Summary That Never Was: ME: Shades of Twilight
Sweetie Belle opened her eyes just in time to receive a bright flash of white light to her retinas, which caused her to look away and blink wildly for a few moments before she was able to make out the metal floor under her. She shook her head, feeling faint and confused.
There was... something very wrong here. She took a deep breath. The air... it felt different somehow. Her hooves couldn’t feel any rocks under her, even under the metal. Her coat was covered by something... clothes of some sort which pressed, but didn’t grate uncomfortably on her fur.
Trying not to draw too much attention, she glanced down at her hoof. It remained the same. Slowly releasing a breath she closed her eyes and smiled. Her glamour spell was still active... or was it?
Her eyes opened again and she looked at her hoof, this time realizing that there was no spell.
There was no spell!
And her hoof was white and pristine. It looked like a normal filly’s dainty hoof!
She suddenly started looking over her body in a frenzied rush. Sure she was all wrapped up in a surprisingly fancy blue and gold getup. But there was no sign of what The Maestro of Broken Dreams had done to her! She looked—and felt—normal! She closed her eyes one more time, this time relishing the feel of her untainted soul, her normal coat... and then she felt it. Deep within, it remained... but it was so deep... she might as well be free of it!
“Ahem,” an unknown voice interrupted, making Sweetie snap her head up to look at... the strange blue creature in front of her, which happened to be holding a light up on a metal arm. “Miss Belle, would you mind looking here again?”
Eyes wide, Sweetie complied, trying her best to not seem scared. ‘Wh-what is this creature? And she knows my name? She looks... well... odd. A little like what Fire Wall told me humans looked like, but he never said they were blue.’
“Miss Belle, please follow the light...” the blue female said patiently. “And concentrate, I’m sure your friends also want to finish this examination soon.”
Sweetie resisted the urge to turn around and search for her supposed friends, forcing herself to follow the deliberate and clear instructions of her... doctor.
“Hmm, interesting,” the blue woman said after a moment. “I am not an expert on your species yet, Miss Belle, but I never heard of Equestrians changing eye color upon examination. Does this happen frequently?”
“I-I... um, no,” Sweetie stammered. “O-only when we really don’t expect it?”
The strange creature made a humming noise and arched her eyebrow.
“Uh... it’s uh, magic?” Sweetie tried again, earning an exasperated sigh.
“If you don’t know, you can simply say so, Miss Belle,” the doctor chuckled, clearly amused.
“Hold’up, our eyes can change color? Since when?”
Sweetie’s ears perked and her jaw fell open in shock upon recognizing that distinctive twang.
“OH!! Can I get blue? I always hated my eye color?” Came another, also familiar, although not as intimately so, a voice that almost sounded like something out of a half forgotten dream from another lifetime.
“Purple’s good enough for me.” Rang out a third, so individualistic that Sweetie would recognize it anywhere. “Matches my mane.”
“A-apple Bloom? Scootaloo?! And... Silver Spoon? You—” She caught herself. “You were... watching the whole thing?”
“Well ‘duh’.” Scootaloo answered, although Sweetie managed to keep her eyes ahead as the blue-human-like-lady shined one of the lights in her eyes. “You’re the last one up, so could’ya maybe finish up so we can get on outta here?”
The request prevented Sweetie from moving away, as she knew that acting too far ‘out of character’ when thrown into a new realm like this, no matter what was going on, would raise questions... and questions would make everything difficult again.
“Hmmm, complete pigmentation change. No sign of hemorrhage or damage to the optic nerves, no presence of cybernetics or artificial coloring.” The human-like blue woman leaned back, turning to the side and looking at what looked like a piece of thin glass with words scrolling across it quickly.
It was then that Sweetie got a look at the back of the creature’s head... which was lacking in hair and curved in a manner that immediately reminded her of the tentacles of a squid.
Sweetie poked the tentacle hair. Twice.
The doctor responded with a slight giggle and a frown that was too amused to truly be cross.
“Now now Sweetie, watch where you poke with that hoof, we are not on a date here,” The blue doctor chided playfully before reaching up and gripping Sweetie under both forelegs.
Sweetie’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “Wait! I’m sorry! I-I didn’t intend to do that! It was an accident! I’m really not into females! I can’t... I uh... I...” she looked around, trying to grasp something. “Uh... lamp! Yes! I’ll uh... p-poke the lamp. It’s a t-traditional non-mating Equestrian greeting. Right, girls?” When she noticed that they were not backing her up, she smiled. “Heeey, I could use a chocolate martini! Why don’t we go to the nearest bar? My treat?” She glanced at the doctor, who was now holding her up off the ground easily with two hands as she stood up. It was now that Sweetie realized just HOW tall this creature was, easily twice the height of an adult pony. “Purely platonic! I swear!”
