Mass Effect: Element of Kindness

by CommanderApplejack

Rating: teen
Tags: Death, Alternate Universe, Human, Romance, Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, Science Fiction, Other, Non-consensual, Fluttershy, Adventure, Shining Armor, Crossover, Profanity, Mass Effect, Violence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 292274

[CYOA] While exploring an old ruin an unfortunate accident sends Fluttershy halfway across the galaxy, how will the shy pegasus cope with being stuck away from her friends?

Research log #579

It's been over one and a half years ago since the last activation of the device, though the magical signature hasn't changed it seems... weakened, to such a degree that the re-activation is impossible.

As described in the notes of research log #249 any attempt at providing the device an artificial source of magic to power failed, the device simply needed more energy than even the combined magical power of both Princess Luna and Celestia were capable of providing. You must be wondering now, I've already described these circumstances in previous logs so why bring it up now?

Simply said I'm out of options, every attempt of reactivating the device have failed and I'm only left with a single choice. I'm going to have to reverse engineer the device in an attempt to understand the mechanics with which it operates...

...At the risk of maybe never being unable to reconstruct it later.

I'm so sorry Fluttershy, I never should have involved you or any of the girls in the exploration of this structure. I hope that if we ever see you again you can find it in yourself to forgive me.

-Twilight Sparkle

In the true sense of Mass Effect, this story will be CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) giving you the reader the choice to decide the action of our protagonist. :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoy!

Every chapter past chapter 27 was edited by gerandakis :twilightsmile:

Published 2019-03-27 15:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-11-20 21:14:16 UTC

Embassy

Chapter 2

Embassy

Gore warning

Do the sensible thing and panic 76%

Fluttershy's rate of breathing increased considerably at the sight of the dead bodies, not that the pegasus had never seen a creature get killed, she was friends with predators after all, but never had she seen so many creatures be killed this quickly. The contents of her stomach rose up her throat and were emptied next to the crate she had hidden behind.

"Are you okay?" One of the creatures from the new groups asked the suited one who had positioned herself between her and the newcomers, not that this registered in Fluttershy's mind anyway.

T-they're going to kill me! I need to get out... out... OUT

Scrambling to her hooves Fluttershy jumped over the crates and bolted away from the strange creatures...

... slipping over blue liquid that pooled on the metal floor next to the corpse of the bone faced creature. It took over a second of staring at the dead creature for her to realize that this wasn't just any liquid, this was blood, the creature's blood. If it wasn't for the fact that she had already thrown up she would have done it again. The yellow pegasus jumped out of the pool of blood and tried scrubbing the blood out of her coat, only for the blood on her hooves to stain it even further.

In her momentary distraction didn't notice one of the creatures had approached until it had wrapped its arms around her. Fluttershy whinnied with a volume uncharacteristic of the pegasus while struggling to get her forelegs loose from the grip she found herself in, failing as the creature's arms didn't budge under her assault.

Fluttershy continued struggling until she heard the creature... singing? Looking at the arms that surrounded her she found them to be the same as the masked creature that had stood next to her moments ago, this finally broke the dam that had been holding back all the stress and the pegasus broke down sobbing in the arms of the creature who slowly rocked her as she sang.

"Hey there little one, don't be scared. We're not going to hurt you, unlike those bosh'tets." The creature softly told her as her lullaby came to an end.

"O-okay." Fluttershy whimpered back, the creature jolting in surprise making Fluttershy cringe.

"Keelah, did your translators pick that up as well?" The creature holding the pegasus asked the three others who had approached the pair that sat on the floor, nodding in confirmation. "Can you tell us your name?" it asked as it turned it's attention back to the pegasus.

"F-Fluttershy,"

The creature stroked through Fluttershy's hair in an attempt to put her further at ease. "Okay Fluttershy, can you tell me where you are from?" The pegasus nodded and started telling about Equestria and how Twilight had dragged her and the other girls along to go explore the ruin, the group meanwhile moved out of the alleyway into one of the flying carts.

Introductions were also made after they entered the cart, the creature that had comforted Fluttershy after her panic was called Tali Zorah and was from a race apparently called the quarians.
The second creature to introduce itself was the leader of the group of three, a human who called himself Commander Shepard of the Alliance navy, from what Fluttershy understood he was part of a guard organization of some sort.

Following on Shepard's introduction was Garrus Vakarian of the turian race, apparently he had been chasing a criminal but couldn't find definite proof until Tali had found some which was the reason they had come for her.
That left the last member of the group, Wrex a krogan. Fluttershy couldn't help but be uncomfortable around the krogan as he sported vicious claw marks on the scale that covered his forehead and his armor looked as if it had been well used, it also didn't help that Wrex had told her that he was a mercenary and would fight for money.

After the transport shuttle landed Tali carried the little pegasus with her into the human embassy where they would be speaking to the human ambassador, a man called Udina. "You're not making my life easy, Shepard. Firefights in the Wards an all-out assault on Chora's den, do you know how many..." The ambassador stopped talking as he saw Tali and Fluttershy, "...Would you mind telling me why there's a quarian carrying a pegasus into my office."

"The quarian is going to make you very happy, as for the pegasus she's an unfortunate traveler. You might have heard about an incident here on the presidium this afternoon." Shepard answered, Fluttershy ducked behind her mane as the ambassador scrutinized her and Tali.

"Yes... I'd like to hear about that later, now what has this quarian to offer to us?" He asked, Tali put down the pegasus who immediately hid behind Garrus who positioned himself in such a way that Fluttershy could hide behind his legs. The turian already having figured out the extent of the pegasus's shyness.

"My name is Tali Zorah nar Rayya, I was on my pilgrimage when I started receiving reports that geth were traveling beyond the perseus veil me and a few other pilgrims decided to investigate." Tali started, "We ambushed a lone geth and pulled its memory core."

"I thought The geth fried their memory core when they died?" Captain Anderson, the second man who had been in the office asked inquisitively.

"My people made the geth, remember? If your quick, careful, and lucky you can preserve some cashes of data. I salvaged this from its data banks." Tali answered while tapping a few instructions on a glowing hologram of some sort that had appeared around her left arm.

"Eden prime was a major victory the beacon has brought us one step closer to the conduit..." A voice started, Fluttershy meanwhile did her best to hide even further behind her mane as a second voice continued, "And one step closer to the return of the Reapers"

"Uhm, what are the Reapers? If I... may...ask... eep!" Fluttershy whimpered back behind Garrus's legs as the attention of the room turned towards her,

"The according to the geth, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that wiped out the protheans fifty-thousand years ago. The Geth seem to revere them as gods." Tali answered drawing the attention back to her, Shepard head perking up at the new information.

"That would be an explanation of the vision the prothean beacon gave me." He theorized.

"The council won't believe this talk about 'Reapers' but it does prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Saren has gone rogue," Udina said, cutting off any further discussion on whatever the Reapers were supposed to be, "I'm going to request an emergency meeting of the council now, be ready to join me in session commander."

Shepard nodded and motioned for the others to follow him out of the office, after the door closed behind the group he turned to Tali. "So, now you've given us the evidence are you going to continue your pilgrimage?"

The quarian shook her head, "If you'd have me I'd like to join you on your mission commander." She said wringing her hands, nervous of what the Commander would tell her.

"What about your pilgrimage? isn't that important as well?" Shepard asked.

"The pilgrimage proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good, if what you say is true then the galaxy is at risk, my pilgrimage can wait," Tali said resolutely, a small smile creeping onto Shepard's face.

"In that case, welcome to the team." He told the quarian, turning to Fluttershy afterward, "If you want you can accompany us as well."

"I don't think I'd be very useful for your mission, I'm no soldier." Fluttershy answered, her ears drooping flat against her head and looked down at her hooves.

Shepard crouched down and raised Fluttershy's head to look her in the eyes, "I'll need more than soldiers to take Saren down, I'm sure Captain Anderson has an open spot for you on the Normandy, we were running a skeleton crew anyway. Now is there anything in particular you can do?"

I can understand and talk to animals

I know how to treat sick and wounded animals

I can use the stare

[Vote link]

Author's Note

You can vote for this chapter's choice here: https://www.strawpoll.me/17697102
If you can argue your case in the comments below as to why one choice is better than the other It'll count as extra vote.

These might seem insignificant but they'll be much more important later on :raritywink:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter! :twilightsmile:

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Council

Chapter 3

Council

I can understand and talk to animals 68%

"I can talk to animals but I don't think that's very useful," Fluttershy said trying to avert her gaze once again.

"You mean as in having a conversation with them?" Garrus asked skeptically, "Like we're doing right now?" Fluttershy cringed a bit and nodded.

"That's... amazing!" Tali said as she lit up the hologram around her arm and tapped a few buttons on it, "Commander look at this." She gasped as she held out her arm to show him.

"D-did I do anything wrong?" Fluttershy whimpered as everyone was looking at the hologram.

"So that's what I've been feeling all this time," Wrex chuckled, Fluttershy looked up at the krogan with a confused expression before turning to Shepard for an explanation.

"There's a biotic signature interfering with the translator every time you speak." He told her looking amazed at the pegasus in front of him, "I think you might have natural biotic abilities that are causing this but that kind of control is even beyond what an asari matriarch could do. Is that everything you can do?"

Does Fluttershy reveal the stare? No

"N-no nothing! nope!" Shepard raised his eyebrow at Fluttershy's remark but decided to let it slide to be discussed at a later date.

"Okay then, doctor Chakwas is going to have a field day figuring out your biology." The commander chuckled, "We should be getting up to the tower since I think the council would like to see the evidence implicating one of their Spectres."

With that, the group left the embassy and moved towards the elevator that lead into the citadel tower. Fluttershy freezing for a moment as she saw the statue of a Mass Relay across from the entrance to the elevator, a hand on her withers snapping her out of it. Looking up Fluttershy could see Tali looking down at her, a faint smile visible through the shroud of her helmet encouraging her to go on.

After finally having reached the elevator Fluttershy's anxiety spiked again, she had entered elevators in manehattan before and that experience had already lurched her stomach as the device had carried her up a building, she shuddered at the idea of the speed an alien elevator would be going at. The moments the door closed Fluttershy closed her eyes and gulped, waiting for the acceleration to start...

and waited...

and waited even longer...

Opening her eyes the pegasus could see that the elevator was moving but she couldn't feel the speed it was moving at, the others seemed to be standing still or leaning against the wall with bored expressions waiting for the doors to finally open. After a couple more minutes Garrus started asking Tali about how the quarians endangered the galaxy by building the Geth, Tali shooting back a comment about how the Turians had nearly sterilized the krogan with a virus. The moment Garrus stated that that wasn't an accident Wrex got involved. Luckily before the situation could escalate the doors finally opened and the group could move up the stairs in the direction of the Councilors.

It didn't take long for the ambassador to show up and motion them to follow him to the platform where the council gave their audiences. when they arrived they found a turian, an asari, and a salarian standing across from them, the recording from the turian Spectre already playing as the group arrived shortly after ambassador Udina.

"You wanted proof? there it is." He told the councilors, getting a response from the Turian councilor.

"This evidence is irrefutable, ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in and answer for his crimes." Fluttershy saw Shepard shift a little at hearing that news, the sides of his lips curling up a bit as he tried suppressing an all-out smile.

"I recognized the other voice, the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia." The asari councilor said, Shepard raising an eyebrow.

"Who's that?" He asked.

"A matriarch is an asari in the final stage of their lives, they are revered for their experience and wisdom among my people." The asari councilor answered, "Benezia is a powerful biotic with a substantial following, she'll be a formidable ally to Saren."

"I'm more interested in these 'Reapers'," The salarian councilor asked after the asari finished speaking, "What do you know about them?"

Captain Anderson stepped forward to answer the question, "Only what we found in the geth data core, they're a race of advanced AI that wiped out the protheans fifty-thousand years ago."

"The geth revere them as gods and Saren is the prophet of their return," Shepard added.

"And this conduit, presumably, is what is going to bring these 'Reapers' back?" The salarian councilor asked, the commander and Captain nodding.

"Listen to yourselves, a mysterious race of machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible! It has to be," The turian councilor said, "Where did these 'Reapers' go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no evidence of their existence? If they were real we would've found something!"

The asari councilor sighed, "My colleague is right, you've proven that Saren has betrayed the council and we all agree that he's using the geth to search for the conduit, but we really don't know why."

"I also agree that the 'Reapers' are just a myth that Saren uses to bend the geth to his will, nothing more than a useful legend." The salarian councilor added, Shepard stepping forward to say his piece.

"So you're going to do nothing and ignore the obvious threat?!" He snarled.

"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre. The council has stripped him from his position." The turian councilor dismissed, something ambassador Udina didn't take too kindly.

"That is not good enough! He's hiding somewhere in the Traverse! Send your fleet in!"

"That could trigger a war with the Terminus systems! We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen Human colonies." The turian councilor snarled back at him, Fluttershy suddenly forgot all her shyness as she heard what the turian said.

Only a dozen human colonies?! Doesn't he care about the creatures living there?!

Before anyone could react Fluttershy was hovering in front of the turian councilor looking him straight in the eyes, "How DARE YOU! Listen up mister, just because you're sitting up here in this tower doesn't mean you can just ignore the lives of all those humans and say that their lives aren't important!" She shouted into his face, "Now what do you have to say for yourself?!"

The turian councilor staggered back as the pegasus finished, Fluttershy pupils shrank as she realized what she had done.

Oh no, I used the Stare on one of the councilors!

It was as if ice had suddenly filled her veins and as fast as she had appeared before the turian she now vanished, hiding behind Tali. "If you don't want to that's okay as well." She whimpered.

"That was... interesting." The salarian councilor said as he looked at Fluttershy who was doing her best to disappear, "I must say that I'm pretty sure your species has never been encountered before, where are you from?"

"E-Equestria" Fluttershy softly said, re-telling her story with help from Shepard. The turian councilor staying suspiciously silent throughout the story.

"That is a most interesting story, though I find it hard to believe that the monument in the Presidium is a real mass relay. It has been studied many times and we've found no evidence that it functions." The asari councilor said, her Salarian colleague agreeing.

"It could be the protheans were working on a way to travel straight to the citadel before their demise and the prototype was built on your homeworld but the one on the Presidium is most definitely not functional." He told the group, "Though travel by means of only one relay is fascinating, speculation isn't going to give us any answers. For that, we are going to have to find the homeworld of the pony."

"I agree and I think I know of a way how to find that and stop Saren without having to send fleets or armies which will satisfy both the humans and the Council," The asari councilor proposed looking to her left and right at her colleagues. The turian seemed to want to object to this proposal but kept his mouth shut as he glanced at Fluttershy. The three councilors tapped something into the consoles in front of them, "Commander Shepard, please step forward."

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." The asari councilor started followed by the salarian one.

"Spectres are not trained but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file."

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will." The asari Councilor continued again this time followed by the turian councilor who had found his voice once again.

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

"You are the first human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species." The asari finished.

"I'm honored councilors," Shepard told the three aliens.

"We're sending you into the traverse after Saren. He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him, we will forward any relevant files to ambassador Udina." The salarian councilor told Shepard.

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned," The asari councilor said, the group leaving the platform that was used for council meetings.

"That was incredibly reckless, Miss Fluttershy. What would we have done if the Council had thrown us out on the spot?!" The ambassador asked angrily, waiting for Fluttershy to answer...

I wasn't going to stand by and say nothing!

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done what I did

You weren't doing your job right!

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I initially imagined the council to react a bit more severe to Fluttershy's presence but I think the immediate threat of a rogue Spectre would be a much more pressing subject than what's essentially a lone primitive lost in the galaxy.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed, see you next time! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17701221

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Normandy

Chapter 4

Normandy

I wasn't going to stand by and say nothing! 90%

"I don't know but no one has the right to so casually dismiss the lives of so many people!" Fluttershy replied stamping her hoof on the metal floor, struggling to keep her anxiety in check as she stared down the ambassador. Udina held Fluttershy's gaze for a moment longer before muttering something about stupidity and turned to Captain Anderson.

"Captain I want you to come with me, I could use your help in getting the Commander a ship, a crew, and supplies..." The ambassador told the Captain who shook Shepard's hand.

"Congratulations Commander, you've earned it." He said with a smile, "Make sure we can reach you when we've gotten you a ship which might be fast since you being a Spectre will cut a lot of red tape."

The Commander nodded, "We'll be in the Normandy to have the doctor figure out if Fluttershy's a dextro or a levo, we don't want to accidentally poison her with the wrong food." Fluttershy paled slightly as she heard the Commander's remark, she had to admit she was quite hungry but she never thought about the fact that the food might be poisonous for her.

"Good, we'll come back to you soon, Commander," Anderson said as he quickly walked after the Ambassador who was glaring back at Fluttershy.

Reputation with Ambassador Udina has decreased.

After the two men were out of sight Shepard and his group also made their way back down from the tower, though this time opting to use a shuttle instead of the elevator. Fluttershy riding on Tali's lap since there were only four seats in the shuttle.

"Commander Shepard, what are levo's or dextro's If you mind me asking?" Fluttershy asked seeing the journey in the shuttle as the perfect time to ask.

"It's a term that describes a difference in amino acids, Tali and Garrus, for example, are dextros while Wrex and I are levos." Shepard explained, "Don't worry about it too much, you essentially just have to be careful not to eat the wrong type of food and most places serve both."

"Okay" Fluttershy said as the shuttle came to a stop at the dock where the Normandy was anchored, the moment Tali saw the spaceship she squealed and ran over to the railing to get a good look at the ship.

"Keelah, Shepard she's amazing!" Tali said as she looked over the vessel, it had a sleek design with two wings coming from its back which both housed two large engines and on the side of the hull Normandy was written in large white letters. "To think that when I first arrived on the Citadel I had to spend nearly three hours being questioned by c-sec before they let me into the wards, now I'm part of the crew of the most advanced alliance ship!" Tali practically bounced, Fluttershy smiled but a rumble from her stomach reminded her why they had come there in the first place.

After the door of the vessel closed behind them a voice announced that decontamination was in process, Fluttershy looking in wonder as a screen of blue light passed through them, the voice announcing that decontamination was complete as the screen of light disappeared and the inner door opened. The pegasus looking in awe at all the systems in the command center of the ship before being ushered down into a lower deck of the ship and into the medical bay.

"Doctor, do you have time?" Shepard asked, a lady with grey hair looking up from her console.

"Of course commander, is this about the thing you sent me?" The doctor asked.

Shepard chuckled, "Sure is, doc. I need your help in figuring out if she's a dexto or a levo." He told the doctor, turning to Fluttershy who was hiding behind her mane to avoid the doctor's studying gaze. "Miss Fluttershy, I'm going to leave you here with the doctor to show the others around the ship. Don't worry about doctor Chakwas, I've known her for a long time so I can assure you can trust her, okay?"

"O-okay" Fluttershy replied, Tali putting her on the ground before leaving with Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex. Chakwas slowly moved towards Fluttershy and sat down in front of the pegasus who was still hiding behind her mane.

"So, can you tell me your name?" The doctor asked, it wasn't that she hadn't heard Shepard say it but it might help put the pegasus more at ease.

"F-Fluttersy"

Chakwas gave her a friendly smile, "So, Fluttershy, do you have a job?" She asked, Fluttershy's head perked up and she nodded.

"I help all the animals around Ponyville when they're sick or in trouble," Fluttershy answered, not hiding behind her mane as much.

"So you're a doctor, like me?" Chakwas asked, Fluttershy immediately shook her head.

"Oh no, I'm the wildlife manager, though I know how to treat a lot of injuries I still need to visit the local vet for when an animal is seriously sick." Fluttershy happily explained.

"That must be a nice job to have, but we're getting a bit off track. Would you mind if I made a full-body scan next to taking a blood and saliva sample?" She asked, Fluttershy suddenly remembering why she was there in the first place but managed to subdue her anxiety and nodded. "Good, now if you could get on the bed over there then I can start the scan."

Fluttershy opened her wings and a couple of flaps later she was sitting on the bed below a device of some sort, Chakwas looking at her in awe. "Doctor?" Fluttershy asked bringing her back to reality.

"That was astonishing! By all means, those wings shouldn't be enough to let you fly but it was like you put in nearly no effort." She said pushing a couple of buttons on a tablet she was holding, the device above Fluttershy letting out a soft hum, "Please sit still for a moment while the scanner works."

Fluttershy didn't move a muscle as the doctor opened a drawer pulling out a syringe and a couple of mouth swabs, the device above Fluttershy buzzed for a moment longer before falling silent once again. "Doctor, how well do you know the Commander?" Fluttershy asked as the doctor sat down on a stool next to the bed.

"Open your mouth," Chakwas ordered, Fluttershy immediately obeying, "I was the doctor on the ship that his mother served on and helped bring him into this world." She told the pegasus as she got a couple of saliva samples, putting one in a machine for analysis.

"He was born on a spaceship?!" Fluttershy asked amazed at that fact.

"He was, he might even have lived longer on spaceships and stations than he has on planets." Chakwas laughed as the machine that housed the saliva sample beeped, the doctor immediately looking at the readings. "It seems you're a dextro." She declared as she looked up from her tablet.

"So I can only eat turian and quarian food?" Fluttershy asked, the doctor nodded.

"That's correct, and since the Normandy has rations for both levos and dextros so we could get you something to eat now while the scan is processed," Chakwas told the pegasus who perked up as her stomach growled hungrily, the mess was outside the medbay so it wasn't a long walk of any sort. The doctor put a plate with rations in front of Fluttershy who niftily picked up the cutlery that lay next to the plate with her hooves but before the doctor could ask how the pegasus was doing that the speakers in the ceiling came to life.

"This is commander Shepard speaking, as of ten minutes ago Captain Anderson has released the Normandy to my command with our orders: find Saren before he finds the conduit. I won't lie to you, crew. This mission isn't going to be easy." The commander started, the entire mess having fallen silent and listening to the speech.

"For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy! Time to show them what humans are really made of! Our enemy knows we are coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them, too! Humanity needs to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you... we will stop him!" With that, the intercom went silent again, a cheer of approval going through the mess.

"He always liked his speeches," Chakwas chuckled as the sound around them died down again, "It's just sad that Captain Anderson had to give up his ship, that must bum out Shepard as well. Those two are really good friends."

Any hunger Fluttershy still had vanished at the mention of friends, "My friends at home must be worried sick."

"I'm sure that if you ask the commander to help you find your homeworld he'd do it in a heartbeat," Chakwas told the pegasus, "He'll do anything for anyone he considers as one of his crew, always has."

"You would know, have you broken out that serrice ice brandy yet?" Shepard asked as he had walked up to the pair, Fluttershy yelping as she hadn't noticed him coming.

"I'm saving that one for a special occasion and I believe it was your mother who gave that one to me." Chakwas shot back.

"My suggestion, " Shepard shrugged and took a seat across from Fluttershy, "Miss Fluttershy since we're leaving the Citadel soon I wanted to give you a chance to get off the Normandy if you want, we'll be hunting a dangerous criminal and I won't be able to assure your safety. If you decide to stay on the Citadel I'll make sure you'll be dropped off at the embassy where Udina or Anderson can help you find a place to stay."

Fluttershy shuddered thinking about the ambassador, "And if I want to stay? I don't want to be a burden to you."

"If you want to be useful you could start learning to help Tali and Adams in engineering. You could also help Garrus, he'll be tinkering with the Mako. Or you could help the Doctor, I'm sure she can take on an apprentice." He told Fluttershy, smirking at Chakwas.

Fluttershy meanwhile was in thought about what she should do.

Tali has been nothing but nice to me and Twilight always urges me to learn something out of my comfort zone. Then again Garrus reminds me of Rainbow only a bit rougher, I think he could use a good friend though I could also help doctor Chakwas in the med-bay. Its also might be dangerous to stay on board but if I get off I have to go back to the embassy where ambassador Udina is...

[Join Tali in engineering]

[Join Garrus in the garage]

[Join doctor Chakwas in the Medbay]

Can I think about it for a bit longer?

[Go back to the Embassy]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

And there we go! I've got a whole bung of options lined up, will you pick one or wait a bit longer? :scootangel:
Also, I've been going way past my target of a 1000 words with these chapters. I'll see how long I can keep it up

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17709085

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Eezo

Chapter 5

Eezo

[Join doctor Chakwas in the Medbay] 48%

...If I join doctor Chakwas I'll be able to help the others when they get hurt... just like with the animals at home.

"Doctor?" Fluttershy asked looking over at Chakwas who gently smiled back at her.

"I'd be honored, we could start when you've finished eating?" The doctor proposed, Fluttershy nodded furiously and started eating faster to the Commander's and Doctor's amusement. "So Commander, would you like to see the results of the full body scan I made of miss Fluttershy here, the results should be about done."

Shepard shook his head, "We've got a lead on Matriarch Benezia's daughter, they need me upstairs to help with tracking her down." He told the Doctor, "Though if you find something remarkable I'd like to hear about it."

"Will do, Shepard." The doctor said as the Commander left the mess for the command center. Fluttershy had finished eating her food in the meantime and was looking at Chakwas, "Are you ready to get back to the medbay?"

Fluttershy nodded and the two went back to the med-bay, the doctor starting up a holographic projector after they arrived a hologram of Fluttershy appearing. Chakwas tapped a command on her console which changed the projection to include Fluttershy's cardiovascular system. "Twilight would do anything to have something like this." Fluttershy gasped as she studied the hologram of her own body in amazement.

"Is she the local doctor where you are from?" Chakwas asked while putting on a set of latex gloves, "please hold out your foreleg, I'd like to get a blood sample."

Fluttershy lifted her leg allowing the doctor to draw blood from it, "No, Twilight is a bit of an egghead as Rainbow would say, if there's something to learn Twilight wants to know about it."

"So she's a bit of a mad scientist?" Chakwas chuckled as she put the blood she had collected into one of the machines.

"Some ponies have described her like that," Fluttershy said with a small laugh, Chakwas moving back over to the console.

"Now I wanted to ask you how you were able to lift that fork with your hooves, that should have been impossible by all account," Chakwas asked, Fluttershy glancing down at her hooves.

"I think I once heard Twilight tell me that our hooves generate telekinetic fields that allow us to manipulate objects just as well as creatures with hands or claws can," The shy pegasus answered, "Ponies usually don't really think about it."

The doctor looked at Fluttershy in awe, "Every pony can do this?!" She asked, Fluttershy nodding. Chakwas tapped a couple more commands into her tablet, the hologram changing again. Instead of showing Fluttershy's circulatory system it now showed, what seemed to be, Fluttershy's nervous system. The doctor gasped as she stared at the hologram, her tablet clattering to the ground.

"Doctor? Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked, her ears had fallen flat against her head. The doctor didn't respond but started moving around the hologram with her hands, zooming in on places like her wings, hooves brain and eyes, the concentrations of whatever the scan had detected being much higher in those regions.

"This is amazing." Chakwas whispered as she zoomed out again, "I already suspected your species had some biotic abilities when you flew onto the bed but this..." The doctor struggled to find words for a moment, "...Your species might be the most powerful biotics in the galaxy!"

Fluttershy tilted her head to the side in confusion of what the doctor was talking about, "Doctor could you please explain?"

"Oh, yes I'm sorry. What you see here is an overview of the concentration of Eezo or element zero throughout your body," Chakwas said as she tapped a couple of buttons and the hologram of an asari appeared next to Fluttershy's hologram, "The element is responsible for biotic abilities and the only other known species currently in the galaxy which has natural biotic abilities are the asari but as you can see, the amount of element zero they carry within their bodies is vastly inferior to the amount in yours."

Fluttershy looked back at the two holograms in wonder, "So you think what I call magic is what you call biotics?" She surmised.

"Exactly! Biotics can use the element zero in their bodies to create dark energy fields which in turn can be used to create mass effect fields but there's still a lot we don't know about the workings of the dark energy." Chakwas explained, the machine that held Fluttershy's blood beeped, drawing the doctor's attention for a moment to set it working on a different task before turning back to Fluttershy. "So, do your friends have any special abilities? Just describe anything from simple things like levitation to what you would consider advanced."

"Well all unicorns can use levitation and earthponies can make plants grow faster while pegasi can fly and walk on clouds..." Fluttershy told the doctor thinking for a moment about what she would tell her next, "...Twilight can also teleport and transmutate things, Rainbow can do a sonic rainboom..."

"...Wait, a sonic rainboom? What is that?" Chakwas asked as she looked up from the notes she was taking.

"It's when Rainbow Dash flies so fast she creates a sonic boom that is colored like a rainbow." Fluttershy answered.

"Did you just say that she can break the sound barrier?!" The human looking at the pegasus with wide eyes.

"Yes?" Fluttershy responded, becoming all the more aware that what she might consider normal or unremarkable was, in fact, an incredible feat to the rest of the galaxy.

"Wow that's... incredible! Do you have any ability like this?" The doctor asked as she turned to the hologram again, "Since the pockets of Eezo in your wings, hooves, and brains make sense but the ones in your eyes don't."

Fluttershy bit on her lower lip and gulped as she thought up a response to the doctor,

I don't want to lie to her but what if they think of me as a monster when they discover what I can do with my eyes?

I might be able to force my will on other creatures

I've got no idea what you mean

[Demonstrate the stare]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

So this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, there's a bit of lore combined with some headcannon in there so I hope it makes sence. :twilightsheepish:

I've also been replaying ME1 for this which i fun and giving me a load of new ideas I'm exited to intruduce in future chapters. Next to that I've already made up my mind on what I'm going to with ME2 when I reach it :yay:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17712875

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

T'Soni

Chapter 6

T'Soni

I might be able to force my will on other creatures 85%

"There is something I can do with my eyes." Flutershy's voice rapidly losing power as her anxity hit her like a sack of bricks. Chakwas wasn't oblivious to this and sat down in front of Fluttershy.

"If you don't want me to tell anyone I won't, I am a doctor after all which means I don't discuss someone's medical information if they don't want me to." She told the nervous pegasus.

"O-okay," Fluttershy gulped, "I'm just affraid you'll be scared of me."

"I've heard a lot of horror stories from soldiers in my time, Fluttershy, I promise that I won't be scared of you. Cross my heart..."

"...Hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Fluttershy finished for the doctor who looked at the pegasus for a moment before chuckling.

"My version is a bit different but I like yours better," She smiled, "Now what is it that you're so afraid of telling me?"

Fluttershy shuffled uncomfortably in place but wasn't going to back out, "I-I can momentarily bend someone's will to my own" She blurted out, immediately hiding behind her mane.

Chakwas again looked at the pegasus in astonishment, "Wow, I'll admit that something like that might put off some people but I'm not going to treat you differently because of it."

"You're not scared?" Fluttershy asked a bit of hope in her voice.

Chakwas sighed and moved the mane out of the way of Fluttershy's face, "Tell me, would you just use it on anyone?"

"NO!" Fluttershy immediately shouted as she recoiled in horror, "I'd never casually use the stare!"

Chakwas giving her a comforting smile, "And that's why I won't be scared of you, the power itself is something that should be respected but I don't see you abusing it in any way."

Fluttershy scanned the doctor for any signs of fear, letting out the breath she had been holding when she found none. "Thank you, doctor."

"No problem, Fluttershy, though I have to warn you not to keep this from Shepard for too long. He's not stupid and if he hasn't already figured out that there's something you're hiding it probably won't take long for him to do realize that." The doctor warned.

Fluttershy sighed, she could still remember nearly revealing the stare to the Commander earlier in the day so she decided it was probably for the best to get him in the loop as soon as possible.

"Now since I'm guessing that you're tired after a day like this I think we should get you into a bed," Chakwas smirked as Fluttershy yawned widely, "The sleeper pods are made for bi-pedal creatures so I'd suggest we drag one of the matrasses to the storage room for you to use."

"Thank you, doctor," Fluttershy said as she helped the doctor pull the mattress to the adjacent room, the pegasus falling asleep the moment she lay down on it. Chakwas smiling as she covered the snoring form of the pegasus with a blanket and leaving her to get some rest.

A couple of relatively uneventful days passed after Fluttershy first found herself in her new world, though this was something that the pegasus wasn't all too unhappy about. Not that it meant she had been sitting still and doing nothing, in the couple of days it had taken them to track down their first lead—the daughter of one of Saren's associates called Liara T'Soni—Fluttershy had been working on things like registering for citizenship and getting a credit account, getting either of those had been a bit of a hassle as the laws and systems in place didn't take into account that a single member of a species could get stuck within Citadel space but with Shepards help the registration would be done by the end of the week.

The other thing she had been doing was reading up on the medical books doctor Chakwas was providing her with, Fluttershy might not have been Twilight Sparkle in her book reading skills but being the town's wildlife manager meant that in winter she had plenty of time to read books. It also helped that due to the invention of medi-gel a lot of procedures were simplified to choosing the right type of medi-gel for the situation, though both doctor Chakwas and Fluttershy agreed it was important to learn how the bodies of various aliens worked as it would allow them to work on even if there was no medi-gel available.

But all that had been the past few days as Fluttershy and doctor Chakwas were now on standby, a couple of hours prior Shepard, Garrus, Wrex, and Kaidan had used the Mako to deploy onto the surface of a planet named Therum where Liara T'Soni was supposed to be investigating the ruins of an ancient spacefaring civilization called the Protheans.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, Shepard is always careful when he's out in the field and takes great care ensuring the safety of his team." Chakwas comforted the pegasus as she noticed how tensed Fluttershy was.

Fluttershy looked at the doctor who seemed completely at ease and took deep calming breaths, something Twilight had shown her to calm down. "Thank you, doctor."

"No problem, Fluttershy. Remember to keep cool in these situations, if we need to rapidly treat patients we can't have you panicking." Fluttershy nodded just as Joker, the Normandy's pilot, opened ship-wide comms.

"Normandy crew, I'm re-routing power from the inertia dampeners to the engines. Brace for deceleration!" He announced, both doctor Chakwas and Fluttershy rushing to a wall-mounted chair and strapping in tight. The ship suddenly felt like it had hit a brick wall as all the air was pushed from the pegasus's lungs, the moment Fluttershy could grasp for air again she felt panic rising.

No! Joker didn't just go down for no reason, I can't be panicking if the Commander or one of the others is hurt!

Fluttershy mentally scolded herself as she released herself from the chair that had been holding her down. She quickly checked if all the medical Equipment was still strapped down in place, finding out something was missing or broken while treating a patient was less desirable.

"Mako retrieved, returning to orbit," Joker reported, Commander Shepard opening his own comm line to the medbay moments after.

"Doctor, T'Soni took a bit of shrapnel to her abdomen, we administered combat grade medi-gel but I think there's a piece lodged in there and it's causing internal bleeding." Shepard reported, "I'm heading up in the elevator now."

"Fluttershy get the scalpels!" Chakwas ordered, the pegasus momentarily forgot all her anxiety and dashed for the drawer that had all the scalpels, pulling out a set of the extremely sharp sterile blades and putting them next to the bed Chakwas was preparing. Having delivered the knives Fluttershy ran back to the storage pulling out a gas-canister filled with an analgesic that she knew worked well on asari, delivering it back to the doctor just as the Commander and Garrus carried the injured asari into the medbay.

"Put her on that bed," Chakwas told the two soldiers who didn't waste a moment placing Liara T'Soni on the designated bed before leaving again, knowing that they weren't of further use at the moment.

"I got a bottle of analgesic from storage," Fluttershy told the doctor who looked at the label on the bottle and nodded.

"Good thinking, Fluttershy. You make sure she stays calm while I remove the piece of shrapnel," The doctor told her as she used a bottle to spray some sort of liquid on the wound that would neutralize any of the medi-gel still present, it would be counterproductive to cut open the skin to get out the shrapnel if there was still medi-gel trying to mend the tissue. Fluttershy meanwhile stood next to the bed and administered the painkiller.

"Focus on my voice," Fluttershy told the asari whose eyes were darting around in panic, "You're safe here, we're going to do our best to fix you, okay?" T'Soni nodded, calming down a bit as the painkiller most likely had started to kick in. The sound of metal falling into a bowl drew Fluttershy's attention, a shard drenched in purple blood lay in a bowl as doctor Chakwas was administering new medi-gel to the wound. Turning back to the asari Fluttershy found that she had calmed down enough to be studying the pegasus who closed the valve on the bottle of gas and put it down on the table behind her.

"I've got this Fluttershy, you go and get some water to calm down," Chakwas said as she applied a bandage over the place where the shrapnel had hit. Fluttershy nodded making her way out of the medbay where Shepard was waiting.

"How is she?" He immediately asked after Fluttershy had exited the medbay.

"She's fine, doctor Chakwas got the piece of shrapnel out of the wounds relatively quickly," Fluttershy answered as she made her way to the kitchen and tapped a glass of water, sitting down at the mess table. Her hooves were trembling slightly though not of fear but due to the adrenaline coursing through her body.

"That's good to hear," Shepard said, "When do you think she'll be able to join us in debriefing?"

"I don't know, Commander. Doctor Chakwas should make that call." Fluttershy told Shepard as her nerves returned to her now she didn't have anything important to focus on. luckily for the pegasus, the door to the medbay opened up and Liara T'Soni supported by doctor Chakwas came walking out.

"Commander Shepard, I must express my gratitude to you. You've saved me not only from that volcano but also from the Geth that would have dragged me off to Saren," Liara said as she spotted the Commander standing next to Fluttershy.

"You looked like you needed the help," Shepard smirked before turning to Chakwas, "Is she good to join us for debriefing?" He asked the doctor who nodded.

"Just make sure she gets rest afterward, medi-gel might be good but it'll still feel sore for a good while," Chakwas instructed the commander.

"I won't hold her for long," Shepard said while taking over support for Liara from Chakwas, turning his attention to Fluttershy, "Would you like to join us in debriefing? I'd like to ask you some things after I'm done with that anyway."

Fluttershy gulped as she had the inkling of a feeling what Shepard wanted to know about,

I guess he was going to figure something out sooner than later, though I don't see why he would invite me to a mission debriefing, but it does also give me the opportunity to make sure Liara is fine.

I'll come along if that's what you want.

I'm sure doctor Chakwas needs me elsewhere

What is it you wanted to ask me about?

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I couldn't really be bothered to do an April fools joke so here's a legitimate chapter :scootangel:

As for the content of this chapter; I always wondered how Liara ever got through that fight out of the ruins unscathed because, as you might have noticed, she hunkers down in the open while all around her bullets start flying.

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17721548

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Stare Master

Chapter 7

Stare Master

I'll come along if that's what you want 83%

"I'd like to come along," Fluttershy softly said after thinking about it for a moment, a smirk creeping onto Shepard's face for some reason.

"Great! Come on up, the others should be there already." He said helping Liara up the stairs, turning into the comm room after reaching the CIC. Garrus, Wrex, Tali, and the two human members of the ground team, Ashely Williams and Kaidan Alenco were already present as Fluttershy took a seat between Garrus and Wrex, Shepard putting Liara in one of the empty chairs before taking his place at the back of the circular room.

"That was too close Commander, ten more seconds and we would have been swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes, they tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull! Just for future reference." Joker said over the intercom from his place on the bridge. A couple of the attending members chuckled though Fluttershy and Liara didn't quite get why.

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?!" Liara said baffled at Jokers statement.

Shepard just shrugged, "It's a coping mechanism, you'll get used to it."

This clicked within Fluttershy's mind as she remembered how Pinkie and Dash had gone on a pranking spree after they had beaten Discord, Joker was possibly doing the only thing he knew to do to blow off tension. "I see, it must be a human thing. I'm sorry Commander, I do not have a lot of experience with your species,"

That makes two of us, Fluttershy thought, quickly banishing it again as she followed the conversation.

"No harm, no foul," Shepard said as he made a dismissive motion with his hands, "Though we should get back on topic, Saren wanted you for a reason. Do you have any knowledge of something called the 'Conduit'?"

Liara shook her head, "I only know that it's connected to the prothean extinction, that is my real area of expertise. I have spent the last fifty years of my life trying to find out what happened to them."

Fluttershy's eyes went wide at hearing that, "Fifty years?!" She pretty certain that even Twilight wouldn't be able to stay interested in something for that long.

"I hate to admit it but I'm only a hundred and six," Liara said seeming to be really self-conscious of that fact, Fluttershy and human crewmembers looking at her in awe.

"Damn, I hope I look that good when I'm that old." Ashley chuckled.

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours but among the asari, I'm barely more than a child, That's why my research hasn't gotten the attention it deserves, because of my youth other asari scholars dismiss my theories on what happened to the protheans," She explained, it made a bit of sense to Fluttershy as this was probably how the Princesses looked at the ponies in Equestria.

"Did your research turn up anything interesting?" Shepard asked.

"What is interesting is what I didn't find, There's remarkably little archeological evidence of the Protheans and even less that might explain why they disappeared," Liara explained, a small smile on her face that reminded Fluttershy of Twilight when she went into lecture mode, "It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved, like someone came along after the protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues. But here's the incredible part, According to my findings the protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously disappear, this cycle started long before them."

Shepard looked skeptically at the asari, " How did you get to this conclusion and what do you mean by a 'Cycle'?"

"Remember that I've been working on this for fifty years, I have tracked down every scrap and shred of evidence. Eventually, certain patterns began to emerge, patterns that hinted at the truth. It is... difficult to explain to someone else, I cannot point to one specific thing to prove my case, it is more a feeling derived from a half-century of dedicated research. But I know I'm right and eventually, I'll be able to prove it."

Liara leaned forward a bit as she continued her explanation, everyone remaining silent as they didn't want to miss a moment of it. "As for the cycle, every time an advanced civilization rises up it is suddenly and violently cast down, only ruins survive. The protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy, yet even they rose-up on the ruins of past empires that came before. Their greatest achievements, the Citadel and the mass relays, were based on technology that came before them, and then they vanished like every civilization before them."

"They were wiped out by a sentient race of machines called the Reapers," Shepard stated in no uncertain terms, Liara's mouth fell open.

"H-how do you know this, what is your evidence!" She giddily asked, not believing that the Commander had the answer to the question she had been searching the answer for for over fifty years.

"There was a damaged prothean beacon on Eden Prime, it burned a vision into my mind. I'm still trying to figure out what it all means," Shepard said, Fluttershy remembered Doctor Chakwas telling her about the incident which had cost the lives of a crewmember and a Spectre.

Liara seemed to take in that information before giving her reply, "Visions, that makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit data directly into the mind of the user, finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder that the geth attacked Eden Prime. But since the beacons were only made to interact with Protheans, whatever information you received would have been confused and... unclear. I am amazed that you were able to make sense of it at all."

"This is interesting and all but it's not getting us any closer to finding the conduit or Saren," Ashely interjected in an attempt to get the derailed conversation back on track.

"Of course, you're right. I'm sorry that my scientific curiosity get the better of me." Liara replied, Fluttershy meanwhile was holding back a giggle as she decided that if she were ever to get back to her home planet that she would have to introduce the asari to a certain purple unicorn. "Unfortunately I have no information on either the Conduit or Saren."

Shepard sighed, "I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture but I think it's best if you came along with us."

Liara nodded, "Thank you, Commander. I can't think of anywhere safer to be than here on your ship." Liara stood up to thank the Commander but the moment she got to her feet a wave of dizziness struck her, Fluttershy immediately rushed over to the other side of the room where the asari was wobbling on her feet to support her.

"I'm sorry Commander but she needs rest, she should be getting back to the medbay," Fluttershy resolutely stated, she might not be the bravest of pegasi but continuing this would only cause harm to the asari.

"I'll get her back there," Ashely offered, standing up to support Liara and bring her down to the crew quarters. After the two of them were gone Shepard turned to Fluttershy.

"Now, I'd like to talk to you. Do you mind if they stay here?" The Commander asked, motioning at Kaidan, Garrus, Wrex, and Tali.

I guess that I'd have to tell them at some point anyway.

"No, they can stay." Fluttershy said as she took a seat once again.

"Good, I wanted to talk to you about two things actually. The first being your medical scans." The Commander started, Fluttershy gulped as she remembered Chakwas's reaction to those scans.

"What do you want to know about them?" The pegasus carefully asked.

"Well, I actually want to ask you if you want to show them to me. The Doctor didn't want to show them to me without having your consent first," He told Fluttershy, the pegasus looking surprised that the Doctor hadn't shown Shepard the scans like she had assumed to have happened. The idea to not show the scan flashed through Fluttershy's mind but was quickly banished as that would only create distrust.

"I-it's okay. Can you call Doctor Chakwas?" Shepard nodded and opened up the hologram around his arm, an omni-tool, Chakwas's voice coming out of it moments later.

"Hello Commander, is there something you need?" She asked, Shepard motioning for Fluttershy to talk.

Uhm, Doctor could you send my scans up to the comm room? Fluttershy asked, the comm line staying silent for a moment.

"Are you sure, Fluttershy?" She asked.

"Yes," The pegasus simply answered, moments later a light started blinking on the console at the back of the comm room.

"Is there anything else you need up there?"

"No Doctor, that was it. Thank you." Shepard replied.

"My pleasure Shepard," Chakwas said as she terminated the connection, the Commander pushed a couple of buttons on the console behind him which made Fluttershy's various medical scans appear in holograms at the back of the room. As Shepard looked them over his eyes stopped at the same scan that had amazed Chakwas.

"Whoa," He said in amazement, the others in the room had also joined him in looking over the scans.

"Is that Eezo?!" Garrus gasped as he too noticed the scan, Tali meanwhile was looking at the scans trying to figure out what they meant.

"Guys, care to explain? I'm an engineer, not a biologist," She deadpanned as she looked at the others who all seemed to understand the scans to some degree., Kaidan answering the quarian's question.

"The concentration of Eezo within her body is, quite frankly, ridiculous. She's got the asari beat by quite the margin." He told Tali who suddenly understood the implication and looked back at Fluttershy. The pegasus was still seated on her chair and looked as if she was on trial.

Shepard moved over to Fluttershy and crouched down in front of her to get on her eye level, "Fluttershy, I know you must be anxious about this but I have to ask anyway. Back on the Citadel, you dodged a question about any additional abilities you have and I'd bet my quite considerable life savings on the assumption that that has to do with that." Shepard pointed at the scan showing the Eezo concentration within Fluttershy, "Now I'd like to know if I should be worried."

Does Fluttershy reveal the stare? Critical Yes

Fluttershy sighed and summoned every bit of courage she had, "I can momentarily force my will on someone by looking at them." She managed to say with a tremor-free voice.

Before anyone could react Wrex burst out into laughter, "That's all? Come on try it on me, see if it does anything."

Fluttershy sputtered as her brain tried forming a coherent sentence, this being the last reaction had expected, "I-I'd n-never use t-the stare if i-it wasn't necessary!"

"Come on, kid. I've lived for a good couple of centuries. I'd be surprised if it actually tickled me." He chuckled, Shepard had moved out from between the krogan and the pegasus to see what would happen. Fluttershy meanwhile was having an internal debate on what to do.

I don't want to it but I don't think Wrex is going to let this go. What if I do it at only a portion of full power like with the dragon and cockatrice? but if it really only tickles him they won't take the stare serious!

Fluttershy gulped as she made a decision to do something she had never done. She hopped off the chair and closed her eyes for the moment gathering her strength, Wrex grinned as he expected a light tickle unaware of what was about to hit him.

Fluttershy opened her eyes again looking straight at the krogan but instead of looking into the eyes of a fluffy pegasus that barely reached above his waist he was looking at what looked like a monster from the depths of Tuchanka. All his instincts were overwritten in a moment, his mind was telling him to attack the threat but an overwhelming force in the back of his head seemed to lock his entire body in place. Shepard, Kaidan, Garrus, and Tali took an instinctive step back as they could tangibly feel the force Fluttershy was exerting in the air.

All this took place for less than five seconds but the moment Fluttershy released the stare both she and Wrex collapsed onto their knees, Wrex panting heavily at the ground while Fluttershy was covered in cold sweat and equally out of it. Silence reigned in the comm room for over a minute as the other members present were trying to figure out what had just happened.

As Wrex got his breath back he started chuckling, turning to thundering laughter not soon after, "I like her! Can I keep her after we're done?"

What! he... I mean...

"I think she should decide that for herself, Wrex," Shepard said as Garrus helped a dumbstruck Fluttershy back onto her hooves, the Commander crouching down next to the pegasus again. "Look, I get why you'd want to hide something like that but I really want to know what my crew can do. I'm not going to throw you off this ship or anything, so please no more secrets, alright?" He told her sincerely, Fluttershy nodding in agreement.

"Good, now you should probably get some rest since you look like you just ran a marathon," Shepard said, Fluttershy nodded and slowly trudged her way out of the comm room down towards the medbay, accompanied by the others who were getting back to their jobs. Fluttershy stopping before the door to the medbay as she reached it, she knew that she wouldn't be able to get rest in her state of mind anyway. She had to talk to someone... that or she could...

[Talk to Tali]

[Talk to Garrus]

[Talk to Joker]

[Talk to Wrex]

[Look for liquor in the mess]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

You know I seem to be terrible at keeping to my own 1000 word chapter lenght.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Tomorrow probably won't have a chapter as I'll be busy with school though I'll probably be able to release one on Thursday.

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17728883

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Omni-tool

Chapter 8

Omni-tool

[Talk to Tali] 36%

Fluttershy looked over at the mess' kitchen but quickly turned away again.

No Fluttershy, you're better than that.

As to avoid any further temptation Fluttershy turned away from the mess and walked towards the elevator, knowing just who she wanted to talk to. The elevator opened up in the Garage where she found Garrus sitting on top of the Mako having connected a computer to the main cannon of the vehicle. On the other side of the garage, Wrex was laying against a wall snoring loudly with his shotgun in his hands. Ashely not that far from the sleeping krogan was busying herself with cleaning her rifle.

Neither Garrus nor Ashely seemed to notice Fluttershy's arrival so the pegasus just turned to the right and made her way to engineering. The door opened to the large chamber that housed the drive core, a machine that still rightly baffled the pegasus. It was constantly rotating and maintaining a piece of energized element zero that could be used to get the ship flying at speeds faster than light itself.

Tali was standing at one of the consoles looking at the data the core was giving of as Fluttershy approached her, "Tali?"

The quarian jumped and let out a yelp as she got pulled from her trance, "Fluttershy! Uhm, w-what are you doing here?" Fluttershy cringed back at the quarian's nervous response.

Did I scare her that badly?

"N-nothing, sorry to have bothered you. I-I'll go now." Fluttershy stammered as she turned to make a swift exit. Though she didn't make it far before she felt a hand on her back stopping her.

"Wait! Did you want to talk?" Tali asked as she sat crouched next to the pegasus who slowly nodded, "I know a place where we can talk in private," She said as she stood up and motioned for Fluttershy to follow her. The quarian making her way out of engineering but instead of taking one of the doors that lead to the garage she flashed her omni-tool making the wall open up into a small workshop that had various machines, tools, and materials strewn about.

"Wow, are there more of these?" Fluttershy asked in wonder of the previously unknown room.

"Not that I know of, this one is only accessible to engineers as we use it to repair various components of the FTL drive," Tali said as she sat down on the floor along with Fluttershy as an uncomfortable silence fell between them.

"I-I'm sorry if I scared you." Fluttershy stammered while looking down at her forehooves, fearful of the response the quarian could give.

"I'm not going to lie, what you did terrified me but Wrex did kind of bring it upon himself," Tali answered, "Though I don't see you using it lightly since if you did you would have been able to paralyze us when we first met."

Fluttershy weakly nodded, "Though I could have hit him with a less powerful version, I'm such a terrible friend."

"No." Tali resolutely stated, putting her hand on the pegasus's shoulder, "If you were a terrible friend you wouldn't be beating yourself up right now. Yes you might have been able to use a less powerful version of what you did but you can't change the past, only learn from it and not make the same mistake in the future. Trust me, my people know this better than any."

Fluttershy moved forward and hugged Tali, "Thank you," She sniffed as tears welled up in her eyes, Tali returning the hug as Fluttershy's wings wrapped around her.

"No problem, Fluttershy. Those of us who don't have a homeworld to get back to should stick together," Tali said as she moved her hand through Fluttershy's mane, staying like that for a moment. Though after a while the quarian got an idea, "Say Fluttershy, would you like to get an omni-tool?"

The pegasus looked up at Tali,"Can you do that?" She asked with curiosity, she had seen the crew use the tools to perform various tasks but hadn't given any thought about getting one herself.

"Definitely!" Tali squealed as she stood up and grabbed a box from one of the racks and pulled out a tool that looked like a gun, "Now for this to work you're going to have to get a couple of one-time implants."

Fluttershy cringed back a bit, "Are they safe?"

Tali nodded, "Even my people with our weakened immune systems use them, though we have to be much more careful when we first implant them. Now please hold out your left foreleg." Fluttershy hesitated for a moment but held out her foreleg anyway as she trusted Tali not to make a mistake. "This will sting a bit." The quarian warned as she brought the tool down on Fluttershy's foreleg, quickly firing it in three different places. Fluttershy yelped and rubbed her lower foreleg as Tali put away the tool again.

"Was that all?" Fluttershy asked, the three spots where the machines were implanted had already closed up due to a small application of medi-gel along with the implants.

"Yes, though it doesn't have a fabricator or any of the surrounding hardware so it'll only work as a basic computer interface," Tali explained as Fluttershy looked at her foreleg.

"So how do I use it?" She asked since it wouldn't be a very useful tool to have if she wasn't even able to activate it.

"It has to connect to your nervous system first," Tali explained, activating her own omni-tool and pushing a couple of buttons. The three implants suddenly started to tingle momentarily. "Just think about opening the tool around your leg. Don't worry if it doesn't open at first its responsiveness will improve over time as it adapts to your body."

"Okay," Fluttershy said as she held out her hoof, concentrating on getting the device to activate. For the longest time, nothing happened at the pegasus intensely stared at her foreleg but just before she was about to give up she felt the implants tingle all of a sudden. The orange hologram sprung to life around Fluttershy's foreleg, several of the tool's lights blinking. Seeing this the pegasus experimentally moved around her foreleg, "This is amazing!" She said as she turned the omni-tool on and off.

"I'll disable a couple of functions so you won't have to worry about hitting a wrong button when you're trying to get a hang of how to control it," Tali said as she tapped a couple of buttons on her omni-tool, a light suddenly started blinking on the quarian's tool indicating a call. She shut off her external speaker before answering, "Hello Shepard, do you need anything?"

"Yeah, we got a distress call from the alliance. A colony has been attacked by the geth and we're going in as a first response unit since we're the closest alliance asset in the area. I want you along in the ground team due to your hacking experience," He explained.

"Got it. Anything else you need, Commander?" Tali asked.

"Well, have you seen Fluttershy? I went to check on her in the medbay but she never went in there, I'm starting to get worried." He said, Tali looked at Fluttershy who was still toying around with her new gadget.

"She's in the engineering's workshop with me right now trying to get a hang of her new omni-tool," Tali told the Commander with a grin as the pegasus let out a squeak due to having accidentally activated the device's flashlight.

"You got her an omni-tool? How is she even going to be able to use it without hands?" Shepard asked curiously.

"She's going to have to learn how to control it by neural input but if she shows the same dedication to learning how it works as she has been doing with doctor Chakwas' medical work then I wouldn't be surprised to see her able to effectively use it by the end of the week."

Shepard stayed silent for a moment, "Well, that's good." He answered, "Anyway, you should start preparing for the mission and Fluttershy should be getting up to the medbay. I think the colonists could use a pair of doctors when we get there."

"Understood, I'll be up there in a bit Commander," Tali said, closing the call and re-activating the external speakers. "We need to get back upstairs, Fluttershy. The Commander got a distress call from a planet which we are headed to now and he wants you and Chakwas to be ready to help with any medical needs the colony may have."

That immediately got Fluttershy's attention who stopped playing with her new toy, "Oh my, that's terrible! I'll get back up there immediately!"

Tali nodded and opened the door to exit the workshop, the pegasus immediately heading back up with the elevator as Tali went over to her locker to retrieve her weapons. Doctor Chakwas was packing a large backpack with supplies as Fluttershy entered the medbay, "Ah Fluttershy, could you come over for a moment?" The doctor asked as she pulled out two bags that were attached to each other like a saddlebag, "It's a bit botched because I don't have the supplies here to build a good one," She said apologetically.

Fluttershy looked at the set of bags and tried them on, it definitely wasn't the most comfortable she had ever worn but it definitely wasn't bad either. "Thank you, Doctor. They're just fine."

Chakwas chuckled, "That's good, I had pulled the design from the extranet a couple of days ago but lacked the needed materials to completely build it. I'll improve on them after we're done on Feros." She said as she helped detach the set of bags from Fluttershy's back and put them to the side, "I've already packed anything that we might need, you should get as much rest as you can so you're fresh when we get to the colony."

Fluttershy nodded and made her way to the medbay's storage where she had her mattress, after entering she turned to her sleeping spot but stopped as she heard someone sniffing. Turning to the source she saw Liara sitting at the desk with her face buried in her hands,

Are you okay, Liara?

[Get Shepard]

I'll talk to her tomorrow

[Vote link]

Author's Note

To preempt the comments about there being no workshop in the SR1; yes in the games it isn't there but it doesn't make sense to me to not even have a small workshop on a starship to repair components if no replacements are available and since there is this large space of nothing behind the elevator I decided to write one in.

The second point of lore are the omni-tools, or in their case the remarkably little amount of lore that is there. So I decided to have them work a bit like this: the implants are what is responsible for the base functions like the holographic interface, flashlight, Camera, and a communications device while the external modules you attach to it are responsible for more advanced things like scanning, hacking, and manufacturing items.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile: 'till next time!

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17742130

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Butterflies

Chapter 9

Butterflies

Are you okay, Liara? 96%

Although she was really tired, there was no way she could sleep if she didn't help Liara with whatever was bothering her. Opening her wings Fluttershy flew up to the desk, Liara finally noticing the presence of the pegasus. "Fluttershy?"

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked the obviously troubled asari, Liara shaking her head.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." Liara tried to dismiss but after her conversation with Tali, Fluttershy wasn't going to back down.

"If it's nothing then you wouldn't be crying," Fluttershy stated matter of factly, her heart beating rapidly at the way she had spoken to the asari.

Did you really just say that, Fluttershy?! What is happening to you?

Liara looked at the pegasus in surprise, staying silent for a moment longer but relenting as Fluttershy didn't seem like she was about to give up. "It's about my mother," Liara said softly said, Fluttershy immediately understanding why the asari would be distraught. Liara's mother, Matriarch Benezia, had joined Saren who had sent his Geth to retrieve Liara to help him find the conduit. "I-I can't b-believe she'd..." The asari broke down into tears before finishing her sentence. Fluttershy moved closer and extended a wing, using it to rub Liara's back.

"Here now, I'm sure if your mother knew that Saren had sent his geth she'd have stopped him," Fluttershy comforted the crying asari,

"I-I know, but I can't shake the f-feeling that she knew and let it happen anyway," Liara sniffed, Fluttershy let her continue to cry into her shoulder while rubbing her back. "Thank you, Fluttershy. I needed that." Liara said after a few minutes sitting in the pegasus's embrace.

"Don't mention it, it's best not to let those feelings bottle up anyway," Fluttershy said as she gave Liara a comforting smile.

"I guess so," Liara chuckled as she wiped away the last of her tears, "Would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions?"

Fluttershy curiously looked at the asari, "What do you want to know?"

A smile crept onto Liara's face, "Well, I tried looking up your species only to come up with nothing. So essentially what I'm asking is where are you from or if you are a science experiment."

Fluttershy just managed to suppress a laugh at the question, the rest of the crew knew about the origins of Fluttershy by now but the asari hadn't been in the ship long enough for her to have picked up on that story. "I'm from a primitive world. A friend of mine found a ruin that we went to explore only to find a miniature mass relay, it somehow activated and I got myself sent to the Citadel," Fluttershy explained, "That was six days ago."

Liara looked at Fluttershy in awe, "You've been here for six days and you're this calm?!"

The yellow pegasus grimaced for a moment, "Well... I did panic when I first got to the Citadel but after meeting Tali, Shepard, Doctor Chakwas, and all the other people here on the Normandy it doesn't scare me as much anymore. I just miss everypony at home, they must be worried sick after I just disappeared on their end."

"I'm sure you'll find your home again at some point. I'll ask a few of my contacts if they ever found a primitive world like yours," Liara told the pegasus who suddenly had a large smile on her face.

"I don't know what to say, thank yo—" Fluttershy's sentence was interrupted by a loud yawn that reminded Fluttershy of why she had come to the room in the first place.

"That's so cute!" Liara squealed, immediately bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. Her face turning a dark shade of purple just as Fluttershy's turned a shade of red. "I-I didn't mean it like that..." Liara stopped talking as she heard a suppressed laugh coming from the door, to the horror of both the asari and pegasus they found Commander Shepard leaning against the doorframe doing his best not to burst out laughing. "C-commander, I can explain!"

"I'm sure you can," He grinned, "But since I would hate to disturb you lovebirds any longer I'm going to leave, I'm sure Doctor Chakwas can get the two of you another mattress so you can work this out." He said leaving Fluttershy and Liara to blush even harder than they were already doing, the two of them swearing that they could hear the commander laughing through the door. An awkward silence fell over the room.

"I-I think Doctor Chakwas wanted to check my injury soon, I'd better go," Liara said breaking the silence.

"Y-yes, I should also be getting some sleep," Fluttershy stammered as she got off the desk and glided down to her sleeping spot, the two of them sharing a last glance before Liara left the storage area. Fluttershy groaned into her pillow the moment the door closed, afraid that she wasn't going to get the sleep she wanted tonight.

Fluttershy stood within the airlock of the Normandy next to Doctor Chakwas. Around them, Wrex, Kaidan, Ashely, Garrus, Liara, Tali, and Shepard stood with their armor and weapons ready to get out of the ship the moment the airlock opened. The frigate had reached Feros and had used its stealth drive to approach the planet unseen to anyone, informing only the colonists of their arrival.

"Doctor Chakwas, I want you to stay as close to me as possible. If we run into resistance I want you to take cover and listen to everything I tell you to do," Shepard told the doctor before turning to Garrus, "Vakarian, you're responsible for Fluttershy's safety."

"Got it, Shepard." The turian replied as he got his sniper rifle from his back, Joker's voice coming over the intercom moments later.

"Two minutes to the colony, Commander. Get ready to disembark!"

Fluttershy gulped as she heard the announcement, of course she had faced both Nightmare Moon and Discord but in those situations, nopony had gotten hurt. That was most likely not going to be the case this time. Garrus had crouched down to speak to Fluttershy as Joker gave his message. "You stay close to me and I'll make sure no-one will hurt you, got it?"

"Okay," Fluttershy responded, she was still really nervous but the turian somehow made her feel more at ease, something she chalked up to the fact that he wasn't too dissimilar from Rainbow Dash. Both the pegasus and turian had a fierce sense of right and wrong along with an unyielding loyalty to anyone they considered important.

"Thirty seconds, Commander."

Are you really up for this, Fluttershy? What if you panic?

Maybe It's better if I stay on the Normandy?

Follow Garrus

[Stay close to Garrus... very close]

[Commander, could I go with Liara instead?]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Will you guys pick one of the two or will you wait it out and see what options become available in the future? :scootangel:

Sometimes you've got to take risks to get results!

Also, from now if I give a paragon options will always come as pairs, since the nature of the fandom is simply more aligned with paragon and I still want to have some unpredictability for myself.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17756237

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Feros

Chapter 10

Feros

Follow Garrus 75%

The door of the airlock shot open the moment a docking tube had attached itself to the side of the Normandy. First out the door were Tali and Wrex who both wielded a shotgun. Closely following them were Liara, Kaidan, and Ashley, the two biotics ready to put up barriers when required, while Ashely was scanning the surroundings for any signs of hostile activity. Then, at the back of the group, Shepard with Chakwas and Garrus with Fluttershy were bringing up the rear.

The group took defensive positions at the bottom of the docking tube signaling an all clear to Joker who immediately detached the Normandy and flew off, he would drop off the MAKO at the colony's hangar but wouldn't be hanging around. If the stealth frigate were to be discovered in the dock it would be easy picking for any Geth ships in the area. As the Normandy left, a human colonist came running down the stairs towards the group of soldiers who immediately took aim at him.

"Whoa, calm down! We're all friends here, right?" He said as he held up his arms.

"Stand down everyone," Shepard ordered allowing the man to step forward, "How's the colony holding up?"

The colonist shook his head, "Bad. We've been holding out at our main tower so far but the casualties are piling and soon we won't be able to hold them back. Fai Dan, our leader, can tell you more when you get to him." He told the Commander, but before anyone could say anything else a wall exploded outwards revealing a squad of Geth.

The reaction from the squad of soldiers was immediate, Shepard pushed Chakwas into cover just as Garrus was doing the same for Fluttershy. Ashely, in turn, pulled the colonist behind her own cover just as the bullets started flying. With the three most vulnerable members of their group safely behind cover, the squad was free to fire every round in their weapons at the opposing robots. Three Geth that had breached the wall were quickly dispatched as the overwhelming firepower ripped through their shields and tore their bodies apart.

Throughout all of this Fluttershy was cowering behind the cover Garrus had pushed her behind, the Turian had protectively positioned himself above the pegasus to make sure she wouldn't get hit, while firing his sniper rifle at the opposing geth who were now also pouring from the stairwell.

Don't panic Fluttershy... don't...

Her breathing rapidly increased as she felt a panic attack coming up...

...A hand on her back snapped her back to reality for a moment. Garrus was crouched beside her and had put his rifle on the ground next to the pair. "Fluttershy, I need you to take a deep breath right now." He calmly told the pegasus who nodded and took a deep breath, "Good now keep focused on my voice. There's nothing going on around us, just you and me. So remind me, what is it you were going to do here?"

"I-I'm here to help the colonists who got hurt while fighting," Fluttershy stammered, Garrus nodded.

"And if you're panicking, can you still help the colonists?" the turian asked, Fluttershy shaking her head. "In that case, you're going to have to try and avoid panic right?"

"Y-yes, you're right," Fluttershy said as she got her breathing under control, Garrus smiled and pulled his heavy pistol from his hip and put it in one of Fluttershy's bags.

"That can punch through a Geth with ease. Just make sure there isn't a friendly standing on the other side of that Geth," Garrus told her as he picked up his sniper rifle again, the gunfire had stopped as the squad had taken out all the enemy robots. Fluttershy looked at the weapon that stuck out of her bag just far enough that she could quickly pull it out in trepidation, she didn't want to use one but if she could save someone from the Geth with it then maybe it was worth carrying one? Doctor Chakwas for one was also carrying a pistol on her hip for that very reason.

"Now, we should get moving. This place isn't safe from the Geth and they might return," Garrus told Fluttershy, pulling her back to her hooves and moving over to where the rest of the team was. The turian and Shepard nodded to one another before they moved on again. They encountered no resistance on the stairs up to where the colonists were making their stand. The humans who were defending the faltering defensive barricades looked relieved as the armed soldiers approached them.

"Thank the maker, we could use some professional help," one of them said relieved at seeing anything other than Geth.

"We'll kick those bosh'tets from this colony, I promise," Tali growled as she looked at the colonist.

"Glad to hear it. You guys should get to Fai Dan, he's on the other side of the colony at the tower entrance," The colonist told them, Shepard led the squad around the barricade and through a prefab-building to where the current leader of the colony was located.

"Chakwas, can you set up in one of the prefab's rooms?" Shepard asked the Doctor who nodded, "Good, Fluttershy, Ashley, and Garrus will stay here while the rest of us will go find Fai Dan and the thing the Geth are after."

"Try not to ruin the main cannon's calibration with your driving, Shepard," Garrus told the Commander with a smirk.

"No promises," Shepard shot back with a smirk of his own, the group splitting up in two as the doctor quickly began unpacking her own and Fluttershy's backpack, neatly laying out all her equipment so she could easily get a hold of anything she might need.

"I want the three of you out there getting the wounded in here, I'll be fine right here." She told the others.

"Got it, Doc," Ashely replied, Fluttershy quickly put on her saddlebags again that now only contained the heavy pistol, a couple of bandages, some medi-gel for first aid use and a few other items that could be used for frontline first aid. Ashley made her way to the rear barricade while Garrus and Fluttershy moved to the back of the building where another barricade was set up. A couple of the colonists were sitting against the barricade while clutching what looked like wounds that were patched with makeshift bandages.

"Status report," Garrus said as Fluttershy immediately went over to check on the wounded. The colonists looked a little shocked at the arrival of the turian agent but one stepped forward.

"After the last attack we lost ten men, seven killed and the other three severely wounded." He told Garrus, "One or two more pushes and we won't be able to hold them back any longer."

Fluttershy meanwhile had redone the bandages and applied some medi-gel, "Garrus, they need to be brought to Chakwas. I can only stabilize them, I'm not nearly as good as the Doctor."

"Got it, we'll get them back there," Garrus said before turning to the colonist he had been talking to, "We'll be right back," He told them as he picked up two of the wounded humans and carried them back to Doctor Chakwas who immediately went to work on them. Fluttershy and Garrus immediately made their way back out of the building and towards the barricade. Just as they reached the humans' position a Geth ship appeared above them and dropped off a couple of squads of the robots. The sheer amount of them intended to overrun the reinforced position.

"GET DOWN!" Garrus shouted at the colonists manning the barricades. Most of them followed the turian's order but one of the unlucky bastards was still standing as one of the geth pointed its weapon at him and fired, the bullet hit him in the upper body and ripped right through the colonist, killing him instantly. "Damnit!" Garrus cursed as he pulled out a grenade and tossed it at the Geth. Fluttershy meanwhile was looking at the dead human that was just violently murdered next to her.

Deep breaths Fluttershy, stay calm. You can't help him anymore and if you panic you can't help anyone.

Fluttershy swallowed and closed the eyes of the dead human before pressing her back against the barricade. "They're making a push!" One of the colonists shouted just before getting hit in the arm, he screamed in agony as he dropped to the ground. Fluttershy immediately reacted and opened her wings, using them to cross the gap between the barricade which she was hiding behind and the one where the human had just fallen.

The wound on the colonist's arm was pulsing out blood as a piece of bone was sticking out of the wound, the pegasus immediately identified the wound as a catastrophic bleed and pulled out a tourniquet to cut off the blood supply to the arm. She considered using medi-gel but if she did that now it would fuse the bone in the wrong position and the man would have to get surgery to re-set the bone.

Looking back at the barricade where Garrus was positioned her heart sank, the Geth had managed to get past the barricade and one of them was moments away from firing at Garrus at point blank range.

GARRUS WATCH OUT!

Freeze in fear

[No-one hurts my FRIENDS!]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

You know I really hoped that you guys would pick one of the renegade options. When I said that sometimes you've got to take risks to get results, I meant it.

Let's see what option you pick this time. :trixieshiftright:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17759772

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Zhu's Hope

Chapter 11

Zhu's Hope

[No-one hurts my FRIENDS!] 60%

Fluttershy felt anger rising to the forefront of her mind, these machines had launched an attack on a colony full of innocent people for what? To release a race of machines to wipe out all life in the galaxy? How many more innocents had to die before they would be satisfied?

All of this flashed through Fluttershy's mind in an instant as she reached into her saddlebag, producing the heavy pistol she had gotten from the very turian that was now in danger. To an outside observer, holding a pistol in hooves might seem impractical but the telekinesis in Fluttershy's hooves was holding the pistol in place as firmly as any other species with hands would be able to do.

Does Fluttershy hit the geth? Yes

The pistol let out a loud bang as the pegasus fired it, due to the lack of training Fluttershy had it wouldn't be anything more than a lucky shot but then again...

...a lucky shot was all she needed.

The round impacted just below the neck of the machine, the geth had probably been under fire previously given there was no shield in the way as the bullet ripped through its armor and came out on the other end. The disabled machine immediately collapsed to the ground as the pegasus had hit its vital internals.

Garrus' eyes went wide as he turned around to see the geth collapsing behind him, though he didn't get to thank the pegasus as another geth passed the barricade, only this time he was prepared. The machine received an elbow to the chest which knocked it back over the barricade followed by a burst from the turian's assault rifle.

Fluttershy's anger meanwhile had subsided and the horror of what she had done was setting in.

I-I didn't mean to... No, that's a lie. I really did want to kill it... I'm a horrible pony! Who wants to be friends with a murderer?! What will the others think of me?

The pegasus's downward mental spiral was interrupted as the roar of machinegun fire came from their side of the barricade as Ashley, leading a large squad of humans, charged forward while firing at the offending geth. "Need a little help, big guy?" She said with a smirk as she slid into cover next to Garrus, but the turian ignored her as he seemed to have something else on his mind. Pushing past Ashley he slid into cover next to Fluttershy who was looking at the remains of the geth with a haunted look on her face.

"Snap out of it!" He ordered, Fluttershy flinched as she looked up at the turian in confusion. "Whatever you're cooking up in your head right now has to stop. You saved my life and destroyed a geth that could have gone on to kill countless more innocents, in my book that makes you the good guy." Garrus curtly stated, Fluttershy slowly nodded. "Good, now let's finish getting rid of these geth and treat our wounded."

The rest of the assaulting machines were quickly dispatched as the extra firepower from the humans that had come with Ashley proved too much for the geth. After the last geth had fallen, Fluttershy rushed to the wounded humans, two more of them had died in the firefight and a couple of them had a few minor wounds that could be quickly patched with medi-gel.

"Williams, there's something wrong here," Garrus whispered into Ashley's ear as he noticed the colonists passively watching Fluttershy work, seemingly not caring if she would succeed or not. The human nodded in agreement.

"Do we have a contingency plan in case they turn hostile?" Ashley whispered back as she had noticed the behavior too.

"None yet, the prefab might be an option but I don't know if its internal doors will hold if there's an attempted breach." Garrus replied as Fluttershy trotted towards them.

"Could the two of you give me a hoof getting the wounded to Doctor Chakwas?" She asked but frowned as the two soldiers continued to observe the colonists, "What's going on?"

The radio in Garrus's and Ashley's ears buzzed to life as they heard a loud explosion in the distance, "Shepard to Medical Team, do you read?!" The Commander shouted, clearly distressed about something.

"Loud and clear, Commander, Ashley replied silently.

"The colonists of Zue's Hope have been infected by a lifeform below the colony, they are most likely under mind control and are to be considered possible threats," Shepard informed the two soldiers who both felt a cold shiver go up their spine.

"Fluttershy, I need you to go to Doctor Chakwas right now," Garrus told the pegasus who shot the two of them a confused look but headed inside anyway. Garrus and Ashley slowly walked backwards away from the colonists, not taking their eyes off the humans. Then just before the two soldiers could get inside one of the colonists raised his weapon.

"CONTACT!" Ashley shouted as she jumped behind the building closely followed by Garrus, bullets tore through the space they had been previously occupying.

"Colonists have become hostile! I repeat, colonists have become hostile!" Garrus shouted into the radio, as the two soldiers charged into the room where the Doctor and pegasus resided. Garrus turned around to the door and pulled the protective panel of the door control, using his omni tool to lock the door in a closed position.

"We're ten to fifteen minutes out, hold out until we get there! Shepard out." The commander shouted, closing his comm line. Garrus turned around to see the doctor stab one of the wounded colonists with a syringe.

"Vakarian, would you please explain to me why my patients were trying to get up despite having extensive injuries?" Chakwas asked, not the least bit amused at the fact that her patients had tried to get up.

"They're under the mind control of a lifeform below the colony, that's all the Commander told us. He's making his way back here asap." Garrus replied as he and Ashley dragged a storage locker in front of the door.

"Are they going to become a problem?" Ashley asked as she pointed at the colonists in the room, Chakwas shook her head.

"I knocked them out with drugs, they won't be a problem and they'll be fine afterward," she explained as she put away the syringe again.

Bang!

The loud sound of something striking the door made the group freeze. "Crap," Garrus simply said as the door was struck another time, the turian making sure the locker was firmly stuck against the door. The pounding continued relentlessly but—luckily—whoever was hitting the door didn't seem to get the idea to fire their weapons at the door. Fluttershy cowered on the floor every time the door was struck while Ashley and Garrus made sure the locker stayed firmly in place, this went on for a very long twelve minutes until the soft sound of gunfire penetrated through the door.

"Shepard to Medical Team, over!" The Commander's voice came over the comm to the relief of the group that was stuck in the prefab building.

"This is Medical, we read you loud and clear, Commander. Over," Ashley replied as the banging on the door came to a stop.

"We're using gas grenades to neutralize the colonists, we'll be in there shortly. Shepard Out." The Commander said as the gunfire drew rapidly closer, less than a minute later a knock came from the door. "Oly Oly Oxen Free" The Commander's voice coming from the other side of the entrance. Garrus quickly undid the work he had done to lock the door while Ashley pushed the locker out of the way.

"Took you long enough," Chakwas told Shepard though her voice betrayed that she was glad to see the Commander as the door slid open revealing the human soldier, a relief shared by the others in the room.

"We ran into a bit of geth resistance, I'm pretty sure the main cannon got a bit de-calibrated while we took them out," Shepard said with a smirk, Fluttershy had to suppress a laugh as she noticed Garrus's eye twitch. "Anyway, Tali is operating the cargo crane outside to reveal the passage to the thing that mind controlled the colonists. I want Fluttershy and Doctor Chakwas to be escorted to the Normandy, Joker confirmed that there are no more geth ships in the area so he'll be docking soon."

"Will do, Commander. Anything else?" Garrus asked as Chakwas was rapidly packing her equipment back into her bags.

"Nope, we'll be back after we find what Saren was after," Shepard replied as he led the group out of the building. Outside, the colonists lay knocked out on the pavement along with human looking grey husks.

"W-what are those?" Fluttershy stammered as she saw the dead creatures scattered around, they definitely weren't present when she got into the room with Doctor Chakwas.

"We think the plant that controlled the colonists made them. If it makes you feel any better I don't think they had any will of their own." Shepard explained, Fluttershy nodded in understanding. The Royal Guard similarly used golems to train their recruits, though the constructs were able to fight to some degree, they had no 'soul' so to say.

After getting to the staircase down to the docks, Shepard turned around to meet back up with the team that would go underground while Ashely, Chakwas, Garrus, and Fluttershy would go back to the Normandy. The starship was already waiting for them by the time they arrived. Chakwas took Ashley to the medbay as the human had been clipped a few times in the fight against the geth while Garrus—due to the intervention of a certain pegasus—had gotten off without any wounds.

Not wanting to disturb the Doctor as she looked over Ashley, Fluttershy decided to take place at the mess' table. Garrus meanwhile was leaning against a wall browsing his omni-tool. Fluttershy on the other hoof was thinking about what she should do next, she could try figuring out how to control her omni tool or go up to the cockpit to talk to Joker until Shepard got back. The shy pegasus glanced at Garrus who hadn't moved from his spot yet.

I could do that or maybe... I could...

Try fiddling with the omni-tool

[Talk to joker]

[Would you... uhm... like some rations?]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I'm going to add [Romance] as an option whenever it applies, since I kind of missed the opportunity in chapter 9 :raritywink:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17768187
[Certainty: 35]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Cipher

Chapter 12

Cipher

Try fiddling with the omni-tool %44

It's probably nothing.

Fluttershy thought as she averted her gaze from the turian and focussed on her left foreleg. She was able to control the activation and the de-activation of the omni-tool it contained pretty well but browsing through the menu was still... problematic. Using her right hoof she pressed the necessary buttons to activate a program that would help the tool attune to her physiology.

When activated the program would light up options and Fluttershy would have to try to mentally hit those buttons, after a couple of seconds another button would light up and she'd have to repeat the exercise until the program had run its course. "Stupid thing still doesn't work" She grumbled as after the program was done and she still wasn't able to reliably hit any of the buttons on the omni-tool.

Why doesn't it work, any of the other races can just happily control their omni-tools with just neural commands so why can't... I... Is the solution going to be that simple?

Fluttershy shot up from her chair as she had a revelation that might just be the solution to the problem she was having. Quickly making her way to one of the Normandy's consoles she logged into the ship's medical database and pulled her medical scans, transferring them to her omni-tool. It was something Tali had said when she had first seen Fluttershy's medical scans that made the thing snap in the pegasus's mind.

Tali was an engineer, not a biologist!

The quarian must have assumed the omni-tool would be able to connect to Fluttershy's nervous system because that was what it did with everyone else, not realizing that was because the tools had the location of the major nerves of all other species already programmed in. Fluttershy's medical scan was one of kind and simply wasn't present in that database!

