enemy. That didn't matter, though. This colony was under attack, and she wasn't going to let it fall without a fight. With new found confidence, she straightened her body. "Then I'm going. And, before we get into a ten minute argument, let me tell you that I know how to fight in a battle, no matter what kind of technology you're using. What matters is saving the colony, and I'll do that, no matter what. As my uncle once said, either get on board, or GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" The humans were surprised by the Nyx's boldness, yet Nihlus admired it's dedication to protect a random colony that has no importance to it. "Fair enough," he said, "But you'll need more that a sword and shield for this fight. Shepard, find this girl some guns." > Eden Prime Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nyx was outfitted with a modified N7 chest piece, and, thanks to some spray paint, put her cutie mark on the armor front. She was equiped with a Shurkien SMG, Katana shotgun, Predator Pistol, Avenger Rifle, and Mantis Rifle, which she was told how to use them properly. She was amazed at how the guns got smaller when they weren't in use. With such ingenuity, we could conceal weapons easily. Oh, how my uncle would have a field day with this stuff. And this armor: so much lighter than the standard armor I wear, but I'm certain that it is so much stronger. She then decided to inspect her allies. As such, the three called Shepard, Kaiden Alenko, and Jenkins, were all wearing N7 armor. Shepard had all the guns she had, while Jenkins had an Avenger and Predator, and Kaiden had a Avenger and Katana. The hanger door opened, revealing a lush world. With the sun nearly down, the sky was basked in a golden orange color. "You coming, Nihlus?" Kaiden asked Nihlus, whom was wielding a Katana shotgun. "I work better on my own." He said as he jumped out of the ship, which she was told was called the Normandy. Anderson then approached the four. "The beacon was retrieved from the dig site, so all you need to do is find it, then radio the Normandy." "What about survivors, sir?" Kaiden said. "Consider them secondary. Securing that beacon is our top priority." Nyx narrowed her eyes at that. Not to me, it isn't! Nyx then pulled out a thin metal headband, three times thinner than the one she wore as a filly, and put it around her head. Igniting her horn, the headband with dropped a transparent, purple tinted glass around her eyes, and a metal casing was expanding, moving to her ears and covering them. A favorite technology she invented, the metal was slightly weaker than the standard Royal Guard armor, but it was as flexible as the alien armor she was wearing. The four then jumped out of the ship, with the three humans somersaulting to soften their landing, and Nyx using her wings. The four advanced down towards a ridge, with Nyx putting Longclaw in her sheath, and pulling out her Avenger and Wolf's Howl. The four positioned behind some rocks at the ridge. Shepard motioned Jenkins to move forward, with Kaiden covering his left flank. Nyx was behind Shepard, on the right side. As Jenkins moved forward, the magical sensors built into her headgear indicated fast approaching objects in front of them... and Jenkins was out in the open. Throwing caution to the wind, she sprang out of cover, and sprinted for Jenkins. "Watch out!" she screamed as two metallic hovering objects appeared form behind the rocks appeared. Aiming their guns at Jenkins, the drones unleashed a volley of laser fire at him. Nyx just barely got there in time to shield him for the gunshots. Surprising, her shield held very well against alien fire. She then fired at the drones, taking one of them down. Jenkins, after he recovered from the initial shock, shot down the other one "Thanks!" he exclaimed as Shepard and Kaiden approached the two. "No problem," she said, pointing to her cutie mark painting, "It's my job." Kaiden raised an eyebrow at that, but figured it wasn't the time or place to ask. They pushed forward and, after destroying several more drones, saw three more chasing a woman. She ducked down and spun around, shooting down the drones with her Predator. She saw two metallic soldiers placing a human on a small metal platform. Before she could do anything, a massive spire speared through the humans chest, killing him. She ran behind a boulder as the metal soldiers fired at the woman. The four soldiers fired at the metal men, who were dropped before they knew what hit them. "Thanks for the save, sir." the woman said. "What's going on here, soldier?" Shepard ordered the soldier. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. We were patrolling the northern sector, when that ship came out of nowhere. Before we knew it, we were being hammered by Geth." "The Geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in decades!" Kaiden exclaimed, "What are they doing here?" Nyx felt that the name had some bad meaning, given how Alenko reacted. "Don't know, but those things killed my entire squad." "We'll make them pay, Williams." Shepard said, "Follow us." "Yeah, no problem. Just, one question? What's with the horse?" "I''m a pony," Nyx annoyingly responded, "thank you very much. I ended up on their ship by accident, and volunteered to help." Williams moved towards Nyx. "Yeah, I don't buy it. A different species just happens to appear out of nowhere, and just volunteers to help with a random colony. Sounds more like the start of an inva~~" Ashley never got to finish her sentence, as Nyx grabbed her torso, vaulted Ash over her body, and