“Relax, Sweetie.” The woman shook her head. “You act like you’ve never seen an Asari before.”
“What’s an Asari?” Sweetie asked before her brain could filter for her mouth.
“Hmmmm... Okay, not sure I can rule out brain damage just yet.” The Blue woman gave the small pony in her arms a suspicious look, although judging from her inflection, it sounded like she was joking. She then knelt down and set Sweetie on the metal floor. “But for now, you’re all done. I would like for you to come back in next week for a follow up, just to make sure.”
“Uh,” Sweetie forced a smile. “Y-yes! Certainly! Quite! Absolutely! Würde es nicht verpassen für die Welt! No problem!” She cleared her throat. “Um... which way is out?”
“Uhhh, Sweetie? Are you okay?”
Hearing Applebloom’s voice again and now being freed from the alien doctor’s ‘exam’, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath before she turned to face whatever iteration of her friends this strange world might throw at her.
As they came into view, her heart nearly froze up.
Applebloom was pulling herself up from a laying position, a set of blue denim overalls and a loose red shirt complementing her familiar tresses. Rather than a bow, a small setson was proudly set on AB’s head, although it leaned in a coy, awkward manner.
Scootaloo was wearing a what looked like a set of black shorts on her backside and a jacket that could only be made of leather around her back and forelegs. It’s neckline was coated in a fine looking fur and the jacket itself was left open to expose her barrel and with small slits in the top for wings. The only real physical difference from the pegasus before her and the one she remembered was a scar across the top of her muzzle, which definitely gave the young daredevil a ‘bad-flanked look’.
Also there was a another pony making the trio into a quartet, this one a reminder of her past as well. The amused smile of the rich and ‘fabulous’ Silver Spoon was not as demeaning as Sweetie remembered. In fact, she looked to be quite genuine, although her taste in an outfit was lacking as it resembled nothing so much as a jumpsuit a slightly darker grey than her fur, a zipper running down her front and a hood folded back at her neck line.
“I’m...” She took a deep breath. “I just... well, I need to talk to you girls... alone. It’s personal and I do need you to trust me on it.” She smiled sweetly at her friends and Silver Spoon, who she assumed was a crusader here or something. “There’s a lot you need to know,” she added, giving the doctor an apologetic look. “And uh, it’s really not a medical issue.”
“Well,” Apple Bloom spoke up after sharing a bewildered look with the others, “If y’all are done with the exam, we can get started and head back.”
Sweetie nodded. “Yeah, let’s do that!” She turned to face the asari doctor. “Um, thanks for the check up! Glad you weren’t waving a sonic screwdriver in my face as I thought you were!”
Scootaloo shook her head and nudged Sweetie towards the door. “Okay, we get it, you’re crazy. Come on.”
“And don’t let Rarity hear you talking about getting drunk,” Silver Spoon whispered. “I know you haven’t but if she thought you were serious...” she shuddered as she moved towards the doorway, which Sweetie recognized was also made of metal.
Geeze, was everything metal in this place? Also, what was that glowing red spot on the center of the door?
With Scootaloo and Silver Spoon on either flank and Applebloom at the head of the quartet, Sweetie had a moment to puzzle as the light on the door turned green and then slid open without so much as a wave of the horn.
“Twenty-One, we’re ready to go.” Applebloom stated as she moved forward, barely pausing before nodding to the right of the doorway and drawing Sweeties eyes to...
“An armored Changeling?” Sweetie asked, completely forgetting who she was with or that she was in another world. “No, not armored... this metal casing is completely replacing your chitin armor.” She poked it once. “Forget about that! You’re actually just metal! This is fantastic! Are you some sort of golem? I wonder what would happen if I connected to your core and tried to change your shape! Can you change your shape? It would be odd to call you a changeling when you couldn’t, even if you’re not really reeeally a changeling.” She turned to look towards the appalled group. “Has Chrysalis seen this? She’ll flip!” Her eyes lit up. “Oooh! I should take notes on this!”
“Chrysalis?” Silver Spoon turned for a moment, unsure what else to say, although Sweetie paid her no heed.
For a second her horn glowed with a faint green aura... and nothing happened, other than a small popping sound. Sweetie Belle blinked. “Wait, I got it.”
She concentrated again... and nothing happened. “Hold on a second, why isn’t my notebook appearing?” She tried a third time, trying to ignore the confused and slightly worried looks of her friends. “Um... girls, I can’t open an interdimensional portal. Is that normal?”
“Uhhh... Yeah. It’s kinda... you know... scientifically impossible.” Applebloom nodded, eyeing her friend with a worried concern. “Did Doctor Ashari just fry yer brain or somethin’, Sweets?”
