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1[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MLP-ME_Shades_of_Twilight_cover_3836.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:260:Ah yes, [[Franchise/MassEffect "Reapers."]] We have dismissed such claims, Madam President [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Sparkle.]]]]
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4Shortly before his assault on the Collector Base, [[Franchise/MassEffect Commander Shepard]] is tasked by The Illusive Man to investigate the disappearance of a Cerberus science team who had gone to investigate the origin point of an extremely powerful weapon which had been used against the Reapers 36 million years in the past. Upon following their lead to a system outside of Citadel Space, the Normandy is attacked by automated defenses that separate Shepard and his away team from the Normandy.
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6After making planetfall and taking cover in an underground facility, Shepard is attacked by robotic tendrils which pull him away from his companions. When he awakens, Shepard finds that he has been transported to the colorful and magical realm of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Equestria]], and in the process has been transformed into a pony.
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8After getting to know a bit about this strange land and some of its more illustrious inhabitants, however, Shepard soon finds that he is far from the only thing that isn't what he seems to be. The entire world of Equestria is a virtual reality simulation that has been running for millions of years, and the Equestrians he meets are the descendants of the ancient race of equines who built the facility. As Shepard tries to return to reality, his choices and actions will determine the fate of an entire species who have never known anything about the world outside their simulation.
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10This is the beginning of ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/20545/mass-effect-2--dlc-the-equestrian-equation Mass Effect 2 DLC: The Equestrian Equation]]'' by [[http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Loyal2Luna Loyal2Luna]] (author of ''FanFic/DoctorWhoovesTheSeries''). ''The Equestrian Equation'' is notable for not only bringing the residents of Ponyville into the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' universe in a manner that operates within the logic of the video games, but also [[AudienceParticipation allowed readers to cast their votes]] on Shepard's actions at the end of each chapter, with the story adjusting to fit the results.
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12Has a sequel called ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/77608/mass-effect-shades-of-twilight Shades of Twilight]]'' focusing on the trials of the Equestrian Herd after they are introduced to the larger galaxy. After being removed from the Equestria simulation, the Equestrians are refugees. With only a few hundred of their species left in the universe, it falls upon Madam President Twilight Sparkle to determine how they will create a place for themselves in the galactic community.
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14Like ''The Equestrian Equation'', readers were 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 the while, the imminent threat of Reaper invasion hangs over their heads.
15
16----
17!!''"[[RobotBuddy 42]], please access the Codex for examples pertaining to this series."''
18
19[[foldercontrol]]
20
21[[folder:General]]
22* AliensSpeakingEnglish: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] because the ponies, in preparation for their eventual discovery, were conditioned in the system to speak at least one of the languages prevalent in the galaxy at any one time. Earth English was chosen specifically because Princess Luna became infatuated with human culture and the works of writers like Creator/MarkTwain, Creator/IsaacAsimov, and Creator/WilliamShakespeare.
23* AllThereInTheManual: Like the Mass Effect series, [=Loyal2Luna=] updates a [[http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/115595/the-equestrian-codex---spoiler-alert blog that serves as the Codex for the Equestrians as new information is revealed in-story]].
24* ArcWords: "Harmony for All," the philosophy of the ancient equines.
25* 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.
26* BrainComputerInterface: The Equestria System uses one à la ''Franchise/TheMatrix''. Pinkie Pie latter develops the omni-hoof, a version of the omni-tool that uses this to work around their lack of fingers. It's noted to be the first successful omni-tool to use such, but is currently only viable for Equestrians since their physiology has had millennia of alteration for ease of such.
27* 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.
28* DeconstructionCrossover: This fics 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.]]
29* 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...[[BewareTheNiceOnes probably ended up wishing they had]].
30* 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.
31* 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.
32* 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.]]
33[[/folder]]
34
35[[folder:''Mass Effect 2 - DLC: The Equestrian Equation'']]
36* AmbiguouslyRelated: Rarity brings up the question of, since hers, Twilight's, and many others parents were only programs, who their actual parents and relations are and what her actual relation with her "sister" Sweetie Belle may be. Complicating this is that the equestrians small population mean all of them are to some degree related. The results of her genetic test are kept confidential [[TheUnReveal even from readers]], but Rarity doesn't let them change her relationship with Sweetie Belle.
37* AIIsACrapshoot: Averted by [[spoiler:Luna and 42]], borderline with [[spoiler:Celestia]], and fully embraced by [[spoiler:Discord]].
38* 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.
39* 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.
40* BittersweetEnding: 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.
41* BigDamnHeroes: Twilight pulls this off when [[spoiler:Dr. Milligan has an unarmed Shepard pinned down in the Harmony Core chamber.]]
42* CallForward:
43--> '''Garrus:''' (to Shepard) "What's your next trick? [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 Going to bring a prothean back from the dead?]]"
44* CassandraTruth: ''Pinkie Pie.'' The only one immune to the Equestria System's use of LaserGuidedAmnesia to preserve TheMasquerade, any attempts by Pinkie to explain things to other ponies just gets wiped from their memories immediately afterward. Eventually she just gave up on trying, and decided to simply have fun with it instead.