slammed her to the ground, bringing up her Longclaw. "We don't have time to argue. Either you can get out of our way," she then raised a hoof to her, "or you can help us save this colony." Grunting, Ashley grabbed the pony's hoof, and was hoisted back up. "Fine," she grumbled. The five proceeded to the dig site, where the relic was uncovered. Before they got to the colony, they were told it was moved to the spaceport. With that they advanced, and encountered several similar spires that had impaled humans. However, these were different. Their skins were covered in metal wires, and any traces of living tissue seemed decayed. Several geth were nearby, but Shepard and Ashley shot them down before they detected them. Then, as if they noticed their presence, all of the spires started moving down. "Oh my god!" Kaiden yelled, as the soldiers pulled out their guns, "They're still alive." Nyx knew better than that. Having fought an army of the dead once, she knows what a truly dead creature looks like. Nyx counted at least 30 of them, all advancing at an alarming rate. "Shit!" Shepard said as he popped a clip out of his Avenger, "There's too many of them!" Nyx then looked at her shield, and got an idea. "Everyone, get behind me!" Nyx yelled as she attached the shield to her left hoof, and raised it. "That won't stop them!" Shepard exclaimed. "Just DO IT!" The soldiers reluctantly complied, and got behind her. As the husks got close, she whispered one thing to her shield. "Wolf," As she said that, a small white vortex began forming around the center, and slowly got brighter and larger. The husks were a mere two feet from her. "Howl." The vortex then exploded into a massive shockwave forward, ripping apart the husks directly in front of the shield, and blasting the rest of them, killing them instantly. During the whole thing, some of the soldiers were sure they heard a wolf howling. All of them, however, were thinking one thing. "Okay," Ashley said, breaking the silence, "I'm impressed." Nyx couldn't resist chuckling. "Shepard, I'm nearing the space port. Gonna scout it out." Nihlus exclaimed over the comm system. Luckily Anderson gave her an comm earpiece, that way she could her him. "Roger that." Shepard replied. Nyx saw a steep hilltop nearby, overlooking the spaceport. "Sir, permission to advance up that ridge, towards the spaceport, and rendezvous with Nihlus?" "Permission granted, good luck." With that, Nyx flied up to the ridge, and got a perfect view of the spaceport. She pulled out her Mantis, and lied down into a sniper position. Such a beautiful world. Too bad these 'geth' are destroying it. Now, where is Nihlus. Aw, there he is. Wait, that guy's armor is blue. Nihlus's is black and red. Nihlus moved into the spaceport, and saw a blurred figure. He ducked behind a crate to get a better position. After he pulled out an Avenger, he moved out from behind the crate. He face was that of shock when he got a better look at the individual. "Saren?" He saw that his old friend and mentor had several scars, some of which had to be replaced with cybernetic enhancements. "Nihlus." Nihlus didn't like the looks of this. Saren was only sent when survivors weren't expected. Combine that with his personal dislike of humans, and this did not bod well for the colony. "What are you doing here, Saren." He said, lowering his gun, "This is not your mission." Saren approached Nihlus, placing a hand on his shoulder as he walked by. Saren could feel the tension in Nihlus drop, thus lowering Nihlus's guard. "The Council thought you could use help on this one." Nihlus then looked up at the massive squid-shaped ship. "I never expected Geth to be here. The mission's gone out of control." "Don't worry," Saren replied as he pulled out a Carnifex pistol, and aimed it at Nihlus's head, "I've got the situation under control." SHREEWUBUW > Eden Prime Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, so the blue alien seems to be Nihlus's friend. Wait, why's he holding a pistol. Buck, he's gonna shoot him. Nyx stood up and got into a charging position, with her front hooves bent. Alicorn FURY SHREEWUBUW In a split second, a vertical vortex of aqua energy formed around her, launching her at rainboom velocity. She appeared between the two turians just as Saren fired pulled the trigger. "AAAH!" The shot caught Nyx right at the base of her neck, knocking her away and crashing against the sides of nearby crates. Nihlus, realizing what was happening, barreled behind another crate. "Saren, what the spirits are you doing?" He popped out of cover, and saw that Saren was nowhere to be seen. Nor would he be seen, unless Saren wanted to be found. "Shepard, this is Nihlus! Nyx is down!" "What? What happened?" Before Nihlus could respond, a loud commotion came from behind him. "LeT's MoVe OuT." Nyx, losing blood, got up, kicked a clip out of her Avenger, and started moving towards the location the beacon was supposed to be. "Kid," Nihlus replied, placing an objective hand on her shoulder, "You're wounded. You're in no position to~~" "dOn'T gIvE a DAMN!!" Nyx screamed as she swatted his hand off. "YoU cAn DeStRoY mY aRmOr, BrEaK mY bOdY, bUt As LoNg As ThEiR's BrEaTh In My BoDy, I wOn'T sToP pRoTeCtInG tHe InNoCeNt!" Nihlus had to admire the determination of the pony. Possibly dying, and she wasn't gonna stop doing what she believed to be her duty. "At least let me patch your wound, kid." Nihlus used some medi-gel to cover up her neck wound, at least letting her speak properly. Soon, the six soldiers all were grouped together as the massive ship lifted