Sweetie glared at a point just in front of her as her horn flashed with energy... something seemed to hover there but before Sweetie could even register it, it faded and she slumped. “Dammit!” She took a deep breath and smiled at her friends. “There’s no magic! Imagine that!” her eyes seemed to lose focus for a second. “I... I need to lie down. There’s no magic.”
“Okay, I’m giving this asari a piece of my mind.” Scootaloo grimaced, clearly self-assured that whatever had happened to Sweetie had been a result of the blue doctor’s tests. Before the young pegasus could return through the doorway however, she was blocked by a black metallic leg.
“That is quite enough of that, fillies.” The changeling spoke up, it’s voice sounding odd.. almost artificial as it moved. There was a firmness, but no real indication of emotion behind the voice as the mech redirecting Scootaloo away from the door. “Examinations are complete, which means we are now required to exit Administration .”
“Ohhhhh, come on Twenty-One! Something’s definitely up here.”
“Currently, the ceiling and three additional levels of the New Ponyville Administration facility are in the gravitational direction of ‘up’. Therefore your assumption is correct.” The changeling, apparently named ‘Twenty-One’, confirmed before it’s glowing blue eyes fell on Sweetie Belle. “Are you feeling well, Sweetie? Would you like to report possible infection or physical trauma?”
“No, I’m fine!” Sweetie said. “I only have no magic...” she lifted her head.
“Uhhh, yeah. That’s because magic don’t exist.” Applebloom informed her, clearly concerned.
“Nonono, I got it, I probably just don’t have enough magic for an advanced spell,” Sweetie insisted. She looked around until her eyes settled on a nearby potted plant. With a turn and a flash of her horn, she set it on fire. “See? Fire works!”
The reaction of her fellow crusaders was far from one of applause.
They looked horrified by the action.
“Twenty-One!” Applebloom barked immediately, her eyes wide.
“Accessing local containment system... engaged.”
A sudden shimmering aura of blue engulfing the potted plant, which burned for a fraction of a second before the flames were completely snuffed out in a manner that could only happen in a vacuum.
“Did anypony see that?” Applebloom continued, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Negative,” The Changeling chirped before it was suddenly up and upon Sweetie, it’s spire-like antenna suddenly sinking into it’s metal carapace before it quickly pushed it’s head up under her hind legs, scooping her up and causing her to slid back down it’s smooth metallic neck and onto it’s back. “Although I recommend we exit the area immediately.”
“Agreed.” Silver Spoon nodded, moving into a walk to match the metal changeling’s pace. With a graceful ease, Applebloom hopped up onto the changeling’s backside to help stabilize Sweetie as the two rode the mechanical pony.
“Sweetie? What the hay? Ya’ll know better than ta start a fire on a space station! Ya’ll could get us in a whole heap of trouble!”
“How’d you do that anyways?” Scootaloo sounded more impressed than horrified. “The fire I mean, I didn’t think that sort of thing was possible with biotics.”
“Combustion is achievable by hyper-excitement of molecules via biotic fields within a confined space.” The mechanical changeling chirped as it walked with an easy grace, easily carrying the two fillies on it’s back. “Although theorized, the fine control required to produce effect has never been documented within an organic being.”
“Whooaaaa, way to go Sweetie!”
“What, you mean I couldn’t do that before?” Sweetie asked shaking her head. “I must’ve been slacking off.” She looked down at the changeling and frowned. “So... you created a vacuum spell, depriving the fire oxygen to feed it,” Sweetie said after a moment. “Smart, but you could have asked me to just freeze it or use water... why use a potentially dangerous spell instead? And one more thing... what are biotics and why would they require hard science to work? I can explain most spells with science, like my lightning by a reaction of particles, or my freeze spell by disseminating all heat into the surrounding atmosphere, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still magic.”
Silver Spoon leaned towards Scootaloo. “I think Sweetie is very, very confused right now. Maybe we should take her home?”
“How about we stop somewhere and you tell me what’s going on?” Sweetie said after a moment as the four fillies and metal changeling approached a large door, the green light in the center flashing. “I need to clear things up with all of you, but I’m really lost as to what is going on here.”
The door opened up as the fillies and mech emerged... a bright haze of violet light causing Sweetie Belle to blink for a moment before the scene before she registered the view in front of her.
http://blog.fileplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Mass-Effect-Citadel-1200x800.jpg
“Celestia fuck me sideways,” Sweetie whispered in awe. “Where in the multiverse are we?!”