The pegasus, once again, used her right hoof to tap commands into the omni tool and uploaded the scan of her nervous system into the appropriate repository and set it to default. The implants furiously tingled as they changed their configuration to match the pegasus's nerves, coming to a stop as they found and connected to the appropriate places.

Fluttershy reactivated the calibration program again and went through it one more time, every time a button would light up she'd mentally try pressing it. Only this time the buttons activated the moment she thought about pressing them. Her heart fluttered in excitement as she had run through the program in record time. Activating the tool again she experimentally pressed a button...

...and another one...

...and another one...

It wasn't long until she was rapidly scrolling through menus without hitting a wrong button once. The pegasus squealed in delight as she finally managed to figure out how to control the tool, only to turn bright red as there were a couple of crew members trying to suppress laughter at hearing the happy horse noises Fluttershy had made. Luckily for the pegasus she was saved more embarrassment by the intercom announcing that the CO, Commander Shepard, was back on the ship. Quickly scrolling down to her contacts she found the Commander to be among them,

Does Fluttershy find the courage to call the Commander? Yes

Fluttershy's usual anxiety being completely absent after having finally figured out how to use her omni-tool, the pegasus pressed call on the menu and started connecting to the Commander who almost instantaneously picked up.

"Well, what do we have here? Did someone finally figure out how to use their omni-tool?" He said, the tone of voice betraying the massive grin the Commander must have had on his face.

"Yes, I could tell you how I did it if you want?" Fluttershy replied with a smile of her own.

Shepard chuckled, "I'd like to at some point but now I want you to get Ashley and Garrus and get them up to the comm room. There's a lot for us to discuss,"

"Yes, Sir!" Fluttershy replied with a grin and terminated the connection, making her way to the medbay where she found Ashley talking to Chakwas and informed her that the Commander wanted her present in the comm room. Garrus was informed after and the three of them quickly made their way to the comm room where the others were already waiting. The moment Fluttershy entered, she noticed that the commander was looking slightly pale as he sat on a chair at the back of the room.

"Are you okay, Commander?" She immediately asked with concern, Shepard nodded his head.

"I got something called the Cipher, something that's supposed to make my mind work as the one of a prothean, from an asari that was trapped by the creature below the colony. It shook me up a bit but I'll be fine, thanks for the concern." He explained, Fluttershy took a seat so the meeting could start.

"Commander, if you would, I might be able to make sense of your vision," Liara started, "if I join my consciousness to yours, my knowledge of the protheans might help us to unravel what your vision means." She told the Commander.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Fluttershy asked, concerned for the wellbeing of Shepard.

Liara shook her head, "It's something asari can do instinctively, though I've never done it before I'm confident that I'm able to do it." She explained as both she and Shepard stood up and faced each other, Fluttershy also walked up to the two and looked up at the Commander.

"I'm not sure if I can condone this, Commander, but if you think it's necessary I won't stop you." She told Shepard who sighed.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I need to know what this vision is about." He told the pegasus before turning back to Liara, "Do it."

Fluttershy remained close to the two so she could intervene immediately if something were to go wrong. Liara closed her eyes and spoke.

"Relax, Commander." She said as Fluttershy suddenly felt pressure building behind her eyes, the same feeling she always had when using the stare but before she could say anything Liara continued, "Embrace Eternity!"

Both Liara's and Fluttershy's eyes went completely black as Fluttershy felt the presence of two others in her mind and a vision started playing.

Images of ruins played through their minds,
screaming creatures running away from threats,
The melding of electronic and biological components while more of the screams from creatures could be heard,
The destruction of cities by monstrosities.
And then, a view of a binary star system, quickly changing to the perspective of a jet black planet orbiting the two stars.
Suddenly the view rushed towards the black planet until everything was black and the only thing visible was an insect-like ship coming towards them.

Fluttershy panted in cold sweat as she was released from the vision, she had pushed herself away from the two aliens standing in the middle of the room while the vision was playing and was now being held in place by Tali. The quarian was singing the lullaby which had calmed down the pegasus the first time they had met in the Citadel.

Her breathing increased as she processed the images and sounds in her mind. To anyone else the sounds wouldn't have made any sense and would only add confusion to the ominous images but to Fluttershy...

...She could understand every single one of the screams and pleas for help.

For the first time in her life, she was ungrateful that she was able to understand the language of other species but instead of the cold dread that had initially struck her another feeling was now bubbling up to the surface. A feeling the shy pegasus had little experience with—Anger, an extreme repugnance towards the machines who had brought this about.

How DARE they do this to ANYONE!Those repulsive things haveNOright to do ANYof this!

The lingering guilt Fluttershy felt about shooting the geth was burned away by the raging anger as she imagined the fate of her friends if the reapers were to ever find her homeworld. Like Garrus had said, killing the geth only served to make the galaxy a safer place.

[I want to get out there with you to help stop them]

W-why would they do this!

What are we going to do about those things?

[I'll help you kill them all!]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I've been waiting to write this since chapter 2, god was it fun to write! :rainbowdetermined2:

I also just realized I've been doing this for two weeks. Time flies when you're having fun:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17773248
[Certainty: 35]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Citadel

Chapter 14

Citadel

Take Liara [Light armor, biotic focus] 45%

Fluttershy and Liara stood at the Citadel docks as the Normandy released its clamps and took off away from the gigantic space station that served as the capital of galactic civilization. Shepard had given the two of them access to his private account of credits telling them to 'go wild' as he wasn't in that much need of the pile of credits he had accumulated over the years.

Choosing who to take with her had been a tough choice for Fluttershy as the options presented by Tali and Garrus all had their good arguments going for them. Garrus's opinion of getting her medium armor was something she had briefly considered but Tali's argument about limiting movement had convinced her that light armor was probably the way to go.

Then after having decided the type of armor, she had to pick her main way of offense. Tali had proposed getting intimately familiar with her omni tool and the offensive capabilities it had, though she admitted that Liara would probably propose using biotics instead of tech. Fluttershy, knowing that she had no experience with technology in the slightest, chose to go with Liara instead of the quarian.

Though she wouldn't admit it to the others she had also seriously considered asking Wrex to come along with her. Though a bit crude, the krogan still had a good two to three hundred years of experience that couldn't be ignored. But in the end, Fluttershy chose to take Liara anyway as, indicated by her medical scan, she apparently had a large amount of Eezo within her body which would allow her to wield powerful biotics.

"So, shall we go find a place to stay for the coming week?" Liara asked, Fluttershy nodded absentmindedly. This would be the first time in over a week that she was not accompanied by a large group of her friends from the Normandy, something that made her feel very uneasy.

Liara paid for a shuttle to bring them to a hotel on the Citadel's Zakera Ward. "Fluttershy, there's a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about, " Liara told the pegasus who finally snapped from her thoughts and nodded. "Good, there's actually three things. The first is about your hair, we need to cut it since hair that long will get in the way. Second is that we'll need to find an armorer that's willing to make you a custom suit, luckily Garrus gave me an address to one that he claims will do it for you. Then the third thing I wanted to speak to you about is getting a biotic amp but that's the last thing... uhm Fluttershy?"

Had the asari been observing Fluttershy she might have noticed that the moment the words 'cut' and 'hair' were uttered in the same sentence the pegasus had frozen. "I-I's cutting my hair really necessary?" she meekly asked, Fluttershy was reluctant to give up her long hair as it had always served as a good barrier to hide behind.

"Absolutely. Your hair will get in the way of running, it will obscure your sight and is heavy in general," Liara said resolutely, Fluttershy swallowed and nodded in agreement, she was already doing things she never thought possible so adding cutting her hair to that list wasn't too bad, right? "Perfect, now let's go find ourselves a hotel!"

The two of them stepped out of the shuttle and started walking past various hotels and businesses, Fluttershy noticed a few curious glances from various passers-by but none seemed to think of her as more than a novelty. The thought occurred to the pegasus that they might have just been assuming that she was Liara's pet of sorts. Internally giggling at that thought she and Liara entered a hotel. "Room for two please," Liara told the attendant, a human female, in the front of the desk who looked between Liara and Fluttershy, a frown forming on her face.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't allow pets in our rooms," she told the stunned asari while Fluttershy was having trouble not bursting out laughing.

Why am I acting like this?! I would usually be terrified in a situation like this one!

"I assure you that my friend is very much sentient, thank you very much," Liara said with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. Fluttershy simultaneously had opened her omni-tool and pulled up her ID, showing it to the attendant who's eyes went wide.

"I-I'm very sorry, I just assumed..." she stammered but was cut off by a smiling pegasus.

"Don't worry about it, my species isn't exactly mainstream knowledge," Fluttershy told the almost panicking attendant which seemed to calm her down a bit. "Now can you please get us a room for two?"

"Of course! do you want a shared bed or...?" the human asked making the pegasus blush furiously.

"N-no two separate beds please!" Fluttershy stammered, the attendant nodding and got the two of them a room which Liara paid for. After getting settled the two of them decided to get some food at one of the restaurants they passed while they were looking for a hotel. Picking one of them hadn't been too hard and soon the asari and pegasus were happily eating their food, Fluttershy being very glad to have something other than rations to eat. Even though she was told the food on the Normandy wasn't the worst it still wasn't going to beat the salad that stood before her.

"So, Fluttershy, have you decided what we should do first yet?" Liara asked as she cleared out her own plate. "I suggest cutting your air first so it won't be in the way when you get surgery to install the biotic amp."

Fluttershy nearly choked on a bit of her salad as she heard the asari's proposal.

Surgery?! What does she mean by surgery? Can't they just, I don't know, use implants like with the omni tool?!

We'll go cut my hair, I've come this far already...

We should go to the armorer first to give him time to design the armor

Is there no other way to get biotics?

[Vote link]

Author's Note

The shit youtube starts recommending to you when you're watching a lot of Mass Effect videos to research topics for this writing project of yours. :rainbowlaugh:

I missed yesterday's upload due to being slighty busy digging a hole:scootangel:

Also, tomorrow probably won't have a chapter since I'll be attending Elfia (Cosplay con in the Netherlands)

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17799892
[Certainty: 40]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Armor

Chapter 15

Armor

We should go to the armorer first to give him time to design the armor 45%

"I think I'd prefer to go to Garrus's contact before doing the surgery," Fluttershy nervously said, giving herself some more time to think it over. Liara nodded and opened her omni-tool, plotting a route to the armorer. The pegasus quickly finished the rest of her plate before leaving the restaurant and traveling to the business Garrus had recommended.

While on the way there the two of them did a quick extranet search to find out more about the armorer. She was a turian named Solana, she seemed to be mainly responsible for supplying private security companies but after digging a bit deeper Liara managed to find some strange facts concerning her company. "Two years ago the company was registered on the Citadel but she's already selling gear to C-Sec's arrest teams!"

Fluttershy looked at Liara in confusion. "Is that strange?"

Liara nodded. "Think of it like this, there are countless large companies lobbying to get contracts with C-Sec and then this small startup comes along and just happens to get a contract all those companies have been trying to get!"

This was something the pegasus understood very well, Rarity had once had to deal with the outrage of Canterlot's fashion companies for similar reasons after getting to make the Princesses' dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala. But this left the question of why Garrus would send them to an armorer like this. "Are you sure she's the right person we're looking for?"

Liara rechecked the name in the message from Garrus on her omni-tool. "It's the correct name and address. He also says we should tell her that if she does this than he considers them even."

"I guess if he trusts her then it's okay?" Fluttershy said but was unsure if she really believed that herself.

"I guess we'll find out now," Liara said as the shuttle came to a halt and opened its doors. The street was relatively quiet as only a couple turians were passing through it. Looking at the building they had been dropped in front of, they found it had no windows and Solana Armory written on it in bold white letters. Fluttershy felt a slight shiver go up her spine as they entered the dimly lit building where they found a turian sitting at a front desk.

"We're not open to private individuals, if you would please leave the building at once that would be appreciated," he gruffly stated without even glancing up at the two newcomers. Liara looked taken aback but swiftly managed to recompose herself.

"We got a recommendation from a turian friend of ours that we should speak to a Solana at this address," Liara stated which definitely drew the attention of the turian attendant.

"And who might this turian be?" he asked while studying Liara for weapons carefully, one of his hands grasping for something under his desk.

"Garrus Vakarian," Fluttershy said, immediately regretting that she spoke as the turian's gaze fixed on her. Fortunately for the pegasus, she still had her long hair to hide behind. The turian removed his hand from under the desk and tapped a few commands into the console in front of him.

"Boss, we have an asari and a... whatever that is, claiming to be sent here by Garrus Vakarian," he said as a small hologram appeared in front of him, the response wasn't immediate but when it came the voice was digitally distorted.

"I'll be right up." With that the call was swiftly terminated, the attendant keeping his gaze locked on the two in front of him as an uncomfortable silence fell over them though it didn't take long for a door to slam open revealing a female turian—Solana. She was wearing a tight cloth suit with a hood but the way it was formed betrayed the armor that was below it. "Prove it," she simply stated.

Liara opened her omni-tool and brought up the message from Garrus, Solana immediately opened her own omni-tool and passed it over Liara's which flickered for a moment. "Hey!..." Liara stepped forward but was shoved back by the turian who was studying whatever data she had gained on her omni-tool.

"Fuck," she simply said as she closed her omni-tool. "You two follow me, don't touch anything."

The turian took off back towards the door, Liara and Fluttershy looking at each other and, surprisingly, Fluttershy was the first to step after the female turian into the back of the building. The scene drastically changed the moment they got to the back of the building as they entered a rather large workshop that had multiple salarians, turians, and even a quarian working in it. There were various armors in a partial state of completion in the workshop that they could see as they were led into a small office, Solana pulled down her hood as she sat down across from the asari and pegasus. "I take it you need armor made for her?" she stated while looking at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy nodded nervously, Solana studied her for a moment longer before her demeanor seemed to change completely. "I'll do it, may I have your names?" she asked, a small smile seemingly formed on her face.

Liara seemed taken aback by the sudden change but answered anyway, "Liara T'Soni and Fluttershy."

Solana nodded, "In that case would you mind coming along with me to take your measurements?" she asked, Fluttershy shook her head. "Good. Miss T'Soni don't touch anything in here," Solana told the asari before getting up and leaving with Fluttershy on her tail.

"Uhm... Miss Solana, I..."

"You need to get more confidence in yourself," Solana stated, cutting off Fluttershy, "Since you're getting a set of armor I'm guessing that you're going out to fight but no gear in the world will help you if you're too skittish to use it." Fluttershy tried to croak a reply but no coherent words seemed to come from her mouth. "Look, I've got no clue why you seem to be as shy as you are but whatever caused it is something you need to work out before you start doing dangerous stuff."

Before Fluttershy could try to reply again, the two of them reached what looked to be a raised stage. Solana motioned for her to step onto it. The pegasus followed the non-verbal instruction and stepped up to the platform, the turian pressing a couple of buttons that made the platform buzz and a screen of light pass over the pegasus. "We're done here, let's go back to your friend."

The short walk back to the office was in silence as Fluttershy was mulling over the advice she had gotten, it wasn't the first time she had gotten such advice but this time she tried thinking about the cause of her shyness, three colts from flight school flashing through her mind. After entering, they found Liara browsing her omni-tool which she immediately closed as she saw the turian and pegasus enter. "I take it you want to have light armor made for her?" Solana asked, which Liara confirmed with a nod. "Tech or biotics?"

"Biotics," Liara answered which seemed to surprise the turian but she didn't comment on it.

"Got it, where should it be delivered to when finished?" Solana asked.

"The SSV Normandy, she'll be docked at alliance dock number two in a week," Liara told Solana who, once again, seemed surprised at that fact.

"I'll have it done by then. Also, don't worry about the costs, I have them covered," She told the two looked at her curiously. Solana sighing, "something between Garrus and myself, not your business," She said with an edge in her voice as she lead them out the office, through the workshop, and out of the front where they parted ways once again. Fluttershy looked up at the asari as they were standing in front of the building once again.

"That was... interesting," Liara said as she looked back at the building, "Shall we go get an appointment for the surgery now? I found a well respected asari surgeon while you were briefly away," she told the pegasus who swallowed.

Okay, we'll go to the clinic you found

Couldn't I use biotics without a biotic amp?

I-I'm not sure if biotics is the way to go

[Vote link]

Author's Note

There's little lore about the turian I used but that just gives me more freedom to work with. :ajsmug:

Also, don't expect a chapter in the coming week. I'm going to be in the field for at least two days and when I'm not I'm most certainly going to be busy with other things. If I'm lucky we'll be kicked off the base by Thursday due to Good Friday but that's a major if.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17813220
(updated link, I screwed up the first one.:twilightblush:)
[Certainty: 40]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Amp

Chapter 16

Amp

Okay, we'll go to the clinic you found 54%

"Okay," Fluttershy replied nervously, something that Liara completely missed, before following the asari who called a shuttle with her omni-tool. "So why do I need a biotic amp precisely?" the pegasus asked as the shuttle arrived and the two took off towards the location where Liara had found the asari surgeon.

"Because I have no idea if you could wield biotics in the same way we can," Liara replied, Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at that admission. "You see, with other biotics the element zero is an anomaly within their body as opposed to you where it seems to simply be a part of you. You also have never shown the ability to create even minor biotic fields but an amp might give you enough control to create them with the side effect of enhancing your natural abilities."

"So I'd be able to use biotics like you and be better at flying?" Fluttershy asked, Rainbow definitely wouldn't agree to something like this as she would most likely see it as a form of cheating.

"That's just an educated guess, the surgeon will most likely be able to tell you more," Liara told Fluttershy as the shuttle came to a stop at one of the upper wards' designated landing areas. A short walk through a bustling street later they arrived at the large clinic which, unlike Solana Armory, looked like a reputable business. Inside there was an asari working behind her desk, she looked up the moment Fluttershy and Liara entered.

"Welcome to Nyxin biotics, would you like to make an appointment?" she asked. Liara nodded in confirmation.

"My friend here is in need of a biotic amp, is there an opening available somewhere within the week?" Liara told the attendant who looked over at the pegasus and studied her.

"Possibly," the attendant replied to Liara before turning to Fluttershy again. "I haven't seen any of your kind in here before, are you a newly discovered species?" she asked as she finished looking over Fluttershy, she didn't seem judgemental but genuinely interested in the pegasus' heritage.

"Yes, something like that," Fluttershy said, she was indeed a newly discovered species but not in the way the asari was probably expecting.

"That's amazing! We usually have a waiting list but I'm sure my employer will be excited to work with you. If you can take a seat over there, I'll go get my employer," the attendant said as she stood up, pointed at a bench, and moved through a door into the back of the building. Fluttershy and Liara followed her instructions and sat down on a couch that was placed against the wall. After sitting down Fluttershy nervously began wringing her hooves,

Am I really up for this? What will the girls think of me installing all this technology within my body?

Fluttershy got so lost in thought that she didn't notice the attendant and another asari returning from the back room. "Hello there, may I have your names?" the new asari asked, Fluttershy let out a startled eep as she was pulled back to reality. "No need to be afraid of me," the asari chuckled, "my name is Nyxin V'ladri, What's yours?"

"F-Fluttershy, ma'am," the pegasus stuttered as she regained control over her breath. Nyxin smiled and crouched down in front of the pegasus.

"So you're here to get a biotic amp?" Nyxin continued, Fluttershy nodded at the asari. "In that case, we'll have to do an active scan of your body to see what part of your nervous system is devoted to controlling the eezo nodules in your body," She told Fluttershy before turning to Liara, "Could you help my attendant with filling in the necessary paperwork?"

Liara nodded and walked over to the front desk where she and the attendant started exchanging information while Fluttershy followed Nyxin to the back where they passed through clean white hallways that were lined with a few clean looking rooms that had hospital beds within them. Entering a room at the back, they reached a device that looked similar to the scanner Solana had used to get her measurements for her set of armor.

"Please, step onto the device and create a mass effect field when I tell you to," Nyxin said as she started the device that buzzed as it turned on. Fluttershy, ruffling her feathers in anticipation using her flight, used her magic to create a small breeze. "Please... use... by the goddess! These readings shouldn't be possible!" she gasped as had most likely picked up the little bit of magic Fluttershy had used.

The pegasus's ears went flat against her head as the asari was frantically pushing buttons, "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"No! No you haven't done anything wrong, It's just... the dark energy fields you're creating aren't generating mass effect fields in turn but they're, well, I'm not sure what they're doing, they just seem to mix with the surrounding air," Nyxin said as she looked up from her readings." Could you repeat whatever you did and some other things if possible?"

Fluttershy nodded and started flapping her wings, slowly lifting off the floor. The asari was looking between the data and the pegasus in awe. "This could revolutionize biotics as we know them! Would you be opposed to me using this data to conduct research? If you agree I'm willing to waive any fees for the surgery and put you first in line for surgery, which would have an open slot for tomorrow."

Fluttershy thought about it for a moment but couldn't decide what she should do, "Would you mind if I talk it over with my friend first?" she asked hoping that Liara could give her some advice on what to do.

"Of course! I'll keep the slot for tomorrow open regardless of your decision," Nyxin said as she led the pegasus back to the lobby where Liara was already waiting for them.

"We've got the paperwork sorted out, you only need to sign here to allow the clinic to operate on you," Liara told Fluttershy as the pegasus approached her. Fluttershy looked at the tablet Liara was holding out and saw it contained a filled out form that only required her to sign. Fluttershy nervously gulped and hesitated for a moment but pushed down the feeling and opened her omni-tool, digitally signing the form.

"Thank you very much, Miss Fluttershy. You're welcome back here for the surgery tomorrow, by then the VI's will have made a good model of your nervous system for me to use and I'll have a custom amp built," Nyxin said as she tucked away the tablet under her arm. "I wish you a very nice day, I hope you'll consider my offer," she said before turning and leaving the asari and pegasus alone in the lobby.

"What kind of offer was she talking about?" Liara asked curiously which prompted Fluttershy to tell the asari about the strange readings the device had given off. By the end of it, Liara seemed to be in deep thought. "I'd advise against giving her that data. Your descriptions of magic make me think that giving that much power to the wrong hands might be something very dangerous," she finally said as she finished thinking it over, "but you don't have to decide on this immediately anyway."

Fluttershy nodded as they left the clinic. "So what do we do now?"

"Whatever you want to do," Liara shrugged. "You could go to the hairdresser but that's not the highest priority right now."

I could go do that and be done with it or I could do something else. Nyxin did say my wings didn't create mass effect fields so I might have to figure out how to create them. Or maybe...

Let's go to the hairdresser

Can you help me create biotic fields?

[We could maybe do something fun?]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I'm back! We got let off from base early so I was home by Friday but I kind of got distracted by a build for the new cosplay I've been working on that I had been wanting to do for a while.
I managed to freehand this thing in less than two days :twilightsheepish:

It still needs a couple of things done to it but nothing that's going to draw my obsessive focus onto it again.:twilightsheepish:

Anyway, I'm curious as to what option you people will choose!:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17854665
[Certainty: 40]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Throw

Chapter 17

Throw

Dark warning

Can you help me create biotic fields? 51%

"Well, I was hoping you could help me to create a mass effect field?" Fluttershy asked. "Whatever I'm doing when I'm flying apparently isn't purely biotics."

Liara thought for a moment before asking a question. "What kind of places can you relax in?"

Fluttershy thought of the places which she would go to in Ponyville if she wanted to relax or just be alone. "There is this nice clearing close to the edge of the Everfree forest I used to go to where no-pony ever bothered me."

"So you like places with nature?" Liara asked, Fluttershy nodding in confirmation. "I think I might have a place where we could go," she told the pegasus while, once again, calling over a shuttle to bring them to the location Liara had in mind. While on her way there Fluttershy stared out of the window of their transport, she was pretty sure she was never going to not be in awe of the monolithic space station. Canterlot might be impressively perched on the side of a mountain but the Equestrian capital was only a tiny village compared to the Citadel.

Soon the shuttle made its way out of the ward they were on and turned into the central ring at the base of the station that housed the Presidium. The interior of the ring housed all of the embassies of various races along with the more wealthy inhabitants of the galactic capital, which meant that there was a lot more greenery than in the wards.

"This place reminds me of where I grew up—Thessia," Liara said as the two stepped out of the shuttle next to a particularly large park that had various groups of children running through it while a couple of parents were sitting by the side keeping an eye on them. Fluttershy had to suppress a squeal at the cute alien children as they tumbled around.

"I think this place is perfect," Fluttershy said as they walked through the park and found a reasonable secluded space between a bunch of trees and bushes.'

"I agree, we'll start here." Liara sat down in the grass followed by Fluttershy who sat down facing the asari. "I think the best place to start is to teach you a form of meditation," she told the pegasus who just listened attentively, "Close your eyes and silence your mind, let your thoughts flow out of your mind but do not force them."

Fluttershy followed Liara's instructions but had trouble keeping her mind completely calm, something Liara didn't seem to have any trouble with, though that could be chalked up to experience.

"Let your soul roam freely, unbind yourself from physical reality. Embrace eternity!" Liara continued, Fluttershy felt some kind of pressure against her mind just like she had in the Normandy but this time it didn't feel as invasive as it had done on the frigate. She tried steering her mind in the direction the feeling but couldn't get closer to it as she felt something holding her back, mentally turning to whatever seemed to be blocking her she suddenly found herself in a place she hadn't expected to ever return to—Cloudsdale Flight School.

"Wha-" the pegasus said as she was a filly again surrounded by cloud structures.

"Hey Klutzershy! What are you still doing here, haven't you learned your lesson yet? Mudponies don't belong here!" An awfully familiar voice said which made the yellow pegasus freeze in fear, three pegasus colts slamming down in front of the terrified pegasus. "Seems like we have to teach her a more thorough lesson, don't you guys think?"

Fluttershy wanted to scream, run, whatever, but couldn't as her entire body frozen in place. "How about we cut that hair this time so she can't hide behind it any more? I'm sure we can sell that much hair to a wig maker and get a pretty penny for it."

"Nah I've got something much better in mind. Boys, get her!" Hoops—the lead bully—said, making the other two jump forward and pin the pegasus to the cloudfloor. "A mudpony doesn't deserve wings like that," he said with a vicious snarl while pulling out a primary feather, Fluttershy tried to cry out in pain but couldn't as her muzzle was being held shut. Her eyes darted around looking for a particular cerulean filly as Hoops casually trotted to Fluttershy's other wing.

"Don't worry about Rainbow Crash, she won't be interrupting us today. We made sure of that," he grinned as he yanked a primary from Fluttershy's other wing, her cry once again being muffled by her closed muzzle. Tears flowed from Fluttershy's eyes as more feathers were pulled from her wings until only a few primaries remained and the two bullies that held her down released her, feathers strewn around around her.

Fear washed over her as she heard the bullies say something that didn't register in Fluttershy's mind. But just as the bullies shouted at her again the words of a female turian went through her mind.

I've got no clue why you seem to be as shy as you are but whatever caused it is something you need to work out

Suddenly all the fear within her evaporated and pure fury replaced it. She struggled back onto her hooves, the bullies laughing and taunting her further. Fluttershy felt something tingle around her wings and looked back at her mangled wings seeing a blue aura like that of a unicorn surrounding them. The bullies had gone silent as they saw the look of pure rage on Fluttershy's face.

"GO AWAY!" she shouted as she pointed the remains of her wings at the three bullies, the aura surrounded them and before they could do anything they were violently thrown backward. At the same time, the world around her collapsed and she found herself standing within the little clearing facing Liara...

...Only Liara had been thrown back a few meters and was rubbing her head.

Fluttershy meanwhile was still trembling and panting from the adrenaline that ran through her body. What she had seen hadn't been a hallucination but a memory, though in the real version of the event the bullies had left her to be found hours later by Dash. It had been the last day of school and would be the last time she would ever visit flight school.

After that day she was placed in a school in Ponyville where she would remain and live as isolated as possible until Twilight came to town for the summer sun celebration.

With the memory slowly fading away, blood drained from the pegasus's face. She had somehow managed to create a biotic field but then, in turn, had used it to attack her friend.

Oh no! What have I done! I just attacked my only friend here, she'll hate me! This is bad, really bad!

[Are you okay?]

Panic

Run away

[Vote link]

Author's Note

That came out much darker than I anticipated. :twilightsheepish:

Anyway, this is my headcanon as to why Flutters is so shy. You just don't get to be that shy without some serious shit having happened to you when you were younger, though the effects of that damage will decrease rapidly if you start talking about it... something Flutters probably hasn't done yet. :fluttershysad:

Next chapter will most likely be a lot lighter than this one.:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17857581
[Certainty: 40]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Lift

Chapter 18

Lift

Panic 88%

Fluttershy's heart was beating in her throat as all possible doom scenarios went through her head,

They're going to lock me up and never let me out again! Shepard, Tali, Garrus, and Doctor Chakwas will all hate me forever!

The panicking pegasus suddenly noticed that she still had a blue aura around her wings, something that only served to increase the amount of panic she was in due to the fact that she didn't want to hurt Liara any further. In the corner of her eye, she could see that Liara had gotten up and was carefully approaching her. Fluttershy tried putting as much distance between herself and the asari but her legs simply refused to comply and made the pegasus flop onto the ground forcing her to make a mad scramble away from the approaching alien who only seemed to increase her efforts to approach the panicking pegasus.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Fluttershy shouted while flapping her wings in a last attempt at making sure Liara stayed at a safe distance, but the biotic aura seemed to completely restrict her ability of flight which gave Liara the chance to restrain the pegasus. Fluttershy struggled to get loose but couldn't as Liara made sure her wings and forelegs were restrained. Fluttershy wanted to cry but regained a bit of her composure as she heard Liara sniffing and felt tears falling into her mane. "I-I'm s-sorry..."

"Shhh. Don't Fluttershy, just don't," Liara said through her own sniffs, "I should be the one to apologize." Fluttershy completely stopped struggling as she heard that.

What does she mean 'I should be the one to apologize'? I launched her meters away from me and she's apologizing to me?!

"I linked our minds in the hope that I could share my instinctual knowledge of biotics with you, I never thought that I would bring out a memory as horrible as that one," Liara told Fluttershy remorsefully, the pegasus suddenly understood why the asari was so sad. She had watched the memory as an unwilling spectator, unable to do anything.

"Did you remind me of what Solana told me?" Fluttershy asked as she remembered the point at which the memory had diverged from what had really happened, Liara shook her head.

"No, that was all you. Though it did allow me to guide you through the mental motions of using biotics," she explained. "So I essentially ran you through the motions that allowed you to throw me away," Liara chuckled, unknowingly lifting a heavy weight from Fluttershy's chest. The aura that had surrounded her wings was simultaneously fading as well and allowed for the feathers in the pegasus' wings to feel the air again. "Do you know what happened to those bullies after that?" Liara carefully asked. A grimace returned to Fluttershy's face.

"No, but the teachers cared very little about me since I was a bad flyer so I don't think they ever faced consequences..." Fluttershy stopped for a moment. "...But I know Dash was kicked off flight school the first day of the next year and joined me in Ponyville. We never spoke about what happened in Cloudsdale but she always seemed guilty whenever a topic concerning the city came up."

"That's horrible," was the only thing that could come from Liara's mouth as she allowed the pegasus a bit more space but Fluttershy didn't seem to want to let the asari go. They sat like that for a bit longer but Fluttershy suddenly let out a wide yawn, Liara chuckled as she recognized why. "You're not used to using biotics and without an amp so you unknowingly did all the necessary calculations by yourself. You should take a nap to regain some energy," she told the pegasus who was rapidly becoming drowsier. Fluttershy lazily nodded as she felt her eyelids becoming heavier and let out another yawn.

I guess a small nap wouldn't be so bad...

As she closed her eyes it didn't take long for her to sink into a deep sleep.

Fluttershy let out a soft yawn as she pulled her blanket tighter over her body and found a more comfortable position on her pillow.

Wait, why is there a blanket and a pillow?

She shot up from the bed she had been lying on and took in her surrounding, she no longer was in the park but in the hotel room she and Liara had rented. Opening her omni tool to check the time her heart skipped a beat, almost ten hours had passed since she had fallen asleep. Seeing this she jumped from the mattress and rapidly moved throughout the small apartment to see if Liara was around, something she was not. With the asari gone for the moment, Fluttershy contemplated what to do next but was quickly reminded by her stomach that she needed to eat as well.

Making her way over to the small kitchen she opened the fridge and pulled out a salad and retrieved some cutlery from a drawer. Only getting a plate would be a bit tougher since they were placed in one of the cupboards that were on head height for most of the alien species that roamed the citadel. Fluttershy opened her wings to fly up and get one of the plates but stopped as she remembered that she had gained a new ability that might help her get the plate.

Her right wing lit up in a blue aura as she pointed it at the cupboard, the day before she had apparently been helped by Liara to control the biotics but now she would have to do it entirely by herself. Luckily for the pegasus she didn't start at square one, Rarity had once explained how telekinesis worked on one of their spa visits so that Fluttershy would be able to help Sweetie with her magic. That sliver of knowledge was something that was incredibly useful in the current situation as Fluttershy tried opening the cupboard.

To open that door I have to pull and I only know how to push, but since pulling is essentially pushing in another direction I can...

An aura surrounded the handle of the cupboard's door and it slowly swung open as Fluttershy put pressure against it. A bead of sweat was rolling down the side of the pegasus' face but she didn't notice it due to being too concentrated on the stack of plates in front of her.

Now I need to make the plate think that it can float

Once again the aura appeared and the top plate slowly rose up into the air, Fluttershy had unknowingly created a mass effect field around the plate that made it so that the plate didn't get affected by gravity any longer. The pegasus carefully floated out the plate and gave it a downward nudge to make it float right into her hooves.

The moment she cut off the biotic field she heavily panted and covered with sweat but she had managed to do something no other pegasus had ever managed to do. Fluttershy suddenly noticed a smirking asari standing in the entrance to the kitchen.

"That was amazing! You managed to figure out how to lift objects and how to use it in combination with throw!" she happily said as Fluttershy's stomach once again rebelliously growled since it was being forgotten again.

"I did once get an explanation from a friend of mine on how telekinesis works," Fluttershy replied as she placed the plate on the table but got stopped by Liara.

"Eating before possibly having surgery isn't a good idea," she told the pegasus, reminding her that she still had a decision to make very soon. Nyxin V'ladri had offered to cover the costs of the surgery if she was allowed to use the data from her scans for research purposes, something Liara had adviced against.

Share the data with Nyxin V'ladri

Do the surgery without sharing data [Costly]

Don't do the surgery at all

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I don't really have much to say this chapter, hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

Edit: Scratch the comment up there ^, I got featured for the first time with M.E.E.K.!

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17863065
[Certainty: 40]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Warp

Chapter 19

Warp

Do the surgery without sharing data 88%

The taxi shuttle Fluttershy and Liara had taken once again stopped at the landing area on the street that also housed the clinic and they walked over to the building. The streets around the business were as busy as the first time they had walked through it.

Fluttershy nervously looked at the entrance of Nyxin biotics, the clinic that would be facilitating the surgical implantation of a biotic amp. It wasn't something she was excited for in any way but, if she was to believe Liara and the extranet, having a biotic amplifier was incredibly useful. The attendant greeted the two companions after Fluttershy finally worked up the courage to enter the building.

"Miss Fluttershy, my employer has been eagerly awaiting you. If you would wait for a moment I will get her for you," she said as she swiftly made her way to the back, almost immediately getting back out with the other asari.

"Miss Fluttershy, I was hoping you would drop by today. Have you managed to make your decision?" Nyxin asked, the asari was already wearing what Fluttershy assumed to be the outfit she'd wear for the surgery. The pegasus nervously played around with her hooves as she knew that she was going to have to reject the offer she had gotten from the asari.

"Well, uhm, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable giving out my medical information yet so I'm afraid that I have to reject your offer," she managed to say with a steady voice, something that seriously surprised herself. Meanwhile Nyxin V'ladri had various expressions flashing over her face, the first one was anger swiftly followed by sadness but in the end, it turned to resignation as the asari sighed in defeat.

"I was afraid you would say that. You know that means you'll have to pay, right?" she said, Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "In that case, I would like you to sign this form here."

Fluttershy looked over the data pad she had been given, her eyes going wide as she saw the price tag on the form. It was six figures long and nearly matched the amount of credits that Shepard had given them. "T-that's a lot of credits," Fluttershy stammered as she reread the number several times.

The asari smirked nonchalantly at the pegasus, "Well I did have to process the data from the scan, design an amp to fit your body, construct that amp, then write custom firmware that makes sure it runs flawlessly in concord with your body, and all that within a day..." she paused for a moment, "that does come with a hefty price tag, though if you want to change your mind about my offer I can still do it for free."

Does Fluttershy take the offer anyway? No

The thought of changing her decision went through the pegasus' mind but was quickly banished again. Looking up at Liara she found the asari in an equal amount of shock but her body language suggested that she was waiting for Fluttershy to make a decision.

Slowly the pegasus raised her hoof and approved the money transfer, Shepard's credits swiftly flowing to the asari's bank account. Nyxin suddenly looked really surprised and slightly disappointed at the fact that Fluttershy was able to pay the amount of money she had asked for. "Well... I guess that's settled, please follow me."

With the payment settled, Liara gave her last words of encouragement before the other asari led the pegasus to the back of the building down the long hallway. Passing the room where the scanner was located they moved through the door at the back of the hallway into what seemed to be an operating room of sorts. Behind a glass wall, there were three additional asari who seemed to have prepared all the equipment.

"Usually we operate on the brain which means the patient needs to be awake throughout the procedure..." Nyxin started explaining as she helped Fluttershy onto a bed, "...but your biotic prowess seems to come from Eezo pockets within the bones of your wings. Which means we'll operate on you while you're sedated."

"How long will the operation take?" Fluttershy asked as she tried to take on a relaxed position on the bed.

"Usually about two hours but we're prepared to go up to five since you're a completely new species and we want to have time to compensate if something goes wrong," Nyxin answered as she pushed the bed through what Fluttershy assumed to be a decontamination field and placed it in the middle of the room where she was surrounded by the operating equipment. "Are you ready?"

Fluttershy sighed deeply. "Yes," she simply answered, Nyxin motioning for one of her assistants to start giving Fluttershy the sedative. The gas was administered through a custom mouthpiece that fitted around the pegasus's muzzle. It took immediate effect as Fluttershy felt her eyelids get heavy and not soon after her world went entirely black.

A rhythmic beeping was the first thing that filled Fluttershy's ears as her senses returned to her.

"She's waking, Doctor," someone said from beside her, every breath she took seemed to wake her further."Sedative doesn't seem to have any unintentional adverse effects." It only took a couple more seconds for Fluttershy to open her eyes.

"Welcome back to the waking world miss Fluttershy," An asari said from beside her, after blinking a couple of times the final bits of sleepiness disappeared and Fluttershy managed to identify the asari as Nyxin. "How are you feeling?"

Fluttershy wanted to reply with a generic 'fine' but that wouldn't be correct as her wings felt... strange? They felt as if they were much more sensitive than before, every bit of movement in the air registered on the feathers and she didn't even have to concentrate on it to feel them. "It's... well, I don't really know how to describe it."

"That's not the first time I heard that response," Nyxin chuckled. "Why don't you try it out?"

Fluttershy paled for a moment. "A-are you sure that's a good idea, shouldn't I take it a bit slow?"

"Medi-gel circumvents that issue, I'm not telling you to go all out but you should be able to get a bit of a feel for it," Nyxin said with a smile. Fluttershy gulped nervously as she finally noticed that she wasn't in the operating room anymore but in one of the recovery rooms she had seen along the hallway.

Looking around the room she spotted a small trash bin that she could try to levitate. Pointing her wing at the trashcan she lit it up with a biotic aura which immediately took away its heightened senses. Fluttershy yelped in surprise as she accidentally put way too much power into the attempt at levitation and instead of levitating the trashcan, a blob of biotic energy impacted it and made it blow apart. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Fluttershy immediately apologized while Nyxin just blankly stared at the trashcan's remains.

"Don't worry about it, a trashcan isn't too expensive to replace. Though I'm going to advise you to head towards a training field sometime soon to get a grip on it," she said as she nervously chuckled. "Anyway, your friend is waiting outside and I'll go finish the final few registration forms."

Nyxin left the room along with her assistant, allowing Liara to enter moments after. "How are you feeling?" Liara asked, mirroring the question Nyxin had asked to the letter.

"Well enough, though I'm going to have to get used to it for a bit." Fluttershy sheepishly said as she looked at the spot between her wings where the amp was placed, shivering a bit as she saw the small silvery metal cover that sat on top of the device.

"We'll go to a training field for you to get some practice in, but we should do that tomorrow. I think we should take the rest of the day off and explore the citadel for a bit, don't you think?" Liara proposed. "We might not have the credits for large purchases anymore but we can still go around and look at the sights."

Fluttershy thought about it for a moment. She had to admit to herself that she had been constantly keeping herself busy and could use some distraction to blow off some steam. "I guess that's a good idea, do you have any places we could go to?"

"Well, we can go to the Presidium to visit a couple of the sights there. The prothean museum is pretty decent," Liara said with a slight grin. "We could also head for the wards' shopping districts to do some casual shopping or if you're really up for it we can visit Armax Arsenal Arena, they have a virtual arena where they can simulate fights with VI's. It would be the perfect place to see what you can do with that amp."

The museum might be nice since Liara will probably be able to give a lot of extra information, though visiting the shopping district sounds a bit more relaxing, maybe they'll even have a spa there. But then I could also go to the arena to try out the amp...

Fluttershy shivered slightly as the thought of going to fight, even though it was just against simple VI's, wasn't as repulsive to her as it had once been.

What's wrong with you, Fluttershy! Why are you even considering this!

Go to the Presidium

Go to the markets

Go to Armax Arsenal Arena

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I assure you that all three options would result in interesting outcomes, good luck choosing which one you want. :scootangel:

Hope you enjoyed!:twilightsmile:

Edit: It seems I've been featured again :pinkiehappy:, I'm pretty sure this is going to become a trend :pinkiecrazy:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17871494
[Certainty: 45]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Singularity

Chapter 20

Singularity

Go to Armax Arsenal Arena 48%

Fluttershy wasn't sure as to why exactly she wanted to go to the arena but the curiosity of what she could do with her new abilities was at least in part responsible for the decision. "I'd like to go to the arena if that's alright with you?" Fluttershy said, seemingly surprising Liara.

"Okay then, we'll go visit and see if we can play a couple of matches," she said, a small smirk forming on her face as she helped Fluttershy out of the bed. They signed a few final documents before leaving the clinic on their way to the arena.

While in the shuttle, Liara had opened the extranet site of the arena and reserved two spots before starting to browse through all the possible configurations the simulator could be set to. Among the enemies that you could pick to fight were groups like the Blue Suns, the Eclipse, Blood Pack, and regular pirates or mercenaries but all of those groups still consisted of live aliens and killing them, even though they were simulated opponents, didn't sit well with Fluttershy in the slightest...

...but one of the opponents on the list was exempt from that reluctance—the geth. Maybe it was because they were just machines or because she knew of their previous actions and had personally seen them on Feros, but in the end it didn't matter as she couldn't seem to find any sympathy for the walking tin cans.

With the opponent decided, Liara proceeded to explain a couple of useful things about biotic power usage. "When you use a biotic ability it'll take a couple of seconds for the eezo pockets to 'recharge' again though that can be longer depending on the power and type of ability you used," she explained. "If you stick to the two moves you know, lift and throw, then you'll be fine. I also suggest using lift in combination with throw since that will launch them a considerable distance further than just using throw on its own."

Fluttershy nodded as she took in the information but then remembered what had happened to the trashcan in the clinic, "There might be a third thing I'm able to do..." she said with a sheepish smile. "Did you see that trashcan in the clinic?" Liara nodded. "I might have accidentally put a bit too much power into trying to lift it and kind of ripped it apart."

Liara's eyes widened. "You managed to accidentally use warp?!" she said astonished.

"Uhm... yes?"

"That's amazing! Most people have to practice for a while to get that down, though I suggest only using it when you're in trouble as it's a tiring move to perform and since you're completely untrained it probably won't be powerful enough to do real damage." Liara explained, Fluttershy couldn't help but snort.

"The trashcan disagrees with you," Fluttershy sarcastically stated.

"Battle armor and plastic composites are two very different things," Liara chuckled, making the pegasus blush in slight embarrassment. The shuttle chose that moment to land in the arena's parking spot and the two companions made their way into of the large building. After confirming their reservation, Liara and Fluttershy went to a dressing room where Liara put on a set of armor while Fluttershy managed to find a small shield generator with some straps that she could secure to her back giving her at least a little bit of protection. With their temporary gear secure Liara and Fluttershy joined a turian and salarian which would be running the simulation with them.

"First time in the ring for you two?" the turian asked, both Liara and Fluttershy nodding. "Understood. I'm Atick Demana, pleased to meet the two of you," he said shaking Liara's hand and Fluttershy's hoof as the two introduced themselves. The Salarian in the meanwhile was studying Fluttershy.

"Lack of armor remarkable, perhaps none available?" He theorized, "Lack of weapons also suggests alternate means of offensive capabilities, Biotic or tech perhaps?"

Fluttershy wasn't exactly sure how to respond to the rant as the salarian finished and looked at her for answers, "Uhm, I can use biotics?" she replied unsurely.

"Very interesting. Look forward to seeing you in battle. I'm Ardri Nelle," he said, shaking Fluttershy's hoof. With the introductions out of the way, the group made their way over to the next room where they got some instructions before being led to the battle room. A large counter was counting down from five minutes to zero to give the group a small bit of time to familiarize themselves with the map. The particular map chosen was called 'Blasteroid' and was made up of various platforms on astroid like rocks. The game mode they were playing was one called domination, the objective being to capture the points on the map by standing on them and holding on to them for as long as possible.

"We'll take point Alpha, if you two keep Bravo locked down we won't even need to capture Charlie to win the game," Atick said as the group walked back to the starting position before the timer ran out.

"Will do, we'll keep comms open," Liara replied getting a satisfied nod from the turian. Fluttershy's heart meanwhile was beating like mad and adrenaline was flowing through her veins but she wasn't panicking, she felt... excited?

It was a truly alien feeling to the pegasus as usually Dash was the one getting excited about these things, not Fluttershy. Any further contemplation was cut off as a loud sound signaled the start of the match, the turian and salarian rushed off to the point they had agreed to take while Liara and Fluttershy ran off towards their respective point. Initially, Fluttershy went into a full gallop but quickly slowed to a more agreeable trot to make sure Liara could keep up with her, it turns out that four legs are much better for sprinting than two but the asari would probably beat her at long distance running.

"Fluttershy, go up there and give me cover from long range. I'll take the point!" Liara ordered Fluttershy as she pointed at an overhang that gave a good view of Bravo's surrounding while also providing a decent amount of cover. Though before Fluttershy could go up to the overhang the robotic sound of a geth could be heard as one popped up from cover. Not having any experience in a situation like this Fluttershy froze but luckily Liara was quick enough and hit the machine with a biotic throw, the machine hit the wall in a crunch and disappeared as the VI was despawned. "Focus, Fluttershy. Think of this as training, no-one gets hurt here and you'll be able to practice. Now you need to get up there."

A voice went through the arena announcing that the Alpha point had been captured, Fluttershy glanced at Liara shortly before breaking off and running up onto the overhang while Liara rushed off towards the capture point. More geth started appearing on the walkways, slowing down Liara's progress a bit but soon she was in cover on the Bravo point and steadily capturing it.

Fluttershy in the meanwhile still hadn't used any of her biotic powers and was observing from up top, spotting a lone geth that Liara hadn't spotted yet. The pegasus swallowed and lit up her right wing with a biotic aura.

Here goes nothing!

She carefully guided the weird energy in her wing to make sure that she got the move she wanted. Throw. A blue bolt of energy swiftly soared through the space between the pegasus and the machine, knocking it over the edge of a platform and despawning it. Her right wing suddenly felt a sort of fatigue running through it but it was already rapidly disappearing, this was probably the 'recharging' effect Liara had told her about.

Surprisingly her Left wing wasn't fatigued in the slightest and as she lit it up she found that she could use it separately from the other wing, a fact she used to fire a bolt at a geth that had taken cover from Liara's biotic barrage, lifting it up so that Liara could take it out. Soon after, the Bravo point was also captured and the two companions worked to repel waves of geth that assaulted the point.

This went on for several minutes of fighting, Fluttershy noting that her biotic powers recharged much quicker than the asari's and that wasn't even counting in the fact that she could use her wings separately. On the other hand, Liara's experience meant that her attacks did much more damage. Where Fluttershy merely knocked over the machines, Liara would rip out components every time she hit them if she didn't outright destroy them.

Even though everything had been going well until now, their luck was bound to run out and it did when Fluttershy suddenly heard steps from behind her. Spinning around she came face to face with a geth that immediately opened up. Rounds bounced off the weak shield Fluttershy was wearing as she panicked. Both her wings shot forward, lit with the signature blue biotic aura, the energy swirled between them as Fluttershy didn't exactly know what she was doing. A jet black orb appeared and shot forward towards the geth, the result of the attack was beyond anything Fluttershy had expected.

Instead of merely nudging or lifting up the geth, the black orb seemed to pull in the geth making it crumble into a ball of metal before despawning. Fluttershy stared blankly at the spot where the geth had fallen, mixed emotion of pride and horror filling her. The orb had only been present for less than two seconds but in those two seconds it had wreaked complete havoc on the machine.

"Fluttershy, Liara, I need help, Ardri is down and I'm being pushed by the geth," Atick said over the radio getting the pegasus' attention.

"Fluttershy, go help him! I'll be fine down here!" Liara shouted up at her as she knocked out two more geth. The pegasus turned to run down the ramp but stopped, wanting to smack herself for being so stupid. She didn't have to run the entire way, she had wings! Opening the two appendages she jumped off the overhang and soared towards the Alpha point which she reached in nearly no time at all only to see the turian on the verge of being taken out by a geth and a warning him wouldn't come in time.

I've got to do something!

[Try using the black orb again to save Atick] Failure Possible!

use throw to knock Atick out of the way

use lift on the geth

[Let Atick be taken out, securing the objective is more important than him]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

This was going to get way too long for a single chapter so I'm splitting it into two.

Hope you enjoyed, see you next time when the match ends! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17878562
[Certainty: 45]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Highscore

Chapter 21

Highscore

[Try using the black orb again to save Atick] 57%

Not having the time to warn the turian of the imminent danger coming from the geth, the pegasus did the first thing that came to her mind. She slammed down onto the ground and pointed both her wings forward, trying to recreate the orb she had previously created in panic.

Does Fluttershy manage to recreate the black orb? Critical no

Fluttershy stood still with her wings forward in deep concentration... only for the small black orb that was forming to fizzle out again. Before she could even consider trying to fire another move at the geth the machine fired its rifle at the turian, taking him out instantly.

"BUCK!" Fluttershy cursed loudly, her face turning beet red as she immediately realized what she had just shouted. What she didn't realize was that the shout had attracted the attention of the geth and her moment of embarrassment stopped her from noticing that fact. Not that it would be hard to figure out since the machine didn't waste any precious time waiting on the pegasus to start paying attention again. Its virtual bullets started to impact against her shield which dragged her back to reality.

Fluttershy made an attempt at getting out of its line of fire but as she walked backward she tripped over her own tail. This gave the geth the time it needed to finish her off. The virtual bullets ripping through her shield while she simultaneously felt a sting in her chest and immediately dropped to the ground as the arena's systems created a biotic stasis field around her to simulate her death.

"Fluttershy, what's going on over there?!" Liara's asked over the comm, the pegasus wanted to answer but found that she couldn't with the stasis field around her. She now simply had to wait for the end of the match, something that didn't take too long since all the geth were now focussed on the lone asari.

The same sound that had started the round now put an end to it as the stasis field shut off again. Fluttershy, Atick, and Ardri standing up from the ground. "Sorry that I didn't get here in time." Fluttershy immediately apologized to Atick.

"Don't worry about it, I shouldn't have let that geth sneak up on me in the first place," the turian chuckled but he was clearly annoyed with himself. Liara met up with the group at the entrance of the arena where they returned the gear they had borrowed from the arena.

"Shall we go look at our stats?" Liara asked the group who all voiced their agreement. They headed to the side room where they could pull up their statistics. Atick won with the most kills, the turian having taken out the most geth by far. Ardri took the lead with most damage taken, the salarian had used his tech skills to constantly reinforce his shields which meant he had been able to soak up the fire from the geth until he got overwhelmed. Liara, in turn, had the best accuracy, using lift in combination with a single shot of her handgun meant that she almost had perfect accuracy. At last, there was Fluttershy, the pegasus had obviously gotten the high score in most biotics used but that wasn't what was notable.

"That amount of damage should simply not be possible," Ardri stated with wide eyes. "Must be bug in system."

Fluttershy grimaced as she looked at the amount of damage she had done to the geth she had destroyed in panic, she could have taken out nearly ten of the machines with that single hit alone.

"Let's check it out," Atick said as he opened one of the recordings from the match, they gawked at the pegasus after the recording finished playing.

"Uhm, oops?" Fluttershy said as she looked sheepishly at the three other aliens.

"You know what, I don't even want to know. This is Spectre level kind of crap." Atick blankly stated, not knowing that he wasn't too far from the truth. With that, the salarian and turian said their goodbyes and split off from Liara and Fluttershy who took seats at one of the observation platforms and ordered a couple of drinks. They were able to view the current match that was being played by a group of turians.

"You're not going to ask about what I did back in the arena?" Fluttershy asked as Liara just silently sat across to her. The asari shook her head.

"I'm pretty sure what you created was a singularity but it was just... way too powerful," She said clearly astonished, "I know you can do things that defy the workings of biotics but that quite literally shouldn't have been possible." Liara picked up her drink and took a sip, noticing that Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane again. "Look, Fluttershy, I'm not scared of you. You're a beautiful person and I don't believe you'd ever harm anyone on purpose that didn't deserve it but I'm afraid of what it will do to you when you harm someone that does."

Fluttershy didn't exactly know how to respond so she decided to simply say nothing and take a sip from her own drink. The two silently sat at their table while looking at the ongoing match as they both suddenly got a message on their omni-tool—a notice from Shepard. The color drained from Liara's face the further she got into reading the message, the content of the message being that the Alliance Intelligence Service had found Matriarch Benezia on Noveria and the Normandy was on its way back to pick up its two missing crewmembers.

"So we have ten hours to pack up and get ready to go?" Fluttershy asked as she closed her omni-tool again.

"Seems like it, did yours say anything different than mine?" Liara asked as she quickly finished her drink, Fluttershy nodded.

"Garrus sent me a side note that he contacted the armorer and that she'll have the armor done by the time the Normandy docks."

"That's good, I think we should be getting back to the hotel to get our stuff," Liara said as the two left the arena in a hurry. "We also should go by a hairdresser to get your hair cut, I'm pretty sure if anyone on the Normand were to do it it wouldn't be pretty."

She does have a point, I tripped over it in the simulator and if that had been a real situation I'd have died and my mane probably won't fit in a helmet but it just feels wrong to cut it. I don't want to do it but it might be something I'm going to have to do.

Go to the hairdresser

I'd like to keep my hair

[Let's just get it over with]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Okay, let me just start by saying that I won't be doing daily updates anymore. One every two-three days is probably going to be the speed of chapters in the future since I simply can't keep up this speed without severely burning myself out.

I'm not entirely sure about this chapter but I'm releasing it so I can get back on track with ME1's story.

Hope you enjoyed!:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17893416
[Certainty: 50]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Delivery

Chapter 22

Delivery

Go to the hairdresser 84%

Fluttershy stood next to Liara at the docks, her head felt weird as, without her large amount of hair, the weight she had to carry with her was severely reduced. Her new hairstyle had her hair barely touching her withers while her tail only reached around halfway down her hind legs. Surprisingly, losing her mane hadn't been causing her as much anxiety as now she couldn't hide from anyone she noticed that no-one really batted an eye at her, maybe a curious glance but nothing more.

Alarms suddenly blared throughout the dock signaling that a vessel was about to dock and moments later the Normandy came to a slow halt and docked with the Citadel. Fluttershy and Liara immediately made their way up the docking tube after it connected with the starship. "Nice hairstyle, Shy," Joker said over the intercom as the airlock was cycling, Fluttershy blushing a bit at the compliment.

As the internal door of the airlock opened it revealed Commander Shepard waiting on the other side, "Welcome back you two, sorry for cutting your vacation a bit short but this was something that I wanted to have Liara with me for," He said as he led them through the CIC and down the stairs at the back towards the crew quarters. "Liara, I want you in the comm room by sixteen-hundred for a briefing," the Commander said in a tone that didn't leave any room for debate before he turned to Fluttershy. "For you, no using biotics. I don't want to accidentally find out how explosive decompression feels."

Fluttershy threw a quick salute which immediately caused the Commander's serious mask to break and for him to burst out in laughter. "That's positively the cutest thing I've ever seen," he managed to say as he tried to control himself. Fluttershy turned beet red in embarrassment, her attempt at being serious completely ruined. It took a few more moments for Shepard to collect himself again before he could continue. "I want you to head to Tali, she won't be with us on the ground team so she can start teaching you the basics of cover."

Fluttershy nodded and wanted to walk off towards the elevator but was interrupted by Joker's voice over the intercom, "Commander, there's a particular exhausted female turian standing outside the airlock with a box. Should I let her in?" he asked before the commander could answer his omni-tool lit up with a call from Garrus.

"She's good, Commander. I told her to come here personally." Garrus immediately said as Shepard picked up the call.

"Understood. Joker, let the lady in." Shepard responded, the elevator from the garage was already buzzing as the turian was probably on his way up. As the elevator door opened up, it revealed both Tali and Garrus. The turian stepped forward and grinned.

"I think you're going to have to sign off on that package, Fluttershy," He told the pegasus who abandoned her plans to go down to engineering and quickly made her way after Garrus who also headed up to the airlock. They arrived just as the internal door opened, Solana immediately stepped inside towing a box behind her. She wanted to say something but her words died in her throat as she spotted Garrus. "Long time no see," He said with a grin.

Solana's eyes narrowed and she stepped forward to stand face to face with Garrus. Before anyone could do anything her fist slammed into the side of the male turian's face which flung him back several meters. "Now we're even," she coldly stated. "Sorry for that but I think I better go before I do something more serious than giving him a love tap on the face."

"I guess I earned that one, didn't I?" Garrus chuckled, earning a death glare from Solana. "By the way, say hi to dad for me."

"Do it yourself." Solana turned and marched back into the airlock, Joker looked back at Shepard who signaled his pilot that he could cycle the airlock. With Solana gone, everyone was staring at the floored turian who was rubbing his head in the spot that his sister had hit him.

"I don't remember her being able to punch that hard," he muttered as he stood back up and noticed everyone staring at him in states of confusion or mirth. "Family thing, don't worry about that," he simply stated before turning to the box that was left behind. After pushing a couple of buttons, the box opened and revealed a black suit laying on top of a whole host of armor pieces but before the contents could be emptied all over the floor, Shepard intervened.

"Let's take this down to the garage so that you guys don't make a mess of my CIC," the Commander said picking up the lid and placing it back on the box. Fluttershy, having gotten a glimpse at what was in the box, was now very interested in trying on the armor that it contained. "Tali can you help carry the box down to the garage? I and Garrus have to go to the comm room for a briefing."

"Of course Commander," Tali responded and picked up the box, grunting slightly at the weight she had to pick up.

"Don't you need to be at the briefing?" Fluttershy asked Tali as she made her way down the stairs after having split up with the others.

"Not for this one. Shepard wanted to take along all the biotics on this one along with Garrus," Tali grunted as she placed the box down on the elevator's floor. "I'm on backup duty with Lieutenant Commander Williams."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Fluttershy said, the elevator buzzed to life and slowly took them down towards the garage. Once they arrived there, Tali reopened the box and laid out the armor on the floor. A datapad was also contained within the box explaining all the various features the armor had.

"Do you think you can put it on yourself?" Tali asked as she finished laying out the armor.

This really doesn't look that complicated but maybe...

I think I'll be fine putting it on myself

I'll try it on later

[Can you help me put it on?]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I got LiaAqila to draw me this nice picture of Flutter's armor :twilightsmile:
(More details about it in the next chapter so hold on to your questions and criticism for a bit)

Artist: LiaAqila

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17902747
[Certainty: 50]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Gear

Chapter 23

Gear

I think I'll be fine putting it on myself 60%

"I think that I'll be fine, thank you," Fluttershy said as she picked up the undersuit, Tali nodded and sat down on the empty crate while browsing the tablet that had been provided with the armor. In the meanwhile, Fluttershy was putting on the undersuit which turned out to be quite simple, as, after she had hoisted herself into the undersuit and stuck her wings through the appropriate holes, the suit sealed itself. The thick fabric first pulling itself together to seal the opening that ran across her back and then sealed tightly against her body.

"Apparently the suit uses mass effect fields to form an airtight bubble around the wings and has fabricators in the armor pieces around the wing that can create a seal if those fields fail," Tali said as she looked up from the tablet, "I wonder if they could also..." The quarian opened her omni tool and started looking something up, stopping as she noticed Fluttershy looking expectingly at her. "You continue to put that on, I'm just going to look a few things up."

Fluttershy shrugged and continued on with the armor pieces that lay about, the first thing she picked up was the large piece that made up the torso of the armor and slid it on. After fastening the straps on the torso piece she moved around a bit. Surprisingly the armor fit very comfortably around her body and she didn't feel too weighed down by it yet. The pegasus swiftly continued to put on all the other pieces of armor, making sure that every piece was properly strapped in place. She silently thanked Solana for using a system of straps that was hard to do wrong.

"So, how do I look?" Fluttershy asked as she finished putting on all the pieces of armor, the feeling of thick rubber covering her hooves being incredibly strange to the pegasus. Tali looked up from her omni tool and let out a squeal.

"You look amazing," she said as she got up from the crate and crouched down next to the pegasus, checking if all the straps were properly attached and pulling a couple of them a bit tighter. "Now there's this thing I hadn't taken out of the box yet." Though obscured by the visor, her grin was almost palatable as she revealed a transparent mouthpiece of sorts.

"Uhm, how's that supposed to help keep the air in?" Fluttershy asked as she studied the piece of equipment.

"Mass Effect fields," Tali stated in a tone that suggested that Fluttershy should have known what the answer was going to be.

"Oh, right," Fluttershy sheepishly said as she allowed Tali to place the device around her head, a hologram containing a heads up display flickering to life in front of the pegasus's eyes.

"It's probably the single most expensive piece of equipment that Garrus's sister got you, these holograms are still in development and I honestly have no clue how she got a hold of one. Let alone integrate it into a face mask," Tali explained as Fluttershy looked at all the information displayed on the visor.

The status of her barrier was placed in the top-middle of the display, the bar was completely empty and flashing red, indicating that it was drained. Not that that was too surprising since they hadn't activated the system yet. Another thing on the display was a proximity detector that was constantly pinging the area for movement, Tali being a bright yellow dot very close to the center of the circle while there was a blurry mess of yellow in the place of the engineering bay. The last thing on the display was a section on the bottom left that would usually be devoted to showing the status of the user's firearm but since Fluttershy had none it was displaying the status of Fluttershy's biotic amp.

"It's amazing," Fluttershy said as she looked around in wonder.

"Do you mind if I start activating all of the systems?" Tali asked, Fluttershy shaking her head as she played around with the visor via her omni-tool. The quarian immediately went to work on all the suits other systems, first, she activated a program that would attune the barriers to Fluttershy's biotics. Once that was running its course, she went on and checked the calibration of all the various mass effect field generators finding them all to be in order. The final thing she wanted to do concerned the fabricators in the pieces around the wings. "Would you mind extending your wings?"

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow but opened her wings anyway, Tali went to work opening an obsolete program she had just downloaded from the migrant fleet's databases. "Don't be alarmed at what's about to happen," She told Fluttershy who wanted to ask what the quarian meant but the words died in her throat as two large orange glowing blades appeared along the wing, reminding the pegasus that what she was wearing wasn't one of Rarity's dresses.

"H-how?" Fluttershy stammered as she carefully moved her wings, the blades adapting to the changing shape of the wing.

"The fabricators in your armor near your wings can pretty much make anything. These are called omni-blades and were pretty much obsolete years ago but to you, they might have a useful function since you might be able to hit something on a flyby." Tali explained while transferring all control of the armor to Fluttershy's omni-tool. That was also the moment the program that was attuning the barrier finished and activated the system. Fluttershy gasped in surprise as the barrier manifested itself, not that it was too draining on the pegasus but the sudden pull on her biotic reserves did startle her.

"So what are we going to do now? Shepard said you were going to teach me about cover usage." Fluttershy said as she looked up at the quarian.

"Yes, among other things. You also need to be taught how to handle firearms even if you'll be relying on biotics." Tali said, "You'll need to know everything anyway so you can choose which you want to do first."

Cover usage

Firearm handling

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I went to see Avengers Endgame yesterday, it was pretty decent with a couple of things I really didn't like but not too bad overall. The fun things started after I saw the movie, it started at 2145 hour so it finished at about 0100...

...At that time the busses don't drive anymore and my phone was dead so no cabs for me.
Let's just say that my house is 22km from central station and by extension the cinema and the only means of transport available to me were my legs.

On a positive note, I figured out that I can run half a marathon in one hour and twenty-seven minutes.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. There might be some action coming up soon :ajsmug:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17917238
[Certainty: 50]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Orders

Chapter 24

Orders

practice biotics [break orders] Calculating... % Ĕͪ͑̑ͮ̉ͣȒ̳̘͖̏̈̀ͥ̌̉Ṙ͖̼̼̬͎ͩ͂̅O̳̗̼̥̪̲̾̽ͬ͂R̥̥̰͇ͬ̌͊͊ͥͯͨ̓̑̎̚ POSSIBLE VOTE TAMPERING DETECTED

Those are both important things but I still need to be able to reliably use my biotics, regardless of what the commander want's me to do.

"Would it be alright if I get some practice done on my biotics first?" Fluttershy innocently asked, Tali hadn't been there when Shepard had told her that she wasn't allowed to use her biotics so she wouldn't know that it wasn't allowed...

...Fluttershy's large puppy eyes and smile probably didn't help either.

"I guess you could do that for a bit, though I wouldn't be of any use to you in that case." Tali almost immediately relented. Fluttershy let out a happy squeak and sat down in the middle of the garage, lighting up her wings with a blue biotic aura.

What move does Fluttershy try to practice? Singularity

Does this go horribly wrong? Yes

Fluttershy closed her eyes and pointed her wings forward, concentrating on the spot of air between the tips of her primary feathers. A small black ball began to slowly form in the air between the wings and steadily grew in size as Fluttershy increased the amount of power she put into the ability. Every second the pegasus was able to maintain the black orb was one that increased her self confidence.

This isn't too hard, why is it that I couldn't manage this back in the simu-?

The thought was interrupted by the loud groaning of metal, something that startled Fluttershy so much that she accidentally pushed way too much power into the singularity that rapidly grew to a size the pegasus had no hope to control. Now fully panicked at the massive black ball of destruction she was wielding in front of her she desperately tried to reduce the amount of energy in the entity before her, only to find that anything she did to try and reduce the amount of energy was increasing its power.

To make matters worse Fluttershy began to feel fatigue running through her wings as even maintaining the ball of energy was extremely taxing on the inexperienced biotic. It wasn't long before the fatigue got to a point that Fluttershy could no longer keep the singularity in place.

Need... to keep... in place.

Fluttershy could swear she heard someone shout something at her but the feeling of a warm liquid coming from her eyes and nose was much more pressing to the pegasus, using her tongue to get a taste of the liquid. She immediately recoiled as she recognized the metallic tasting liquid as blood, something that also broke her concentration allowing the singularity to fly off.

Fluttershy's limb body flopped to the ground as all her energy was spent and she saw the ball of energy impact the outer door of the garage. An even louder metallic groan ringing through the ship as the door buckled slightly and briefly opened to the vacuum of space, loud alarms starting to blare throughout the ship and all doors locking to compartmentalize any hull breach.

Not that Fluttershy was aware of any of this as her world was a blur of pain and fatigue. Her entire body felt like it was on fire but her wings in particular were in agonizing pain. The pegasus felt a pair of hands wrap around her armor and lift her up, her body screaming in pain. Not that she could do much about it as in her fatigued state she could do little more than limply hang in Tali's arms as she carried her to the elevator.

She could hear Shepard's voice over the intercom asking for a status report on what happened, Tali explaining the situation that had occurred in the garage and requested for the lockdown of the elevator to be lifted. Joker immediately allowed the elevator to operate again, Tali using it to get up to the crew quarter's level and rapidly sprinted into the medbay where Doctor Chakwas was already preparing a bunch of medical liquids.

"Thank you Tali," the Doctor said as she inserted a needle into one of Fluttershy's armor's medical ports and connected a drip feed to it. Tali didn't even get to turn around before the door of the medbay opened up and a furious Shepard came storming into the room.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU... thinking..." Shepard stopped as he saw the state of the pegasus who lay unmoving on one of the beds, various medical apparatuses now connected to her as Chakwas continued working as if unfazed by the Commander. "Status report," Shepard said as he moved over to the side of the medical bed.

"She completely drained her reserves, I'm currently administering fluids and medication to prevent her internals from failing on her," Chakwas reported as she plunged another syringe into Fluttershy's foreleg. The pegasus was rapidly starting to feel less pain as all the medication started to kick in, though the fatigue didn't seem to be leaving her any time soon. "She might be powerful with her biotics but that power does not come coupled with endurance, where another biotic might need to use multiple moves she can just use one but at the cost of a very large amount of energy." Chakwas quickly explained.

"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy croacked with a hoarse voice, interrupting any further explanation from the Doctor.

"Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it, Fluttershy. You have to understand that I gave you a direct order and you violated it, now I have to admit that my fault in this is that I wasn't too serious about it when I gave you that order but it still stands." Shepard sternly said making Fluttershy cringe back. "After your recovery you're confined to the medbay, food will be brought to you by a crewmember. This is not negotiable, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Fluttershy said with as much conviction as possible, this time there were no jokes from the Commander who was dead serious about what he had just said.

"Good, I'll be back when I've sufficiently cooled down," Shepard said before turning and storming out of the medbay.

"You know he's right, don't you?" Chakwas said, Fluttershy nodded as she looked away from the doctor in shame. "Good, because if any of the alliance crew would have done anything like that he would have court-martialed them on the spot."

Fluttershy gulped as she started to get an inkling of an idea of how badly she had screwed up. She had almost blown a hole into the Normandy, something that would have taken the ship out of action if it had done serious damage and would have prevented them from pursuing Saren any further.

"Your vitals seem to have stabilized though I want you to remain in that bed for at least a couple more hours, understood?" Chakwas told Fluttershy who, once again, nodded. "Then I'm going to find the Commander and talk to him, I suggest getting something to read since you'll be in here for a while." Chakwas didn't sound angry as she spoke, just very disappointed, something that Fluttershy found to be much worse.

I guess if I'm going to read something I might as well read up on some of the species of the galaxy but which one should I pick?

Turians

Asari

Quarians

Salarians

Humans

[Vote link]

Author's Note

To put it bluntly, I'm pretty sure the vote was tampered with. The hidden option I placed in the poll shot up from 0 to 30 in such a short amount of time that it didn't seem possible in combination with the fact that the vote is wildly different from the regular voting pattern.

That's not all as after I saw the votes jump up I started prodding to see what was up so I artificially added 15 votes to see what would happen. Every time the vote got close the practice option boosted up 5-10 votes.

As the last piece of possible evidence, the total vote count on the chapter is twice as high as previous chapters. Even if you take into account my 15 extra votes you have 60 more votes than usual which is almost doubling the previous amount of voters. Now I could be optimistic and say that there are more of you that wanted to vote but since all the other statistics remain pretty much the same (Daily views, amount of trackers, etc...) I sincerely doubt that.

But since this is all circumstantial evidence I didn't take the possibly tampered vote into account when writing the chapter but from now on I will activate CAPTCHA to prevent the vote from easily being tampered with.

Well, with that rant out of the way. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17929042
[Certainty: 60]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

History

Chapter 25

History

Humans 37%

Fluttershy opened her omni-tool and opened the program that would allow her to access the extranet. She tried taking on a more comfortable position but all the various cables and tubes from medical equipment connected to her armor prevented her from doing so.

Fluttershy sighed as she pulled the bed's pillow closer and rested her head on it. Using the holographic display in front of her eyes as a screen while she browsed through various extranet pages.

"Where to start, where to start," she muttered just as she found a page that titled itself as a summary of human history.

I guess beginning at the start isn't too terrible of an idea.

The page started with the description of how the particular strain of humans called 'homo sapiens' rose to become the dominant type of human on earth, though it was only a short summary since writing hadn't been invented back then. This also meant that for the first tens of thousands of years very little information existed.

The extranet site picked its summary back up at about five thousand years back of the current day, Fluttershy being astounded at that sheer violence the humans were capable of when building their empires that in most cases would collapse after they died.

Ponies, in general, had a history that contained much less bloodshed, the pegasi being the most militarized tribe due to their interactions with griffin warbands but even they would most likely have recoiled at the described amount of violence. Despite this, the pegasus kept reading as a lot could happen in the thousands of years of history that she hadn't gone through yet.

These stories sound way more violent than humans seem to be today, what happened to them that they changed their way?

Fluttershy continued reading through the text, passing stories of the Egyptian kingdom until she reached a sperate section that was simply titled 'Rome'. At first, this little city-state seemed to follow the same path all the other empires followed but rather then remain a kingdom it turned into a republic

This republic over centuries of conquest and assimilation created a relatively stable empire that would last almost a millennium before starting to crumble and even then a part of it remained standing for over another millennium.

Fluttershy gawked at all the accomplishments the Romans had achieved. Considering that humans didn't have access to magic their progress was astounding: gigantic aqueducts that brought fresh water to their cities, a network of stone roads spanning across their not inconsiderable territory, and a number of gigantic structures built throughout various cities of theirs. It wasn't a surprise to the pegasus that after the empire fell a dark age of technology followed.

The next section of the site covered what happened on the other side of the world in the same time period. Going over some of the major Asian dynasties before returning to Europe and continuing on to a period of time called the middle ages. Fluttershy finally having had enough of the older parts of history she browsed down to more recent history to see how humanity got to reach space in the first place.

She almost passed a section called 'The Great War' but stopped as she saw a picture of all the countries involved in the conflict. Her eyes going wide as nearly the entire world was colored indicating a global conflict. What made it worse were all the other pictures that were accompanying the text, her rate of breathing going up as she looked over pictures of the dead and maimed while reading the descriptions of horrendous weapons of war.

"Hey, Fluttershy?"

"EEP!" The pegasus nearly dove off the bed only to be stopped by a fresh wave of pain.

"Whoa, hold on there. I don't think you should be moving quite that much yet," Garrus chuckled as he approached the bedridden pegasus.

"W-what are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked, extremely self-conscious due to her fuckup in the garage.

Garrus smirked before replying, "Well, what's so wrong about visiting my favorite pegasus?"

Forgetting her embarrassment Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "I'm the only pegasus you know," she said, pointing out the obvious.

"Doesn't mean you're not my favorite," Garrus said smugly as he placed a plate of food in front of Fluttershy, something she probably should have noticed the moment he entered. "How are you holding up?" He said, his tone much more serious as he sat down on a stool next to the bed.

"I'm fine," Fluttershy blatantly lied.

"You nearly killed yourself with biotics which you were specifically ordered not to use and got confined to the medbay due to ignoring that order," Garrus stated with all the subtlety of a krogan, "Of all the things you are right now, 'fine' is not one of them."

Fluttershy swallowed as Garrus' words hit home, "Y-you're right it's just..." Tears started forming in Fluttershy's eyes. "I-I'm just... I-I used to care for animals at home and go out with my friends, yes we had to stop both Nightmare Moon and Discord but neither involved hurting anypony," Fluttershy sniffed. "I just want to go home and see my friends and feed my animals but I can't! Every time I close my eyes that bucking vision flashes through my mind reminding me that even if I get back home nopony IS SAFE!" Fluttershy shouted through her tears, feeling a slight weight being lifted from her chest but also immediately feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you."

"And you shouldn't let stuff like that bottle up," Garrus said completely unfazed. "Look, Shepard might be angry now and you're probably going to get punished for nearly breaking the ship but after we've stopped these reapers, he'll still help you find your home. He seems to have a thing about helping others."

Fluttershy wiped the tears from her eyes, "Thank you for hearing me out, I needed that."

"That's what friends are for, aren't they?" Garrus chuckled before he stood up to leave the medbay, "Anyway I have to get some rest for the mission on Noveria, you good for tonight?"

Fluttershy let out a small yawn, realising that she was much more tired than she had first thought.

Yeah, I'll be fine

[Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?]

Call Shepard on his omni-tool

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Ok, this chapter might have gotten out a day earlier if I hadn't gotten caught up in a call in An Intricate Disguise's Discord server. We had this guy who said he hated the gays so we talked for something like 5 hours...

...It was comedy gold.

Anyway, I got a bit stuck on this chapter so I hope it turned out well enough :twilightsheepish:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17945887
[Certainty: 60]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Dreams

Chapter 26

Dreams

[Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?] 42%

"Uhm... Garrus, could you maybe stay here until I fall asleep if it isn't too much trouble?" Fluttershy asked while heavily blushing. Not that Garrus noticed this as he just shrugged.

"I guess rest is rest, no matter where you do it. Can you move over a bit?" Garrus said, Fluttershy making a bit of space so that the turian could lay next to her. Garrus being very careful not to hit the few cables that ran from Fluttershy's armor to the medical equipment Chakwas had set up to monitor the pegasus' vitals. "Sleep well Fluttershy," Garrus said as he had comfortably propped himself up against the back wall, closed his eyes, and started snoring lightly, having almost immediately fallen asleep.

Fluttershy, careful not to wake Garrus, slowly climbed onto the lap of the turian and curled up all the while a blush remained present on her face. The slow rising and falling of Garrus's chest slowly lulling the pegasus to sleep as she clamped herself stuck to the turian.

Fluttershy woke to an annoying beep coming from something close to her head. She opened her eyes along with letting out a groan, seeing the Garrus tap a few inputs on his omni-tool which shut off the sound.

"Work's calling. I've got to go, Fluttershy," Garrus told the pegasus who swiftly got off his lap.

"O-of course," She stuttered, the realization dawning on her that she no longer was connected to any medical equipment. In her short bout of paranoia she jumped around to see doctor Chakwas smirking at her. Fluttershy's cheeks immediately lit on fire and her wings started feeling tingly all of a sudden.

"Oh, hi doc. Fluttershy said she couldn't sleep and asked if I could stay until she fell asleep. I guess I overdid it," He said as he popped his spine a couple of times. "Anyway, duty calls. See you two around."

"Stay safe out there, Garrus, I think I can say that for the both of us," Chakwas smirked while Fluttershy's blush only became more pronounced. The turian looked confused for a moment but shrugged, nodded, and left the medbay.

POMF!!

Fluttershy wanted to sink through the bed, floor, and finally out into outer space, out of embarrassment as her wings shot open. Chakwas seemed to have trouble not bursting out into laughter. "So, is that what I think it is?"

"NO!" Fluttershy immediately replied but quickly realized that the doctor hadn't asked the question with any malicious intent and just seemed curious. "...Maybe?"

"I thought so when I found the two of you a couple of hours back, though I think you're going to have to be a bit more direct towards Garrus before he gets it," Chakwas said with a genuine smile.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Fluttershy said as she regained control over her wings and closed them.

"Just know that there'll be some people who don't approve of things like this, they're usually of the opinion one should find a mate within their own species or an Asari because you wouldn't be able to reproduce otherwise," Chakwas warned as she picked up her tablet to continue working on whatever she was doing before. Fluttershy, in the meanwhile, was reminded of a research paper Twilight had written up and extensively told Fluttershy about.

"That might not be that much of an issue," Fluttershy carefully said, drawing the full attention from the doctor.

"Explain?" Chakwas asked inquisitively while she pulled a notepad and a pen from her lab coat.

"There have been a few rare instances where a pony had hybrid kids with a griffon or, apparently, even a dragon," Fluttershy explained, Chakwas wrote down a couple of notes.

"Can those kids have offspring as well?" the doctor asked curiously.