off, leaving Eden Prime. They advanced towards a tram, which would take them to the beacon. However, the tram came back, holding several Geth, as well as a larger red Geth, wielding a Plasma Shotgun. The soldiers got to cover, but Nyx just stayed still. The red Geth fired a shots, which she easily dodge them, before it began charging straight for her. The others tried shooting at it, but the bullets couldn't get past the shield. Nyx put her shield and Avenger away, pulled Longclaw out and, using her magic, pulled a second sword from her Hoofbag. (Image wont load, so look up 'Thor: tales of Asgard' Sword of Surtur) She lifted the swords so that they were hovering next so her, pointed at an upward angle away from her. She closed her eyes, letting instincts take over. The red Geth, still charging, saw that the four legged organic was, by it's perspective, lowering it's guard. It increased it's speed, going into a full on sprint. When the Geth was mere feet from her, she opened her eyes, side-stepped to the right, and slashed both swords to it's midsection. When the Geth passed by, Nyx conjured up two new sheaths, one blue, one red, and placed her swords in their respective sheaths. After she did, the still standing Geth split into two pieces While she dealt with the bigger Geth, her new allies destroyed the rest. The six then got on the tram, and advanced towards the station. They arrived at the stationed, and advanced towards the beacon. Nyx didn't like it. There were no Geth stopping them. She hoped that they left with the ship, but she learned long ago not to trust on hope alone. Then she saw the beacon. A large glowing rectangular object, located far end of a platform, which was below them. Jenkins offered to stay at the top of the stairwell, so the other five moved down towards the beacon. When they neared it, they scattered, searching the area to make sure it's safe. Ashley got closer to the beacon, which then proceeded to grab her with some form of telekinetic energy. Shepard saw this, grabbed her, and threw her out of the way. As a result, Shepard got the full force of the beacon. He saw horrible visions. Images of an unknown species, being slaughtered by machines. He was then blasted away from the beacon, which then proceeded to explode. "Shit!" Kaiden yelled as he saw what happened to Shepard. Then, from behind a large amount of crates, at least 20 Geth soldiers appeared. "Oh, fuck!" Ashley screamed as the Geth began shooting at them. Nihlus dragged Shepard behind some cover, and the group saw another Geth, this one twice the size of all the others. "Geth Prime!" Nihlus yelled out to them as it started blasting at them, preventing them from firing back. "Normandy, we're pinned down. Need immediate extraction. Shepard is also unconscious, possibly in critical condition." "I'll hurry as soon as I can." Joker replied. "We can't hit that thing if we're pinned." Kaiden replied. The situation did not look good for them. Then, out of nowhere, several rockets blasted at the Geth, destroying them. Nyx looked towards the source of the rockets... and saw Jenkins holding a rocket launcher. "I guess we're even!" Nyx happily exclaimed as she and Jenkins shared a chuckle. "To quote a phrase people use," Jenkins said as he raised the rocket launcher up into the air, "LEEEEEEROOOOOOOY JEEEENKI~"KABVVVZZZZ Jenkins looked down at his chest, and saw a massive hole where his heart was. Nyx, looked back at where the Geth used to be, and, out of the smoke, appeared the slightly damaged Prime, with it's gun having a little smoke coming off of it, as well as 7 soldiers. Jenkins then fell off the stairwell, and landed a few yards from the group. As the other soldiers provided covering fire, Nyx ran towards Jenkins unmoving body. She knelt down, turned him over, and saw his eyes. Life slowly draining from them. "Did I do good?" He quietly asked. Nyx couldn't help but put a sad smile. "Yes, Jenkins. You did good." Then she saw Jenkins close his eyes for the last time. "Jenkins? Jenkins! JENKINS!" A rage formed within her. music effect, start at either 30 or 40 seconds, depending on your opinion. her fighting doesn't start until 1 minute in. Tears flowing, she closed her eyes. Nightmare Assault When she opened them, purple smoke began flowing out of her eyes. She stood up, and saw that everything was moving slowly except for her. Her hair then started floated upward, as if it was caught in an updraft. "WRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" She roared, her hair turning into purple flames, and a powerful aura of aqua energy surrounding her. She pulled out her swords, and, with the speed of a cheetah (even faster from the humans/turian's point of view) charged at the Geth. She slashed the leg of a soldier off with the blue sword and, as it was falling to the ground, stabbed it in the head with the red sword. She aimed the red sword at two more and a torrent of flame came out, completely melting them. She threw her blue sword at another Geth's head, and plunged her red sword into the chest of another. She then ripped the sword upward, cutting the torso and head sections of the Geth in half. She slightly leaned to the right, dodging a shot from the Prime then ran up to another soldier, cutting it in half. As the last soldier fired it's gun at her, she jumped upward, dodging the shot. She landed her hind legs on it's head and twisted her legs to the point that the circuits of the Geth short-circuited, killing it. Everything started moving at normal again. She turned around and saw the Prime moving towards her. She