She just couldn’t believe it. She had seen amazing cities made of crystal, forgotten cultures frozen in time, caves full of marvels and ancient magic but... all of that... almost all of it... paled completely with just how indescribable this place was. The sheer concept of where she stood, looking up at what could only be more of this city free-floating in the middle of the universe... it was breathtaking. The only thing she had to compare it with in overwhelming the feeling of immensity that permeated her was the secret grotto Bon Bon had taken her to, where reality had bent and shifted under their very hooves... but even that wasn’t as immediate as this. This was one hundred and ten percent real. Hay, even the TARDIS wasn’t something you took in in one look!
“Milky Way Galaxy...” The changeling answered crisply, not paying attention to the strange looks that the three crusaders were giving the white unicorn filly. “Serpent Nebula, The Citadel. Tayseri Ward. District 2183 : New Ponyville, Administrative Level.”
“Oh, Luna, wait until I tell Blueblood about this!” Sweetie giggled. “Just... how many bars are in here? And libraries? And aliens?”
“BLUEBLOOD? Okay, did you hit your head or something when we weren’t looking, Sweets? Because I’m seriously getting worried here.” Scootaloo started, only to be thrown off as the metallic changeling immediately began to answer.
“New Ponyville contains a two locations that may be classified as bars: The Nightmare Moon Nightclub and Celestial Desires Bakery. No singular ‘Library’ is located within the Tayseri ward, although civilian access to the Citadel Archive or the Extra-Net Codex Database can be granted with proper clearance from any omni-tool. Current Population Statistics indicate the Citadel has approximately Thirteen Point Eleven Million registered sapeints in permanent residence. This number does not account for Keepers or the recent influx of refugees.”
“Thirteen point eleven million...” Sweetie shook her head. “That’s a lot of mouths to feed. Applejack must be making a killing with all the apples. And did you say Nightmare Moon Nightclub?” Sweetie couldn’t keep the incredulity from her voice. “That’s... an amazing name, actually!” She elbowed Apple Bloom. “We should go there!” Then her brain seemed to catch onto what the changeling had said. “Wait! No libraries?! Don’t ponies read? And the Extra-Net... is that like the internet? Because when I had explained to me, it made absolutely no sense at all!”
“The Extranet is...”
“Galdarnit, Twenty-One! DISCONTINUE!” Applebloom suddenly spoke up, and the mech fell silent. “Sweetie, what... the...HAY has gotten into ya? What are ya’ll TALKING about here? Ya’ll have lived here fer over a year...we were there when Nightmare Moon opened up. And AJ don’t grow apples no more, not since Equestria.”
“Yeah, did you have the last thirteen months of your life just wiped out or something?” Silver Spoon asked, although her tone was more analytical than accusatory.
Sweetie was quiet for a moment. “I’m not your Sweetie Belle.”
“Huh?” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed, a sure sign of confusion from the pegasus that Sweetie remembered from her younger, more innocent days.
Sweetie sighed. “We really need to stop and talk, anywhere you want is fine as long as we have some quiet and not a bunch of ponies or aliens looking at us. I’ll explain everything.”
There was a moment of quiet.
“Fine... My place is just over there. AJ and Big Mac are out working so it’ll be empty.” Applebloom nudged the side of the metal changeling with a hoof. “Giddyup, Twenty-One.”
The changeling’s neck clicked as it looked back over it’s shoulder to Applebloom.
Sweetie wasn’t sure, but she got the distinct impression of annoyance from those glowing eyes.
“Command invalid.”
“Uhhh... Ah mean.. Would ya kindly, Twenty-One.”
The lights in the optics of the mechanical changeling narrowed as if asking for something else.
“Please?”
The changeling turned back and immediately started down the way at a brisk trot.
o.0.o
The Apple Family Apartment, as Sweetie realized, was hardly a palace and it certainly wasn’t a barnhouse. Three quaint cots lined one wall while a sofa was set up in front of a rather large looking sheet of glass, although what purpose it had she had no clue. A small kitchen was set up in one corner and a pair of doors that Sweetie assumed were a closet and a bathroom were sealed shut as the four fillies and the mechanical changeling entered.
As the door slid shut, Applebloom stood up on her hind legs and waved a hoof over the green light, which turned red, meaning (Sweetie assumed) that it had been locked.
Twenty-One knelt down to make it easier for Sweetie Belle to pull herself down off of him before the four had formed a sort of semi-circle facing the white unicorn.
“I’m not your Sweetie Belle,” Sweetie repeated herself from earlier. “I’m actually another Sweetie, from another universe. I’ve been travelling the multiverse from world to world to... station, I guess, in search of fragments of my Twilight Sparkle, which I need to find to get back home. I’m actually a bit older than I look... I got my cutie mark, and I’ve been to worlds both reminiscent of our calm Equestria and others... not so nice. I’ve been through wars, travelled through time and and been caught in an almost-never-ending loop. I’ve seen ponies murdered, and I’ve had to...” she hesitated. “I’ve had to fight to survive. Where I come from there’s magic, which seems to either not exist here or has disappeared. The only thing I know for sure is, if I’m here, there’s a fragment of Twilight’s around...” she looked at her fellow ponies and the changeling. “When I’m done, your Sweetie will be back, safe and sound.”