"Well, yes. But all the recorded instances of that happening the children turned into either one of the parents' species, not another hybrid." Fluttershy explained further, "A friend of mine did some research into the subject and found that when a mare is in an environment with little or no other ponies a sort of magical emergency system kicks in to allow her to breed with other species."

Chakwas looked at the pegasus in wonder, "So you're saying that you might be able to have kids with Garrus?!"

Fluttershy's cheeks immediately turned red again and she had to restrain her wings, "Possibly, but I don't think I'll have to worry about that for a while."

The doctor blushed, "Sorry, I got carried away for a bit,"

"Don't worry about it," Fluttershy said as she smiled, her grumbling stomach stopping any further conversation. The pegasus suddenly feeling really stupid as she hadn't eaten any of the food Garus had gotten her before she fell asleep.

"I got you some rations from the kitchen before you woke," Chakwas said as she pointed at a plate that had some packaged food laying on it. Fluttershy saying a quick thanks and quickly wolfed down the food before looking at what the doctor was looking at.

"Is that the scan of the eezo within my body?" the pegasus asked as she almost immediately recognized what the doctor was holding in her hand.

"Yes, I've been trying to figure out how your 'magic' works but the initial scans aren't of a high enough resolution to get any useful results," Chakwas answered, "Would you mind if I take a couple more closeup scans of the various concentrated pockets of eezo?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "Is there a particular pocket you're interested in?"

Chakwas activated the medbay's holographic display again and pulled up the scan on there. "I'm interested in all of them but I think we should focus on a single one for now just to figure out the mechanics." This was something Fluttershy couldn't disagree with.

"There are pockets of eezo withing the bones of your wings which are obviously for flying," she said while pointing at the areas that were most brightly lit up. "Another four pockets are in your hooves, possibly for grabbing things but that wouldn't explain why they also exist in the hooves of your back legs. The next pocket is spread throughout your eyes, I think we both know what that's for. The final one is located within your brain itself, I guess it might be the reason you were able to understand us without a translator but that's just a guess."

The doctor closed the hologram again, "So, which pocket do you think we should investigate?"

Wings [Investigate flight]

Hooves [Investigate grip]

Eyes [Investigate the stare]

Brain [Investigate language]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

YES! finally, a romance option was picked! :rainbowwild:
Flutterkarian is so on:pinkiecrazy:, the more things I have to write about the better :scootangel:

I hope you guys enjoyed!:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17951979
[Certainty: 60]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Apology

Chapter 28

Apology

Go to Tali 50%

Fluttershy thought for a moment about where she should go first but in the end, there wasn't a question who she should visit first. Tali had been there when she had hurt herself and also was the one who had carried her to the medbay, Joker would come after she had spoken to the quarian. She took the slow elevator down to the garage and walked through the entrance to engineering.

Work in the engineering bay next to the drive core seemed to be continuing as usual but there were a couple of engineers that shot her a nervous glance. Tali was standing in her usual spot, typing away at the console in front of her.

“Uhm, Tali?” Fluttershy said, not getting a reaction from the quarian. In the corner of her eyes she could see a couple of engineers subtly leaving the engineering bay.

“I-I just wanted to apologize for breaking o-”

“Apologize?!” Tali shouted, “I know you broke orders, but that’s Shepard's problem. What I’m angry about isn’t because you broke those damned orders you bosh’tet. What do you think it did to me when you just fell over bleeding!”

Fluttershy couldn’t find a good answer to the point Tali had brought up and just let the quarian rage at her.

“I was so scared that you had died right then and there, Fluttershy, and I had just let it happen on my watch,” Tali continued, Fluttershy felt her heart sink when she saw tears clinging to the inside of Tali’s visor as she crouched down. Without warning the pegasus was pulled into a tight hug by the quarian. “Don’t you ever do something like that again,” she sniffed.

Fluttershy returned the hug feeling tears coming up to the surface herself. “I won’t, I promise.” The two sat unmoving for a minute before Fluttershy’s omni-tool started beeping, indicating an incoming call, Doctor Chakwas’ ID was displayed on the holographic screen.

“Fluttershy, I think I’ve made an important discovery regarding your stare. Could you come over to the medbay please?” the doctor immediately asked after Fluttershy picked up the call.

“Uhm, okay? Is everything all right, doctor?” Fluttershy asked, concerned by the urgency Doctor Chakwas had spoken with.

“Yes, though I’d like you to get here right away,” Chakwas pressed before cutting the connection, Fluttershy looked up at Tali who also seemed confused as to the doctor’s behavior.

“Would you mind if I came along to the medbay?” Tali asked Fluttershy who shrugged.

“I promised Shepard that I wouldn’t keep secrets from him so you’d find out what doctor Chakwas has found eventually,” the pegasus said as she got up and made her way back to the elevator. Garrus was also waiting for the elevator to take him up to the CIC where he would join up with the ground team.

“Hey Fluttershy, did Shepard allow you to roam the ship again?” He asked as he noticed Tali and Fluttershy come around the corner.

“Oh, uhm. Yes, he did” Fluttershy said, her cheeks becoming a slight shade of red. The elevator door opened and the three of them stepped inside. Garrus pushed the button that sent it back up.

“Good. By the way, if you ever have trouble sleeping again don’t be shy about asking me for help,” he said offhandedly, Fluttershy felt her blood pumping into her wings but managed to keep the appendages firmly clamped against her body.

“I-I will, thank you,” she awkwardly stuttered.

“Good, We should be back in an hour or two if everything goes smoothly,” Garrus said as the elevator stopped and opened back up. “See the two of you when we get back,” he called over his shoulder as he walked off towards the ramps that led to the CIC.

Tali and Fluttershy made their way over to the medbay, the intercom calling out that Shepard had left the Normandy and XO Pressly had the deck. As they entered, they found Chakwas looking at a hologram of a brain, Fluttershy assuming this was the active scan they had made when Fluttershy had used the stare on her.

“Tali, do you need anything? Antibiotics, immuno-boosters?” Chakwas asked as she noticed the quarian alongside Fluttershy.

“She was interested in what you found, doctor. I’m not hiding this from the commander so she’d find out about it anyway.” Fluttershy told the doctor.

“Oh, okay. In that case come on over and look at this.” Chakwas pointed at the hologram. “If you hadn’t guessed this is a scan of my brain and what you’re about to see is what happens to it when it’s under the influence of Fluttershy’s stare.”

“Wait, what do you mean by Fluttershy’s stare?” Tali asked in confusion, the answer almost immediately coming to her. “You didn’t...”

“We needed the readings if we were going to study the ability, Tali. I was the one who suggested it,” Chakwas told the baffled quarian before letting the hologram run its course. The moment Fluttershy’s stare hit the doctor the entire brain lit up but in particular the section dedicated to the fight or flight response. “As you can see here, the moment the stare hits me my brain goes into panic mode and my fight or flight instinct activates. The thing is that I wasn’t able to react to the signals that part of my brain gave me as the stare blocked most of the connections going through.”

“So the stare is just a really complicated way of temporary paralysis?” Tali asked, Chakwas shaking her head.

“No, it’s way more complicated. There’s dark energy interfering with my brain pretty much everywhere and as you can see here by this scan-” Chakwas pulled up a new hologram of her brain that showed less, but still some strange activity indicated by red. “-there seem to be semi-permanent changes within my brain which, since this is probably part of a biological defense system, are most likely making me more agreeable to anything you ask of me.”

“Oh my, I… uhm, are you fine with this doctor?” Fluttershy asked meekly.

“You didn’t know and the due to the suddenness of the changes, my brain seems to be mending the faults which are already minute at best. Though if the stare was of low enough intensity and administered over a longer period of time I think the changes would stack up and actually be permanent and you’d effectively be able to indoctrinate someone.”

Fluttershy didn’t feel good about any of this, she never wanted to permanently harm anyone and now it turned out the stare she had been using on disobeying animals might have harmed them.

“Would you mind if I stepped out for a moment?” She asked the doctor.

“No problem Fluttershy, this is everything I wanted to tell you anyway,” Chakwas told the pegasus who looked like she felt increasingly disgusted at herself.

Tali followed the pegasus as she stepped outside the medbay, Fluttershy thinking up something she could do to distract herself.

Apologize to Joker

Ask Tali for the lesson on cover

Call Shepard to report this immediately

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Now, where have I heard of an ability like that before? :ajsmug:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17979590
[Certainty: 60]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

The Pilot

Chapter 29

The Pilot

Apologize to Joker 50%

Although Fluttershy contemplated calling Shepard, she ultimately decided against it as there was a good chance the commander would be busy tracking Liara’s mother. So, with that option not available, she chose to head up to the cockpit to see a certain pilot whose ship she had slightly damaged. To be honest she hadn’t really spoken to the flight lieutenant yet and other than the few jokes she had heard him make, didn’t know anything about the human.

The CIC seemed to be as busy as ever as Fluttershy trotted through it, none of the working officers really batting an eye at her as she passed. In the cockpit, Joker was sitting in the pilot’s chair tapping buttons on the holographic displays. Fluttershy opened her mouth to announce her presence to the man but before she could say anything the chair was already turning around.

“Finally come to apologize?” He said, his tone of voice clearly betraying that he was not amused at the pegasus’s presence. Fluttershy realized that since Joker had access to every system in the Normandy he had probably seen her coming from a mile away.

“Yes,” Fluttershy answered, Joker mockingly acting as if he were thinking.

“Accepted, now get out of my cockpit,” He said with a sneer, Fluttershy flinched back but didn’t turn away from the pilot.

“Why?” Fluttershy questioned. “You’re clearly angry at me.”

“Because you don’t have a clue of the kind of things a cripple has to do to get respect for anything!” He shouted, Fluttershy looked him over but didn’t see anything that would indicate the pilot was crippled. Sure he wasn’t as impressively built as Shepard but nothing truly seemed wrong with the pilot, although maybe a part of his body was dysfunctional?

“Uhm, crippled?” she questioned, Joker groaned in frustration.

“For fuck sake… I have something called Vrolik syndrome, it makes my bones so brittle that if I put too much force on them then SNAP!” Fluttershy flinched back. ”They break like a twig. But that’s not the worst of it, even though I’m the best damned pilot this side of Arcturus station every time you achieve something some asshole comes forward and says you were given it because of your condition because-”

“-you would be too weak to do it yourself,” Fluttershy finished for the pilot, “They write you off as someone who’s too fragile to do anything and leeches off the sympathy of others without having to work for your achievements.”

“Yeah,” Joker said stunned. “How did you know?”

“Story of my life,” Fluttershy sadly replied. “There are a few ponies that know I’m not as fragile as I look, but even so, they still act if I’m about to shatter. Yes, I might be really shy but I stand up for what I believe when it counts.”

“You don’t seem so shy now,” Joker noted.

“Liara… ‘helped’ me get to the bottom of why I’m so shy. I’ve been dealing with it for the first time in my life,” Fluttershy told Joker. After having the old memory resurface and standing up for herself, she didn’t feel as burdened by it anymore.

“Guess that’s nice.” Joker stated, “But that brings me back as to why I’m so angry. You damaged my baby, the only ship with a crew that values me for my skill as a pilot and doesn’t write it off as charity. Look I really don’t want to be angry at you and I know you usually don’t act as stupid as you did because I’ve seen you over the security cams. How about we start over, you don’t damage my ship and I won’t hold your mistake against you.” He offered, holding out his hand, Fluttershy smiled and shook it. “Well, I’ve got to get back to work here. Shepard’s apparently going to need the MAKO soon and I still need to get it cleared and out of the Normandy.”

“No problem, I’ll see you around,” Fluttershy said. Joker turned his chair back around to face his consoles in the cockpit. With the conversation over, Fluttershy turned around and made her way back through the CIC and into the crew section of the ship. Without anything she could really do and almost everyone interesting she could talk to off the ship Fluttershy decided to go back down to Tali. The quarian had been about to teach her about cover before her screw up after all.

As she reached engineering she didn’t find Tali standing at her usual spot at the console close to the drive core. As Fluttershy also hadn’t seen the quarian in the crew section of the ship she made the educated guess that she was probably in the workshop. Since Fluttershy didn’t have access to the workshop in particular she walked up to the wall and knocked on it.

“Tali? Are you in there?” she asked, hoping that the wall was thin enough to allow sound through in the first place. To the pegasus’ relief the wall slid open, revealing Tali tinkering with her disassembled shotgun.

“Hi Fluttershy, what do you need?” Tali asked while she continued inspecting a part of the shotgun for any flaws.

“Well are you still up to teach me about cover usage?” Fluttershy asked, Tali stopped to look at the pegasus.

“I guess I could do that,” She said, putting down the shotgun part and starting to quickly reassemble the device. “But we could also try to work out how you could effectively use those omni-blades on your wings or I could teach you how to use your omni-tool in an offensive or defensive manner,” Tali told Fluttershy, the pegasus thinking for a moment.

I guess figuring out a way of using the omni blades would be useful or how to use my omni-tool to maybe hack? Though I’d still have to learn about cover at some point.

Learn to use cover

Practice with omni-blades

Learn how to use [Tech]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I didn't cover it in this chapter but did you know the reason Joker is the Normandy's pilot is because he highjacked the spaceship on its test flight due to not being picked as the ship's pilot because of his medical condition.

The more you know!:rainbowwild:

Hope you enjoyed the chapter:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17991172
[Certainty: 60]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Cover

Chapter 30

Cover

Learn to use cover 49%

Fluttershy was pressing her back against one of the boxes that were positioned throughout the entire garage. After getting the basics down, Ashley, who had nothing to do either, proposed that she could help out devise an exercise. What Tali and Ashley had come up with was to fill the garage with all the large boxes they could find and tell Fluttershy to pass through it. All the while both the quarian and the Gunnery Chief, armed with a rifle calibrated for training purposes, were doing their best to hit her.

“Hey Fluttershy, smile and wait for the flash!” Ashley shouted as she found a clear line of sight from which to fire at the pegasus. With an eep, Fluttershy spread her wings and used them to propel herself to a new cover, a couple of rounds bouncing off her barrier. What Fluttershy hadn’t accounted for was that Tali and Ashley had positioned themselves in such a way that to avoid Ashley was to jump into Tali’s line of fire. A barrage of training rounds hit Fluttershy’s barrier and tore through it, every round leaving a red mark on the pegasus’ armor where they hit.

“Keep track of both of your opponents, just because you’re safe from one doesn’t mean you’re safe from both,” Tali told the groaning pegasus, her armor was covered in the red spots from all the previous times she had been beaten by the other two though she had definitely been improving. This time it had taken an active effort from Tali and Ashley to actually hit her instead of Fluttershy just accidentally running into a line of fire.

“Let’s make this a bit more interesting, shall we?” Ashley said with a smirk, tossing a third rifle in Fluttershy’s direction. “Garrus will explain the nitty-gritty details of how to use that thing but the gist of it is point and pull the trigger.“ Fluttershy awkwardly held the rifle in her hooves, she could fire it while standing on her back legs but would be more stable if she had somewhere to put the rifle down on.

“Uhm, what are we going to do next?” Fluttershy asked as she attached the rifle to a magnetic clamp on the side of her armor below a wing.

Ashley grinned as she sat down on one of the laid out boxes, “Me? I’m going to sit here while you and Tali are going to try and take the other out with those peashooters.” Fluttershy gulped as she looked over at the quarian, Tali’s visor might obscure her expression but the way she tightened her grip on her rifle clearly indicated that the moment Ashley gave the word she’d fire. “Go!”

Fluttershy immediately jumped into cover as red dots appeared in the position where she had just stood, the pegasus immediately focussed on the task she had gotten. Detaching the rifle again she sat down on her haunches and peeked past the cover. Rounds immediately impacted the crate next to Fluttershy’s head but in the split second she had stuck her head out, she had spotted where the quarian had taken cover.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy bounded from her cover into one that gave her better sight of the quarian’s hiding spot. Tali, not wanting to make this easy on the pegasus, jumped from her cover and made a dive for the next but not before Fluttershy pulled the trigger on the rifle. Luckily for the quarian Fluttershy hadn’t accounted for the training rifle’s recoil in the slightest and almost her entire burst went over the quarian.

“Better step up your game, Tali. Wouldn’t want the rooky to get you, now do you?” Ashely laughed from her seat at the side of the ‘field’. Tali didn’t respond as she was focussing on hitting Fluttershy who had jumped cover again.

The pegasus, now having felt the kick of the assault rifle, fired a few more accurate burst over the crate she had ducked behind. Tali immediately returned the favor and bounced a couple of shots off Shy’s barrier, taking it down to half strength. Fluttershy went over the options she had, biotics was out of the question and she didn’t have any other means of offense…

...Except maybe the omni-blades.

Fluttershy quickly put away her rifle and opened her omni-tool, selecting the appropriate program while making sure it was set to training mode so she wouldn’t actually harm Tali. Holding her back tightly against the box she had been using she carefully listened to what the quarian was doing.

“Hey Fluttershy, you know the goal is to hit me, right?” Tali stated, a small smile forming at the edges of Fluttershy’s mouth as she was able to determine the quarian’s exact location due to her speaking.

The pegasus only had to wait a few more seconds before she heard Tali moving up closer. Seeing this as her opportunity Fluttershy flung herself from behind her cover and opened her wings. Unlike the other times, where she had used her wings to boost her running, this time she had tucked her legs in and was soaring close to the floor. Even though she wasn’t exactly the best flyer she was still incredibly fast relative to the quarian.

Tali for one was caught completely off guard and hesitated as she was in the middle of moving between cover when the pegasus charged at her. This hesitation made it so that when she did raise her rifle Fluttershy was already upon her.

The omni-blades on the pegasus’ wings lit up and the one on the left smashed into Tali’s shield, ripping through it and leaving a large bright red line. The second thing that happened was something that any self-respecting flight instructor would have been able to predict as clipping a wing mid-flight really only had one outcome.

Fluttershy, after hitting Tali, rolled over the ground and crashed into one of the large boxes. After shaking off the dizziness, Fluttershy stood up to look at Ashley and Tali. The two were gawking at her in awe at what they had just seen.

“Uhm, did I do ok?” Fluttershy asked, she felt her limbs tremble slightly as adrenaline flowed through them.

Is this what Dash always feels when she does her stunts?

“That. was. Awesome!” Ashley exclaimed, Tali also lowered her rifle as she understood she had clearly lost.

“You’re never going to let me live this one down, are you?” Tali said with a sigh, a massive grin on Ashley’s face.

“I’ve got it recorded,” she smugly stated, Tali immediately tensed at hearing that.

“You’re not the only one, Ash. I’ve got my own perspective of this recorded,” Joker proudly announced over the intercom. Tali groaned, giving the training rifle back to Ashley.

“I’m going to sit in a corner in engineering for a while,” she said but before she could take off towards engineering the intercom announced that Shepard was back on the ship. Fluttershy took a look at the time and was surprised by the fact that they had been going for hours.

“Fluttershy, Gunnery Chief Williams, Tali. I want you three to be present for de-briefing in ten minutes.” Shepard said over theover the intercom seconds later.

“I guess that puts any other ideas we have on hold,” Ashley said, “By the way, I suggest washing off that red line, Tali. It’s slightly embarrassing.” Tali groaned and walked off towards engineering while Fluttershy followed a snickering Ashley to the elevator. They would clean the garage later but first, they were going to attend the debriefing.

A bit of a different vote this time around, I want to get you guys' opinion on me not adding a vote at the end of every chapter, just most of them. It's been floating around my head for a while now and with Redstargazer's comment airing the same sentiment I thought it best to put it to a vote.

Skip a vote sometimes

Have a vote every chapter

[Vote link]

Author's Note

As stated above I'd like to get you guys' opinion on if there should be a vote every chapter because having a vote every chapter is quickly burning through the stuff I can actually do on the Normandy.

Anyway, I think the chapter turned out pretty well. Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18001127
[Certainty: 60]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Indoctrination

Chapter 31

Indoctrination

Skip a vote sometimes 71%

Fluttershy was sitting in the totally silent comm room and unlike previous debriefings, no-one had undressed from their battered armor. The group that had gone planetside seemed to be in various states of mind, Liara looked distraught and saddened, Garrus and Kaidan Alenko disturbed by whatever they had seen on the surface, Wrex looked to be much angrier than usual, and even though Shepard held his demeanor as neutral as possible Fluttershy could feel the anger bubbling just below the surface.

"Commander, what happened on the surface? Did you find the Matriarch?" Fluttershy carefully asked, Shepard nodded.

"Yes, we did and in doing so we found out why Saren has gained the following he has," Shepard said before continuing to explain as Fluttershy shot him a questioning look. "When Saren attacked Eden Prime, the colony that had the beacon that gave me my vision, he came with an impossibly large ship. In the few moments before her death that Benezia was lucid enough to speak to us, she explained that that large ship exerts an aura that makes you want to do his bidding, listen and believe every word he says and, grovel in front of him."

Fluttershy felt her heart skip a beat as she understood why Liara would be so distraught before looking over at Tali, the quarian already looking at her expectantly.

Does Fluttershy reveal the workings of the Stare? Yes

I promised the commander that I wasn't going to keep any more secrets from him and the others so I'm going to keep that promise.

"Commander, in the time that you were gone Doctor Chakwas and I did some experiments that are important to this subject," Fluttershy told Shepard, the commander giving her a look that urged her to continue while the rest just kept silent and listened to what the pegasus had to say. "Wrex, do you remember how it felt to be hit by the Stare?"

The krogan shrugged, "My instinct was screaming at me to just kill you and be done with it, though the rest of my mind wanted to... follow your every command... and grovel at your hooves..." Wrex's eyes went wide as this was probably the first time he had examined his feelings at the moment of the stare. "You're saying that..."

"The brain scan Doctor Chakwas performed on herself under the influence of the stare and a while after indicated that there was still a lingering presence of the stare's effect in her mind. Both the doctor and I agree that this is probably a biological defense mechanism that forces a creature to follow my commands." Fluttershy took a deep breath as the others who hadn't heard about this were clinging to every word she was saying. "If anyone is exposed to the Stare for a greater amount of time, the effect will most likely be permanent and if the intensity is low enough as well, the person affected probably wouldn't even notice."

The rest of the room silently stared at the pegasus, Ashley, in particular, looking repulsed by what she had just heard.

"Do you think you could have reversed the indoctrination of my mother if you had tried?" Liara sniffed as she was clearly holding back tears, "Did she die for nothing?"

Fluttershy felt as if a knife was being twisted in her chest seeing the asari in as much pain as she was, "I-I don't know. I've never met anyone with the same ability and most certainly didn't know it might do permanent damage."

Liara swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat and nodded. "Okay," she simply stated.

"I think it's a given since you know this now, that you restrict the usage of your stare as well, right?" Shepard asked. Fluttershy nodded in approval. "Good, now I'm sure this is a topic that will be discussed more over the coming weeks but we should continue to the next important thing we encountered on Noveria."

Wrex let out an angry huff, "You should have destroyed it, my people didn't suffer just to let that blight return to the galaxy again."

Fluttershy looked confused at Wrex, wondering what in the world got the usually calm and measured, for his species at least, krogan to be this angry. It didn't take long for Shepard to answer that question.

"We found a rachni Queen in the laboratory where Benezia was located." Fluttershy went slightly pale as, even though she didn't know that much about galactic history, it was hard not to know about the rachni wars. The insectoid beings had led a relentless assault on Citadel space causing the salarians to elevate the krogan to a space-born civilization to fight them. It had resulted in the complete genocide of the race and eventually lead to the krogan rebellion and the release of the Genophage, a virus that virtually sterilized the krogan.

"Benezia was sent to the research facility to draw information about a relay called the 'Mu relay', Saren thinks it's linked to the system that holds the Conduit. We gained the location of this relay but it could link to dozens of systems and we'd just be guessing blind as to where the Conduit is so we need more intel, but that left me a decision on what to do with the Queen." Shepard stayed silent for a moment as he met the eyes of everyone in the room. "I decided that we went too far in the rachni wars and I set the queen free. Genocide should never be a punishment for the crimes of a species."

Shepard turned to look Wrex straight into the eyes, "And you of all people should appreciate this since if we had followed your logic than the krogan would have been condemned to extinction in the krogan rebellions," He told the battlemaster. Wrex huffed but didn't raise any objections. "All of you dismissed, get yourselves cleaned up and rest. Until we get new intel on Saren we're back to patrolling the stars."

Everyone started to file out of the comm room and make their way down to the crew quarters, except for Garrus who seemed intent on speaking to the commander. Fluttershy’s interest was immediately drawn and she too stayed behind to listen to what Garrus had to say.

“What is it you two want to say?” Shepard asked as the door to the CIC closed.

“I’m just interested in what he has to say,” Fluttershy stated as she pointed at Garrus. The turian just shrugged.

“I wanted to ask a favor. I know you did a favor to Tali when you gave the geth data we found in the Armstrong nebula to her, she’s been trying to keep it a bit of a secret since that’s classified alliance data but I’ve seen her study it on various occasions in the mess,” Garrus said, “This is not about that but about a case I was involved with in C-Sec.”

Shepard nodded, not betraying any emotion on his face just yet. “Go on,” he urged.

“Back some time ago, I was tasked with monitoring the sales of the black market on the Citadel, most of it’s harmless but during the course of my investigation I noticed an increase in sales of body parts, organs mostly. There usually are some of those, but with how much the numbers increased we weren’t sure if there was a black market lab or if some psychopath was harvesting from citizens,” Garrus explained. Fluttershy turned a bit green at the thought that someone would steal the organs of another being.

“But it turned out that this case wasn’t as clear cut as we had first thought. First, we got a sample of DNA that led us to a turian who was very much alive and convinced that he hadn’t lost his liver. After a bit of digging I discovered that this turian had briefly worked for a salarian geneticist called doctor Saleon but after going to his lab I found no evidence of any cloned organs but didn’t find any evidence, not even a krogan testicle,” Garrus said without even cracking the slightest of smiles, Fluttershy and Shepard showed no such restraint.

“A krogan testicle?” Shepard asked trying to hold back a snicker.

“Some krogan think a transplant will increase their virility, not that it works but that doesn’t stop them from buying. They pay about ten thousand credits for each and since they have four… someone out there is probably making a killing off of this.”

“So what did you do to the geneticist?” Fluttershy asked as she returned to being grossed out by the fact someone had even thought about harvesting organs.

“I brought in some of his former employees for interrogation. While interviewing one of them, I came across something suspicious. One of my detainees started bleeding profusely while we were interrogating him and when we offered to patch him up he freaked out. I ordered the medics to perform a full body examination. There were incisions everywhere, some even fresh. That was when we realized that these weren’t employees but walking test tubes.”

Fluttershy felt a new wave of nausea come over her as Shepard followed up with another question.”He cloned the organs within the bodies of his victims?!” Shepard asked, clearly as disgusted as Fluttershy was.

“Yes, most of his victims were poor and would get a small percentage of the profit but only if the organ was good. If not, he would leave the dysfunctional organ within the victim.”

Fluttershy felt her disgust turn into rage as she couldn’t believe someone could be that cruel, “What happened to him in the end?” she asked with revulsion in her voice.

“He ran. Blew up his lab, went to the nearest spaceport with some of his ‘employees’, and left on the first ship he could get. I ordered the ship to be shot down but I was countermanded by headquarters because of the fear of destroying a ship so close to the Citadel and they didn’t want to board because he was threatening to kill the hostages. I told them those hostages were dead anyway but they didn’t listen and he got away.”

Fluttershy felt grossed out again but this time it was because of the casual way Garrus had dismissed the lives of the civilians. “If you don’t care about the lives of those civilians you’re no better than he is, just a terrorist with a badge,” the pegasus harshly scolded, Garrus flinched back at the harsh tone Fluttershy had used, the words coming from Fluttershy hurting more than usual for some reason. “Just because the salarian was cruel doesn’t mean we should stop showing kindness to anyone.”

Before Garrus could respond Shepard continued. “I agree with Fluttershy here but since you started this by asking for a favor I’m guessing you found out where he is.”

“Yeah, he changed his name to doctor Heart, his idea of a twisted joke I guess, and switched ships. I have his ship’s transponder frequency but haven’t been able to get someone to check it out, I wanted to ask if the Normandy could swing by that ship so I can verify it’s him and stop him. Permanently,” Garrus snarled, Shepard thinking about what he should do.

“I already promised Wrex that we were going to retrieve an item that was stolen from him the first opportunity we would get. If we don’t have any new leads on Saren we can go by the ship but only if we have no intel on our main mission,” Shepard told the turian, something that wasn’t out of the question in the slightest.

I don’t want someone that cruel to be able to evade justice and this seems really important to Garrus as well. Maybe… I could put that training to good use, Ashley did say learning on the job was the best way to do it.

Propose taking a shuttle and a third member to go investigate

Go retrieve Wrex’s stolen item first

[Wrex’s Item isn’t as important as this mission]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Ok, so I've got two things I need to say.

One: concerning the vote, I'm still going to put in as many votes as possible but if a vote is completely pointless I'm skipping it.

Two: Coming week I'm on base and in the field for training purposes so I won't have time to write, next weekend we have the yearly family reunion (Proper Apple family style: ~55 out of 67 are coming), and next week Monday to Wednesday I'm part of the support staff for the TMPT (Two-day Military Performance Test). Which means I'll have to go dark for at least a week, I'll try to get at least a bit of writing done but don't expect too much coming from me for a while.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18017911
[Certainty: 60]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Organs

Chapter 32

Organs

Propose taking a shuttle and a third member to go investigate 90%

Fluttershy was sitting in one of the shuttle's wall mounted chairs, an assault rifle and pistol clamped to either side of her barrel. Across from her Garrus was inspecting his own sniper rifle and making sure it was clean, the turian not having become increasingly quiet as they got closer the ship that housed the salarian geneticist.

Back on the Normandy Shepard had, surprisingly, agreed to Fluttershy's proposal to send a small investigation team to the ship they were now approaching. Though after Shepard had promised to get them a transport shuttle and Garrus had left, he had pulled Fluttershy aside and asked her to keep a close eye on the turian and prevent him from doing anything stupid.

Which led to the third crew member to be assigned to the mission, Tali. Since neither Garrus nor Fluttershy were able to fly a craft through interplanetary space, the quarian had been assigned as their third party member.

"The ship seems to be drifting," Tali called from out front, "It's also not responding to my hails though there doesn't seem to be any structural damage to the ship itself."

"Strange, maybe the doctor jumped ship again?" Fluttershy theorized, Garrus shivered at the thought that the mad scientist had slipped through the gaps again.

"I hope not, I'm not sure if I could track him down again if he did," Garrus admitted. "But that's not important for the moment, we still have to investigate that ship." Fluttershy grimaced at the hard tone Garrus was using. In the time she had spent on the Normandy she hadn't missed the fact that Garrus had a bit of a temper and if the doctor truly was on the ship he might lose it.

I guess that's why Shepard wanted me to keep an eye on him.

"I'm parking the shuttle outside of the spaceship so prepare for a short eva," Tali announced as she had brought the shuttle close in next to the other spacecraft. Fluttershy swallowed nervously as she opened her omni-tool and activated the mass effect fields that were supposed to keep the air inside. The quarian looked back into the small crew hold and Fluttershy swore that she saw her smirk through the obscured visor before doing what she did next.

"Disengaging artificial gravity."

Fluttershy let out an eep as she suddenly floated up into the air, every bit of her flying instinct telling her that she had to right herself to stop falling. What made it worse was that flapping her wings only made her fly in random directions as there was no up and down without gravity. Just before Fluttershy could completely panic she felt two arms wrap around her and hold her in place.

"Calm down there you're still inside the spacecraft, you won't fly off or suddenly hit the ground," Garrus said, Fluttershy calming down a bit but still had to suppress the urge to try and right herself.

"Thanks," Fluttershy said, her face cheeks burning as she realized how close the turian was to her.

"Don't mention it, though I think it best if you hold onto me during the eva since you have no experience or training in that field," Garrus chuckled. Fluttershy's cheeks only burned more fiercely as she wrapped her legs around the turian, if Tali saw this she didn't comment on it.

"I'll go first to open the airlock," Tali said as she opened the shuttle's external door, the other craft was floating at a couple of meters away from them. Not hesitating a moment Tali pushed herself off and flew over to the other craft where she quickly grabbed onto a handle next to the airlock, opening its outer door with her omni-tool. That was the moment Garrus pushed off from the shuttle as well and flew straight after the quarian into the airlock. Tali closed the outer door and cycled it, the room it opened up to was eerily quiet.

"Fluttershy, stay close to us and be ready," Garrus said as he pulled his assault rifle, Tali doing the same with her shotgun. The group moved through the first door into an intersection, one door leading to the airlock on the other side of the ship, the other to the aft where the engines were located, and the last to the main cargo hold. The proximity scanners in the group's suits showed that there were life signs on the other side of the door while the other rooms seemed abandoned. Tali opened the door with her omni-tool and the three moved into the hold, weapons high and shields fully powered up.

"Everyone freeze," Garrus his words lost their power as his eyes fell upon the things that stood within the hold. They had some resemblance to various species like humans, asari, salarian, turian, but there seemed to be something seriously wrong with the creatures. Their bodies had unhealthy looking growths on them and after they turned to face the newcomers their glazy eyes locking on Garrus as he was the one who had shouted.

"Uhm, hello are you all right?" Fluttershy asked hoping that the creatures could at least understand them but was rewarded by an animalistic scream as the creatures started charging. The scream itself had no meaning to Fluttershy, when an animal roared she would be able to understand its intent but this scream just seemed soulless.

They were soulless.

Garrus and Tali didn't waste any time in opening up on the closest of the running creatures, their rounds tearing through its body but even when Tali tore a piece out of it at close range it still went on to tackle the quarian to the ground. Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat as the creature started tearing at the quarian's suit, the pegasus knowing full well what would happen to Tali if that suit would be breached.

"NO!" Fluttershy roared, her wing lighting up with a biotic aura and pointed it forward. The creature was flung off of Tali into one of the other charging creatures, knocking it over, and not getting back onto its feet again as it simply lay on the floor. Before she could contemplate further on what she'd just done, another one of the creatures reached the group. Fluttershy once again flung it back but this one immediately got up and started charging the new group again.

The pegasus continued to fling the creatures back while Tali and Garrus shot round after round through the things until they were but corpses on the floor. Fluttershy felt her legs become wobbly as she looked at the carnage in front of her, a carnage she had actively participated in.

What if we could have saved them? What if they had families before? What if...

"Stop it, Fluttershy. There's nothing you could have done to help them, they were long past the point of saving. The only kindness you could have done was end their suffering so that they could finally have some rest," Garrus said as he crouched down next to the pegasus. Fluttershy nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat but didn't take her gaze off the corpses. "Come on, stay sharp. I'm pretty certain that the doctor wouldn't have been able to leave the ship with those things blocking his way."

With that, the group carefully walked through the hangar just in case one of the creatures jumped them again. At the front of the ship, they found another life sign though this one was locked behind a door. Not that this lock held back the group for long as it only took seconds for Tali to break it. As the door shot open it revealed a startled salarian. "Thank the stars, I was thinking I might never be saved from those... things."

"Those 'things' were your test subjects, doctor Saleon," Garrus snarled as he most definitely recognized the salarian. "It goes no further than here, doctor. Goodbye." Fluttershy saw time slow down for a moment as Garrus applied pressure to the rifle's trigger.

I promised Shepard that I'd watch him if he was going to do something stupid!

The pegasus slammed into the rifle knocking it away from the doctor, the bullet it fires embedding itself into the wall. "NO! Not like this! If we just murder him we're no better than he is," Fluttershy scolded as she put herself between the turian operator and the salarian doctor.

"And what if he gets away again? We have him here, we can end this now!" Garrus argued back.

"The evidence here is overwhelming, he won't get out of this one Garrus," Fluttershy said but before the turian could reply the doctor spoke up.

"I think I'd rather end this now," he said, having a pistol leveled at Fluttershy and Garrus. The turian pushed Fluttershy out of the way and brought up his rifle, bullets from the pistol bouncing off his shield, and killing the salarian with a single shot.

"So he dies anyway, what was the point of that?" Garrus said bitterly, clamping his assault rifle onto his back.

"Because it was his decision to let it end this way," Fluttershy said as she recovered, "When you fight monsters you should see to it that in the process you do not become a monster yourself. You can't control how someone will act but you can control how you respond, and that's what really matters."

"I..." Garrus stammered as he tried finding a rebuke to that, but failed to do so. "...You're right, thanks for that," he admitted and sighed. "Let's get out of this depressing place."

Both Tali and Fluttershy nodded and quickly made their way back to the shuttle, Tali re-engaged the craft's systems and started flying back to the mass relay for a jump. Garrus just strapped into one of the seats while seemingly deep in thought.

Fluttershy wasn't sure what to do next, Shepard deserved to know what had happened in the ship but that wasn't the only thing Fluttershy was concerned about. Tali hadn't said a word since they had come into contact with the altered creatures in the cargo hold, and Garrus looked like he could use some comfort himself. Fluttershy bit her lower lip in deliberation on what to do.

[Snuggle up to Garrus]

Talk to Tali

Call Shepard

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I'm back!

well... momentarily. I still have to be on base next week and I'm not going to sit behind my laptop the entirety of the family weekend but I didn't want 10 days of nothing so here you have the next chapter. :twilightsmile:

The next one will probably be on Thursday or Friday after which the chapters will become more regular again.

Also, M.E.E.K. has 100 likes :yay:

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18051251
[Certainty: 60]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Shuttle

Chapter 33

Shuttle

[Snuggle up to Garrus] 60%

Tali will probably be fine and we'll report to Shepard when we get back to the Normandy.

Fluttershy, having made her decision on what to do, sat down next to the turian and gently brushed him with the largest primary of her right wing. “Hey, how are you holding up?” she asked with concern, Garrus just continued fiddling with his hands as he answered.

“I’m fine… I think,” he responded, Fluttershy just waited patiently for Garrus to continue while simultaneously scooting closer and leaning against him. Garrus, probably without even thinking about it, wrapped his arm around Fluttershy. “I mean, I’ve been hunting that guy for almost two years now. I thought I’d be elated about the fact that he’s now gone after all the suffering he caused but I just feel empty.”

“Killing is not something that should make you feel gratified, Garrus. One animal killing another for food is just the cycle of life. I know because I have plenty of predatory animal friends, but none get pleasure from doing it. When they do, they become a danger to everyone and everything in their vicinity,” Fluttershy explained. “I’d be much more concerned if you’d felt pleasure in taking anyone’s life.”

“You, once again, have a good point,” Garrus sighed. “Is it common for your species to be so wise?” he added with a chuckle. Fluttershy giggled as she snuggled up closer to the turian.

“I have a friend back home that’s a bit like you. She’s brash and a bit impulsive but she has a good heart. She’s also loyal to a fault and will do almost anything for you if she considers you a friend,” Fluttershy told Garrus, a smile creeping onto her face but was quickly replaced by a sad frown. “She must be devastated after I disappeared from right in front of her.”

“You miss them a lot, don’t you?” Garrus said softly. Fluttershy nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks. In response, Garrus pulled the pegasus closer, his armor was cold but this didn’t matter to Fluttershy as the act sent a wave of warmth through her body. “Well, if your description of that friend is right then I’m sure she’s going to go after you the moment she gets the chance,” Garrus said while stroking Fluttershy’s mane. They stayed like that for a while until Garrus spoke up again.

“That friend of yours, how did the two of you become friends?” Garrus asked, not knowing the sensitivity of that subject. Fluttershy winced for a moment but proceeded to tell Garrus about how Dash had repeatedly protected her from bullies at the cost of her own popularity, even going so far as to tell him about the evening the three bullies had cornered her and mutilated her wings. It felt good to be able to talk someone about it, Liara had found out by accident but with Garrus it was her choice to tell him.

“I’ve been living in Ponyville ever since and eventually became the local wildlife manager,” Fluttershy Told Garrus, finishing her story and noticed that the turian was much tenser now than when she had started her story.

“They. Did. WHAT?!” Garrus said with barely controlled rage. “And they got away with it as well?!”

“I know Dash did something that got her expelled from flight school, even if I don’t know what,” Fluttershy said, trying to get Garrus to cool back down a bit.

Maybe if he’s that riled up because of my story her really does care about me. Maybe I have a chance if I asked him?

A small sliver of hope formed within Fluttershy, not that it was enough for the pegasus to gain the courage and ask straight up but maybe in the future she would find it in her to ask him.

The sound of the door to the cockpit opening drew the attention of both Garrus and Fluttershy who turned to look at Tali who was standing in the doorway. “I’ve set the shuttle to automatically take us to the RV point where the Normandy can pick us up,” She told them.

Does Fluttershy notice something wrong with Tali? Critical Yes

Fluttershy closely studied Tali who was already trying to turn back into the cockpit but was having trouble as she was using the doorframe as a support to stop herself from falling over.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Fluttershy said resolutely as she hopped off Garrus’ lap and managed to reach her just in time to catch her from falling. Thinking quickly, Fluttershy immediately connected her omni-tool to Tali’s and looked at the quarian’s medical feed. The data revealing that there were various infections in her system. Looking at the offending area the pegasus found a couple of large tears in Tali’s body-suit that had been patched up with omni-gel. “What the hay were you thinking, Tali?! You need medication!”

"It's just an infection, I've had worse." Tali weakly said, her rate of breathing started to increase rapidly and she slightly shivered. Fluttershy immediately went into action and pulled antibiotics from her own suit. With her work in the medbay Fluttershy had taken more specialized medical supplies with her than Tali would have. Another reason for the quarian not having that kind of medication was that the more powerful antibiotics were also highly addictive.

The pegasus carefully added the substance to Tali's own reserve, the effect was immediate as Tali's shiver stopped and breathing slowed down again to a more acceptable level. "That should be enough to get you back on your feet though it might take a couple of days. Now why in Celestia's name didn't you immediately tell me something was wrong?" Fluttershy scolded, Tali cringed at the harsh edge in Fluttershy's voice.

"It wasn't as bad at first, I thought my dose of antibiotics would be enough to stop it but it seems like more compartments of my suit were compromised than I initially had anticipated," Tali answered regretfully while Garrus lifted her onto one of the seats and strapped her in. Fluttershy sighed and shook her head.

"Next time you tell me right away, if I didn't have those antibiotics you'd have ended up in a much worse shape." Tali didn't respond to that and Fluttershy hopped into her own chair, strapping in for a long few hours as the shuttle flew to the rendezvous point with the Normandy.

Author's Note

Turns out if you're sitting in a car without wifi to cause distractions for 2,5 hours your writing speed goes up quite a bit. :raritywink:

No vote this chapter since I really couldn't think of anything meaningful this time around, that shouldn't be true for the next chapter coming up since that's definitely going to have an important vote.
Something about Virmire:scootangel:

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

No vote this chapter :twilightsheepish:

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Nightmares

Chapter 34

Nightmares

“…and It’s our task to figure out why they haven’t been in contact with us. I don’t need to remind anyone that we need to figure out what Saren is doing in that base.” Shepard finished.

After Fluttershy, Garrus and Tali had been picked up by the Normandy the quarian had been brought to the medbay where Chakwas wanted to keep and monitor her for a couple of days. Shepard gave her another slight dressing-down but was interrupted by an incoming call from the Council at the Citadel had cut that short. Though not long after the Commander had left he had called for a meeting in the comm room.

That was where Fluttershy was sitting now. Shepard had just laid out that the Council had an STG—Special Tasks Group—unit investigating a base that belonged to Saren. The unit itself had lost communications except for a scrambled message that was sent on a channel reserved for mission-critical communications. Since they were hunting Saren anyway, Shepard had been tasked with finding out what the status of the unit was and figure out what Saren was doing on that planet—Virmire.

“Next update will be when we reach Virmire. Get some Z’s people, almost all of us just ran an op so I want everyone fresh by the time we make planetfall.” Shepard told everyone, the comm room emptying out as everyone was headed off to their sleeping space. The same going for Garrus as he made his way over to his own bunk until Fluttershy stopped him.

“Could you, uhm, maybe if you don’t mind keep me company tonight?” Fluttershy nervously asked, Garrus shrugged in response.

“Sure, rest is rest, right?” He said as he followed Fluttershy into the medbay instead of heading to his own sleeper pod. Out back in the medbay’s storage where Fluttershy’s bed was located, the two stripped off the armored plate from their bodies but leaving the undersuits on. Not that it was impossible to sleep while fully armored but it was much more comfortable to do without.

“Goodnight,” Fluttershy said as she snuggled up closer to Garrus. The mattress wasn’t that wide so he wouldn’t mind her laying this close, would he?

“Yeah, sleep tight,” Garrus responded, almost immediately falling asleep afterward. Fluttershy’s eyes also starting to feel heavy as she too was sucked into the realm of dreams.

Ponyville

Fluttershy was walking through the abandoned streets. Where there usually were various ponies walking around now it was just silent.

Deathly silent.

Fluttershy noted that no damage had been done to the buildings so there probably hadn’t been a fight, as she carefully made her way to the center of town.

“Hello? Is anypony there?” No answer came, but as Fluttershy turned the final corner into the center of town her heart stopped. Standing before the town hall in the middle of town facing away from her were her friends…

Something was wrong.

Their fur was patchy and bare skin could be seen where fur was supposed to be and there were growths across their bodies that had no right to be there.

“Girls?” Fluttershy asked, the five ponies in front of her stirred and turned to face her, their eyes glazy and devoid of emotion. Twilight let out an animalistic scream and charged Fluttershy, the other four following her lead as they fought each other to get to the yellow pegasus first.

A tear rolled down Fluttershy’s cheek as there was only one kindness she could give them now.

Pointing her wings forward a black orb started to form between the tips of her primaries and within a fraction of a second it flew off towards her former friends. The black orb cutting of their crazed cries as it tore them apart.

Fluttershy wept as the village was, once again, completely silent.

“Fluttershy?” a distant voice said but the pegasus didn’t take notice.

“Fluttershy!” The voice said again, the pegasus opened her eyes and had her heart stop again as she found Dash standing over her with the blank look in her eyes. The surrounding village started to disintegrate into an encroaching blackness.

“FLUTTERSHY!” Garrus shouted as the pegasus shot up in a panic, her breathing ragged and cold sweat covering her body. The turian had wrapped his arms around her barrel and wings so that she couldn’t make any moves that were too sudden. “Hey, it’s all right, you’re safe here. No-one is going to hurt you,” He softly said, Fluttershy crying into his shoulder.

“We all have our demons, Fluttershy. If you ever want to talk don’t hesitate to ask me or anyone else on the crew, they’ll understand.” Garrus softly said as he stroked her hair, "We should be getting ready for Virmire now anyway."

Fluttershy nodded and walked up to her neatly stacked pile of armor plates and started to attach them to her undersuit. A couple of minutes later she had cleaned herself, tied her hair in a ponytail, and walked out of the medbay with Garrus.

"Shy, Vakarian, Report to the garage," Joker ordered over the intercom which prompted the pair to take the elevator down instead of the stairs up to the CIC. Shepard and Kaidan were already loading various pieces of equipment into the MAKO as they arrived.

"We've picked up the STG beacon on planet but the Normandy can't approach due to three defense towers. We're going to take them out to create a safe corridor to what we presume is the STG unit's main camp." Shepard informed the two as he noticed them approaching. "Garrus you're the gunner, Kaidan is on shields, Fluttershy's support, and I'm driving."

"Understood Commander," Garrus said as he got into the MAKO and strapped into the gunner's seat. Fluttershy, Kaidan, and Shepard did the same for their respective functions and Shepard drove the vehicle into position.

"We're coming in under the radar, good luck Commander," Joker said as the external hangar door opened and Shepard drove the MAKO out of the garage, the thrusters on the bottom of the vehicle slowing its fall down to a safe speed.

"Status!" Shepard said as the MAKO came to a stop.

"Turrent operational," Garrus reported after finishing his check on the system.

"Shields at one hundred percent and structural integrity nominal," Kaidan immediately reported after Garrus finished his.

"Copy that. We've got a clean drop Joker, see you at the base camp. MAKO out." Shepard said as he revved the engine and rapidly drove to the location of the first AA tower. Along the way, there were scattered geth forces armed mainly with rocket launchers but none of those lasted long against Garrus' barrage of fire once they revealed themselves. This also meant that it didn't take long for the group to reach the first AA tower. After destroying all the enemy forces that were exposed, Shepard parked the MAKO and disembarked from the vehicle with Fluttershy and Kaidan. Garrus remained in the MAKO to give supporting fire with the main cannon if necessary.

"Fluttershy, fly up to the bridge and flank whoever is waiting for us up there," Shepard ordered, Fluttershy quickly saluted, spread her wings and flew up to the bridge above them while Kaidan and Shepard used the ramp. Fluttershy immediately noticed a geth hiding behind a pillar waiting for anyone coming up the ramp.

Her wings became enveloped with the blue biotic aura, her flight ability immediately cutting out as she did so. The sound of the pegasus' hooves hitting the floor of the bridge attracted the attention of the geth but by that point, it was way too late. The geth was flung against a wall in the open and was ripped open by bullets from Shepard and Kaidan as the two reached the top of the ramp.

"Nice throw, now let's deactivate that tower," Kaidan said as he looked at Fluttershy in approval of her biotic usage. The three only encountered one more geth that was quickly dispatched as the combined firepower from both Kaidan and Shepard overwhelmed it.

After disabling the first tower they headed for the second, resistance along the way started becoming heavier as the geth started sending reinforcements to the towers though nothing too heavy yet and with Garrus' support they were able to disable the second tower almost as easily as the first one. But the third was going to prove to be a challenge.

"COLOSSUS!" Shepard shouted as he hit the brake of the vehicle. Garrus immediately opened up on the geth heavy weapons platform. Shepard engaged the thrusters below the MAKO and flew over the first shot it threw at them but the second shot connected. The MAKO shook violently for a moment as the energy dissipated on the shield.

"Shield at fifty percent!" Kaidan reported, "Structural integrity still nominal!"

"Eat lead, tin can!" Garrus growled as he fired the main cannon alongside the coaxial machinegun at the large geth. Holes appeared throughout the machine as its shields failed and it collapsed. There was no time to cheer as the MAKO was hit by something else and shuddered again. "Damnit! Main turrent is jammed, Shepard!"

"Shields at twenty-two percent! Something pierced it and hit the turret ring!" Kaidan reported as well but the commander had just floored the accelerator and was headed full steam towards the rocket wielding geth and drove over it.

"I got him," Shepard calmly stated, "Disembark, if we can take the turret out of action than the Normandy can give us fire support."

The four occupants immediately left the confines of the MAKO and rushed into cover at the base of the ramp that led up to the bridge. "Fluttershy, go fly up there and use whatever biotics you deem necessary to get us a clear foothold on that bridge!" Shepard ordered as bullets were regularly impacting their cover.

Fluttershy swallowed nervously but obeyed the Commander and shot up into the air. A couple of rounds bounced off her barrier, but it didn't take long for the fire to focus on the three ground-bound soldiers again. Fluttershy leveled out and looked for a good cover. Once she found it, she said a quick prayer to Celestia and dove down. Rainbow might have found the speed Fluttershy was going at a nice pace but for the usually shy pegasus, the speed was terrifyingly fast. She flared her wings and managed to bleed enough speed to make a hard touchdown.

Okay Fluttershy, now you just have to clear that bridge.

What biotic move does Fluttershy use? Singularity

Fluttershy took a deep breath as the only thing that came to her mind that was powerful enough to destroy the pesky robots was to create a singularity. She brought her wings together in front of her and concentrated on generating the black ball of energy in front of her, careful not to put too much energy into the move so as to not hurt herself.

After she thought the energy in the ball to be enough, Fluttershy jumped from her cover and flung it at the group of geth that were pinning her three other companions in place. The robots never stood a chance as the passing black orb sucked them along and ripped their components from their sockets. "We're clear!" Fluttershy shouted down at the others who swiftly moved up to the bridge and together pushed the geth to the control room where they disabled the final AA tower.

"AA's down! You're clear to engage Joker!" Shepard shouted into his comm, a couple of seconds later the Normandy passed overhead firing its main cannon at the heaviest of the targets. The four soldiers quickly headed back to the MAKO and drove the rest of the way to the STG camp, mopping up the couple remaining geth.

After arriving at the camp, Shepard went to talk to the commander while Fluttershy went to sit somewhere to the side to quickly eat an energy bar. Though she couldn't hear the conversation from her position she saw that at some point Wrex involved himself only to shout something at the STG commander and barge off, the commander following him. The two of them had an argument but what happened next made the pegasus spit out the remains of her energy bar.

Wrex pulled his shotgun on Shepard who in turn pulled his pistol, the entire camp tensed up as they awaited the conclusion of the conflict in their midst but Fluttershy wasn't going to just sit on the sidelines.

I don't know whatever this is about but I'm not letting them hurt each other.

[Try stopping the two of them with Biotics] Dangerous

Tackle Wrex to the ground

Fly between the two of them

Tackle Shepard to the ground

[Paralyse the two of them with the Stare]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Turns out we got done with the prep for tomorrow's event at 1400 hours which meant I had the entire afternoon to write.

Welp, tomorrow my day starts at 0500 and ends at 1900-2000 hours so I definitely won't have time then. :twilightsheepish:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18064445
[Certainty: 60]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

The base

Chapter 35

The base

Fly between the two of them 61%

It only took Fluttershy a few flaps of her wing to fly over to the standoff and pose herself between the two. Shepard immediately lowered his weapon, unlike Wrex who kept his shotgun trained in the direction of Shepard.

"Get out of my way, Fluttershy," Wrex warned as he kept glaring past the pegasus at Shepard. "There's a cure to the genophage and these pyjacks want to destroy it."

"We can't let Saren have an entire army of krogan, Wrex, he'd be unstoppable." Shepard shot back getting an angry growl from Wrex in return.

"My people are dying and Saren is creating a cure that could save them! Help me out here Shepard, the line between friend and foe is blurring from where I stand," the krogan said as his small eyes narrowed and his grip on his shotgun tightened, ready to fire if Shepard couldn't give a good rebuttal.

"STOP IT!" Fluttershy shouted, "Wrex, do you honestly believe Saren doesn't have complete control? Do you want your people to be slaves? Tools to be used just like with the rachni?!" she ranted, Wrex slowly lowered his shotgun as he got Fluttershy's point.

"No, I don't want that," Wrex admitted. Fluttershy turned in the other direction to face Shepard.

"And you! Are you seriously going to consider shooting Wrex? A mercenary who is traveling along with us without even getting paid, just because he believes the cause is important enough to do so!" Shepard, having already lowered his pistol, attached it to his hip and walked past Fluttershy to Wrex.

"Look Wrex, I agree that the genophage was, though necessary at the time, an outright war crime. But can't we both agree that this is not the way for it to be cured?" he asked. Fluttershy in the meanwhile had landed behind the two and hoped Wrex would agree.

The krogan grunted and holstered his shotgun as well. "Yeah, I don't like this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead. You did get me back my ancestral armor after all."

Fluttershy let out a breath of relief she had been holding along with the rest of the camp. The watching salarians slowly got back to the work they had been doing previously. "Thanks for knocking some sense into us, Fluttershy. That could have escalated very quickly if you hadn't intervened." The Commander thanked as Wrex had walked off to prepare for the upcoming assault of Saren's base himself.

"I-it's nothing Commander, I just don't like it when two friends fight each other," Fluttershy said modestly, Shepard shaking his head at the remark.

"Don't sell yourself short Fluttershy, if you hadn't intervened I would have shot him. I'm glad you stopped us before we got to that point." Shepard confessed, Fluttershy was shocked at the fact that the Commander had been ready to kill Wrex just like that. "Now get yourself ready for action. Knowing the salarians it probably won't take long for them to come up with a plan of attack."

Fluttershy nodded and went to sit down at one of the crates to the side and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the adrenaline that had entered her bloodstream fading away. She sat like that for a bit while doing some breathing exercises to keep her calm. At some point, she felt someone sit down next to her and looked to the side to find Garrus sitting next to her.

"Hey, I saw your intervention. Damn good job on that by the way, I know that Wrex and I have some differences, but, for a krogan, he's pretty alright. I'm glad you got them to see some reason," the Turian complimented, "Anyway, the salarians came up with a plan which they're going over right now. I expect we'll be called upon in just a bit."

Fluttershy rested her head against the turian who wrapped his arm around the pegasus, "It's not going to be pretty in there, is it?"

"No," Garrus simply answered while the commander came walking up to the pair as he was seemingly done talking to the salarian Captain.

"Vakarian, Shy, you two along with Wrex are on my team for the coming action. The Salarians are going to assault the front of the base while we sneak into the back," he told Shy and Garrus, who had both stood up. "Tali and Ashely are going to rig the jump drive from the salarian ship to make a bomb from it while Liara will stay on the Normandy and help with comms."

"Where's Kaidan going to be?" Fluttershy asked, not having heard where the last of Shepard's human squadmates would be.

"Kaidan will be assisting the STG units on the ground in the frontal assault," Shepard answered, his voice didn't betray any emotions.

"Oh, okay. But why would you take me instead of Liara? She's much more experienced than I am." Fluttershy asked in confusion, it didn't completely make sense to her as this was, without a doubt, going to prove to be a hard mission.

"Liara can't fly," Shepard simply answered. Fluttershy didn't really have a rebuttal to that. "You might not be as good as Liara is but you have potential, and I want a team that is as versatile as possible for this mission. I want you two ready at the MAKO in ten, we'll be covertly moving to the back of the facility." He ordered over the sound of the salarian captain starting a speech in the background. Garrus and Fluttershy listened to the motivational speech for a couple of minutes before reporting to the MAKO where their part of the action would start.

"Comm check, do you read me, captain?" Shepard asked as the infiltration squad reached its position at the back of the base. Fluttershy along with Wrex and Garrus stepped out of the bushes after the commander, they had been walking through the jungle for about an hour while avoiding any contact with the geth and various krogan patrols.

"Loud and clear, Commander. What's shadow's status?" Captain Kirrahe asked over the radio.

"Shadow is in position to strike," Shepard answered as he looked back at the others who confirmed their readiness with a small nod.

"Understood, we'll start our push towards the base's AA emplacement but it might be up to you to finish the job. Any help you could give us would be appreciated, Kirrahe out." With that, the radio went silent and the group moved forward towards the facility. Fluttershy picked up the sound of distant gunfire from the frontal assault.

A shiver went up the pegasus' spine as she knew that she was about to get into a fight not only with mere geth, that was something she could deal with, but with living and breathing krogan. She wasn't sure that, when it came down to it she had it in her to kill a living creature, even ones she knew had no free will in the first place.

Author's Note

I didn't want to drag this chapter out for the sake of dragging it out so I'm skipping the vote again, next one will have one for sure though.

I'll give you guys two topics that'll come up next chapter: Sovereign, Indoctrination

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

No vote this chapter :twilightsheepish:

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Experiments

Chapter 36

Experiments

"Garrus take out that geth sniper," Shepard ordered as they approached the first building—a geth network tower. There was also a regular trooper and a geth destroyer, but neither of those two would be able to hit them at range.

"Understood, taking the shot," Garrus replied as he rested his rifle on a rock and took a breath, lining up his shot in the meantime. The rifle let out an ear-deafening thunderclap as its round flew off and punched through the geth sniper's torso. "Sniper eliminated," the turian said, the other machines now aware of their presence.

The geth destroyer, after seeing one of his allies get downed, charged down the structure’s ramp towards where the squad had taken cover. Wrex allowed the machine to approach into his weapon’s effective range before exposing himself and firing his shotgun. His modified rounds broke the machine’s charge and made it stagger back, though its shields remained functional. Not that that was the case for long as Garrus fired one of his disruption rounds at it which tore through the remaining shielding and in turn allowed Shepard to finish it off with fire from his assault rifle.

Fluttershy in the meantime had moved slightly further forward and lit one wing with a biotic aura. She had seen the geth regular take cover behind one of the large rocks ahead which gave a good view of the others. After making an approximate assumption of where the geth was, Fluttershy lobbed a ball of biotic energy that was supposed to apply the lift effect to anything it hit over the rock.

The pegasus held her breath as she waited to see if her move had any effect, something she got an answer to as a flailing geth rose into the air. Quickly pulling the heavy pistol she had gotten from Garrus, she put a round into the machine and took it out. Since her apprehensiveness about killing live beings did not apply to the machines which seemed to be created with the sole purpose of killing, taking the cruel automatons out of this world wasn’t something Fluttershy would lose sleep over.

“Nice one, Fluttershy,” Shepard said as he passed the pegasus and moved up to the structure where a geth console stood. The commander pushed a couple of buttons on its display and then fired a few shots into it, destroying it and making sure it couldn’t be activated again. “That should scramble the geth network and give the assault teams a better chance.”

A couple of seconds later the radio came to life and explained that the geth had momentarily lost coordination which allowed the assault teams to push them further back, just like Shepard had predicted. The group continued further, destroying geth and their equipment along the way as they made their way towards the back of Saren’s facility. This is where Fluttershy encountered the thing she had been most afraid of on the mission, a krogan.

Does Fluttershy open fire on the krogan? No

No matter what she did she couldn’t form a justification in her head for killing the living creature. The pegasus jumped into cover and while the others focussed on the krogan, Fluttershy used her biotics on the pair of geth that accompanied it, never firing at the krogan itself. The two geth dropped down as neither could really withstand the biotic barrage Fluttershy was throwing at them while the krogan, though tough, also fell to the combined fire from the krogan, turian, and human trio. Wrex, in particular, looked disgusted at the krogan corpse, not due to the fact that it had just attacked him but that it did so without any will of its own.

“Let’s continue. Saren must pay for this debacle,” Wrex growled as they made their way through the first door into the facility proper. Garrus connected his omni-tool to the first console he found.

“Commander, I can access the base’s security system from here. Should I disable the alarms or set them off on the far side of the facility. One will give us more resistance and the other the salarians,” Garrus told Shepard who didn’t even seem to think about which to choose.

“Just disable the alarms. We can handle whatever is behind those doors. The salarians already have a tough enough job as it is,” Shepard ordered.

"Understood, Commander," Garrus said as he tapped a few commands into his omni-tool to disable the alarms and unlock the doors into the base. Before the four of them made any progress into the building they were attacked by salarians, and Fluttershy froze as she recognized the armor as the same type as the STG unit's.

W-what? Why would they attack us?!

Before Fluttershy could theorize any further, the other three reflexively shot the seemingly crazed salarians while simultaneously a group of geth appeared. Fluttershy felt her heart skip a beat as one of them fired a rocket at the group. None of them had gotten the time to take cover, so the resulting explosion would be devastating.

Unacceptable.

In a panic, Fluttershy lit her wings up in a biotic aura and flung a blob of energy at the incoming projectile. The moment it got hit, the rocket was flung upwards and impacted the ceiling instead of in the middle of the group. This only got them a short respite as the geth simply continued their advance.

Garrus tackled Fluttershy into cover while Shepard and Wrex found boxes to hide behind themselves and returned fire to the machines. “Nice job with the rocket, Shy,” he complimented while immediately returning fire to the geth platforms. The machines didn’t last long against the concentrated fire from the now well-protected soldiers and soon were nothing more than piles of metal. After taking out a few more of the machines in their area they moved on through the facility.

They moved through room after room until they came across what seemed to be a prison complex that still housed one of the STG soldiers. Fluttershy immediately went up to the cell to see if he was alright. “Hello, are you ok?” she asked, and the salarian jolted up in surprise.

“Yes, I’m Lieutenant Ganto Imness of the third infiltration regiment. I guess the fleet was sent in to destroy the base?” he answered as he approached the glass barrier.

“Fleet’s not coming. The transmission wasn’t clear,” Shepard answered as he stepped next to Fluttershy.

“Hmm, I see. Then you must be the infiltration team. I know the captain, he will want the facility destroyed,” the lieutenant replied before his voice took a darker tone. “My team was altered, indoctrinated. Some died in the experiments, I envy them. The krogan breeding grounds are one threat but it pales in comparison with indoctrination.”

“What kind of experiments?” Shepard carefully asked, and the salarian visibly started breathing more rapidly.

“Symptoms and side-effects of the indoctrination, Saren uses it to control his subordinates but I don’t think he truly understands it. Please, the others were turned into mindless husks! You have to let me out!” He panicked.

“I’m letting you out, but after that, you’re on your own.” Shepard touched the control panel next to the cell which made its door slide open.

“I guess that’s better odds than I had before. Thank you, Commander.” The salarian said before quickly taking off. In the cell next to his there was another group of salarians only they didn’t even acknowledge the presence of the outside group.

“They look docile, as if their minds are gone,” Garrus stated as he studied the blank looking salarians. Fluttershy looked horrified at the victims of the indoctrination.

“Commander, permission to use the stare to see if there’s anything left of their minds?” Fluttershy said without taking her gaze off the salarians. Shepard looked down at the pegasus and thought for a moment, coming to the conclusion that if their minds were damaged beyond repair it wouldn’t matter anyway.

“Go ahead.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and closed her eyes while the others took a step back from the pegasus. When Fluttershy opened her eyes again she projected her stare at the group of salarians, a nauseating feeling coming over the pegasus as she felt something clinging to their minds. The best way she could describe it was that it was as if a tar-like substance had attached itself to the mental functions of the aliens and inhibited them.

The pegasus tried to prod deeper, but by doing so she probably hit something she wasn’t supposed to as whatever was in the minds of the salarians started attacking them further. The group that was previously docile suddenly lunged forward and started to hit the glass barrier while letting out animalistic screams. Fluttershy scrambled back as she looked at the group in horror.

“NO, I-I didn’t mean to!” Fluttershy blurted out as the salarians suddenly stopped beating the window and dropped to the floor. Most likely they were all dead. Tears flowed from the pegasus’ eyes as Garrus picked her up and shielded her from the sight.

“You couldn’t have predicted that, Fluttershy. You did the one thing you thought that could help and it didn’t work. No-one will blame you for that,” Garrus comforted the mare.

“Garrus is right. The only thing we can do now is blow up this base so it doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Shepard added as the turian put Shy back on the ground. The pegasus didn’t dare look back at the cell as they left to continue their way through the facility, eventually finding an elevator that would take them to the upper levels.

As they stepped out of the elevator they found themselves in a laboratory. Beds lined the room and husks were put into stasis fields for study.

Is this where those salarians were taken for their ‘experiments’? Are these monsters responsible for what happened to them?!

Fluttershy saw red with rage as she studied the medical equipment, “HOW DARE YOU, MONSTERS!” she shouted as she lit her wings up and released a biotic wave, not caring about the amount of energy she used in that single attack. The closest two beds were flung clear across the room while everything and everyone else in front of her was knocked over.

A salarian doctor who had been standing close to the pegasus was launched with the beds and hit the wall at a tremendous speed, a crack indicating that it broke something, and dropped to the ground. The other living being that was present had been a krogan. Since he had been standing farther away from the blast, he was only knocked over.

“NO! Stay back. This is the glorious salvation of my species!” he shouted as he tried getting up but was stopped by Wrex who planted a boot on the other krogan.

“You’re reducing us to a set of slaves. If our species is to find salvation, it is by other means than this,” he coldly stated, blasting a shotgun slug into the krogan doctor’s head before he could respond. Fluttershy meanwhile looked at the corpse of the salarian scientist. Though disgusted with herself, she couldn’t help but think about the horribly cruel things the salarian had done.

“You okay, Fluttershy?” Shepard asked as he looked at the pegasus who was staring at the corpse in front of her.

“Yes, I’m okay,” Fluttershy lied. She still felt horrible about what she had done but would suppress it for the moment as they still had a mission.

“Good, we should move on. I don’t know if the salarian assault teams can take much more,” the Commander said as he motioned for the others to follow him.

Author's Note

No vote on this one since the next chapter should be up in a bit as well :twilightsheepish:

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

No vote this chapter :twilightsheepish:

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Reaper

Chapter 37

Reaper

As the group moved a couple of rooms further in, taking a couple of geth out on the way, they found an asari cowering below a desk. Fluttershy immediately lit up her wings but was blocked by Garrus as he quickly jumped between the pegasus and the asari.

“Don’t shoot! Please, I just want to get out of here before it’s too late!” she plead, Shepard had his weapon raised at the asari as he couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.

“Identify yourself,” he calmly stated but somehow that only made him sound even more intimidating.

“Rana Thanoptis, neuro specialist. This job isn’t worth dying over… or worse. Do you think the prisoners are the only ones affected by the indoctrination? Eventually, Saren will want to dissect my brain too!” she said very much in a panic. Shepard looked over at Fluttershy who no longer had her wings lit up in a biotic aura.

“Can you try to check if she isn’t indoctrinated?” the Commander asked, Fluttershy nodded and stepped forward, unleashing the stare at the asari. The pegasus still felt the strange disturbance in the asari’s brain but the moment she touched the contaminated spots of her psyche they withered and disappeared.

“She’s good, Commander,” Fluttershy answered as she released the stare, the asari gasping for air after having been exposed to the technique.

“I thought this was a breeding facility?” Shepard asked while Rana wearily glanced at the pegasus who was glaring at her.

“Not this level, here we were studying the effects of Sovereign on organic minds. Saren tried to keep us in the dark but that’s hard if you’re the one studying its effects,” She answered hastily, “I didn’t want to stay, but it wasn’t as if I could just leave. The position was a little more permanent than expected, but I can help you. The elevator behind me goes directly to Saren’s personal lab, and I can get you in,” she explained as she walked to a console and tapped a few commands, the door to the elevator opening. “I also gave you full access to Saren’s files. Please, can you let me go?”

Shepard looked troubled at the asari, “I don’t trust you, but if Fluttershy says you are good then I’ll trust her judgment. I suggest you start running because I’m going to blow this place to hell.”

“W-What! But… you can’t… I’ll never make it!” The asari panicked and rushed past the group to get herself to safety. Shepard sighed as the door closed behind them again.

“Come on, we need to figure out what Saren was doing in his personal lab,” the Commander stated and the group stepped into the now unlocked elevator and went up. As they stepped out of the elevator the group froze as they saw what stood in the lab.

“Holy crap, is that a prothean beacon?!” Garrus said as he was the first to come out of his stupor.

“Yes it is,” Shepard said as he immediately walked up to the device which seemed to activate in the Commander’s presence. Fluttershy tried to retreat from the device as she suddenly felt pressure building in her mind but was too slow.

The vision she had gotten from Shepard in the Normandy flashed through her mind again, only this time it was clear as day. The entire event only took a few seconds but by the time it was done both Shepard and Fluttershy were weakly trying to get up again.

“You two good?” Wrex asked as the human and pegasus found their feet again.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. We got what we needed,” Shepard stated as he took the lead towards the exit. He didn’t get far as a hologram of the ship that had attacked the colony on Eden Prime came to life.

“You are not Saren,” It stated in a reverberating mechanical voice.

“Is that a VI interface?” Fluttershy asked, a shiver going up her spine

“Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.”

“I don’t think this is a VI...” Garrus said, answering Fluttershy’s question.

“There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!”

“Sovereign isn’t just a ship, it’s a reaper!” Fluttershy said as she connected the dots.

“Reaper? A label created by the protheans and your species to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are.”

“M-my species?!” Fluttershy said alarmed, had ponies faced these things before? “How could you have even been there? That was fifty-thousand years ago!”

“Organic life is nothing but genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything.”

“You will face a united galaxy when you come! We won't let you destroy anyone!” Shepard shouted at the construct in rage, not that that it seemed to faze it in any way.

“Confidence born of ignorance, the cycle cannot be broken.”

This time it was Garrus who first spoke, “Cycle? What cycle?”

“The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And in the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind.”

“Why would you construct the mass relays and then leave them?” Shepard asked the reaper who answered in kind.

“Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology. By using it your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.”

“We will not allow it! We’ll find a way to stop you!” Fluttershy shouted at the hologram in rage as she flew up into a hover.

“Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. Our numbers will darken the skies and extinguish the light of your civilizations. This exchange is over.” The glass window panes of the lab exploded inwards as the hologram of the reaper vanished, Joker’s voice coming over the radio almost immediately after.

“Commander, we’ve got problems. That ship sovereign? It’s moving. I don’t know what you did down there but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half,” The pilot reported. “It’s coming your way and it’s coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there—Fast!”

“Fuck,” Shepard swore as he started running to the elevator. “We need to set that nuke and get out of here. Now!” He shouted as everyone got into the elevator. With time running out on them the group didn’t bother with overly clever tactics and charged in the direction of the base’s AA tower that was stopping the Normandy from approaching. Their shields took a beating from all the various resistance along the way, but nothing had yet to down them completely.

“Fluttershy, get up there and Disable that AA gun!” Shepard shouted as he cleared the last of the geth out from below the air defence emplacement. The pegasus flew up ahead and found the appropriate console, disabled it, and shot it a couple of times for good measure.

“Turret is down, Commander!” She called out to the squad that was just coming up the ramp, an elevator at the back wall came to life and a small group of signatures appeared on the group’s motion tracker.

“Enemy units in the elevator, take aim!” Shepard said as he himself also raised his weapon. The moment the doors opened, everyone let loose a barrage of fire, the few geth troopers in the elevator being destroyed within seconds. “Nicely done, let's get topside to secure the bomb site.”

Taking the same elevator the geth unit had used, the group found themselves at the site that had been designated as the place where the nuke had to be detonated. The STG captain soon after had reported that they had taken down their AA tower as well, clearing the path for the Normandy to approach. Joker didn’t waste any time bringing the frigate in close and dropping its lethal payload off. Ashley and a few other crew members carrying the bomb out of the Normandy.

“Bomb is in position, we’re all set here!” Ashley reported, but was interrupted by a radio transmission from the Captain Kirrahe and Kaidan.

“Commander, do you read?” The STG captain asked, gunfire in the background of the transmission.

“Five by five. Get your team to the rendezvous point, Captain. The nuke is set and ready!” Shepard warned the remains of the assault team.

“Negative, Commander. The geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We’ve taken heavy casualties!” Kirrahe responded. Shepard swore and signaled the group to follow.

“Hold on, Captain. We’re coming!” he radioed to the assault team before turning to Ashley. “Get the nuke ready! I’ll come pick you up after we’ve gotten the salarian team!”

“Yes, sir!” Ashley shouted back at the Commander and quickly continued working on arming the nuke. Fluttershy followed Shepard as the Commander made a sprint to the other AA tower where the assault team was held up, on the way there they faced heavy krogan resistance, but that didn’t stop them from making slow progress towards the salarian strike team.

At about the halfway point between the AA tower and the bomb site a geth troop transport flew over and hovered above the latter location, Ashley opening a comm line. “The Geth just dropped reinforcements all over the bomb site! There’s too many. I’m activating the nuke!” she shouted.

“What the hell are you doing, Chief!” Shepard shouted back, calling Ashley by her rank.

“I’m making sure this bomb goes off no matter what! There, it’s done. Go get the Lieutenant, Commander!” Ashley said, something Kaidan didn’t take too kindly too.

“Belay that! We can handle ourselves. Go and get Williams!” He called out. Shepard stood still and didn’t look like he could make a decision who to pick. Only one could be picked up, which meant the death of the other.

Fluttershy didn’t envy the Commander’s position. If he left Ashley there would be a small chance the bomb wouldn’t go off, while if he left Kaidan he would also leave the STG team and open the possibility that the AA gun came back online.

But Shepard’s indecisiveness was costing them precious time. He needed a nudge in one direction or the other.

Encourage Shepard to go to Kaidan

Encourage Shepard to go back to Ashley

[Vote link]

Author's Note

So I did a double upload today... Yeah, I got kind of into the flow of the chapter so I ended up with something like 4k words which was a bit much for a single chapter so me and lordelliot decided to split it in two.

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18099135
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Saren

Chapter 38

Saren

Encourage Shepard to go to Kaidan 58%

“Joker, can you pick up Ashley?!” Shepard shouted into the comm at the pilot.

“Negative Commander, there are more geth ships inbound. I can only make one pickup before they reach us and even that is going to be close!” Joker replied, and Shepard cursed again as that option was also taken off the table.

“Commander, we need to make a decision, now!” Garrus urged as they were still standing in the same location. Fluttershy stepped forward, already feeling vile about what she was about to say.

“Shepard, if we go back to Ashley we condemn the STG unit to death as well,” the pegasus said, not outright stating but heavily implying that they should go get Kaidan. Shepard spoke into his mic again as he made his decision.

“Lieutenant, radio Joker to come pick you up at the AA tower. We’ll be there soon,” he ordered, definitely not happy with the decision.

“Commander, I...” Kaidan started his rebuke but didn’t finish what he wanted to say, instead acknowledging the order. “Understood, Kaidan out.”

“I’m sorry, Ashley. I had to make a choice,” Shepard said sadly as he was already moving further away from the bomb site in the direction of the AA tower where Kaidan was held up.

“I understand, Commander. I don’t regret a thing. It was an honor serving with you,” Ashley replied in a final transmission to Shepard. A tear rolled down Fluttershy's cheek as she followed the group to Kaidan’s location, not daring to look back in guilt for her suggestion. They didn’t encounter any more resistance, only destroyed geth platforms, on the way to the elevator that led up to the AA tower, something that the assault team was most likely responsible for.

The sound of gunfire immediately echoed within the elevator as the doors opened to its destination, but luckily for its passengers no geth were waiting for them at the top. Quickly getting out of the confined space, the group took cover behind the geth platforms and sandwiched them between themselves and the assault team. Taking away the ability to take cover proved to be devastating to the geth as they were ripped apart from two sides, but just as they took out the last geth a new enemy showed up.

Fluttershy felt his arrival, the feathers on her wings standing up as they felt a biotic attack coming from somewhere. She tried flapping them to get out of its way but was hit regardless as the biotic blob of energy simply changed directions and flung her into a crate. The pegasus let out a scream as she felt her right wing dislocating from its socket, though that didn’t stop her from dragging herself into cover to avoid getting hit again.

“I applaud you, Shepard. My geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat. An impressive diversion,” the turian who had appeared said, his shield taking various hits from the soldiers that surrounded him. “Of course, it was all for nothing. I can’t let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can’t possibly understand what’s really at stake.”

Fluttershy saw Garrus looking over at her as he was one cover over, she shot him a pained look while pointing at her right wing. It looked as if Garrus wanted to jump cover but Fluttershy held out a hoof motioning for him to stay put, though this sent another wave of pain through her body.

I need to fix that wing, otherwise I’m just dead weight.

“Then make me understand! Why the hell would you do something like this?!” Shepard shouted back at the turian. Fluttershy picked up on this and suddenly understood who had just attacked her.

It’s him, Saren! He’s the one who started this! He started all these terrible experiments!

Fluttershy took hold of her dislocated wing and yanked on it hard, the bone slipping back into its socket at the cost of another spike of intense pain.

“You’ve seen the vision from the beacons, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Is submission not preferable to extinction?”

“NO!” Fluttershy shouted at the turian who looked surprised to see the pegasus already back on her hooves. “The beauty of life is that we’re all able to make our own decisions. If you take away that choice then we’d just be mindless drones performing atrocities for our masters. Dying is much more preferable than that! We will stop the reapers, starting with YOU!” she shouted in rage. Saren had destroyed too many lives already and would destroy many more if he were allowed to roam free. Her wings lit up and within a split second a blue blob of biotic energy hurtled at Saren.

The attack hit the turian’s shield and dissipated but not without severely weakening it. Saren didn’t take to kindly to this and immediately opened fire on the pegasus, forcing her to duck back behind cover. This didn’t matter as the damage had been done, all hell broke loose as everyone started firing at the turian who gladly returned the favour.

Saren flew around on his hovering platform while firing down at the remaining members of the STG unit and Shepard’s crew but eventually his shields flickered and went out. Seeing that the odds were now seriously against him, Saren released a form of biotic wave that knocked everyone of their feet and dazed them.

In this moment he jumped off his platform, ran over to the Commander, picked him up by the throat, and held him over the edge of the tower. The long fall would certainly be lethal to Shepard if he were to be dropped. Fluttershy felt her muscles burn and her body scream from exhaustion as she got back on her hooves. Her weapons were flung away from her by the biotic explosion, and she was way too tired to use her own biotics on the turian.

No! I’m not letting him hurt anyone else!