45--> '''Pinkie:''' (to Twilight) "I mean, do you have ''any'' idea what it's like to have something so important to tell everypony, something that their lives absolutely depend on… and have them just ignore you?"
46--> '''Shepard:''' "Yes… I do."
47** Shepard trying to explain to Twilight that he's not a pony. She thinks he's insane...and then more and more evidence starts cropping up seemingly verifying his story.
48* ChekhovsGun: Pony Shepard's Cutie Mark. [[spoiler:Or to be more accurate, the fact that he doesn't have one, and neither does Dr. Hern before Celestia {{Mind Rape}}s her, but Milligan ''does''. It turns out that Cutie Marks are actually tracking tags placed on ponies registered within the Equestria System, to allow the three AI overseers to keep tabs on them. The fact that Milligan had one was proof that he, in fact, was ''not'' able to resist the mental conditiong at Bedlam. Discord had merely modified that conditioning to suit his own ends.]]
49* TheComputerIsYourFriend: [[spoiler:Celestia's]] mission for the past thirty-six million years has been to protect the last descendants of the equine civilization, ''[[WellIntentionedExtremist no matter what]].''
50* DoingInTheWizard: All the fantastical things about Equestria are revealed to be due to its being a simulation, with everything from MLP:FIM that proves ''real'' given an explanation constant with the science of ''Mass Effect''.
51* EarthShatteringKaboom: This is what happens to the planet housing the Equestria Facility, after its power system [[GoingCritical goes critical]].
52* EverybodyLives: Downplayed. All the surviving ponies from the Equestria System manage to escape aboard the Normandy. [[spoiler:Except for Granny Smith, who dies in the med-bay from unavoidable complications due to extreme old age.]]
53* 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 millenia.
54* FatalFlaw: For the equines, their trusting and cooperative natures made Reaper Indoctrination especially devastating to their war effort.
55* FluffyTheTerrible: The Harmony Cannon. The beam it fires looks like a rainbow. During the Star Daemon War, it was used to kill ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Reapers]]''.
56* GoingCritical: The Harmony Core, after its control systems are damaged by gunfire.
57* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Implied that this happened to Twilight once, years ago. She left behind a [[TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat recording for her future self]], and then erased her own memory.
58* HeroicSacrifice: Doctor Hour Glass, in order to trick the Reapers into believing that everything of value in the star system had been destroyed. Luna refers to him as "the last being I would ever call a hero."
59* InMediasRes: It 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.
60* InsideAComputerSystem: The ponies turn out to have been living in a simulation.
61* {{Irony}}: [[MotorMouth Mordin Solus']] description of Pinkie Pie.
62--> "[[HypocriticalHumor Rather chatty Couldn't get a word in.]]"
63* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Used to keep the Equestrians from realizing that they are living in a VR simulation. Pinkie Pie [[OnlySaneMan happens to be immune]], but was unable to share this knowledge for years since anypony she told would simply forget immediately afterward.
64* LivingBattery: Celestia's plan upon realizing that the Harmony Core was eventually going to fail. By altering the equine species into the modern Equestrian species to maximize biotic potential, she intended to make the Equestria system self-sustaining by drawing upon the biotic power of its inhabitants.
65* MeaninglessVillainVictory: {{Discussed}}. [[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.]]
66* MechaMooks:
67** The changeling drones.
68** The Canterlot Royal Guard in a way, as they are actually security programs with no individual personality of their own.
69* MediumAwareness: InUniverse, Pinkie Pie is aware that her world is a digital simulation, which is what allows her to do crazy, physically impossible things.
70* MindRape: This sort of mental programing is routine for ponies who don't fit Celestia's ideal "harmonious" psychological profile.
71** This was attempted on Dr. Milligan, as he was labeled insane for thinking himself a human.
72** 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.
73** 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.
74* MookHorrorShow: The [[RedShirtArmy Canterlot Royal Guard]] verses [[BewareTheNiceOnes angry Fluttershy]] AND [[OneManArmy Commander Shepard]], [[CurbStompBattle ends really bad for the Guard]], and [[GodzillaThreshold prompts dropping]] the {{Masquerade}} to stop them.
75* NoodleImplements: Pinkie Pie's plan to infiltrate the Canterlot Library involves the use of balloons, a wooden staff, a big straw hat, a record player, a dozen chocolate cupcakes, and a live squid.
76* RevealingCoverup: System AR-43281, where the Equestria facility is located, is at first glance home to nothing but some uninhabitable planets with absolutely nothing of interest or value. This trips EDI's logic filters because the odds of there being a star system ''that'' bland, with absolutely ''nothing'' of value, is so mathematically infinitesimal that either they have found the most impossibly generic chunks of rock in the galaxy, or their scanners are being fed false data.
77* SpannerInTheWorks: Shepard, per canon. [[spoiler:Having the contents of the Prothean Cipher in his head made his brainwaves disruptive to the simulation.]]