casted a spell, which caused the Prime's chest to glow aqua. She swung her right hoof as if she was going to punch it, and a massive dragon ghost hand grabbed the right side of the machine. She did the same with her left hoof, and the machine's left side was grabbed. She then pulled her arms away from each other. The dragon hands then ripped the machine apart. (end music) As she witnessed the carnage she delivered, she heard what was most likely the Normandy coming behind her. The purple mists also was gone from her eyes. She then felt some strange pain below her. She turned her head, and noticed that her neck wound had reopened. Before she could do anything else, the blood lose she sustained caused her to fall on her side. She turned her head and saw Nihlus running towards her. "Shit, Kaiden, get Chakwas, tell her we have wounded." That was all Nyx could here Nihlus say before she saw only darkness. > Recovery > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nyx found herself in a dark, misty, open plain. She looked around the area, desperately trying to find something past the mist. However, she could see nothing past a few feet. Then, she saw what appeared to be a pony. Blue, with a horn and wings. Nyx's heart leaped from her chest. "Luna!" She cheered as she sprinted towards the alicorn, "You're alive!" She stopped, however, when she saw that Luna wasn't moving... just staring at her. "Luna?" Luna opened her mouth but then, without moving, the distance between the two alicorns began to get larger. Nyx tried to sprint towards her, but the distance just kept getting larger. Then, Luna closed her eyes, and began laughing maniacally. "LUUUUNAAA!!!!" "Aaug!" Nyx screamed, raising her head up, causing it to bonk on an overhanging medical lamp. She groaned, rubbing her sore head. "You shouldn't exert too much, young one." A female voice to her right said, as she felt hands gently pushing her back down. She then looked up and saw what appeared to be an elderly human, with short silver hair. "You had a nasty neck wound that was bleeding profoundly. A few more hours, and you would've been beyond our aid." Nyx then noticed that their was a nametag 'Chakwas' on her uniform. She looked around, and the surrounding area appeared to be some form of medical bay. "But you have some resilience, little one." Nyx was now understanding what had happened. The neck wound, Jenkins' death, Shepard being~SHEPARD! "Is Shepard alright?!" Nyx yelled as she decided to move off of the medi-bed she was on. Chakwas was surprised at how soon the pony was able to get back up on it's feet (hooves?) so soon, especially after sustaining heavy damage. "Yes, he's fine. Nihlus was there when he woke up, and debriefed him. Apparently, the turian you saw, Saren, was most likely responsible for the destruction of the colony. We're heading to the Citadel, the hub of the galactic community, to try to have Saren placed under arrest. We'll be talking to the Council, the ruling faction of the Citadel, although I wouldn't call it a faction, nor ruling, but there's no better word I can come up with at the moment." Chakwas then went to an intercom machine, and pressed the button marked 'CO Quarters'. "Anderson, Nyx has woken up." "Excellent. Send her to my quarters." "You get that, girl." Nyx then walked towards the door. "On it." She exited the room, and found Kaiden waiting. She escorted her to Anderson's quarters, then left to check the lockers. Nyx entered, and found Anderson looking at a floating screen, with several pictures (extranet). "Ah," Anderson calmly said, without even looking at her, "Nyx. Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat." Nyx then moved to sit at a chair across from Anderson, in front of a small table. She found it difficult given the structure of it, plus her anatomy, but she managed. When she got situated, Anderson then swung his chair around. "Now," he exclaimed, placing a hand on the table, "What I'm going to ask is very important Nyx. The Council will have a million different questions on who you are, where you come from, the low down. No doubt, if we do this normally, it could take days and, with what Nihlus told me, you would rather spend fighting than wasting time answering simple question, am I correct?" Nyx nodded, understanding the situation. If a turian like Nihlus came to Equestria, the media would hound him for a month at least. "So," Nyx replied, leaning forward, "You want me to answer them to you, and you would give these answers to the Council, in hopes that they would be satisfied for the time being." Anderson shoke his head. "Alright, guess I'll begin with the basics. Who are you, and how did you end up on my ship?" Nyx was on the command deck, walking towards the cockpit, after a very long question session. She answered every question Anderson gave her, including her past, Equestrian history, her nation's government style, and more. She avoided things like technology, as well as government weaknesses, as she didn't want others to take advantage of that. She moved to the cockpit, where she saw Kaiden, Shepard, both standing, and a third human, seemingly flying the Normandy from it's chair. She felt a radiant energy come off him, much higher than anyone else on the ship. "Coming up on the Citadel shortly, Commander." The pilot said. "Good, Joker," Shepard replied. "Can't wait for the Council to see our new addition. You know the phrase 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth' well, she'll have it taken literally!" Despite the obvious insult, Nyx couldn't resist laughing. "Okay," Nyx