Distract Saren

Attack using omni blades

Use the Stare on Saren

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I don't really have anything to say atm so I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18107397
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Krogan's advice

Chapter 40

Krogan's advice

Go to Wrex 58%

Fluttershy stood in the elevator down to the garage. Wrex was already used to hanging around there, and now that Ashley was gone he had taken it upon himself to maintain the armory. Fluttershy decided she wanted to speak to the krogan because he had just thrown away a cure to the genophage, a decision that might turn out to be fatal to his species in the long run.

The fact that he listened to her and Shepard and helped destroy the facility was still baffling to the pegasus but showed Wrex’s dedication to the cause. He might act as if he were just tagging along, yet in truth he seemed to want to take Saren out just as badly as anyone else on the ship.

The elevator stopped and, as the pegasus had predicted, Wrex was standing at the armory, cleaning his shotgun.

“Hello Wrex, do you have time?” Fluttershy asked the working krogan who glanced down at her.

“Sure. Mind if I keep working while you talk?” he replied as he started reassembling the shotgun. Fluttershy shook her head.

“No, I don’t mind,” she told him before asking him about what she really wanted to know, “So Virmire…”

“Yeah, what about it? We went there, blew up the base, and got out alive. I’m pretty sure that’s mission accomplished.” He then shrugged as he finished assembling a part of the shotgun.

“And the cure for the genophage?” Fluttershy asked, bewildered as she hadn’t expected the nonchalant reply.

"Better to be rid of it and find our own cure. Saren probably made it so that everyone who took that cure would fall under his influence, and I believe it was you who suggested that," Wrex noted. Fluttershy blushed in self-conscious embarrassment at the reminder. The krogan continued before Fluttershy could say anything else. “Look, as of this moment my species is not even worth saving.”

The pegasus was taken aback by this opinion. Wrex had nearly gotten into a fight with Shepard over this topic, and now he was dismissing his entire race? “What?! Why is that!”

“Because we stand for nothing. Krogans used to have a warrior culture that once valued courage, strength, and honor, now we only find more reasons to kill each other. Anything worth saving was lost long ago, it just took me a while to figure that out,” he growled as he finished reassembling his shotgun. Fluttershy only stared blankly at the krogan, thinking of ways to get through to the krogan as talking obviously wasn’t working.

Does Fluttershy think up a way to get through to Wrex? Yes

Is her method unconventional? Critical yes

Fluttershy flew up and raised her hoof to let it crash down onto the krogan’s head. It wasn’t a hard impact by any means as the shy pegasus wasn’t strong enough to truly hurt Wrex, but the extremely unexpected action made the krogan flinch backwards.

“Now you listen closely. Your species might be a bit violent, but that’s through no fault of your own! You evolved on a planet where if you weren’t as aggressive you are you would have been driven to extinction. Your species needs a good leader to keep them in line. If that’s the case, that warrior culture can be revived and give the krogan some purpose again,” Fluttershy lectured. “No life is truly without value. Even among ponies we have bad apples who want to hurt others, but most of the time they just need someone to look after them.”

“Good luck finding a krogan like that,” Wrex huffed in dismissal. “But I see you have troubles of your own you are trying very hard to hide.”

Fluttershy frowned at Wrex’s observation and fluttered back to the deck.

Is it that obvious?

Fluttershy felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes as the images of last mission flashed through her mind “I-I… there was so m-much blood, and I k-killed those krogan a-and then Ashley…”

“Kid, stop it,” Wrex said as he crouched down and placed his hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder, “What’s done is done. They made their choice, you made yours. No point thinking back on that now. They would have happily killed you and probably eaten you after if given half the chance.”

Fluttershy felt her stomach churn at the blunt way Wrex had shot down her concerns, though it made sense that he’d have less trouble getting to the point due to his krogan heritage. “How do you do it?”

“Point my shotgun and pull the trigger,” Wrex blankly replied, but after seeing the shocked expression Fluttershy shot at him, he sighed and elaborated. “Look, my kind doesn’t have any problems with killing. It’s just the way of survival for us. You shouldn’t let stuff like that get to you kid, because in the long run you probably saved a whole lot of others by helping to blow up that facility. As for the human female, she chose her own death. That’s something a fellow warrior can respect.”

Fluttershy weakly nodded as Wrex stood back up and stored the shotgun into his weapons locker. “Good. Now go get some sleep. You need to be fresh when we reach Ilos.”

After wiping the tears from her eyes, Fluttershy turned around and quietly headed for the elevator. She had a lot of new topics to think about.

As she walked past the mess, she noticed Garrus talking to Tali, wearing a set of regular clothes instead of his signature blue armor. Fluttershy couldn’t help but stare at the turian as he leaned on the large central table, her heart pounding in her chest.

The pegasus was snapped out of her near trance by a light tap on her shoulder, jumping around as she let out a startled yelp. Looking up, Fluttershy found a smiling doctor Chakwas looking down at her.

“You should let him know, if it really is what you want,” Chakwas softly told the pegasus to make sure neither the quarian nor turian heard her. Fluttershy swallowed nervously as she looked between Chakwas and Garrus.

Should I really tell him? What if he rejects me? Would he never want to see me again?

Confess to Garrus,maybe?

Go sleep in the medbay. He has enough to worry about.

He wouldn’t want to be with me anyway. It’s better to give up now.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Phew, I had some trouble with this chapter but the main delay came from school almost being over, exams and stuff and having to work on a few other… personal issues.

One of those personal issues being that the dad of my best mate died after struggling with lung cancer for three years, needless to say the moment I heard this I immediately went over to him to give him some much needed moral support. He did the same for me when my mom died so returning the favour was something that was never really in question.

I’ll start work on the next chapter as we’re getting close to the end of ME1 and the start of ME2 but I’m not making any promises on the release date, real life takes precedence over fimfic.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18191395
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Mutiny

Chapter 41

Mutiny

Go with Shepard 58%

Fluttershy was following Shepard as he led her, Liara, and Wrex through the streets of Zakera Ward towards the nightclub. The krogan had jumped at the chance for free liquor while Liara hadn't given any explanation other than that she didn't have anything else to do. Garrus and Tali had both excused themselves, Garrus saying that he needed to do some needed calibrations on the MAKO while Tali had a couple of things she wanted to do in engineering.

The four of them, except Wrex, had opted to leave their armor on the Normandy as not to draw too much attention to themselves. Not that they were completely vulnerable. Fluttershy had already seen the modular shield generator Shepard had installed in his clothes and the pistol concealed under his jacket. As for herself and Liara, they could both create biotic barriers if the need arose. Though most of this had just been a precaution since the Citadel wasn't really dangerous most of the time, their only encounters being because they had looked for the trouble or were specifically targeted by assassins.

"...And stay out!" someone shouted from the top of the stairs that lead up to Flux, the salarian who had just been tossed out rolling down them. Fluttershy immediately shot forward to see if he was alright. Luckily for him he was fine, and he stood up and dusted off his clothes.

"Are you okay, and why were you just thrown out of there?" Shepard asked the salarian who huffed.

"Doran didn't have a clue what I was doing. He just assumed that I was doing so!" the salarian said angrily. Wrex chuckled.

"So how much did you rip them off for?" the krogan asked with some amusement.

"What no! I was just tipping the scales in my favor for an experiment!" the salarian defended himself which earned him an eye roll from Shepard.

"That's what cheating is. Have a nice day and goodbye,” Shepard said as he pushed past the salarian and into the nightclub. He had better things to do with his time. The moment they entered the club, Wrex tapped Shepard on his shoulder and grinned. Shepard, letting out a sigh, went up to a waiter and ordered a bottle of ryncol for the krogan.

Fluttershy, who had already mover further into the club, took it upon herself to go looking around for a bit. The guests of the club seemed too preoccupied with their alcohol, dancing, or gambling to care about the pegasus walking among them, but that changed as she walked into the tables where guests were sitting. A nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her that she was being watched. Fluttershy had a bout of paranoia at this and quickly scanned her surroundings but found none of the guests looking at her.

"Miss Fluttershy?" a voice from a nearby table asked, making her spin back around. Sitting there was a smiling Captain Anderson, the tawny man sitting in civilian clothes and a glass of what seemed to be water in his hands.

"Captain, we were just looking for you," Fluttershy replied as she regained her composure and sat down on one of the table's chairs.

"Then I guess Shepard is here as well?" he asked, the pegasus giving a nod and pointing her hoof at the bar where Shepard was still talking to a waiter. "Ah, he'll be with us in a bit. Anyway, how has the Normandy treated you?"

Fluttershy shifted her wings a bit out of nervousness. "Well, I've been helping doctor Chakwas in the medbay and have been in the field with Shepard a couple of times," she told the captain who almost did a spit-take.

"He took you out into the field?!”

"Yes, I did," Shepard said as he came walking up to the table, the captain standing up and giving the commander a friendly handshake. "She's got quite the biotic potential you know."

Anderson held up his hands in defense. "I know you, Shepard. If you didn't believe she could do it then you wouldn't take her." Both the commander and captain took a seat at the table after the greeting, immediately getting down to business. "Sorry about the Normandy by the way. I know how it feels to lose your ship."

"Politics happened. Now, you don't look like you're here just for the drinks." Shepard said as he folded his hands in front of him. Anderson gave him a nod in confirmation.

"They all think it's over, but we know that that's not true. The only way to stop Saren is to do it on Ilos," he told the commander who listened intently to what the captain was saying.

"Only the problem I'm having is that the Normandy is in lockdown. That has to be lifted before we can make a break for it, Shepard replied.

"Citadel control has locked out all the Normandy's systems, but if we override the ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the Normandy back online," Anderson explained as both he and the commander grinned.

"So you're going to break into the ambassador's office, knock him out, and then lift the lockdown," Shepard surmised.

"Captain, that's treason, a capital offense. The ambassador won't let that slide," Liara pointed out, having listened in on the conversation.

"Udina has made this personal, Liara. I'll gladly knock that bastard out if it gives you guys a shot at Ilos," Anderson growled as he stood up from the table, finishing his glass of water. "You have forty-five minutes to get your crew onto the Normandy. After that I'll make my move on the ambassador's office."

"You got it. We'll be ready, Captain." The two human friends didn't waste any more time, and Anderson took off to the embassy while Shepard managed to drag Wrex away from his half-finished bottle of ryncol under the promise that he'd get the krogan a new one. So, a few minutes after the captain had left Shepard, Liara, Fluttershy, and Wrex were also on their way to their destination.

Though, before they got to a shuttle station Fluttershy felt the disturbing feeling of being watched again. Not wasting a moment Fluttershy jumped around to face where she felt the presence coming from, her eyes landing on one of the overhead walkways the Citadel's maintenance crew used—the keepers.

Empty? Why am I... Wait is the air shimmering over there?

The air on the walkway was slightly warped in the exact spot Fluttershy had felt the presence looking at her. Not daring to pull her eyes away from the spot that had the disturbance in fear that she'd lose it and knowing that she only had a limited amount of time, she had to make a decision on what to do quicky as Shepard and the others weren't slowing down.

Do I go after it, or with Shepard? Maybe I could use my biotics to stop whatever is up there, but that might be dangerous for the civilians around here.

Go after the disturbance. Whatever is watching me it can't be good.

Go to the Normandy regardless We don't have enough time.

[Use biotics to stop whatever's up there, damn the risks.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Who is the mysterious pursuer? will Fluttershy do something or is she going to follow Shepard? Answers I have, answers I don't have.:trollestia:

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18213046
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Master Thief

Chapter 43

Master Thief

Go after the disturbance. Whatever is watching me, it can't be good. 66%

After the briefest moment of hesitation, Fluttershy sprang into action. Running in the direction of the disturbance, she flared her wings and flew up to the overhead walkway. The person who had been watching her didn't waste a moment after he'd been made and sprinted away from the pegasus. Where initially the disturbance was faint and barely detectable, it now was a clear disruption in the shape of either a human, batarian or asari.

Fluttershy, not willing to be caught unaware, used her biotics to create a barrier around herself. Whereas her armor would passively draw on her biotics to maintain a barrier, without it she had to focus to keep it active. This meant that she could neither use her ability to fly or use an attack without dropping her barrier.

Now in hot pursuit, Fluttershy mentally activated her omni-tool and called Shepard who almost immediately picked up. "Fluttershy, where are you? We're waiting at the shuttle docks, if you can’t get here soon we’re going to go ahead to the Normandy"

"I noticed that we were being followed by someone. I'm pursuing him right now," Fluttershy answered through her panting. Whoever this person was he was very nimble. None of the objects in his way had slowed him in any way as he seemed to fly, jump, and slide over them.

"Where are you right now?" Shepard asked as Fluttershy was gaining on the running spy, her four legs proving superior in the speed department. But getting this close also meant the person who was trying to get away had to think up different measures to escape. His omni-tool lit up and he fired an orb of energy from it at Fluttershy who was too close to dodge.

Does this orb hurt Fluttershy? No

Does it have other effects? Critical Yes

The energy from the orb arced over the pegasus' biotic barrier and made its way to her left leg where it interfered with Fluttershy's omni-tool, cutting off its connection and taking it offline momentarily. With renewed vigour, the spy increased the speed at which he was running and slowly increased the distance between himself and the pegasus.

Should I stop? I'm only on my own and- No! He was watching you for a reason. Your new friends might be in danger, and you need to figure out why!

"STOP!" Fluttershy shouted as she lowered her barrier and flapped her wings once. Even the slowest of flyers could outmatch the fastest of runners. The pegasus collided with the spy and the two of them tumbled to the ground, his cloak finally dissipating. But in a stunning display of agility, the spy did a flip and landed on his feet where Fluttershy came to a rolling stop.

Now that the invisibility had been disrupted, the pegasus finally got a good look at who she had been chasing. The spy was most definitely a human and a lady at that. She was dressed in a tight black and grey suit of sorts, and her head was also covered by a black hood which veiled a good part of her face in darkness, but the purple line that ran over the middle of her lower lip was clearly visible. She was also panting slightly from the failed attempt at running away from Fluttershy.

So what now? Was she sent to spy on us by Saren? If so, is she indoctrinated just like those salarians?

Those questions ran through Fluttershy's mind as the two of them had a stare off, waiting for the other to make their move. Unfortunately for the human, Fluttershy's next move did not require her to move at all as she unleashed the stare. The pegasus reasoned that back on Virmire it had purged the indoctrination from the asari scientist's mind. If it could be done with her, then It wasn't too far fetched to assume it could do the same for this human.

The female grunted as she fell to her knees, the stare ripping all control of her body from her. To Fluttershy's horror, she didn't find any of the corruption like she had with the salarians and asari. Having been warned against using the stare to prevent damage to the mind of the receiving party, Fluttershy immediately cut the ability off. The female scrambled back a bit away from the pegasus, none of her movements as graceful as they had been moments earlier.

"Why were you watching me back there?" Fluttershy demanded in as assertive a manner as she could while in reality, her heart was beating in her throat from fear.

"Well, can the little girl in me not get a bit excited after seeing a fairy tale creature?" She answered after recomposing herself. Though still on the ground, she looked ready to bolt at any second. The other thing Fluttershy noted was that the translator in her omni-tool was telling her the human was speaking a language called Japanese.

"From a walkway?" Fluttershy questioned skeptically to which the female simply shrugged.

"My line of work usually requires me to stay hidden. I'm actually surprised that you managed to notice me twice in a row," she said, a faint smile forming on her lips. Fluttershy wasn't sure what to do next. This human most definitely wasn't with Saren, but there was most definitely something wrong about her as well. A quick glance at the time on her omni-tool told Fluttershy that she had thirty minutes left to get to the Normandy, something that she guessed would take at least twenty.

"So the only reason you were watching me was because you were intrigued?" Fluttershy asked, still a little wary of the human as she had stood up and slowly circled the pegasus.

"Do I need a better reason?" she innocently queried, "But then again, I guess a bit of paranoia is in order when you're planning to commit high treason."

Fluttershy froze at the added sentence. This human knew about the plan to release the Normandy from lockdown. If she warned C-Sec, then the plan to release the Normandy would be over before it had even started. The human covered her mouth in a mocking fashion as she noticed the pegasus' reaction.

"Oh, was I not supposed to know about that?" she said amusedly as her omni-tool gave off a sound, "Look at that. I've finished downloading the files off of your omni-tool. There must be some interesting dirt somewhere in there, mustn't there?"

Fluttershy felt a shiver run up her spine. Whoever this was, she had allowed the pegasus to feel as if she had the upper hand while still retaining a firm grip on the situation. "What do you want?"

"A favor," the thief answered without hesitation, "There's something I could use your help with some time in the future, though I can't say exactly when."

"And if I refuse?" Fluttershy asked, even though she was pretty sure what the answer to that would be.

"How long do you think it'll take for C-Sec to swarm the alliance docks and arrest captain Anderson?" she answered, confirming Fluttershy's fear.

"How would I contact you?" the pegasus questioned as she saw the time she had left before catching the Normandy would be impossible slowly diminishing.

"You wouldn't. If I have need of you, I'll contact you," she answered. "So, what do you say?"

Fluttershy felt a layer of cold sweat on her coat as she evaluated her options.

If I agree, I'll owe her a favor, but if I say no, she might sell all the readings on my body stored on there to the highest bidder,

Agree to the terms.

Say no, and call Anderson to make his move immediately.

[I should have stopped her the first time.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Blackmail :scootangel:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18223618
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Escape

Chapter 44

Escape

Agree to the terms 62%

“I’ll do it,” Fluttershy said in resignation. The alternatives were too risky to consider. “But if I may ask, why are you doing this?”

The lady momentarily looked at Fluttershy as if she was trying to decide what to tell the pegasus, her voice changing from her previous playful tone to a much graver one as she spoke again. “A crime boss killed my… partner, and stole something from him. I want it back.”

Fluttershy didn’t know what to say to that, but, before she could give a reaction in the first place, the woman activated her cloak again and disappeared. Only where there previously was a shimmer, now it was as if she had vanished into thin air. There was no sound that accompanied her disappearance, not even the feeling of wind passing over Fluttershy’s coat. The pegasus would have sworn the human to be in the exact same place if it weren’t for the fact that she was able to walk through the spot she had just stood.

Fluttershy shuddered again as she was reminded that this lady had probably planned this out… and she was good, incredibly good.

A beeping sound from her omni-tool snapped her back to reality. Whatever block the lady had put on her omni-tool had shut off, allowing full use of the tool again. Looking at her call history, she found a whole list of calls from Shepard, and at some point Garrus had taken over in the attempts to get a hold of the pegasus again.

After pushing the necessary buttons, Fluttershy picked up the current incoming call from Garrus. “Uhm, hi?”

”Fluttershy! Where are you? What happened? We’ve been worrying ourselves sick over here.”

He worried about me? Does he care as well? Maybe… No, anyone would worry if someone just disappeared like that. It’s probably nothing.

“I had a, uhm, conversation with someone. I’m now making my way to the nearest shuttle dock,” Fluttershy answered as she plotted her route into the map on her omni-tool. Her flight gave her an edge as she flew over the crowds towards the nearest location.

”A conversation with who? The person that was spying on us?” Garrus inquired further. Fluttershy set down beside a shuttle, paid the small fee required to be taken to the docks, and jumped into the vehicle.

“Yes, she-” Fluttershy stopped as she wasn’t sure what to tell the turian. Yes the human had tricked her into following her and stolen the data on her omni-tool, but what did she really have on her? There was a chance that the medical data had already been leaked and anything else on the omni-tool could practically be written off as useless anyway. Looking back at the entire encounter it had seemed… desperate. Whatever this human had planned, she obviously couldn’t do alone but had no-one to fall back on. “-needed my help with something sometime in the future,” Fluttershy finished, leaving out the other events.

Garrus stayed silent for a moment, but when he spoke he didn’t press the issue any further. ”Can you make it back to the Normandy in time?”

Fluttershy checked the estimated time of arrival along with the amount of time they had left before Anderson would make his move. “It’ll be close, but I’ll make it.”

”Good, see you when you get here.” With that, Garrus closed the call and left Fluttershy with her own thoughts. The following twenty minutes she spent reviewing what little she had heard from the spy.

Even though she threatened to release the data she had gathered from the pegasus’ omni-tool, there really wasn’t anything else that could be held over Fluttershy’s head. But, on the other hoof, the pegasus had become curious as to what the lady had planned. She had been told that the thief's partner had been killed and something had been stolen from him, but the tone with which she had said partner suggested that it was much more than that. Whatever was taken from him had a lot of emotional value to her.

All those thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind as she saw the Alliance docks, and in turn the Normandy, coming up. The moment the shuttle door opened up Fluttershy shot out and made a beeline to the frigate, flying straight into the ship’s airlock. “Joker, I’m on board!”

”I was wondering when you’d arrive. Glad you made it.” Joker responded over the intercom as he closed the airlock and cycled it. ”Looks like you made it just in time. We’re cleared to leave!”

As Fluttershy stepped out of the airlock, she found the Commander standing in the cockpit behind Joker. The pilot quickly pressed various buttons and typed commands into the Normandy’s systems. “Engaging stealth drive,” he announced as he gunned the engines and sped out of the Citadel’s reach, the couple of vessels that had locked onto the Normandy immediately lost the vessel as it dropped off their sensors.

“Joker, get to the relay and take us to Ilos, ASAP,” Shepard said before turning to Fluttershy, who was still watching as the Normandy approached the Citadel’s main relay. “You. I don’t know who you talked to, but I want you to write up a report on what happened before we reach Ilos, understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Fluttershy answered and saluted with her wing.

“Good. Doctor Chakwas can show you how to do it. Dismissed.” Fluttershy didn’t waste any time making her way down to the medbay where she found Chakwas was already informed of the situation. Together they wrote up a report while the Normandy made its way to what was promising to be the final encounter with Saren.

Author's Note

Nothing significant to vote on this time and with Ilos coming up there are some important choices coming up. :twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Couple

Chapter 45

Couple

Fluttershy sighed as she finished reassembling her M-8 Avenger assault rifle. She had checked and cleaned every single individual piece of the rifle and replaced a couple of the accelerator coils that were responsible for launching the tiny projectiles the weapon fired. The coils hadn’t exactly been in need of it, but the thought of having them in peak condition was comforting to the mare.

Garrus had given her the rundown of how to perform maintenance on the gun and warned her to be thorough if she didn’t want it to fail in the field, advice the pegasus had taken to heart.

The thought had Fluttershy’s mind wander to the Turian. After her failed attempt at confessing, Garrus seemed to be avoiding her like the plague, always having an excuse to get away from her. ‘I need to do some calibrations’ was seemingly the most popular of those excuses.

What did I do wrong? Did I scare him off for some reason?

Fluttershy felt a lump form in her throat and tears flowing from the corners of her eyes as she tried figuring out what had changed. She softly cried to herself as she propped herself against the wall in the corner of the medbay’s storage room. She’d already written the report – with Chakwas’ help – and now had nothing left to do.

She sat there for a couple of minutes wallowing in self-pity before she finally pulled herself together enough to get back on her hooves. After wiping away her tears, Fluttershy got out of the medbay. There was nothing of particular use she could do while stuck in the small storage room that would take her mind off her current problem.

Knowing that everyone was probably preparing for their assault on Ilos, there was probably little chance they could spare some time for her, though she might be able to help one of them with preparations.

Looking around in the garage only revealed Wrex sleeping on a hammock. The krogan preferred his spot close to the weapons lockers as opposed to a sleeper pod on the deck above. Garrus… was nowhere to be seen.

After letting out a sigh, Fluttershy made her way to the engineering bay to see if Tali could use her help, but a glance at her regular station revealed that she wasn’t there either. Turning around, Fluttershy activated her omni-tool and opened the door to the workshop. Chief engineer Adams had given her access to the room so she could check on Tali if there was no-one to open it for her.

What she hadn’t expected was Garrus leaning against the wall of the workshop alongside a working Tali. The expression on the turian’s face betrayed that the surprise was mutual. Before either of the two could say anything Tali excused herself.

“I think engineer Adams had a couple of things he wanted me to do. I’ll leave you two to do your thing here,” she said as walked past Fluttershy, giving the pegasus a small shove into the workshop before closing the door behind her. Fluttershy briefly looked at the closed door behind her before her gaze met Garrus’. The two awkwardly looked at each other in silence.

“So, you needed Tali for something?” Garrus said, trying to break up the uncomfortable atmosphere.

“I was done with my preparations and was going to see if Tali needed some help with hers,” Fluttershy replied, her heart rate increasing as she felt panic taking a hold of her. Garrus shook his head and sat down so that he wasn’t towering over the pegasus. After letting out a deep sigh the turian spoke again.

“I know,” he simply stated. Fluttershy felt a cold layer of sweat forming on her coat as he continued speaking. “Though I guess that I probably should have picked up on the signals earlier.”

“I-I...”

“Fluttershy, come over here,” Garrus cut the pegasus off as he motioned for her to sit beside him. “Look, I had some time to speak with Tali about it and did some thinking...”

“And?” Fluttershy asked nervously. The pegasus felt as if the entire weight of the Normandy was pressed on her chest as she waited for the turian to answer.

“Why the hell not? I have no experience with any of this anyway so, if we can make it work, then… yeah definitely,” Garrus told the pegasus who jumped at the turian, wrapping his unarmored body in a hug before starting to cry tears of joy. All the stress she had built up flowed out of her along with the tears.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy softly spoke as she released the hug, a beaming smile on her face which seemed infectious as Garrus also smiled soon after.

“So, you were done with your own preparations?” Garrus asked, Fluttershy giving a nod as they separated from each other. “How about I teach you something new?”

“That’d be nice,” Fluttershy said happily, following Garrus as he made for the door only to stop at the wall that was supposed to open.

“Uhm, you happen to have the right permissions to open this thing without using the emergency button?” he asked sheepishly. Fluttershy chuckled and opened the door with her omni-tool. “Thanks.”

As they walked out, Tali turned around from her console and looked at the pair, the quarian nearly getting angry at the sight of Fluttershy’s tear soaked fur. Only the smile on the pegasus’ muzzle stopping her from exploding at the turian. Fluttershy noticed Tali looking at them and gave her a nod, something that the quarian understood very well as she made a few exited jumps and gave a thumbs up.

Fluttershy followed Garrus as the turian made his way into the garage and turned around, “So, Fluttershy, I think I can teach you one of three things. First I could teach you how to use a sniper rifle. You won’t be a master with one of those after one explanation, but everyone has to start somewhere,” he said as he pointed at the locker holding his rifle.

“The second thing I could teach you is how to use the cannon on the Mako. If you know how that thing works, you could basically shoot every stationary or vehicle-borne turret in the galaxy. They all work with similar systems.”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. It would be useful to have a basic understanding of a stationary gun if they were ever going to get stuck in a sticky situation.

“The third thing I could ‘teach’ you is something I’ve been working on myself. I’ve rigged my omni-tool to give it the ability to fire a burst of energy that disrupts shields and barriers along with being disruptive to AI and VI. A friend of mine is currently working on making it more effective than what I can manage, but until then it’ll take some practice to safely pull it off.”

Fluttershy considered her options as all the things Garrus had to offer would be of some use somewhere in the future.

Learn how to use a sniper rifle.

Learn how to use large caliber turrets.

Obtain [Overload]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I wanted to go straight to Ilos after last chapter, but one of my editors pointed out that there probably should be another chapter before those ones. That's why this chapter is a bit late, bonus being is that I've already finished next chapter and it'll only need a few adjustments to accompany this chapter's vote.

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18268651
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Ilos - Vigil

Chapter 47

Ilos – Vigil

The Mako made its way through the massive complex at a moderate pace as Shepard didn’t want to run full speed into a geth ambush. Garrus, meanwhile, was carefully scanning the surroundings with the turret, taking in the sight of the structure they were driving through. High walls that had pods of some sort sticking out of them, all seemingly without power, lined the way and a small stream of water flowed down the center of the path.

“What are those things on the walls? Some kind of containers?” Garrus asked as he pointed the cannon’s camera at one of them and zoomed in, his feed being distributed to the others in the back so they could watch as well.

“They look like stasis pods of sorts,” Tali commented, guessing their purpose. Liara seemingly agreed with that.

“This bunker might have been the last refuge of the entire species! Just imagine the things we could learn from it!” she gushed at the sight of the massive prothean structure. The site she had been picked up at was but a mere fraction of the scale this one presented.

“I’m sure they’ll let you have a good look at this place after we’ve stopped Saren,” Shepard cut in as he drove down a ramp deeper into the facility, the Mako bumping around a bit as the ground had severely deteriorated in that section.

It wasn’t long until they ran into the first of Saren’s rear guard. After driving through another section of the complex that had the stasis pods jutting out of the walls, they ran into three geth rocket troopers, their missiles missing the Mako as Shepard used the thrusters to jump over the first salvo. The commander kept up his evasive maneuvers until Garus had dealt with the flimsy machines using the Mako’s cannon.

“No further contacts in the immediate area are on the scanners,” Tali reported as the last geth had fallen.

“Good. Keep your eyes peeled you two. There are bound to be more waiting for us ahead somewhere,” Shepard said as he resumed driving steadily, soon coming up to a second ramp that led deeper into the facility. Only, after reaching the bottom of this ramp, Shepard hit the brakes. Up ahead there was a golden energy field of sorts blocking the road ahead.

“I’m not picking up any geth on the scanners,” Tali said, checking one of her displays to see if the system was working optimally.

“Nothing visual either. Maybe Saren found a way to activate it and left it as another barrier for us to run into?” Garrus theorized while zooming in on the barrier with the camera, trying to get a better look at it. “I could attempt a shot at it?”

“Try it,” Shepard said. He wanted to see what his options were. The cannon buzzed and fired a shot, the shell flying in a straight line at the barrier… and doing next to nothing as it exploded uselessly.

“Damnit. Guess it was worth a try,” Garrus swore as he saw the shot had done no damage. Shepard thought for a moment longer but eventually started creeping forward towards the offending energy field.

“Commander, there’s a passage to the right of the energy barrier,” Tali said as she noticed the entrance in the wall. Shepard took the Mako to approximately thirty meters from the wall before putting on the brakes again.

“Tali, Garrus, stay here and keep monitoring using the Mako’s systems. The rest of you, line formation.” Shepard ordered, getting out of the driver’s seat and following the others out. The squad immediately formed up in a line to the left and the right of the Mako, slowly moving forward towards the entrance with raised guns. As they approached close and the commander got a view of the small passage, he could see it was only a couple of meters deep and ended in an elevator. “Liara, Wrex, Fluttershy, On me. The rest op you form a perimeter around the entrance here.”

The squad immediately split up as the Commander took Fluttershy and the others into the elevator. The pegasus nervously fidgeted her wings as, the longer she remained on the planet, the more she felt like she didn’t belong there. This had only become worse as they realized that the planet might be acting as the final tomb for an entire species.

As the elevator finished its ride down, the four soldiers stepped out, biotics ready and weapons high in case they ran into resistance. Luckily for them the smaller room seemed to be completely empty. There were more pods sticking out of the walls and a walkway that led up to a console that looked like the one in the control room which they had used to open the door to this place, a hologram flickering in front of it.

“You are not prothean, but you are not machine either,” a slightly artificial-sounding voice came from the hologram as the group had approached close enough. “This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent the warning through the beacons. I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope for the galaxy.”

“It’s talking in our language!” Liara gasped as she tried restraining her excitement.

“Indeed, I have been monitoring your communication ever since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you can comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here for the moment, but that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe.”

“Why did you bring us here?” Shepard asked the VI.

“You must break a cycle that has been going for millions of years. But to stop it you must understand, otherwise you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of your government, as it was with us and has been with every species before. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay, one that links to dark space, the void beyond the edge of the galaxy. When the Citadel relay is activated, the reapers will pour through.”

“Which meant they took out your leadership and destroyed a good part of your fleet,” Shepard said as he guessed the most likely outcome.

“That was indeed our fate, but in taking the Citadel they also gained control over the mass relays. Communication and transportation was crippled. They isolated us and took out the pockets one by one over the course of centuries. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out and then… they left.”

Fluttershy felt a shiver go up her spine as she listened to the VI explaining how they were exterminated.

“This facility was a top secret research station, which saved it from the reapers’ onslaught. Here researchers worked to recreate a small mass relay, one that linked directly to the Citadel.”

“That’s it!” Liara exclaimed. “The conduit is not a weapon but a back door onto the Citadel!”

“What did your kind do after the reapers had left? Where did the reapers even go to?” the pegasus asked the VI as so many more questions bubbled to the surface.

“Language detected - Equine. Pony race designated as traitors - Inquiry denied.”

Fluttershy looked baffled at the hologram. Of all the things that she expected, this was not one of them, and a glance at the others revealed that she wasn’t alone in that feeling either. Several lines of questioning went through her head. She knew that the program wouldn’t be answering her questions… but maybe it would answer them if she wasn’t the one asking.

If Shepard asked for me the thing will probably answer my question.

[Apologize to Vigil and ask how to stop the reapers, I can come back later for answers.]

Why are my kind considered traitors?

How is it that you know about my species?

[I don’t need to listen to a broken VI]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

We're getting closer and closer to the end of ME1, and more information about the ponies role in the previous cycle is coming to light :moustache:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18302847
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Ilos - Relay

Chapter 48

Ilos – Relay

[Apologize to Vigil and ask how to stop the reapers, I can come back later for answers.] 63%

“I don’t know what ponies have done to the protheans, our history tells us nothing of your kind, but I can tell you for sure that if it happened now, we would help you out with whatever means we have available,” Fluttershy said with conviction. “But now we need to know how to stop the reapers. Even if you don’t want to answer my questions can you still give Shepard the means by which he can defeat the reapers?”

Vigil stayed silent for a moment as if contemplating its options.

“Inquiry, how far does your current history go back and what is currently considered advanced technology within your civilization?” the VI asked, surprising Fluttershy.

“Uhm, our written history goes back just over a thousand years, back to around Discord’s time. Anything before that gets a bit murky because Discord destroyed and altered a lot of our written records. As for technology, Luna has been introducing airships into the Royal guard to allow them to quickly move around from city to city.” Fluttershy was unsure of why Vigil had asked his question but answered none the less.

“Logical inconsistency, most advanced technology indicated is not advanced enough to get into space. How have you managed to come here?”

“My friend found a ruin that housed a miniature mass relay. I accidentally got caught by it and sent to the Citadel,” Fluttershy quickly explained, Vigil staying silent to ‘think’ once again.

“Your story is consistent with data. We suspected a breach in the Conduit’s network. This confirms our suspicion. The state of your species that you described suggests that your species was affected worse than our models suggested. Due to time constraints I will allow you to make a single inquiry.”

What question does fluttershy ask?

~~How is it that you know about my species?~~ 10%
Why are my kind considered traitors? 28%

Fluttershy thought for a moment about what she would ask. She was extremely curious about the ponies back when the protheans were around, but the reason why they were called traitors was even more pressing to her.

“Why did you identify my species as traitors in the first place?”

“Your species had made a promise to ours that if we required aid you would assist. Ponies, unlike us, did not use the mass relay network as their main mode of transportation, as there is no relay in your home system. This meant that, when your species contacted ours, we had no means of locating your homeworld and instead of integrating ponies into the Empire, we established a pact. When the reapers invaded, the forces promised never arrived, this is why your kind has been designated as traitors.”

Fluttershy, even though there was nothing she could have done about this, felt guilty about the fact her far ancestors hadn’t gone to help the protheans.

“But now you must hurry, the one who passed before has yet to reach the Conduit. He will attempt to reach the tower at the base of the Citadel and transfer control of the station to Sovereign. If this is allowed to pass, the Citadel relay will be opened and the reapers will once more destroy all intelligent life. I have a program that will corrupt the Citadel’s security protocols. If the worst were to pass, it would give you a fighting chance against Sovereign.”

Shepard’s Omni tool lit up as Vigil transferred the program to it, the commander taking a quick look at it to verify that it was transferred correctly. “Good, let’s go. We’ve given Saren enough of a head start.”

“Shepard wait! Who knows how long Vigil will be here? Even now the projection is weak! Who knows what we can learn from it. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!” Liara said with a tinge of panic in her voice as she couldn’t help herself from trying to make as much of the situation as possible. Her life’s work was researching the protheans after all.

“I will provide whatever information I have available. My databanks however, are limited to information directly related to this facility and stopping the reapers,” Vigil informed Liara as her omni-tool lit up as well and received a couple of data files.

“Thank you, Vigil,” Liara acknowledged gratefully, slightly jumping around as she scanned the little amount of data she had received. For the first time in the fifty years she had studied the protheans she had gotten straight data that didn’t require any interpretation.

“You got your data, Liara, lets go!” Shepard said as he led the group back to the elevator and activated it. Up top the others were still covering the entrance to the elevator. The shield was already down, but they wouldn’t leave without Shepard.

The commander ordered everyone back into the Mako and floored the accelerator. They were running out of time and couldn’t afford a careful approach to the Conduit. Charging forward, Garrus was firing wild shots at the geth they were passing, taking out groups of the machines every time he shot the main cannon while their fire bounced off the Mako’s shield.

It wasn’t long before the Conduit came into full view, the miniature relay still standing proudly pointed at the sky. ‘Miniature’ was a relative term as it was almost twice as large as the one Fluttershy had seen in Equestria.

“It’s incredible!” Liara said in awe as she got a good look at the relay.

“No time to admire the view! The Conduit is losing power. We need to get to that relay!” Tali shouted as Shepard pushed the Mako to the absolute edge of its performance. Saren had left half a dozen geth Colossi behind which were happily firing their weapons at the Mako, its shields flaring and failing under the immense punishment.

The vehicle shuddered from its armor burning off as it reached its final approach to the Conduit. “Nearly there!” Shepard shouted as the heat from the geth’s plasma bolts raised the interior space to an uncomfortable temperature. Fluttershy held on to her harness tightly as the Mako started being lifted into the air. She was the only one who had rode a ride through a relay without a starship before, and she wasn’t planning on passing out again.

The rings within the relay started spinning at an increasingly rapid rate as the energy flared a final time.

The critically damaged Mako was picked up by the device and hurled across the galaxy towards its final destination.

The Citadel.

Author's Note

Again, no vote on this one. We're just getting to the Citadel which will also be split into three parts and have its own options. After that, we'll get to the start of ME2, which is something I'm really excited about getting to. :pinkiehappy:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Citadel - Arrival

Chapter 49

Citadel – Arrival

The Mako was launched away from the relay “monument” that stood at the entrance of the Citadel tower on the Presidium. Fluttershy tightly held on to the straps that were keeping her in the seat as the vehicle rolled over a couple of times before coming to a stop against a wall.

Fluttershy groaned as she got her bearings. The Mako had ended up upside down, so everyone was hanging from their seats. Being the most lucid of the crew in the vehicle meant she had some time to check if anyone had any serious injuries while they were sluggishly shrugging off their disorientation.

“Everyone good?” Shepard asked as he crawled from his seat and opened the Mako’s door. The entire team sounded off, giving the commander the go-ahead to leave the crashed vehicle.

Two unfortunate geth lay crumpled on the ground, having been crushed by the Mako as it had exited the conduit. The group, having exited from the wreck, immediately made its way to the Elevator at the base of the tower, hoping that it hadn’t been shut down yet as that would make getting to the top of the tower very hard.

There were a couple of husks left on the spikes used to create them, the “dragon's teeth” as the Alliance rank and file had nicknamed them, which activated as they approached. Not that these reaper altered creatures really had any chance against the group as they quickly overwhelmed them with the sheer amount of firepower they had with them.

Luckily for the team, the elevator was still active. They quickly entered and activated the elevator, shooting up towards the top of the Citadel tower. Fluttershy silently stared out of the elevator’s window at one of the wards and noticed something was off.

“Commander, the wards are closing up!” she exclaimed as she saw the arms of the citadel sealing themselves, the others also taking notice of this as Fluttershy pointed it out.

“Somehow I don’t think Citadel control is responsible for sealing the station,” Garrus muttered darkly. His prediction was probably right since the elevator suddenly came to a screeching halt.

“Damnit! Seal your suits everyone. We’re walking the rest of the way up!” Shepard said, everyone donning helmets and activating mass effect fields to keep their suits sealed. Once the group was ready, Shepard pointed his pistol at the glass window and fired. The glass shattered and flew outwards as all the air in the elevator rushed out of the little hole.

The direction of the artificial gravity changed as they left the safety of the elevator, their feet firmly planted on the side of the tower. Sovereign loomed in the distance as he had seemingly docked with the tip of the tower. Fluttershy felt a wave of dread coming over her just from looking at the massive sentient starship but also determination. She would not let it or its ilk destroy anything else ever again.

A quick radio check later, the team was rapidly moving up the tower towards the council chamber. Wrex and Tali were at the front wielding the group’s most powerful shotguns while Garrus and Fluttershy were at the back with the sniper rifles.

For the first couple dozen meters they advanced unopposed, but it wasn’t long before another elevator raced up to their position and stopped, its glass also flying outwards as the geth in the elevator stormed out. Wrex charged forward and simply headbutted the first geth, its visual sensor shattering and weapon flying off, effectively neutralizing it. The fate of the other machines was not too dissimilar to their first brother as they were filled with holes by the automatic weapons fire of the rest of the group.

With the first bit of resistance neutralized, Shepard ordered everyone to form up again and advance. A couple more geth tried impeding their progress but, bar a few rogue hits, none really stood a chance.

“Geth dropship!” Liara shouted, prompting everyone to jump into cover. The small troop carrier began to divulge its cargo onto the side of the tower. Looking around, Shepard found that there were a couple of the tower’s AA turrets standing deactivated closeby. He smirked, a plan forming in his mind.

“Tali! I need you to activate those AA turrets to blow that dropship out of the sky!” He shouted as they kept their heads down to avoid heavy weapons fire from the ship.

“Understood!” Tali shouted back and waited for a lapse in fire. A couple of seconds passed until the geth ship stopped firing, prompting Tali into a sprint. The quarian practically flew over to the first turret, astonishing Fluttershy with her speed.

“Wrex, Liara! Move up and put pressure on those geth over there! Kaidan, on me!” Shepard said as they split up into two groups and advanced forward, giving Tali the opening to run up to the second AA turret.

Garrus and Fluttershy stayed back with their long rifles taking shots at the geth regulars. “Shy, shock trooper at two o’clock, thirty meters,” Garrus pointed out. The machine had just put up a shield to give itself some cover. “Wait for me to take down that shield and aim for the torso.”

Fluttershy took aim right at the center of the geth’s torso. The moment Garrus took out the shield, Fluttershy also compressed the trigger on her rifle. The round punched straight through the machine’s white armor making it collapse.

“Good kill,” Garrus calmly said as he picked a new target and called it out to Fluttershy, the two of them using their newly minted coordination to take out stronger geth that would take more than one shot to kill.

Tali meanwhile had activated all of the AA turrets and involved herself in the close range brawl against the geth. The dropship, having taken too much damage, started venting fire and swirled out of control, crashing on the other side of the tower. The remaining geth were swiftly cleared out as there were no reinforcements to back them up anymore.

“Everyone, form up!” Shepard ordered so that the group could advance together again. The geth were now throwing everything that they had at the group as they approached the final stretch to the tip of the tower. Destroyers, primes, a juggernaut, all of it falling to the determined group that was assaulting them.

“Shepard, there are too many turrets in this section! We need to find an alternative route!” Garrus shouted over the sound of exploding rockets as the group was forced into cover by half a dozen rocket turrets that were spread out over the last forty meters or so before they could enter the tower again.

“We can use the passageway that runs along the elevator shaft!” Kaidan suggested as he pointed to a ramp a bit further up to the left.

“Everyone, wait for my mark and move as one to the ramp!” Shepard ordered, agreeing with Kaidan’s proposition. The commander diligently waited for the rocket barrage to subside before giving his order. “MARK!”

Fluttershy shot up from her cover alongside the others and sprinted towards the ramp where there was new cover from the turrets. The pegasus’ four legs allowed her to reach the cover first. This also meant she was the first to notice a geth standing lower down the ramp, hidden from sight.

Fluttershy felt a bit of rage bubbling up to the surface of her mind as she watched the geth raise its weapon while they were standing in Sovereign’s shadow.

What right do these horrible machines have to condemn an entire galaxy to death?!

With an enraged scream the pegasus lit her wings in the familiar biotic aura and created a mass effect field at the geth’s location, the warp effect ripping it in half and badly mauling it. A shriek of metal came from it as its legs were flung against one wall and its torso to the other, the severed parts rolling down to the base of the ramp.

“Remind me never to piss her off again,” Wrex muttered as he looked at the utterly destroyed geth. None of the others said anything but the looks of awe on their faces said more than enough. The group advanced further forward again, encountering two krogan warlords that charged forward, the first one getting in a vicious hand to hand with Wrex while the other charged past his comrade.

All of the previous rage Fluttershy had felt vanished in an instant and was replaced by a cold dread. Not because her life was in danger, but because she realized she had a clear shot on the krogan that was charging straight at Tali. If the warlord were allowed to headbutt the quarian, it would be a straight up death sentence for her, more so than anyone else of the crew.

She put her crosshair in the middle of the scales covering the alien’s forehead and…

hesitated.

This moment of hesitation allowed the krogan to backhand Tali into a wall and fire a shot at the quarian with his shotgun. The quarian’s shield flared but held although it was clear the next shot wouldn’t be stopped by it.

“NO!” Fluttershy shouted as she compressed the rifle’s trigger, the bullet burying itself deep into the skull of the warlord, making him collapse. A wave of disgust went through her as she, once again, killed a living being.

At the same time, Wrex managed to bury a combat knife deep into his opponent, killing him nearly instantly.

“There’s an entrance to the tower over there!” Liara said as she saw a hatch at the end of the gully they were proceeding through. Not waiting for any more opponents to show up, the group rushed forwards. Shepard and Wrex opened up the hatch, allowing the others to get in before closing it behind them and sealing it, effectively blocking off access to the inner chamber from this point.

They knew where their target was and what they had to do. Failure was not an option.

Author's Note

Almost there!

Next chapter is ready as well, that'll get uploaded tomorrow somewhere to give me some breathing room:twilightsheepish:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

No vote

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Citadel - Saren

Chapter 50

Citadel – Saren

The entire council chamber was empty… except for the corpses of the unlucky people who hadn’t been able to get out of there before the shooting had started. Fires from the heavy fighting that had likely occurred here also lit the chamber, blanketing the roof in a layer of smoke.

Only a few geth shock troopers stood in the way of the group as they advanced up the stairs to the platform where audiences with the Council would be held. In comparison to the resistance outside, these last few machines were but a mere annoyance to be cleared away before they could reach their true objective – Saren.

The offending turian stood on the audience platform working a holographic interface as they arrived. Finished typing his commands, he made a small jump forward off of the platform out of the group’s line of sight. Before anyone could react, Saren rose up again, standing on his hovering platform and threw a grenade. The entire group scrambled to cover as the shrapnel bounced off shields and armor.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t make it in time, Shepard,” Saren said as he arrogantly stood on his platform, the partially robotic turian looking down at the cover the team had hidden behind. None of the group dared to peak out as they waited for the commander to make a response to the rogue Specter.

“In time for what?” Shepard asked back, humoring the turian for the moment.

“The final confrontation. I think we both knew it was going to end like this,” Saren answered. “You’ve lost. You know that, don’t you? In a few minutes Sovereign will have full control over all the Citadel’s systems. The relay will open and the reapers will return.” Fluttershy couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The turian was so far indoctrinated that even facing overwhelming numbers wasn’t enough for him to stop preaching the reaper’s dogma.

“I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve!” Shepard shouted back, causing the turian to let out a chuckle.

“I must admit that you and your ilk have surprised me on occasion. The encounter with your pegasus friend on Virmire caused me to reconsider some things. I had been getting lax on my measures to prevent Sovereign’s indoctrination, something she made me realize when she used that unusual ability of hers on me. When Sovereign offered to implant me to strengthen my resolve I refused. I have sufficient motivation without it.” Fluttershy felt her heart skip a beat as she realized something.

He’s still fighting the indoctrination internally. He still might be saved!

“You know what you’re doing is wrong! You’re fighting Sovereign’s influence even if you won’t admit it!” Shepard shouted back, echoing Fluttershy’s sentiment.

“I won’t be swayed from my task, Shepard, the reapers will come, and if we won’t change sides, then everything we know will be wiped out from existence! Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you too!” Saren said, trying to sway Shepard to his camp. Something that was obviously not going to work.

“Saren, you can fight the indoctrination! The reapers don’t have to come this cycle. We can stop them!” Fluttershy shouted at the Turian in a desperate attempt to get him to see her point of view. Surprisingly Saren flinched back at the pegasus’ words instead of just dismissing them like he had done with Shepard.

“No, Sovereign has showed me what we can become under their leadership. The symbiotic relationship between my organic matter and machine parts is just an example of the wonders they can introduce. It gives the strength of both and the weaknesses of neither!” Saren shouted back, starting to sound more like he was trying to convince himself rather than trying to convince his opponents. “I am a vision of the future, the evolution of all organic life! This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!”

Shepard looked at Fluttershy and motioned for her to continue, and the rest of the squad were also looking at the pegasus to see if she could convince Saren. All except Wrex who just looked like he wanted to put a blast of shrapnel into the turian and be done with it.

“Sovereign has not won yet. We can stop it from taking control of the station! If you step aside, then we can stop the invasion!” Fluttershy yelled. They were running out of time, and if Saren couldn’t be swayed, they might have to fight him regardless.

“We can’t stop it, not forever! I know you saw the visions as well. You saw what happened to the protheans. They’re too powerful!” Saren desperately shouted back, the mask of unwavering conviction cracking.

“That’s not true! I’m still around, and I’m sure you know that my species should have been wiped out in the last cycle!” Fluttershy yelled back, using the new knowledge she had gained from Vigil. “They are not perfect and fighting back is possible. You know this!”

Saren looked troubled for a moment before replying, “Maybe you’re right. Maybe there’s still a chance for… ugh” Saren grunted, dropped his pistol, and clutched his head. “Sovereign is too strong… I can’t… It’s too late for me.”

He’s fighting it. He’s not gone beyond redemption, but we’re running out of time as well! Do we have the time to wait for something that might be in vain anyway? Maybe if I…

[Use the Stare in an attempt to purge the indoctrination]

You can do it. Sovereign can’t keep his hold over you!

We’re out of time. Restrain him!

[Perfect moment to take him out now]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Getting so close!:pinkiehappy: I'm really enjoying writing these last few chapters:twilightsmile:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18325444
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Citadel - Sovereign

Chapter 51

Citadel – Sovereign

[Use the Stare in an attempt to purge the indoctrination] 93%

Fluttershy had no doubt within her mind as to what she needed to do. Back on Virmire, she had figured out that the Stare was able to purge the reapers’ indoctrination from the minds of its victims, as proven by the captured STG operative and the asari scientist. Last time when she had tried it on Saren, it had backfired on her, though it now seemed that hadn't been a complete waste of time.

The pegasus steeled her mind and jumped out of her cover, her eyes focusing on Saren's. To the others surrounding her it was as if gravity had changed direction, like everything suddenly centered around Fluttershy. Only for it to stop seconds later and Saren to fall unconscious.

But to the pegasus, these few seconds felt much longer. As her mind connected to the turian's she was immediately assaulted by the black corruption that was clouding his mental processes. Except where she had been utterly unprepared before, now her mental defenses held strong, the black tendrils chipping at Fluttershy's defenses but never breaching them while the pegasus went to work purging the taint from Saren's mind.

The deep-rooted corruption fought with all its might to stay attached to the turian Specter's consciousness, clinging on to it for as long as possible, but it was all for naught. Once it seemed to realize it was fighting a losing battle it changed its focus in on itself, trying to destroy as much of Saren's mind as possible.

Fluttershy abided none of it as without the tendrils slashing at her own mind she could focus on keeping his safe. It took an eternity longer before the final wisps of darkness were at last destroyed, leaving the badly mauled—but untainted—consciousness of Saren…

…and it was failing.

The damage done was far too severe for the healthy portions of his mind to fix and collapsed into the voids that the corruption had left when it was purged.

Nonononnono, NOT now, not after all the effort I went through to try and save him! Think Fluttershy, how do you stop his mind from degrading further?

The answer to her question came to her almost immediately after thinking it up.

You fill the holes!

Increasing the power of the Stare a bit, Fluttershy tried something new. She placed her power into Saren's mind, and instead of using it to push or pull on strings of intellect, she simply let it go.. Pale blue glowing energy immediately filled the holes, acting as scaffolding that kept the rest of the turian's consciousness in place. Feeling her energy reserves almost completely drained, Fluttershy cut off the flow of energy to the Stare and fell to her knees while Saren simultaneously fell unconscious. The turian fell off of his hovering platform, through a glass window, and into a garden that lay below the audience platform.

Shepard didn't waste a moment in sprinting towards the master control unit—the large holographic interface Saren had used to give Sovereign control of the Citadel's systems—and ran the program Vigil had given to him, leaving Garrus to check up on Fluttershy who was trying to get back up on her legs.

Tali had run up to the control panel as well and started typing in commands too. The two of them managed to get the Citadel arms open along with establishing a line of communication with any friendly forces in the area.

"…The Destiny Ascension. Main drives down and kinetic barriers at sixty percent. The Council is on board. I repeat, the Council is on board!" A distress call immediately sounded from the speakers as Shepard tuned into the local battlenet.

"Normandy to the Citadel, do you read? Please tell me that's you, Commander," Joker called out as well.

"I'm here, Joker. What's your status?" Shepard immediately asked, wanting to know what the status of the surrounding fleet now they had a shot at Sovereign.

"I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. We caught the distress call, commander. We can save the Ascension, just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!" Joker reported. Wrex huffed as he heard the proposal.

"You'd sacrifice human lives to save the Council? What have they ever done for you?" he asked skeptically. "You should hold them back until the Citadel's arms have fully opened up."

Does Shepard open the relays around the Citadel? Yes

"I can't, Wrex. Even though they've been in my way the entire time, if I let them die now, that'll create resentment towards humans which will make cooperation harder. Something we can't have if we are to oppose the Reapers," Shepard explained as he typed the necessary commands into the console. "Opening the relays now, Joker. Save the Ascension!"

The console screen immediately showed dozens of new contacts entering the space around the Citadel and engaging geth ships, the heightening fight costing the geth many ships and the Alliance a few as well. Knowing that they couldn't do anything about the space battle outside, Shepard turned his attention to Saren and then Fluttershy.

"Is he alive?" the commander asked, receiving an unsure nod from Fluttershy.

"He should be, but I'm not sure if he'll wake up."

"Garrus, take Fluttershy and check it out. If he's alive, make sure he can't harm you if he comes to," Shepard ordered. Fluttershy, having regained some of her energy, opened her wings and slowly glided down into the garden below while Garrus made a jump down. Fluttershy used her omni-tool to check on the turian’s vital signs, finding a consistent heart rate, something she was thankful for.

The tower suddenly trembled as the Citadel's arms had opened far enough for the Alliance fleet to open fire on Sovereign, the explosions from the shells violently impacting on the reaper's hull.

What the team in the tower couldn't yet see was the red lightning forming on the hull of the reaper that was slowly arcing down towards the tower. Fluttershy was about to call out to Shepard that Saren was alive for the moment when the lightning entered the chamber.

Without warning, it impacted Fluttershy, sending waves of agony through the pegasus' body. Her scream piercing the air as the lighting burned her fur and skin beneath through her armor.

“You persist too long after your own defeat.” Fluttershy couldn't identify if the voice came from inside her mind or from outside of it. She really could only focus on the crippling pain the lightning was inflicting on her body. “The cycle is inevitable, you cannot win.”

Images started flashing through Fluttershy's mind. Cities she had never seen and strange starships that didn't look like anything the current races possessed. But what was most remarkable was that ponies walked through the streets and manned the ships, peaceful and joyfully speaking to each other…

…Then hundreds of reapers, just like Sovereign, descended on the planet, firing their lasers at anything and everything that moved. Taking down buildings and starships alike, only losing a couple of their own numbers in the process.

“We shall be your downfall, just as we were before.”

Fluttershy gritted her teeth as she tried fighting the lightning that still bounced around her body.

"No."

The statement was resolute. The images that were being implanted into her mind stopped as Fluttershy forced memories of her own to the forefront. Fighting Nightmare moon, facing a dragon, re-sealing Discord in stone, all tasks that any sane pony would deem impossible.

"Me and my friends faced impossible tasks before, and now my new friends face another one. You might say that this is all for naught, but we'll find a way to stop you. Your cruel acts have gone on for long enough!" With her last statement Fluttershy felt herself filling up with new energy, the same energy she had been filled with when she had faced Nightmare Moon and Discord. Opening her wings wide released streams of blue lightning that, whenever it touched its red counterpart, dissipated it.

As the final bits of lighting faded away Fluttershy collapsed to the ground, her body completely spent from purging Saren's mind and taking on Sovereign in a battle of wills. She still remained conscious—barely—and was in no state for any action as the smell of burned fur reached her nose from beneath the armor.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Garrus shouted, sitting beside the fallen pegasus.

"G-Garrus, I feel cold," she whimpered as the turian checked her, his omni-tool warning him of the burns Fluttershy had received.

"Shhh, it's all right. You'll be fine," he said as he held Fluttershy close.

Outside, Sovereign had let go of the tower and helplessly drifted away from it, all of its systems offline.

"Its shields are down, now's our chance!" Joker's voice boomed from the speakers around the chamber.

"Hit it with everything we've got," Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett immediately ordered. Through the window outside the team could see how the helpless reaper was being pummeled, armor that had previously been protected by strong shields peeled off like it was nothing. Chunks of reaper were flying everywhere, and the barrage was not intending to show it any quarter.

But the killing blow did not come until the Normandy made an attack run, the nimble scout ship using a disruptor torpedo to completely pierce the monstrous starship and set off many internal explosions. The cheer of the group was short lived as one of the pieces of debris from the reaper flew directly towards the tower.

Garrus immediately took action and carried Fluttershy to one of the walls, hoping that it would shield them from the flying chunk of spaceship. Something it managed as the wreckage crashed through the large window and smashed down in the council chamber, burying the two of them below a heap of scrap metal.

This was also when Fluttershy finally let her consciousness slip away from her, all the pain coursing through her body simply becoming too much. But she had done what she had set out to do. Sovereign was gone. Although the greater threat still loomed, she could rest now.

Author's Note

There's the end of ME1, now we're getting to the interlude between games and then something I've been wanting to do for almost two and a half months. :rainbowdetermined2:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

heist plans

Chapter 52

heist plans

Fluttershy was sitting at a small human-run restaurant in the Citadel's Zakera ward, her body no longer wrapped in the bandages that had covered the burn marks. The wonders of alien medicine were making it so that hair was already starting to grow back on the burnt patches.

"Here you go, ma'am, one dextro hot cocoa," the young human girl said as she put down the steaming hot drink in front of Fluttershy. The pegasus was extremely thankful for the fact turians produced chocolate which allowed for the creation of that drink.

While stirring the chocolate milk, Fluttershy thought back to all the happenings of the past week. After the events in the Council chamber, she had been out for a good sixteen hours, recuperating from the massive amount of energy she'd lost.

Garrus had apparently been loyally by her side the entire time, not even parting to get food for himself. Fluttershy's heart warmed as she thought about the particular turian, though the feeling faded as another member of the species came to mind.

Saren was currently still on board the Normandy as the Citadel's civilian and military hospitals were filled with wounded from the battle against Sovereign. The debris had crashed into various wards and caused considerable amounts of civilian casualties.

But that wasn't what was on the pegasus' mind concerning the turian. Ever since falling unconscious, Saren had yet to wake, having fallen into a deep coma. Fluttershy knew that what she had done had been necessary, the other option would have been to kill him, but that didn't mean she didn't feel guilty for possibly doing terrible damage to Saren's mind.

"You seem deep in thought."

Fluttershy nearly choked on the gulp of chocolate milk she had just taken. The previously empty chair on the other side of the table was now filled by a human woman in a tight black and grey suit which also possessed a black hood that covered her head.

"What do you want?" Fluttershy asked, not amused at seeing the lady who held blackmail on her.

"Well I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd come by and say hello," she said, earning a pointed glare from the pegasus. "Alright, there's something else I wanted to talk about. With the damage done to the Citadel and C-Sec in relative disarray, my adversary is inviting a large number of players in the criminal world to a 'party' where they can discuss the best way to take advantage of the situation."

"And how do I fit into this picture?" Fluttershy asked skeptically. "It's not like I can get you an invite to that party."

The lady waved her hand in dismissal. "I've already procured the one invite. My problem is that Mr. Hock expects a tribute of value from all of his guests, and he won't accept just a large amount of money. That's where you come in."

Fluttershy did not like where this was going but allowed the thief to continue explaining her plan.

"The criminal world has had you on their radar for quite a while now, although they remain woefully unaware of the fact that you're more than capable of defending yourself. We’ll offer you as a ‘gift’, which will get the both of us inside, and once I'm in, I'll break into the vault, retrieve the item I'm after, and we'll quietly find an exit." The lady stayed silent as she allowed Fluttershy some time to let the rough outline of her plan sink in.

"No, we won’t," Fluttershy said, surprising the lady who had obviously thought she'd go along with it. "You led me away from my friends to blackmail me—with information that, the longer I think about it, is probably already out there—and threatened to compromise the mission that saved the Citadel. So no, we are not going to get your item until you start actually telling what we're after. Oh, and your name would be nice as well."

The grimace on the human's obscured face was oddly satisfying to Fluttershy for some reason. She just sat there without saying anything for a while but eventually sighed in resignation.

"Kasumi Goto. I'm the galaxy's best thief. As for the object I'm after, it's a device called a greybox, a computer designed to record memories. It used to belong to my… he…" A tear rolled from Kasumi’s eye as she couldn’t finish her sentence. "There’s a lot of personal memories in there. I want those back."

Fluttershy felt a pang of guilt shoot through her. She hadn’t intended to hurt the woman, even though she did stand by her point. The more she thought about Kasumi’s dilemma the less she wanted to decide right now. "I’m going to go to my coltfriend and talk this over. How do I contact you, and when do you want to leave?"

Kasumi opened her omni-tool and transferred something to Fluttershy’s. "That’s my contact information. I want to leave in about ten hours. The gathering was called on really short notice, so I didn’t have a lot of warning to set this up."

Fluttershy gave a quick nod, gulped down the remaining chocolate milk, paid for it, and left. A glance back revealed that the Japanese speaking lady was no longer sitting at the table either, having disappeared as seamlessly as she had appeared.

After reaching the nearest shuttle station, the pegasus booked a ride back to the housing district of the ward where Garrus had a small apartment. For the time being the two of them were staying there as the Normandy went through some maintenance while it was docked at the Citadel. They would probably leave the moment said maintenance was done, but until then she was staying at Garrus’ place.

A short ride and walk had Fluttershy step into the turian’s home. Garrus himself was sitting at the kitchen table with his sniper rifle entirely disassembled in front of him.

"Maintenance?" Fluttershy asked as she walked past the turian and sat down on a chair on the other side of the table.

“No, recently there’ve been advancements in the cooling hardware of weapons. Instead of using heat-sinks they’re changing them to have portable thermal clips. It’ll give the rifle a much more powerful punch than before but at the cost of limiting your shots…” Garrus explained as he held up the module that was supposed to replace the heat-sink, before he realized something. “…Weren’t you going to wander the Citadel’s markets today?”

Fluttershy nervously clopped her hooves together thinking about how to explain the situation with Kasumi. “Well…”

Garrus listened intently to Fluttershy’s explanation as she told him about the encounter with the thief she had only half an hour prior, the turian having already been informed of the first encounter through the report Fluttershy had written.

“So let me get this clear. You’re considering helping someone who tried to blackmail you because you feel sorry for her?”

“Yes?” Fluttershy said hesitantly at the blunt way Garrus had broken down her position. The turian’s mandibles twitched in frustration while he tried finding a response to that.

“You’re not going alone,” he stated in a way that didn’t allow debate. “Even if this Kasumi can’t get me an invite, my sniping skills might still be invaluable support.”

“I-I…”

Is this really worth it? Can I justify Garrus putting himself on the line for something I’m not even sure about myself?

Take Garrus along.

Try sneaking out of the house without Garrus.

This was a stupid idea, it’s better if we don’t go at all.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Not a lot to say here right now, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18348583
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Berkenstein - The Party

Chapter 53

Berkenstein - The Party

Take Garrus along 94%

Fluttershy, Garrus, and Kasumi were all sitting in the shuttle that was bringing them to the mansion on Berkenstein, the planet where the gathering of criminals would take place. Kasumi had initially been reluctant to let Garrus in on the plan, but conceded after Fluttershy made it clear that she wouldn’t come if he wasn’t allowed as well.

As a last-minute measure, Kasumi had gotten Garus a suit he could wear to make him look like a bodyguard, but ultimately the plan itself hadn’t changed. Fluttershy would still be used as a gift to get them into the party, something the pegasus was becoming increasingly anxious about.

“Are you ready, Fluttershy?” Kasumi asked. The Japanese woman had foregone her usual outfit and put on a black dress with high heels while allowing her long black hair to fall over her shoulders.

“Not really, but I don’t think we should be turning back now,” Fluttershy admitted, unlike the others she wasn’t wearing anything—not even her biotic amp as that was too visible.

“Don’t worry. Once you’re inside you can deactivate the stasis field and start snooping around,” Kasumi said as she pointed at the stasis field generator that doubled as a storage for the group’s armor and heavy weapons.

“Anything you need me to do, Miss Gunn?” Garrus asked, about as comfortable with the plan as Fluttershy was.

“Try not to start a fight with any of the criminals there. We’re trying to avoid attention, not be the center of it,” Kasumi said as she activated the stasis field generator. A blue bubble of energy appeared above the device, not unlike the one Liara had been stuck in on Therum.

With a sigh Fluttershy jumped into the bubble and immediately felt herself being frozen in place, only able to make small movements and look around with her eyes.

“The bubble also stops sound from getting out, but you won’t be able to speak, so we’ll keep in communication via radio.” Fluttershy tried replying, but the stasis field indeed stopped her from making anything but mumbling sounds. “I’ve also changed a few settings on your omni-tool that allow you to use it without the holographic interface.”

Fluttershy tried opening her omni-tool. Although she felt it activate, the hologram did not appear around her foreleg but gave feedback as she tried blindly navigating the menus on memory alone. It took her a couple of seconds before found the messaging application and started typing a short reply to Kasumi.

‘Understood.’

“Good. We’ll be arriving at Hock’s mansion in two minutes, so get ready Cailus,” Garrus huffed as he heard his cover name but made no further comment. He knew the value of staying in character from his undercover work with C-Sec.

After the two minutes were up, the shuttle came to a stop at the mansion, the door opening and revealing another human, a male, waiting for them at the stairs that lead up to the main entrance.

“Miss Gunn, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Donovan Hock said, giving Kasumi an appreciative nod, a gesture the Japanese lady reciprocated.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Mister Hock. I’ve heard many good things about your operations and hope to be opening business with you soon,” Kasumi replied diplomatically, getting an appreciative smirk from the crime boss.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to come to an agreement on that, but now I’m interested in the ‘item of value’ you have procured for me.” Kasumi gave a signal to Garrus to pull out the stasis generator that held Fluttershy. “I will admit I’ve been eminently curious ever since your message came through,” he continued. Hock’s eyes went wide as he took note of the pegasus who felt old anxieties returning to her. “Now that’s a worthy gift, Miss Gunn. I shall have it moved right away.”

Unseen by Hock, Garrus tensed up and flared his mandibles slightly the moment the crime boss referred to Fluttershy as an it, indicating that he was not happy with the way the human spoke about his mate.

“Now who is this?” Hock asked as he looked at Garrus, who had swiftly schooled his expression and returned to being stoic once more.

“This is my bodyguard, Cailus. He insisted that leaving without a guard would be inadvisable. Is that going to be a problem?” Hock checked Garrus out for a moment for any cracks in his decorum but found none as the turian used his military discipline to stay in character.

“Of course not. People like us can’t take too few precautions to stay safe. He can go upstairs to where the other bodyguards are staying while you are here. My security will make sure you’re safe within my walls,” Hock said, satisfied by the level of professionalism shown by Garrus. “Enjoy the party, Miss Gunn.”

With that, Hock returned inside while his guards handled the stasis field generator that was holding Fluttershy, bringing her inside the mansion. As she was rolled through the main lobby, all the guests she passed stopped talking, pointed at her, and continued their conversations in a hushed manner. If the pegasus was capable of shivering within the stasis field, she would have done so.

The short journey ended at the balcony on the other side of the mansion where the guards put her down and left. A cold layer of sweat formed on the pegasus’ coat as she realized that she was essentially put on display for the rest of the gathering, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“We have a problem, ma’am. Our assets have been misplaced,” Garrus said, and Fluttershy could see him looking down at her from the first floor.

“A small hitch in the plan. We’ll figure something out to get back on track,” Kasumi replied. They had hoped that she’d either be placed near the vault entrance or in Hock’s private quarters. Being put on display was their worst-case scenario. “I found the vault. It’s a very nice one if I do say so myself. It’s password-protected, has a kinetic barrier, a DNA scanner—looks like an EX-700 series. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable.”

Fluttershy, in an attempt to stave off her encroaching panic, typed a message.

‘Problem?’

“Please, I could break this while asleep. We need to figure out the password for the vault. I’ve already picked up his voiceprint outside, so we won’t have to talk to him again. We can get the DNA from Hock’s private quarters and to get the barrier down we simply have to cut the power,” Kasumi explained while more and more guests came by the stasis field to study Hock’s new ‘prize’.

Fluttershy nervously swallowed as tears that had formed in her eyes rolled down her face. She felt completely vulnerable – which she wasn’t wrong about in any way – without her biotic amp or any of her armor she was getting used to wearing. The guests around her all had different reactions to her distress. Some seemed to pity the pegasus while others laughed at her misery. To make matters even worse, this was the exact time her bladder decided to pester her about having to go to the bathroom. Fluttershy quickly wrote another message to the others before she would lose even more control of herself.

‘Want out, too much attention.’

Garrus was the first to react to Shy’s message of distress. “We’ll make work of that, Shy. Miss Gunn, do you have any options?”

“I’ve got an idea of how to pull it off. I can short out the power of the stasis generator when one of the guests comes too close to make it look like they screwed with it. That’ll force Hock to put you somewhere more secure. Just make sure that you don’t talk when you’re released, and maybe make a few cute hor-”

“Do not finish that sentence… Miss Gunn,” Garrus growled, getting very territorial all of a sudden.

“...As I said, just don’t talk to anyone. When you’re out of sight of the party you can break free. The downside is that we’ll probably lose the gear that’s stashed in the generator.” Kasumi finished, not tempting her luck with Garus any further.

“So we either lose that, or she’s going to have to stick it out?” Garrus asked, severely annoyed that those were the options they had. “What do you say, Shy, do you have another option?”

Can I stick this one out? The guests are going to get bored with me at some point, right?

Fluttershy had trouble trying to decide what to do as she felt her bladder trying to empty itself again. The plan that suddenly formed in her head made her feel disgusted with herself but might actually end in them keeping their gear.

Though there’s no saying what Hock will do if I wet myself, he’ll probably be really angry.

Stick it out.

Have Kasumi disable the generator.

Wet the stasis bubble.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

The ODST's done, I'll add a picture of that one next chapter, so that means I can get back to building my Space Marine :rainbowwild:

Also, I hadn't expected the vote to be this one-sided:twilightsheepish:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18356734
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Berkenstein - Snag

Chapter 54

Berkenstein - Snag

Stick it out 50%

'I'll manage it, get into the vault.'

Garrus wasn’t exactly reassured by the message. For one, the previous one had hints of desperation in it. Secondly, the way Fluttershy’s eyes were darting about were a good indication that she was staving off panic.

The worst thing about it was that he couldn’t even say anything to comfort her without alerting the bodyguards around him.

“Got it, I’ve just found a way into Hock’s private quarters. I’ll quickly get some DNA from the usual places and get back to the party. Just give us some more time, Fluttershy. You’re doing great,” Kasumi reported over the radio, something that surprised him very much as the human had just been among the other guests.

How the hell did she get in there without me noticing that she’d left?!

Knowing that asking would be pointless as Kasumi would probably reply with some vague bullshit answer, he turned his attention back to Fluttershy. The longer Garrus looked at all the guests that were studying Fluttershy the angrier he got. They were studying his girl as if she were nothing more than something to be bought and sold. His mandibles were grinding against the carapace of his face in anger as he tried to keep his decorum.

“I’ve got a sufficient sample. Now we just have to find the password and the power switch for the barrier.”

Fluttershy, meanwhile, only seemed to become paler as one of the guests came awfully close to the bubble and lit her omni-tool, allowing her hand to pass through the stasis field undisturbed and stroked the pegasus’ wing. This was the final straw for the pegasus as she finally fell into the panic that had been building ever since she’d been put on display.

“Crap,” Garrus simply said as he brought up his omni-tool. This was going to snowball out of hand incredibly quickly. More of the bodyguards walked up to the balcony to see what the commotion downstairs was about, to see if their charges were in danger, and finding that the source of the ruckus was the pegasus trying to escape from the stasis bubble.

The moment Garrus’ call connected to the network it was picked up by the person the turian was trying to reach. “Garrus? Where the hell are you and Fluttershy? I’ve been looking for the two of you for a while now!” Shepard said, sounding severely annoyed. Garrus, yet to be detected, thought up a way to talk to Shepard without attracting too much attention to himself.

“Ah yes, sorry dear, there was a last minute job my new employer needed me for. Though there seems to be a snag that’s going to make it so that I probably won’t be home any time soon,” Garrus told the commander who immediately picked up on the fact the turian was in a sticky situation.

“Where are you, and how bad is the situation?” Shepard asked. Garrus immediately sent the planetary coordinates through to him.

“You know that person our mutual friend met just before our last trip? She had a job I couldn’t refuse. Oh, before I forget, can you gather the kids? I was supposed to go do some exercises with them, and I don’t want them to skip while I’m gone.”

“Alright, I’m calling back the crew of the Normandy, and we’ll be right on our way to your location. What kind of resistance will we face and how long do you have?”

“They can take the regular obstacles and make sure they don’t start skipping them after something like five to ten minutes,” Garrus replied as Fluttershy was making progress in her attempt at getting out of the bubble. Half her body was already out of it by this point. A couple of Hock’s guards were charging to her before she got out completely.

“Ok, last question. Can you avoid capture?” Shepard asked with grave concern.

“Maybe, but the chances right now seem to be against us,” Garrus admitted. “I’ll call you in how long, dear?”

“We’ll be there in about three hours. Berkenstein is relatively close to the Citadel after all. Good luck, Garrus.”

“Same to you. Bye,” Garrus cut the connection and returned his focus to Fluttershy. His mate had escaped from the bubble and was now being held down by a group of guards. Judging by the lack of flying humans Fluttershy had yet to figure out how to use her biotics without the amp.

“Miss Gunn, we have a situation up here,”

“I’ve seen it. The security office was empty so I got the password for the vault from there as well,” Kasumi replied, putting Garrus on edge again with her warped priorities.

“Ma’am, I’m not going to take any risks with a forming situation,” Garrus nearly growled back. The turian turned and wanted to walk to the stairs leading to the ground floor but stopped as he came face to face with a human he had not expected to see there. “Harkin?”

The bald human looked surprised for a moment as well, but that expression changed to one of disdain very quickly. “Vakarian.”

The former C-Sec officer immediately recognized his former colleague, and was not pleased to see the turian. “GET HIM! HE’S C-SEC!”

Garrus wasn’t even given the time to react as the two nearest bodyguards slammed into him and pinned him down. Within seconds the turian was completely immobilized and held at gunpoint by Harkin.

“What’s going on here?” a new voice asked. Everyone turned to look at the source of the authoritative voice. Donovan Hock stood at the top of the stairs, looking like he was about to blow a gasket.

“You have a C-Sec infiltrator here, Garrus Vakarian. He’s an old colleague of mine,” Harkin said as he looked back at Garrus, his finger putting more and more pressure on the trigger.

“Mister Harkin, if you kill this infiltrator here, you’ll take his place on the interrogation chair,” Hock threatened. Harkin went slightly pale and immediately backed off. “Good choice. Now could the two of you please knock him out?”

The last thing Garrus saw before blacking out was a fist impacting his face.

The world was entirely dark as Garrus came around again with a blindfold tightly bound over his eyes. Moving his arms or legs was also not possible as they seemed to be chained to the chair that he was seated on.

“I see you’re finally awake. I was almost afraid I would have to spend the entire day having fun with that pegasus,” a voice snarled, one that Garrus immediately recognized as belonging to Hock. He didn’t dignify the crime boss’ stab with a response. The blindfold was ripped off of Garrus’ head, a blinding light then shining into his eyes.

As his eyes adjusted he found Hock standing in front of him with one of Fluttershy’s large primary feathers in his hands. “She’s quite resilient you know, it took me almost an hour before she finally admitted that she could talk as well.”

“Fuck you,”

Almost an hour, Shepard is at worst two hours out.

“Oh, that’s just rude. Although if you want to, it can be arranged for that bitch of a pony. Also, don’t worry about her. She’s still alive. I want her to be in top condition before I stuff her. Can’t have a bruised and battered pony on display to add to my collection, can I?” Hock said darkly as he grabbed a metal pin and twirled it around his fingers. “You know, at first I was just going to question you and miss Gunn, but when I found out my vault had been broken into and a particular grey box was stolen, my plans changed.”

Hock slowly circled the bound turian and let the large primary brush over Garrus’ outer carapace.

“There’s this interesting thing when considering torture, all the different species around the galaxy, all having certain weaknesses. Salarians, for example, abhor hot irons. Their skin is terribly suited for hot metal objects.” Garrus felt a shiver go up his spine as Hock continued giving his monologue,”Krogans are the most fun since they’re so durable that you can experiment with them for a while before they expire.”

Hock stood still in front of Garrus and looked him straight in the eyes, a scowl etched on his face. “Do you want to know what turians can’t stand?” the crime boss asked with a dangerous undertone to his voice. “Electricity.”

In a single smooth swing, Hock buried the metal pin into Garrus’ thigh. The turian let out a scream of anguish as the pin pierced his muscle and stayed stuck in there.

“That lovely carapace of yours conducts the flow of electricity all throughout your body, making it much more painful for you than it would be for any other species.” Hock, in another smooth motion, picked up a second pin and rammed it into the other thigh.

Another scream.

“Had you not aided Kasumi Goto in her endeavor to steal from me I might have considered in giving you a merciful death,” Hock attached two clamps to the pins stuck in Garrus’ legs, wires running from them to a port in the wall. The crime boss turned a dial and put his hand on a switch and jammed it down.

The buzz of electricity went through the room as Garrus’ entire body seized up, agonizing pain shooting through him.

Yet the sweet embrace of unconsciousness would elude him.

Fluttershy cried as she tried moving her legs and wings for the hundredth time. The ropes that held her still not budging as they were simply too well bound. The crime boss had just left after hearing Garrus had woken up.

She was laying on her back on Hock’s bed, her forelegs bound in front of her while her back legs were tied to the corners of the bed. Her wings were spread out to the side, also firmly tied to the bed. And lastly was the collar that was attached to the top of the bed that prevented her from sliding down to slacken the ropes on her wings and legs.

The pegasus tried keeping those wings as still as possible, the horrible human had left needles sticking out of them around the joints, making any movement extremely painful. Something Hock had made effective use of when he was giving her ‘special attention’.

The sound of someone moving made Fluttershy jump in fear, and a black and grey clothed female appeared from nowhere. A jot of pain from her wing joints went through her body as the little movement had already been enough to grind them against the bones.

“Hey, lay still,” she said as she put down her hood. Kasumi carefully pulled out all the needles, undid the rope, and unbuckled the collar. Tears rolled from Fluttershy’s eyes as she slowly folded her mangled wings, feathers lay strewn around the bed from being pulled out one by one.

Looking up at the Japanese lady gave her mixed feelings, on one hoof she had returned for her. On the other, she was the reason that she’d gone through all this pain.

Do you know where Garrus is?

Go away. I’ll find Garrus myself.

[Attack Kasumi. She’s to blame for this.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Okay, this was much darker than usual.

I'll get that picture of the ODST next time :twilightsheepish:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18362192
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Berkenstein - Escape

Chapter 55

Berkenstein - Escape

Do you know where Garrus is? 83%

Fluttershy looked up at Kasumi. She tried being angry at the human before her, wanted to hurt her in all the ways Hock had done to her, but couldn’t as she stared into Kasumi’s sorrowful eyes.