The three ponies stared at Sweetie Belle for a moment.
“Why...do I get the feeling that you’ve gone over this before?” Silver Spoon asked, tilting her head and using a hoof to push her glasses back up her snout.
Sweetie stared at the group. “Because I have... but... wait, wait wait wait. Why are there no shouts of dismay, accusations, investigations, denial and, or, immediate motions to send me to the psy- whatever?”
“Because after you’ve had your life and everything you’ve ever believed in torn away from you, torn up into little shreds, and proven to be a one huge thirty-six million year old joke once, you start keeping an open mind as to the nature of what’s real and what’s not.” Scootaloo stated with a surprising amount of calm. “And as EVERYONE has learned by now, you don’t just dismiss someone out of hoof because they sound crazy... especially if it is coming from someone you trust.”
“Uhhh Twenty-One?” Applebloom looked to the mech, who was continuing to scrutinize the filly unicorn.
“Vitals stable, zero signs of deviation from norm. Biometics suggest no attempts at deception. No registered psychological or physiological trauma detected. Sudden manifestation of unrecorded biotic abilities, lack of memory of events, and sudden alteration of eye pigmentation support claims.” The Mech explained. “Until reasonable data can be found disproving statements, I can postulate no valid reasons to disbelieve Sweetie Belle’s assertions.”
Sweetie looked at the group. “Where were you twenty worlds ago? I could have really used some semblance of normalcy when Nightmare Moon took over Equestria and made Twilight her slave-lover-something.”
“Okay, that’s just...weird.” Scootaloo offered before leaning forward. “But okay, say we believe you. What do you mean ‘fragments’ of Twilight. I mean, I saw the Madam President this morning, she seemed fine.”
Sweetie stared. Then she slowly looked around. “I’m... sorry, this is surreal. You actually... well, don’t exactly believe me, but you don’t throw my claims off as me being a basket case... it’s... just... never happened unless I’ve been dead in that world for some time.” She closed her eyes and took a long, deep, calming breath. “Okay...” she cleared her throat. “The fragment would not be a part of the local Twilight,” she explained, starting to pace in front of them.
“In my original world, an accident caused Twilight to be crystallized in a temporal-dimensional distortion field that fed of off chaotic magic; she had developed the theory that this orb could be used to travel through space and time without being held to the limitations of Starswirl’s spells; however, as tampering with the artifact proved, messing with that kind of thing was not wise.”
Sweetie shook her head, grimacing at the memories. “While the experiment was ongoing, any foreign magical signature would disrupt the considerable energies being woven by Twilight, with completely unpredictable results... the result being Twilight turned into a crystal, like I said earlier, and then being smashed to pieces and sucked into the multiverse by the chaos energies competing with the organized structure of her magic...”
Sweetie took another deep breath. “However, since I was in the same room as her, I was also swept into the multiverse, but unlike Twilight I was not in the center of the singularity, and therefore I was not crystallized.” She shuddered. “I- I don’t know what happened to my original body, all that happens is that I end up inside the local Sweetie’s body, and then I can’t travel forward until I find the next piece of Twilight.”
She paused for a moment to look out the windows at the streets outside. “It is my current theory that Twilight’s fragment in this universe might be the only magical force strong enough to feed my pocket dimension spell so I can add it to the others and continue my travels.” She smiled. “Any questions?”
“Uhhh... yeah... Translation please?” Scootalloo offered.
Much to Sweetie’s surprise, it was Silver Spoon who spoke up.
“In an alternate reality where Equestria was real, her Twilight messed with something she shouldn’t have and exploded and now Sweetie is trying to find the pieces and put her back together.”
“Ah... thanks.”
“And... where is our Sweetie while you’re...uhh, using her body then?” Applebloom asked, her tone not accusatory, but certainly concerned.
Sweetie shook her head. “I’m not entirely sure... but I have it on good authority that the moment I’m gone, she’s back in her body, none-the-wiser.”
“So she won’t remember any of this?”
“Most haven’t,” Sweetie said. “But... well, a few of the Sweetie Belles have been very different, I know one, only, who I supplanted and she remembered everything... but, she had been helped by Discord into an amulet... so she was sorta travelling with me. In that one, and another world I was able to meet myself... it was interesting and... well, I was jealous.”