78* SuddenVideoGameMoment: In order to help the others infiltrate the Canterlot Library, Pinkie uses her hacking prowess to convince the guard programs that they are fighting a turn-based RPG battle, complete with accompanying background music. One character even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the FridgeBrilliance of this.
79* TwoScenesOneDialogue: Happens when Princess Luna is [[InfoDump explaining]] to Shepard various facts and details relevant to Equestria and the history of the Equines. At the same time, the members of his crew inside the Lunar Base in orbit are receiving similar information from a [[VideoWills recording]] made by the long-dead Doctor Hour Glass. Twilight is also getting the same information via direct neural download straight from the Archive.
80* WholePlotReference: 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. 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.
81* WritersCannotDoMath: The end 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.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:''Mass Effect: Shades of Twilight'']]
85* AbortedArc: Twilight meets with a representative from the Armali Council lobbying for their biotic amps, with Twilight/[[AudienceParticipation voters]] deciding against it. Nothing from this ever comes up before the stories premature end.
86* BaitAndSwitch: The story opens with an Equestrian of unknown identity hospitalized in critical condition. Arc 2 Part 3 has [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash shot]] and sent to the hospital next chapter. [[spoiler:Arc 2 Conclusion then reveals it to be Twilight Sparkle, who's suffered from overextending her biotics and stress repeatedly foreshadowed as unhealthy.]]
87* TheChainsOfCommanding: Twilight's plight in throughout the story.
88* CouldSayItBut: In Arc 2 Part 4 Pyres does this regarding [[spoiler:information about where the captor of the kidnapped ponies is]].
89* 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.
90* 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. [[UnCanceled Then, four years later, they returned and revived the series]].
91* EndangeredSpecies: With a population less then 300, the Equestrians manage to get themselves legally 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.
92* ICallItVera: Lt. Pyres calls his Viper sniper rifle "Freya".
93* IfIWantedYouDead: In Arc 2 Part 4, [[spoiler:the pony-kidnapper tells Twilight that her orders were to limit Equestrian casualties, or else Rainbow would be dead.]]
94* InMediasRes: The second arc 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.
95* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:The pony-kidnapper not only disarms herself but also removes her biotic amp once Twilight corners her. She also establishes she has NO intention of messing with them again.]]
96* 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.
97* MechaMooks: [[spoiler:The pony-kidnapper]] has a whole bunch of FENRIS and LOKI mechs, as well as two [=YMIRs=].
98* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In Arc 2 Part 4, how dangerous YMIR mechs are is reflected by Pinkie's "tone completely lacking any of [her usual] childlike enthusiasm".
99* OnlyInItForTheMoney: [[spoiler:The pony-kidnapper]] turns out to have only this as her motivation, [[DisappointedByTheMotive which further lowers Twilight's already poor opinion of her]].
100* 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?]]
101* ShoutOut:
102** Of the four krogan delinquents loitering around New Ponyville, two are named [[Franchise/StarWars Biggs]] and [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Wedge]].
103** "[[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey I'm afraid I can't do that, Twilight.]]"
104** ''[[ShowWithinAShow Galaxy of Fantasy]]'' is mentioned to be created by "Ionic Storm", a CaptainErsatz of the now-defunct Ion Storm of ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' fame.
105** A LOKI mech is given the model number [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic HK-0470]] the serial number M347846, which [[LeetLingo translates]] to "Meatbag".
106* SoMuchForStealth: Said word-for-word by Twilight in Arc 2 Part 4 after [[spoiler:the alarm is raised during their attempt to locate the kidnapper of ponies.]]
107* TakeAThirdOption:
108** 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.
109** 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.]]
110** Subverted when the reader "aduck" that the Equestrians put the [[spoiler:the pony-kidnapper]] on trial themselves. [=Loyal2Luna=] [[https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/471984/updates-love-and-a-clarification replied]] explaining [[ArtisticLicenseLaw why this wouldn't work]]: they have no independent legal system, their living arrangement on the Citadel means they are under its jurisdiction, and any such process would be overly biased.
111---> While such obvious one-sided and impossible judicial practices might pass for 'justice' in some parts of the galaxy (See 'Tuchanka') they would not be taken seriously in any truly civilized space, surely not on the citadel itself, the center of galactic civilization.
112* 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.
113* WhamEpisode: Arc 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.]]
114* WhamLine: In ''Shades'' Arc 2 Part 4.
115--> "They say… Th-they say she's an agent for... [[spoiler:the Shadow Broker]]."
116* WhatTheHellHero:
117** Twilight gives one to Applejack who [[spoiler:''kidnapped'' Dr. Hern from Huerta Memorial due to a confrontation with Hern's family at the hospital]].
118** Captain Inastri chews out Twilight for [[spoiler:going behind C-Sec's back on a rescue mission, leaving a legal mess for them to clean up, endangering everyone present, and allowing the pony-kidnapper to just walk away]].
119[[/folder]]

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