“Fluttershy I...”

“Don’t,” Fluttershy said, cutting off the string of apologies that would have most likely followed. “We need to get Garrus and leave this place. I know you’ve already got that greybox. Hock made that very clear.”

Kasumi averted her eyes as she pulled something from a pocket and off of her back. “I managed to get most of our gear out of the generator. Garrus’ armor was too large for me to carry, but I did take the weapons and your amp.”

Fluttershy immediately took the amp from Kasumi, intent on connecting it back to the appropriate port between her wings, only to realize that there was no way she could connect it herself. “Uhm, could you connect this?”

Kasumi nodded and took the amp back. Fluttershy tensed up as Kasumi attached the amp to the slot that was hidden beneath the fur, flinching every time the human's hand touched her. The moment she felt the comforting feeling of the device's activation, she increased the distance between the two of them.

Fluttershy hadn’t taken her own armor due to the limited space the generator presented. She had argued that she’d be able to create an active biotic barrier to keep herself safe while Garrus would need the shield generator.

Intent on creating that very biotic barrier, the pegasus lit her wings up…

…and fell to the ground with a scream.

The biotic field had made the joints of her wings feel like they were being torn apart and lit on fire. Fluttershy, with an almost instinctive reaction, cut off the biotics again, heavily panting from the large amount of pain she’d experienced in the attempt to use her biotics.

“Are you okay?” Kasumi asked, a concerned look on her face and a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. When the pegasus realized she was being touched, she pushed Kasumi away from her and scrambled to put some distance between herself and the human.

“No. Give me that sniper rifle,” Fluttershy demanded. If she couldn’t use her biotics, then she’d need something else to defend herself with.

“Are you sure...” Kasumi tried to reason with the pegasus but stopped as she gazed into Fluttershy’s eyes. It felt as if the weight of the planet had just been laid on her shoulders.

“Give. Me. The. Rifle.” Fluttershy slowly punctuated each word, while the stare forced Kasumi to follow the order. The pegasus checked the thermal clips on it to see how many shots she’d have.

Eight clips, three shots per clip, so twenty four shots total. It didn’t look as if the shield generators and armors of these criminals have been upgraded yet, so every single shot should punch through.

“Now we’re going to find Garrus,” Fluttershy stated as she clamped the rifle below her right wing. As long as she didn’t move the joint in the middle of it, the pain would only be nagging, not crippling.

Kasumi didn’t argue against Fluttershy in any way, motioning for the pegasus to follow her. They moved out of the bedroom and into the hallway beyond, passing a set of stairs leading up and going through a door on the lower floor,

“I took the liberty to hack the security systems after retrieving my gear. I think I know where Garrus is being held, but I couldn’t Identify it precisely. The security in that part of the building is on an isolated loop,” Kasumi explained as she lead Fluttershy through the hallways, masterfully avoiding every patrol they encountered as if she knew where they were. Thinking about it, she probably did. The pair went down a couple of stairs into the depths of the compound where the guard presence seemed to be lighter than in the upper levels.

“At the end of the hallway there are two guards posted in front of the door, beyond that I can’t use the cameras,” Kasumi cautioned as they stopped at the corner. “I’ll give you the all clear when the guard’s aren’t a problem anymore.”

The human activated her active camouflage and faded from view. Seconds later two dull thumps could be heard followed by the sound of collapsing bodies. “Clear.”

Fluttershy immediately moved up through the hallway, seeing a salarian and human lying face-down on the floor. Kasumi, meanwhile, was already going to work on opening the doors. The passage opened moments later as the master thief was quick in her work. The hallway was immediately filled with the sound of someone screaming. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat as she realized who it was.

“GARRUS!” The pegasus surged forward, putting caution to the wind. If anyone decided it was a good idea to get in her way, then she’d make them feel every bit of pain she had.

Entering the room from where the scream had originated, she found Garrus sitting bound on a chair with two metal rods sticking out of his legs. The turian coughed up blood as he heavily panted, his eyes falling on the newcomer that stood in the doorway.

“The switch,” Garrus simply said while looking at the large switch attached to the generator that was connected to the two pins on his body. Fluttershy didn’t waste any time running up to the switch and putting it in the off position.

Garrus let out a sigh of relief but grunted and gritted his mandibles as the pegasus slammed into him and gave him a crushing hug. “Broken ribs. Please let go Shy.”

The pegasus immediately let go of the pained turian. “I-I’m so sorry, I just wanted to...”

“It’s alright, Shy. Let’s get me out of this chair and leave,” Garrus said as he pushed through the pain, his eyes falling on a second figure in the doorway as he noticed the movement. “You. The only reason I’m not thinking about killing you the moment I get out of this chair is because then you wouldn’t be able to give us the massive favour you owe us.”

Kasumi didn’t reply and helped Fluttershy loosen the straps of Garrus’ bonds. Before the turian could stand up, Fluttershy checked the two pins stuck in his legs. The flesh and muscle around them had burned from the excessive electrical current that had run through them. The pegasus decided that removing them might tear open a major artery, something that she couldn’t treat right now, and that they would have to move Garrus with them still in his legs.

“Kasumi, can you give him some support?” Fluttershy asked.

“I can, but I don’t think I can move through the facility without being detected while doing so.” The ground shook as the dull sound of an explosion could be heard a couple of stories above them.

“Shepard should take care of that situation,” Garrus grunted as he helped himself out of the chair, his legs barely keeping him standing with all the damage done to them. “Let’s get out of this hellhole.”

Just as Garrus had predicted the guards were all drawn to the upper level to counter the encroaching assault squad, something that gave the group the opportunity to quickly get back to the surface. As they reached the top they could see Hock on his knees with his hand on his head held at gunpoint by a very familiar team of aliens.

Fluttershy felt rage coursing through her veins at seeing the human sitting on his knees and brought her sniper rifle to bear.

“Fluttershy, don’t! We have him. We can question him to gain information about his business practices!” Kasumi said as she carefully approached the fuming pegasus.

“Do you have anyidea what he did to me?! He hit me with whips, spit on me, cut me with knives, and he… he...” Fluttershy trembled in rage as tears flowed freely from her eyes.

“...He violated me.” Fluttershy quietly said as she looked down the scope of her rifle, the crosshairs shakily staying on target as her mind tried deciding a further course of action.

[Let him live. Try to get information from him.]

[Pull the trigger. He deserves to die.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Almost off this godforsaken planet.:fluttershyouch:

It's taken at a terrible angle because I hadn't finished the paintjob on this picture yet:twilightsheepish: It was a bit too hot around here to put it on only to take a picture

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18382809
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Medical

Chapter 56

Medical

[Let him live. Try to get information from him.] 70%

Fluttershy quivered as she slowly lowered the rifle, tears flowing from her eyes as she started sobbing. Even though Hock was sitting there on his knees as an easy target, she couldn’t do it. She could rationalize, even though she still found it revolting, shooting at another being that was threatening her or her friends. Flat out executing one that was most definitely no longer a threat…

The pegasus shivered at the fact that she’d even considered the option.

“He did WHAT!” Garrus roared and focussed his eyes on the human, the group that surrounded Hock also taking notice of the three new arrivals. Garrus picked up the rifle that Fluttershy had dropped and, despite the pain from the two pins still embedded in his legs, found the energy to rapidly stumble forward.

The moment Liara and Tali noticed Garrus’ state, they recoiled in horror while Wrex, Kaiden, and Shepard looked in awe of the fact that the turian was able to walk at all, although Hock was the most surprised. He had not expected the turian to be out at all.

Thud

The butt of the sniper rifle smashed into the side of Hocks head, sending him sprawling on the floor. Garrus felt his legs finally give out and collapsed to his knees next to the dazed human. Not that this did anything to stop the rage-filled turian who kept driving the butt of the rifle into Hock.

“YOU!”
“DISGUSTING!”
“MOTHER-”
-FUCKER!”

Garrus was tackled to the ground by Shepard, the turian’s strength simply not enough to get the commander off of him anymore. “Stop it, Garrus! The information he can give on the criminal organizations he’s associated with will save hundreds of lives!”

“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN! HE RAPED FLUTTERSHY! I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HIM!” the turian shouted at Shepard, struggling to get loose from his grip but failing to do so.

“Justice will be served, Garrus, but not here. If you kill him now, it’ll be a quick way out for him!” Shepard tried to argue but the turian just continued staring daggers at the downed human. “Garrus look behind you. There’s someone that needs you right now more than you need to beat the life out of him.”

This got Garrus to cool down a bit as he looked back at the sobbing form of Fluttershy. Kasumi was awkwardly crouched beside the pegasus as every time she tried getting close Fluttershy would shy away from her. Shepard noticed that Garrus wasn’t struggling against him anymore and slowly let the turian go, careful that he wouldn’t turn and nail Hock in a more permanent manner.

“Just so you know, she makes the most adorable noises when you screw her,” Hock said as he coughed up some blood, nullifying every bit of progress Shepard had made in calming Garrus down. But before the turian could jump at the crime boss again, Hock was picked up by a very angry looking krogan.

THUD

For the second time that day something crashed into Hock’s head. Only where as Garrus didn’t have the strength left to do serious harm to him, Wrex’s near bone-crushing headbutt knocked him out instantly.

“For the record, the only reason I didn’t kill him is because Shepard wants him alive,” Wrex huffed as he dragged the limp man out of the building. This was also when Garrus collapsed for the second time, his legs giving out as he reached the crying pegasus. Fluttershy immediately latched on to her boyfriend and would remain in that state the entire ride back to the Normandy.

“Commander.” Shepard looked up at Chakwas as the doctor approached him. “I just got done with the two of them, and I must say that they’re doing as well as expected.”

Shepard groaned in frustration. This day was most definitely not going as planned. “How bad?”

Chakwas took a seat across from the commander and pushed a file filled with pictures towards him. “Garrus got off the best. His heart was under strain due to the electricity and he broke a few ribs, but the worst that happened to him was the flesh around the two pins in his legs burning, though that can be treated when we’re on the Citadel.”

“And Fluttershy?” Shepard asked. Chakwas grimaced at what she had found on the pegasus.

“Her injuries are more mental than physical, though her wings are a major concern to me. She was flinching every time I touched her, and she seems to be afraid of all humans due to Hock’s actions,” Chakwas explained while Shepard went through the pictures in front of him.

“How are the physical ones?” he asked.

“She has lashes across her body, but the needles that had been stuck in her wings most likely did the most damage. Unlike most biotics, the Eezo in her body is more integrated than even a species like the asari. The needles were pushed into and scratched over the top layer of bone which is covered in Eezo, but that’s not what did the most damage.” Chakwas gave her datapad to Shepard, showing a molecule with some information typed next to it. “I found traces of a neurotoxin around those scratches which has damaged the nerves in the joint. This might be the cause of her inability to use her biotics. I already neutralized the traces of the toxin, but the nerve treatment seems to have little effect on her healing rate. Not that I expected it to do so”

“Well… Shit. Is there any good news?” Shepard asked as he hoped this wasn’t all.

“Luckily there is. It seems like her body is repairing the damage by itself, but I’m not sure how long that’s going to take. She might be up and running in a week or it might take months. I simply don’t know enough about that aspect of her body to make an accurate prediction,” Chakwas informed the commander who had closed the file again.

“Thank you, doctor. I’ll make sure they’ll get help at the Citadel when we get back there.” Shepard stood up from the table, leaving the mess behind him and making the short trip to his personal chambers before opening a ship-wide channel.

“Miss Goto, report to the captain’s quarters.”

He was going to have a very serious conversation with the master thief.

Fluttershy lay on the bed next to Garrus. The turian had already gone out like a light due to the drugs the doctor had applied. The two pins had also been removed and the wounds treated. She had offered to help Chakwas with the removal and treatment but the doctor turned down the offer, saying that Fluttershy should rest…

…Something that wasn’t as easy as every time she dozed off slightly, memories of herself being strapped down flashed through her mind, making her shoot up in a panic.

At some point Fluttershy had resigned to the fact that she probably wasn’t going to get any good rest tonight and just stared at the ceiling above, listening to the Garrus’ calm breathing. She remained like that until the intercom crackled to life and Shepard could be heard speaking.

“Miss Goto, report to the captain’s quarters.”

Fluttershy’s ears perked up as she heard the name spoken. Her name.

She’s what got all of this started. If it weren’t for her, then we wouldn’t have gotten into this situation in the first place...

...but that was never her intention either. Does she really deserve my anger? Nothing really went as we had planned and Garrus being recognized threw another major wrench into the plan. And what if Garrus wakes up? Should I leave him alone in here?

[Go to Kasumi to see how she’s holding up.]

[Stay with Garrus. Kasumi isn’t important.]

[Go give Kasumi a piece of my mind!]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Galacon was a blast! :pinkiehappy: I even got the present VA's to sign my ODST helmet :rainbowwild:

Tabitha St. Germain(Rarity, Luna, Granny Smith)
Andrea Libman(Pinkie and Flutters)
Vincent Tong(Blueblood, Garble, Flash Sentry, Sandbar)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18407748
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Huerta Memorial

Chapter 57

Huerta Memorial

[Stay with Garrus. Kasumi isn’t important.] 52%

Fluttershy thought for a moment about what she should do, ultimately deciding that she’d just let Shepard deal with the thief. She simply didn’t want to spend the energy dealing with the japanese woman anymore.

After slowly getting off her own bed, she made a quick jump onto Garrus’ one, careful not to disturb the turian too much. Doctor Chakwas might have fused together his bones, but they would still be really sensitive.

Cuddling up as close as she could, Fluttershy closed her eyes and let herself slowly fall asleep, the slight rising and falling of Garrus’ chest against her side acting as a calming influence against the nightmares.

Fluttershy woke as she felt someone shaking her body ever so slightly. Letting out a large yawn, she wanted to stretch her wings, but after opening them slightly she was painfully reminded that that wasn’t a good idea.

“Hey Flutters, wake up. We’ve arrived back at the Citadel,” Garrus said, getting Fluttershy to open her eyes. Around them, there were a couple more nurses that were looking at the pair. They had two medical beds with them that could be moved out of the medbay as opposed to the ones the Normandy had installed. “They want to move me to the other bed. but you’re kind of in the way of that,” he chuckled. Fluttershy blushed and quickly released the vice grip she had on her coltfriend’s arm.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy quickly apologized as she jumped off the bed to give the two nurses some space to work with the turian.

“Don’t be. You looked like you were getting some good sleep, and considering what you went through, that’s a really good thing,” Garrus grunted as he was moved to the mobile bed. “Now you should get onto your bed as well so they can get us to the hospital.”

Fluttershy followed Garrus’ instruction and jumped onto the bed that was reserved for her, allowing the nurses to push them out of the medbay. Outside there was a small group of the crew alongside the Commander, Liara, Wrex, and Tali standing to see them head off.

“I’ve got something from Kasumi Goto for the two of you,” Shepard said, while handing the pegasus a datapad that had a message written on it as the nurses allowed them a moment to say goodbye to the two of them.

“Thank you, Commander. We’ll read it when we get to the hospital,” Fluttershy thanked as Tali walked up to the bed as well.

“You get well soon, alright? I’m going to miss the two of you around on the Normandy,” she said as she hugged the little pony.

“We’ll be back the moment we get released from the hospital,” Fluttershy smiled back at the quarian. Wrex was the next of the group to come up to the pegasus.

“See you back here in a couple of weeks, I need someone alongside me that can show these pyjacks what real biotics look like,” he chuckled, getting a nudge from Kaidan who, along with Liara, gave him a glare, but the two of them couldn’t hold it for long as they fell to chuckles as well.

“Thanks for all the love you guys. I really appreciate it,” Garus said with a smirk as everyone seemed to huddle around Fluttershy.

“Heh, we love you as well, you crazy turian. Want a hug from uncle Urdnot?” Wrex chuckled as he walked up to the other bed.

Garrus grinned as he shook his head. “My ribs are damaged enough as they are now.”

A few more goodbyes later, the two of them were being pushed out of the Normandy and onto the docks where a large shuttle was waiting for them. The journey to Huerta Memorial Hospital on the Presidium didn’t take too long, and the doctors didn’t waste any time getting to the treatment that the two of them needed.

For Garrus that meant the removal of scar tissue from his legs, while Fluttershy had her body flushed from any traces of Hock’s biological matter. The pegasus had yet to have an adverse reaction to it, but the doctors weren’t going to take the chance. So, after a tiring day, the two of them were back together in one of the hospital’s rooms.

“Hey Shy, you had that letter from Kasumi, didn’t you?” Garrus asked as he got himself comfortable. Fluttershy nodded and pulled out the letter that she had been taking along for the entire day now, activating it and clearing her throat as she got ready to read it.

To Fluttershy and Garrus:
~~I’m so sorry~~
~~I hope the~~
I’m not sure how to start this letter. I want to tell you how sorry I am, but I’m sure you’re not in the mood to listen to my plead. The Commander had a talk with me and gave me a few new perspectives and things to think about.

When I first ran into you I tried to force you to go along with my plan, even though if I had asked kindly you would have probably accepted anyway. If I hadn’t let my paranoia get the better of me, we might have been able to avoid the entire ordeal all together, and for that I’m truly sorry.

If you never want to see me again, I’d understand, but know that if you ever need a favour done you can call me.

I’ve left a contact in your omni-tools, speak the password ‘Silence is golden’ after the beep to get into contact. I’ve also left a considerable amount of credits in your accounts as well.

I’m deeply in your debt,
Kasumi Goto

Fluttershy felt a wave of guilt hit her as she remembered deciding against going to see Kasumi. Yes talking to the thief would have been tough, but it seemed like not talking to her had hurt Kasumi more than Fluttershy had anticipated.

While Fluttershy checked the new contact added to her omni-tool, Garrus checked the balance on his financial account to see what Kasumi had deposited there, his jaw nearly hit the floor as he saw the amount of deposited credits. “Sweet spirits that’s a lot of credits!”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow and went over to Garrus’ bed to see the amount of credits that had the turian so surprised, her eyes widened as she too saw the amount of credits. “That’s even more than Shepard provided me and Liara with when we went shopping for gear here!”

“I guess we can do some shopping when we get out of here then. Get some upgraded gear for the others and such,” Garrus said as he was done being awed at the number in his personal account.

“That might be nice for-” Fluttershy’s sentence was cut off as she let out a loud yawn, causing Garrus to chuckle.

“You only got a couple hours of sleep. I think it’s best if the two of us get some more, not like we have much else to do.”

Fluttershy nodded and wanted to make her way back to her bed but, before jumping off, an idea popped into her mind that made her blush slightly. Turning back to the turian she placed a quick kiss on his bony cheek before quickly getting into her own bed, facing away from Garrus to hide her beet red cheeks.

It was going to take a long while before she’d fall asleep.

Author's Note

No vote this time though there's a major event in the next chapter.

I've also got a new side project I'm working on but I want to make some more progress on that before revealing it. :scootangel:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

MAYDAY!

Chapter 58

MAYDAY!

The metallic sounds of Fluttershy’s armored hooves echoed through the hallway of the SSV Everest. She and Garrus had been released from the hospital a couple of days prior after having been in recovery for nearly two months. Fluttershy was once again able to move her wings and fly with them to some degree, but biotics still made her wings feel like they were being ripped from their sockets.

They had almost immediately contacted Shepard after they were out and managed to get passage on the Alliance dreadnought. The human vessel was going to pass close to a relay that connected to the terminus systems where the Normandy could pick them up.

“Are you really okay with getting back to work?” Garrus asked as he led Fluttershy towards the bridge of the massive vessel. The turian had picked up an entirely new set of armor to replace the old one, citing that armor was going to be of more use to him than a pile of credits. Fluttershy nodded nervously as they passed a group of humans.

Calm down Fluttershy. These humans aren’t going to hurt you. Also, if they do try, you’re wearing armor and Garrus is right next to you.

“Yes, the Reapers won’t sit still, so neither can we,” she replied as a large door opened, revealing a busy room. Various crew members sat at their consoles checking their systems and reporting statuses to operators at other consoles and at the center of this all an old man was sitting reading something on a tablet.

“Admiral Hackett,” Garrus said as he stood rigidly and saluted, the old man stood up too and returned the favour.

“Garrus Vakarian, Miss Fluttershy, welcome to the SSV Everest,” Hacket said as he led them to a comm room that lay adjacent to the bridge where they could talk in relative silence. “We’ve arrived at the relay, but the Normandy seems to be running late.”

“Any reason for that?” Fluttershy asked, a slight bit concerned.

“He might be trying to avoid pirates or had to survey something before coming here. He’ll have two hours to get here before we have to continue on with our assignment. But I’m sure he’ll arrive in time. It’s not like the Commander to miss a rendezvous,” Hacket said as the three of them sat down at a table that stood in the center of the room.

“Can I ask you a personal question, Admiral?” Garrus asked, getting a go-ahead from Hackett. “Do you believe Shepard is right about the Reapers?”

The admiral thought for a moment before answering, “I’ll admit that I was sceptical when the Commander made his claims, but with all the small bits of mounting evidence which culminated in the attack on the Citadel, I couldn’t deny there was something to it. No ship the geth could build would have been able to take and give that much punishment.”

“Glad to hear at least one more is on our side. Councilor Anderson, while visiting us in the hospital, told us he’s only barely keeping the other councilors on his side concerning the Reapers,” Garrus said with a bit of a relief.

“I just don’t get it. A Reaper quite literally came kicking down their front door, and they’re still not convinced!” Fluttershy said, making an exasperated motion with her forelegs.

“That’s politics in a nutshell for you. Wait for something to turn into a roaring garbage fire before trying to fix it.” Hackett chuckled but a blinking light on his tablet immediately changed his mood to be much more serious again.

“Admiral Hackett, we’re receiving a distress signal,” an operator reported.

“Who is it, civilian or military?” Hacket asked as he immediately rushed out of the Comm room into the Everest’s CIC, the operator turning away from his console to face the admiral.

“S-sir, it’s the Normandy,” he stuttered as he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Confirm. Did you just say we’re receiving a distress call from the Alliance vessel SSV Normandy?” Hacket asked very carefully.

“Yes sir,” the operator replied while he pushed a few buttons on his console, Joker’s voice booming from the room’s speakers moments after.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is SSV Normandy. We’ve suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy! Shit… come on baby, hold together!”

“Plot a course directly to the location of that distress beacon!” Hacket immediately ordered, “Flank speed!”

“Admiral, what do you need us to do?” Garrus asked as the CIC burst into full motion, Fluttershy hot on his heels.

“If you want to help, head down to hangar one. There’ll be a recovery team waiting there ready to retrieve any launched escape pods,” the admiral told the two of them. Neither objected to that, and they rushed off towards the transportation hub where they got a ride down to the Hangar.

“Garrus, do you think they...”

“They’ll have made it out of there. Every single one of them is too stubborn to die,” Garrus said while nervously tapping the elevator’s door. The moment that door opened, the couple sprinted out into the hangar bay. Four shuttles had already been prepared, and a small complement of crew stood around them, ready to head out at any point.

“I take it that you are the two the Admiral informed me about?” an officer asked as he came walking up to them. Garrus gave him a quick nod. “Good. I want the two of you here for when we retrieve any occupants of escape pods to see friendly faces.”

“Understood,” Garrus replied as he found somewhere to sit down with Fluttershy. The feeling of static electricity washing over the pair as the large vessel made the jump through the mass relay.

Fluttershy leaned in against the turian who put his arm around the pegasus and gently stroked her mane as the two of them waited, watching the shuttle crews launch after about fifteen minutes.

Time dragged on for another couple of minutes before the first shuttle returned, guiding in the first escape pod through the mass effect field that was keeping the air contained. Crews immediately hauled the pod inside while the shuttle went out again to help guide the other pods.

When the emergency pod opened, the first person to come out was Chief engineer Adams, closely followed by Tali, Wrex, and most of the other Normandy engineers. Tali for one seemed to be crying her eyes out while Wrex looked extremely angry and ready to punch anyone in his way.

“I’ll try to calm down Wrex, you go help Tali,” Garrus said as Wrex stomped off while Tali sank against a crate and curled up in a ball. Fluttershy went over to the crying quarian and sat down next to her, carefully extending her wing and pulling her into a wing-hug.

“F-Fluttershy?” Tali asked through her sobs as she felt the pegasus next to her.

“Shhh, you’re safe here,” Fluttershy tried to calm the very distressed quarian.

“S-Shepard didn’t m-make it,” Tali cried. This was something that Fluttershy most definitely hadn’t expected. The Commander had cheated death so many times in the short while that she had been on the Normandy that it simply didn’t seem possible.

“W-what?!” Fluttershy felt her stomach turn as well.

Shepard’s gone? N-no that can’t be! But why is Tali this upset about it… Oh no, did she…

Did you love him him?

Silently allow Tali to cry.

Swear vengeance on those responsible.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

NCMares' Night Mares <- It's also a Fanfic, not finished but really good.

hehe, it's fun making something like that :rainbowdetermined2:, it's a good challange.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18437570
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Frustration

Chapter 60

Frustration

Fluttershy calmly sat at the table in Garrus’ apartment as the turian vented his troubles from work. They had returned to the Citadel over a year ago and Garrus had immediately joined back up with C-Sec. Fluttershy looked into joining but ended up deciding against it. She much preferred helping the victims of the battle with counseling and emergency aid while she was in school to become a doctor.

Initially everything had been going smooth for the turian. The regulations that had previously been holding him back were not being enforced in favour of returning law and order to the Citadel. But as that very order came back to the station, the regulations came back as well, making it so that to arrest a criminal Garrus had to slog through a pile of bureaucratic paperwork.

“…He literally had the red sand on him, and they told me that wasn’t proof enough! The only thing he had to do was say he found it and was bringing it in!”

“And you’re sure that he wasn’t telling the truth?” Fluttershy asked, though judging from earlier complaints the turian had made his claim probably wasn’t that far from the truth.

“Red sand is an expensive and highly addictive substance to humans. You don’t just ‘find’ something like that abandoned in an alleyway,” Garrus growled while taking a seat on the other side of the table to Fluttershy. “I’m just so tired of criminals getting away with crimes, and if the state of C-Sec before the attack is what they’re going for, then it’s only going to get worse!”

Garrus slammed his fist on the table in anger. Fluttershy didn’t even flinch at the move as she simply took a sip from the mug of tea in her hooves. “And you’re thinking of doing something about it?”

Garrus’ anger immediately subsided, and he grimaced. “Yes there’s something I’m thinking about doing, but that’s not something I want to involve you in. It’s not exactly the safest of plans.”

Narrowing her eyes slightly Fluttershy sternly looked at the turian. “Garrus, you know that I can handle myself. We practice our shooting at least twice a week and my biotics are slowly getting back to the place where they used to be. I might not be actively fighting gangs, but that doesn’t mean I’m helpless.”

Though it was true Fluttershy could handle herself in most situations, saying her biotic potential was coming back slowly was an understatement. Even after a year it had only increased to a point where she could use it as any biotic would, not rip entire geth apart with just her mind as she had done before.

“I know, I know, but I don’t want to put you in extreme danger,” Garrus sighed. “There is a space station in the Terminus systems that doesn’t fall under any government's jurisdiction, and it’s filled with criminals. All the major crime syndicates have large parts of their operations going on there, everything from slave trade to the creation of narcotics. Almost every severe criminal operation we’ve stopped in the last year was either directly or indirectly supported by the elements on that station.”

“That still doesn’t tell me what you’re planning to do,” Fluttershy pointed out, even though she could be pretty certain of what Garrus wanted to do. He wasn’t someone who’d just sit still and watch if he perceived an injustice being done.

“I want to cut these things off at the source. C-Sec is only fighting the symptoms of the real problems, and the Council doesn’t want to take risks.” Garrus, while simultaneously working at C-Sec, had also re-applied for Spectre training, but the Council had denied his request to join the organization. They had already denied Shepard’s claims on the Reapers and didn’t want to take the chance of having a new Spectre bring it up.

“So you were just going to go to that place without telling me?” Fluttershy suddenly felt herself become very angry at her boyfriend.

“Well, I-”

“And just leave me here, alone on the Citadel?!” Fluttershy shouted at Garrus who flinched back. “Do I mean that little to you?!”

“Of course not! I mean you don’t, I…” Garrus tried defending himself, but Fluttershy was too angry to listen any longer and jumped off her chair, grabbed a bag, and stormed out of the apartment.

Spreading her wings Fluttershy took to the air, careful not to fly too high and leave the thin layer of air that covered the ‘open air’ areas of the Citadel.

Does he really think that little of me? That he just wanted to leave at the last moment without me?

Fluttershy pushed her wings a bit further in an attempt to clear her mind. The physical therapy sessions she’d done had strengthened her wings considerably and given her some new insight on training.

Back when Rainbow was put in charge of creating the tornado that was meant to bring water to Cloudsdale she’d gone out of her way to improve her wingpower but only managed to get a fraction of what the other pegasi could do. But after telling the story to the therapists on the Citadel, the only thing they really were was impressed. They explained that the final amount of wingpower she’d managed to gain was almost five times higher than the one she’d started with. An improvement like that was an amazing feat not to be scoffed at.

With that as motivation Fluttershy had continued training and improving her performance. She guessed that even though she was most definitely not at Dash’s level of flying, she’d be able to out-fly most pegasi.

Thinking of Dash brought tears to her eyes again as she slowed down her flight to land. Yes, she really missed all of her friends, but Rainbow had been her first and best friend. Not seeing her for over a year had been really hard for the yellow pegasus.

Come on Fluttershy what would Dash do? …She’d probably stick with Garrus whatever the situation might be. I’m sure he just wanted to protect me from what he wants to do, not abandon me. It’s not like I can really blend into crowds after all.

Fluttershy had the final thought as she saw the various aliens around her looking strangely at her.

I’m pretty sure that we’re going to need to figure out a way for me to be less noticeable if I’m going to go with him… Maybe Kasumi can give me some tips on blending in. It is her job after all?

I’m not leaving Garrus. We’ll figure something out.

[Call in a favour with Kasumi.]

I can’t go along. It’ll only end in bloodshed.'

[Vote link]

Author's Note

. . . :flutterrage: Need to stop myself from saying anything, NO SPOILERS HERE!

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18465104
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Cloak

Chapter 61

Cloak

[Call in a favour with Kasumi.] 48%

We’re really going to need some serious help blending into the surroundings if that station Garrus described is as bad as he made it sound… I do have that favour from Kasumi I could call in.

Fluttershy wasn’t exactly angry with the human anymore. Kasumi had never meant for the job on Berkenstein to go as bad as it did. She also wanted to assure Kasumi that she didn’t have any hard feelings for her as she remembered the disheartened message the thief had left for them.

She sighed and opened her omni-tool, calling the number Kasumi had added into her contact list. The pegasus could hear the device beep as it connected to the appropriate extranet server.

“Thank you for calling Selixa’s intrigue. We are currently experiencing technical issues. If your message is urgent then please leave it after the beep.”

“Silence is golden,” Fluttershy intoned after the beep, following the instructions Kasumi had given her for contacting the thief. The line sounded as if it had gone dead but that changed mere moments after.

“To whom do I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with in this absolutely not awkward at all moment?” Kasumi’s voice whispered as she picked up the call on her side.

“Fluttershy,” the pegasus simply answered, the other side of the line falling silent for a moment.

“Oh… umm, right. What is it you need?”

“Are you sure you can talk right now? You sound busy,” Fluttershy could hear some people shouting in the background.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got everything under control here.” The pegasus questioned if that statement was true, but there wasn’t anything she could really do to help the thief anyway.

“Garrus is planning on heading to a space station in the Terminus systems. Apparently it’s filled with criminals, so I was hoping you could give me some tips on how to stay concealed and out of sight,” Fluttershy explained earning a surprised gasp from Kasumi.

“He’s planning on taking you to Omega?! Is that idiot trying to get you killed?!” The thief exclaimed only to swear immediately after, a couple of dull thuds could be heard coming from the human’s side of the call.

“Well not exactly. Garrus wanted to leave me here on the Citadel while he goes running off to that place. I’m not letting him just leave me though, so I’m going as well,” Fluttershy explained in an attempt to prevent the conversation from derailing too badly.

“It’s still a stupid idea, but if you’re going through with it, I’ll give you some pointers and other things that will be invaluable out there. I’ll be on the Citadel by tomorrow. Don’t worry about finding me. I’ll find you.” Without waiting for a reply Kasumi killed the line, leaving Fluttershy standing alone on the street again. With a sigh Fluttershy opened her wings again and started making her way back to the apartment. The way Kasumi had spoken about this ‘Omega’ place was just something else that proved Garrus wanted to keep her safe, not abandon her.

As she entered the place she had been staying for the last year Fluttershy found it to be awfully quiet, indicating that her turian boyfriend had gone out.

I hope he’s not beating himself up too badly over not including me in his plan. I think it’s best if I go look for him.

Turning around and closing the door again, Fluttershy thought of the places Garrus could be. He probably wasn’t at the shooting range as they had gone there the previous day, so her first guess was that he was blowing off steam at the gym.

Luckily the gym they were signed up at was only a short walk away. After entering, the turian at the counter there pointed her towards one of the rooms that contained punching bags. Peeking into the room, she found Garrus absolutely thrashing one of the bags, sweat flowing down his uncovered upper body.

Fluttershy’s cheeks burned red as her mind started producing very interesting images that were completely inappropriate to the situation.

Sitting down behind Garrus, she waited until he’d taken a small break from abusing the bag he was currently unloading on, something that took remarkably long considering the intensity of his strikes.

“Are you done?” Fluttershy asked as a panting Garrus finally lowered his arms, a startled yelp coming out of his mouth as he jumped around to face the pegasus behind him.

“Y-yeah,” Garrus stammered as an awkward silence fell over the two of them for a moment. “Look Flutters, I didn’t want to-”

“I’m coming along with you,” Flutteshy stated. “I know you don’t want to put me into a dangerous position, but I’m not letting you go alone. I’ve already called Kasumi to help me stay concealed on Omega, so don’t bother trying to persuade me otherwise.”

Garrus tried to sputter a response but couldn’t get a coherent sentence together.

“I know you Garrus. You want to do good, but if there’s no-one to hold you back, you go way too far in your pursuit of justice. I don’t want to see you become the monster you’re trying to fight,” Fluttershy softly said as she hovered up to Garrus’ height and gently placed a hoof on his chest. “Come on, let’s go home.”

The next day Fluttershy simply stayed within the apartment waiting for the human thief to appear, not really wanting to be scared out of her wits by running into her randomly. At what could be considered noon for the sleep schedule she was on she heard the door open. Garrus was supposed to be out for at least a couple of hours longer, so Fluttershy had a good guess who had just entered the apartment.

“I’m in the kitchen!” Fluttershy called out into the hallway while she was preparing a salad for herself.

“I’ll wait in the living room!” Kasumi called back, confirming Fluttershy’s suspicions. Quickly finishing her salad the pegasus picked up the bowl and carried it to the living room where Kasumi was lounging on the couch along with a duffle bag. The human’s eyes falling on the salad as Fluttershy entered.

“Sorry, we’ve only got dextro supplies stocked in our kitchen,” Fluttershy apologized.

“It’s not a big deal. I had some sushi before coming here, so I’m good,” Kasumi replied softly, not daring to look Fluttershy in the eyes.

“Kasumi, I don’t blame you about what happened with Hock. He’s the only one I hold responsible and he’s in some prison on Earth,” Fluttershy told the thief, sitting down next to her on the couch.

“Thank you Fluttershy, I was afraid you’d hate me for what happened there,” Kasumi replied as a weight was visibly taken off the human’s chest. “Now let’s get to the thing I’m actually here for.” Kasumi started rummaging through the duffle bag she had taken and pulled out some items.

“I’ll go get my armor,” Fluttershy said with a gentle smile as soon as she saw the armor attachments Kasumi pulled from the bag along with the large black cloak, walking to the storage locker in her and Garrus’ bedroom. Opening the locker that contained it, Fluttershy rapidly put on all of the interlocking armor plates and walked back into the living room.

“Good, I already had the schematics to your armor, so I had all of the attachments adjusted to fit perfectly and got the cloak custom made on those models as well.” Kasumi attached all the devices to the appropriate ports and allowed Fluttershy to don the cloak over the underlying armor. The black dress wrapped completely around the pegasus and was held in place by straps not too dissimilar to Kasumi’s clothing.

“Considering its looks, I’m going to guess it has the same functionality as your suit?” Fluttershy asked with excitement as she pulled the hood of the dress over her head and pulled a piece of cloth over her muzzle.

“Why don’t you try it out? I’ve already uploaded the necessary program to your omni-tool.” Fluttershy immediately opened the tool and saw the new program. A small grin formed on her covered muzzle as she activated the program and saw her foreleg disappear right in front of her eyes.

“Whoa,” Fluttershy said in awe as she moved around, padding on the bottom of her armored shoes muffling the walking sound. “So are you going to teach me how to sneak around?”

Kasumi jumped around to where the sound came from, “You’re already doing it. There’s nothing more to it than stick to the shadows. The hard part about stealth would be blending into crowds which isn’t exactly useful to you. So the best thing you can do is just practice stalking people while cloaked. If you can pull that off, you’ll be fine.”

Kasumi picked up her duffle bag, closed it, and made for the door again. “I don’t consider us even by the way, so if you need anything else, call me up.” With that the human went invisible and left Fluttershy alone in the apartment.

Practice stalking people? I could go find and scare Garrus…

A devious smile formed on Fluttershy’s face as she too disappeared into nothingness.

Author's Note

I've already got the next chapter done as well, so after my editors run through that I can upload it tomorrow. That will have a vote

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Invisible

Chapter 62

Invisible

Fluttershy stalked through the streets of the Citadel. The new active camouflage was working perfectly as she nimbly bobbed and weaved through the crowd. On a couple of occasions she’d accidentally bumped into some people and knocked them over, disrupting her stealth in the process, but after going for almost two hours she started to get a good hang of avoiding walking traffic.

But that wasn’t her true objective right now. Fluttershy had pinged Garrus’ omni-tool for his location and was now almost on top of her boyfriend’s position. About fifty meters in front of her she could see him with his back turned towards her holding down a fuming salarian while a few other C-sec officers were keeping bystanders at a distance.

“You can’t do this! I’ve already called my contacts, your career is over!” The salarian shouted as Garrus pushed him towards a C-Sec shuttle. But before he even reached it the turian’s omni-tool started beeping due to an incoming call. Fluttershy by this point had managed to stalk past the cops that were keeping the crowd away and could very clearly hear what Garrus was saying.

“What do you mean ‘let him go’?! Sir, he committed a multitude of crimes. I can’t just…” Garrus fell silent as Fluttershy could hear the person on the other side of the line shouting something, only the reflected sound coming from the turian’s ears was too soft for her to make out words. Her plans to go scare the life out of the turian were abandoned… at least for now. Garrus let out an angry growl as he released the cuffs around the salarian’s hands and allowed him to step past the line of officers into the crowd.

Garrus stood still for a moment, just looking at the crowd where the salarian had disappeared only to throw the cuffs to the ground in front of him with an enraged scream. The turian slumped against the shuttle and put his head in his hands as he let out another frustrated groan.

Deciding that she’d seen enough, Fluttershy sat down next to Garrus and de-cloaked. “So that’s how it usually goes?”

Garrus nearly jumped as he hadn’t expected anyone to be that close to him. Looking over the black clad newcomer, he quickly realized who was sitting beside him. “You know I almost had a heart attack there.”

Fluttershy giggled as she pulled down the hood and lowered the piece of cloth that was covering her muzzle. “You think I’m that beautiful? I’m flattered,” the pegasus immediately covered her mouth after finishing that sentence, her face becoming beet red with embarrassment.

You didn’t just say that, Fluttershy! What were you thinking?!

Garrus just blankly looked at the thoroughly embarrassed pegasus for a moment before he couldn’t keep his laughter in check any longer, falling over on his side with bellowing laughter.

“That was so incredibly cute,” he managed to choke out between guffaws. Fluttershy, infected by her boyfriend’s mirth, also started chuckling. Garrus meanwhile was calming down a bit and pulled the little pegasus in for a hug, “I’m so glad that I have you here. If I hadn’t then these bureaucrats would have driven me completely insane by this point.”

“So what was the deal with that salarian who you let go?” The question immediately changed Garrus’ mood again for the worse.

“Someone up top didn’t want him to be arrested, so I was ordered to let him go.” Garrus spit the words out as if they were venom. “I’m done with this, Fluttershy. I can’t go on with this job if corrupt officials and unnecessary regulations keep stopping me from catching criminals. I’m going to resign from C-Sec the moment I get back to the station,”

“So you’re going through with your plan to head to Omega?” Fluttershy asked, leaning against the larger alien.

“Yeah. I still don’t like the fact that you’ll be in danger there as well, but I think that you’ll be fine if you use that cloak effectively,” Garrus admitted as he stood up. “Guess I’ll head back to the station and hand in my resignation. I’ll contact the people who were going to get me to Omega and tell them that there’s another passenger coming along.”

“When is that ship leaving anyway?” Fluttershy asked with genuine curiosity.

“Four days,” Garrus answered, slightly embarrassed.

“You were going to leave me within the week?!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she narrowed her eyes and glared upwards.

Garrus nervously swallowed. “Uhm, well...“

“You owe me, mister. I expect at least a romantic dinner before going to that place with you,” Fluttershy said pointedly while her heart was going wild.

Did I really just demand that? I hope he doesn’t take that too badly.

Luckily for the pegasus, Garrus just chuckled. “Consider it done. Anything else ma’am?”

Emboldened by the fact that Garrus hadn’t even objected to her demand a devious grin formed on Fluttershy’s face. “Not right now, but I’m sure I can think of something at some point.”

Fluttershy pulled the hood back over her head and covered her muzzle again. “See you back at the apartment.” Before Garrus could reply she vanished into thin air again and started stalking her way back to their humble flat.

Fluttershy was sitting in the cargo hold of the freighter she and Garrus had boarded a day prior. The crew that was going to bring them to Omega had asked remarkably few questions concerning their new passenger, though this might be chalked up to the fact that they were illegally transporting them to what was apparently considered a renegade space station, or just because they didn’t want to get strung up in any criminal operations other than their own.

Either way, Fluttershy didn’t mind them not asking too many hard questions as she got used to living in the cloak Kasumi had provided to her. Garrus, before leaving the Citadel, had installed the latest upgrades into their weapons. Both their sniper rifles now had a tungsten carbide ammo block equipped, allowing them to practically fire through walls while both their assault rifles were fitted with the most efficient heat disposal unit they could find.

“You ready to get out there?” Garrus asked as they felt the freighter docking with the space station.

“There’s no way back now anyway. I’ll follow you while concealed,” Fluttershy answered as she covered her head with the hood and mask before disappearing from view.

Garrus paid the final credits to the smugglers that had secretly gotten them off the Citadel and then headed for the exit to the station itself. The moment the two of them stepped out of the spacecraft they were hit with a terrible smell. Whereas the Citadel had a couple of areas of a similar condition, it never smelled this bad.

“Welcome to Omega, the shithole of the galaxy,” Garrus murmured. The two of them walked through the station for a while, getting their bearings of its layout. Eventually they passed an alleyway where Garrus simply stopped and looked into it. Fluttershy, still invisible, looked down the alley as well, her blood starting to boil at the sight she saw.

A new alien she’d never seen was holding a knife to the throat of an old human woman while an old man was begging the alien to let her go because they didn’t have anything of value.

Garrus was already pulling the pistol he was carrying off of his hip and got ready to fire.

[Don’t use the pistol, you might hit the elder human as well!]

[Stop! Let me take care of this.]

[Garrus is a good enough shot anyway, let the bastard die.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Uploading this at 0235 hours, man I'm tired. One of my editors had a busy day so he couldn't take the time to go over the chapter yesterday.

I've also written up a small (3700~ word) Spitfire story It'll be up somewhere this week, it was nice to just write something else for a while. (Don't worry it's a short story so it won't interfere with the progress of this fic.)

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18487084
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

The Queen

Chapter 63

The Queen

[Stop! I want to take care of this.]64%

“Don’t shoot! Let me stop him.” Fluttershy said as she decloaked and prevented Garrus from taking the shot at the alien mugger. Garrus growled for a moment but lowered his pistol anyway.

“Go ahead. Do your thing,” he said as Fluttershy reactivated her cloak and made her way over to where the mugging was happening.

“Please, we don’t have any more money!” the elderly man begged as the new alien pressed the knife harder against the old lady’s throat.

“No, you lie! More! You have more! Give to me otherwise I wrap her insides around your outsides!” the creature hissed. Whereas Fluttershy previously had been disgusted by the creature, this drove her to absolute rage.

“We’re not worth all this trouble! I beg of you, please let her go!” The old man fell to his knees, begging for mercy.

“Trouble? No, this going to be pleasure!” The creature smiled, the large row of sharp glistening teeth in its mouth becoming even more pronounced, and pointed the jagged knife at the man. This was all the opening Fluttershy needed as she jumped forward, flapped her wings to gain more speed, and barreled into the creature.

The knife the creature was holding flew off as its body slammed into the wall. Fluttershy immediately got off it and turned around, her back legs shooting out in an almighty buck to the side of its head.

Fluttershy decloaked, panting slightly, while standing over the unconscious form of the alien with flared wings. Garrus calmly came walking up to the small group, crouching next to the fallen alien to retrieve something from it before turning to the two humans. The elderly couple looked fearfully at the two newcomers, not knowing if they would be better than their previous assailant.

“I believe this belongs to the two of you,” Garrus said as he held out a credit chit. The elderly man carefully stepped forward and took the chit from Garrus. Fluttershy meanwhile remembered that she was supposed to stay hidden and activated the stealth modules again. The elderly couple only got a glance at Fluttershy’s blue eyes before she disappeared into nothingness again.

“T-thank you sir, and whoever your friend was. You’re angels, the both of you,” they thanked, walking back to the main street to go to whatever location they had originally wanted to go to.

“So what do we do with this guy?” Fluttershy asked as she prodded the unconscious alien.

“We leave him. He’s a vorcha. He’ll be fine within the hour if not sooner.” Garrus growled, “I’m not wasting a thermal clip on him. Let’s go find a bar. Maybe we can find some people sympathetic to our cause in one of them.”

Fluttershy wasn’t really sure that they’d find people like that there, but since she didn’t have an alternative, she’d go along with it. They entered the first club they passed by, a place called ‘Afterlife’ and tried finding an empty table as far out of sight as possible.

“Hey you!” Garrus immediately stopped moving and turned around. Four fully armored aliens, two turian and two batarian, approached them, all bearing dark grey armor and afterlife’s logo painted on their chest plates. “Arya wants to see you.”

“And if I don’t want to come?” Garrus calmly asked while his right hand got awfully close to his pistol just in case he’d have to draw quickly.

“I wouldn’t suggest it. This could get really messy if you don’t come peacefully,” one of the batarians warned. Garrus checked his odds and didn’t like them. The four mercenaries already had their weapons drawn and even with Fluttershy’s help they wouldn’t be able to overpower them before more reinforcements came to their aid.

“Lead the way,” Garrus said as he started following the four mercenaries to whoever wanted to talk to him. He was lead through the main area of the club up towards a large overhanging section that gave a good view of the establishment. A lone asari sitting on the large couch with a very unamused look on her face greeted him as he arrived up top.

“I do not appreciate anyone sneaking around my nightclub, turian. What is your business here?” she asked pointedly.

“I assure you that I wasn’t sneaking around your club, ma’am,” Garrus answered, acting as if he knew nothing.

“I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about whoever snuck in here with you,” the asari said pointedly, “How about you tell whoever it is to show himself?”

Fluttershy in the meantime had sat down on top of one of the small privacy walls to the left and right of the overhang and had her assault rifle at the ready, though she’d yet to point it at anyone.

Come on! We’ve only just arrived and we’re about to get into our second fight? How bad is this place?!

‘Aria’ waited for a few moments before pulling a pistol and aiming it squarely at Garrus’ face, “I’m not going to ask again. Tell your friend to show himself, or I’ll find him the hard way.”

Garrus stoically refused to say anything as he stared into the darkness of the pistol’s barrel, but Fluttershy wasn’t about to take unnecessary risks and revealed herself. Several of the guards jumped and rapidly pointed their weapons at the new potential threat.

“Good choice. Now for the second point. What’s your business here?”

“I’m looking for trustworthy individuals to help me with a job,” Garrus answered. Though it wasn’t really a lie, it wasn’t the entire truth either.

For some reason this was extremely funny to the Asari as she burst out into laughter. “Good luck with that. This is Omega. No-one is trustworthy,” she chortled before turning deadly serious again. “But if you start interfering with my business here, I will have you hung by your entrails, stuffed, and placed as a trophy in my personal chambers. Am I clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good, now get out of my sight.” Aria dismissed the turian with a handwave, not that Garrus had any interest in lingering anyway.

Fluttershy immediately cloaked again as well but didn’t immediately follow her boyfriend, as her gaze fixed itself on the asari in question.

She must be a pretty important figure in the crime world here, but No-one threatens my boyfriend.

She’s not worth the time now. We’ll get to her eventually.

Warn Aria to stay away from Garrus.

[Kill her. Omega will probably be better off one crime boss short.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

The Spitfire fic is still undergoing editing (It's about half-way done.)
I'm also going to Gamescom from Wednesday to Friday, so I won't have as much time to write. I'm still seeing if I can take both my Lunar ODST and Master Chief cosplay or if I only take one.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18497905
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

A new Friend?

Chapter 64

A New Friend?

She’s not worth the time now. We’ll get to her eventually.65%

Fluttershy sat completely still for a couple of moments longer as she venomously glared at the asari. It’d be so easy to just fire her sniper rifle at her…

…And what then? The thugs in the immediate surroundings would without a doubt go firing in every direction in an attempt to hit her. Garrus would undoubtedly partake in the crossfire, and even though he was good, they would still be overwhelmed.

It simply wasn’t an option the longer she thought about it.

“You. Find out what that turian and other… thing are doing on my station. They’re up to something, and I want to know what,” Aria ordered one of the turians.

That’s good to know. Better warn Garrus to watch that guy.

Fluttershy slowly opened her wings and allowed herself to fall backwards off of the balcony, silently reorienting herself and gliding around the club until she saw Garrus had picked a table in a relatively dark corner of the busy nightclub. The pegasus smirked a little as she saw Garrus slide the chair away from the table as if inviting her to come sit there. Fluttershy flared her wings and came to a swift stop right in the middle of the chair.

“I was almost getting worried that you’d do something rash,” Garrus said as the wind from the displaced air washed over him. “Even though I despise criminals, we need her on top of Omega for the moment.”

“Why? Is she that important?” Fluttershy asked, genuinely interested in why he wouldn’t want to take out Aria.

“Yes, she basically runs Omega. If we took her out, the other major players of Omega would start to try filling the power vacuum, and whereas Aria at least maintains relative safety and stability over her holdings the Blood pack, Eclipse, and Blue Suns most definitely would not care as much about the civilians as she does,” Garrus explained.

“So what do we do?”

“We go after the three organizations I just mentioned. We disrupt their operations and attempt to destroy their command structure. After we’ve dismantled them we go after the Queen of Omega herself, the asari you’ve just met.”

“That plan sounds like a lot of work and will require a lot of luck to successfully complete,” Fluttershy casually noted as she tracked the turian who had gotten the orders to figure out what Garrus was doing on Omega. “Garrus, turian in grey armor at your two ’o clock, other side of the main bar.”

“I see him. What’s the problem with him?”

“Aria gave him an order to find out why we are here exactly,” Fluttershy answered, but before Garrus could respond they heard someone get hit really hard and saw a turian slide over the ground away from a krogan.

“Last one was yours, this one’s mine,” Garrus said as he made his way over to the red-clad krogan, a large white emblem of a skull and fist on his shoulder pad.

“I’m going to drink out of of your stupid turian skull!” the krogan roared, but before he could approach the dazed turian on the ground, Garrus’ fist collided with the side of his head. Not wanting to wait around, Garrus grabbed the downed turian and helped him up, guiding him to the exit through the crowd of guests. Fluttershy had quickly taken to her wings and followed the pair of them as Garrus escaped from the dazed and very angry krogan.

Walking for a while, Garrus led the other turian to an overhang that gave a good view of a large part of the station.

“Thanks for getting me out of there, though I’m pretty sure we could have taken him if we’d worked together,” the new turian said as he wiped away some of the blood that was coming from his nose.

“Most likely, but I was being watched by one of Aria’s goons. I’d rather have them thinking that I’m a coward who runs after the first punch than someone who finishes the fights he starts,” Garrus answered as he looked out at the station before him. “Just look at this place. Filled with criminals no-one can touch, doing whatever they want.”

“You’re right about that, but what are we going to do about it? I’m all for cracking some skulls, but there’s just two of us.”

“Three actually,” Fluttershy said as she decloaked next to the pair, the new turian jumped a good meter backwards in surprise at the sudden newcomer. The pegasus having a little bit of a grin under her mask as she’d successfully startled her first intentional victim.

I can see why Dash likes to do this so much every now and then. If I ever see her again, I’m going to see if I can scare the feathers off her wings.

“Okay, that scared the life out of me, but it doesn’t change the fact that three of us aren’t going to be able to take on Omega,” the turian said as he returned to the topic at hand.

“That’s because we’re not going to keep it as the three of us. We’ll develop a reputation and recruit anyone who’s sympathetic to our cause.” The explanation made the new turian think for a moment.

“Ah, why the hell not. It wasn’t like I was going to last long on this station alone for long anyway,” he chuckled, holding out his hand for a shake to Garrus. “Lantar Sidonis.”

“Garrus Vakarian.”

“Fluttershy,” the pegasus added as she sat down and looked up at Sidonis.

“Good to meet you two. Do you need a place to stay for a while?” he asked, Garrus and Fluttershy giving him a quick nod.

“That’d be appreciated. We’ll get to work somewhere tomorrow to try to find a good place to use as a base of operations,” Garrus informed the fellow turian.

“Good. I’ve got a few locations already that you might want to check out after you’ve gotten some rest,” Sidonis told them as he started leading them to his apartment. They were going to have an interesting few days.

Author's Note

Uhm... yeah... Remember that Spitfire fanfiction I mentioned last chapter? It sort of blew up beyond any of my expectations. Within 7 hours of its release it was number 1 on the featured board and as of writing this, it's still at number 3.

Don't worry about me not regularly updating this fic but I'm also going to have to start putting some effort into that fic as well. :twilightsheepish:

This chapter was a bit shorter than I initially wanted it to be but I couldn't keep my concentration on it while writing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Recruit

Chapter 65

Recruit

The first night they stayed at Sidonis’ place neither Garrus nor Fluttershy got enough rest. Garrus didn’t really trust their new friend yet, so he had opted to keep guard for the first few nights, always taking the first watch and leaving Fluttershy the second. This went on for a good three days before Garrus finally felt Sidonis trustworthy enough to sleep without anyone staying on guard duty.

It wasn’t long before Garrus found a suitable location to start working out of, so over the next couple of weeks Garrus and Sidonis would go out on runs to disturb criminal operations. They would leave behind Fluttershy to tend to their new base of operations to ‘create a reputation’ among the criminal gangs of Omega.

Archangel

That’s what Garrus was calling himself. Even though Fluttershy mostly spent her time within the walls of the base, the few times she went out she heard the hushed whispers from the civilians of Omega. A helmeted, blue armored turian who took down gang members, not caring to which gang they belonged. A pattern of large white wings covered the front plate of his armor⁠—something Fluttershy was responsible for painting.

But that wasn’t why Fluttershy was stalking around Omega right now. With Archangel’s growing reputation they might attract new potential recruits, the problem was that being impossible to find for the gangs also meant that new recruits wouldn’t be able to find them. So Fluttershy and Sidonis would go out separately to bars and walk through the streets, listening to conversations of unwitting inhabitants of the station.

Fluttershy hadn’t had any luck yet, but after overhearing a salarian ask about Archangel, she decided to follow him. He didn’t have any gang signs painted on his armor, and the way he seemed to avoid any criminals on the street gave Fluttershy hope that he was looking for Garrus to join up, but she wasn’t just going to tell him where Garrus was until she knew more about him.

It had taken the salarian a good while to arrive back at the place Fluttershy presumed he was staying since he was constantly checking if he was being followed. Little did he know of the invisible pegasus flying above him. Unlike the Citadel which carefully maintained mass effect fields, Omega just sealed large spaces and pumped them full of air which gave Fluttershy a good amount of flight options.

When the salarian opened the door to his apartment, Fluttershy snuck in along with him, her heart beating furiously as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She had yet to be detected by the salarian who made his way through the hallways before entering his apartment proper.

Fluttershy didn’t waste any time looking around the few rooms of the apartment. It was scarcely furnished with the bare minimums. The only thing of note was the large holo-projector that showed a scan of Omega. Red dots marking various locations in its lower sections, some of the locations Fluttershy recognized as places where Garrus was operating.

Seeing this made Fluttershy even more interested in what this salarian’s intentions were. Picking her assault rifle off of its magnetic clamp, she got ready to confront the salarian.

“Why are you looking for Archangel?” Fluttershy asked pointedly as she decloaked while pointing her rifle at the surprised salarian.

“…Archangel is doing good work and it looks like he’s just getting started. Want in,” the salarian replied as he got over his surprise at the appearance of the infiltrator. The reply also gave Fluttershy hope that she might have found their first new recruit, but she wasn’t going to just spill the beans.

Fluttershy pretended to huff indignantly, “Why would you want to help that lowlife? I’d rather claim the bounty.”

The salarian tensed up and slowly reached for something hidden under the table. “Think it’s best if you leave now. Would get messy if you don’t.”

A shiver went up Fluttershy’s spine at the coldness in the salarian’s voice, she really felt like this salarian was sincere but would still let Garrus make the final call. Opening her omni-tool, Fluttershy sent a location to the salarian’s own. “Be there in six hours. Archangel will determine if he thinks you’re trustworthy.”

Fluttershy immediately cloaked and rushed towards the door, it easily opened from the inside and allowed Fluttershy to get into the air. She couldn’t believe what she’d just done. Part of her felt slightly reviled by her actions, but another was very proud of the fact that she’d been able to remain completely undetected by the salarian until she wanted to be seen.

But even though she was excited, she still had to inform Garrus that she’d found a possible new member. A quick call with her omni-tool would fix that.

“Hey Shy, where are you? You were supposed to be back by now.”

“Sorry, I found someone promising. Gave him the first location and told him to be there in six hours, a bit less now,” the pegasus replied, a smile on her face as she sped through the air. At the pace she was going she’d be back in no time.

“Atta girl! Guess Sidonis now owes me a hundred credits for not being the first to find a new recruit,” Garrus laughed.

“You were betting on who found the first new recruit?!” Fluttershy asked indignantly.

“Hey, I actually made my bet on you finding someone first! I trusted that you could do it,” Garrus said in defense of himself. Fluttershy still rolled her eyes but decided to drop it.

“Fine. Is there anything else you want me to do?”

“Well, since you found someone, do you want to give him his test? I’ve got a few leads on some Blue Sun drug trafficking scheme. It’s pretty major, but we can have him intercept one of the minor shipments as a test. Of course I’ll be there to watch just in case it goes south,” Garrus proposed. Fluttershy didn’t immediately reply as she thought about what to do. She had yet to engage any criminal directly. Maybe spied on them, but not fought.

Do I want to get myself involved in the fighting? Or should I just keep myself to the sidelines?

I think It’s best if you did it.

I’ll do it.

Why go for the small shipment? We can handle the big one. [Dangerous]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Whoo boy, I've been gone for a while. To make a long story short: I attended Gamescom. Sent most of the time at the convention itself or with the 405th guys. Things like Xbox open doors were awesome for example.

I'll have pictures sometime soon ^.^

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18547848
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Drugs

Chapter 66

Drugs

I’ll do it.65%

Fluttershy was flying over the masses of aliens that were strolling over the walkways below her. The salarian, who had introduced himself as Vortash, was concealed within the crowd, walking along towards their targets, a group of Blue Sun gang members that were moving large backpacks filled with what was supposedly a hefty amount of drugs.

Vortash, when presented with the raid plans, immediately went to work creating incendiary explosive devices and presented an alteration to the plan Fluttershy had relayed to him. Instead of grabbing the bags of drugs and disposing of them out of an airlock, they would plant the devices inside the bags and detonate them immediately, destroying the drugs on the spot instead of having to drag the large amount of drugs with them.

“Five tangos approaching the killzone,” Garrus reported, his voice slightly distorted to not give away his voiceprint to the Salarian. He was located over two hundred meters away from the street Fluttershy was flying over with his sniper rifle calibrated on the exact spot they would make their move.

“I see them,” Fluttershy replied as she slowly circled above, her heart beating furiously as adrenaline coursed through her body. “I’m dropping on the first one at your mark.”

“Understood. Vortash take the second and then plant the bombs. I’ll make sure the other three won’t bother you,” Garrus told them as the five criminals were almost below her. “Mark!”

Fluttershy immediately dove and activated the omni-blades lining her wings, pointing them straight down at the leading criminal. Time slowed down for her as she rapidly approached the human that was completely unaware of what was about to happen. Right before she’d hit the criminal Fluttershy closed her eyes, not wanting to see the result of what her actions would be.

The report of a gunshot entered Fluttershy’s ears at the same time as she felt the two blades sink into the victim below her. A warm sticky substance spouted out from beneath the armor, covering her wings as they followed the blade into the wound and splattering onto her cloak slightly.

Around them the regular civilians were falling into a bit of a panic and rushing away from the scene, some diving behind the closest cover available to them, all trying to avoid getting caught up in a firefight between two gangs. Only that firefight never happened as another two successive shots followed the first, downing the other two criminals who had yet to recover from seeing the three other gang members get killed in front of them.

Fluttershy pulled back her wings and opened her eyes again, the two appendages covered in blood that was spilling from the man below. She was sure that if she looked at them now they wouldn’t even be colored yellow anymore but dripping the red fluid.

“Malak al-Mawt… Malak al-Mawt…” the human below her hooves coughed in a language that wasn’t pre-loaded into Fluttershy’s omni-tool, but that didn’t matter as she could clearly understand what was being said. Her stomach churned as she looked down despite not wanting to, only to be met by the two glazy eyes of the deceased human.

“Shit, I can see more Blue Sun thugs making their way to your position. Plant those bombs and get out of there!” several more gunshots could be heard along with the whistle of the bullets as they flew overhead. “And don’t fly Flutters, your cloak is faulty. They’ll be able to spot you immediately if you head up.”

“U-understood” Fluttershy stammered as she looked over at Vortash who had already put all the incendiary devices into the bags containing the drugs.

“Am ready to move. Lead the way,” Vortash said as he held a detonator in his hand, ready to make a run for it.

“R-right, let’s go,” Fluttershy stammered as she started making a run for it in the other direction. Bullets impacted on the rear of her shield as she ran, nearly completely draining it as most of the armor’s power was being routed into the stealth systems. Not that Fluttershy noticed as she was too preoccupied with processing the things she’d just heard and seen.

Why am I doing this again? Against Saren I could justify the killing, but here…?

In response to the fire from Blue Suns, Vortash pushed the detonator’s trigger. The fireball from the explosives was massive, reaching high into the air and radiating intense heat. A few screams and curses from gang members on the other side of the fireball could be heard, followed by a new stream of bullets fired through the blazing fire…

…one of which impacted the back of Fluttershy’s shield and punched through.

Letting out a shriek of both pain and surprise, the pegasus felt a searing hot metal pellet impact her ear and rip a piece out of it. The lapse in concentration made her trip to the ground and roll to a stop.

Vortash didn’t hesitate a moment and scooped up the shimmering form of the pegasus, carrying her to a shuttle that Garrus had ‘requisitioned’ from a gang called ‘Eclipse’ a few days prior and taking off immediately. A slight trickle of blood flowed from Fluttershy’s ear down her head, but the pegasus completely ignored it as she’d withdrawn herself into her own world.

Malak al-Mawt… Malak al-Mawt…

The words kept repeating themselves in her head, making her sick. Their meaning being revealed only by Shy’s ability to understand any creature’s speech.

Angel of death.

Looking at herself gave her a good impression of why the human might have called her that in his final moments. Her blood-red stained wings along with the flickering stealth system made her look like a vaguely transparent creature of darkness… It made her sick to her very core.

Was that what she’d become? Did she want to continue with this?

Why is everything so wrong on this station?

I can’t do this. I’m out.

Maybe I can help in other ways.

I should talk about it with Garrus

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I've been doing other things of late so I haven't really been focussing on talking with friends on Discord. I'll keep up the writing but I'm probably cutting down to 2 chapters a week, I want to have some more time for my own because writing takes a lot of effort to me.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18566402
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Admission

Chapter 67

Admission

I should talk about it with Garrus. 62%

Water flowed out of the showerhead in Archangel’s base. Fluttershy had been in there for over an hour, scrubbing her wings thoroughly. By this point there wasn’t a single bit of blood splatter left on her wings, clothes, torso, and face, but that didn’t matter to the pegasus as she kept on scrubbing.

The water also washed away the tears that were flowing from the corner of Fluttershy’s eyes as she sobbed. The pegasus couldn’t get over the things she had done during raid. She’d just killed a human in cold blood and then ran off.

Am I doing the right thing? Is any of this justified?

…Am I a monster?

Fluttershy choked back another sob as she touched where the little chunk of ear she’d lost had been, gone because she hadn’t been careful enough. The initial medi-gel had healed the edges of where it had ripped, and if the proper treatment was given, then they could grow back the missing tissue. The only problem was that none of the supplies and expertise needed for that were available on Omega. She’d have to deal with it until the opportunity arose for them to pass the Citadel or any other planet that fell under Council jurisdiction.

“Hey Fluttershy, are you done yet? The diagnostics I ran on your stealth systems came in,” Garrus said through the intercom they had installed within the complex they now occupied.

Opening her omni-tool, the pegasus connected to the intercom as well, “A-alright I’ll *sniff* be right over.”

“What’s wrong, Fluttershy? Is your ear hurting again?” Garrus immediately asked, sounding very concerned for his girlfriend.

“N-nothing, I’m fine. I’ll be down in a bit,” Fluttershy stammered, turning off the shower and picking up a towel. However, Garrus didn’t seem to be convinced in any way shape or form.

“I’m coming up,” he simply stated before disconnecting from the intercom, walking into the bathroom less than thirty seconds later. Fluttershy was still dripping water from her soaked fur as he came in. It only took him a moment to notice Fluttershy’s red puffy eyes. “Hey, come over here,” Garrus softly said as he sat down onto the ground.

Reluctantly, Fluttershy went over to Garrus who pulled her closer and gently started drying off the pegasus. “Now tell me what you were crying about.”

“I…” Fluttershy hesitated for a moment but continued on after deciding hiding anything from Garrus wasn’t worth it. “Am I a bad pony?”

“No.” There was no hesitation in the turian’s voice as he answered. “I’m a terrible person. If there’s anyone who’s not a bad person, then you’re it.”

“Hey, you’re not terrible! You just want to help people!” Fluttershy argued, astounded at the fact Garrus thought of himself as a terrible person.

“Fluttershy, from the moment I’ve come here I’ve been threatening, maiming, and murdering criminals. I’m no good person, Shy. I’m just a bad person hurting worse people. That’s why I didn’t want you here. You shouldn’t have to deal with all of this,” Garrus calmly explained as he rubbed down Fluttershy’s mane, trying to get it as dry as possible.

“…You shouldn’t have to deal with me,” he silently added, sadness in his voice.

“Don’t say that," Fluttershy gasped as she heard the admission. "Yes, you're far from perfect, but you’re not evil. We’ve been on this station only for a little while, but we’re making a difference. The regular people of the station whisper about you when they think they aren’t being listened to. They have hope now! Hope that things might get better!”

The pegasus continued to stare at her boyfriend opening her mouth again to berate him further only for the words to get stuck in her throat.

We’re not perfect, but we’re doing good work, giving people hope…

…I am giving people hope.

A smile formed on Fluttershy’s face as she realized what she’d just said to Garrus could also apply to herself.

What I’m doing is terrible, but we’re giving people hope who haven’t had it in forever. If I give up now, I let that hope sizzle out into nothingness…

…I can’t do that… I won’t do that.

Without warning, Fluttershy pulled Garrus into a hug. Crying onto his chest for a bit, only not out of sorrow but gladness.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said quietly as she snuggled against her boyfriend.

“No Flutters, thank you. I’m pretty sure that if you hadn’t been here, I’d have broken down multiple times by this point. You keep my head on straight, and I’m glad you’ve done so. I fear the kind of turian I’d have become if you hadn’t,” Garrus said as he made sure Fluttershy could as comfortably as possible snuggle against his armored chest. “If you don’t want to continue with the work we’ve been doing, I’d understand, you know? There’s a lot of things you could do around here as well.”

Fluttershy bit down on her lower lip for a moment as she thought about what to do. She wasn’t going to stop helping, but how she was going to do so was something she wasn't completely sure of.

Stop going out at all. Help with jobs at the base.

Keep on scouting using stealth. Sniping targets from a distance if necessary.

Help Garrus with full on raids. The criminals won't know what hit them.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

First I want to say sorry for this taking so long to get out, I really hit a brick wall hard for a while there. Next chapter will be way faster, you'll get why when you read it No spoilers here :3

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18624824
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Research log #590

Chapter 68

Research log #590

Keep on scouting using stealth. Sniping targets from a distance if necessary. 77%

Research log #590

We did it!

We should have done this from the start and avoided this entire mess altogether. To recap the last eleven days, after taking apart the device, readings that hadn't been making sense for over one and a half years just snapped into place!

All my research has been focused on trying to figure out what kind of complicated spellwork made up the device, but that was bound to fail due to the way the device works! The reason we couldn't figure out how the machine worked was that it's not based on spellwork but a system that feeds currents of electricity into a matrix of alicorn to create a mass-less bridge to a point far away from the device!

The only hurdle we face now is identifying what kind of power source the device has and charging it for another jump so we can send somepony after Fluttershy.

-Twilight Sparkle

Twilight put the paper back down on her desk. She had been so excited when she wrote the log. Had she only known what kind of monstrous task it would be to get the device working again, then she would have been much more reserved about her chances.

It had taken only a couple of days to figure out what part of the machine was responsible for powering the device. What they found hadn't been too encouraging.

Whatever was powering the device was so advanced that even the most theoretical of Equestria's physics couldn't exactly explain how the power source worked. The theory that came closest to explaining the device was one thought up by a unicorn called Particle Bit who had written a thesis that claimed the world was built out of billions of small bits of various types, but he had been shunned by the scientific community because they found his theory too ridiculous to be true. This didn't make tracking the stallion down any easier, as after he moved out of Canterlot he practically vanished.

Not that this fact discouraged Twilight in any way as after a month of searching and following paper trails she found him working in a grocery store. The first time she had met him he had fervently denied having any involvement with anything physics related. Luckily, after some convincing, he realized Twilight hadn't come to mock him and took her to his apartment to show the work he had kept doing. In the few years of his self-imposed exile, he had continued his work and refined it, devising various experiments that proved his theory.

Twilight, knowing that his theory might be instrumental to unlocking the secrets of the device, got him a position on her research team. What she hadn't known back then was that even with the stallion's help it would take a total of two and a half years—from the moment of Fluttershy’s disappearance to now—to gain enough of an understanding of the device to find out what kind of fuel it needed, how to produce that fuel, and how to kick-start the power source.

The device's generator in the most basic of terms used two of the smallest bits of matter and smashed them together to generate energy. To create this bit wasn't too hard. Water contained two of the small bits along with one air bit which could be separated using magically generated electricity... if done in small quantities.

A large problem with the newly discovered material was that it had a habit of exploding if exposed to flames or electrical sparks and storing it seemed to be nigh impossible as it seemed to leak through everything. It had taken Twilight and her small team a long time to design a machine that was capable of creating and storing the new 'flammable air' they had discovered in relevant quantities.

Constructing the machine brought another problem to the table as Equestria did not have anything close to the necessary components being manufactured by existing industry, so it would all need to be custom crafted. For that they needed griffin engineers. The thing is, griffin engineers are expensive, very expensive.

At some point, the costs of the project had gotten so high that Celestia buckled to pressure from the nobles and had intervened, cutting the amount of funds Twilight could use. The unicorn hated it with a burning passion. She intellectually knew Celestia was right to stop her from plundering the treasury, but emotionally she only cared about getting back her friend.

But after the painstakingly slow progress and many cycles of production, they had made enough of the material to fill the device's reserves and were able to put it back together. Twilight had been extremely thankful for her habit of religiously maintaining her notes. It had ensured they had a step by step guide of how to reconstruct the entire device to the most minute detail. Something that had taken a lot of time itself but definitely had yielded its results, the device standing proudly on its raised platform with the blue energy encased alicorn swirling in its center.

"Twilight, would you mind coming with me? My sister and I have something we want to talk to you about." The voice was that of Celestia. Twilight looked over at Particle Bit and the few other pony researchers that the unicorn had hoof picked from Canterlot University to help her with the project. The ponies shrugged and went back to work, indicating that they had no problem with their head-researcher leaving.

"What's it about?" Twilight asked as she followed Celestia out of the structure, passing a number of royal guards that had come with the princesses. Not that the site didn't have its own small attachment of guards—they were in the Everfree forest after all—but the royal guard wouldn't let the princesses go anywhere without what they considered adequate protection.

"In just a moment," the princess told her as she lit her horn and teleported both Twilight and herself away from the ruin. The two appeared in the throne room of the old castle of the two sisters where Luna was already waiting for them. "Now Twilight, before we can speak I must ask you to allow me to place a geas on you so you cannot speak of this to others."

"What happened to Honesty? That aspect of harmony not important anymore?" Twilight said bitterly. Her relationship with the princess had soured a bit due to Twilight being of the opinion that the princess shouldn't have caved to the nobles' pressure on her funding.

"Twilight-"

"Just get it over with, Princess," Twilight responded, cutting the princess off. It looked like Celestia wanted to respond but held her mouth shut and sighed, lighting her horn and placing the geas on Twilight.

"What we are about to tell thee has not been spoken of even between us and our sister for over ten thousand years," Luna said as she sensed that Celestia had finished her spellwork. Twilight went a bit pale as she felt a bit of regret at her crass behavior towards the solar princess.

"What is it about?" Twilight asked both the princesses.

"When we were born or created, we still don't know which one of the two is true, my sister and I were given the task to maintain something called 'The Array' by our father and mother," Celestia started. Twilight wanted to summon a feather and notepad to take notes but the geas killed the summoning spell immediately. Twilight grumbled as she accepted that she wouldn't be able to do anything with the given information other than think about it. "The Array is a protective field around the planet that effectively hides it from any outside observers. The sun, moon, and stars you see in the sky aren't true astronomical objects but a projection on this Array."

Twilight's jaw by this point had hit the floor. The fact that the princesses moved the celestial bodies was an undisputed fact among the magicians' community. The two princesses admitting that they did nothing of the sort ripped one of Twilight's fundamental beliefs right off its supports and had it crashing down. "T-the sun... and m-moon aren't... Why are you even telling me this?"

"Because when thine friend, the Element of Kindness, used that device, it punched a hole in the Array," Luna said gravely. "A hole we cannot fix, only patch, as the knowledge pertaining to the creation of the Array died with our parents."

"What this means is that, if the next pony being sent through results in the same damage as it occured when Fluttershy went through, we cannot allow you to further proceed with this project," Celestia finished for her sister. Twilight swallowed as all the blood had drained from her face, making it look extremely pale.

"Then I better make this one count, shouldn’t I?" the unicorn said nervously, both princesses nodding in agreement.

"Let us return to the device to decide who gets sent into the darkness of the universe to find thine friend," Luna said as this time it was her who lit her horn and teleported the three back down to the device. As they appeared, the guards were frantically running around and getting orders from Shining Armor to pack up and organize search parties. The captain stopped as he noticed the two princesses along with her sister and approached them.

"Princess Celestia, you should not run off without your guard, and Princess Luna, I was not informed that you had left Canterlot in the first place!" Shining said as he bowed in front of the royalty.

"Thank you for your concern, Captain, but the matters we discussed with your sister required princess Luna to be present. I will not speak of this any further, so I ask you to gather the ponies required for the meeting," Celestia told Shining who grimaced but obeyed the order he had gotten.

"Captains Spitfire and Darkwing are already present at the table along with the Element Bearers," Shining told the princess, escorting the three towards a large round table that was set up in the inner chamber that also housed the device.

"Princesses," the two other captains acknowledged as they stood up from their chairs. The thestral, Darkwing, bowing deeply while Spitfire saluted the monarchs.

"At ease, captains. I'm sure it would be appreciated if we did not draw out this meeting too much," Celestia said as she eyed the Element Bearers and Twilight sat down on a chair next to Rainbow and Pinkie.

The purple unicorn looked over at her brother, the Wonderbolt captain, and the Night Guard captain and noticed that none of them were wearing their usual attire. Shining and Darkwing were wearing plate armor that, at first glance, would look like their normal armor, but a closer inspection would show something much different. For one, the plates were much thicker than the usual armor and the attachment points for weapons were something ceremonial armor simply didn't have. Spitfire also differed in uniform as she wasn't wearing her wonderbolt outfit or dress suit but a black garment of sorts that had a plethora of filled little pockets, not to mention the large knife and wingblades she was wearing.

"Yes, we should get this started. I'm sure that you have been briefed on the situation regarding my friend, the Element of Kindness, before this, so I won't repeat what happened to her. We're here to discuss which one of you will make the trip to wherever the device takes you," Twilight said. Dash immediately shot up in protest.

"What! Are you saying that we aren't we going after Fluttershy?!" The pegasus protested, Twilight sighed as this was one of the points where the unicorn agreed with the princesses.

"We need a professional for this one, Dash. Fluttershy has been gone for two years and is most likely long gone from wherever she ended up. The captains are among the most experienced trackers we have to offer and have acted as diplomats on occasion, so they're the best equipped for this. I'm also not sure if we can send more than three ponies up along with the equipment to try and come back. My calculations get wacky if there's more than two," Twilight argued, Rainbow only getting angrier because of this.

"We're her friends, Twilight! If there's anyone around this table right now that should be using that device, it's one of us!" Dash shouted.

"ENOUGH! The decision is not thine to make!" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice, but Dash was far past the point of backing down.

"HORSESHIT! I'll stay LOYAL to my friend whether you want it or NOT!" Dash raged back and jumped off her chair, making a beeline for the device. Twilight saw the world slow down as the device immediately reacted to the approaching pegasus and activated, the rings in its center increasing the speed at which they rotated. Everyone froze, not exactly certain what was about to happen. Only the bearers knew as they had seen it happen once before two years earlier.

With time rapidly running out and no way of removing Dash from the device's influence, Twilight had to make a quick decision who to send along with the enraged pegasus. To be honest, her calculations hadn't just broken down at sending three ponies but at two as well, only to a lesser degree. It might be safer for Dash to be sent away completely on her own.

Come on, Twilight, THINK! Who to send along with Dash, if anyone!

[Send no-one. It's too dangerous]

Send Shining.

Send Spitfire.

Send Darkwing.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I have been waiting for months to finally release this chapter :pinkiehappy: actually almost half a year by this point.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18633584
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Arrival

Chapter 69

Arrival

ERROR% - Tied
Comment consensus: Shining Armor

I’m not leaving Rainbow alone out there like Fluttershy. She needs somepony with her.

Twilight looked at the three captains, trying to make an estimation of who would be best knowing full well that sending another pony could kill them both. She briefly considered Spitfire, but without the final preparations in place she would have a hard time operating the equipment needed to return back to Equis, which meant only one of the three captains qualified…

“Shining, go after her!” the purple unicorn shouted as she jumped for cover, everypony else except her brother following Twilight's lead.

“Goshdarnit, Rainbow!” Applejack shouted at Rainbow from her covered position. The rings of the relay increasing their rate of spin as Shining too jumped into the device's field of influence.

“We'll be ba-”

CRACK!

The sound not unlike the cracking of glass echoed through the air as the relay deactivated itself again. So loud, in fact, that the ground shook from the noise.

“NO!” Celestia looked at the sky through the opening in the roof above the relay. Where it previously had just been a clear blue sky, it now was covered in a myriad of cracks. Without a word the two princesses teleported out of the room, both of them clearly looking distressed.