“Jealous? But that sounds awesome, traveling around to different worlds... seeing all that crazy stuff... and YOUR magic is real? That has to be...”
“Scoot.. it ain’t a game!” Applebloom interrupted the dare devil filly before she could go on, her eyes solidly kept on Sweetie. “So ya’ll have NO idea what is goin’ on here? Ya just got plopped into our Sweetie without warning?”
Sweetie nodded, walking away from the window and sitting down in a shadowed corner of the room. “I never know where I’m going to end up... in the middle of a war... being attacked by a drake... in time to see everypony in a town be massacred... in my room at the boutique... or trapped in a cage and dragged away to— I don’t know... I never know.”
The three fillies were silent, as was the changeling mech as they exchanged worried looks.
“Ah’m sorry.” Applebloom managed after a few minutes. “Ah can’t imagine how hard that must be.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I believe you,” Silver Spoon spoke up, nodding her head. “If for no other reason than I know you’re a REALLY bad liar and I don’t think you could possibly have come up with a story like this as fiction.”
Sweetie choked out a snort. “Thanks. I think.” She smiled, lifting her hoof up and admiring the white coat. “Maybe I’ve been freed of one of my curses... not completely but...” she shook her head. “Enough about me. What happened to everypony?”
“Oh geeze, I don’t even know where to start.” Scootaloo shook her head,
“Maybe we should start with common ground,” Silver stated, her tone certainly more academic than Sweetie EVER remembered her Silver Spoon being. “I mean, what was your old life like? Was it... Equestria?”
Sweetie wasn’t sure why Scootaloo used that odd inflection when mentioning Equestria. In most of her travels, she had ended up in that land, even if it was going under another name.
“Well... it was Equestria... we... I mean, my Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon, grew up in Ponyville. Silver Spoon was always with Diamond Tiara, though...” Sweetie hesitated, taking notice of a sudden wince and downturned expression from Silver Spoon upon hearing the name of the rich little filly. “ Uhhh, anyway, we met a few weeks after Twilight had moved to town, I already knew Scootaloo, but I hadn’t really met Apple Bloom until Diamond Tiara’s cuteceanera when—”
“... Diamond Tiara was makin’ fun of me when you and Scoot jumped out from under a table and I found out...”
“... That you weren’t the only blank flank in school,” Sweetie finished with a smile. “Yeah... it’s mostly the same in all worlds I’ve visited... we all grow up together, form the Crusaders, survive Discord, Chrysalis and Sombra... and that’s as far as I got, really,” Sweetie said.
“Yeah... that happened to us.”
“Or so we thought.” Scootaloo crossed her hooves in front of her, her expression distasteful.
“Where to begin?” Silver was tapping her chin before a sudden sound, like a beeping and mechanical grinding akin to clearing one’s throat was heard, drawing attention back to Twenty-One.
“I would recommend you begin with Shepard.”
Sweetie observed for a few moments as the three fillies opposite of her shared a look of agreement, clearly thinking this a was a good idea.
“Who is Shepard?” Sweetie asked after a moment. “Is he a pony? Or an alien?”
“Honestly... he’s one of only two people ah know of that have ever been both.” Applebloom started nodding. “Now ah don’t know all the details, but everything we thought we knew about life and the universe changed a little over a year ago when Commander Shepard came to Equestria. Sweetie’s...er, I mean ‘our’ Sweetie’ was the only one of us who actually saw him back then, although she didn’t realize that him coming ta Ponyville was the end of our lives there.”
“The only pony who knows exactly ‘what’ happened is Twilight, but long story short...” Scootaloo continued, her voice bordering on reverence, which was odd when speaking of anypony that ‘wasn’t’ Rainbow Dash. “He woke us up... And saved us all.”
“He... woke you?” Sweetie asked. “Was this... some sort of nightmare where you were all trapped? Unable to wake up?” Sweetie shuddered. “I don’t know if it was the same as what happened to me, but... it sounds bigger. Was all of Equestria... asleep?”
“Yeah... it was.” Applebloom lowered her head, “Twenty-One can probably explain it better.”
“Applebloom is referring to the Equestria Facility, constructed approximately thirty-six million galactic standard years ago by the predecessor species of modern ponykind: My creators: The Equines.” The Mechanical changeling explained. “Equestria was originally designed as a luxury virtual resort intended for recreation via highly sophisticated reality simulations for entertainment and relaxation. The designation and purpose of the facility was later altered due to the imminent genocide of the Equine Species. Twelve Hundred and Sixty Seven Equines were kept hidden during this process and lived out their lives within the simulated realities of the Equestrian Facility under the watch of Multiple Overseer programs. Continuation of species was facilitated through selective breeding and eventual genetic engineering, culminating in the Modern Day Equestrian.”