replied as she walked up to Joker, "This guy I'll like talking to. I bet he has more Harmonic Energy than half the crew of this ship combined." Joker smiled at that. "You hear that, Shepard. I have more Harmonic Energy than the entire crew. Um, what's Harmonic Energy?" "It's very common on my world. Your's is about slightly higher than the common citizen, however." "Huh," Joker chuckled, "Still higher than Kaiden's, but what does it mean?" "It represents the general happiness of an individual. When enough Energy is gathered into one place, the result is a massive, unplanned, yet seemingly choreographed sing and dance group." Kaiden was laughing hysterically, while banging his hand on the hull after that comment. "What?" Nyx asked, completely confused. "Joker has Brittle Bone Disease." Kaiden replied. Nyx's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in shock. "I assume that it's similar to Weak-Bone Syndrome on my world." "Probably." Joker simply said. "Irony!" All four of them started laughing hysterically. Shepard was getting a cramp from the laughs. "Alright!" Joker said, finally calming down, "Let's get ready, coming up on the Citadel." Nyx narrowed her eyes. "Let's do it." > Trial, Acquisition, and Misunderstanding > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To say that Nyx was excited on the inside was an understatement of the century. The magnitude of how amazingly awesome (sounding like Rainbow) the Citadel was beyond words. She wished that her first visit to this marvelous and strange place could be on better terms. And on less awkward terms. When the news got word that Eden Prime was attacked, and the rescue team was 'reportedly' led by a new species, you can imagine every news network would send their best reporters to interview this creature. And that is exactly what happened when Nyx, Nihlus, as well as Shepard, Ash, and Kaiden saw when they exited the elevator. Nihlus told Anderson to stay with the Normandy. Something about a history with Saren making the trial harder for them. She asked Nihlus if she could stay behind, while they go to the Council and deal with the Trial. Nihlus was initially concerned, but he felt that she has been in the spotlight before, so she let he stay near the elevator to the Council Chambers. After another hour of answering questions from two specific reporters, one called Diana Allers, and the other one she could not pronounce correctly to save her life, Nihlus and the others came back and told them to leave. Lucky for her, they sent them away when the one who's name she couldn't pronounce asked 'Is the rest of your race unclothed?'. Nihlus told Shepard to go find more information that will help with finding Saren, and instructed Nyx to follow him. From what Nihlus told Nyx of the trial, it seems that Saren used to be a teacher of sorts to him, being the one who recommended Nihlus to the Spectres in the first place. Nihlus used that fact to make Saren's defense backfire on him. The Council, which consisted of another Turian, as well as something called an Asari and Salarian (Nyx made a mental note to look up information on the species in this galaxy) then commanded Saren to return to the Citadel for questioning. After the hologram disappeared, he thought he heard Kaiden whisper 'He's not gonna come, is he?'. Nyx chuckled at that part. Then, the Council gave Nihlus authorization to hunt down Saren, and bring him to justice. And then he told Nyx the best part. Nihlus told the Council that he recommended Shepard for the Spectre program, which they agreed. Shepard could now help them hunt down this criminal. When Nyx asked why being a Spectre is so important, Nihlus explained that they are the best of the best, the elite. They are able to have unrestricted access to all levels of all Council species governments. Well, that sounds like something Rainbow would try to be, if she wasn't Captain of the Wonderbolt Brigades Now they reached Nihlus's apartment, or what she thought it was, since all the buildings look the same, and the word 'Nihlus' was on the outside. He entered a password into the door, which then swung open. Nyx got a look around while Nihlus got a drink. The apartment, surprisingly, was simple in design, given Nihlus status. Only a bedroom, with a double bed. Living room had an amazing window of outside, a simple green couch, glass coffee table in front of it, and a massive screen, something called a 'TV', which hugged the right wall. The kitchen left to the living room had a pantry, a refrigerator, and a wooden kitchen table. Apparently, Nihlus has simple tastes. Or so she thought. "Don't let the rooms make you think I don't like to spend credits," Nihlus, holding a glass of, what Nyx assumed was, wine. He walked toward the center of the TV, "This is where the magic happens." He placed a hand (claw, whatever) on the center of the TV. Bio-signature recognized. Welcome back, Nihlus A female robotic voice said aloud, as the TV disappeared, and the wall behind it moved back, then upward, revealing a large blue room. But what caught Nyx's attention was the gun and armor racks. She was getting excited weak knees, and, unfortunately for her, Nihlus took notice. She felt that he would joke about that some other time. "Well, pick some guns, and try them out." (an hour later) Nyx was not done yet. She easily found her three of the four guns she felt she liked using, the Carnifex Pistol, cause it can cause good damage at any range, but she should use it as a backup, cause of it's low RoF. The Raptor Sniper, cause it can be great for laying