More cracking sounds could be heard as the guards rushed out of the structure again to set up a perimeter around it and look for their princesses. Twilight, who's curiosity was now also piqued, teleported up to the roof of the ancient ruin to see the extent of the damage.

What she saw caused her to be filled with dread. A spiderweb of cracks crossed the sky, centered directly above the ruin, reaching all the way to the horizon and slowly continued to shatter further until two beams of magical light shot into the air.

Both princesses of the moon and sun were seemingly pouring their full strength into keeping the cracks from growing, slowly reversing the damage, but even in the places where the two royal sisters 'fixed' the damage a scar of sorts remained on the sky.

But all of that went completely unnoticed by Twilight who was looking directly up. A full on hole had appeared where Dash and Shining had presumably shot through. Where the surrounding sky was blue as day, the sight through the hole was completely different. Through the small hole the unicorn could see a large amount of stars among what seemed to be a large nebula, and even this small glimpse completely mesmerized her.

“It's amazing…” she whispered to herself, but this also caused her to realise something.

The Princess is going to shut us down! But what about Shining and Rainbow?! They'll be stuck out there as well!

Twilight almost started to panic but stopped before it could get out of hoof.

Not now Sparkle, your brother and two of your friends need you. You need to make sure they have a receiving relay to make their return possible, even if the Princess won't allow it.

Twilight stopped in her tracks as she realised what she'd just thought…

…Did she just think about disobeying her mentor, the Princess of the Sun, possibly committing high treason in the process?

Yes.

Magenta light flowed from her horn as she teleported back down to the field laboratory where she rapidly started to pack all the valuable paperwork containing the calculations they had been working on for over a year.

“Miss Sparkle! What's going on?!” Particle Bit the unicorn stallion, who had made most of those equations and designed the theories behind them, asked with a panicked voice.

“Something broke. The Princesses told me about it and warned that if it were to happen, they'd completely shut down this project, and I don't think they're going to allow any of this to ever see the public's eyes.” The stallion's pale brown face completely lost color as he heard what Twilight had said.

“T-They can't! This is my life's work! I've been ridiculed for pursuing it all my life, and now that I've proven it they're shutting me down before I can publish it in any paper?!” he exclaimed as he started hyperventilating.

“I'm sorry, Particle. I know it's not fair, but know that I'm not going to give up.” Twilight finished her sentence just at the same time as two guards approached her.

“Miss Sparkle, I'm going to need you to drop that saddle bag and come with us.” Neither guard looked as if they were going to tolerate delays but Twilight had no intentions of going with them. Particle bit stepped next to the purple unicorn.

“I know what you're thinking. You've moved heaven and earth to get your friend back, and now another friend and your brother are lost among the stars,” he whispered while eyeing the two stoic guards. “I want to come with you.”

“You know that's probably committing treason, right?” Twilight asked but got no indication that the stallion cared.

“Miss Sparkle, I will not ask-” The guard who was speaking was interrupted by a bright purple flash as Twilight teleported herself and the other unicorn as far away from the ruin as she could. She regretted not being able to say goodbye to Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack, but they were safe right now and Twilight would need all of the headstart she'd get if she intended to outplay the royal guard.

But no-one was going to stop her from helping her friends.

Thud

Dash slid across a smooth surface, all the air pushed out of her lungs due to the impact. Behind her she could hear the device slowly spinning down to a stop.

Did it work?

Forcing herself back on her hooves Dash opened her eyes, her breath getting caught in her throat as she saw her surroundings. She was in the middle of a plaza of sorts, filled with large basins of water spanned by white metal bridges, boxy metal carts flying through the sky seemingly without anypony pulling them, and most notable of all were all the various creatures surrounding her.

“Miss Dash, are you okay?” a voice came from behind the rainbow maned mare, making her spin around to see Shining collecting the few bits of equipment Twilight had already set up to be sent along with the pony that would have been going through.

“Yeah. Also, just call me Rainbow or Dash” Rainbow responded as she continued watching all the various new creatures, some keeping their distance from the pair while certain blue clad individuals stopped the more adventurous from approaching. “Look, Shining, I’m-”

“Zip it, Rainbow. I’m fuming at you, but I’ve got better things to do right now,” Shining practically growled. Dash flinched back at his harsh words.

“Hey! I just want to help my best friend!” Dash shot back feeling her anger flare up.

“And what do you think we wanted to do?!” Shining shouted back only for his demeanor to change radically as he noticed something behind Rainbow, wrapping his magic around Dash and pulling her close before casting a shield around them both.

“Hey! What… are… oh.” A group of blue armored individuals were slowly approaching.

"Don't do something stupid,” Shining warned, as the leader of the group stepped forward.

~~“Do you understand me?”~~ He asked something but neither pony was able to understand the language, both of them looking confused. ~~“Shit, they don't. Make a corridor for them to walk through, maybe they'll come along.”~~

The creatures in front of them seemed to part to the sides, making a corridor of sorts to allow the two of them to pass through. The leader seemingly making a motion for them to follow him.

Dash looked suspiciously at them, but Shining didn't seem to care. “Rainbow, we're going to follow them. My mission was to track down Fluttershy and make first contact with the locals if any were present.” After finishing his sentence Shining dropped his shield, unclasped his saddle bag and drew his sword with his mouth, placing it to the side before cautiously stepping forward.

Looking at the strange creatures Rainbow shuffled nervously. She didn't like to surrender to them, but maybe she didn't have to…

[Follow Shining. He's Twilight's brother. He'll know what to do.]

Run off. I'm faster than them anyway and splitting up might help us cover more ground.

[Let's see if those flying boxes can outfly a sonic rainboom!]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

The vote switched so many times that I couldn't get a fix on the winner so I looked at what the comments wanted. :twilightsheepish:

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18652604
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Flight

Chapter 70

Flight

[Follow Shining. He's Twilight's brother. He'll know what to do.] 89%

Dash stared up at the sky, it'd be so easy to just open her wings and shoot off into the air, but decided against it. If Shining was anything like Twilight, then he'd probably be able to catch her with his magic.

Letting out a grumble, Dash fell in line behind Shining. The blue clad creatures took a formation around the two of them, leaving a couple behind to watch all the gear that had come through with them.

Walking along with the group who seemed to be part of a guard of sorts, they were led to a platform where a few of those flying metal boxes had landed.

“Ladies first,” Shining said to Dash as the surrounding creatures seemed to want them to enter the vehicle.

Does dash get into the metal box willingly? No

“Yeah, how about no? As long as I have these babies I'm not getting in one of those flying traps, thank you very much,” Dash said as she ruffled her feathers nervously.

Letting out an annoyed groan, Shining lit up his horn and wrapped Dash in a magic aura. Rainbow let out a yelp as she was floated into the vehicle.

“HEY!” Rainbow violently struggled against the magic forcing her into the box. Her heart beat furiously and her pupils shrank to pinpricks as she was shoved into the confined space. The moment Shining released his magic on her, Rainbow shot out of the box again, the pegasus heavily panting as she looked back at box while hovering in the air.

“Don't ever put me in that box again! That was so not cool,” Dash growled with a wavering voice, her body slightly trembling.

“You're claustrophobic, aren't you?” Shining asked with a sigh, knowing that the answer to that question was probably yes.

“N-no! I just don't like it when I'm in small spaces!” Rainbow stammered. Shining facehoofed as he heard the statement but decided to let it slide.

“Well if you're not going to get in here then you better start making it clear to them that you're flying along on your own power,” the stallion informed his now second charge, pointing at the surrounding guards who were watching the exchange between the two ponies.

“Right, let's do that.” Rainbow went up to the guard that had seemingly been in charge, waving her hooves around and pointing at her wings in an attempt to communicate with the guard.

~~“Hey cap, I think she wants to fly herself,”~~ another guard said something to their leader that Dash couldn't understand, the pegasus' short patience already wearing thin.

“Why couldn't you just speak Equestrian!” Dash exclaimed, flying up above the group and pointing a hoof at herself and then the open air.

~~“I think you're right. Do you think we can keep Colors here flying in between the shuttles?”~~

~~“Only if we can make her understand where we want her to fly.”~~

Dash couldn’t be bothered to listen to the strange creatures any longer and shot up further into the air, circling the platform below. There was some shouting up at her, but Rainbow didn’t care. She was already too busy admiring her surroundings. The more she looked at the area the more amazed she became by her surroundings.

It had become very clear to Dash that wherever they had ended up wasn’t a normal place. For one the horizon didn’t curve down, but up. Then there were all the flying boxes, nothing seemingly pulling them along as they sped through the air. And to top it all off the stark white buildings to rival Canterlot.

Looking down, Dash could see the two craft that they had been led to float up from the platform and slowly start moving away. Deciding it was probably best to follow, Rainbow began circling the craft as they slowly made their way to whatever their destination was.

“Hey slowpokes, care to speed up a bit!?” Dash shouted as she sped up, the craft behind her having to suddenly compensate to not lose her somewhere within the massive structure, but they didn’t accellarate fast enough for Dash’s liking. “Come on, you’re wasting my time! My best friend is out there somewhere!”

In her frustration Dash sped ahead, being careful to stay out of the flying lane of the other flying boxes and following what she guessed were the local air traffic rules. Flying ahead also showed Dash a change in the structure. Where previously the horizon only curved up there now was a passage that lead to the side. Curious where it led, Rainbow took the turn.

I probably have enough time to take a look before those slow boxes get to the intersection.

Shooting through the passageway Dash felt the air pressure lowering drastically as if she was flying high in the air, and instinctively dove down where she felt the pressure normalizing again.

What the hell was that? There’s no way that those couple of meters should make that much of a difference.

Before Dash could think more on it she shot out into a new section of the place she found herself in, her jaw-dropping and flight faltering as she looked out at the megastructure. Behind her, she could see the massive donut-shaped ring which she had flown through before. Extending from it were five massive arms that had entire buildings shooting up into the sky, each one of them making the ones in Manehattan look like shameful shacks. And then to top it off there was the sky itself. A massive purple nebula dotted with stars in the far distance.

Whoa… This is awesome! How did these creatures- …aliens? -even create this structure!?

Losing herself in the moment Dash just continued flying low over the walkways below, admiring the sight of the massive structures and forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to be flying off to see the sights but following the flying boxes. At some point in her flight the scenery started to change slightly. The buildings around her were still massive, but there were larger open spaces filled with containers and other large boxes. Seeing an open spot between some crates Rainbow decided to set down for a bit.

“How in the world am I going to find Fluttershy in all of this?” Dash sighed as she flopped down onto her back, looking up at the four other arms visible in the sky. “Oh crap, Shining is not going to be happy when I get back…”

Jumping back on her hooves, Dash suddenly noticed a group of various aliens standing between the boxes. All of them had what seemed like armor similar to the guards only painted in different color schemes, most of them a blood red color.

Who are they? Maybe they’re more guards… or they’re criminals, Dash considered, as a group of guards in such a back-alley place didn’t have much to guard.

Regardless of which, Dash’s interest was piqued as she saw what were clearly two parties exchanging various goods with each other.

Go up to them. They can probably help me get back to Shining.

Stalk forward to see what they’re exchanging.

Leave. I can find the general way back.

[Steal one of the packages and fly off.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Cough I totally didn't waste all my free time on playing minecraft instead of writing... :facehoof:

Am going to manage my time better for next chapter :twilightsmile:

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18703242
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

The Traitor

Chapter 72

The Traitor

“Damnit Rainbow!” Shining shouted as the pegasus shot up into the air. He briefly lit his horn but couldn't get a hold of the pegasus above. His shields wouldn't be useful either as Dash would probably be able to escape them before they solidified, and he wasn't sure the aliens around him would appreciate him making a massive shield just to catch Rainbow.

~~“Damnit, take off now and radio for backup! Maybe she'll follow, but if not I want them to chase her and bring her in, non-lethal force allowed if she resists!”~~

Shining was pushed back into the shuttle as all the guards around him shot into motion, shouting orders into some magic coming from their arms. Shining didn't resist the guards strapping him into a chair, knowing that he'd be pissed off as well if anyone pulled an act like this.

A soft buzzing came out the back as Shining saw the vehicle raise off the ground out of the window – he didn’t feel any movement for some reason – and shoot off towards a new destination. He glanced out to see a rainbow mane flying next to the craft through one of the small side windows, only for it to shoot ahead the next moment.

~~“Shit, Colors just flew off! Should I follow, sir?”~~

~~“No, we still have him back there and we should bring him to Huerta asap. We’ll call in backup to track and follow Colors.”~~

Shining looked over at the two aliens up front who were saying something to each other, the subject not being a hard guess as there was a suspicious lack of a rainbow maned pegasus visible outside.

Sweet Celestia Twilight, how in the world do you manage to keep her in check?

It took a couple more minutes for the craft to set down again. When Shining stepped out, his fear of Rainbow having left them was confirmed. Groaning in annoyance the captain followed the aliens who were using their hands to motion for him to follow.

The inside of the building he was lead to had all sorts of aliens walking about, most of them wearing white garbs of sorts, Shining guessing that he’d been led to a hospital. Not that this surprised him. When ambassadors from far abroad came visiting Equestria they had to be checked too before continuing, so him getting a checkover made sense.

He was placed in a room where he was ordered to stay while a white-dressed alien started using all sorts of devices that seemed to scan him. Not being able to communicate meant that Shining just stood there and waited for it all to be done, occasionally lifting his hoof for the doctor.

“This would have been much easier if I could actually talk to you,” Shining groaned, the doctor jumping at his voice in surprise. Looking at him, seemingly hesitating for a moment, the doctor motioned for him to follow. Only able to guess what was going on anyway, Shining followed the doctor who led him deeper into the hospital to a room guarded by two guards similar to the ones that had led him here. A quick argument later they were let into the room where a single alien, one of the ones that had bones covering his head, was tied to a bed and connected to what seemed to be various medical machines.

Why would I be lead here? What am I supposed to do with what looks like a crimin-

“You are not her.”

Shining nearly stumbled over his hooves as the alien spoke.

“Wha- Who are you? Why are you tied down? What do you mean by ‘her’?” Shining just asked all the questions that came up in his mind out of bafflement.

“The name of a traitor is not important, it means nothing to you anyway. And ‘she’ is who got me into this position.” The alien pulled on its restraints. “But I do not resent her for it. She saved me from a far worse fate.”

Shining took an involuntary step back as he heard the alien before him was a traitor but continued asking questions as he had a sneaking suspicion about the identity of who ‘she’ was. “How can you speak my language, and how do you know Fluttershy? What did she do?”

The alien chuckled. “She purged the corruption from my mind but left something else in its place. I can hear her whispers in my mind, subtly suggesting things, though never forcing. Whatever she did also gave me knowledge of things I hadn’t before, your language being part of that.”

Staring at the alien before him, Shining wasn’t sure what to do. On one hoof he had somecreature to talk to now, but on the other, there was the fact that he was a traitor.

Though he sounds as if he’s changed for the better thanks to Fluttershy’s doing.

“Can you translate for me?” Shining asked, getting a nod from the alien. “My name is Shining Armor, Captain of the Solar Guard. Me and my… companion have come to search for a fellow member of our species that came here over two winters ago.”

The alien spoke in another language to the doctor who had been watching, a couple of guards quickly adding themselves to the conversation as the message had presumably been relayed.

“They ask me to tell you about the Citadel and the Council while they work on finding recorded speech of your kind to build on the translation, I have not spoken it enough by far for it to be useful.”

“That sounds reasonable. So, what is this Citadel and Council?”

“That’s… incredible and scary at the same time,” Shining said in awe as the alien finished his explanation.

“Can I ask you a question? How is it that you don’t seem too troubled by finding out all of this?” the alien asked, Shining just shrugged.

“We’ve had a few major crises over the last years, and this isn’t the worst thing that could have happ-” The door opened up again and a blue blur shot into the room, tackling the captain to the ground.

“Shining! I found someone who knows Fluttershy and can talk to us!” Rainbow nearly shouted into Shining’s face, who gave her a very unamused glare in return.

“I did as well Rainbow. Now could you please explain why you just flew off?!”

Rainbow shrunk a little at the glare from the furious captain. “I, uhm, got curious?”

“So you just decided that you could fly off?! What if you were accidentally hit by one of these shuttles, or had been kidnapped?!” Shining raged on as Dash’s escort entered the room as well and froze at the sight of Shining’s companion.

“Saren.”

“Shepard.”

Rainbow and Shining fell silent as well as they felt the tension thick in the air. Shepard and Saren stared at each other in silence for a bit longer until the commander turned around and made for the door.

“I should go.”

“Shepard, wait. When you see her, give her my thanks. I owe her a debt I can’t repay,” Saren quickly said before Shepard could leave, making the commander pause for a moment.

“Start repaying that debt by convincing the Council of the reaper threat. They’re still denying it,” the commander grunted. “I’ve got to go. The reapers haven’t been idle while I was.”

He stepped out of the room, leaving everyone in silence again until Dash shot up and ran after him. Cursing silently, Shining raced after them as well. “Rainbow! Don’t you dare run off again!”

“Come on Shining, the commander has worked with Flutters and is going out there again to find a team! If anyone is going to find Flutters, he is!”

Damnit, that filly really has to learn how to listen for once! Should I pull rank and force her to stay and have her annoy me here or let her go and have somecreature I don’t know I can trust watch over her… or I could go too. If what the commander said is true the council might not be that helpful.

We’re both staying on the Citadel. I will not have you running off.

You go with the Commander. I will stay here and work with the Council.

We’re both leaving this place. We should start covering ground.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Yeah yeah, I know. I've not been writing as much and have been doing some of the other hobbies that I've been neglecting like drawing and building on my Space Marine cosplay.

(My friend is totally not a pyromaniac :scootangel:)

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18798488
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

SR-2

Chapter 73

SR-2

We’re both leaving this place. We should start covering ground. 63%

Shining sighed as he ran through his options. Rainbow had already proven that she wasn't exactly going to follow his orders, so the chance that she'd stay if he ordered her to do so was slim to none.

I can't just leave her either and, although not the best option, if I have to start with diplomacy, I might as well start with this commander.

Though not entirely happy with Dash forcing him to make this decision, Shining ran after the pegasus and human soldier.

“Wait up, I’m coming too!” Shining shouted, leaving the medical room behind and falling in line beside the commander. “So where are we going?”

“To my ship. I wanted to depart a bit earlier but when I got word that the relay in the presidium activated I immediately turned around and headed back to check on the situation. It was only by chance that I got wind of the C-Sec reports regarding Dash here,” Shepard answered as he typed something on a glowing hologram around his arm. “I just notified one of the councilors of the situation and that you’re both coming with me.”

“Uhm, what was that thing around your foreleg?” Dash asked as she pointed at the arm that had been surrounded by light.

In response, Shepard brought it up again. “It’s an omni-tool. Everyone has one, and it helps with all sorts of stuff from keeping notes to translating for me. It’s why we can talk to each other right now.”

Dash looked funnily at it but didn’t question it any further. “That’s awesome! Does Fluttershy have one too?”

“Definitely, she got one relatively quickly but had to work out a few kinks since they aren’t designed with creatures without hands in mind,” Shepard explained, calmly leading Dash into a shuttle of all things and thoroughly annoying Shining.

“Really Rainbow? Now you just step into one of these things without any issue?!” The captain growled, earning a glare from the pegasus.

“Maybe it’s because someonedidn’t force me to step into it and gave me time to get comfortable,” Dash shot back as the shuttle closed and sped off.

Shining grumbled for a moment but got distracted by the view as they shot out of the inner ring of the presidium. His jaw dropped as he got a full view of the Citadel as its arms slowly rotated around. Dash chuckled at Shining’s reaction and gave him a nudge. “It’s awesome, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”Shining replied, the shuttle swiftly shooting past humongous buildings until they reached a dock of sorts and set down.

“Is that it? I thought it would be bigger.” Dash commented as she saw the docked Normandy.

Shepard chuckled. “One, don’t insult my baby. Two, she’s not a dreadnaught. She was built to get into systems undetected…” He paused for a moment, “…and that doesn’t mean she doesn’t pack a mean punch.”

“Oh, ok. So when do we leave?” Dash asked, changing the subject.

“Right n-”

“Shepard, what are you doing with them?” A slim human with long black hair pointed at Shining and Rainbow while scowling.

“They’re joining the crew for the moment,” Shepard shot back, pushing past the other human. “If you’ve got problems with it, go whine to the illusive man because you’re not changing my mind.”

I wonder what her problem is, Shining thought before following the Commander into the ship, the outer door closing behind them.

“Holy shit, you find more of them, Commander?!” a voice came out of nowhere, both ponies jumping in surprise.

“What can I say? Who can leave something that adorable back on the Citadel?” Shepard chuckled. “And I don’t think I need to remind you that they have a friend who can force a krogan onto the ground by looking at him.”

“Then I take it we’re going to be looking for Shy as well?” the voice asked as the inner door opened.

“I already asked the Illusive man to see if he could find her. If he does we’ll also find Garrus, which means we’ll get two for one,” Shepard called out to a human who was sitting in a chair at the front of the ship.

“Great! I can’t wait to see how that couple has been doing after disappearing for a year.”

THUNK

Shining raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the spot where Rainbow had crashed into the floor and was staring at the human at the front of the ship. “Fluttershy has a coltfriend?!”

Shepard laughed out loud at Dash’s reaction. “You should have seen how awkward those two were around each other when Flutters first developed her crush,” the commander snickered.

“I… wha-… ho-…”

Shining couldn’t help but join in with the laughter as Dash was trying to wrap her mind around things. “I think you broke her.”

“Good thing that we were going to go see the doctor anyway then,” Shepard commented with a grin while picking up the pegasus and continuing to walk deeper into the ship. Not that they went far because Shepard’s omni-tool started beeping before they even reached halfway.

“EDI could you help guide Shining Armor here to the comms room? Anderson just messaged me that the council wanted to talk to our new arrivals.”

“Of course, Shepard,” a voice answered out of nowhere again and red lights lit up the path to one of the walls at the back of the room that slid open to reveal a room behind it. “Please follow the red lights, Mister Armor.”

Shining looked back at Shepard who motioned him to go on. “I’ll take Dash to the medbay while you talk to the Council.”

“Alright, see you in a bit,” Shining said, getting over his hesitation and following the lights while the commander took Dash to another door and disappeared from view.

This is going to take a while, isn’t it…?

Fluttershy has a coltfriend?! Did she finally get over her shyness and ask somecreature out?! I missed a lot, didn’t I?

Dash didn’t even take notice of her surroundings as she was placed on top of a bed in the medbay by Shepard.

“Dash, are you there?”

I mean, in Equestria she’d have never asked anyone out! I remember that disaster in Cloudsdale when I hooked her up with somepony w-

Splash!

“AAAH” Dash shouted as she was drenched in ice-cold water, the commander standing next to her with a devious smirk plastered on his face and a bucket in his hands. “WAS THAT NECESSARY?!”

“Definitely,” someone else answered from the side, an old female human who was leaning back in her chair with a warm smile. “I’d ask you for your name, but I’m pretty sure you’re Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy has told me much about you.”

This calmed Dash back down a bit—Shepard leaving the medbay silently may have helped as well—and took in the doctor. “You know Fluttershy too?”

“I was there when she was brought aboard the first Normandy two years ago. The poor dear was afraid of nearly anything, though she really grew over the time she spent aboard. Not to mention when she realized what kind of terrible enemy we’re facing, you could almost feel the raging fire lit inside her,” the human doctor explained as she handed Dash a towel.

Dash rubbed her head as she, once again, had to adjust her knowledge on her friend. “It’s almost as if you people are talking about an entirely different pony, Doctor…”

“Chakwas”

“Right. What exactly did she do around here? Shepard was a bit vague around that topic.”

The doctor sat up a bit straighter in her chair. “At first, she helped me here in the medbay, but later she went out into the field with the strike squads.”

Dash’s jaw dropped as she crossed another thing off her mental list of things she never thought Fluttershy would do. “She went out to fight?! Fluttershy of all ponies?!”

“She turned out to be good at it as well. Is it okay if I do some tests and scans while we talk?” Chakwas asked as she reached into a drawer and retrieved a few devices.

Dash shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“Good, now about Fluttershy. I can understand your amazement that your friend changed so much. I was surprised as well,” Chakwas continued as she activated several scanners and went over Dash’s body with them.

“Yeah, I mean it’s awesome that she seems to have gained a bit of self-confidence, but it’s still strange to hear if you still know her as a bit of a doormat,” Dash admitted, falling silent for a while as Chakwas finished her scans before asking another question. “Actually, what is it that you’re fighting that even Fluttershy got involved?”

Chakwas didn’t immediately respond but Dash could see her body tense up.

“Reapers,” she ominously stated. “We found out about a race of massive sentient starships that want to wipe out all advanced intelligent life in the galaxy. Few know about our claims and even fewer believe them, but I have no doubt that, if they’re not stopped, the galaxy will be ‘cleansed’.”

“The entire galaxy?!” Dash exclaimed, blood flowing out of her face.

I can’t allow this to happen. This is like a gazillion times worse than Nightmare Moon and Discord combined!… I’m not going to sit idle, not when even Fluttershy thought it necessary to act.

“Doctor, are you done with whatever you wanted to do?” Dash asked with determination etched on her face, Chakwas giving her a nod. Dash immediately jumped off the bed and walked to the door.

Here goes nothing.

“EDI, can you tell me where the commander is?” Dash asked, hoping that she’d be answered like Shepard was before.

“The commander is currently in the CIC finishing up the departure procedures from the Citadel. That is the big room where you first entered,” the strange voice replied.

“Thanks!” Dash said as she trotted towards the elevator and stepped inside, the device seemingly acting on its own accord as it closed and moved up to the level Dash needed to be. The pegasus stepped out of the elevator just as the commander stepped down from his platform.

“Rainbow? Did Chakwas finish already?” he asked as he easily spotted Dash.

“Yeah. I came back up here to see if I could talk to you,” Dash said as Shepard made his way to the front of the ship.

“Go ahead, shoot.”

“Don’t do that literally. Dying once is enough!” the human who sat in front of the ship said with a smirk.

“Thanks for reminding me, Joker. Hauling your ass out of there was a pleasure too,” Shepard quipped back, confusing Dash even more, but she had more important things on her mind right now, so she’d ask later.

“Commander, Chakwas told me what Shy did around here and what kind of enemy you have,” Dash stated pointedly. Shepard stayed silent, only giving Dash a nod and waiting for her to continue. Rainbow never had a doubt in her mind of what she had to do.

“I’m going to fight too.”

Author's Note

I tried writing on to a point where I could add a vote but just couldn't think of anything meaningful. I mean, I don't really see Dash saying that she's just going to hang back and do nothing. :scootangel:

Also, 100k! :yay:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Mission Prep

Chapter 74

Mission Prep

BANG

“You’re dead,” Jacob, a dark-skinned human man who was one of the two people on Shepard’s strike team, told Dash as the pegasus picked herself up from the ground. Her body was covered in bruises from the last five days of exercises, most of them ending painfully.

“Come on! I totally should have had it that time!” Dash exclaimed as she wiped most of the red paint out of her fur.

“You started well, but you were too aggressive. You should’ve waited a little longer and you’d have had me,” Jacob calmly stated as he placed the assault rifle back on the table at the side of the small arena they’d built in the Normandy’s cargo bay. “We’re done for today. Go take a shower, you stink.”

Dash groaned and dragged herself to the elevators and took it up to the crew level. Standing outside of the elevator as she got up was Shining who had a smug grin plastered on his face. “That beating you took there was ‘awesome’ as you would say. Sadly I had other things to do, otherwise I’d have come to watch earlier.”

Rainbow glared at him, “Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh. I’m at least preparing while you’ve been doing what?”

“Politics, Dash. I’ve been ‘calling’ ambassadors constantly and making connections,” Shining replied seriously as he followed Rainbow to the shower’s door. “I’ll probably join you in your practice anyway. I have to practice to retrain my guard too you know.”

Dash sighed as she saw reason in Shinings actions. At least now she wouldn’t have to bother with anything like that. “Fine, but I’m going to laugh at you just as hard as you’ve been doing at me for the past two days," she said accusingly as she stepped inside the woman’s bathroom.

“I expect nothing less!” Shining called out just before the door closed behind Dash and she went to do her thing.

Rainbow had pretty much claimed a spot in the port observatory room on the first day onboard while they were getting a tour of the ship. The view outside at the vast expanse of nothing, just faint, distant stars, had mesmerized her to the point that she could just stare outside for an eternity.

After finishing her shower, Dash walked back to the elevator, taking it down to engineering. The two engineers there, Ken and Gabby, had been teaching her how to play skyllian-five poker in their spare time, stating that the more the merrier. But today she wouldn’t be joining them in their game. They probably had already gotten the memo, but it was only nice to go tell them in pony.

Shepard had told Dash they’d be picking up the first member of the team that was going to make up his strike team for his ultimate mission. Rainbow didn’t know any specifics about that yet, but the way the commander was talking about it gave her a good indication that there was a good chance the team who went wouldn’t be coming back.

“Oi lassy! We heard the news of ya goin’ out with Shepard,” Ken, the male of the two human engineers called out. Dash chuckled at his heavy accent and nodded.

“Yeah, apparently we’ll just have to pick someone up and get out again. Nothing much that could go wrong there, so he thought it a good idea for me to get out of the ship a bit,” Rainbow replied. “I’ll have to miss the poker game though. We’ll probably still be working at the usual time we play.”

“Don’t sweat it, Dash. I’ll just have to rip Ken here of his credits myself,” Gabby smirked, something that infected Dash as well.

“Let him keep his underwear this time,” she grinned. “Got to go now. Apparently Shepard wanted to give me a few things before we go.”

Ken grumbled for a moment but couldn’t help but smile moments later. “Good luck out there, lass. See you when you get back!”

With that done Dash made her way back to the elevator, going up to Shepard’s private chamber. She found the door to the quarters to be closed to her. “Commander, are you there?”

“Oh right, Dash. Come in.” Shepards voice came out of the door’s console just before it unlocked and opened up. The room Rainbow stepped into was moderately large with a fish tank embedded into the wall on one side and a small desk space on the other while deeper into the room there was a very comfortable looking double bed. The roof of his cabin included a window not unlike the one in the observation room, giving a beautiful view of the expanse of space.

“What did you want to see me about, sir?” Dash asked, snapping a salute with her right wing. She'd been to the Wonderbolt academy, so she was no stranger to military protocol, although she didn't exactly always follow it, and was sure Shepard would appreciate the gesture.

“At ease. I had Cerberus pull Fluttershy’s armor schematics that were stored on the old Normandy, since, if you’re going to come along with me and the others, I won’t have you wearing inadequate armor. So if you questioned why I had been holding off on going on missions and just getting all my supplies sorted over the last few days, this is why,” Shepard explained as he undid the latches on a large box. Dash’s eyes were glistening with excitement as she rushed forward to see its contents. “I asked them to redesign it a bit and make it modular so you can customize and improve parts of it later.”

“This is so AWESOME!” Rainbow exclaimed as she pulled out the dark grey pieces of armor along with its jet black undersuit. It was not too different in design to the armor she had seen Shepard in, seemingly the same material, although without the paint job nor the little N7 insignia on the chest.

“Go on, see if it fits!” Shepard encouraged, not that Dash really needed the push as she was already halfway into the undersuit.

It took another few minutes of fumbling and help from the commander to get it on entirely but it was totally worth it in Rainbow's mind. The dark grey plates were easily attached to the ports on the undersuit and systems within them buzzed to life as they went. What was surprising to Dash was that the complete suit wasn’t heavier than Royal Guard armor, even though it covered more of her body and seemed thicker than Shining’s Equestrian armor.

“There, that should keep you safe from the worst of punishment. Though you’ll still have to get either an omni-tool or heads up display if you’re going to make full use of the suit.”

Dash swallowed nervously. Although she knew that it’d be a useful tool, she was skittish about letting anything be implanted inside of her body. The heads up display sounded like a much better option. Shining had already gotten an omni-tool out of the necessity of his diplomatic work, but Rainbow hadn’t. “Y-yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

“Alright, get some rest. We’ll be arriving in four hours so report to the armory in three and a half hours for the final briefing. Dismissed.”

Snapping another salute, Dash turned around and walked out of Shepard’s private quarters, a big smile on her face as she got back to admiring the armor. Though this didn’t last as she continued to think about the further implications of her decision, shivering slightly at the thought.

Can I take the life of another being? For that matter, how did Fluttershy get into the position where she could justify that?!

Stepping out on the crew deck, Dash simply made her way to the observation room. On the small table there was a data-pad that Dash had yet to touch once in the couple of days that it had lain there. She’d considered just deleting its contents for fear of what she’d see on there… all of Fluttershy’s mission recordings from her shy friend’s perspective, audio and video.

Flumping down onto the couch, Dash looked out of the viewport at the small glistening stars far in the distance.

What should I do? Is it so bad to get an omni-tool? Should I watch those recordings from Fluttershy or should I just avoid it outright?

Get the Omni-Tool.

Watch the recordings.

Get the heads up display.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Just like JonimStarGuy said, besides the 100k word count we've also reached 1000 comments! Y'all are awesome for getting me there!

Also, have a Dash in armor. :rainbowdetermined2: ~~That totally didn't take me half of yesterday to draw.~~

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18828226
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Mission Footage

Chapter 75

Mission Footage

Watch the recordings. 55%

Dash swallowed as she turned her gaze away from the window and looked at the tablet on the table, all her other thoughts leaving the forefront of her mind as her quivering hoof reached out for the device. Pressing the power button lit up the screen. Cold sweat was forming on Dash’s fur as a small part of her mind screamed at her to just throw the tablet away and never think about it again, but the lone folder containing all the video files was too powerful of a pull to resist.

Come on Dash, it’s just Fluttershy. How much can she have changed?

Nervously convincing herself to continue looking, Rainbow opened the folder and scrolled through the hoofful of files, scanning over their names.

Virmire… Ilos… the Citadel… Berkenst- Wait, WHAT!? The battle of the Citadel?!

Tapping the attached file, the mission recording sprang up and gave Fluttershy’s perspective from what seemed to be a camera attached to the side of her head. All of Fluttershy’s system statistics showing up on the video as well.

“Everyone good?” The commander’s voice was unmistakable and everyone looked to be in what seemed to be the inside of a small shuttle. Dash’s attention was completely transfixed on the images as events unfolded, seeing Fluttershy carefully move forward along with a set of aliens towards an entrance where dead humans were impaled on spikes and bloodstains covered the floor.

“Sweet Celestia, who would do something like this,” Dash whispered as the spikes suddenly retracted and showed that the ‘dead’ humans were not actually dead but turned into some form of horrid abomination that charged the group. Without remorse, everyone opened up on their mutilated forms, even Fluttershy, putting them down in seconds. Dash couldn’t believe what she was seeing as she could see the shots of fire from Fluttershy hitting the monsters dead center.

S-she didn’t even think twice?!

“Commander, the wards are closing up!” Fluttershy shouted in the recording. Tears almost immediately formed in Dash’s eyes as she heard her friend speak for the first time in two years. She’d almost forgotten the sweetness of Shy’s voice.

The rest of the world might as well have ceased to exist to Dash as she was consumed by the video, seeing how the elevator they occupied was stopped in its tracks and they were forced to walk up the side of the structure.

“Geth dropship!” an asari – the system labeled her as Liara T’Soni – shouted as a geth ship flew overhead and started dropping its payload. Dash’s heart was beating furiously as energy bolts flew dangerously close past Fluttershy’s head before she slid into cover.

“Shy, shock trooper at two o’clock, thirty meters. Wait for me to take down that shield and aim for the torso.”

“Understood.” The cold tone of voice sent a shiver down Dash’s spine. She could hear none of the sweetness she remembered.

Was I wrong to think there was anything left of Shy?

An ear-deafening bang later the machine Fluttershy and her companion were firing upon was crumpled to the ground, it’s internal parts briefly visible on the video feed before Shy and this ‘Garrus Vakarian’ had picked another target to fire upon. Dash watched with wide eyes as the squad systematically eliminated all the machines and used the turrets to shoot even the dropship out of the sky.

The recording continued running as the group in the video advanced until they reached a heavily defended section which they bypassed by moving down a gully to the side, but what happened next scared Dash to her very core. Fluttershy was the first to reach the gulley where they had cover from the rockets, but only a short distance away was a geth with its rifle at the ready. What Rainbow hadn’t expected was Shy’s reaction to this revelation.

Shy let out an enraged scream and pointed her wings forward which were engulfed by a blue magic like aura – biotics, if Dash recalled the name correctly – and messily ripped the geth into two pieces. Rainbow just stared slack-jawed at the screen at the sheer violence on display from her friend who used to be a pacifist.

M-maybe because these things are just machines? Y-Yes that must be it!

After a final firefight, Dash saw the group reaching a hatch and entering at the top of the tower. The group poured into a massive lobby, only a hoofful of geth in their way that were quickly destroyed, revealing a lone turian standing on a platform at the center of the expansive area typing on a console. A turian Dash immediately recognized.

Isn’t that the turian Shining met on the Citadel?!

There was a short exchange of violence and a bit of shouting at each other to try and convince the opposing party to lay down their arms and join their side, Fluttershy jumping into that discussion as well.

“Saren, you can fight the indoctrination! The reapers don’t have to come this cycle. We can stop them!” Fluttershy’s exclamation brought some warmth back to Rainbow’s heart, this was the pony she knew as her friend speaking. Saren, for some reason, continued to defy the group, but it wasn’t hard to see the cracks starting to show in his convictions.

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe there’s still a chance for… ugh,” Saren fell to his knees clutching his head, murmuring something about Sovereign being too strong. Fluttershy immediately jumped out of cover and looked Saren straight in the eyes. Even though it was just a recording, Dash could feel the immense power of the stare practically coming through the screen of the tablet as she felt something lurch in her stomach.

And then it was seemingly all over.

Mere seconds later, Saren fell down into a small garden below, looking to be unconscious, and lay motionless while Shepard sprinted forward and uploaded something into the large console at the end of the overhang Saren had stood on. After Shepard was done at the console, he ordered Fluttershy down where they checked up on the fallen turian. Dash nearly jumped as lightning-like red energy suddenly jumped through the chamber and impacted with Fluttershy, her best friend letting out a blood-curdling scream.

“NO!” Dash’s breathing increased as she could see Fluttershy buckle to the ground, every system in her armor going haywire, the video feed showing a lot of static, and her vitals spiking all over the place. Groans came from her best friend as she fought the pain. “Come on Shy, beat it!”

Slowly but surely, Fluttershy defiantly picked herself off from the ground, taking a firm stance.

“No.”

There was no indication of doubt in Fluttershy’s voice, something that brought a tear of pride to Dash’s eye.

"Me and my friends faced impossible tasks before, and now my new friends face another one. You might say that this is all for naught, but we'll find a way to stop you. Your cruel acts have gone on for long enough!" At the end of her statement blue lightning shot out from her wings, counteracting and neutralizing the red counterparts. Dash didn’t even notice the non-existent wind blowing through her hair as she felt a warm feeling heat up her chest.

Harmony… She used her element there!

“Rainbow!”

“AAH!” Dash jumped up as Shining stood in the doorway.

“What’s going on? Why are you crying?” Shining asked as he approached and looked at the tablet. “And what is this?”

Wiping away a few tears, Rainbow passed the device along. “It’s the suit recordings from all of Fluttershy’s missions.” A torrent of emotions swirled within the athletic pegasus mare as she turned to look outside again while Shining browsed the files.

She’s grown so much but lost so much as well… Things I might lose too now… I failed, didn’t I? I should have immediately gone after her two years ago. I shouldn’t have hesitated. Now she had to spend all that time alone…

Never again.

“You mind if I copy these and study them too?” Shining asked. Dash thought about it for a moment. Shining was looking for Flutters as well after all, so letting him see them as well was only fair.

“Sure, go ahead. I have to go do something upstairs,” Dash said as she walked towards the door but was stopped by Shining who put a hoof on her chest piece.

“Rainbow, be careful out there. I know from experience how dangerous fieldwork can be. Don’t do anything rash in the field, because it could get you and your teammates killed. Understand?” Shining’s voice was utterly serious, so Dash only gave him a nod. Her mind was now fully made up. “Good. Go do what you have to.”

“Thanks, Shining.” With that Dash walked the short distance to the elevator and took it up to the CIC where she made her way to the armory. Jacob was busy working on reassembling a rifle as she entered and gave her a smile as he noticed Dash’s armor.

“Someone’s looking good there,” he said with a grin, getting some chuckles from Dash.

“Thanks, though I didn’t come here for a compliment.” Jacob immediately understood what Rainbow was talking about and put down the weapon parts, walking over to the table where many weapons were on display. He picked a few up and placed them on an empty table.

“Let’s see which weapons speak to you the most…”

S-15b Vindicator - Battle Rifle

M-29 Incisor - Sniper Rifle

S-22b Eviscerator - Shotgun

M-4a Shuriken - Submachine gun

M-5 Phalanx - Heavy pistol

M-100 - Grenade Launcher

[Note: You can take as many picks as you want. The two highest will be chosen.]
[Vote link]

Author's Note

Let's do a more unconventional vote this time to switch things up for once!

Also, I've been working on my Space Marine cosplay again. I just need to think of a good way to attach the arms and I'll be done in no time. The backpack shouldn't be that much trouble.

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18856880
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Purgatory

Chapter 76

Purgatory

M-4a Shuriken - Submachine gun 27%
S-22b Eviscerator - Shotgun 23%

Dash looked over the tables of weapons, picking up a few and getting a good feeling for their weight. The first thing she giddily picked up was the grenade launcher, but her excitement dropped a bit as the weapon was much heavier than she’d expected.

Flying would be much harder with this thing. Maybe I should get something smaller?

Dash put the large launcher back and continued to the next weapon, the sniper rifle, which she swiftly passed. Sitting still for long amounts of time would be way too boring. The next thing after that was the SMG which she passed between her hooves.

I guess this one is kinda nice… and I know it’s fast.

Dash clipped the weapon to the magnet on her flank piece, liking the fact it collapsed into a small box when attached to armor.

“I think I should take this one with that one,” Dash pointed at the shotgun, hovering over to it and picking the weapon up.

“Close quarters I see? Not that that was too surprising,” Jacob said as he typed a few commands into his omni-tool. “I’ve assigned them to you, we’ll run you through some practice after the pickup at the Purgatory. Go get some more rest. We’re not expecting action, but we’re going to be dealing with criminals there. It’s better if we stay alert throughout our stay.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. I’m going to take a nap,” Dash replied, being led out by Jacob and heading back down into the Normandy’s belly. Once there, she flopped down on one of the observatory couches, falling asleep almost instantly as she used her ability to sleep nearly anywhere until she would have to wake and head out with the commander.

Dash shuffled nervously at hearing the docking clamps connect to the prison ship. Although they weren’t expecting any trouble, Dash was still nervous about anything going wrong.

This isn’t Ponyville where everything will be alright. People could die here.

The airlock hissed as the slightly foul smelling air from the Purgatory flowed through the opening door. Dash almost gagged out of surprise but managed to repress it.

“Stay sharp everyone, and Dash, stay at the back. I don’t want you to become an immediate target if this goes south,” Shepard ordered before stepping onto the prison ship. A small group of mercs, with a turian seemingly as their leader, stood there and waited for them to approach.

“Welcome to the Purgatory Shepard. Your package is being prepped, and you can claim it shortly,” the turian stated as Sheppard stopped a few paces in front of him. “As this is a high-security vessel, you’ll need to relinquish your weapons before proceeding further.”

Dash tensed up when she saw Shepard’s hand move from his side to resting on his pistol. “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he simply stated. The atmosphere tensed up further, and the mercs standing behind the first one also got ready to fight if it came down to it.

Ponyfeathers, this was NOT how this was supposed to go!

“Everyone stand down!” a new turian shouted as he came running up, the other mercs relaxing slightly but still staying on edge. “Commander, I’m Warden Kuril, and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned upon your return to your ship. This is just standard procedure due to our dealings with these criminals.”

“It’s my standard procedure to keep mine and my team’s guns,” Shepard growled back, not giving an inch and glaring down the opposing turian.

“Let them proceed. There are just three of them, and our security is good enough to handle three of our guests. We’re bringing Jack out of cryo and will release her as soon as the funds have been transferred,” the warden told his mercs, his eyes briefly connecting with Rainbow’s. A shiver ran through her body. Within the span of the short gaze it felt as if the warden was learning everything about her with just that look. This feeling of discomfort persisted as they were led through the ship. The large rows of boxes lining the wall… The mechanical arms moving them around… It all just seemed wrong.

At some point the warden split off from them, and they were left to walk the last bit on their own. A whole line of cells lined walls of the final hallway, and in one of said cells a prisoner was being beaten. Dash winced every time the prisoner shouted for help. “HEY! What the buck is wrong with you two?!” she shouted as she charged up to the guard who was looking at his colleague beating the imprisoned human.

“Back off. I’m doing my job,” the guard gruffly said, dismissing the relatively small pegasus much to Dash’s frustration. Luckily for Rainbow, Shepard intervened as well.

“She's right though. This is wrong. You're just lowering yourself to their level. Stop this. For your own sake.”

The guard sighed before giving the other a hand signal to stop. “Yeah, you're right… We'll let him off the hook for now.”

Dash looked sympathetically to the other prisoners as they passed, some of them calling out in the hope they would be taken too. It wasn't long before they entered the out-processing facility where they were pointed towards a door that would open to the box queued behind it and release a prisoner…

But as the door opened there was only an open box.

“I'm sorry, Commander, but you and your small pony companion are worth much more than you could imagine. Drop your weapons and step into the box peacefully,” the Warden announced over the intercom. Dash could practically hear the growl from Shepard as the commander turned around to face the few mercs that had entered the room.

“Go to hell.”

With that said, all hell broke loose as both parties went for their weapons and opened fire on the other. Rainbow for one just stood dumbstruck as the situation rapidly deteriorated around her, only getting roused from it due to almost a clip of rounds hitting her shield and puncturing through to the composite armor below.

After jumping for the nearest cover, Dash waited for her shield to recharge. Trying to ignore the already dulling sting of pain in her chest, she used her SMG to pop up and aim at one of the mercs Shepard and Jacob hadn't eliminated yet.

I-I can't… I can't do that!

Without firing a shot Dash popped back into cover, her breath and heartbeat accelerated as she nearly panicked.

I couldn't kill him…

Letting your friends be in all the danger…

Weakling…

No.

In a bout of rage Dash shot over the cover and pulled her shotgun. Her wings propelling her at high speed towards the last remaining merc who had no time to respond as Dash flared in front of his feet.

Bang!
*Click-click*
Bang!

The corpse dropped to the ground in front of Dash, the pegasus' stomach immediately turning inside out and emptying it beside her as she looked at what she'd done.

“Get yourself together Dash!” Shepard shouted as he grabbed a hold of Dash's armor and pulled her behind cover. “You need to stay focused right now or you'll put all of us in danger, understand?”

“Y-yes sir!” Dash stammered as she pushed back another wave of nausea.

This wasn't supposed to happen! We were just briefly going to pick up that human, not shoot our way out!

Dash tried pushing the mix of emotions down as she followed the commander and Jacob down the hallway, maybe for the first time in her life feeling as if she wasn't up to the task.

Another door opened into a control room where an anxious technician shakily held a pistol aimed at the door. “ON THE FLOOR!” Shepard thundered, the technician immediately dropped the pistol and laid down. Jacob kicked the pistol away and kept him at gunpoint while Shepard used the main console. “Found Jack. Releasing her from cryo now,” he curtly stated. Just outside, machines started moving as a cryogenic tube rose from the floor. YMIR heavy security mechs activated and took aim at the containment chamber.

“Overkill much?” Jacob whistled as the doors to the cryo-tube opened and a very pissed woman was revealed, her hands and body glowing with biotic energy. “That’s Jack?!”

With a scream Jack ripped out of the chamber and charged forward, obliterating the mechs as if they were nothing more than cotton candy. Dash’s eyes went wide with awe and tinged with terror at the display.

“Horseapples…”

Author's Note

Had a lot of exams getting in the way of writing so I apologize for the wait. Next week I won't be here either as I'll be on base for a week so I hope I'll be able to get the next one ready soon.

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Jack

Chapter 77

Jack

Alarms started blaring throughout the ship as the newly released and enraged biotic tore through its chambers. Without hesitation Shepard ordered the team to pursue Jack, leaving the unarmed technician behind in the control room.

“Taylor, take point! Dash, keep our rear secure!” Shepard ordered as they followed the path of destruction left in Jack's wake. Fires dotted the ground around ripped open internal bulkheads. Dash ran after her two human companions who were following the path of destruction.

“Sector seven, nine, and eleven have lost life support. No survivors,” a mechanical voice blurted from the speakers that were still working. The entire ship was shaking as critical internal systems were breached by the rampaging human biotic. Mechs were released into the ship to control the prisoners that were escaping due to the damage.

This is madness! How can we follow Jack through all of this?!

“All guards, restore order! Lethal force authorized but don’t kill Jack! Techs, lockdown!” the warden shouted through the intercom as the situation on the ship degraded further with firefights between prisoners and guards. The group tried moving through the mayhem without drawing too much attention to themselves, but it didn’t take long before everyone opened fire on them as well in the free-for-all. A decision they would pay for dearly as the commander and Jacob returned fire with pinpoint accuracy.

“YMIR MECH! 11 O’CLOCK, THIRTY METERS!” Jacob shouted as a large, lumbering heavy mech moved into the room and advanced on them, firing a salvo with its twin cannons which hit the black man’s cover.

“Dash, move in and hit it hard!” Shepard ordered as he pointed down a gully with barricades for cover positioned throughout it. Without waiting for affirmation, Shepard pulled out his M-100 grenade launcher and fired a handful of successive shots into the machine killing its shields and damaging the armor.

Rainbow hesitated for a moment, but with the machine staggering back from the blast, she dove over the railing down to its level. Dash’s mind went into a trance as she completely focused on swiftly making her way between the different types of cover towards the mech, eventually only having one barrier between her and the heavy machine. Without saying anything Dash cocked the shotgun, a small smile tugging at her lips, and aimed it at the head of the mech before firing multiple times, the first slugs only denting the armor but the later ones punching clean through and destroying the delicate insides of the mech.

“DASH! BACK OFF, IT’S GOING TO EXPLODE!” Shepard shouted down, getting Dash to immediately spread her wings and take flight. The heat-wave of the explosion propelled her high into the room while simultaneously breaking the trance Dash had found herself in.

H-how did I… Did I enjoy that?…

Yes.

Dash shuddered at the thought but pushed on as the commander and Jacob moved up past her and continued to advance. The next cell block was equally filled with guards who tried stopping them. Not that this stopped the two humans and pegasus from advancing as they mowed down the guards like weeds. Dash used her wings to rapidly switch between covers and blast the guards at close range, still reviled by the act every time she pulled the trigger.

“Everyone okay?” Shepard asked after clearing the block, smoke and fire surrounding them as the computer announced that more sections of the ship had lost life support.

“I’m good.”

“Y-yeah, me as well,” Dash shakily replied. Shepard did not miss the little stammer and kneeled down next to her.

“Keep it together a bit longer Rainbow. We’ll get through this,” he comforted in the little time he had before they had to move on, Rainbow giving him a nod as she inserted a new thermal clip into her shotgun and SMG.

“Let’s get it done,” Dash replied with renewed resolve and followed the commander into the next block.

BANG!

A bullet ricochéd off of the ground next to them and was followed my more bullets impacting the covers the three of them jumped behind.

“You’re valuable, Shepard. I could have sold you and that primitive beast and lived like a KING!” The warden shouted from a raised platform in the far corner of the room, his personal shields brightly activated. “But you two are too much trouble. At least I’ll be able to recapture Jack.”

“My bucking flank you will, you ROTTEN APPLE!” Dash shouted and jumped the barricade, bullets impacting the ground behind her. It didn’t matter to Dash as she had a new fire burning inside of her.

“I do the HARD things civil governments are unwilling to do! This is for the GOOD OF THE GALAXY!” Pylons rose from the floor and a large shield appeared around the platform the warden was standing on, Blue Suns troopers dashing in through other doors in the block.

Dash pulled her SMG from her barrel and aimed it at one of the doors, a solid stream of projectiles flying at the troopers who had just entered the room and perforated their armor. Rolling to a stop behind a barricade, Rainbow took aim at one of the pylons powering the shield and destroyed it. “FOR THE GOOD OF THE GALAXY?! YOU’RE TORTURING PEOPLE IN HERE! AND FOR WHAT? MONEY?!” Dash absolutely raged, Shepard tried shouting something to her, but it was drowned out by Rainbow’s laser focus. Without pause, Dash rushed forward to another corner of the room that had a pylon jutting out of the floor. On the way there she encountered another group of Blue Suns grunts, bobbing and weaving through their fire as if she’d done it all her life, and blasted them with the shotgun at close range. It wasn’t long before the second pylon was down as well. Before Dash could go after the third and final pylon Rainbow was reminded that she wasn’t alone as Shepard and Jacob finished the last shield pylon off for her.

“I wouldn’t expect any of you to understand the good work we’ve done,” the warden growled as he opened fire from his raised position, a couple of his rounds hitting Dash and nearly knocking her shield out completely.

Ponyfeathers, that weapon is powerful.

Just as her shields started recharging and she was getting ready to jump over the barricade, Shepard slid into cover next to her. “Hold it! I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into you, but if you charge him you’re ending as swiss cheese!” he said as he grabbed a hold of Rainbow’s armor to make sure she couldn’t vault.

“That motherbucker tried to bucking sell us!” Dash snarled as she replaced the thermal clips of her weapons.

“And he'll pay for that very dearly. I'm just making sure you remain in a single piece. Fluttershy would haunt my ass if I didn’t,” Shepard relatively calmly replied. “I'll give you cover to advance with the grenade launcher, and you put a slug into him at point blank. Got it?”

“Buck yes!” Dash readied her shotgun and waited for the opening, three dull thumps from the grenade launcher later she jumped the barricade. The three explosives hit the warden dead on, stripping the turian of his personal shields and part of his armor. To make matters worse for the warden, Rainbow smashed down in front of him the moment the explosions were gone and bucked him in the chest, sending him flying.

“Sleep tight.”

BANG!

The warden's lifeless body slumped as Rainbow jumped down from the raised platform, a small voice in the back of her head telling her that what she'd done was wrong.

Should I have given that… monster, a choice?

Dash shook her head, deciding that giving too much thought to the warden wasn't worth it.

“He's gone. Let's go find Jack.” It wasn't more than a second later that they could hear a savage scream coming from one of the catwalks overhead, one with a view of the Normandy docked outside.

“Found her,” Jacob dryly stated as the female biotic could be seen overhead. The three didn't have to search long to find a staircase up towards the catwalk.

Jack was facing away towards their ship, seemingly really angry at the sight of the Normandy… and two Blue Suns mercs were slowly advancing on her. Jacob immediately reacted and put one down with a heavy pistol round to the back of the head. Shepard took on the second with a burst from his rifle.

The human female immediately jumped around to face them, ready to start a fight within the blink of an eye. “What do you want?”

“You actually,” Dash quipped, earning a glare from Jack.

“Shut up colors. Adults are talking here, not a little girl's wet dream.” Dash growled in anger but was cut off by Shepard stepping forward.

“If it wasn't for us you'd still be trapped in cryo. Show a bit more gratitude,” Shepard stated dangerously, but Jack just seemed to brush it off.

“Would've gotten out regardless. Now mind telling me why the fuck there's a Cerberus frigate here?” Jack countered stepping forward herself and getting up close and personal with Shepard.

“They're funding my mission, nothing more.”

Jack laughed at that. “Yeah sure, they just gave you a frigate to play around with… Tell you what, there must be some juicy Cerberus databases on that ship, give me access and I might consider not tearing it in half.”

“Done,” Shepard answered, causing Jack to lower her guard slightly and look back at the Normandy.

“Then what are we standing around for? Let's get off this hellhole of a ship before it explodes!”

The now larger group made their way to the Normandy's airlock, Dash bringing up the rear while brooding.

I should give that bitch a piece of my mind! I-I… Argh! She's already insufferable! Maybe I should just find something else to keep myself occupied with. I could let the doc give me a checkover… or I could just find another crew member to talk to…

Give Jack a piece of her mind.

Go see Chakwas.

Find another crew member to blow off steam to.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, I've been incredibly busy and actually still am.

Currently I'm sitting on a compound in the slums of Tanji, Gambia in Africa to help repair a local school. The internet is spotty for me here and power outages happen so every now and then so I'll try to write some when here but can't say if I'll have the power to charge my phone or internet to upload a chapter.

Be back home on the 20th and will probably cover some ground on the story then to make up for some time.

Resolve

Chapter 78

Resolve

Go see Chakwas 53%

With a huff, Dash paced past the commander, Jacob, and… that bitch. She had better things to do, like visiting Chakwas and taking a nap. Dodging a few officers who were moving between consoles as they relayed information about the status of the Purgatory in their flight, she flew over the head of a deckhand before entering the elevator and going down to the crew quarters. Dash paid no mind to the glances of the crew as she trotted into the med-bay. Chakwas already had her tools ready just in case she'd have to perform an emergency operation.

“Doctor Chakwas?” Dash asked to get her attention. Chakwas' eyes went wide as she saw the state of Rainbow and her armor.

“My god, Dash. I thought Shepard was going to keep you in the back!” Chakwas said, immediately connecting her omni-tool to Dash's armor to get a readout on her vitals. Meanwhile Dash just stood there looking at herself. Her armor had various dents in it and spots where rounds had glanced off, her mane was singed at the tips, some of her feathers were missing, and she could now start feeling pain running through her body as the adrenaline began to fade.

Ponyfeathers, I must have lost shields a couple of times throughout that… If some of these had gone through… just like that turian that I…

Dash shuddered at the thought as Chakwas connected two tubes to ports on a slot on the armor's flanks. “The omni- and medigel reserves in your armor have been completely depleted. You should be thankful that you didn't get seriously hit,” the human doctor warned. “Your current injuries can easily be fixed by the medi-gel I’m pumping back into your reserve.”

“T-thanks,” Dash stammered as her legs started wobbling and she felt nauseous. “D-doctor, I k-killed… a-and…”

The med-bay's doors opened again just as Dash's legs gave out and she collapsed, crying. Shining Armor who'd just entered rushed towards her curled up form.

“Is she hurt doctor?” Shining quickly asked, Chakwas shook her head and crouched down next to Dash to comfort her.

“Not physically, no, but…”

“I killed s-someone Shining, a lot of p-people actually…” she sniffed, Shining's eyes went wide.

“Dash that's-”

“I'd do it again,” Dash said not skipping a beat, wiping her tears away. “I-It was horrible, but I'd do it again. If I have to choose between letting my friends die or the people trying to kill them…” Dash fell silent, staring into nothingness. Shining carefully put a hoof around Dash's armored back, Rainbow's stare into nothingness slowly turning into a vicious snarl.

“…They'd wish they never crossed me.”

Dash was gazing out of the observation window in the room she'd claimed for her own. She'd been admiring the view while the Normandy cruised to its next destination. The distant star of the system they were in was still so dim that Rainbow could directly look at it without the window lowering the light's intensity. Dash had briefly taken off her armor to clean it but quickly put it back on after. She felt safer wearing it.

The door behind her slid open as Shepard came walking in, a drink in either one of his hands, one of which he passed to Dash before silently sitting down across from her on the other couch. Rainbow tasted the drink and found that it tasted a lot like mango.

Not my first choice, but not bad, but he's definitely not here to give me a drink…

“I'm still going to come with you on Omega,” she stated without moving her gaze off of the stars.

“That's not your call to make Dash,” Shepard calmly replied.

“So you're going to leave me behind?” Rainbow asked, her tone of voice suggesting a hint of desperation. “Commander, I want to help. Please, Sir, don't leave me behind.”

“This station has the single biggest population of criminals in the galaxy. It's very dangerous there. More so because you're a unique species.”

“Purgatory turned out to be dangerous too, got through that, and I'm no regular civilian. I graduated the Wonderbolt academy and spent a year in the Cloudsdale militia. I can handle myself.”

Shepard silently scrutinized Dash, a bead of sweat forming on the pegasus' forehead as she wasn't able to gather anything from the commander's hardened expression.

“Alright, you're in.”

Dash let out the breath she had been holding, having expected to have to fight the commander on his decision. “Just like that?”

“I've seen what Fluttershy was able to do after she set her mind to acting, and it's almost as if all this fighting comes natural to you just as it did to you friend, but you have to be careful that you're fighting for the right reasons. I think you are. So, yes, just like that,” Shepard answered as he finished his own drink. “We're arriving in an hour. I'd tell you to get ready, but you seem good to go already.”

“Thank you, sir!” Dash shouted with conviction as she saluted with her right wing. Shepard gave her a nod before taking his leave to get dressed himself. The moment the commander was gone a smile crept onto Dash's face but it fell again as she also realized the consequence the decision had.

I hope the girls will forgive me for what I'm going to do… and for what I know Fluttershy already has done.

The first thing that hit the squad as they left the Normandy's airlock was, once again, the smell, though this time it seemed to be slightly worse. The second notable thing was the group of three heavily armed aliens standing nearly directly at the exit of the docking tunnel. Dash tensed up slightly, knowing how the last time ended up going.

“What's the matter here, gentleman?" Shepard asked as he approached the three aliens, batarians if Dash was right.

“Aria wants to speak to you. Follow us.”

“And what if we don't want to follow?” Dash asked skeptically, not feeling particularly trusting.

“Then I suggest you quickly get the hell off her station before we toss you out of the airlock,” the batarian growled before turning around and marching off, expecting them to follow. Shepard gave Dash a look that told her to take it a notch down before signalling the others to follow. The commander, having taken into account the dangers of the station, had taken Dash, Jacob, and Miranda with him. Jack had been left on board to acclimatize to the Normandy a bit better.

Dash flapped her wings into a hover, wanting to make sure that she could react instantly if things went south, but was immediately flagged down by their escort. This only served to put her more on edge but even so, Rainbow still took the time to look at her surroundings and take in some details. There were vast open areas with long towers coming down from the roof and up from down below that had walkways surrounding them, but that wasn't what caught Dash's eye…

There's air here. I can fly everywhere!

Dash smiled as she was lead into Afterlife, the establishment of this 'Aria', and walked through the lobby to the main room where they were lead to an overhang.

“That's far enough,” an asari, most likely Aria, ordered as Shepard was stepping forward. A merc took a quick scan of the commander and gave a nod to the asari. “Can't be too careful. You wouldn't be the first person to claim he's the reincarnation of, well, you.”

“Aria, I presume?” Shepard asked, getting a nod as he sat down on the couch Aria was leaning back on.

“Now what’s a dead human spectre doing on Omega?” Aria asked getting straight to business. A lot of the tension that had been building up within Rainbow was lost now that the guards had relaxed a bit and Shepard was talking, though this didn't mean she didn't notice the strange little glance from Aria at her.

“I'm looking for three people. One of them I'll be able to easily find, the other two not so much,” Shepard explained and pulled up the first personnel file on his omni-tool. “The first one's Mordin Solus-”

“The doctor?” Aria interrupted. “I'm rather fond of the crazy bastard. He's just as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you. Currently he's fighting a plague in one of the housing sections of the station. I'll tell the guards at the entrances that you're cleared to enter so they won't start shooting. Something tells me that'll spare me some manpower.”

Shepard nodded. “That would be appreciated.” The commander swiftly pulled up the second personnel file. “The other person I'm after is Archangel.”

Aria shifted her position on the couch a bit as she looked Shepard in the eyes, herer voice grave as she spoke again. “Commander…”

Aria paused for a moment.

“…Archangel is dead.”

Author's Note

Another chapter from Africa! I've already got a whole tot of it done rn but am not completely happy with it so that'll take me a bit.

Hope you enjoyed ^-^

Disease

Chapter 79

Disease

Dash watched in horror as she looked at the holographic screen hovering in the middle of the balcony. Aria had put up privacy screens to make sure they were the only ones who could see the footage. The quality wasn't that good due to the person recording the video being quite a distance away.

There was a group of krogan, dressed in the red armor of the Blood Pack, standing around a kneeling turian. The Blood Pack’s leader, a krogan named Garm, was holding a speech of sorts that was too faint to be picked up to the obviously beaten turian...

And then he shot him.

It almost came out of nowhere, but one moment Garm had been talking and the next he had pulled his shotgun and brutally removed half the turian's head from existence.

And he was laughing about it.

Dash's blood boiled in her veins at the sight of such callous murder. To even be laughing about something like that!

“They fed his remains to their varren, and the beasts didn't leave much for my people to identify,” Aria said as she shut the screen down. “Though there have been rumors of them getting the wrong turian, I'm pretty positive they did not. What's left of the little group he had assembled completely shattered, killed or captured, and is now in various parts of the station. I can't see how that would have happened with Archangel still in play.”

“Well… Shit,” Shepard said as he leaned forward from his position on the couch. “Do you know any locations of his scattered squad members?”

Aria shook her head, “They might be scattered, but they're all very good at hiding, though the Blood Pack has been a prime target for all of them. Looks like they're seeking revenge to me… or they're looking for someone

Shepard raised an eyebrow. “Enlighten us.”

“One of his team members is rumoured to have been caught by the Blood Pack. If my sources are correct, the person they caught was the 'Angel of Death' herself.”

“Angel of Death?” Dash asked as she shuddered.

What do you have to do to earn that nickname?

“Though definitely not as lethal as Archangel or the rest of his team, whomever got on her list was as good as dead,” Aria explained.

“You seem to know a lot about her,” Shepard observed, Aria giving a nod and pulling something from a pocket in her jacket.

“That's because I had the pleasure to look her straight in the eyes…” Dash's eyes widened in shock as she took a step back. Between Aria's fingers was a pastel yellow feather, “…but considering your company, I'm sure you know more about her than I do.”

“Commander, we-” Dash croaked but was cut off by Shepard holding up a hand, telling her to be silent.

“Do you have any possible locations of where she's being held?” Shepard asked. Aria shook her head.

“The Blood Pack sent out a small fleet of their vessels about a day ago. If they had her, she's no longer on Omega.” Dash cursed below her breath as Aria told her that.

“I should go. We'll be in touch,” Shepard gruffly stated as he had heard enough, stood up, and marched down the stairs. Dash and the others following, though Dash's mood was severely worsened.

Fluttershy was here and we were too bucking late!

“Commander, what's our next step? Do we pursue one of Archangel's people which might as well be a complete unknown asset or do we find the salarian doctor first?” Miranda asked as they stepped out of Aria's earshot. Shepard just silently sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. “Commander?”

“There's only one turian I can think of that Fluttershy would do this for… If I'm right, then I might have just lost a good friend and have another abducted from under my nose,” Shepard gulped down the entire drink in one go and slammed the glass back onto the bar table. “We're going to find Mordin Solus and after that we're going to find out where the Blood Pack took our pegasus.”

The entrance to the virus contaminated section of the station was heavily barricaded, but just as Aria had promised they were let in without any resistance. The hallways were suspiciously empty of any life. Dash suddenly got into a coughing fit, feeling like there was something stuck in her throat.

“That's a bad sign,” Jacob murmured. “Let's hope the doc has a cure ready to go.”

“Couldn't agree more. Let's go find him.” Shepard said, taking the lead. They kept their weapons at the ready as they made their way through the internal passages of the station. Doors were locked as the sick and scared had barricaded themselves in. Gunshots and worse echoed from further down the section. Electing to avoid any contact, the group carefully chose their path, avoiding Blue Suns patrols and Blood Pack purification squads, right up until they came to a square at the entrance of the clinic where a squad of either criminal group was fighting the other.

“Damnit. Everyone, take up a firing position,” Shepard ordered. They had arrived on an overhang with plenty of view of the square below. Dash tightly held onto the SMG and waited for the order to fire. Down below, the members of the two gangs were decimating each other, the vorcha of the Blood Pack wielding two flamethrowers to flush the Blue Suns out of cover.

“Target the Blood Pack's flamethrowers first. Now!”

Dash immediately peeked over the edge and lined up a shot. Her bullets tore through one of the gas-tanks on a vorcha's back, detonating the volatile compound within.

KABOOM!

“Suck on them apples!” Rainbow shouted as she picked a new target and fired another burst. Both weakened groups quickly fell under the intense fire from above, only a couple of krogan managing to return some fire before getting cut down too.

“Clear!” Shepard shouted.

“Clear!” everyone else echoed as there was no more movement below. They slowly advanced forward careful to not get shot by anyone they might have missed.

“There, clinic entrance! Go!” A quick order from Shepard later they were all safely within the clinic's doors. “Everyone good?”

“Never been better, Commander,” Jacob replied followed by Miranda and Dash. The clinic had a security station before one could enter the building proper, the guard giving a warning to behave or to get gunned down by the mechs. The inside of the clinic itself was filled with refugees, almost none looking to be sick and a couple of rooms had been repurposed to momentarily house them.

“...Use malanarin. Plenty on hand. Almost as good. Causes cramping in batarians. Supplement with butemerol,” a voice came from the only empty clinic room. There, a salarian standing over a plague victim was rambling off to his human assistant. Dash coughed once from her sore throat, immediately attracting the salarian’s attention who scanned her with his omni-tool. “Interesting. Body is aggressively fighting plague. DNA showing same signs as previous subject. Might be entire species. Need more data.” Dash just stared at the salarian in confusion at the barrage of words sent in her direction.

“Professor Mordin Solus I presume?” Shepard asked, prompting the salarian to study him for a moment while pacing around.

“Greetings, human. Curious. Don’t recognize you from area. Too well armed for refugees. No mercenary uniforms. Quarantine still in effect. Here for something else. Vorcha? No, unlikely. Pegasus presence might indicate-”

“CAN YOU STOP RAMBLING AND START MAKING SENSE?!” Dash exclaimed out loud as she couldn’t bear her growing headache any longer.

“Apologies. Your friend has more patience. Good assistant. Haven’t seen her in a while,” Mordin said as he stopped pacing and looked at Dash. It took the pegasus a moment for her to process the words.

“Wait, you know Fluttershy?!” Dash was almost immediately hovered in front of the professor’s face.

“Interesting. She never gave her name. Very good at appearing and disappearing. Useful for quie-” Mordin was again interrupted as a screeching metal sound came from the ventilation shafts. The professor immediately checked his omni-tool. “Problem. Vorcha have shut down environmental systems. Trying to suffocate entire district. Need to take environmental control. Can reactivate and distribute cure from there.”

“Give us the coordinates and consider it done, Professor. I need your help on my mission, and I can't have you dying in an assault on that control center,” Shepard immediately offered.

“Mission? Unimportant right now. Need to focus on controls and cure.” Mordin momentarily stopped and looked at Dash. “Actually have favour to ask. Tried tracking to her base of operations. Not reachable by foot. Need wings.”

Rainbow’s heartbeat accelerated some as she might get the opportunity to see a place where Fluttershy had stayed. Maybe her friend had even managed to leave clues to where she’d been shipped off to.

Wait, stop. You’re not going to just run off Rainbow. The commander still needs you with him.

“I’ll go take a look after we’ve gotten that cure sorted out.”

“Afraid that won't be possible. Vorcha burning down entire district sector. Fire will destroy everything,” Mordin stated, Dash cringing as she looked over at Shepard…

I want to investigate Sir. There might be hints.

I shouldn’t split off from you guys. Strength in numbers.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Finally back from Africa! Also Merry ~~late~~ Christmas! Hope you all had a good time over the holidays!

Choose carefully~ :trixieshiftright:

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19142622
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Hideout

Chapter 80

Hideout

I want to investigate, Sir. There might be hints. 82%

“Professor, how much resistance can we expect at the control center?” Shepard inquired as he ran over all the options in his head.

“Heavy. Suggest quick raid to lock down main center before reinforcements can arrive.”

“Commander, I know you might need my help in the control center, but there might be hints to where she is at the professor’s location,” Dash urged. It didn’t feel right to be leaving Shepard and the others to assault the environmental control center alone, but this might be the only opportunity to get information on Fluttershy left on Omega. Shepard remained silent for a moment as he went over his options.

“Go, but avoid any hostiles at any cost. We'll keep in contact over comms.” Shepard's tone of voice made it clear that this was non-negotiable.

“Yes sir!” Dash saluted and turned to Mordin to get precise directions. What she did not expect was for the Salarian to grab a tool from a drawer, approach her, and press one end of it into one of the two ports on her foreleg's armor. Rainbow was so stunned by the action that she hadn't moved her leg an inch as the doctor drove the needle into the second port. Dash could feel something start crawling under her skin, finally pulling out of her stunned trance Dash yanked back her hoof and flew into the air. “W-what the buck did you do to me?!”

Mordin just looked at her in slight confusion, “Need omni-tool for complex navigation. Assumed reason one wasn't available was due to lack of equipment and software. Wrong assessment?” Dash just stared at the professor with an emotional mix of anger and fear. The crawling under her skin was making her incredibly nauseous.

“I-I… W-what's happening?!” Dash held out her leg in front of her as if pulling it close would infect the rest of her body as well.

“Device currently connecting to your nervous system. Will be done…” the orange hologram blinked to life around Dash's foreleg at the same time as the crawling stopped, “…Right about now.”

By this point, Rainbow had pressed herself into a corner of the room still looking at the omni-tool as if it were a new limb attached to her body. Slowly but surely she brought the leg closer, as fear was replaced by curiosity. Dash gulped. “S-so how do I use it?”

Mordin brought up his own omni-tool, transferring something to Dash's. “Mental commands. Will take time to get accustomed to. Suggest locking in navigation for time being.”

“Professor, I'd prefer for you to warn us before you do something like that in the future,” Shepard calmly but clearly stated and slowly turned to Dash. “Rainbow you need to focus now. Follow that navigation marker and find Fluttershy's hideout.”

“Y-yes sir!” Dash said with a little waver in her voice but her confidence was quickly returning. A glance to the small hologram now hovering above her foreleg was showing a map with a route plotted. “We've been wasting enough time. We're on the clock after all!”

“That's the spirit!” Shepard smiled as Dash's attitude was back. “Miranda, Jacob, on me.” With the time pressure on, they headed out the other side of the clinic. Mordin stayed behind to keep the protection of the clinic up while Dash split off from the main group to head to her own coordinates. Whereas she'd previously just used the regular walkways, this time she was led into all kind of vents and hidden passages. It was clear to her now why Mordin wanted her to take a look. Some of the passages were quite simply impassable to any creature that wasn't a pegasus. If Fluttershy wanted to sneak around unseen or get away from pursuing mercs, these tunnels would be the easiest way to do so.

“I wonder where…” Dash stopped as she approached another pit, darkness and smoke obscuring sight of the bottom. Mordin's final waypoint for the first of two locations he had given was here. After this point the salarian always lost her before she reappeared further along the route… but this wasn't why Dash had stopped. On the wall was an expertly drawn image of three very familiar butterflies, a line of text written below it in Equestrian.

'down into the depths'

Dash looked into the pit again before sighing and muttering, “Here goes nothing.” Jumping off the edge, Dash slowly hovered down. The lights of her armor gave her just enough vision to avoid hitting the walls, the stench of smoke filling her nostrils as the vorcha in the district were doing their hardest to burn everything to the ground. About halfway down the shaft there was a grate barring a passage, another butterfly drawn beside it barely visible in the dim lighting. Giving the grate a push, Dash found it swung inwards without even the least amount of effort and crawled into what was supposedly a ventilation shaft. Only for lights to blink on as Dash fell face first into a little chamber.

“Buck! Stupi-… Whoa…” Rainbow stared in awe at where she'd ended up. It was indeed a small room but packed with boxes and more drawings on the wall. Five cutie marks on one of them, four surrounding a central starburst, only her own lacking as if she was no longer part of the group. Tears formed in Dash's eyes as she carefully touched the painting of her own mark, looking at the words written below.

'The friends who I've loved dearly but may never see again.'

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Dash turned her gaze to the rest of the small room, a small desk propped against the wall and a small terminal beside it along with a safe. Six folded papers lay on the table, they were slightly shuffled around as if the last time they were touched Shy had been in a hurry. The one laying in the middle of the table was unmarked but the other five were each marked with cutie marks. Dash eyed the one with her own but opened the unmarked one first, scared of what the one meant for her would contain as she allowed the omni-tool to translate the letter into speech.

Dear David,

I’m sorry that I haven’t been in contact over the last months. It’s been hard. Garrus and I are not in a good place. I… we’ve done terrible things. Things that make my skin crawl even to think about. We’ve still managed to make life better for a lot of people here though, and I think that’s the only thing that’s keeping me going. Lately though, things have been…
I just want to have all my bases covered, just in case the worst happens. I’m attaching the five other letters to this one, each for one of my friends if they ever were to come through the relay. Please, give it to them and keep them safe.

If I never see you again, thank you for being a friend to me. Without you and the Normandy’s crew, I would never have made it as far as I have.

Thank you.

Yours truly,
Fluttershy

Dash swallowed at the sight of the five other letters as she realized what they were.

No! I will not read those until I find out that she’s dead and not a moment sooner!

With a defiant stomp, Dash scooped up all the letters and stashed them in a compartment of her armor and moved on to the terminal. The safe didn’t have a button panel so Dash assumed that it could be opened by proxy of the terminal too. Only before she could tinker with it, smoke started pouring through the vents in the roof and the temperature started to rise drastically. To make matters worse Shepard came in over the radio.

“Doctor, we’ve run into heavy resistance here. We need an alternative way into the control center!” Shepard shouted over the loud gunfire.

“No other routes into control center.” Mordin replied swiftly, an answer that Shepard would not like in the slightest.

“Damnit. Dash, Status!” Dash immediately activated her own radio to give the commander an update.

“I’ve found a small hideout at the first marker but it’s getting awfully hot here.” She replied, more smoke leaking into the room.

“Understood, head to the second waypoint and then double back to our position. Shepard out!” This didn’t sit well with Rainbow in the slightest, because the commander obviously needed help. Maybe there was… She opened a direct channel to Mordin.

“Professor, how do the Vorcha refuel their flamethrowers?”

“Large fuel tank, center of district. Suggest not heading there. Fuel unstable.” Mordin replied without hesitation.

“Thank you, Professor.” Rainbow closed the line again before he could ask any further questions. Looking between the exit and the terminal Dash tried to decide what to do…

[Buck going to that second waypoint. They need me at the control center now!]

Try opening the terminal and vault. They might have more recent information than these obviously old letters.

[Assault the fuel tank. It should serve as a good distraction to draw the vorcha away from Shepard.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Last day of vacation for me, is going to be strange going back to school after 5 weeks of not being there. :twilightsheepish:

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19178223
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Backup

Chapter 81

Backup

[Buck going to that second waypoint. They need me at the control center now!] 57%

Smoke now filled nearly half the room, and the heat was getting to levels that weren't exactly bearable either. Dash cursed as she glanced at the safe. There might just be info in there that…

No! Shepard clearly needs you, and now is not the time for some half baked plan!

Groaning in frustration, Rainbow shot back out into the shaft where she'd entered, flying up and looking at the map her omni-tool was displaying. The route was still set to guide her to the next waypoint and with her tool locked down she'd have no other option than to follow it until she reached it. After that it would update to lead to Shepard.

Buck, that's going to take valuable time!

Shooting up back into the little corridors she'd been traveling through before, Dash galloped towards her destination. It wasn't like she had encountered anyone else in these paths, so she doubted that she'd run into anyone now.

The distance to the second waypoint shortened at a significant rate as Dash gave her all to reach the location, pipes and passageways flying past in a blur as she raced by them. Rainbow burst out of an underground tunnel into a hallway section, skidding to a halt. The last thirty meters to the next waypoint was a bridge covered in corpses, the smell indicating that they had been there for a while. Carefully stepping forward, Rainbow was fighting to keep the contents of her stomach inside of her. She just needed to hit the checkpoint and head off to…

Oh shit!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

BANG!

A pain stung in her chest as Rainbow opened fire at three heavily armed aliens first, one of them getting a shot off at her in the split second before she could reach cover. The fired round hit her shield and punched through, burying into her armor composite. Screaming in pain Dash nearly dropped her SMG, her chest felt like it was on fire as the medi-gel mended her injured internals.

“Damnit, hold your fire!” A shout came from the end of the bridge, and Dash was shaking as adrenaline ran through her veins. “Come out of cover! Slowly!” Rainbow bit her cheek as she weighed her options. The last round was powerful enough to down her shield immediately. If there was indeed more than one person on the other end of the bridge, then she wouldn't make it far in either direction. With slow and deliberate movements Dash stepped out of her cover, looking down the barrel of a sniper rifle wielding and helmeted turian along with an assault rifle wielding quarian and salarian.