“Us.” Scootaloo bowed her head, clearly feeling a degree of shame. “Our lives, our world, our history... Even Equestria itself was one big lie. Something to keep our minds busy while the rest of the galaxy kept spinning on. Ponyville, Canterlot, Cloudsdale, our entire WORLD was make believe... we really spent our entire lives inside these big glass pods filled up with this goop...”
“Nutrient Fluid.” Twenty-One objected. “Regenerative alginates which provided required nutritional values as well as oxygenation to promote healthy development.”
“... and never doing ANYTHING for real. Our entire species just slept through life, never knowing that it was all a sham.” Scootaloo continued.
Sweetie smiled at her friend. “It’s okay... I understand... a little bit... but, if I have learned something in my travels is that it is who you have grown to be, through whatever difficulties you went through that really matters... I know I would be horrified and angry myself if I woke up from all of this to find it was some sort of... ruse, but I think, who I am will have been changed regardless... for the better.” She cleared her throat. “But... anyway, I... over thirty million years? How can that be possible? Wouldn’t the resources to maintain such a spel— such a thing been staggering? And the population couldn’t have been what it was in my Equestria, there were millions of ponies...”
“So was ours... but it was all smoke and mirrors. The program was designed to keep us from noticing how few of us there were by messing with our minds and making ‘copies’ of ponies when large crowds were needed. But the truth is that there are just under three hundred of us.” Silver jumped in, already realizing exactly where Sweetie was going. “That’s it... In the entire galaxy. The rest of our race died out so long ago that nothing else is left. Even when we found our home planet, we found out that it was long since dead. So now we’re an endangered species.”
“But, why did the Equines have to go into hiding? Why the need to only keep a small percent of the population? Was there some sort of plague? What happened?”
The three fillies looked between one another, clearly pained before all three answered in unison.
“The Reapers.”
“That... sounds ominous,” Sweetie stated. “Alien race? Ancient mythological creatures from Tartarus?”
“Both...neither... don’t really know.” Applebloom looked away, her tone immediately sending up red flags to Sweetie on what was clearly a VERY touchy subject. “What we do know is that they are absolute monsters.”
“I know that look,” Sweetie said softly. “They’re not gone, are they?”
Applebloom shook her head.
“Remember when we said we know better than to dismiss something out of hoof just because it sounds crazy?” The former farm filly stated, her tone low. “It’s because the entire galaxy is regretting doing just that. Shepard warned everyone that they were coming. But they didn’t listen... they called him crazy, a liar, and worse things. And now, they are paying for it... dearly.”
“Oh...” Sweetie looked away, not knowing what to say before turning back to face the three. Even without the details, she could tell from the solemn tone that these ‘Reapers’ were not something to take lightly. “I’m sorry...”
“Well, it ain’t all bad.” Applebloom leaned back, using her forelegs to prop herself up as she sat with her hind legs out in front of her and clearly trying to lighten the mood. “After Commander Shepard woke us up and got us out of Equestria, he saved us from the facility when it blew up and brought us here to the Citadel, the safest place in the galaxy.”
“And as it turns out, we’re pretty special. All that genetic engineering means we’re all really good biotics and we’re more than smart enough to keep up with the other species in the galaxy.” Scootaloo started back again. “We didn’t even know it in Equestria, but everypony got a TON of science and tech stuff crammed into our heads.” Scootaloo grinned broadly. “We’re total geniuses wrapped up in these adorable packages!”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. Do ya know how awkward it is ta be trying to have a serious conversation with an asari technician about station engineering just to have her ask if she can brush your mane while squealing like a school filly?”
Sweetie stared. “So... you’re all scientists now?” Her eyes gleamed. “YES!” She started skipping around the group. “Yesyesyesyesyesyes!” She finally stopped and pulled them all into a hug. “Do you realize how annoying it was to try to explain to the other crusaders how temporal-space matrices worked while producing variable but not exhaustible spikes of energy and then how to use those same spikes to predict a reaction and therefore create a 36-point energy net?!”
“Uhhh either of your girls get that?” Applebloom asked, watching Sweetie bounce. “I’m an engineer and that went over my head.”
“It sounded like some really fancy physics. Not my forte.” Scootaloo noted, shrugging. “I’m pretty well set up as an expert chef.”
“I’m a mathematician.” Silver Spoon stated.
“How long do you think she’s gonna keep bouncing like that?”
“Is anypony else getting deja vu here?”
“Wait,” Sweetie stopped bouncing. “Are you saying that it’s not that they don’t get it, but rather that I make it too complicated?” She pouted. “I knew it was too good to be true...”