down suppressing fire. And the N7 Hurricane SMG, for it's rapid fire damage dealing. She spent alot of time looking over the extranet on the various weapons that Nihlus had, as well as combat related things, such as grenades, shields, and barriers. The only thing she couldn't find was the right Assault Rifle. None just didn't seem to speak her language. "Let me help you." Nihlus said as he walked towards one of the armory's walls, where a ten digit code had to be put in. "I don't usually bring 'him' out, since most my missions involve stealth," he entered the code, and a small section of the wall seperated, revealing a black-tinted Avenger-like Rifle, "But I have a good feeling he'll like you." Nyx levitated the gun to herself, and inspected it. There were small vertical red tallies marked all over the top barrel area of the gun, and a red skull, having a red cog around it, painted at the center right side of the gun. she also saw the large numbers '117' in red, painted on the opposite side of the gun. There was distinct feeling of dread coming off it. But, it was dread that wanted to only do good for those that use it. But how can you do good, if you were created for a dark purpose? Much like me, at first. Nyx decide she would keep it, but let Nihlus explain what it was. "This Rifle is equiped with a rare, and highly illegal Ammo Converger. The sphere near the barrel can change the bullets to any type instantly. Armor-Piercing, Warp, Incendiary, you name it. The canister below the barrel contains five grenades, capable of damaging anything within a five foot radius. And it comes with it's own Ammo Converger. The scope on the top is designed to highlight armed targets. It even has a red smile face as the scope icon, though I don't know how that got there. The fire rate can alter from single shot, triple burst, or full auto. On top of that, it's based of the decommissioned M-7 Lancer models, so the ammo is constantly regenerating. It truly is a monster on the battlefield. I spent an eternity trying to find a fitting name for him. Finally looked up some 21st century human entertainment, and settled with the name 'SPARTAN'." Nyx put the gun down, and went to a large glass tube, which Nihlus called the 'Armor Converter' Nyx selected the Hahne Kadar armor set, minus the helmet, and entered. The tube closed, then filled with a bright light. She couldn't see, but could feel metal arms touching all over her body. When the light was gone, she saw that her whole body, from hooves up to halfway up her neck, was covered in the armor style of the Hahne Kadar. "The humans can make some good looking armor, but it can take days to redesign them for other species. Even longer if they aren't bipedal." Nyx, using her magic, teleport the armor to her Hoofbag, and conjured up a purple jacket, much like the one she wore as a kid. "Thanks." "It's nothing," NIhlus said as the two left the armor, guns ready to go, "I owe you everything." What does he mean by that? The two then moved towards the couch, and took seats at opposite ends. "You don't." "But I do Nyx. You saved my life. Saren was one of the greatest friends a guy like me could ask for. He's the reason I'm here in the first place. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be patrolling some backwater planet. To me, he's the closet thing to a father figure I had." Where's he going with this "Then, on Eden Prime, I was worried that few of us would escape the Geth. Then, Saren showed up, and I let my guard down, because I knew, and I believed at the time, that Saren was like family. I heard him pull the gun out, but I thought it was for the Geth, not for me." Uhuh "Then, you came. You put yourself between me and that bullet, risking your own life. Now, I have you to thank for being the reason I'm here." Is he about to? "On top of that, compared to most non-bipedal species, you look amazing. You have great skill on the battle as well." HE IS!!! "To me, there's nobody I wouldn't want to be with than~~" "I HAVE A COLTFRIEND!!!" Nyx screamed as she flared her wings , and put he front hooves up defensively, her eyes that of panic. Needless to say, Nihlus was as confused as she was scared. "HUH, what do you~~" When he realized what he said, and what she just said, he burst out laughing, placing a hand on his side in pain. Nyx then calmed down at the display, but still looked worried. "WOO, it takes something real funny to make me laugh like that. Even funnier if it's on purpose. It seems that I sent the wrong message, yet you interpreted just as badly. Or is it correctly. Nevertheless, let me finish. There's nobody i wouldn't want to be with than a friend." "Oh." The two then began laughing. After a minute of good, friendly laughter, Nihlus pressed a button on the couch, and two glasses of wine popped up of the coffee table. Nihlus grabbed one, while Nyx levitated the other one to herself. Using a spell, she converted her wine to apple cider from back home. "Well then, to friends." The two then lightly tapped their drinks together, before drinking down. "By the way," Nihlus responded, after finishing his glass, "How to you think things are going back home." Nyx then placed her glass and contemplated for a moment. "Well, my dad Flash Sentry would be throwing a fit, but my calm mother, Twilight Sparkle, should be able to keep he back. Knowing her, she already has a crazy plan to try to contact me." > She's Not Happy! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "WHERE IS SHE!!!!!!!!" Twilight screamed as Celestia dodged yet another massive magic bolt from her. When Celestia told Twilight what happened to Nyx, you could hear her rage from Ponyville. Now Twilight was trying to beat the Tartarus out of Celestia. The two passed near the Astronomy Tower when Twilight got a good hit on Celestia, blasting her through the roof, where Twilight's friends, her husband Flash, as well as Cadance and Shining, were at. While Cadance's and Shining's manes mainly stayed the same, Twilight's friend's had change. Rainbow's was slightly less ruffled, yet grew longer, down to her back. Applejack's ponytail was longer, as was Rarity's mane. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie also remained unchanged. Spike had tripled in size, his head thorns growing down his back, tail quadruple in length, as sporting a large set of wings. Twilight's mane also grew, and she also had her tail in a knot. But currently you couldn't tell what she looked like, because the night sky was ablaze with Twilight's red hot fury. She slammed to the Tower floor, with murder in her eyes. She charged at Celestia, but Flash moved in front of her, causing both to crash into the books along the wall. "Twilight," Flash yelled as he tried to body grab his wife, attempting to contain her rage, "ENOUGH!" He head butted her head, which calmed her near instantly. Works every time, he thought. With Twilight slightly calmed down, he let go of her. But the moment she stood up, she lunged at Celestia. Lucky for both of them, Jack and Dash were there to hold her back. After that, she just stopped trying. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE IS!!!" Twilight screamed in her own Royal Voice. "Her Harmonic Energy is still there, but it's too far out of range to be able to pinpoint an exact location." Celestia replied. "Then use the teleportation spell to get her back here!" "It's not that simple, Twilight! We can easily teleport over too her, but without any idea what condition she's in, we can't risk sending a rescue team." "Then let us go!" Rainbow yelled, "We got the Rainbow Power for any trouble she might be in." "You know we can't send in our country's greatest assets first!" Flash replied, "Remember what happened to Luna?!" Everyone was silent, but it didn't last long, as Twilight's eyes watered up, then tears started flowing. She began loudly sobbing as she collapsed to the floor. "You're lucky Abyss ain't here, Sugarcube," Applejack whispered to Flash, "'Cause he wouda chucked ya out the window for sayin that." "I'm 47 years old," Twilight pleaded in between sobs, "In less than a week Nyx will be 28. I lost my parents two years ago. We lost Luna. Sooner or later, I'll lose my friends, my brother, even you, my dear husband. I can't live if I lose her, too?" Flash then moved to his wife, and knelt down to her. She gave him a bear hug, still sobbing. "It'll be alright, hunny," Flash said, so low it was barely above a whisper, "We just need to send somepony who's good, but not important to the survival of Equestria." "Yeah," Twilight said, wiping some tears off, "Somepony who's good at any situation, be it technical, combat, or diplomatic, but also can adjust to unfamiliar situations. Somepony like~~" "NOT HIM!!" Shining yelled. "Shining," Celestia retorted, "You have to admit that he's the best one for the job." "After what he did, siding with that monster!" "We've already forgiven him, Shining. On top of that, Nyx really likes him." "We haven't pardoned him for his crimes, and that's not the worst. He's a bad influence on her." "Right now, bad influence doesn't matter if the pony isn't alive to have influence." "And," Twilight exclaimed as she stood up, and walked toward Shining, to the point that he was making him kneel down, so that she was towering over him, "If we don't find somepony to do it, I'll have to take my ANGER OUT ON SOMEPONY!!!!" ..... Shining backed off. "Rainbow Dash," Celestia exclaimed, "Head to the Southern Mareibean Seas, find the pirate ship Leviathan, and it's captain, Pipsqueak" > Additions and Subtractions Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6:49 PM, Citadel, Nihlus's Apartment Nyx and Nihlus were currently talking about Nyx's childhood, as well as the many adventures Nyx's mother and her friend's adventures. That seems to have been what they seemed to talk about for the past half hour. "Oh," Nyx exclaimed as she gulped down another glass of magic produced cider, "I should tell you the time Twilight tried to find out what Pinkie's Pinkie Sense was?" Nihlus gave a good chuckle at that. He had changed to his normal attire, consisting of a dark brown color, with a few red lines in places. "Given what you told me about Pinkie, I imagine it didn't go very well." "Well duh, but you shoulda seen how angry she was. It'd make a Krogan quiver in fear." "Given how calm and calculating your mother is, I highly doubt that." "OHOH, you haven't done anything to truly enrage Twilight. When she get's made, you either start running, hope you're on her side, or better say you're sorry." Nyx's then realized Nihlus had a red tattoo on the right side of his head. "Well, shouldn't we try to change the subject." "Okay, how about when you got that tattoo?" Nihlus was confused. What did she say? "What are you talking about?" "The tattoo on the side of your head?" Nyx replied, pointing her hoof at the side of her head to emphasize. "I never had a tattoo in my~~" Nihlus then saw a red dot appear on the left side of Nyx's head. Assassins! "GET DOWN!!!" Nihlus screamed as he grabbed Nyx, and jumbed over the counter seperating the living room from the kitchen. The instant he grabbed