History Fanfic / MassEffectTheEquestrianEquation

Unfortunately, in September 2017, the series was officially cancelled after ''Shades of Twilight'' posted its final chapter (its first update in more than 2 years), citing the author's departure from the fandom.

* DeadFic: After over two years without updates and the author being out of touch for over a year, their editor 2dextreem declared the series dead, adding their own chapter to wrap up the current story arc.

And now it's back.

* RealityEnsues: The equestrians face this a lot, starting with their [[FingerlessHands seeming incompatibility with most equipment]] and liabilities from employing an EndangeredSpecies deterring their attempts to find jobs.
** Applejack learns that [[spoiler:kidnapping someone, even with good intentions, ''won't'' be easily forgiven just because you apologize. She faces decades of jail time she only avoids via legal trickery and loses a lot of good will over the scandal]].
** Rainbow Dash charging into [[spoiler:a squad of enemies gets her beaten and shot because such recklessness won't work in the real world when the odds are against you like that]].
** Twilight tries telekinetically wileding a pistol, she ''[[ATeamFiring misses every shot]]'' since she has no training to aim or deal with recoil, she can't even figure out how to reload it by the time she decides it's [[AwesomeButImpractical not worth it]].

* InMediasRes: ''The Equestrian Equation'' begins with Shepard waking up in Equestria as a pony and then goes back to the crew of the Normandy receiving the mission to find Milligan's team from TIM.

* WritersCannotDoMath: The end of ''Equestrian Equation'' has the Council claim the Equestrian Herd consists of "three hundred and forty-two individuals, assistant mechs included". There are 297 equestrians and 48 mechs, which add up to 345. That, or the Council couldn't be bothered to make a precise count.

* CouldSayItBut: In Act 2 Part 4 Pyres does this regarding [[spoiler:information about where the captor of the kidnapped ponies is]].

* IfIWantedYouDead: In Act 2 Part 4, [[spoiler:the pony-kidnapper tells Twilight that her orders were to limit Equestrian casualties, or else Rainbow would be dead.]]

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In Act 2 Part 4, how dangerous YMIR mechs are is reflected by Pinkie's "tone completely lacking any of [her usual] childlike enthusiasm".

** ''Galaxy of Fantasy'' is mentioned to be created by "Ionic Storm", a CaptainErsatz of the now-defunct Ion Storm of ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' fame.
* SoMuchForStealth: Said word-for-word by Twilight in Act 2 Part 4 after [[spoiler:the alarm is raised during their attempt to locate the kidnapper of ponies.]]

* WhamEpisode: Act 2 Part 3. What starts as a routine filming of a documentary by Emily Wong escalates when [[spoiler:New Ponyville is bombed as a distraction to kidnap some ponies, with Rainbow Dash badly injured while trying to stop the kidnappers.]]
* WhamLine: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4.

** Twilight mentions a third option when deciding what to do with [[spoiler:the pony-kidnapper.]] The person had offered two choices - let her walk away in the hope that her employer will decide to back off on the ponies, or have C-SEC take her in, but with the possibility that she will blackmail the ponies. Twilight's third option is to just kill her, [[YouWouldntShootMe though the other seems smugly certain that Twilight wouldn't dare do it.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: In ''Shades'' Twilight gives a reaming to Applejack who [[spoiler:''kidnapped'' Dr. Hern from Huerta Memorial due to a confrontation with Hern's family at the hospital]].

* TheChainsOfCommanding: Twilight's plight in ''Shades of Twilight''.
* CouldSayItBut: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4 Pyres does this regarding [[spoiler:information about where the captor of the kidnapped ponies is]].

* ICallItVera: Lt. Pyres in ''Shades of Twilight'' calls his Viper sniper rifle "Freya".
* IfIWantedYouDead: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4, [[spoiler:the pony-kidnapper tells Twilight that her orders were to limit Equestrian casualties, or else Rainbow would be dead.]]
* InMediasRes: The second arc of ''Shades of Twilight'' begins this way, with Forty-Two waiting outside Huerta Memorial's ICU and [[HowWeGotHere ruminating over the events which led to him being there]]. The rest of the chapter takes place in {{Flashback}}, beginning five days prior.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4, how dangerous YMIR mechs are is reflected by Pinkie's "tone completely lacking any of [her usual] childlike enthusiasm".