“Sorry Sweetie, but what you’re talking about isn’t in our fields. We were lucky enough to be old enough to get the education, but it’s specialized.” Silver Spoon explained. “For instance, I’m rated on a doctorate level in mathematics, while my mother is a galactic grade economist. But I don’t have a clue about other sciences that don’t involve math.”
“I’m sure SOMEPONY is good with physics though... Uhhh, Right, Twenty-One?”
“Affirmative. Three theoretical physics trained ponies are registered: Director Pie, Stardust, and Featherweight.”
“Wait... Featherweight? The colt that took pictures for the paper?” Sweetie asked. “He can... understand me?”
“Perhaps. Addendum: there is also a high likelihood that Madam President Sparkle will be able to comprehend.”
“Well,” Sweetie rolled her eyes. “Twilight always gets me. She was my teacher! And... she’s kept teaching me through all of my travels in one way or another.” She looked at the others. “I’d like to meet her here as well... if you think she’ll believe me.”
“Pull off some of those non-biotic tricks and sure she will.”
Sweetie sighed. “I wish I could show her more of the flashy ones... but even that basic fire spell took its toll on me. I think I can only do the simplest of spells...” she said, closing her eyes and concentrating. The light’s in the room seemed to dim for a fraction of a second, but soon Sweetie had to stop. “T-that was much harder than I expected...” she gasped. “And didn’t even do anything.”
“Uh, what were you trying to do?” Scootaloo asked.
“I was just trying to cast a darkness spell,” Sweetie said and sighed. “I guess I’m really limited to just party tricks.” She looked at the others. “Is this a good time to meet with Twilight?”
Author's Note:
This is as far as we got with this mini story. A little bit more was planned, but Loyal2Luna's schedule and mine didn't seem to coincide at all. Full disclosure: I love her work, and although I have some ideas to contributing factors that might've led her to drop work on the ME crossover, those are guesses. The fact is, her story is amazing, and I would have loved to have been able to finish this little crossover with her.
Below is roughly an idea of what we had discussed would happen after all of the above.
We explore a bit of New Ponyville on the way to meet Twilight, and have Sweetie meet some familiar ponies—not necessarily talk to them—and see the efforts of the herd to survive and grow.
After a brief talk with Twilight, where Shepard can be mentioned a bit more, as well as establishing that Sweetie can use biotic-like powers like shield, blasting someone, levitation and such, Twilight can explain what biotics are a bit and Sweetie can draw her own conclusions as to what molds to this universe and what doesn’t. During their talk, Cerberus can initiate their attack.
Sweetie and the others are escorted back to a more secure area, but are ambushed by Cerberus, with the resulting fight ending with Sweetie captured. Twilight asks Shepard for help, and maybe Shepard (and another pony ?) can go (since Twilight would have to stay for the rest of the herd). It would also be more than personal, since Sweetie is the younger sister of one of the most important ponies. Their location can be traced thanks to Pinkie Pie’s implants on Sweetie’s body.
Meanwhile at a mobile Cerberus lab, we get the usual spiel from TIM about the betterment of mankind and how Sweetie will be providing a great service to humanity blahblahblah. They start by interrogating her, but of course she doesn’t know much, so they try torture... waking up Demon Belle*, who basically breaks loose and kills/maims most of them.
Author's Note:
"Demon Belle" was the messed up, subconscious side of Sweetie Belle that eventually became the base for "Fracture." The idea was dropped after that.
By the time Shepard arrives, the mobile lab is stranded, the area where Sweetie is is contained and they are preparing to go in and shoot to kill... her body should be just as valuable. Once Shepard rescues her, they can have a talk about fighting fate and such.
Returning to the station, the Twilight Fragment could be in possession of Rarity as a recent purchase from a merchant who knows she likes rare gems an such. We can wrap up with final goodbyes and promises to visit if possible.
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Yes, an update! Not a full one, but still!
Awesome! Always love to see more TSC:F. Equestrian Equation & Shades of Twilight are great fics and great picks for crossover.
I love the detail that all of the knowledge neurodigitally dumped into everybody's heads after waking makes this basically the only universe where Sweetie is immediately believed:
Can't wait to read more from the TSCverse(s)!
Sweet celestia, I absolutely love this fic. Also, The Sweetie Chronicles: Fragments and TSC:F. Equestrian Equation & Shades of Twilight what a update. I never knew I would need this crossover, but now I have it and it feels wonderful.
We appreciate these mini stories, I'm guessing you had dozens of them started but never finished. And probably four times as many "what if" ideas. Your stories are always good.
Also link with citadel picture is not working, at least for me.
11922211
Me neither ftr
this small ark sounds like it was going to be really good.
That sounded like it was shaping up to be something pretty neat. I enjoyed the bits of what was here.