“W-we can talk about this!” Rainbow stammered, slowly walking backward. The turian lowered its rifle and the others mirrored that move as well.

“Best way to show that is, of course, by shooting at us,” the quarian snarked, getting a look from the turian that told him to stand down.

“We're friendly. We were just looking for evidence of survivors here,” he said, turning around to look at the structure on the other side of the bridge, followed by another glance at the pattern of all the corpses on the ground. It looked as if they had been performing an assault. “We found nothing.”

“Damnit, man down! Miranda, get Jacob out of there! Mordin, I don't think we can push through here. Environmental control is simply too well defended. We have to pull back!” Dash’s radio sprang to life, reminding the pegasus why she was rushing in the first place.

“Sounds like you can use help. Follow us. We know the layout of the surrounding area.” Without looking back, the three aliens took off with speed. Rainbow was momentarily too stunned to follow.

First they shoot me and then turn around and help me… Whatever, the Commander can definitely use the bucking help.

Rainbow didn't question it any further as she opened her wings and shot after the group, the hallways now passing in a blur as the three lead aliens took every turn, stair, and hallway to make their way over to the control center. “Hey, who are you guys anyway? Part of Archangel’s gang?”

“We’re not a gang. We’re a unit!” the quarian shouted again, his brief moment of anger quickly subsiding. “Or we used to be…” The sadness in his voice stung in Dash’s chest. After seeing the video of Archangel being executed, she had a feeling as to why that was the case…

The rattling of automatic fire echoed through the hallway as they got close, Dash quickly making sure that her SMG’s thermal clips weren't overheated. They weren't.

“Contact!” the lead turian had his rifle up in an instant and sent a shot downrange. The head of the unfortunate vorcha who had shown its face imploded as it was hit. “Vortash, take out those flamethrowers!”

The salarian didn't hesitate a moment and lobbed a couple of containers towards the flamethrower wielding vorcha, massive explosions engulfing the aliens as both the containers and subsequently the fuel they were carrying exploded. With their strength significantly diminished the vorcha along with their blood pack allies fell back, seeing that they were now facing a much larger force without heavy weapons support.

“Shepard!” Dash ran towards the commander as they were clear for the moment. Jacob lay behind a barrier a bit further back, Miranda trying to administer medi-gel but not having nearly enough as the black man's entire upper body was burned, some places the skin had just boiled off. “Horseapples…”

“He needs to be taken back to the doctor asap!” Shepard said as he fell down to his knees and helped apply the medi-gel. Dash looked stunned at the body of her colleague, rage bubbling up inside of her. Not just at the vorcha, but herself too…

You should have been faster! Maybe even backtracked to the clinic and then asked Mordin to update the damn omni-tool!… This is all your fault…

Dash looked at the three aliens that had led her here. They had made sure that they wouldn't be surprised by a swift attack from the vorcha now that they were distracted but definitely looked like they wanted to move from this position. The bubbling rage, by now, was a raging volcano, the pegasus nearly seeing red from anger as she felt something stir inside of her. An instinct of sorts maybe. She wasn't sure what it was, but it directed the rage. Someone had badly hurt one of her friends. They would regret that soon enough.

Nobody. Hurts. A. Friend. Of. Mine!

Author's Note

I took some days off of writing to catch up on some other hobbies like drawing...

...Cosplay crafting

...and simply school

I'll get on the second part of the chapter and should be getting to do something interesting with the story again. Mainly Shining really coming into play.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Two Heads Are Better

Chapter 83

Two Heads Are Better

We're low on people and experience in this search. Maybe Shepard knows someone who can help us? 71%

Dash rolled out of the bed, her hooves wobbling for a moment as she hit the ground. “I'm going to see the commander first. I'd like to come, but I can't leave Shepard hanging either.” Glancing at a bed at the back of the room that was obscured by some privacy screens made her feel slightly nauseous. She knew exactly who was laying there

“He's up in his private quarters, but his mood is terrible right now,” Shining informed Dash. She had a good idea why that'd be the case.

“I'll keep it in mind. See you in a bit.” Dash strode towards the door unopposed, glancing back at the turian just before the doors slid shutand feeling the full force of his words hit her square in the face.

Fluttershy fell for him?! That can't be… He's not even a pony!

Even though she'd already been told that Shy had gotten a coltfriend, actually meeting him was still more of a shock than Rainbow would care to admit. The elevator quickly went up to the commander's quarters' deck, and Dash found herself in the hallway before the inner door.

“Commander, are you in there?” The door didn't immediately open as she approached, so Dash made the reasonable assumption Shepard had locked it from the inside, not that this was going to stop Rainbow as she pounded on the door. “Commander, I want to speak to you!” The door suddenly slid open, Shepard standing on the other side and sternly looking down at Rainbow who shrank a bit under his gaze. Relaxing his stance Shepard sighed and turned to walk back into his quarters, motioning for Dash to follow, and sitting down at his desk. The commander's room was essentially divided into two parts, a small desk area where the commander could work and a lower section where his large bed stood.

“Let me just start that I'm simultaneously proud and a bit disappointed in you. You went along as quickly as you could to support me, Miranda, and Jacob when I ordered you to investigate Mordin's second location. That was more to protect you from the firefight than to get information on Fluttershy, understand?” Dash gave a slow nod as she processed this new information. “Good. Not that I'm not glad you did. You might have saved Jacob with your actions, and I'm proud of you for that. What I'm disappointed at though is what you did immediately after. Just rushing into the fray which had my squad pinned was horrendously stupid and could have had you seriously hurt. Now I hear from downstairs that this wasn't completely your fault, but that doesn't change the fact that if you didn't have as much of a temper, you probably wouldn't have rushed forward.”

Dash had already opened her mouth to rebuke the last statement as she realized that this was exactly what the commander had meant. Swallowing her words Dash looked down at her hooves shamefully. She'd have to try harder to keep a grip next time. “I know, sir. It won't happen again… I don't like losing control like that…”

“That's something I can believe without a doubt,” Shepard said with a soft smile. “Now you were here for a reason. What did you want to talk about?”

Breathing a sigh of relief at the change of topic Dash looked back up at the commander. “I assume you already know about Shining's lead?”

Shepard nodded. “The captain informed me at the first opportunity he got. Also, if this is about you leaving the Normandy, permanently or temporarily, I won't have any objections. Your mission is to find Fluttershy. If you think that's better served with you off of this ship, then I won't stand in the way.”

Knowing that the commander wouldn't hold it against her if she left took a major weight off her back. “Alright, awesome. I was actually wondering if you know anyone else who could help us out with the search? We're still just two ponies and a hoof full of people looking in a galaxy of billions.”

Shepard sighed and rubbed his head. “I'm sorry, Dash. I've already asked everyone I know who'd be useful to keep an eye out for her. I simply don't know any more people who could help.” Dash sighed in frustration.

“I get it. Guess we'll just continue the way we've been doing…” Dash fell silent as she now had a choice to make.

Might as well get it out of the way now…

I'm here to find Fluttershy first. We can hook back up with the commander later. 15%

~~Without Jacob, Shepard is going to be really low on squad members, and it's better to be split up to cover more ground.~~ 14%

“Commander, I’m going with Shining to look for Flutters,” Dash stated, although she didn’t like the idea of leaving the commander with too few people to run his mission. “Vakarian also said he was going with Shining.”

“I already feared that,” Shepard admitted, running a hand over his head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got that salarian from Garrus’ squad, Vortash, as replacement for Jacob in the armory and a mercenary squatting in one of the cargo holds.”

Dash snorted as she detected a slight edge in Shepard’s voice when mentioning the mercenary, she filed it away as something she’d ask about later. “I’m going to tell Shining that I’m coming too.”

“Yes, we should be arriving at the Citadel very soon now. I have business on Illium as well, so we’re likely to see each other again. Hopefully with Fluttershy safe and well.”

“If I have anything to say about it, then it won’t be long before we find her!” Dash said with a confident smirk and saluted the commander with a wing, heading off to see Shining and give him a heads up as well before their arrival at the Citadel.

Dash followed Shining out of the docking bay of the Citadel and into one of the wards. Garrus was following behind with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He apparently still had a small apartment on the station where he and Fluttershy had lived for a while and where he could ditch the stuff. They would have another couple of hours before the transport to Illium would take off, and Shining had already told her that he was going to spend that time picking up some things he ordered at various shops. Dash on the other hoof had other things on her mind. Shepard had suggested she’d visit a surgeon to get a biotic amp, something that made Dash’s skin crawl.

I can’t believe people here let somepony else just open them up like some experiment to place these devices into them!

Rainbow already got nauseous just thinking about it. The omni-tool was put there by Mordin’s rash actions, but this…

Go with Shining. I wonder what he ordered?

Go with Garrus. I should try bonding with him more. Find out if he’s good for Shy.

Go off on my own. They both have things to do without me there as extra weight.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I've been binge crafting my cosplay again. I finally figured out how to do the shoulder joint.:pinkiehappy:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19354420
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Home Away From Home

Chapter 84

Home Away From Home

Go with Garrus. I should try bonding with him more. Find out if he’s good for Shy. 58%

“Hey Garrus, mind if I tag along to see your flat?” Dash asked as the three of them made their way down the streets of the ward in the direction of the nearest shuttle service. Garrus shrugged in response.

“Fine by me,” he grunted, making sure his bag was secured as he looked around the Citadel. “Same old crap around here anyway. Some company would be nice.”

Wow he sounds depressed. So not cool… Guess that should be expected when you've lost your marefriend to a gang.

Looking to Shining the unicorn gave her a nod. “Just make sure you reach the transport in time.”

A grin formed on Dash's face as she saluted him with a wing. “Will do, cap.” At the shuttle station the three split up, Shining going to the ward's commercial district while Rainbow and Garrus went to the residential one. The ride there was quiet, as Garrus seemed not in the mood to talk and Dash was still looking out over the Citadel in wonder at all of the various flying craft and interstellar vessels above.

Twilight would love to study how all of these things work… I miss that egghead.

Dash sighed as they came to a stop at their destination, and Garrus paused on the platform for a moment as if reminiscing about something. Immobilized only for a split second, he stepped forward and marched off into the crowd forcing Dash to quickly follow not to lose him. Getting annoyed with the silence, Dash went into a hover to float next to the turian. “Soooo… You and Shy lived here?”

“For a bit after the attack on the Citadel. I helped with some of the initial rebuilding of C-Sec after the first Normandy was destroyed.” Garrus calmly explained, “Shy considered joining me at C-Sec but eventually decided to go help out at a local pet store instead. She wasn't and still isn't fond of the violence that'd entail.”

Rainbow chuckled as she could definitely see Fluttershy acting like that. “Sounds like she really found her place around here for a while.” The two of them had walked into one of the residential towers and stepped into a lift, swiftly ascending up to the correct floor before stepping into a hallway that had various doors to other apartments. Passing an asari as she left her home, Garrus stopped in front of a door at the back, bringing up his omni-tool to unlock it. “We didn't take a lot of stuff, so most things… here…

The turian just stopped in the middle of his sentence, Rainbow raising an eyebrow and trying to look past Garrus to see what had made him go quiet. She gasped slightly as she saw what had him do so. The entire appartement was thrown into chaos, with everything that could come loose had been upended and all storage visible was emptied. Dash could practically feel the rage coursing through the turian's veins as Garrus balled his fists and growled. “I'm going to find out who's responsible and make sure they wish that they were never born.”

A shiver of fear went up Dash's spine at sheer amount of malice Garrus poured into that single sentence, instinctively taking a step back from him. Is this who Shy fell in love with?… He doesn't seem like the best guy to be around…

“How are you even going to figure out who even broke into here?” Dash asked as she found some of her lost courage. This got Garrus to calm down ever so slightly as well, and he stepped forward to investigate further.

“I don't know… When everything on Omega went to hell things weren't adding up. One moment we had all the gangs on their back foot and the other they were countering us in every operation and rooting us out of our hiding places.” Garrus picked up some stuff and placed it to the side, separating broken stuff from things that could be saved. The turian gazed at a picture in a frame after having picked it off of the floor. “They immediately lost this ability the moment my little angel got captured…”

“You think the people who did this were those who hunted you on Omega?” Dash asked looking around the small living room and helping sort through some of the stuff there, suddenly stopping as her mind ran over the previous sentence again. “Wait, your little angel?”

Garrus also stopped working and looked back at the pegasus behind him, his mandibles flared slightly. “Uhm… well… pet names?”

Dash grinned at the flustered reaction, feeling the need to push the turian for more information. “Sooo, what might your pet name be then?” Dash said with a massive smirk on her face. Garrus' mandibles flared even more as he scratched his head and stuttered. Rainbow was only getting more enjoyment out of the situation. “Must be something real mushy if you're this flustered about it.”

Garrus just stopped trying to give an explanation and dropped his duffle bag onto the floor. “Ask her about it. I'm not telling,” he grunted to the amusement of Dash who stuck out her tongue at him. “This place's a mess I don't want to deal with right now. Want to head out and look around the Citadel for a bit?”

Dash thought about it for a moment. Getting a look at the appartement where Flutters had lived was cool, but they had a couple of hours left and spending those cleaning wasn't an appealing thought…

When he's not angry, he's a pretty awesome dude and knowing Fluttershy she was probably keeping him from blowing up… She sure did that to me enough times.

“Yeah sure, sounds cool. Got anywhere to go?”

“Well, there are some things we could do around here and people we could visit…”

Author's Note

Been busy with school and have a whole bunch of birthdays and stuff coming up. Hopefully I'll find the time to write.

Anyway, I think Shining deserves to get some love now. Hope you enjoyed!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Appointments and Packages

Chapter 85

Appointments and Packages

“Will do, cap,” Dash said cheekily. Shining shook his head and didn’t dignify a response.

I should ask Captain Spitfire and the other ‘Bolts how they keep her in check if I ever get the opportunity again.

They eventually separated off at a shuttle station, his other two companions heading off to the residential district while he was going to the market first and the embassy after. The environment was still astonishing to the captain, but that wasn’t what was on his mind as he opened his messages folder and created a new message, addressed to the information broker.

I have a slight change in our initial agreement. I already explained that my fellow pony would most likely be joining me, but we picked up a turian who’s related to our pegasus friend. His name is Garrus Vakarian, seems to be Fluttershy’s mate, and when he heard about a potential for information he was very unwavering in his stance of coming along. Will this affect our agreement, or can we proceed as outlined in our previous correspondence?

Captain, Royal Solar Guard
-Shining Armor

Pressing the send button on the message, Shining lowered his hoof to gaze outside for the rest of the shuttle trip. What he hadn’t expected was that less than a minute later a reply to his message came in.

This eventuality was one of the ones I had anticipated. Our agreement stands. You shall be picked up by my aid at Illium’s starport.

-Liara T’Soni

Sighing a breath of relief, Shining closed his omni-tool again only to stop and think about what the message actually meant. She had anticipated Garrus might be there as well. This had the implication that Ms. T’Soni had already known about Garrus being connected to Fluttershy. His head hurt as he thought about it but decided to put it aside. He was probably going to get his answers to these questions when he met her.

Better to focus on my packages and appointments right now. I’ve got enough to do before we leave on the transport.

The shuttle set down in the commercial district, and Shining walked into the crowds that were strolling through the streets towards his first destination. “Nyxin biotics,” he muttered as he stood in front of the clinic where he had his first appointment and a business he had chosen for a very specific reason…

Shining thought about his pegasus companion’s stance on biotics. Rainbow had been very skittish every time he, or anyone else for that matter, had brought it up. It wasn’t hard to figure out that she had an aversion to being implanted with things if her omni-tool was any indication, even though her friend had also gotten the same surgery. Another specific reason he was here right now…

“Welcome to Nyxin biotics, do you have an appointment?” the asari attendant at the front desk asked as she saw the captain enter.

“Yes, I have my appointment under the name Shining Armor,” Shining answered as he appreciated the interior of the building.

“Perfect! You seem to be right on time as well. Please give me a moment to get doctor V'ladri.” The attendant went out back briefly only to appear moments later with another asari.

“Welcome to my clinic, Mister Armor. It’s an honor to finally speak to you in person, just as it is that a representative of a species would trust me to perform this operation on them,” she said, motioning for the captain to follow her out back to the clinic’s medical rooms. Shining waited with his response until the attendant was out of earshot.

“Is that what you told Miss Fluttershy as well before selling the readings of her scans on the black market?” He replied very calmly, looking at the bed in front of him as opposed to the asari standing behind him. “Let me be very clear ma’am. The only reason I’m here is because your clinic operated on a member of my species before, and so are the only ones who can get the job done within the required timespan…” Shining turned around to glare the asari straight into her eyes. “…If a similar ‘leak’ were to occur with my own data, my informant will have a field day burying this business in a mountain of legal complaints. Am I clear?” V'ladri was completely tensed up and staring at the unicorn in terror, slowly nodding an affirmation as the words truly hit her. “Good, then let’s start.”

This feels wrong.

Shining felt a little nauseous after the surgery, the newly implanted device at the base of his neck feeling strange to the unicorn. Whenever his new biotic amp was activated, it was as if his horn felt dozens of times more sensitive, making it impossible to use it for basic tasks, so for the time being he’d leave it inactive.

“It was a pleasure, Mister Armor. If there are any side-effects, then head to the nearest medical clinic to have the implant looked at. Other than that I hope you have a pleasurable experience with our product.” The goodbye from V’ladri was strained at best, but Shining didn’t care. He had his biotic implant now and just enough time to make the human embassy where he had his package delivered for safekeeping.

“The pleasure was all mine,” he replied with a smirk before walking out off the building and towards the shuttle platform where he had arrived, summoning a craft to take him to the presidium.

I wonder how Dash and Vakarian are getting along. It would be nice if I didn’t have to keep those two from fighting.

Shining had some more idle thoughts as he waited for the shuttle to reach its destination. He decided that he might as well get used to the biotic amp and left the device running throughout the trip. He tried some basic magic with his horn, like a simple light spell, but found that his horn simply couldn’t control his magic whenever it was active.

I wonder if pegasi have an easier time with these things because their wings aren’t attached directly to their head?

Growling in annoyance, Shining turned the device off again as he arrived at the presidium and made his way over the white bridges towards the human embassy. He exchanged some pleasantries at the entrance of the building and was swiftly taken out back by the embassy’s guards to where they had stored his order. The large box was swiftly opened and moved aside as it’s contents were placed on a table—a dozen armor pieces. It was nearly identical in design to the one Rainbow used, only without the wing holes and instead of dark grey, it was a light hue bordering white with a yellow stripe on the shoulder. The plates were slightly thicker to allow for more protection than the pegasus’ counterpart as well.

The captain had been planning this for a while. He was a part of Equestria’s military after all, only being less gung ho about it than Rainbow had been. Looking at the time Shining cursed silently as he quickly started donning the plates. He couldn’t haul around a massive box of armor all the time, so he’d have to wear it to get it along to places just as Dash had been doing. After fastening the last plate, Shining attempted the biotic amp for another time just to sync it with the suit before deactivating it…

Wait, what in Tartarus?

The previous nauseating throbbing was gone and replaced by a pull on his horn, almost feeling as if something was willing him to follow it. He almost went after it without thinking about it but stopped as he reminded himself of his schedule.

You can’t go after this Armor, if you do then you’re not going to make your transport to Illium. This is probably just you getting used to the amp. Nothing to worry about…

Shining tried to convince himself it was nothing, but his gut continued to bug him continuously…

Follow the strange pull on my horn. My gut has never proven me wrong before. [Miss the transport to Illium]

I have to hook up with Dash and Vakarian. We have a plan and should follow it.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

One of my editors hasn't been online in a while so this one might be a bit rough untill he pops up again, I know he has a busy job so that might just be it, but until then I didn't want to wait longer to post this chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19400849
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Admiral

Chapter 86

Admiral

Follow the strange pull on my horn, my gut has never proven me wrong before. 59%

Shining grunted as he turned to look at where his horn wanted to pull him. A look wouldn't matter, right? Following the strange pull, Shining walked deeper into the embassy. The section he entered in particular was dedicated to the Alliance command.

Why in Tartarus would it try to point me to a communications room?

Shining felt a very strong urge just to turn around and sprint towards the exit, possibly still making the transport, but the way his stomach churned and horn throbbed made him think this would be a grave mistake.

“Ah buck it.” The door opened without any issue which surprised the captain, apparently the permissions of access granted to him by councilor Anderson covered a few too many doors.

“Why was I not infor-” councilor Anderson stopped mid-sentence as he heard the door open. “Captain Armor?”

Shining was slightly caught off guard with finding the ambassador here and then dread that he'd interrupted something important. “Apologies councilor, I'm having trouble with my new biotic implant. For some reason it compelled me to visit this room, I'll be out of your mane right away.”

“Wait!” a hologram of a man in a military dress with the rank of Admiral called out before Shining could get the hell out of dodge. “Would you please join us Captain, you might be the solution to a problem of ours if you want to help.”

“Hacket you can't be serious,” Anderson said baffled, Shining hesitantly having walked up to the councilor's side.

“The batarians have instated a policy of executing every human who enters the system, Anderson. We need non-human help or ask Shepard to infiltrate with the Normandy but the commander has enough on his plate as it is with the collectors.” Hacket argued to Anderson who reluctantly gave him a nod.

“Executing humans? What's going on sir and what do you need my help with?” Shining asked, his curiosity now piqued.

“We had a deep cover science team operating within a batarian colony system. A couple of hours ago they reported that a member of their team was captured and after that, they failed to send further reports. The batarians simultaneously moved a small fleet contingent to guard the relay, ordering them to attack any human carrying vessel.” Hacket sighed deeply, “Those scientists had discovered something that related back to the reapers and indicated that it might be instrumental in the fight against them. They also reported finding deeper and unknown ruins inside of the asteroid where they hid their base.”

“And since you can't send humans you want to ask me to go, that's quite the favor to ask,” Shining surmised.

“I must inform you though that the Alliance will not be there to support you if something happens,” Anderson warned. “You'll effectively be on your own the moment you set off.”

“I understand, but that leaves the question of what I get out of it. I'm already going to miss the transport to Illium which was going to lead me to an informant that has information on Fluttershy's location so it better be good,” Shining said looking straight into the eyes of Hacket's hologram.

The Admiral took a couple of seconds to come up with a good compensation. “When the reapers arrive they'll be looking for your homeworld as well. If the weapons with which you arrived on the Citadel are any indication then your species doesn't stand a chance. I can have a large shipment of firearms stashed away until they can be distributed to your homeworld.”

Shining stayed silent for a moment as he mulled this over. He'd be able to arm and retrain the guard with the projectile weapons immediately which would be invaluable to Equis' defense… but weapons alone wouldn't do the job. “I also want at least a company's worth of armor along with that. Same specifications as the stuff I'm wearing right now, I can provide the schematics so fabrication should be relatively easy,” The tone of Shining's voice made it very clear that this was non-negotiable.

“You drive a hard bargain captain, I'll pull some strings to get you your gear. Go find and break out the captured scientist, after that I'll make sure your gear is being put aside for later. Hacket out.” The hologram turned off again as the admiral disconnected on his end.

Anderson looked down at Shining in concern. “You don't owe us anything. You know that, right?”

“That's just the thing about ponies Councilor, when we're your friend there's precious little we won't do for you. And it isn't like I'm not getting anything out of this either,” Shining replied with a grin. “I'm going to need a weapon.”

After having sent a message to Garrus, Dash, and T'Soni, vaguely describing that councilor Anderson was in dire need of his assistance and that he wouldn't be joining them on Illium, Shining had boarded a shuttle and left for the Bahak system.

Passage through the relay was tense for a moment but luckily the batarians didn't ask too many questions when he'd come through. His shuttle was registered to a trading company that did business on the colony so they didn't want to hold him up for too long. So after passing Shining activated the pre-programmed autopilot that would take him to the batarian prison, he had plenty of time to prepare. His armor was fully stocked with thermal clips and some grenades if there was a dire need for them. His weapon, an M-76 Anderson had stored in his office for some reason, had been upgraded to allow disruptor rounds so the weapon would shred any shielded opponents.

The Shuttle rapidly entered atmosphere and came to a halt over an entrance that had been identified by the alliance in some scouting ops that had occurred some time ago. The shuttle doors opened to let Shining jump out before the autopilot had it fly off again to not draw any attention.

Right. Now to get that scientist… Celestia be with me, I

Shining realized that there were two ways to go about this, one where he avoided as much contact as possible, the other…

Stealth

Guns blazing

[Vote link]

Author's Note

The editor that has been offline has been having stuff to do IRL so might be back at a later date to retroactively improve the chapters, until then I'll make do with just one.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19449876
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Jailbreak

Chapter 87

Jailbreak

Stealth 96%

Best to keep a low profile, there aren't exactly many unicorns that can be blamed for breaking into here in the galaxy right now.

Shining proceeded to the entrance of the facility, the building looked worn down as he approached. A set of locked sliding doors was the first thing in his way, luckily the door's power box was located close by. Gritting his teeth Shining lit up his horn and with good old telekinesis managed to rip off the front panel by snapping the rusted bolts.

Seriously, they really should have seen this security flaw… Guess I shouldn’t complain about it though.

A program on his omni-tool guided him through the quick process that was rerouting the power, opening the door for him. Entering through the passageway, Shining carefully moved into the prison complex. The concrete on the ground was cracked up badly in places, water leaked from pipes running across the ceiling, and just a generally foul smell hung in the air. A section of the walkway had even deteriorated so badly that it had completely collapsed, a bridge that had been set up there had retracted itself due to a faulty cable down below.

Wow, this craphole serves as a prison?... I don’t think many who enter here ever get out alive…

A growl sounded from the passageway down below where the faulty wire was located, echoes of paws striking the ground rapidly made him stand ready with his M-76. From around the corner of the ramp that led down below a varren came scuttling towards him , a growl escaping its maw as it spotted the pony aiming his weapon.

“Buck!” Shining cursed as the beast jumped at him, he didn’t want to fire his rifle and alert the entire facility so he lowered it and dodged the varren. In a fluid motion, he activated the omni-blade he had installed in the armor section of his right hoof and stabbed towards the varren’s neck. Shining might still be new to the firearms but a Solar Guard should be an expert in the use of any blade, definitely its captain. Leaving the varren in a puddle of its own blood, Shining fixed the cable so he could proceed further into the facility. A couple more varren stood in his way as he continued to move deeper in and avoided more obstacles. After a while, Shining found an entrance to what looked like living quarters.

Guess the guards get to be comfortable while the prisoners rot in damp cells...

“They wanted to slam an asteroid into the mass relay” Shining froze completely, even holding his breath to avoid compromising his position.

“Can they even do that?” Shining swiveled his ears in the direction of the voice, finding that it was coming from outside.

“What difference does it make? We caught her.”

Wait, slam an asteroid into the mass relay?!

Knowing that he was still safe, the thing that that batarian had just said suddenly made his stomach lurch. Were the humans here really trying to destroy the relay and cut off the system from the rest of the galaxy? And why would they want to? Did this have to do with the thing they had found on the reapers? The main reason he’d said yes to the operation wasn’t really the gear he’d acquire for the guard, not that the help wasn’t wanted, but that he’d read the reports on the battle of the Citadel… They terrified the captain. The death, destruction, and indoctrination along with the spikes that’d mutated victim into a twisted form to be turned against their former friends and colleagues twisted Shining’s stomach into knots. It was the vilest of evil in his eyes. Shining’s head hurt just thinking about it as he decided to better focus on getting the scientist out of there and get clarification from her.

The sections he was going through now were much better maintained than the previous ones. Batarians were standing guard in places as well now so he had to be extra careful as he looked for a way to where doctor Kenson was being held. Sneaking through the shadows while keeping the amount of noise he made to an absolute minimum.

I really want to know how captain Darkwing does this stealth thing so well with his nightguard.

A couple of near encounters later and Shining found a way into the belly of the facility, passing rows of cells with corpses covered by tarps. Further down the hallway, more talking batarians could be heard as he listened in on the tail end of their conversation.

“If she doesn't talk, kill her.” a pair of batarians were looking into an interrogation cell through a one-way window. Shining readied his rifle as he saw doctor Kenson strapped down onto a half upright table of sorts, a device shooting a narrow blue flame hanging mere inches from her face.

Not on my watch!

Compressing the trigger of the rifle, it's roar filled the hallway. The weapon strained against the captain's telekinesis who struggled, and mostly able, to keep the monster firing in the correct direction. The fight didn't last for more than a couple of seconds as the two batarians were neutralized in seconds. Not that Shining cared to look as he was already running towards the entrance of the interrogation room. The door opened up to a surprised batarian who was in the process of checking up on the sound he'd heard coming from outside… he ended on the floor with Shining's Omni blade buried in his chest.

“Who are you?” the doctor asked, alarmed at the pony's appearance, while the captain disabled the device hanging in front of Kenson's face.

“Captain Armor, Solar Guard. I'm here to get you out and investigate the status of your operation in this system on Admiral Hackett’s request.” Shining explained as he released the doctor. “My quick burst of fire will have alerted the batarians, it won't be long until they figure out you're gone.”

The doctor nodded in understanding. “Good to know Hackett got my message. Get me to a console so I can hack it and spread confusion in their ranks.” Alarms started blaring as someone had the right mind of locking down the prison until the source of the gunfire could be uncovered. Shining cursed as he levitated the dead batarian’s assault rifle into the doctor’s hands before charging out into the hallway. Unfortunately, a guard that Shining had previously missed stood in that very hallway to investigate the source of the alarm. Both of them were surprised to see each other but neither wasted any time bringing up their weapons. Shining could see his shield rapidly lower as they exchanged fire, only the high rate of fire from his own rifle stopped the batarian from taking them down.

Damnit! You should have just jumped back into cover, stupid idiot.

“All clear! Move!” Shining shouted as various doors closed themself as a security measure, forcing them to find another way out of the facility. “Follow me, I passed a shuttle bay further up in the facility!” Passing numerous hallways the two of them found their way into a large open area with lifts that lead deeper into and up out of the prison. A couple of guards stood in the way but were quickly eliminated. “There, a console! Do your magic, doctor”

“Keep my back secure, captain. This’ll take me a bit,” Kenson said, furiously typing commands into the console. Shining nodded and headed back into the open area, starting to prepare his shield spell. Pushing magic into his horn, he arranged it appropriately so if he needed it he could create one of his near invulnerable shields on a moment’s notice. Resting the rifle on one of the barricades in the room, Shining took a deep breath and waited…

Author's Note

JLtheking Made a valid point in the last chapter that I'm diverting too much attention from Flutter's plotline, along with some other issues, to this sideline. ~~I'm only an amateur, I make mistakes.~~ So in the interest of getting that plotline going, it'll mean ditching the choices for about 4 chapters. This also means I'm going to be pumping them out rapidly (Tomorrow and the day after will have a chapter, I've finished the next two after this one already.) As compensation Shining'll get more love after the current Flutters plotline gets resolved.

Sorry for that, I hope I'll do Shining justice a bit later on.:twilightblush:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Asteroid

Chapter 88

Asteroid

“I really hope you’re nearly done, doctor!” Shining shouted as rounds impacted his shield, making him grunt as he felt the impacts drain some of his magic built up in his horn. He’d severely underestimated the amount of energy he’d need to keep up his shield. The small pellets hitting it at high speed turned out to be quite a challenge to stop.

“There, it’s done! Let’s go!” the doctor shouted. Shining grunted as he led her onto an elevator platform. His shield was nearly depleted as they went up and out of reach of the batarian’s guns.

“That… was… too… close...” Shining panted, rubbing his throbbing horn. “I take it that you have found a way out as well?”

Kenson nodded. “Yes, this elevator will lead up to a hangar. I locked the surrounding doors but the outer doors have to be manually opened.”

Rolling his eyes Shining put one of his few remaining thermal clips into his rifles, “More work, great. I really hope whatever in Tartarus you’re doing out in that asteroid belt is worth all this loss of life,” he growled. Not waiting for an answer, Shining sprinted off of the elevator and into the hangar. A few batarians were in his way but were swiftly taken out as they panicked at the sight of the charging pony who viciously took them down with an omni-blade, not even wasting shots on them. “Get into the shuttle!” Shooting a couple of rounds into the hydraulic system the doors slammed open, allowing the spacecraft to take off safely. “I’m clear, GO!” The door of the shuttle slid shut and the engines roared to life and blasted the hangar with flames, incinerating everything flammable inside.

“Their defenses should still be scrambled so we won’t be followed. I plotted the autopilot to return to our base.” Kenson explained as she sat down in one of the chairs while Shining just lay on the floor to get his breath back under control. His horn fizzled slightly as the last bits of magic flowed out of it, he wouldn’t be using that any time soon for anything other than simple levitation and light spells.

“Fantastic, now I want to know what in the world you have been doing over here. Every. single. Thing.” Shining demanded, getting back onto his hooves and facing doctor Kenson.

“I guess that’s fair. A couple of months ago I went out here with a team to investigate the rumor of reaper tech out in the system’s asteroid belt. We found an artifact and deduced the reapers would use this system as a springboard to invade the galaxy,” Kenson explained to Shining who let this new information mull through his head.

“So the guards talking about slamming an asteroid into the relay… That’s true, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so, there’s no alternative if you want to stop the reapers from using the system as a springboard,” the doctor admitted.

“What kind of evidence do you have, how do you know that the reapers are really arriving? You can’t just cut off an entire system if the evidence isn’t airtight.” Doctor Kenson grimaced slightly at Shining’s statement.

“They won’t be cut off captain… the energy contained within the relay will probably make it go supernova and take out the entire system,” She told Shining, the captain silently staring at her with his mouth slightly ajar. “The project is the only way that can assure that the reapers won’t use the alpha relay.”

“That’s… no. I still don’t know how you found all this out in the first place.”

“We found a reaper artifact on an asteroid relatively near the relay that after some work showed us they were coming. It also has an unknown installation deeper in the asteroid itself which admittedly we know less about as we haven’t been able to enter it.” Kenson told Shining as she stood up to look out into the void of space, the relay visible as a speck in the distance.

“I want to see it and determine that for myself, doctor. I can’t just condone the murder of the colony on hearsay,” Shining stated. Kenson sighed in resignation.

“I guess that’s fair. I’ll explain everything in detail when we reach the base. Sit back and relax, we’ll be there in no time.”

The shuttle landed on the small asteroid base about an hour later, Kenson swiftly powering down and opening the shuttle’s doors. The first thing Shining noticed was a large digital clock hanging above the entrance into the base reading two days and three hours. “Doctor, what’s that for?”

“That’s our countdown clock, if that reaches zero the reapers will arrive.” Shining shot her a questioning look. “The artifact has been giving off pulses which have been speeding up consistently, the moment the pulses become constant the reapers will be here,” Kenson elaborated, a shiver going up Shining’s spine at the doomsday prediction.

“You also said something about a ruin deeper into the asteroid, could we go see that as well?”

“Of course, but first I’ll show you the reaper artifact that made us aware of the imminent invasion.” Kenson led Shining into the facility itself, continuing her explanation along the way as they passed various other humans that were doing tasks in the base. “The reapers will reach this system regardless of the relay being destroyed or not, it’ll only serve as a shortcut to the rest of the galaxy. If the reapers are to be kept at bay, the relay must be destroyed.”

The two of them arrived at the door that lead to the reaper artifact. The moment the doors opened a throbbing buzz hit Shining’s horn, amplifying the already present headache he had from magic overuse. “You have the artifact standing out in the open?!” Shining growled, keenly aware of the indoctrination effect it would have been giving off.

“Wait for it, it’ll show you all the evidence you need.” Visions suddenly hit Shining, making him collapse to his knees. Images of reapers approaching the mass relay flashed through his mind. “The reapers are in inevitability, Hackett is a fool to oppose their salvation.” Looking up, Shining gazed straight into the barrel of a heavy pistol. “I can’t have you attempting to oppose their glorious arrival.”

BANG

The captain’s shield went down by three-quarters at the range the shot was fired at and he immediately jumped back in an attempt to find cover...

BANG

The shield went down completely and the round buried into his armor, the captain staggering as he couldn’t find anything adequate to shield him.

No! It can’t end like...

BANG

Author's Note

Sighs I guess I'll have to add my two cents to the corona pile I'm sure everyone is being beaten to death with. I'm not an expert so I'm not going to say you should listen to me but this guy seems to be giving a relatively accurate picture of what is most likely going to happen:

Stay safe out there and don't panic, that has never helped anyone. ever.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Fidelis

Chapter 89

Fidelis

Is this what death is like?

Shinings head and body hurt as he gasped for air, the ice-cold air that entered his lungs was painfully chilly. More warmth escaped his body from the cold metal surface he was laying on.

Wait, I was wearing armor, wasn’t I?

“C_UUUST_ODIA PR_TOOOCOL COMPLEEEE_”

Shining shot up from his lying position after hearing the metallic voice blast through the room only to flop back down onto the ground. His legs felt like he’d just ran the Canterlot marathon and stomach sore as if being beaten down by thugs. The room he was in was only lit by a small blue light on the wall. The light seemed just as cold as the rest of the room, but what little he could see was covered in a small layer of undisturbed frost.

What in Tartarus was that?! How did I get in here? And where is here in the first place?

The frost crunched under the captain’s hooves as he made another, more successful, attempt at standing up. He shivered as the cold was quickly sapping away his body heat. He needed a source of warmth very quickly if he were to avoid going hypothermic. His barrel hurt terribly every time he took a step towards the little blue light but he tried ignoring the pain for the moment. The source of the blue light was something covered in more ice. Shining used his hoof to scratch the layers off until he found a glowing screen of sorts that had a hoof dead center.

What do I have to lose anyway?...

Shining placed a hoof on the ‘screen’ and hoped something would happen… something did. A white line slowly moved down from the top of the screen to the bottom and then, after flickering a couple of times, turned green. A moment later a screech of metal and the cracking of ice broke the deafening silence of the room once again and a door that was positioned right next to the screen slowly slid open. More cold air met Shining from the hallway as he stepped out into it. A couple of faint lights in the ceiling provided enough light to actually see properly again. Deciding to spare a moment to check himself, Shining glanced at his barrel. A myriad of scars covered his right side and his fur was shaved away around them.

H-how?! N-no that can’t b-be right!

The captain’s breathing sped up slightly as he tore his gaze away from his own body and shook his head. He had to get out of here. The lights in the ceiling blinked a couple of times and a couple of passageways were shrouded in darkness again leaving only one he could travel down. With feeling already slipping from his hooves from the cold, Shining decided that following the lights might be the only option available to him. There were a couple more doors along the hallway but all of their panels seemed to be powered down, leaving only a blinking door panel at the back of the hall.

Why do I get the feeling I’m being herded...

Shining opened the back door, finding a room with a central console of sorts, three light blue glowing cylinders sticking out of it. The room was freezing cold, worse than the room he’d woken up in or the hallway after, making him shiver with every step as he approached the three cylinders, a hoofhold sitting on top of each one of them. Shining tried pulling on the holds but the cylinders wouldn’t budge, and it wasn’t as if he was able to put much strength into it anymore due to the cold anyway.

“Come on y-you stupid thing!” Shining sniffed as he wasn’t sure why he was trying to get the thing out anyway, tears welled up in his eyes as he swallowed a sob and flopped down onto the cylinder. “I-I’m so sorry T-Twilight, M-Mom, Dad, I don’t think I’ll b-be coming home. P-Please, be s-strong-”

The cylinder sunk down under Shining’s weight, the sound of something activating below him shut him up immediately. Light’s started blinking on and vents in the wall started blowing out air. At first it was still freezing cold, but the little flow of air soon started heating up. Shining immediately jumped on top of the second and third cylinders, pushing them into the machine below as well. More sounds came from below and the heat from the vents became much warmer. Wasting no time the captain rushed to one of the vents and planted himself against it, the hot air warming his numb body.

“Hello? Who’s there?” The voice, though less metallic sounding, echoed through the chamber. Shining held his breath as he looked around the room, hoping to identify the source. “Please come out!” The voice sounded scared as a light flashed on the center console, a small hologram of a little pegasus filly springing up. Her hair and coat were blue and her wings seemed a bit too large for her age. Carefully stepping forward, Shining approached the little filly who jumped and turned to face the unicorn. “S-Stop right there!”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you little one,” Shining assured the hologram, feeling slightly silly as he did so but his mind was still too hazy from the cold to really care.

“Everypony was gone… for so long… Did you come to get me?” She asked, looking hopefully at Shining who gazed back in confusion.

“I’m sorry but I’ve got no idea what you mean. I’m not even sure how I got here,” Shining admitted, sitting down in front of the main console and looking at the filly who seemed to relax as well. She sat still and zoned out for a moment before refocusing her eyes.

“Custodia protocol was activated. You were critically injured so the automated systems teleported you here and put you in stasis while it patched you up… The drop in my already low power supply nearly de-activated me completely...” The filly looked ashamed, “...I panicked and went into full power conservation mode.”

Shining let out a breath of astonishment. “You’re a machine… that’s impossible!” His mouth was wide open as he took a step back.

“What do you mean? I'm only a simple AI, that shouldn't be that surprising, should it?... What has happened on the outside?” the filly asked, standing back up again and making a couple of holograms appear next to her. “My sensors have been faulty for a hundred thousand cycles now, I’ve been waiting for somepony to repair them or retrieve me… It’s been so long since I talked to anypony...”

A pang of pity shot through Shining. Even though he did not really understand how the filly could possibly exist in the computer system he sympathized with the lonely program…

Wait, program?... Buck! The reapers!

“Kid, I’m going to need to ask you to get me out of here. I need to stop a terrible event from happening which was only two days away last time I checked!” Shining quickly told the filly whose eyes widened.

“Y-you’re going to leave again?! Please, I beg you, don’t leave!” The filly burst out into tears, looking at Shining pleadingly. The captain stopped, feeling very conflicted suddenly even though he knew he couldn’t stay.

“Can I take you with me?”

The crying abruptly stopped, the filly looking at Shining with a teary smile. “Yes. And yes I’d like that. I’ll make sure the automated machines in the armory adjust that suit you came in with to allow my fitting.”

“Alright, if you’re going to be coming with me I’d like to know your name.” The filly smiled and dismissed all the little consoles floating around her.

“My name’s Fidelis, yours?”

“Shining Armor,” He grinned, “Mind lighting the path to the armory for me? We’ve got a lot of work to do and probably not a lot of time left.”

Author's Note

twiddles thumbs

Hope you enjoyed? :twilightsheepish:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

The Project

Chapter 90

The Project

Shining swallowed nervously as he gazed upon his armor. A large part of the right side of his barrel armor had bent outwards or was blown away entirely, giving him a good indication of the damage the heavy pistol had actually managed to do when the third shot hit.

“I take it there’s no time to repair that, is there?” Shining asked Fidelis who was standing on a pillar, observing the captain as he inspected his armor.

“The system didn’t have the resources available to patch it up while you were being worked on. If we were to wait for it to fully repair it now then we’d run out of the time you’ve given me,” sheresponded, cutting off her hologram to sink back into the pillar. “I had a slot for my module placed right at that strange module connected to your neck, it was the fastest way I could adapt the suit.”

“Right… So how do I get you in there?” Fidelis remained silent and a module popped out of the pillar, glowing bright blue. Shining gently levitated the relatively small module in front of his face, acting as if it were a newborn foal. After finding that it fit perfectly in the slot where his biotic amp was supposed to go, Shining went ahead and put on the suit and powered it back up. His body still ached terribly and the cold was definitely not gone, but this was no time to be worried about that.

Guess it’s good that she at least patched up the undersuit, that would have been awkward if I had to go out into a vacuum.

Shining felt a slightly cold sting in his neck as his armor’s systems booted back up and a shield appeared around him once more. “Wow, it’s really cramped in here. Guess I should have expected that.”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that I’m afraid. We’ve got other things to do right now.” Shining picked up the M-76 and checked his ammo, only one and a half clips left. He proceeded to follow the lights that would lead to what was supposed to be an exit. Fidelis had granted him access to all of her base’s doors so getting there was a breeze with her guidance. “Ready to head out, little one?”

“I-I guess?” the AI stuttered, making Shining chuckle.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

“I only do logistics! I know nothing about fighting, which is clearly what you’re going to do!” She exclaimed in distress. “Just… be careful alright? There’s two of us in here now.”

“Wasn’t planning on getting shot again,” Shining told her with a confident smile, bringing his rifle up as he’d reached the final door and opened it. The door hissed as air from the outside came in and equalized the pressure. Familiar, clearly human-designed, scaffolding greeted him as he carefully stepped out of the hallway he’d been standing in. The walkways looked to be abandoned so the captain decided to waste no time in finding a way back into the human base, using elevators and signs to make his way to an entrance. When he did, Shining found another clock hanging above the doorway.

00:01:37:23

“That’s not good, I take it?” Fidelis asked as she projected herself on Shining’s omni-tool’s holographic display.

“No it’s not, but at least we’re not too late,” the captain growled, opening the door into the base proper. No humans had yet appeared, but he was sure that was soon going to change. “We need to get to the project’s control center and get this asteroid on its way.”

Entering the facility Shining rapidly moved through the hallways, moving closer to where the directions on the wall were pointing him. Through the windows outside Shining was able to spot the relay. The asteroid had gotten really close to it in the time he was out. Finally after a good ten minutes of nothing, Shining ran into his first obstacle. As the door in front of him opened, two human guards stood on the other side of it, completely caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the pony in front of them. Shining did not waste any time pointing his rifle and pulling the trigger, dropping the two humans rapidly. “Well, there goes our element of surprise.”

“A-are they dead?” Fidelis’ voice trembled again as Shining snagged up the thermal clips from the human’s belts. “Why?”

“We’re out of time and they’ve been corrupted by the reaper artifact they have standing in the open. It’s regrettable but we’re out of options,” Shining explained, going into a sprint now he still could make some decent ground. It took about two minutes for alarms to start blaring but by this point Shining recognized the hallways where he’d already walked through and knew where the control center was located. “Fidelis, can you lock down the doors of the project room if we get there?”

“I-I can try!” she replied, Shining storming into the control room where a couple of guards were already assembling and waiting to be sent someplace. Shining immediately let his rifle do its job and opened up on the closest guard. His horn also started glowing brightly as he powered up his shield spell. The two parties traded heavy fire but Shining was slowly gaining ground as he had the advantage of not having to pop out of cover to fire his levitating rifle. He could also use his superpowered shield to ensure his safety when things got dicy.

“What’s the status of those doors!” Shining shouted as he got into a firefight with one of the heavily shielded humans.

“They're closed but manual override is still possible!” Fidelis replied, as the human Shining was firing upon lost his shield and was cut down at the same time.

“Good enough, we just have to activate these engines and lock their controls!” Shining shouted over the roar of his rifle which cut out halfway due to a lack of remaining thermal clips. Letting out a loud warcry Shining charged at the last human and activated his omni-blade, slicing through the human’s armor as if it was butter. The captain then turned and sprinted towards the massive control panel that had two countdown timers ominously hanging over it, a window giving a good view of the massive engines that were supposed to drive the asteroid into the relay as a VI in the console greeted him as he approached. “Activate the project!” Shining ordered.

“Warning, the activating the project will result in an estimated three-hundred thousand casualties. Do you wish to continue?”

Shining’s will wavered as his heart sunk at the displayed number…

304942 lives… Celestia, please forgive me...

Author's Note

Mission first, information later~ :trollestia:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Harbinger

Chapter 91

Harbinger

Shining wordlessly pressed a button on the hologram in front of him and the engines mounted on the asteroid sprung to life. “Fidelis, can you open a channel to the entire system with the base’s communication system?” his voice not louder than a whisper.

“Done,” the AI simply replied, not saying any more words on the matter.

“All colonists receiving this, head for the nearest spaceship! Evacuate-”

“No! Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Doctor Kenson appeared on one of the screens, completely outraged. “You leave me no choice! If this asteroid can’t be stopped it must be destroyed!”

“Where is doctor Kenson!” Shining demanded from the VI in the system, his voice croaking but filled with pure rage.

“The doctor is currently on her way towards the reactor room.” The captain cursed and immediately sprinted off towards the door that was marked as the passage towards the reactor room. An elevator awaited him at the end of the passageway which took him down to the reactor level, only a couple of guards standing in his way before he reached a chamber where he could observe the main core. Doctor Kenson noticed his arrival as she worked on the core’s computer.

“You! Don’t try to stop me!” She shouted at Shining who growled back at her.

“Stop this madness doctor, don’t let the reapers win this fight!” he shouted.

The doctor shook her head and turned to watch at the rapidly destabilizing core. “There is no escape from this, no redemption. You will die along with everyone on this asteroid, never having seen the reaper’s blessings for yourself!”

Deciding that this wasn’t worth his time, Shining started looking around the room. “Fidelis I need to know how to stop this thing from blowing!”

“Give me a second, I need to pull up the base’s schematics… Got it! There are two cooling rods that you need to manually insert, the first one is right in front of you there!” She exclaimed, a pillar of sorts sticking out of the machinery. Shining immediately pushed it into the machine which came to life and started cooling the reactor and slowing down it’s overheat immediately.

“Perfect, one more to go!” Shining said as he sprinted towards the door leading to the next rod, Fidelis using the system to open the doors that hadn’t been welded shut yet by the guards that were trying to shut themselves in and stop Shining’s advance. Heavy fighting continued all the way from the first control rod to the second, but the determined captain wasn’t going to be stopped now as he viciously fought onwards.

“There, the second one! Quick!” Fidelis shouted as warning lights flashed everywhere along with a siren blaring through the station, all of those going away the moment the control rod was inserted. “That was way too close… Don’t ask by the way.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Shining said with a bit of humor but his dark mood didn’t allow him to indulge in the banter any further. Kenson’s voice blasting through the intercom cut him off from doing so anyway.

“You’ve done nothing! I can still reroute the power away from the engines!” the doctor shouted.

“Elevator behind you. Stop her,” The AI stated with her cold, machinelike, voice. Shining, sharing his feeling of revulsion with his newest companion, followed her direction and used the elevator to get into the main reactor room.

“Step away from the console!” Shining said firmly as he approached the doctor from behind, keeping his rifle trained on the human scientist.

“You ruined everything!” Kenson shouted before softly adding that she couldn’t hear the whispers anymore. “You’ve taken them away from me, I will never see the reaper’s arrival now...” The doctor turned around with a detonator in her hands. Shining immediately brought up his shield spell as Kenson pressed the detonation button, fire engulfing her and Shining.

“Damnit!” the captain cursed, coughing a couple of times as he lowered his personal shield and breathed in some of the smoke. “I need an exit, Fidelis!”

“I’ll navigate you to the escape shuttles but hurry up, it won’t be long before this rock hits the relay,” she replied. There really wasn’t much of a resistance as the two made their way towards the shuttle landing pads, the base had been adequately supplied with shuttles in case of an emergency or if the project was completed so as Shining stepped out of the station onto the roof a couple of them were still present.

“No, no, no, NO! That’s impossible!” Fidelis shouted in panic, cutting off her sound.

“Fidelis what’s going… on...” Shining fell silent as he could see a massive hologram of what looked to be a reaper, given the similarities to Sovereign, appear above one of the landing pads.

“Your interference serves no purpose. You fight against inevitability, dust against the cosmic wind. A star system sacrificed? It may seem like a victory to you but in the end the galaxy will fall.”

“A victory?” Shining questioned, rage bubbling up within him. “This is no victory. It’s a tragedy. A tragedy that’ll ultimately give us the time we need to prepare! And even though you might be right that we might fall, we will fight you regardless!”

“Know this as you die in vain. Your time will come. Your species will be extinguished as it was supposed to be before. Prepare yourselves for the arrival, but know it will all be in vain.”

The hologram faded out again at the same time as Fidelis appeared again. “Run, get out of here!”

Shining didn’t need to be told twice as he ran towards one of the parked shuttles, entering and running towards the controls. “Uhm, Fidelis, I might need your help flying this thing!”

Controls lit up as a small projection of a galaxy map appeared in the cockpit, lights blinking on as the AI in his suit took control. The relay was getting scary big in the shuttle’s viewport as it took off and started interacting with the massive alien structure. The relay’s rings sped up and within a couple of seconds it fired the shuttle out into deep space, away from the star system. Shining’s eyes remained glued to the hologram of the galaxy, in particular the place he’d just come from, tears welling up in them.

The node went red.

What have I done…?

Author's Note

We will return to your regularly scheduled votes soon, thank you for the patience. :derpytongue2:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Information Broker

Chapter 92

Information Broker

“I still can’t believe he just left us!” Dash exclaimed as she followed Garrus off of the interstellar transport. “What could be so important that he couldn’t get his lazy butt over here?!”

“The captain would have his reasons, Rainbow, we can ask what he did later,” Garrus replied, scanning the dock for anything peculiar. “Two o’clock, thirty meters. There’s an asari observing us.” Dash tensed up as Garrus casually continued his way into the crowd. “Can you fly up and continue flying in this direction at a walking pace?”

“Y-yeah, sure.” Dash flew up so she was hovering over the crowd and looked down at Garrus… well, she would have if the turian had still been walking below her. “What?...” With the turian gone for the moment, Dash swallowed and continued her leisurely pace over the crowd. Some people in the crowd pointed at her, attention that made Dash feel uncomfortable for once. Her omni-tool beeped, signaling an incoming call which she picked up immediately.

“Coast is clear, turn to five o’clock and you’ll pass right over us,” Garrus instructed, Rainbow banked in the appropriate direction and immediately spotted the turian standing next to an asari.

“Thanks for telling me you were going to sneak off,” Rainbow snarked sarcastically to Garrus who shrugged.

“You were a good distraction,” he turned to the asari, “Go ahead, we can find our own way to the market district.” The asari bowed a little and then walked off without saying a word.

“What’s up with all this cloak and dagger stuff,” Dash questioned as Garrus motioned for her to follow him to a balcony which had a spectacular view on the city.

“This place might look like it’s safe to you but when you’ve been off the grid like me you know better. Sign the wrong contract, join up with the wrong company, or walk down the wrong alley, and it’s as dangerous as anywhere else.” Garrus looked down at the pegasus with a serious look in his eyes. “Don’t let the pristine walls fool you, it’s no safer here than on Omega, maybe even less so. You can’t see most threats coming here.”

“A-alright” A bit of color had drained from her face as she now looked differently upon the various shopping stands placed in the plaza behind her.

“Just don’t sign anything if someone asks you and you should mostly be fine. Let’s go visit our friendly neighborhood information broker now.” Dash nodded in agreement and stuck closely to her new friend who seemed to know what he was doing. Finding the appropriate building in the market district the two walked inside, exchanging pleasantries with the assistant sitting at the entrance before heading into the main office.

“Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have...” The broker was still in a call as they entered but Dash already felt a shiver going up her spine as she heard the business end of the threat. “...I’ll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind.” The asari closed the call and turned to look at the newcomers to the room, her eyes going wide.

“Well, you seem to be handling things differently since the last time we met,” Garrus commented with his arms crossed but his tone of voice giving away some humor.

The asari smiled but shook her head. “It’s been a tough two years… but I guess that goes for you as well.” She took place at her desk while Garrus took a seat across from her.

“Soo, you’re Liara T’Soni?” Dash asked questioningly, very confused as to how the two knew each other in the first place.

“I am. And you’re Rainbow Dash, correct?” Rainbow carefully nodded making Liara chuckle. “No need to be on edge, we share a lot of common friends after all.”

“She was part of the original Normandy crew. She also taught Fluttershy how to use biotics,” Garrus clarified.

“She picked up those biotics scarily fast as well,” Liara mentioned but turned serious immediately after, shooting a glare at Garrus. “And you took her to Omega.”

Garrus held up his hands in defense. “Hey, she volunteered! I didn’t want to put her in that kind of danger… But I guess that point is moot now.”

“Yes. It is,” Liara stated poignantly, Dash in the meanwhile had sat down on the second chair opposing the desk. “And now you need help finding her again, luckily I’ve gained ears and eyes in many places nowadays.”

“You know where she is?” Dash asked hopefully but Liara shook her head.

“I know who took her but I can’t give you an exact location to go,” Liara looked at Garrus, “The Blood Pack took her in the first place but that wasn’t on their own initiative, they were paid by the Shadow Broker.”

“Fuck...”

“Who’s that?” Dash asked, genuinely curious.

“The Shadow Broker is the most dangerous and powerful information broker in the galaxy. I really only picked up on this deal because of you Rainbow.” Liara told the pegasus who raised an eyebrow. “When you chose to go for a joyfly over the Citadel on your first day you managed to run into them exchanging data and goods with the Blood Pack.”

“Oh… uhm, glad to have helped, I guess?” Rainbow replied, scratching the back of her head.

“We’re getting off-topic, you said you might have a lead to where Shy is,” Garrus interrupted, getting a nod from Liara who passed a tablet to him.

“The ship she was loaded on never arrived at the rendezvous point they had agreed on but I managed to find out where it is right now...” Garrus looked at the data and grimaced.

“That’s really not good,” he groaned. Dash was getting really interested in where her friend was located now.

“What’s going on, where is she?” she asked, hovering next to Garrus to see what was written on the tablet.

“The ship crashed, Rainbow… on Tuchanka.” Garrus placed the tablet back on the desk, rubbing his aching head. “It’s the krogan’s homeworld, one of the most inhospitable places in the galaxy.”

“Horseapples… so when are we going?” Dash asked, both she and Garrus turning to Liara who cleared her throat.

“I’ve already gotten a shuttle ready to transport you to the Aralakh system, I assumed you would want to go and get her immediately,” she smiled, jumping in surprise as she suddenly had a blue pegasus wrapped around her in a hug.

“You’re the best! Come on Garrus, let’s go get that transport!” Without waiting for further words Dash flew out of the room, full of energy to go find her friend.

“Go get her Garrus. We’ve both seen what Fluttershy can do and I refuse to believe that that crash got her,” Liara told Garrus as she transferred all the necessary data to her friend’s omni-tool.

“I’ll keep her safe this time, I promise,” Garrus said as he ran after the pegasus before she could get lost. The pegasus meanwhile was impatiently waiting at the entrance to the building and the moment Garrus exited dragged him along to the planet’s starport where they boarded their shuttle.

“So what can we expect on Tuchanka?” Rainbow asked as Garrus piloted them off of the planet, heading to the relay at full speed.

“Let’s see... scorching heat, radiation, hostile wildlife, hostile inhabitants, pretty much the ideal vacation spot,” Garrus replied sarcastically, setting Rainbow chuckling at his snark. “We’ll be there in about six hours so settle in, I’ll give a warning”

“Urgghhh, we there yet?” Dash whined, laying on the floor of the shuttle with her wings spread out. As it turned out there really wasn’t much to do when sitting in a shuttle traveling to another star system.

“Yes, we’re almost there,” Garrus groaned, tapping a couple of buttons in the cockpit to return to manual control.

“Finally!” Dash shouted as she shot up from the floor and jumped towards the cockpit to look outside, a brown planet visible in the shuttle’s viewport. “Wow, I at least expected to see some blue from water on the planet.”

“That's Tuchanka for you, dry, hot, and radioactive.” Garrus steered the shuttle into a trajectory that'd bring them down to the surface. “Let's hope our arrival goes as unnoticed as possible.”

Dash looked strangely at the turian but didn't press as flames started licking the shuttle's fuselage. Garrus swearing a couple of times as he steered the shuttle through the rough air.

KABOOM

The shuttle trembled as the smooth ride suddenly turned into a very bumpy one. “What the buck was that!” Dash shouted, grabbing a hold of a handle inside the cabin.

“We just got noticed! Flak hit the rear of the shuttle, I'm losing power rapidly!” Garrus replied pulling on his stick and desperately trying to get the mass effect field generator back online.

“How far are we from Fluttershy?!” Dash shouted over the metallic screeching noise the shuttle was giving off.

“Twelve clicks! But there's an encampment a bit to the north of the crash I picked up as well!” Garrus was doing all he could to keep the shuttle from completely losing control but it was a battle he was quickly losing. “Do you think you can fly in this weather, Dash?!”

“What, why!?” Dash questioned, “You're not asking me to get off I hope?!” she added in an offended growl.

“This thing isn't going to be exactly the best place to be when it comes down! And if we both kick the bucket then that'd mean Shy loses two friends instead of one!” Garrus argued back, hitting the emergency button to open the outer door, the rough wind immediately ripping it off the craft. “We're passing over the crash site in ten seconds, get ready!”

Damnit, stupid turian! Why do you have to make me choose!

Head for the crash site to investigate, Garrus will know where to find me in that case.

There's a krogan camp nearby, they might have already tried getting into the wreck and know things.

To Tartarus with jumping out, I'm not abandoning him!

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Welp, quarantine has hit the Netherlands so I'll be sitting at home for the next couple weeks. Guess my activity here might benefit from it though.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19544595
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Crash Site

Chapter 93

Crash Site

To Tartarus with jumping out, I'm not abandoning him! 59%

Tightly holding on to the craft, Rainbow gritted her teeth and pulled herself against the chair. She was, not for the first time since arriving in the wider galaxy, cross with herself. On the one hoof she wanted to go look for Shy, and she knew Garrus would be able to take care of himself, but on the other she couldn't just leave him either. Rainbow had the urge to just jump out the craft to go look multiple times but stopped herself every time.

“Rainbow, jump!” Garrus shouted from up front, his voice strained as he fought against the shuttle.

“I'm not leaving you, and since carrying you at these speeds would rip my wings off I'm staying!” Dash shouted back, getting a hold of a harness and strapping herself in.

“Damn it you stubborn pegasus!” Garrus growled but evidently had other things on his mind as they were getting very close to the ground. “Brace!” The shuttle smashed into the ground, forcing Dash into the harness and the air from her lungs. The screech of metal could be heard as metal plates were shorn off of the craft, while it tumbled over the ground. Rainbow gasped for air as she was knocked against the seat over and over until the harness straps ripped from their sockets and she was flung through the cabin. A sickening crunch was heard from her right wing as she hit the opposite wall. The shuttle rolled a couple of times more as it bled off speed, finally coming to a resting place upside down. Dash groaned in agony as everything in her body hurt, her wing most of all. Upfront she heard a dull thud through her disorientation before being grabbed on the armor by the neck and pulled out.

“You’re terrible at following orders you know?” Garrus rasped, collapsing to his knees after dragging Rainbow to some cover. Dash took a deep breath of air but didn’t argue, focussing more on the extreme pain coming from her right wing. Meanwhile, her omni-tool was beeping all sorts of warnings about her body’s status. “We should get moving, we have limited supplies and whoever blew us out of the sky is probably coming to collect a trophy.”

“Sounds great,” Dash groaned, slowly getting on her hooves. Her right wing limply hung to her side, making her grimace in pain as she tried to move it. “I won’t be flying any time soon...”

Garrus took a look at it as well and shook his head. “Nothing I can do about that right now, better use your medi gel to at least fuse the bone.” Grimacing some more, Dash opened her omni-tool and activated the system. A cold Sting hit her wing but quickly dulled the pain to an annoying throb.

The two of them picked some supplies out of the crashed shuttle and then set off into the wasteland before them. Destroyed buildings lay all about them as they made their way through the ruins of krogan civilization. In the distance, the roar of engines could be heard and a plume of dust that was going in the direction of the crash site. Garrus muttered a few comments but continued running at his breakneck speed to gain as much distance away from there and towards the crashed starship. Rainbow had used the time on the few stops they’d made to tie her wing to her barrel to avoid having it drag along the ground. Eventually, they made their way to a high point in the ruins to see where they needed to go.

“Whoa...” Dash gasped as the wreck of the large starship that had been smashed into the surface lay in nearly a single piece at about a mile away… what also became apparent due to the setting sun were the various campfires lit around the ship.

“Looks like there’s more company than I thought...” Garrus said as he used his sniper rifle to scope out the encampments around the ship. “We should head in now, dusk will make their night vision impractical and it’ll be dark enough for us to sneak in.”

“Got it,” Dash responded, following Garrus as he made his way down again and started his approach to the encamped krogans. Using large pieces of rubble to their advantage Garrus and Dash slowly snuck forward, crawling in some sections as cover gave away. The ship grew larger as they approached, a large tear in the hull clearly visible.

“We can maybe get in there through here and see if its mainframe has any information on Shy.” Garrus whispered, already looking for a way in and finding one in the form of a sealed internal door.

“Is that thing barricaded?” Dash asked, seeing a couple of metal bars that were blocking the entrance. Garrus merely ripped them from the door which slammed open, creating a loud noise. Dash immediately froze along with Garrus, listening to the sounds of the surrounding area.

“I don’t think they heard us,” Rainbow whispered, swiveling her ears to attempt to pick up sound… “Scratch that, I can hear them coming!”

“Damn it! I’m not finding out if those krogan are friendly before I’ve turned this ship inside out!” Garrus growled, pulling Dash along into the ship. “I’ve been on these ships before for a raid. They should have their data center in the CIC. The other spot we should take a look is the prison section, you know...in case...” Garrus fell silent for a bit and stared off into nothingness. “Do you have a preference for either location to go to?” Rainbow looked at Garrus’ pained expression, he really didn’t want to head to the prison of fear what he’d find there… and to be honest, she didn’t either…

I’ll head to the prison, you go check on the database.

I’ll dig through the database, you check the prison.

No, we’re not splitting up! We head to the closest thing first!

[Vote link]

Author's Note

got a few tasks from school, will probably be done by the end of the week though so I'll have time left to do stuff like writing too.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19568890
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Search

Chapter 94

Search

No, we’re not splitting up! We head to the closest thing first! 54%

“Really? First you want me to go at this alone and now you want to split up again?” Dash questioned, slightly angered. “We’re not splitting up and that’s not an argument. If we get caught by a bunch of krogan we don’t want to be alone!”

Garrus sighed and nodded in resignation. “We’ll head to the prison first.” The turian immediately relented, sending Dash a map of the ship, just in case, and motioning her to follow him as he could navigate without. “Prison is a small detour from the CIC, so we’ll head there first.”

“Got it...” The hallways were mostly pitch black, only every now and then did they find an emergency light that was actually working, not that their dim red light helped with the atmosphere of the ship which already stank of death. Behind them they could hear heavy footsteps echoing through the hallways, giving them a good indication that the krogan from outside were now in here with them.

“Shit...” The beam of light coming from Garrus’ sniper had fallen on what looked like a krogan corpse on the ground, only it looked as if it had been there for a while. Moving the flashlight around showed that it didn’t just stop at one corpse as more lay in the hallway. “At least we know where the smell comes from...”

Dash gagged from the immense stench in the hallway as they passed them. Dried blood stained the walls as the door they were all facing was opened. Garrus looked back at Dash with a grave expression. “That’s the prison...”

“They all have Blood Pack markings,” Dash commented as she looked at the markings on the armor.

“Must be the gua-” Machinegun fire rang out through the vessel along with the roar of a krogan in pain. It only lasted for a couple of seconds before everything returned to a deathly quiet again. “You know how we found the door barred, Dash?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“I think that was because they wanted to keep whatever’s in here from coming out...” Dash swallowed nervously. “Let’s hurry up before we share their fate.” Garrus pointed at the slaughter from the hall.

The prison was completely empty, some cells having been opened and some remaining closed. Remarkable was that while, in the hallway, the corpses had been stacked up, here it was completely empty… not even the corpses of prisoners in their cages. Garrus headed for the main console and tried it to see if it still worked, finding it without power. “Guess that was to be expected,” he muttered. Dash was checking each of the cells for any clues.

“Uhm, Garrus. I don’t think that’s supposed to look like that...” The last cell of the block had its door bent outwards as if something had struck it from behind with tremendous force.

“She’s not here Rainbow, I’m sure of it.” Garrus pointed at the terminal he’d just tried to access. “Ship’s without power and it looks like the backup is too low to maintain power throughout the entire ship.”

“Are there sections that will have power?” Dash questioned as she looked at the storage lockers in the prison. Most of them had suffered a fate similar to the destroyed prison door.

“The CIC and cockpit should have gotten priority, so the datacenter should still be accessible with any luck.” Both Dash and Garrus jumped as another bout of machine gun fire echoed through the ship. “Let’s stop wasting time here.”

“No argument here...” Dash followed Garrus back out of the prison into the hallways past the massacre there. More emergency lights were in an operable state as they got closer to the center of the ship. The noise of metal bangs kept returning so every now and then while gunfire seemed to become rarer and rarer. The door leading into the CIC was again barricaded as they arrived, some more krogan corpses lying against it.

“Damnit, it’s welded shut...” Garrus looked up. “...The vents might still be accessible.”

“That will be a really tight fit for you,” Rainbow commented as she saw the entrance.

“I know, that’s why you’re going.” Garrus jumped up and pulled the vent out, nearly falling over as it simply gave away. “Well, there’s your opening,” he groaned.

“Seriously?” Dash grimaced and looked up. “First, there’s something in this ship killing the krogan that have been entering. Second, I can’t fly, remember?” Rainbow grimaced as she extended her right wing, the bone might have fused due to the medi-gel but flying would definitely break it again.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Garrus responded, picking Dash up and holding her above him so she could enter through the hole into the confines of the vent. “We’ll keep contact over the radio, Good luck.”

“See you in a bit,” Dash responded slightly annoyed that they were splitting up, but if they were going to get the data from the ship quickly then they’d save a lot of time not looking for another door in. She climbed into the shaft and hoped there wasn’t a similar drop on the opposite side of the shaft into the CIC, because if so then she’d have a very hard time getting back. She slowly crawled forward through the shaft as she intently listened intently to the sounds of the ship, freezing at every strange sound she heard. Up ahead there was another vent, this one seemingly already open as she approached.

“Garrus, I think-”A thud from something dropping onto the floor came from the CIC, Dash Freezing again. “There’s someone hereaahh.” Dash shouted in surprise as she was flung from the vent by an unseen force and rolled over the floor.

“Dash! What’s going on!”

Rainbow’s heart was beating at its maximum speed as she pulled her SMG from the clamp on her barrel, only to have it ripped from her hooves. Dash immediately followed up by pulling her shotgun out and firing a poorly aimed shot in the direction of where she thought she saw something. She was rewarded by the shotgun also being wrenched out of her grasp and something hitting her in the chest, forcing her against a wall. Not wanting to give up the fight, Dash pushed herself onto her hooves and prepared to charge.

“Rainbow?” Dash froze as she heard the soft voice, looking at her attacker who stood in the dim light, two wings bathed in dim blue aura . “N-no, you can’t be here. That’s impossible.”

“Flutters?” Rainbow gasped, taking a step forward. “I-It’s really me, Shy. I’m really here.”

The other pegasus stepped into the light, tears in her eyes. Her face was marred with scars, some small and others large. Standing only a pony length away Dash stopped, aghast at the state of her friend. Shy slowly started to circle Dash who just stood her as the fact sunk in that she’d just found the pony she’d been looking for. Shy stepped in close and brushed a wingtip over Rainbow’s cheeks, almost afraid that she’d disappear the moment she’d touch… and then she shot forward and pulled Dash into a crushing hug while crying her eyes out.

“Broken wing! Hurts!” Dash blurted out as her wing throbbed under the strain, Shy immediately loosened her grip.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t… know...” Shy fell silent as Garrus dropped out of the vent behind Dash. Before Rainbow even realized what had happened, Shy had already made her way over to the turian and latched onto him.

“Took you long enough,” Shy sniffed as she placed a kiss on Garrus’ bony mandible. “I really want to hear how you and Dash found me but let’s get out of here first. This ship has held me captive long enough.”

Garrus and Dash grimaced at each other. “About that...”
“Our entrance might be cut off again as we accidentally alerted the krogan outside as we entered...” Garrus finished for Dash.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been planning my escape for a while,” Fluttershy casually mentioned, her demeanor changing as she looked between Dash and Garrus. “And with the two of you, it’ll only be easier.”

Author's Note

She's baaack~!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Breakout

Chapter 95

Breakout

“That’s...” Dash struggled to find the right words as Fluttershy explained her plan

“...Inspired,” Garrus finished for the rainbow maned pegasus. Fluttershy had a warm smile on her face all throughout the explanation on how they would be able to fight through the krogan outside.

“Have you, you know, tried talking to them maybe?” Dash asked carefully as she felt slightly uncomfortable with what was essentially a raid on the krogan’s main camp to steal one of their rovers. Fluttershy pointed at the largest scar running across her face, it still looked relatively new.

“I did. They’re not friendly,” She stated. “They’ve been coming in here trying to capture me since the crash, sealed most of the ship in an attempt to keep me in.”

“So the corpses in the hallways...” Dash felt some blood drain from her face at the implication. Fluttershy’s expression, on the other hoof, turned ice cold and her voice hard as steel.

“I am never getting myself captured again. Ever,” she growled, Rainbow feeling a shiver go up her spine at the sheer determination in her voice. Garrus placed a hand on Shy’s back in a bid to cool her down while Dash felt sorry for her best friend.

I should have been there for her... She shouldn’t have had to face all of this...

“I get it Shy, we’re all getting out of here,” Garrus comforted, Fluttershy leaning her head against her turian boyfriend as tears formed in her eyes. “Your plan is solid, and we should still have the benefit of darkness if we head out now.”

“Agreed,” Fluttershy answered as she wiped away the tears from her face, grabbing her sniper rifle from a table behind her and attaching it to her barrel. “Let’s get out of this scrapheap.”

The new trio packed everything they had to, taking everything from rations Shy had hoarded into the CIC to thermal clips that would be very much needed. Dash had a bag of explosives hanging from her barrel. Shy took point. She knew the ship inside out as she’d been defending herself and plotting for a good time now. As they passed more corpses as they made their way to one of the tears in the hull, Dash had to keep her stomach from turning inside out as they passed freshly bleeding corpses. According to the yellow pegasus, the opening was large enough for them to pass through.

“Speed is going to be key here, once we’re seen we’re on the clock,” Shy warned, pulling the hood of her green cloak over her head. “Let’s go steal ourselves a truck!” With those words, Shy faded out of view as she engaged her active camo.

“She’s hurting,” Garrus stated as he made his way through the hull breach out of the crashed starship.

“I know. She might have changed a lot and been a while for me, but I can recognize that fake happiness any day,” Dash agreed, following the turian. “We’ll get to that when we’re off planet.”

“Yeah, let’s get the job done first,” he agreed, getting his assault rifle from his back instead of his sniper rifle. Just like when they’d snuck towards the crashed ship, they now snuck towards the krogan camp. The outer sentries were sitting near to a fire with some meat hanging over it, chatting away with each other.

“Wait up, I’ve got these.” Shy’s voice came over the radio as both Garrus and Dash waited behind some rubble with a good view at the outer guards… and then the ghostly figure of a pegasus materialized between the two and stabbed them with an omni blade. The two krogan were dead before they had even hit the ground, holes in their eye sockets where the omni blade had punctured their skulls and sliced into their brain. “Proceed.” Dash stayed as far away from the little camp where the krogan lay, having already seen enough gore today to fuel nightmares for a lifetime.

The Tomkah trucks, vehicles not unlike the mako but much larger, were parked at the side of the largest camp, surrounded by a significantly larger group of guards wandering around. Fluttershy materialized in cover next to Dash and deployed her sniper rifle. “Move up Dash, Garrus and I have your back.”

“Right...” Dash said slightly baffled, seeing her friend as confident as she was in the situation. Deploying her shotgun, Rainbow moved towards the first truck as stealthily as she could. The pegasus felt her heart beating in her chest as she got to the edge of the parking space, taking a couple of deep breaths she mentally prepared herself for what was to come. “In position.”

“Copy that, engaging.” Two simultaneous shots rang out from behind her in the wrecked wasteland as Rainbow jumped from cover and made a beeline for the krogan’s large vehicles.

“There’s something at the trucks!” one of the guards roared as he noticed Dash shoot by before he was felled by a shot to the head. Adrenaline poured through Dash’s veins as she pulled an explosive from the bag she was carrying and placed it on the inside of one of the weels.

“You’re going to have company soon! They’re mobilizing from the camp!” Shy called out as more sniper fire flew over Rainbow’s head.

“Sounds great!” Dash replied as she sprinted to the next truck, placing another explosive on a weel. She immediately went for the third truck, but as she left the relative cover of the truck’s wheel, fire rained down on her position, forcing her back. “They’re here! I don’t think I can make it to the third one!”

“We’re stuck here as well, they mobilized much quicker than I’d anticipated! You need to get to that thing before we get overrun!” Rainbow cursed to herself as she readied for another sprint over the open ground.

This is going to hurt...

Rainbow opened her wings with a grimace and flapped, the ground exploded all around her as the assaulting krogan fired at her and she took some hits on her shields as well. Her wing throbbed in pain and screamed at her to remove the pressure from it as Dash pushed them to the edge…

Crack!

Rainbow’s speed immediately dropped as she rolled over the ground and let out an agonized scream. The bone in her wing had snapped again on its weakened spot. Dash couldn’t give up there, that would be a death sentence, so she got back onto her hooves and dragged her wing along with her to the last truck. “I... made... It!” she gasped in pain as she opened her omni tool and applied medi-gel to stop the pain from being overwhelming.

“Blow the explosives Dash!” Fluttershy shouted as the roar of gunfire increased even further. Rainbow quickly pulled the detonator from the pouch and activated the device.

“Heads down!”

KABOOM!

The ground shook violently as a shockwave and heat blasted past Rainbow’s position behind the Tomkah. A cloud of dust was simultaneously blown up from the explosion that obscured any view of the surrounding area.

“Atta girl!” Shy exclaimed as the machine gun fire immediately stopped and a lot of krogan were probably knocked onto their ass or killed directly by the blast. This brief lapse in fire gave Shy and Garrus the opportunity to join Dash at the Tomkah, the turian opening the truck up so they could board.

“You have the wheel Rainbow! Shy, with me at turret control!” Garrus ordered as he closed up the craft again.

“What!? I don’t even know how to drive this thing!” Dash exclaimed as she was pushed towards the driver’s seat. Garrus pointed at a couple of switches, buttons, screens, and the wheel, pushing a couple himself which started the engine.

“Gas, speed, steering. Good luck!” Garrus quickly explained, running back to the chair that gave him control of the massive turret on top of the vehicle.

“This was not part of the plan...” Dash grumbled as she punched the gas forward, pushed into her seat as the truck accelerated with remarkable force. “Where do we go?!”

“Away from here! You choose!” he shouted back, the cannons on top of the truck firing an ear-deafening shot.

Where the buck can I go in this wasteland?!

Rainbow looked across the horizon at any landmark she could try and head to, there were a couple of things of note… A tower in the distance that was shooting something into the clouds far on the horizon, a massive cannon of sorts a little closer by, and a large open plain with where on the horizon she could see artificial lights.

How do we even know if this thing will even be able to make it to any of those places? If it breaks down we’re screwed...

Head for the tower. [Furthest]

Head for the lights. [Far]

Head for the cannon. [Closest]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I spent last night making this for the people interested in how Shy looks at the moment. :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19591482
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Clan leader

Chapter 97

Clan leader

“Wait here.” The leader of the krogan patrol they’d ran into left them under the guard of a couple of his subordinates as he reported to the clan leader himself. The trio’s weapons had been taken off them but this didn’t seem to bother Garrus and Shy any bit while Dash felt a little more uncomfortable without them.

“Oh sit down you worrywart, the moment Wrex hears about us being here he’s going to give us back our guns and allow us to wander freely,” Garrus laughed as Rainbow was nervously playing with some rocks on the ground. The turian and yellow pegasus had propped themselves against a wall and cuddled up together.

“Fine,” Dash grumbled as she kicked the rock away, glancing at the couple who were just making out right there. “Oh sweet Cel- There’s another pony here, thank you!”

“Oh come on Rainbow, Garrus and I have some catching up to do,” Fluttershy said with a smirk making Dash groan. Luckily the krogan who’d gone to see Wrex returned before the two lovebirds could go at it again.

“The clan leader will see you now,” the krogan growled, pointing in the direction to go and walking off to do something else. Garrus grinned along with Shy and jumped up to head for their old friend. They passed groups of krogan throughout the camp, most of them giving Garrus the stink eye but the turian didn’t seem to mind.

“Looks like Wrex has been doing well for himself,” Fluttershy commented, observing the numerous krogan performing tasks.