* RealityEnsues: ''Shades of Twilight'' has the equestrians face this a lot, starting with their [[FingerlessHands seeming incompatibility with most equipment]] and liabilities from employing an EndangeredSpecies deterring their attempts to find jobs.

* WhamEpisode: Act 2 Part 3 of ''Shades''. What starts as a routine filming of a documentary by Emily Wong escalates when [[spoiler:New Ponyville is bombed as a distraction to kidnap some ponies, with Rainbow Dash badly injured while trying to stop the kidnappers.]]

* AIIsACrapshoot: Averted by [[spoiler:Luna and 42]], borderline with [[spoiler:Celestia]], and fully embraced by [[spoiler:Discord]].

* AwfulTruth: Twilight was so smart and resourceful, that she was able to discover the truth about the Equestrian simulation (multiple times in fact). She was so [[HeroicBSOD shaken]] by it, that she decided to willingly allow Celestia to erase her memories of the event, leaving behind a message to herself if/when she eventually rediscovered the truth again.
* BedlamHouse: The appropriately-named Bedlam, a facility in Canterlot which is where problem cases or aliens brought into the Equestria simulation are sent to be brainwashed into being harmonious members of Equestrian society.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The ancient equines were friendly, cooperative, and believers in the LastSecondChance. That said, they would deal swiftly with those who refused to take their one chance using overwhelming force. The [[AllThereInTheManual Codex]] goes into more detail, describing the aftermath of the first recorded attack on an equine colony by a rogue faction of the Griffar Imperium. The equines militarily, economically, and politically annihilated all traces of this faction, then afterwards devoted resources to helping the newly-created Griffar Republic rebuild. This is also the ''only'' existing record of a direct attack on an equine colony before the arrival of the Reapers. To say nothing about that they were seemingly ''winning'' against the Reapers until they employed indoctrinated agents.
** As those who have made the mistake of trying to mess with Twilight discovered, this trope is ''very'' much still in effect.
* BittersweetEnding: ''Equation'' ends this way. Shepard saves the ponies with the help of the Mane Six, but Equestria and the sheltered, idyllic existence that everypony knew there are all gone forever. And now the ponies must try and survive in the much harsher world of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' galaxy with only enough general knowledge to get by and the imminent return of the Reapers hanging over their heads like a shadow.
* BigDamnHeroes: Twilight pulls this off when [[spoiler:Dr. Milligan has an unarmed Shepard pinned down in the Harmony Core chamber.]]

* TheChainsOfCommanding: Twilight's plight in ''Shades of Twilight''.

* CouldSayItBut: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4 Pyres does this regarding [[spoiler:information about where the captor of the kidnapped ponies is]].
* CultureClash: The main reason why District 1286, a.k.a. "New Ponyville", was granted to the Equestrian Herd was to mitigate this effect, both for the Equestrians who would otherwise [[FishOutOfWater be suddenly thrust into a completely alien community]] and for the settled aliens who would otherwise have to deal with the sudden influx of a refugee species. The media backlash that would have resulted from tossing the Equestrians into an occupied District probably wouldn't have helped, either.
* CutenessProximity: Many species find the Equestrians to be absolutely adorable. Even [[Characters/MassEffect2PartyMembers Jack]] does; though being [[BrokenBird Jack]], she expresses it through suspicion and hostility.
** Ditzy Doo and many of the foals of the Herd suggested deliberately invoking this to encourage charitable donations that would fund New Ponyville's initial development, but the idea was turned down.
* DeconstructionCrossover: This fic deconstructs many of the FridgeLogic elements of MLP:FIM by explaining them as products of Equestria being a computer simulation. In turn, it shows how hard and conflicted its morality and ideals would be in the more realistic, morally grey ''Mass Effect'' 'verse. The Equestrians idealism [[FatalFlaw doomed their ancestors' war against the Reapers]] and leaves then at odds with the rest of galactic civilization. [[{{Reconstruction}} They begin to manage well enough off in time.]]

* EndangeredSpecies: With a population less then 300, the Equestrians manage to get themselves officially declared as such, granting them extra legal protections. [[{{Deconstruction}} This proves a surprise inconvenience at first]], since many were unwilling to employ them due to the extra liabilities associated.