her, dozens of shots began spraying into the room, barely missing them as they took cover. "Well, looks like I'll be busting out Spartan sooner than I was hoping!" Nyx exclaimed as she conjured up her armor, as well as said weapon. "Shepard," Nihlus yelled into his comm device, "Whatever you're doing, drop it and get to my apartment. Me and Nyx are pinned down by assassins. Sending coordinates!" Nihlus pressed a button under the kitchen table, and metal cover barriers popped up against the window. Nihlus grabbed his Viper off the shelf, and ran towards a cover on the right side, while Nyx sprinted towards the left side. She found the armor to be slightly heavy, but right now was not the time for complaining. She ducked down, taking a few pot shots at the assailants, which she has yet to get a proper look at. Using her magic, she scanned through the barricade she had, and saw her assailants. Several armed forces wielding blue armor with a strange symbol. Blue Suns She thought. She saw a gunship appear in front of the apartment, dropping off three turians, two batarians, and five humans. Combine that with the current snipers somewhere across the Presidium, and they are dealing with up to around 17 soldiers. "Nihlus," Nyx exclaimed, "We can't win this fight without taking out those snipers, but I can get a good angle at them. And the cider I had has dampened my effectiveness at using magic. I won't be able to get a clear shot at them." "Shepard," Nihlus said into his comm, "Change of plans, we have snipers pinning our position. Sending coordinates momentarily. Once received, take them down!" Nihlus then put a scanner over his left eye. He peaked over to look for where the main snipers were. He saw five red lines coming from another apartment on the other side of the Presidium. The scanner locked on to the location, then sent the location to Shepard. "Got it~AAAGFUCK!" Nihlus was shot in the head by one of the snipers. "NIHLUS!!!!" Nyx screamed. She switched the grenade launcher to Incendiary, and quickly blasted at the assailants Nihlus then leaned back against the barricade. He had his hand covering his left eye. He took it off, revealing a long streak of blood across the side of his head. "Bastard skimmed my eye, but otherwise, I'm fine." Nyx and Nihlus could see several gunshots appearing from where the snipers were at. It seems, not only did Shepard find the snipers, but he got more soldiers than the two human. "It'll take alot more than a shot to the head to take you down Nih~" Nyx saw the gunship move into position in front of the apartment. "NIHLUS, LOOK OUT!!!" Nihlus looked up, just as the gunship fired a volley of missiles, blasting Nihlus to the opposite of the room, and severely loosening one of the barricades. The ship fired another volley, sending the cover straight at Nihlus. All Nyx could hear past the smoke was Nihlus make a long scream of pain. When the smoke cleared, Nyx saw Nihlus... with his right arm not attached to his body, as well as the metal cover stuck in the wall between Nihlus and his missing arm. She couldn't believe it. The first friend Nyx made in this strange, dangerous realm, could possibly die. She began to fill with rage, and her hair began to seem to be in an updraft. Then the gunship got hit by a massive green blast. Nyx instantly calmed down, and saw that there was a person at the center of the blast, on top of the gunship. The same color from the blast was also on her right hand and saw that the chest area was several shades of green, with the arms and legs being black. The person turned around, and Nyx's eyes widened. The person was wearing a hood, but had a helm with a green glass covering the face. A Quarian Nyx thought. Based on the physic, Nyx guessed it was a female. The back of the quarian had four small compartments along the shoulder blades. She jumped back as the gunship fell, killing half the mercs, and the compartments spewed fire out, slowing her descent. She landed in the apartment, taking cover behind next of the window. "Looks like you could use some help." The quarian exclaimed, pulling out a Mattock AR. "And you are!" Nyx replied. She would appreciate the help, and she can't worry about strangers. "Sisor'Manis vas Likor." "Okay, now lets buck these idiots!" "Keelah se'lai!" Nyx didn't know what that meant, but she felt it was important. Nyx and Sisor charged out, firing at them last of the mercs. Nyx pulled out her red sword, and slashed at the chest of a batarian, killing him. Sisor right hand had an Omni-tool, but it cover her fist. She punched at two Blue Suns, knocking one unconscious, and sending the other one flying off the apartment balcony. Nyx fired Spartan at the last two, killing one with a head shot, and the last one with multiple chest shots. "Nice job." Sisor said to Nyx as she put her Mattock away. Nyx smiled at the quarian. Wait, NIHLUS!!! Nyx ran towards Nihlus's body, which was covered in blood. He was barely awake. "Nyx, get me to the armory. It has a medical bay. Just tell Jenny, the AI, directive 47. She'll do the rest." Nihlus then passed out. "HELP ME!!!" Nyx screamed. Nyx could barely use her magic, so Sisor lifted Nihlus up while Nyx ran into the armory. "JENNY!!" "Yes, Miss Nyx? I see that you have survived the battle." "I NEED YOU TO DO DIRECTIVE 47!!!" "Proceeding." A portion of the wall came apart, revealing a medical bay. "Place Master Nihlus here, and I will take care of him." Sisor then placed Nihlus on the table, and the wall then closed. Nyx backed up, in both panic and rage, hoping that Jenny can help her friend.