* FingerlessHands: Deconstructed. While Equestrians are able to work around their lack of finger well enough (any problems being PlayedForLaughs), their inability to use equipment that all other species can deterring their attempts to find employment. The main conflict of ''Shades'' Act 1 is their looking to prove their viability as workers in spite of this.

* ICallItVera: Lt. Pyres in ''Shades of Twilight'' calls his Viper sniper rifle "Freya".
* IfIWantedYouDead: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4, [[spoiler:the pony-kidnapper tells Twilight that her orders were to limit Equestrian casualties, or else Rainbow would be dead.]]
* InMediasRes:
** ''The Equestrian Equation'' begins with Shepard waking up in Equestria as a pony and then goes back to the crew of the Normandy receiving the mission to find Milligan's team from TIM.
** The second arc of ''Shades of Twilight'' begins this way, with Forty-Two waiting outside Huerta Memorial's ICU and [[HowWeGotHere ruminating over the events which led to him being there]]. The rest of the chapter takes place in {{Flashback}}, beginning five days prior.

--> "[[HypocriticalHumor Rather chatty]]. [[UpToEleven Couldn't get a word in.]]"
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:The pony-kidnapper not only disarms herself but also removes her biotic amp once Twilight corners her.]]

* LastSecondChance: A defining feature of the equines' approach to diplomacy. Hostiles will be offered ''one'' chance to cease hostilities. Those who complied were offered friendship and the opportunity for mutual benefit. Those who didn't... [[BullyingADragon probably ended up]] [[BewareTheNiceOnes wishing they had.]]

* MaliciousSlander: The Herd find themselves the target of a "documentary" called ''The Cost of Grazing'' which paints them as genetically-engineered puppets of the Alliance, designed to somehow infiltrate and take over the Citadel for their human masters. And this isn't the first time that company has done this; they actually got off ''lightly'' compared to the quarians.
* MeaninglessVillainVictory:[[spoiler:Even if Milligan had been able to download the contents of Equestria's servers to TIM, Cerberus would still not have access to the Harmony Core, the key to nearly all advanced Equine technology, because the plans to build one were not on the server.]]

** The Canterlot Royal Guard count too, in a way, as they are actually security programs with no individual personality of their own.
** [[spoiler:The pony-kidnapper]] has a whole bunch of FENRIS and LOKI mechs, as well as two [=YMIRs=].
* MediumAwareness: In-universe, Pinkie Pie is aware that her world is a digital simulation, which is what allows her to do crazy, physically impossible things.
* MegaCorp: Epona Systems Corporation was a rare benevolent version, also serving as the de facto governmental body of the equine race. Though they acquired enough power and influence to become the dominant superpower of their cycle, their preferred method of doing so was through mediation with other species and technological innovation, rather than oppressive force.
* MindRape: In order to preserve the Equestrian simulation, Celestia attempts to alter Patricia's mind to make her believe she's a pony. The process nearly lobotomizes her.
** This sort of mental programing is routine for ponies who don't fit Celestia's ideal "harmonious" psychological profile. Fluttershy is revealed to have gone to an institute for being aggressive in her youth and was subjected to some kind of mental torture that turned her into an ExtremeDoormat and caused her to [[RepressedMemories repress her memories]] of the experience.
** The same was attempted on Dr. Milligan, as he was labeled insane for thinking himself a human.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4, how dangerous YMIR mechs are is reflected by Pinkie's "tone completely lacking any of [her usual] childlike enthusiasm".
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: [[spoiler:The pony-kidnapper]] turns out to have only this as her motivation, which further lowers Twilight's already poor opinion of her.
* OutsideContextProblem: The ancient equines; their developing technology and infrastructure independent of the [[PortalNetwork mass relays and the Citadel]] made them the biggest threat the Reapers faced until Commander Shepard. [[TaughtByExperience The Reapers took steps to ensure such an anomaly did not happen again]]. The ancient equines descendants, the equestrians, are now faced with living up to that.
* RealityEnsues: ''Shades of Twilight'' has the equestrians face this a lot, starting with their [[FingerlessHands seeming incompatibility with most equipment]] and liabilities from employing an EndangeredSpecies deterring their attempts to find jobs.
** Applejack learns that [[spoiler:kidnapping someone, even with good intentions, ''won't'' be easily forgiven just because you apologize. She faces decades of jail time she only avoids via legal trickery and loses a lot of good will over the scandal]].
** Rainbow Dash charging into [[spoiler:a squad of enemies gets her beaten and shot because such recklessness won't work in the real world when the odds are against you like that]].
** Twilight tries telekinetically wileding a pistol, she ''[[ATeamFiring misses every shot]]'' since she has no training to aim or deal with recoil, she can't even figure out how to reload it by the time she decides it's [[AwesomeButImpractical not worth it]].

* RobotBuddy: 42 of 50, a changeling drone who ends up becoming Twilight's personal assistant at the end of ''The Equestrian Equation''. [[spoiler:He is a fully sentient AI with the personality of Twilight's "Number One Assistant", Spike.]]
* SadisticChoice: Twilight faces two in quick succession after [[spoiler: the attack on New Ponyville. First, what to do with the injured Rainbow - leave her unattended to go after the perpetrator or stay with her and risk losing the trail? Secondly, let the pony-kidnapper go free, let C-SEC take her in where she'd be free to blackmail the ponies, or just kill her?]]
* ShoutOut:
** Pretty much the entire Equestria Facility is one big one to ''Franchise/TheMatrix'', complete with MechaMooks out in the physical world and a single member inside who managed to make herself immune to the laws of physics. Or for that matter, [[FanFic/FriendshipIsOptimal another fic where Celestia is an AI]].
*** Granny Smith mentions she never really thought her life in Equestria was real, further making reference to the Matrix's flaw of being unable to seamlessly convince 100% of its population.
** Of the four krogan delinquents loitering around New Ponyville, two are named [[Franchise/StarWars Biggs]] and [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Wedge]].
** "[[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey I'm afraid I can't do that, Twilight.]]"
** ''Galaxy of Fantasy'' is mentioned to be created by "Ionic Storm", a CaptainErsatz of the now-defunct Ion Storm of ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' fame.
%%* SlidingScaleOfRealisticVersusFantastic
* SoMuchForStealth: Said word-for-word by Twilight in ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4 after [[spoiler:the alarm is raised during their attempt to locate the kidnapper of ponies.]]

* TakeAThirdOption:
** The [[AudienceParticipation voters]] (and by extension, Twilight) did so in deciding how to deal with the slanderous documentary, ''The Cost of Grazing''. When offered the choices of either ignoring it, creating a public awareness vid of their own, or suing the production company, a reader going by "Silent-Judge" suggested contacting Emily Wong and opening New Ponyville up to full media access, which proved popular enough to win with nearly two-thirds of the total vote.
** Twilight mentions a third option when deciding what to do with [[spoiler:the pony-kidnapper.]] The person had offered two choices - let her walk away in the hope that her employer will decide to back off on the ponies, or have C-SEC take her in, but with the possibility that she will blackmail the ponies. Twilight's third option is to just kill her, [[YouWouldntShootMe though the other seems smugly certain that Twilight wouldn't dare do it.]]
* TemptingFate: While talking about his role in New Ponyville, Lt. Pyres tells Twilight to just consider him window dressing unless something serious happens. A few minutes later, the two of them are told that a group of krogan are loitering in New Ponyville and refuse to leave.

* WhamEpisode: Act 2 Part 3 of ''Shades''. What starts as a routine filming of a documentary by Emily Wong escalates when [[spoiler:New Ponyville is bombed as a distraction to kidnap some ponies, with Rainbow Dash badly injured while trying to stop the kidnappers.]]
* WhamLine: In ''Shades'' Act 2 Part 4.
--> "They say… Th-they say she's an agent for... [[spoiler:the Shadow Broker]].”

Unfortunately, in September 2017, the series was officially cancelled after ''Shades of Twilight'' posted its final chapter (its only update in 2.5 years), citing the author's departure from the fandom.

''Shades of Twilight'' is currently ongoing. Like ''The Equestrian Equation'', readers are able to vote on the decisions that Twilight must make to build her society up from nearly nothing, as well as protecting them from unsavory elements who might try to harm the Herd. All while the imminent threat of Reaper invasion hangs over their heads.

* WritersCannotDoMath: The end of ''Equestrian Equation'' mentions the Equestrian Herd consists of "three hundred and forty-two individuals, assistant mechs included". There are 297 equestrians and 48 mechs, which add up to 345.

** Of the four krogan delinquents loitering around New Ponyville, two are named [[Franchise/StarWars Biggs]] and[[Franchise/FinalFantasy Wedge]].

** Of the four krogan delinquents loitering around New Ponyville, two are named [[StarWars Biggs and]][[Franchise/FinalFantasy Wedge]].

* OutsideContextProblem: The ancient equines; their developing technology and infrastructure independent of the [[PortalNetwork mass relays and the Citadel]] made them the biggest threat the Reapers faced until Commander Shepard. [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy The Reapers took steps to ensure such an anomaly did not happen again]]. The ancient equines descendants, the equestrians, are now faced with living up to that.

* OutsideContextHero: The ancient equines; their developing technology and infrastructure independent of the [[PortalNetwork mass relays and the Citadel]] made them the biggest threat the Reapers faced until Commander Shepard. [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy The Reapers took steps to ensure such an anomaly did not happen again]]. The ancient equines descendants, the equestrians, are now faced with living up to that.

** Applejack learns that [[spoiler:kidnapping someone, even with good intentions, ''won't'' be easily forgiven just because you apologize. She faces decades of jail time she only avoid via legal trickery and loses a lot of good will over the scandal]].
** Rainbow Dash charging into [[spoiler:a squad of enemies gets her beaten and shot because such recklessness won't work when the odds are against you like that]].

* DeconstructionCrossover: This fic deconstructs many of the FridgeLogic elements of MLP:FIM by explaining them as products of Equestria being a computer simulation. In turn, it shows how hard and conflicted its morality and ideals would be in the more realistic, morally grey ''Mass Effect'' 'verse. The Equestrians idealism [[FatalFlaw doomed there ancestors war against the Reapers]] and leaves then at odds with the rest of galactic civilization. [[Reconstruction They begin to manage well enough off in time.]]

* EndOfAnAge: At the end of Equestrian Equation, the ponies are all awakened from the Equestria Simulation and must face the real world for the first time in millienia.

* AllThereInTheManual: Like the Mass Effect series, [=Loyal2Luna=] updates a [[http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/115595/the-equestrian-codex---spoiler-alertblog that serves as the Codex for the Equestrians as new information is revealed in-story]].

* RealityEnsues: ''Shades of Twilight'' has the equestrians face this a lot, starting with their [[PowerpuffGirlHands seeming incompatibility with most equipment]] and liabilities from employing an EndangeredSpecies deterring their attempts to find jobs.

* PowerpuffGirlHands: Deconstructed. While Equestrians are able to work around their lack of finger well enough (any problems being PlayedForLaughs), their inability to use equipment that all other species can deterring their attempts to find employment. The main conflict of ''Shades'' Act 1 is their looking to prove their viability as workers in spite of this.

* AwfulTruth: Twilight was so smart and resourceful, that she was able to discover the truth about the Equestrian simulation (multiple times in fact). She was so [[HeroicBSOD shaken]] by it, that she decided to [[MoreThanMindControl willingly allow Celestia to erase her memories of the event]], leaving behind a message to herself if/when she eventually rediscovered the truth again.

* AllThereInTheManual: Like the Mass Effect series, [=Loyal2Luna=] updates a blog that serves as the Codex for the Equestrians as new information is revealed in-story.

** [[spoiler:The pony-kidnapper]] has a whole bunch of FENRIS and LOKI mechs, as well as two YMIRs.

** The Equestrian Royal Guard count too, in a way, as they are actually security programs with no individual personality of their own.

* BigDamnHeroes: Twilight pulls this off when [[spoiler: Dr. Milligan has an unarmed Shepard pinned down in the Harmony Core chamber.]]

** Pretty much the entire Equestria Facility is one big one to TheMatrix, complete with MechaMooks out in the physical world and a single member inside who managed to make herself immune to the laws of physics. Or for that matter, [[FanFic/FriendshipIsOptimal another fic where Celestia is an AI]].

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/331220/loyal-blogging This blog post]] by [=Loyal2Luna=] goes into detail about how ''The Equestrian Equation'' would have ended if readers had opted not to bring the Equestrians ''en masse'' out of the simulation. [[spoiler:Had they chosen to upload the servers Discord would have escaped to the Normandy, [[DownerEnding killed everybody on board, and left to have his "fun" while everybody left in the system died]].]]