“Yeah, it’s been a while that the krogan were together in numbers like these,” Garrus noted, slightly impressed by what had already been achieved there. As they arrived near the center of the camp they found the old battle-scarred krogan sitting on a makeshift rubble throne.

“Garrus!” he roared as he noticed the turian approached, jumping off and marching down to greet. “Still as ugly as ever I see… And you look like a krogan.”

Fluttershy grinned and hovered up to Wrex’s eye-level. “Good to see you too, Wrex.”

“Glad to see you’re still up and kicking grandpa, looks like you’ve been doing some serious work around here,” Garrus smirked, Wrex chuckled and nodded.

“I’ve been uniting all the clans under Urdnot, created a neutral grounds of sorts where females of all clans can safely come. I’ve also made sure that for the first time in a long time the krogan aren’t researching weapons but ways to farm this desolate rock, we’re a long way off but it’s going better than I feared and worse than I hoped.” Wrex explained looking out over the portion of the camp he could see from there. The old Krogan’s eyes then fell on the rainbow maned pegasus that was lagging behind the couple.

“I’ll be damned, there’s another one?” Rainbow nervously grinned and waved a hoof, Wrex huffing. “Looks green, want me to put her through a couple of rounds with some of the young ones?” Some blood drained from Dash’s face at the suggestion.

“Maybe later, she needs a checkup in a medbay first.” Fluttershy turned around and stuck her tongue out at Rainbow.

“Feel free to use ours, there should be enough supplies to do the job for you there. I’d love to hear how you two got here in the first place tonight, I’ve got some things to take care of. I’ll pass the word about you three around the camp so that you’re not bothered.”

“Thanks Wrex, see you tonight,” Fluttershy thanked as they split off for the moment, Garrus also excused himself and went to take a look around the encampment leaving the two pegasi to head for the krogan’s medbay.

“You’re not really going to hoof me over to the krogan, right?” Dash asked, suspiciously eyeing Fluttershy who gave her an innocent look.

“Me? Of course not, what makes you think that?” Fluttershy said with a devious glint in her eyes, unnerving Dash a bit more. “First things first though, we should take a look at that wing of yours. If you mend a bone with medi-gel too much, it won’t heal properly and I also want to check that your muscles aren’t damaged.” A couple of krogan were walking around the medbay and treating other krogan there. The installation didn’t exactly look very advanced but Shy would at least have some gear to check up on Rainbow’s wing.

“Hey Shy, shouldn’t we ask, I don’t know, one of the krogan doctors?” For that comment Rainbow received a good whack to the back of the head by Fluttershy.

“What do you think I’ve been doing over the last two years? Just learning how to shoot?” Dash shrunk down under the glare Fluttershy was giving her. “And krogan have an aversion to doctors, their medical system usually relies on just using whatever medi-gel they have available and letting nature do its thing. Trust me, you’re better off with me checking you up.” Dash decided that it might be wise to shut up while Fluttershy worked under the medbay’s other occupants’ suspicious eyes. Shy used various scanners she could find to get a good reading on the spot the wing had broken, muttering a couple of curses to herself.

“Uhm, what’s wrong?” Dash asked as Fluttershy looked as if in doubt of what to do next.

“Just something I feared had happened...” Shy muttered in response, “...I don’t think you’re going to like the next part.”

Fluttershy gently brushed her friend’s wing who looked at her nervously. “And why’s that?”

“Because the krogan don’t have sedatives that work on us and I can’t use the medi-gel first… Sorry.”

CRACK

Dash screamed in pain while Fluttershy held her down with a surprising amount of strength to stop her from flailing about after re-breaking the wing. “WHAT THE BUCK FLUTTERSHY!”

“Sorry! Your bone had set improperly!” Fluttershy apologized, keeping Dash down while looking at her omni-tool as she properly aligned the bones before stabbing the wing with a shot of medi-gel. “There, now it should heal properly… Oh, don’t give me that look.”

“I’m not talking to you,” Dash huffed, now that the sedatives in the medi-gel were in effect the pain in her wing returned to an annoying throb. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and put away some of the equipment she appropriated.

“Suit yourself, I’m going to look for Garrus. Stay off that wing for a good couple of days, medi-gel might be good but after breaking it three times it’s best to let your body do its job.” Rainbow grunted as Fluttershy made for the entrance of the medbay. “See you tonight at Wrex’s place.”

Rainbow was then left alone with the krogan by her oldest friend.

Why did you of all ponies have to become so brazen, that’s my thing!

Dash grumbled as she also left the medbay behind her, no point in moping in that place all day. There had to be some things around camp worth doing...

Author's Note

Also, there’s 2.1 billion krogan living on Tuchanka. Mass Effect 2 only showed Wrex’s camp consisting of a couple of krogan but by the way it’s described in-game the camp would be rather large and impressive in my opinion.

Took a couple of days off and continued with Spits Fire, now back to this story and Contact Harvest. :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Respite

Chapter 98

Respite

Rainbow grumbled as she sat in front of the fire Wrex had going. There was apparently literally nothing to be done within the krogan camp that didn’t involve physical activities that Rainbow couldn’t do because of her wing still healing properly… which meant she had been incredibly bored for days. In the background, the other three laughed over some of their conversations. Wrex had been told of Shepard’s return to the galaxy and the events surrounding Fluttershy’s capture on the first day.

“Come on Dash, stop being such a grump. At least join us here,” Fluttershy called out to the other pegasus, Rainbow rolled her eyes but stood up and sat down at the table. “Here, drink.” Fluttershy pushed a mug over to Dash who carefully picked it up, a strong scent of alcohol coming from the liquid inside.

I mean, if Shy can hold it down I should be able to do so as well, right?

Dash took the mug and swallowed a mouthful, immediately frowning as the burning liquid went down her throat and she went into a coughing fit. “How much alcohol is in this stuff!”

Wrex and Garrus were laughing as hard as they could while Fluttershy chuckled softly. “A lot more than in AJ’s hard cider, that’s for sure.” She grinned as Dash tried another sip, taking it much better this time.

“Well duh… It’s not bad if you know what to expect,” Rainbow admitted as the laughter at the table died down again.

“Sadly I don’t have any Ryncol that you gals can try out,” Wrex chuckled as he raised his bottle and took a swig from it. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and grinned back.

“Ah yes, that stuff is so potent it’d knock even me out after a few shots,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. Rainbow just looked as the bantering continued, thinking about how Shy never used to drink at all. Even the hard cider she’d just made out as weak alcohol used to be quite a lot for her and now she was chugging stuff that’d by all rights should have her drooling on the floor.

“So, when are you three going off-world?” Wrex asked, drawing Dash’s attention back to the conversation at hoof.

“We got word from the CDEM battle stations in orbit that we can hitch a ride on one of the supply freighters to the Citadel. If we can borrow a shuttle to bring us up there then we can be going by tomorrow,” Garrus explained, this was something Rainbow hadn't heard about yet.

Finally! It took way too long to get off this rock already!

“I’ll make it happen, I’m sure Shepard can use the help with the collectors.” Wrex emptied the bottle of Rryncol. “I won’t be joining. Got to make sure my kind gets back in order or we won’t stand a chance against the reapers.”

“We figured that,” Fluttershy nodded. “It’s respectable though, you’re doing too much good here to just up and leave.”

“Yeah, never heard of this many krogan working together before outside of criminal organizations. It’s a refreshing sight,” Garrus added, stretching his back and standing up from the table. “Anyway, we should get some sleep before heading off. We’re going to have to figure out our rendezvous with the commander tomorrow as well.”

“Sounds good to me,” Fluttershy said with a yawn, getting up as well and cleaning off the table before heading out. Rainbow followed the other pegasus to their small sleeping quarter where they had three hammocks made of some tarps.

“Good night you two,” Garrus grunted as he lay down in the hammock, immediately a soft snore coming from his direction as he had no trouble getting to sleep.

“Sleep tight,” Fluttershy chuckled, turning to her side to sleep as well, “You too, Dash.”

“Thanks.” Rainbow yawned as her head swam slightly and her eyes drooped and she swiftly fell asleep too.

Drip.

Ugh, my head feels like it’s about to explode… stupid alcohol...

Drip.

C’mon twenty more minutes…

Drip.

For Celesti-

Rainbow opened her eyes to find herself in almost complete darkness, emergency lights shining their red hue over the cold metal of the passageway ahead.

Drip.

A warm drop of liquid fell in the cyan fur of Rainbow’s nose, the little drop rolling down it and past the corner of her mouth, leaving an orange streak behind it.

What in Tarta-

Drip.

Rainbow slowly looked up as another drop of the orange liquid fell on her muzzle. Her heart stopping at the sight of a krogan hanging upside down, his orange blood slowly flowing out of a hole in its head. Rainbow screamed in surprise and back-peddled against a closed bulkhead door.

“Hush now, quiet now~”

Lights flickered, a cold voice echoing off of the walls. The hallway in front of Dash was engulfed in darkness for only split seconds before the limited light returned, corpses had appeared all throughout it and a figure stood at the end of the hall.

Drip.

“It’s time to lay your sleepy head~”

The lights continued to flicker and the figure that was previously standing at the end of the hall was now halfway obscured by darkness and a robe, blood pooling on the floor beneath it. Rainbow tried opening the door behind her but it was welded tightly shut.

“Hush now, quiet now~”

Drip.

Hoofsteps on metal and steps in liquid came from behind Rainbow as tears forced themself from her eyes and she sniffed as she saw the obscured pony come closer. Her body was frozen and shaking with fear, her heart pounding in her chest as she pressed herself as far into the cold door behind her. The pony stepped into the light and the heavily scarred face became visible in the dim lighting, a crazed smile on her face.

“F-Fluttershy?”

“It’s time to go to Bed!~”

“AAAHH!” Dash shot up from the hammock, going into a hover as she looked around her immediate area.

Drip.

Rainbow’s gaze immediately fell on the location of where the sound had come from. A wet puddle lay on the stone rubble next to her hammock, a leaking pipe dripping water into it at a steady rate.

“Are you okay, Rainbow?” The hovering pegasus immediately spun around in the air, locking eyes with Fluttershy who was looking up at her in concern at Dash’s expression of complete and utter horror.

“Y-Yes, w-why wouldn’t I-I be?” Rainbow stuttered as she tried getting her heart and shaking back under control. Fluttershy didn’t look convinced and approached to try and comfort the other mare, only for Rainbow to backpedal into the corner of the room.

A pained look flashed over Shy’s face. “You’re afraid of me.” Dash looked at her but didn’t respond, her look of fear diminished only slightly. “I guess that’s all I deserve after what I’ve done... Garrus is already up, we’re getting onto the shuttle before sunrise.” Shy turned and left Rainbow on her own as the yellow pegasus felt a tear roll out of her eye.

You should have stopped her and told her that you… what? That you’re not afraid of her? That’s a lie and she’d see through it immediately.

Rainbow shook her head, she had to catch the shuttle regardless of her inner debate and talk to Shy at some point.

The trio entered the shuttle that had been prepared for them after they’d said their goodbyes to Wrex, soaring into the sky as the craft made for the orbital battle station.

“So, where are we going next? Shepard hasn’t answered my message yet so I’m not sure where he is,” Garrus called out from up front, throwing it into the group for them to think about it...

Find out where Shining is.

Look around the Citadel while waiting for a reply.

Go back to Illium to inform Liara.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Ok, writing break's over, back to work! ~~Even though I spent time writing on Spits Fire instead... details!~~

Tags have been updated appropriately!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19711541
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Broken

Chapter 99

Broken

Find out where Shining is. 65%

“He’s... not in a good place.” Councilor Anderson led Garrus, Fluttershy, and Rainbow over the Presidium towards the embassy. “We picked him up after his shuttle came through the Charon relay broadcasting a distress signal. He hasn’t spoken a word since he got here.”

“Wait, what was he doing in the first place jumping through relays?” Garrus asked as they walked up the stairs into the embassy. “The captain was supposed to join us at Ilium.”

“Admiral Hacket and I had a problem the captain was able to help with. If we’d know what would happen beforehand then we wouldn’t have sent him but the 103rd instead...”

“We’re not informed, councillor, what happened?” Fluttershy asked, Anderson wearily looked back at them.

“The Bahak relay is no longer responding... scattered reports say an asteroid crashed into it,” Aderson stated slowly and clearly, Fluttershy’s eyes going wide in shock.

“You think he... destroyed it?” Garrus asked, baffled at the prospect of a destroyed relay. The councilor nodded and pointed at a door that led to one of the embassy’s balconies that gave a good view of the Presidium.

“He’s out there, I’ve tried talking to him but he doesn’t respond to me. Good luck, I’ve got a whole heap of work to do with all of this going on.”

“Thank you, Anderson, we’ll keep you in the loop,” Fluttershy told the councillor who walked off to his own office. Rainbow walked up to the door but noticed Fluttershy and Garrus not following her.

“Aren’t you coming?” the cyan pegasus questioned at seeing this hesitation.

“I think it’s best if we don’t overwhelm him by entering all at once,” Fluttershy argued but the way the yellow pegasus averted her gaze from Dash made her think there was an ulterior motive behind it. Rainbow didn’t question this though as she had her mind on Shining at the moment. The balcony was completely empty with the exception of the white, armor-clad, stallion gazing out over the shuttle traffic and bustling streets below. Rainbow slowly approached Shining who didn’t break his gaze off of the view in front of him.

“We found her,” Dash simply stated as she sat down next to the captain. He moved his head ever so slightly to the right to glance at the pegasus. “I’m just having trouble recognizing her as the pony I remember.”

“This galaxy will do that to you...” Shining muttered, a single tear rolling out of his eye.

Rainbow carefully wrapped her wing around the captain. “Cap, what happened with that relay? The councillor said they suspected it was destroyed by you... I might not know you that well but if you’re anything like Twilight then you’re stuck tormenting yourself with what-ifs and blaming yourself even if there’s really no other option.”

“304,942 batarians, Dash,” Shining held back a sob. “I murdered 304,942 living beings with the push of a button. Some of them might have been slavers but they’re living beings none the less... Nopony should have to make that decision.”

“Yet you did, so there must have been an incredibly extraordinary reason.” Rainbow could see the captain shaking in place as he tried finding the words.

“Reapers...” Shining eventually answered, his voice low as he spat the word. “They were going to use the relay to spread throughout the Galaxy.”

Rainbow sighed at the answer. “Sounds about right... Was there another option?” Shining shook his head without the slightest bit of hesitation. “Then you did the only thing you could, the reapers don’t sound like they’d have left those batarians alive anyway.”

“I know, but I just can’t get rid of that little whisper in the back of my head that I’m a horrible pony because of it,” the captain looked down at his hooves.

“You spent hundreds of thousands of lives so that trillions would stand a chance to survive, Captain.” Shining and Rainbow swung their heads around to see Fluttershy standing there, her hood down putting her scars on full display. “If there’s somepony who’s a monster, then it’s me.”

“How many creatures have you murdered then?” Shining spat at the new pegasus.

“More than you have,” Fluttershy answered as she walked up to the balcony to gaze out at the Presidium as well, though not sitting down.

“I highly doubt it,” Shining grunted in reply, Shy glancing down at the captain.

“You count those souls lost by your action as murder but as Rainbow pointed out, the reapers would have come for them regardless. I assume you gave them a heads up of what was about to happen?” Shining nodded carefully while Fluttershy pulled a feather from her wing, grunting slightly before she presented it to the unicorn. “Tell me, what do you see?”

Shining picked the feather up in his telekinesis and inspected it. “It’s a secondary-”

“Wrong.”

The captain looked at the pegasus with a puzzled look, “Well, you tell me then!”

“That right there is the most feared symbol to criminals in the Terminus systems,” Fluttershy told him, her eyes feeling as if they were trying to pierce his very soul. “I gave one to every criminal I was going to murder, if you found a feather it would mean that you were as good as dead. I executed people in cold blood, Shining. I even adjusted my stealth cloak so that when uncloaking I’d give off a radiant aura, giving me a ghost-like appearance to inspire fear… and it worked. There’s a reason they called me the Angel of Death, Captain.”

Shining and Rainbow had both cringed back while Fluttershy had leaned forward.

“So no, you’re no murderer. You tried saving lives even though there was a good chance no-one would be saved. Nor did you do it out of hate but because the relay needed to be destroyed to give the rest of the galaxy valuable time.”

“I’m... it’s going to take a while before I can accept that,” Shining admitted, “But thank you nonetheless.” The captain stood up and moved away from the ledge of the balcony and sat at a table, opening his omni-tool as Fluttershy and Dash sat down at the table as well. “There’s someth-one I need to show you. Fidelis, it’s okay to come out with them.”

A little blue pegasus projected herself onto the omni-tool. “H-Hi, I’m Fidelis. Artificial Intelligence FID 0452-9 of the Harmonia Confederation. If the Captain is any indication then I’m sure you have many questions... he told me about your troubles of finding your home.”

Both Rainbow’s and Fluttershy’s mouths fell open in awe.

You’re an AI?!

Harmonia Confederation?

You know about Equis?

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Started working on the sniper rifle from XCOM 2 yesterday. ~~spent 16 hours working on this already~~

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19736335
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Reunion

Chapter 100

Reunion

Harmonia Confederation? 71%

“I’m sorry if it might sound stupid, but what’s the Harmonia Confederation?” Fluttershy asked looking in wonder at the hologram, not necessarily because of the fact she was talking to an AI but more because of the form it had taken.

“Not at all, I understand that things have… changed. I will do my best to provide information, praeliator,” Fidelis said in understanding. “The Confederation was an agreement between the original inhabitants of the three star-systems of the home cluster of us ponies. Those being us equines, griffins, and dragons.”

“Wait, griffins and dragons came from different planets?!” Dash exclaimed in shock.

“Correct. The agreement was made after ponies achieved interstellar flight, made first contact with the griffins, and saved the dragons from their dying planet.” Fidelis manifested another hologram that showed a planet that seemed to be cracking. All three ponies looked at the image in front of them in horror. “The surviving dragons were relocated to our homeworld until a new world could be found for them, the griffons were uplifted soon after.”

“That’s… wow,” Shining could not find the words.

“Eventually it was settled that staying in our home cluster would eventually mean that either resources would run out, or our worlds would suffer the same fate as the dragon’s. Development of long-range interstellar jumpdrive was started soon after to escape the local cluster.”

“How long was this ago?” Fluttershy asked the AI.

“Approximately a hundred and eight thousand cycles ago or fifty-four thousand galactic standard years as they are observed in the current time,” Fidelis immediately replied. “The captain has informed me of what you presume to have happened to the Galax-”

The AI disappeared abruptly, leaving the ponies in a bit of confusion before they heard the doors behind them open. “I know you couldn’t stop yourself from looking, but couldn’t you at least give me a shout next time?” Garrus grumbled as he walked up to the table and took a seat, Fluttershy giving him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, force of habit.” Garrus smiled and rolled his eyes, looking at Shining after.

“You good, captain?” the turian asked of the unicorn.

“Better,” Shining simply answered and glanced at Fluttershy.

“He’s good, captain. Fidelis, you can come out again,” the yellow pegasus chuckled, the AI manifested itself back onto the holographic display on Shining’s omni-tool. “Garrus, this is Fidelis. Fidelis, this is Garrus, my coltfriend.”

The turian meanwhile was looking wide-eyed at the hologram. “Where did that come from?!”

“From his omni-tool, obviously,” Rainbow smirked, Garrus glared at the pegasus as she snickered.

“You know what I meant,” he growled, looking at the AI who seemed to be trying to back off from the alien. “So, little gal, where did you come from?”

“Research outpost Gamma One, Bahak system,” Fidelis replied, “Though I’m pretty confident in saying I won’t be going back there.”

“Bahak? Yeah, that’s not going to happen any time soon, no.” Garus grimaced as he took a chair to join at the table. “I’m sure these guys have already asked but do you know where their planet is?” The three ponies looked at each other, red coloring their faces. “Oh for… Seriously you three?”

“Hey, we just discovered our race used to be space travelers. Give us a break,” Shining exclaimed while Fidelis nervously fiddled with her large wings. “But... you’re right. Fidelis? ”

The AI looked at the others looking slightly afraid. “Well… you see… I don’t know...” The AI looked as if she wanted to get as far away from the other ponies as possible. “Please don’t be mad.”

“Mad? It isn’t your fault that you don’t know, right?” Fluttershy questioned, the others agreeing but that didn’t seem to reinsure the blue AI.

“I may have... I lost a massive amount of knowledge when I disconnected from my database...” Fidelis softly whimpered, covering her head with her wings.

“That’s unfortunate, yes, but none of us blame you for that, right guys?” Shining asked, the others shaking their heads. “See? It’s not like I gave you much time to prepare before leaving and destroying your base.”

“A-Alright… I might have some information on the planet that acted as my main supply base though...” Fidelis hesitated momentarily as the interest of the ponies piqued. The AI once again brought up a hologram of a planet. Garrus was the first of the bunch to have his jaw drop as he recognized the planet instantly.

“I’ll be damned, that’s Earth.”

An alert suddenly beeped on all of the omni-tools present, a C-Sec warning flashing on the holo interface.

Presidium relay re-activated, remain inside until further notice from Citadel Security.

The ponies shot off immediately in a mad scramble to reach the small relay, the pegasi jumping off of the balcony while the unicorn ran out through the door leaving Garrus sitting at the table. “Oh, this day just gets better and better,” he grumbled before getting up to chase the others before they inevitably got into trouble.

Equestria, hours prior

Ponies casually trotted along over the snowy streets of Manehattan, carts rushing by in haste while pegasi flew overhead. Some of them were hasty while others were walking along at a more relaxed rate. Among all of this traffic, there was another pony, a unicorn, dressed in a hoodie walking while reading a book and making notes as she weaved through the crowd. Eventually, this pony found its way to a little bookshop tucked away between the many stores of the large Equestrian city. Ignoring the books around her, the unicorn pulled back the hood of the piece of clothing she was wearing and proceeded to the area out back. Her messy, purple mane tied back into a ponytail. In the area behind the little shop were multiple rooms along with access to a staircase that lead to the roof but the unicorn only had an interest in the first room.

“Did you confirm its location?” The white-coated unicorn stallion who was sitting at a desk in the room asked, not looking away from all of the papers he’d lined out.

“Yes. I also took a peek in some of the warehouse’s manifests. All of our machines are there for the moment, but they’re going to split up all of our hardware by the end of the week.”

This did make the stallion look up from his work. “That’s... We can’t get it back to work and there’s no way in Tartarus that we can rebuild those machines, Twilight.”

The purple unicorn huffed as she pulled off the hoodie and got some food from a cupboard. “I know, that’s why we’re going to accelerate our schedule to tonight.”

This really got Particle Bit’s attention as his mouth fell open and tried sputtering a reply, “T-That’s impossible! We don’t even have a set of griffin claws to get the particle separator running for the fuel!”

“I found a particularly helpful one, she’ll meet us at the corner of the warehouse district tonight.” Twilight put a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “We’ve gone over this procedure hundreds of times over the last year, Particle, we can do it another time under the pressure of being discovered by the guard.”

The male unicorn slowly nodded. “Alright, we’re doing this. You remember our agreement, right?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. “Of course. You’re coming with me to wherever we’re going.” Levitating a new set of clothing towards herself along with a set of filled saddlebags. “Get to preparing, we only have one shot at this.”

Author's Note

We've reached chapter 100! That's an insane number and I'm glad for everyone who's followed my bumbling attempt at a story this far. :twilightsheepish:

And who oh who came through the relay this time? :rainbowdetermined2:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Helpfull Claws

Chapter 101

Helpfull Claws

The sun had already gone over the horizon and Luna's moon was now looking down at them from the sky as Twilight along with Particle Bit made their way to the warehouse District. By now most ponies were in their homes and the streets clear with a couple of exceptions, notably a young, grey feathered, female, Griffin.

“Hello Gabriella, glad to see you're on time,” Twilight greeted as she approached the griffin who jumped around in surprise.

“Miss Berry!” the griffin said, excitement gleaming in her eyes. “Is this the friend you were talking about?”

“And colleague, yes,” Twilight nodded, Particle Bit stepped forward and held out his hoof to the griffin.

“Professor White, glad to meet you, Miss Gabriella,” the professor politely said, getting a squee from the young griffin.

“I’ve never worked with a professor before! Call me Gabby by the way, that’s what my friends call me!” she jumped around in excitement but stopped as a new thought entered her mind. “What are we actually going to do? You needed help with a machine but didn’t tell me what kind...”

Twilight smiled as she lit up her horn. “You’ll see soon enough!” The light engulfed the three creatures in a bright flash, pulling them out of reality only to throw them out into a different position a fraction of a second later. Gabby stumbled, her stomach churning as it wasn’t used to teleportation, unlike the two unicorns. “That’s the machine we need your help with.”

The large relay stood proudly in the center of the hangar, surrounded by the many machines that Twilight had developed along with the griffins in her time researching at the Everfree site. The griffin stumbled forward as she looked at all of the machines but most predominantly the large, alien-looking device in the center. “T-This is… AMAZING! Did you build this?! How does it work?!”

Twilight chuckled as the young griffin went off in excitement prodding and studying the various machines. “Professor, you go hook up the separator to the device. I checked and it has been disconnected.”

The professor gave a quick nod and ran off to connect the various hoses to their appropriate slots while Twilight went to collect Gabby who had taken an interest in the relay itself. “Like it, Gabby?”

“It’s amazing! Did you build this? It’s soooo smooth and shiny!” Gabby squealed as she turned to the smiling purple unicorn.

“That it is, shall I show you the machine I needed your help with?” Gabby’s eyes lit up and she nodded greedily as Twilight pointed her towards a large piece of griffin engineering. The professor was also moving about the machine and checking parts, he gave the pair a smile as they walked up to the controls.

“She’s good to go, Tw-Berry!” he stumbled. “I’ll start re-calibrating the device to account for its change in position.”

“Good, if we’re lucky we can get this thing running within half an hour,” Twilight grinned, the professor making a beeline towards the main control console.

“Miss Berry, why is he in such a hurry?” Gabby asked as the stallion galloped away, Twilight suppressed a grimace.

“He’s just excited, don’t worry about it,” the unicorn answered and quickly pulled a handle on the particle separator to make it buzz to life. As hoped, this drew the griffin’s attention wholesale, drawing it away from problematic questions. “This is the machine we need you to operate.”

“Oohhh, what does it do?” Gabby checked all of the gauges but refrained from pulling any handles or pushing buttons.

“It takes water and makes fuel out of it,” Twilight casually said, making the griffin’s beak drop open in awe. “What I need you to do is keep the machine in balance, see those gauges?” Gabby nodded. “You can increase and decrease the pressure in the various systems with these knobs to keep them well and balanced and when the reservoir is filled you hit that button here to send it into our machine and power it.”

Gabby let all of this sink in as she gently turned the knobs to get a feel for them. “So why doesn’t the professor operate this machine?”

Twilight chuckled darkly. “Last time we tried that, the fuel got lit by our magic somehow. Wasn’t a pretty sight after the entire machine had blown sky-high, that’s why we get a griffin to control it.” Gabby paled slightly and nodded in understanding.

“So no second chances. Got it.” She mumbled. “I can do this, turn it on!”

“That’s the spirit!” Twilight laughed as she pulled a couple of handles and the machine began humming. “Good luck, I need to check up on some other machines to check if they’re running well.”

“Uhm, Miss Berry? You still haven’t told me what we’re doing exactly,” Gabby asked while keeping an eye on the gauges.

Twilight cursed, she knew she’d have to tell her something at some point. “Well, it’s much more spectacular when you see the result in a couple of minutes.” It wasn’t exactly a lie but it would stop any further questions for the moment.

The device rumbled for a moment as it rotated on its platform and angled itself slightly. The professor let out a cheer of excitement while Twilight nervously looked around the hangar to see if they’d roused any attention from the guards that were patrolling outside. “Device is good to go, Twilight.” Particle told the other unicorn as they listened to the particle separator humming in the background.

“Good. Now for the hard part.” Twilight lit her horn again and teleported up to the metal construction that held up the roof, grabbing a hold of the roof panels right in the way of the path of the device and wrapping a magic field around them.

The metal whined for a bit but then screeched as it ripped at the edges and was flung off of the building, revealing the clear night sky outside through the massive new hole. Twilight winced as the torn roof slammed onto the ground outside. This was definitely the point of no return, they’d have minutes at most before the guard would show up.

“Miss Berry, what are you doing?!” Gabby shouted up, astonished at the sudden but violent move from the purple unicorn.

“Is the tank full Gabby?!” Twilight asked as she teleported down and ran up to the separator.

“Y-yes, b-but!...” Twilight slammed a hoof onto the button that allowed the created gas to flow into the device. A mighty buzzing came from the thing as the rings in its center started turning and a bright blue light formed in the center of them as material was let into it.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" A thundering voice came from the entrance of the hangar at the same time as a wave of magic flew through the building nullifying any and all spellcasting other than that of the caster. Gabby dove behind a couple of crates to shield herself as the princess of the night walked into the building. Twilight herself growled as she didn’t waste a nanosecond rushing towards the humming device. "Stop this madness!" The princess teleported herself in between the rogue unicorn and the device that was gently humming and awaiting a pony to enter its sphere of influence.

Twilight skidded to a halt in front of the princess as Guards started entering as well. “Get out of my way princess, I’m not letting Dash alone out there like I did with Fluttershy.”

“Thou knoweth of what will happen if we let t-you go, Twilight.” Luna didn’t look angry as she interposed herself between her sister’s student and the device, she looked scared.

“Do you really? We know the...” Twilight winced as the magic placed upon her prevented her from speaking further. “If it fails that the projection of it fails. But what are we hiding from in the first place!” Luna wanted to speak up but her words got stuck in her throat as she tried finding an answer, eventually stopping as she couldn’t think of one.

“I do not know,” She settled with. “I only know what Celestia has told me...”

This made Twilight pause as that didn’t make sense. “But… you were there with her, right?”

“That may be but after what you and your companions did with the Elements… I remember so little Twilight Sparkle. It’s as if I am a child again but simultaneously drowning in the knowledge of a past life.” Twilight’s eyes widened in shock of this revelation but couldn’t inquire further as the relay started spinning up.

“Uhm, miss Ber- Sparkle! What’s this thing doing?!” every Eye in the room fell on the struggling griffin that was being lifted into the air by means of the charging device. Particle Bit took this as his chance to sprint past the princess and into the influence of the device as well. Luna turned back to look at Twilight, expecting her to do much the same...

[Regardless of what the elements did, you owe me… you owe them.]

[Tackle Gabby out of the device’s range, she shouldn’t be caught up in this even if it costs me the trip]

[Tackle the princess out of the way, that machine isn’t going to wait.]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I finished that Rifle I was working on and put it up on Etsy :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19772104
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Shattered

Chapter 102

Shattered

[Regardless of what the elements did, you owe me… you owe them.] 57%

“Princess, we’re out of time! You can’t stop this anymore!” Twilight shouted, the machine coming closer and closer to finishing its activation sequence. “You can’t just leave them out in the darkness, not after what they did for you!”

Luna frowned and took a step back as she rapidly went through every option she had. “Captain, make sure Twilight Sparkle remains safe. Even from my sister.”

“Princess, no!” Twilight desperately tried getting to the device but the guards around her had already pounced and pinned her to the ground but what the princess did next was something Twilight could never have anticipated. Luna telekinetically pulled the black tiara off of her head and flung it towards the guards, leaping back into the device’s aura.

“You’re right, Twilight, I won’t leave them alone!” The princess managed to shout right before the device fired, a wave of energy blasting out from the machine and knocking over anypony who wasn’t firmly standing.

CRACK!

The device broke.

The sky did as well.

Not a little, but the entire sky was a myriad of cracks and whole sections were disintegrating starting with the moon. The cracks continued to grow as parts just disappeared and darkness along with a brand new night sky revealed itself, a much smaller new moon prominently featured in the nightscape.

The guards that had held down Twilight loosened their grips to look at this development in astonishment, only the captain who’d partially seen the sky break before wasn’t focussed on the display. He was looking at the black tiara of his princess before turning to the unicorn that was similarly looking at something other than the sky, her gaze was focussed on the crack that had appeared in the superstructure of the device.

“Attention!” Captain Darkwing called out to his subordinates. “You heard your princess, we are to keep Miss Sparkle here safe and Princess Celestia is surely on her way here right this very moment. Until we can ascertain her frame of mind we will rotate Sparkle through safehouses so she won’t be found. Am I clear?!”

“Yes, sir!” The call came from every batpony guard at once as they jumped into action again.

“Captain I-” Twilight was cut off as Darkwing flapped his wings and got uncomfortably close to the unicorn while giving her a death glare.

“Let me make one thing very clear, Twilight Sparkle, if you don’t follow any of the instructions given to you, I will hoof you off to Celestia personally. The only reason I’m considering helping you is because that was my princess’ final command before she shot off to Faust knows where!”

Twilight nodded as she was pulled up by the guard and led away by the other guard while the captain sat down in front of the broken device with the tiara to await the arrival of the Princess of the Sun.

Splash

Luna panicked as she felt herself submerge with no feeling of what was up and down, her wings spreading out in the water she’d fallen into and her legs flailing about. Desperately holding her breath, the princess noticed rays of light falling down at her right as she hit a metallic surface, giving her a point of reference. Placing her hooves against the surface, Luna pushed off from what she assumed to be the floor and towards the light, breaking the surface of the water and sucking a deep breath of fresh air into her lungs.

Dear Faust, drowning on arrival would have been an awkward entrance.

Taking the time to look around, Luna suddenly felt herself become really small. The massive buildings made of metal and flying boxes overhead outdoing anything a city in Equestria could dream to achieve. A device, similar to the one one that had stood in the warehouse in Equestria towered over her while a bridge across the water was only a couple of pony-lengths away. Lighting her horn, the princess teleported onto the bridge to get herself out of the cold water. The teenage griffin and unicorn professor were still trying to get their bearings there.

“Are you okay, little one?” Luna asked as she kneeled next to the griffin and helped steady her.

“Y-Yes of course Princess!” she stuttered, making herself a bit smaller as she paled. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know! And then there was that glowy thing and it looked so pretty-”

“Calm down young griffin, w-I am not angry at you,” Luna assured, turning her gaze at Particle Bit who was looking at the princess in astonishment. “You shouldn’t press your luck though,” She added in a growl, Particle gulped and nodded.

“So where are we?” Gabby asked as she looked around in wonder, several of the flying box carts had stopped at the edges of the bridge they were unloading various alien creatures in dark grey and blue dresses.

“I haven’t got the foggiest notion of where we are,” the princess admitted as the creatures approached, looking suspiciously at Luna in particular. Having a guess at what that reason was, Luna pulled the magic from her mane turning it from the flowing nebula back into regular dark blue hair. The aliens visibly relaxed at this sight.

~~“Do we have a translator on hand?”~~ One of the aliens asked something to the others who replied in their own language, followed by the first one uttering something Luna was pretty sure was a curse. That was also the moment the princess saw two things too small to be one of the flying boxes approach the bridge in the corner of her eye. A rush of air went over the group of assembled creatures as two pegasi went into a hover in front of them.

“Princess?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in confusion.

~~“Hey, can either of you two pass along the translation files?”~~ The alien who’d initially approached the new arrivals took the attention of Rainbow as she got into a conversation with the alien. Fluttershy on the other hoof remained focussed on the princess in front of her.

“I must admit it wasn’t you who I was expecting to find when we got the notification that the relay had activated again, Princess,” Fluttershy chuckled as she landed on the bridge.

“Consider the feeling mutual,” Luna replied as Dash turned back to her fellow equestrians.

“Ok, the C-Sec guys want the three of you to head to the human embassy. There we can get you some ID and stuff so you’re free to walk around.” The aliens already seemed to be backing off and leaving the ponies on their own, only a couple of them staying to make sure they would actually do what they had been told.

“That sounds agreeab-” Luna was cut off by a panting Shining who’d run the entire distance to the relay. Falling to his knees as he realized who stood before him. “Rise, Captain, we are not your commanding officer.”

“You’re still a princess of the realm I swore to protect,” Shining argued. “Why’s C-Sec backing off by the way?”

“Because we need to bring them to the human embassy,” Rainbow grinned while Shining stared back at her.

“Oh for Celestia’s sake, I just ran here from there!” he exclaimed, shaking his head as he turned to walk back to where he came from. Fluttershy giggled as Garrus arrived as well, a little less out of breath than Shining had been.

“Nothing blew up? That’s a relief for once.”

“Oh shush you,” Fluttershy laughed as she hovered up to the turian and quickly kissed him on his bony face. “Be a dear and bring the Princess back to the embassy, I’ll go inform Councillor Anderson of what happened.”

Fluttershy immediately took off while Garrus was still stuttering a reply and a smirking Princess Luna approached him. “Courted the Element of Kindness, have you? I would love to hear how that came about...”

Author's Note

Built this bolt pistol after uploading the chapter yesterday, going to paint it right after I finish uploading this one. :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Newcomers

Chapter 103

Newcomers

“So let me get this straight. There’s a race of machines that cleanse the galaxy of life every fifty thousand years, the last time around there were ponies who fought them, and now they’re maybe months away from arriving in the galaxy proper?” Particle Bit asked in astonishment after the newcomers had been given the short version of the structure of the galactic races and their situation. Luna had been silent throughout the story as she soaked in all of the information while Gabby was nervously rocking on her seat.

“Don’t forget the part where there’s a race of bug things called the collectors harvesting human colonies for some reason,” Rainbow added casually, for Gabby that was her breaking point as she jumped off her seat and ran out of the room they’d claimed for themselves.

“I’ll go after her,” Fluttershy said as she quickly got off of her own seat to chase after the young griffin. As the door closed behind the yellow pegasus, Luna leaned forward.

“So, mister Vakarian, how is it that the Element of Kindness looks as if she went hoof to claw with a hydra?” Luna questioned, keeping her eyes locked on the turian. Garrus didn’t even flinch a bit under the accusing glare of the princess.

“We spent time fighting gangs in the uncontrolled space of the Terminus Systems,” he answered truthfully. “There are things we did out there that neither of us are proud of, Princess. She might look different now and be much tougher than she used to be but at her core, where it matters, she still is that very pony we picked up right here on the Citadel two years ago.”

Rainbow looked a bit ashamed as Garrus laid out how he saw Fluttershy and Luna seemed to find this explanation acceptable. “It’s still jarring to see her in her current state, but if you claim her kindness has not left her I’ll trust your word as her bondmate.”

Garrus sighed. “That's just how I see it, I think Fluttershy herself thinks she's lost it… That she's a monster to be feared.” The turian glanced sideways at Rainbow Dash who made herself slightly smaller.

“That's... unfortunate, but I have confidence that you and Rainbow Dash can help her out in this matter,” the princess said, letting the topic slide as she had other things that needed discussing. “Would you excuse me and the captain? Since Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash seem to be in no need of saving or help in the slightest, I'd like to know where we stand politically. Equestria is going to need much more help than we do and I’m sure there is going to be some conversation if a planet popped out of nowhere in places known by your civilizations.”

“Alright, see you around, Princess,” Dash chuckled as Luna and Shining went looking for a room where they could discuss in private. This left only Particle Bit remaining at the table with Garrus and Dash.

“So, what is on your mind, mister Bit?” Garrus asked as the stallion had been in shock through the previous conversation.

“I’m not sure, it's quite a shock when you get the answer to the question of 'are we alone?' and then hear you're threatened with extinction,” the stallion admitted. “Also, I have no interest in either politics or combat so, after figuring out how, I intend to enroll in a school here to learn about physics.”

“Sounds respectable,” Garrus said, approving of the professor’s plan. “The Normandy would have become rather crowded if every pony coming through would join,” he added in a chuckle.

Particle joined in with the chuckles as he placed one of the sets of saddlebags he’d hauled with him on the table. “I’ll make sure to keep in contact with everypony else. See you two around.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Dash asked and pointed at the set of saddlebags the unicorn had left behind.

“Those aren't mine, they belonged to Twilight Sparkle. I think you should take a peek, Miss Dash, you might find something interesting.” Rainbow watched Particle leave before grabbing a hold of the saddlebags and looking through the contents. She picked out some of the items she’d expected to find like food and water before her eyes widened.

“No way... what did you take these for, Twi?” Garrus looked at what Rainbow had in her hooves, raising an eyebrow as he didn’t see the significance of the object.

“It’s just a necklace? I mean, it’s a very nice one but you know...” he questioned as Dash pulled out another necklace and a tiara.

“They’re not just necklaces, Garrus. These are Elements of Harmony.”

Fluttershy ran after the young griffin who cried as she turned corners and evaded humans. Her path took her into a hallway ending in a dead end where she collapsed onto the ground and curled into a little ball.

“Gabby... Gabriella?”

“Go away,” the griffin croaked as Fluttershy carefully approached the ball of feathers. This didn't deter the pegasus who lay down next to the crying griffin and covered her with a wing.

“You’re missing home already?” Fluttershy asked gently as she carefully brushed Gabby’s feathers, the little griffin weakly nodded.

“I-I was supposed to g-go meet Auntie Gilda later, to go back to Griffinstone,” Gabby sobbed. “B-but then this purple pony a-approached and asked if I could help, of c-course I wanted to help! But then we m-meet up and teleport into this warehouse with a-all these strange machines! And now I’m in a w-whole new world and don’t know if I’ll ever see home again!”

“So Twilight needed your help...” Fluttershy surmised, Gabby meanwhile had scooted close against the pegasus. “Of everything I remember about Twilight, I don’t think she ever wanted to send you out here. She probably really needed the help to get herself out here... but we know how that worked out.”

Gabby nodded and looked up at Fluttershy with tearful eyes. “So what am I supposed to do now?”

“That’s entirely up to you. There’s plenty of wonders to see out here and I’m sure you’ll find a place wherever you go,” Shy answered, suddenly finding the little griffin attached to her in a tight hug.

“Then I’d like to stay with you.” Fluttershy went slightly pale at this exclamation, she didn’t exactly see herself as the best candidate to keep an eye on the griffin.

“Are you sure? I’m not— I don’t think I’m exactly the best pony to be around, not after all I’ve done over the last two years.”

“B-But you seem nice. You came after me to help!” she stammered, griping Fluttershy even tighter in desperation. “I can learn quickly, I won’t hold you back or get in your way!”

Fluttershy was lost for words as she couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to be around her.

She’ll probably become afraid of me after a while… unless… No! I can’t

I can’t take you, you’re safer here on the Citadel.

Only if Garrus agrees. And Shepard too when we get a hold of him.

If you’re coming with me I’ll hold you to my own standards, understand?

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I'm back to finishing my space marine cosplay, I'll put up the pictures when I'm done :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19796999
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Element

Chapter 104

Element

Only if Garrus agrees. And Shepard too when we get a hold of him. 75%

“I cannot take you with me everywhere, Gabriella,” Fluttershy said carefully. “There are places I go with Garrus and things we do that would only put you in grave danger… I also have no intention of putting you through the things I went through to get here. You’re still a kid, you shouldn’t have to deal with the horrors out there… Shouldn’t have to deal with me.” The betrayed look Gabby shot up at her at the denial was like an ice pick slowly being driven into her chest, the teary-eyed griffin conveying all of her pain without saying a single word. “B-But I can ask if there’s a temporary spot available for you on the Normandy when Garrus and I inevitably get back onto the ship.”

Gabby immediately pulled Fluttershy close again in her hug. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, due to the nature of the mission you’ll be removed from the ship before we head out for our final objective. I’m also not giving you a definite yes until Garrus and Shepard agree, if they don’t, I will not take you,” Fluttershy told her in a tone that didn’t broke any argument. “Shall we get back to the others?”

“I guess,” Gabby replied, wiping the tears from her eyes and allowing Fluttershy to stand again. The griffin remained silent as they walked back but was practically glued to the yellow pegasus as they passed all of the various aliens in the embassy.

“Fluttershy!” The call stopped the pegasus in her tracks as she recognized Anderson’s voice and turned to look at the human councillor. “Could I steal a moment of your time?”

“Of course, what is it you need to say?” Shy asked, Gabby hid behind her in an attempt to shield herself from the human.

“I just got out of a council meeting about our new arrivals and your return on the citadel, they’ve decided to grant them citizenship just like they did to you and everyone else who came through...” Fluttershy nodded, waiting for the councillor to continue with the other thing he wanted to say. “...The other thing they wanted is an audience with you. ”

“The council wants an audience with me?” Fluttershy questioned in astonishment. “Why’s that?”

“Because we want to hear your opinion on what to do with Saren next.” Fluttershy felt as if she had just been hit by a shuttle, she hadn’t thought about the former rogue Spectre in a long time. “Let’s just say the council is divided and we could use you as a potential tiebreaker.”

“Of course, tell me when and where to be and I’ll be there,” Fluttershy immediately answered, very interested in what had become of the turian after she’d purged the reaper influence from him.

Anderson nodded in approval. “I’ll make sure you’ll have a summons in a couple of hours. I’ll see you there.”

The human turned back again to head to his office just as Fluttershy resumed her path back to the room with the others. The only creatures present there after arriving were Rainbow and Garrus.

“I see our little meetup is over?” Shy commented, getting the attention of Garrus and Dash, but before either one could say anything Shy spotted what they had laying on the table in front of them. “No way...”

“What is it?” Gabby asked in confusion about what was wrong as Fluttershy’s gaze was locked on the table.

“They were in Twilight’s backpack, Shy. Particle had taken them with the assumption Twilight would be here instead of Luna,” Rainbow explained as she held her own element. “It’s strange, my Element seems… happy?” Fluttershy stepped forward and eyed her own element, the pink gem glistening in the light as it lay on the table.

Of course Rainbow’s Element would be happy, she went after me the moment the opportunity presented itself… what’s mine going to say of me...

“The armor will make wearing it hard though… Do you think we’d still be able to use it if I just have it built into the armor? That’d make me at least twenty percent cooler.”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy shouted suddenly, pulled from her trance staring at her own element. “We can’t just do that with the Elements! What if we break them?!”

Dash reared back at the outburst. “Whoa, calm down there, I was just theorizing...”

Fluttershy wasn’t exactly convinced that she was but would let it slide as her attention was pulled back to her own Element, feeling drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Carefully extending her hoof to touch the necklace she pulled in the magnificent jewel. The entire artifact felt cold to the touch, colder than it should have any right to be and whispers filled her mind in all of the languages she’d heard over the last two years and some she’d never heard of in her life…

…and then it hit her.

The pink gem lit up brightly, memories of every experience she’d had over the last two years flashed in front of her eyes. All of the pain and sorrow she’d experienced, all of the abuse she’d endured.

The attack on the citadel... Berkenstein... Omega...

Fluttershy shrieked as her legs collapsed from under her and wings extended and pulsed in their blue aura, pushing back all others. The pain and sadness pulsing from the element was so overwhelming the pegasus broke down sobbing.

W̺͎͓̠ͮ͆̇̏̾ͅh͎̦͂ͬ̆͐y̋́͗̇͐ͥͬ҉͕̲̰?͍̝̟̝̠͐ͮ͂̽ͮ

All of the whispers in her mind asked the same question at the same time. Pushing through all of the painful memories. At first, Fluttershy struggled to comprehend the simple question.

Why what? Why did I do those things?... No...

The Element didn’t want to know why she’d done the things she had, it knew all her motives the moment the pegasus touched the gem so it wasn’t asking why Fluttershy did those things. It had asked why...

Because the galaxy has dark places where kindness is swallowed whole, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any kindness.

Fluttershy tried to explain to the Element as it wailed, forcing away the horrible memories and bringing forth the positive ones.

The way she was taken in on the Normandy… Shepard allowing the last of the rachni queens to go free… The salarian doctor on Omega who’d been working on curing a plague...

The sadness emanating from the element of kindness slowly came to a stop, allowing Fluttershy a clear mind as the element warmed up in her hooves. It still felt a little sad and a bit disappointed but overall it trusted its bearer, giving her a chance the pegasus herself doubted she deserved.

“Fluttershy!”

Rainbow was on top of her in seconds, Garrus only a fraction of a moment later as he held her close to find what was wrong. The door also slid open as the princess of the night came charging back into the room followed by Shining Armor.

“What happened!?” She bellowed, seeing the unconscious pegasus clutching her elements, “Oh... that happened.”

“What’s going on Princess? Is she okay?!” Garrus asked as Luna approached.

“Yes, of that I can assure you. It seems the Bearer of Kindness had a bit of a hiccup with her Element. It seems to still be bound to her though,” Luna said as she checked the gem and found it shining bright pink. “If it had been unbound then we’d have been in more trouble… trust me on that one,” The princess grimaced for the briefest of moments after she added the last part of her sentence. Lighting her horn, Luna pressed the tip against Shy’s forehead to which the pegasus gasped for air and came back to.

“Don’t scare me like that little angel!” Garrus exclaimed as he held Fluttershy tightly to his body.

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting that to happen,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head and getting her bearings. The Element in her hooves had returned to its inert state but Fluttershy could feel its power coursing through the gem.

“You two should keep your Elements with you, they’ll help you when things seem darkest,” Luna told Fluttershy and Dash as she noticed the other pegasus had her respective element as well. “If you would allow me, I will take custody of the Element of Magic though. It would not be well if we let that fall into the wrong hooves.”

Fluttershy nodded and Luna picked the tiara up in her magic, stashing it into the emptied-out saddlebags and levitated them to herself. Fluttershy then heard her omni-tool beep from an incoming message which she quickly read.

“What was that about?” Garrus asked as he helped Fluttershy back onto her hooves.

“That was Anderson, the council wanted to see me. He also asked for you to join, Princess.”

“Then we shall oblige. When is this meeting?”

Fluttershy checked the time on her omni-tool and cursed before she smiled sheepishly.

“Uhm... Now.”

Author's Note

Booorreeed:ajbemused:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Punishment

Chapter 105

Punishment

“You must have had some experience with the Council before, any tips on what to expect?” Luna asked as they waited for the elevator to arrive up at the top of the Citadel tower. Fluttershy nervously shuffled as she remembered the last time she had stood in the particular elevator very well.

“Well, what has been your experience with excessive bureaucrats in Equestria?” Fluttershy asked in response to the princess’ question, causing the alicorn to huff.

“Inefficient to the extreme, the local ones can get stuff done but the ponies in sister’s parliament just sling mud at each other… Oh great, that’s the council isn’t it?” Luna realized where Fluttershy was going with this before she even had to explain herself.

“Well, just like the parliament, I’m sure they do perform duties that benefit the galaxy but, from what I’ve gathered from Shepard’s interactions, having to work with them is like having your teeth pulled.” Luna winced and sighed.

“Tia is much better at this stuff. I simply don’t have the patience to deal with all of the nonsense politicians throw at you,” the princess grumbled, already yearning for the meeting to be over.

The tower chamber was relatively empty as the pair walked up the stairs, only a couple of diplomats were present but the only thing that seemed a bit disproportionate was the security presence with C-Sec posted everywhere. In preparation for the diplomatic meeting, Luna returned her hair to its ethereal state with little glimmering stars in a flowing cloud of darkness.

“They take security very serious, I see...” Luna mentioned as she too found the number of guards remarkable.

“Stuff got a lot stricter around here after the geth along with Sovereign attacked this place.” Luna raised an eyebrow at the pegasus beside her, beckoning her to elaborate. “Sovereign was the reaper we killed here, I was part of the strike team that assaulted this chamber to get that done.” Luna’s eyes widened, she hadn’t realized that Fluttershy had been involved in fighting in this exact place and felt a pang of sympathy for having to return to such a place.

“I guess that justifies this response if they have brought the one responsible for these events to face their judgment,” Luna admitted as they stepped up the final stairs and into view of the councillors.

“Welcome back Fluttershy your absence in the previous year did not go unnoticed to us and we’re glad you could join us again.” The asari councillor told Fluttershy before turning to Luna. “Princess Luna of Equestria, we welcome you to the galactic community even in such extraordinary circumstances.”

Luna bowed her head slightly. “I thank you for the hospitality we’ve received thus far,” she thanked.

“Of course, it’s our pleasure to accommodate you here Princess,” Anderson replied from his councillor’s stand with a smile on his face.

“As my fellow councillor has expressed, we’re happy to have you here, but due to the limited time afforded to our position we will have to skip any further pleasantries and continue with the matter at hand,” the asari councillor continued. “We have to inform you of the newly started investigation into Captain Shining Armor due to his presence in the Bahak system right before its destruction, in the time that he’s being investigated he is not to be allowed to leave the station though he will be free to move arou-”

“Excuse us?” Luna said bewildered, falling back into her old tongue as she felt her rage bubbling up. “We have an understanding of why thou would want to investigate such a happening but we cannot but wonder what thou will do with the gained information? Arrest and try my subject?”

“Please, we understand that your species is young to the galaxy but understand that there are laws we have here in Citadel space and by becoming citize-” The asari councillor was cut off again but not by the Princess’ speech. The lights in the chamber flickered and dimmed while the temperature dropped noticeably and a cold breeze went through the window. Meanwhile, Luna’s coat had darkened to a near black, her mane grew in size and a couple of its stars seemed to have gone supernova. She had grown to nearly match her sister in height, and to top it all off her eyes turned into slits that now bored into the councillors in front of her.

“Let us make this very clear, councillors,”–Luna’s voice was silky smooth but cold enough to pierce straight through the council in front of her,–“We have vowed to defend our subjects from any threat for the last eleven thousand years, failing only once in performing that duty for which we paid dearly. We will not allow for any trial to take place without the appropriate treaties being in place to assure my subject will not become a scapegoat to easily pin the blame onto. Treaties that cannot be made by me but have to be set up by the elected body of the Equestrian government.”

Fluttershy had taken a step back just like the councillors that had been the target of the rant, not because of the sheer venom that laced Luna’s words, but out of fear the princess had lost control again. Her fears would soon turn out to be for naught though as Luna returned to her smaller state as fast as the surroundings returned to normal.

“If thou hast any further inquiries thou can find us with the captain in the human embassy.” Luna lit up her horn and vanished in a flash as she teleported back to the Presidium. The council remained quiet for a couple of seconds to mull through what had just happened in front of their eyes.

“Well... That was certainly interesting,” Fluttershy commented after getting her bearings again. “I’ll give some advice though. Last time I checked, the princess was able to play around with our moon’s orbit around our home with contemptuous ease so please don’t piss her off.”

“We shall take that into consideration,” the asari councillor said, a slight waver in her voice. “I think it’s best we move on to the next topic we wanted to discuss. Bring him forth.”

The C-Sec officers that had stood to the side brought forward their charge. Saren was held in place by armed guards, his hands in cuffs as his eyes found those of Shy’s. He wavered almost immediately, looking down at the ground in shame as he couldn’t hold her gaze.

“Saren Arterius has been found guilty of orchestrating the attack on the Citadel by enlisting help from the geth,” Fluttershy couldn’t believe what she was hearing as the council blamed the geth again, it took a significant amount of her willpower not to have an outburst similar to that of the princess. “But before we level our verdict we want to hear your opinion on the matter as it was you who was responsible for his defeat.”

Fluttershy looked back at the former Spectre and shook her head as she looked back at the councillors who, barring Anderson, still dared to deny the existence of the reapers.

They probably just want to throw him into a dark hole to rot and be forgotten... and to be fair, he can’t get away without punishment either. He wasn’t exactly the noblest turian before his indoctrination either. Now, what advice could I give them which they will accept?…

The Alliance should be allowed to get him, they sacrificed a large part of their fleet.

He should advise on defending against further ‘geth’ attacks on Citadel space.

He should help Shepard with the attacks on human colonies.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Well, King's day is a bit of a sadder affair this year. At least we have nice weather to make up for it though. :twilightsheepish:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19881306
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Verdict

Chapter 106

Verdict

He should advise on defending against further ‘geth’ attacks on Citadel space 49%

“I do not know what your individual stances on his punishment are but if you are asking for my opinion then I would suggest enlisting his help.” Fluttershy saw the turian councillor look at her strangely, it was the look Garrus would give her when he wanted her to explain something further. “The geth were able to assault the citadel with a vessel that made your own fleet look like they were made of paper, they have not repeated their move but what’s to say that will stay that way? You have a person who knows how they operate, what their tactics are. If you don’t use that you’re just throwing away a valuable resource.”

“We appreciate your insight but we can not trust him to be honest with us,” the turian councillor told Fluttershy who nodded, having expected the counter.

“Of course, he’s being trialed for treason after all, but tell me, can your generals not determine if well-argued tactics are valid or not? Or do you doubt their competence?” Fluttershy smirked as the turian councillor reared back. “Truth is, none of you saw the last attack coming and if Shepard hadn’t decided to save you then you’d be nothing but space debris orbiting this station. Are you truly prepared if they attack again only this time they attack your planets?”

Fluttershy met the gaze of every councillor as they mulled over her words, waiting for them to make their decision.

“Your perspective is insightful, but that leaves one question,” The asari councillor turned to Saren. “Will you help us defend our people against further incursions from the geth?”

Saren looked over at Fluttershy who gave him a nearly unnoticeable nod. “If that’s what she desires I am compelled to help in any way possible,” He answered, Fluttershy raised an eye at the answer?

Compelled?... What did my stare do to him?

“Then we shall give our verdict. Councillors?” The four of the councillors pressed a couple of buttons on the datapads in front of them, not even questioning the way Saren had answered to Fluttershy’s suspicion.

They’re not telling me something here… and I’m going to figure out what it is one way or another.

“It has been decided three to one that Saren Arterius, previously of the Spectres, will assist the council races in preventing a repeat the event which his actions of treason brought about. Your presence here was greatly appreciated miss Fluttershy, we herby close this session of the council.” Fluttershy looked over at where Saren had stood but the turian was already being lead away by the C-Sec officers. Part of her couldn’t believe what had just happened: had the Council just taken her advice on the face without questioning it? There was no way that should have happened, they had happily ignored Shepard before and he was one of their Spectres… Why would she of all ponies be listened to on this matter?

Anderson better has a good reason for this when I give him a visit.

Shy turned and walked back the way she came, being unable to teleport like the princess had. This did give her time to mull over what Saren had said and how the Council had acted along with the knowledge of what she’d done to Saren the last time she’d seen him.

Let’s line this up; I purged the reaper influence from him a year ago, next I suggest something he says he’s compelled to act, the Council just takes my advice at face value which is pretty much unprecedented…

It took a bit for Shy to make a connection but when it did the pieces just snapped into place.

Wait… Sovereign’s indoctrination compelled Saren to do his bidding, I know my stare can do the same due to Chakwas’ observation. The Council must have figured this out via medical reports and simply talking with Saren… Oh, those motherfuckers!

“DAMNIT!” Fluttershy smashed her hoof into the wall in anger, the council hadn’t needed her advice at all, they just hoped that they could get her to ‘give an order’ to Saren so he’d be compelled to follow. And if they didn’t like the answer they could either try to influence her to change her position or just lock Saren back up… Either they would just keep Saren locked up or they’d get something out of it.

They’d just used her to force Saren to work for them without question.

Part of Fluttershy admired the way they’d done it, but mostly she was angry that she was now indirectly the cause of a being put into what essentially amounted to slave labor.

The elevator came to a stop at the base of the Citadel tower and into the Presidium. Fluttershy took her hood and covered her head, fading into thin air as her stealth system activated. She needed some time alone to blow off steam.

Princess Luna appeared with a flash and a loud bang, startling Rainbow, Gabby, and Garrus who had been keeping themselves occupied in the embassy. The princess muttering darkly as she banged her head against one of the walls.

“Uhm, are you ok Princess?” Rainbow asked as she recovered from the shock of the sudden appearance and peculiar behavior.

“Absolutely terrific. Where are captain Armor and mister Bit? I need to speak to them since neither will be leaving this station and I am obliged to ensure both their safety from outside forces or from those who profess to ‘help’.”

Garrus rolled his eyes as he could guess what had just happened. “The Captain and mister Bit are somewhere in the embassy. I think Shining was helping mister Bit along with getting an education set up.”

“Thank you-”

“Hey, princess could you–theoretically of course–get the element out of its necklace and build it into your armor?” Rainbow cut the princess off, trying to pull off the most innocent look she could muster which only served to tell the princess exactly all she needed to know. She lit her horn and the golden chain just vanished into thin air.

“You’ll find the gem to be quite indestructible, trust me I’ve tried, it should still work so long it’s in your proximity,” Luna explained before turning to the door and barging out.

“Well, that went better than expected...” Rainbow muttered, looking down at the gem in her hooves. “Hey Garrus, know anyone here who can build this into my chestplate?”

The turian shook his head and chuckled as he looked over at the pegasus. “I could help you with getting everything from specialized equipment for your omni-tool to even a biotic amp if you weren’t such a pussy... So, of course, I know somewhere where you could do that! Problem is that I’m not exactly welcome there.”

HEY! I could get that amp any day!

What kind of specialized equipment?

Just lead me to the place, I’ll do the rest.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I'll admit, I was looking at comment suggestion nr#4 pretty seriously for a bit but in the end, decided to go with this instead :twilightsheepish:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19920152
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Justice

Chapter 108

Justice

Gabby hopped over to the group of three aliens popping right in the middle of them. “Hi! I’m Gabby, you sound like you have a problem and I like solving problems!”

The C-sec officer rolled his eyes and sighed. “Please stay out of this, I’m trying to take a statement here.”

“There’s nothing to talk about! She stole my credit chit. Arrest her!” the volus shouted as Garrus came walking up from behind.

“I’m sure there’s more to it than that,” Garrus said getting the attention of the group as well, the C-Sec officer groaning.

“Hello Vakarian, could you not interfere with one of my investigations, thank you.”

“Ahh, come on Tammert, you guys always loved when I helped out with some of the street work!” Garrus smirked, getting a deadpan stare from the C-Sec officer.

“This is still not getting my chit back! You still need to arrest her!” the volus shouted at the officer in anger as he was being ignored.

“Take a good, deep, breath and calm down sir,” Garrus told the volus who sputtered something incoherently. “What happened ma’am?”

“I was going to the used ship dealer when he ran into me, he didn’t even apologize before barging off. A minute later he comes running over with this C-Sec officer and accuses me of robbing him!” The quarian explained, sounding very ticked off.

“Maybe he lost it when he knocked into you?” Gabby asked looking over to the volus. “I’m sure this is just all a misunderstanding and it’s still back at the store! Oh I know, I’ll go take a look!” Gabby spread her wings and with a gust of air was off towards the aforementioned store, leaving nothing but dust in her wake. Garrus, although not following the griffin, kept a good eye on the store where she’d shot off to.

“Bah, You can’t turn your back on these clanless quarians. Thieves, all of them!” The volus rumbled.

“Hey! I’m no thief! I’ve been trying to get a job but each time I go somewhere there’s a sign that says no quarians!” the accused quarian said in response.

“Did you detect a credit chit on her, Tammert?” Garrus asked of his former colleague who rolled his eyes but knew better than to argue with Garrus after the turian had latched onto a case.

“No, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t stash it somewhere. You know what they are like Vakarian, they’re just a bunch of vagrants that run around and cause trouble,” Tammert responded, entering some information for his report on his tablet.

“All I know is that we look at quarians kind of unfairly around here, took me a while and some work with another to figure that out,” Garrus growled, seeing Gabby dart from store to store before flying back towards them at a speed that looked like she was going to crash into them.

“Found it!” She exclaimed, flairing her wings just in time to make an abrupt stop in the volus. “You left it at the Saronis Applications store, the clerk there is holding it there for you!”

“Oh. Well. The quarian could have stolen it.” The volus didn’t even look behind him as he just walked off towards the store where his chit was stored.

Gabby couldn’t help but let her beak fall open in astonishment. “Wow, that was rude and that’s coming from someone who lives in Griffonstone!”

“I’ll close this even report, but I’ll be watching you. Get a permanent residency or I’ll run you for vagrancy,” Tammert muttered trying to walk off but finding himself blocked by Garrus.

“Just so you know, you’re an ass Tammert.”

“Buzz off Vakarian, I’ve actually got work to do,” Tammert growled back and pushed Garrus aside, marching off.

“Thank you, I-I wish I could offer you something more than words,” the quarian thanked. “I’m Lia’Vael by the way.”

“Glad to help!” Gabby squeaked happily.

“Yeah, no worries. Think you’ll be alright around here?” Garrus asked smiling at the Lia.

“I guess… I mean, most nights I eat nutrient past in a turian shelter but I’m surviving.”

“Huh, but you said you were going to the used ship dealer?” Gabby questioned as she imagined that costing a lot of credits.

Lia crouched down so she wasn’t towering over the small griffin. “Yes. I’d like to buy one to take back to the fleet but I haven’t been able to get a good job earn the credits. I tried to get some work helping to fix the damage after the attack here but no-one wants a quarian.”

“That’s so… mean,” Gabby said saddened. “Can I hug you?” Lia nodded hesitantly and Gabby shot forward to hug the quarian. “I’m sure you’ll get one of those ships at some point!”

The helmeted alien returned the hug for a moment before letting go. “Thank you for your kindness.”

“Hey, if you need a job, call this number. Just tell them Garrus Vakarian told you to call. They’ll get you some work.” Garrus sent the contact over to Lia’s omni-tool.

“I-I don’t know what to say...”

“Heh, don’t worry. I’ve got someone close to me who always reminds me of the value of some kindness here and there. Good luck Lia’Vael,” Garrus told her with a smile, leaving the stunned quarian.

“You know, even though you look a bit scary you’re actually really nice,” Gabby randomly said as they walked back to the clinic as Dash would probably be done soon.

“What someone looks like doesn’t determine what they are, kid. If people around here could get that into their skulls then Lia and other quarians could actually be very useful around here.”

“I guess so...”

The two of them entered back into the clinic and informed about Rainbow’s status, finding she’d be up and about within half an hour. So the two of them waited in the lobby, Gabby playing with her new omni-tool to figure all the ins and outs of the device. Eventually, the door at the back slid open to reveal a slightly groggy rainbow maned pegasus.

“I need a final signature and we’ll be done, miss,” the attendant said, leading dash to the front desk where she placed the signature. “Thank you and if complications arise don’t hesitate to visit a medical clinic to check it out.”

“Yeah, thanks I guess,” Rainbow replied absentmindedly, spotting Garrus sitting next to a very pre-occupied Gabby. Hovering over to the smirking turian Dash stared silently for a moment.

“Soo di-”

Smack

“That’s for using my pride against me,” Dash grumbled as she rubbed her hoof, Garrus’ carapace being much tougher than she’d anticipated.

“Guess I deserved that one,” he chuckled, shaking off the disorientation from the punch. “How is the implant feeling?”

“Strange, but I don’t really feel much to be honest. It’ll probably take some getting used to when the drugs wear off.”

“You’re probably right about that. Ask Fluttershy for a bit of help later, she can probably help you with the basics.” Garrus nudged Gabby who was still completely engrossed in her omni-tool, he could see her rummaging about with the settings.

“Huh? Oh! Hi Rainbow! Look at what Garrus got me!” she exclaimed showing the hologram around her forearm.

“Awesome! That’s going to be useful for you kid,” Dash said ruffling the feathers on her head. “So, have you got anything else planned?”

“Well no-” Garrus’ omni-tool beeped as a message came in, his face dropping into a frown as he finished reading the message. “Shepard responded, we need to immediately get ready to move out. He’s got a very time-sensitive tip and can’t linger on the Citadel. It’s pick up and go.”

“Sounds serious...” Gabby commented, Garrus nodding.

“Yes it is. Let’s go find Shy, we should have everyone ready the moment Shepard gets here”

Author's Note

Nex chapter a vote again, I wanted to push ahead a bit and get things set up so no vote.

Next up: Reunion on the Normandy :twilightsmile:

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Engineers

Chapter 109

Engineers

Dash, Fluttershy, Gabby, and Garrus had said goodbyes to the three ponies that were staying behind on the Citadel and were flying over to the Normandy in a shuttle. The stealth vessel hadn’t docked with the Citadel as that’d have taken more time than just a quick shuttle run. Fluttershy was sitting at the front of the shuttle and looking out at the stealth ship in awe.

“She really looks like the old one...” Fluttershy whispered as the ship hung in the nebula in front of them.

“She’s a beauty of a vessel, yeah,” Garrus said from beside her. Gabby too was looking out of the window in wonder, only she was fascinated by all of the ships floating around in the void. A few minutes later the shuttle set down in the hangar of the Normandy and allowed its occupants to head out into the ship.

“Good to see the three… four of you,” Shepard corrected himself as he noticed the griffin at the back of the group. “I heard about Shining but I hadn’t been informed of this. I take it more ponies came through?”

“Yeah, there were… It’s good to see you, commander,” Fluttershy said with a beaming smile. Shepard chuckled as he lead the newcomers to the elevators.

“Glad to be here, death sucked,” Shepard smirked but turned serious immediately after. “I take it you’re informed about the collector attacks on human colonies?” Fluttershy nodded. “There’s an attack going on right now on a colony on Horizon, we were on Tuchanka when we got the call so we had to go past the Citadel regardless. Might as well pick you guys up on the way. Sorry to ask, but I really could use your help on this one.”

“You can count on me, commander. Always,” Fluttershy told him with a smile.

“Thank you Fluttershy. All of you feel free to look around and meet the crew which you may or may not have met. I need to get some things ready for the briefing, I’ll call everyone in over the intercom when I’m done.” Shepard proceeded to take off into the CIC, and left the group to their own devices.

“I’m going to check up on engineering, need to plan in new poker sessions with Kenneth and Gabby,” Dash smirked as the griffin among them perked up. “I meant a human Gabriella, Gabby,” Rainbow snickered.

“Oh, ok.”

“Mind if I come along, Dash? I want to help you with some of the basics for biotics before we head out on the mission,” Fluttershy told her looking over at Garrus with a questioning look to see what he was going to do.

“Vortash should be on board too, I’m going to check in on him before checking out the other newcomers,” He told them, stepping out of the elevator. “See you in a bit at the briefing.”

The elevator door closed between them and the elevator descended back towards the lower level of the ship. Dash leading the two others as they weren’t familiar with the layout of the vessel yet. “Hey, Ken, Gab!”

The two engineers turned and smiled, at the sight of the pony. “Rainbow! Ah good to see ya found yer friend.”

“Ken’s been itching for another round of Skyllian Five ever since you bailed,” Gabriella chuckled, “So I take it you’re miss Fluttershy?”

“Just Fluttershy is fine, good to meet you two,” Fluttershy smiled as she stood up on her hind legs and held out her foreleg to shake.

“And who might that little lass behind ya be?” Kenneth asked as he spotted the grey ball of feathers and fur behind the two ponies.

“H-Hi I’m Gabriella, nice to meet you two!” Gabby said a little nervous but smiled as Ken snorted.

“Oh my, Ah’m gonna have ta find a good nickname for ya to keep you two apart,” Kenneth chuckled, “So you just touring the ship with them two or are ya in need of somethin’ else?”

“Nah, just showing them around. Though we do need to set up another poker night after Horizon,” Dash pointed out. Gabby in the meantime had proceeded to investigate the displays where the two human engineers were working.

“What do all those numbers mean,” she asked as she tried finding a pattern in the numbers on the screen.

“Well they’re the current status on all of the power in the ship, I keep the load balanced out so no system accidentally blows out and everything stays running efficiently,” Kenneth explained, as Gabby picked up the pattern in the numbers.

“Ohhh, and if one system suddenly draws more power you redirect those reserves into it! That way the balance is maintained!” Gabby exclaimed pointing at a string of numbers, Kenneth raising an eyebrow as Gabby’s observation got pretty close to what would indeed happen in layman’s terms.

“Yeah, that’s right… Say, if ya give me a hand, or claw, with resetting the FBA power couplings and I’ll explain how the power systems work, deal?” Gabby looked back at Fluttershy with a pleading expression as if asking permission.

“Hey, don’t look at me. If you really want to then go right ahead,” Fluttershy chuckled to the griffin’s delight. Gabby squeed and followed Kenneth as he lead her down to the maintenance area, starting to explain the ‘basics’ of how the Normandy operated.

“By the way, make sure Ken stays in check. Gabby is still a kid,” Dash deadpanned to Gabriella.

“I’ll try but no promises,” Gabriella said, shaking her head.

“Thanks, see you later. Gonna beat your flank at Skyllian this time!” Dash exclaimed as she and Fluttershy walked out of engineering.

“They seem like a nice pair of humans,” the yellow pegasus said as the door had closed shut behind her.

“Yeah, they’re cool. Ken has a bit of a habit to start rambling tech though, he’d get along perfectly fine with Twilight,” Rainbow chuckled. “So anyone you want to see, or should we just see who we run into?”

“Well, I know doctor Solus is on board and I’d like to see doctor Chakwas too...”

Go see Mordin.

Go see Chakwas.

Wander around, there’s bound to be other new crew members.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

It had slipped my mind that both Gabby the griffin and Gabby the human have the same nicknames and full names when I started writing this chapter. I'll make sure there's a good distinction every time there are bits with the two of them. right now I'm distinguishing Gabriella as human and Gabby as griffin until I get a good nickname for her... maybe Gab... I'll figure it out.:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
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Now edited by gerandakis

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Biotics

Chapter 110

Biotics

Go see Chakwas. 72%

“...I think I should go see Chakwas, she really helped me back on the SR-1,” Fluttershy decided, stepping back into the elevator to head up a deck.

“So you can show me how to do biotics after?” Dash asked while they went up, the trip not nearly as long as those stupid elevators on the Citadel.

“Well, I learned a way to transfer the basics over with a trick I learned from an asari but the more advanced stuff you need to figure out for yourself.” The two of them passed the crew as they made their way to the medbay. “It might have some… side effects though.” Rainbow wanted to ask what kind of side effects that would be but put it off for when they’d actually get to it.

“Hello doctor,” Fluttershy said softly as Chakwas looked up from her work. A smile forming on her face at the sight of the familiar pegasus.

“Fluttershy! It’s good to see you, is Garrus still treating you well?” The two of them embraced each other for a moment while Rainbow watched from the side.

“Oh absolutely, we’re as close as can be. How have you been? I’m surprised to see you in a Cerberus vessel,” Fluttershy responded, sitting down on the chair across from the one where the doctor took a seat.

“Oh, I don’t work for Cerberus because I like them if that’s what you mean, I’m only here because of the commander. This mission we’re on is critical to the survival of my race and of the rest of the galaxy, I have faith the commander will make the right choices when it comes to this organization,” Chakwas said confidently. “And the alliance tried stationing me at the Mars Naval Medical Center, a respectable position but it wasn’t a starship.”

Fluttershy grinned. “Too little action for your tastes then, doctor?”

Chakwas laughed, “There is a certain thrill in not knowing where your next mission leads you, something I see you’re quite familiar with. You look nearly as bad as Shepard, I take it you and Garrus couldn’t keep still?”

Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. “No he couldn’t. We spent about a year running around on Omega… That place takes bites out of you the longer you stay.”

“Oh dear, I see… If you need help with them then don’t hesitate to ask me. Now I think dear Rainbow Dash over there is getting a bit impatient and I need to get the medbay ready for the upcoming mission. It was good to see you Fluttershy.”

“You too doctor,” Fluttershy responded, looking over her shoulder at the sheepishly looking Rainbow Dash. Shaking her head, Fluttershy lead Dash out of the medbay. “So, any good place where we can sit in private, Rainbow?”

“The port observation deck should be a good spot,” Dash pointed out the place where the two of them took a seat on the ground across from each other. Fluttershy took a deep breath to calm herself while Rainbow’s wings fidgeted nervously. “You said something about side effects before… they’re not too bad, are they?”

“No Rainbow, they shouldn’t be. What I want to do is to connect our consciousness to transfer the basics of biotic use, but in doing so we’ll get to experience each other’s deepest emotions… It might be uncomfortable for you to say the least,” Fluttershy explained to Rainbow who gave her a questioning look.

“And it won’t be for you?”

“I’ve seen some things that’d make most ponies curl up in a ball, Rainbow,” she deadpanned as an answer. Dash took a deep breath as she steeled herself, the view of stars out of the window helping to calm her as much as possible.

“Alright, I’m ready.”

“Are you?” Fluttershy questioned but she too took a deep calming breath. “Close your eyes and let your soul roam freely, unbind yourself from physical reality. Embrace eternity!” Fluttershy and Rainbow’s eyes shot open, complete black orbs as their minds connected.

Rainbow involuntarily cringed but her eyes were glued on her oldest friend as information and sensations freely flowed between the two of them. The knowledge on how to use biotics flowed into her at the same rate as various other feelings experiences entered her mind. She felt some of herself also bleed over to Fluttershy but she was too pre-occupied with what was entering her own head.

Fear… So much fear, please make it stop!

Images flashed in front of her, gigantic machines coming down from the sky and destroying entire worlds, vile corruption of creatures, and then the screams… the screams pierced her very soul.

And then it was gone.

Rainbow’s reflex didn’t even kick in as she dropped over onto her side and smashed against the ground, tears just falling from her eyes as she was having trouble processing all she’d seen. Fluttershy got off a lot better as she rushed her friend and pulled her off the ground, embracing the crying pegasus.

“I-I’m sorry Rainbow, I didn’t want to show you that,” she apologized as Dash sobbed into her armor covered chest.

“N-no, I think I understand now...” Dash croaked, her head still spinning. “I g-get why you did what you did.”

“Thank you, Rainbow.” Fluttershy kept Rainbow close a bit longer before allowing her to try and get up under her own strength. “I also got a bit of your feelings by the way… You understand I’m still there right?”

“Yeah, I do. Just took some perspective to see it,” Dash smiled, looking back at her wings. “Sooo, I should be able to use biotics, right?” Fluttershy nodded and chuckled.

“Yes, but basics only. Usually this process takes quite a while but magic is probably just very advanced and complicated biotics. Since we can use magic subconsciously already when we fly, we learn fast,” Fluttershy explained. “Now, see that bottle over there? Try and pick it up and bring it here.”

Rainbow gave her a strange look and then stood up to go get the bottle but was stopped by Fluttershy. “I meant levitate it over, silly.”

“Wait, what? I’m not a unicorn, remember?” Dash said but Fluttershy lit up her wings and wrapped her aura around two glasses and brought them over.

“You should have the knowledge on how to do that already,” Fluttershy smirked as Dash sat down and focussed on the bottle, a dim magenta aura the same color as her eyes forming around her wings and the bottle which carefully hovered over to where they were sitting until she was able to snatch it out of the air and blankly stare at it.

“That. was. Awesome!” She exclaimed in excitement as Fluttershy took the bottle and poured two glasses.

“That it is.” They toasted and downed the drink in a single go, Rainbow cringing a bit as she wasn’t used to the alcohol content.

“Strike team to the briefing room for the Horizon briefing.” Joker’s voice called out over the intercom.

“So what do you say, ready to save a human colony?” Fluttershy held out her hoof to help Dash up, the rainbow maned pegasus smirked and took it.

“Buck yes!”

Author's Note

First real contact with the collectors coming up!

And I have locked in my final location where Equestria is located :rainbowdetermined2:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

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Horizon

Chapter 111

Horizon

“A couple of hours ago we lost contact with the colony on Horizon, complete communication’s loss like the other colonies. This is the first time we’ve had this much warning on a raid,” Shepard explained as every person on the strike team was assembled in the comms room that acting as briefing room too. “Mordin, how is your countermeasure working?”

“Prototype, still working on. Will work for no more than five,” the salarian doctor answered, Shepard nodded.

“Better than nothing I guess, but that still means we can’t all go. This mission will be an all-out assault on the collector forces in the area, our objective is to gain control of the main colony and activate any defenses it has while saving as many colonists as possible. Collector capability is unknown but we know they are working with the reapers so we’re expecting husks.” Garrus and Fluttershy winced at this, they were reminded of the corrupted humans they’d fought years ago.

“That leaves the question of who to take, commander,” Miranda asked.

“I need the toughest among us on this mission, we don’t have room for mistakes,” Shepard agreed, looking over at Garrus and Fluttershy. “Vakarian, Shy, you two are going. I know what the two of you are capable of.”

“Understood Commander,” Garrus answered just as Fluttershy gave him a determined nod.

“Grunt, you’re up as well, I could use someone durable. And lastly, I want you with me, Jack.”

“Hell yeah!” Jack exclaimed, the human biotic grinning ear to ear. Grunt pounding his chest with a grin as well.

“Everyone else is on standby while we’re gone. Mordin you get to make the call on reinforcements were one of the field operators to be neutralized,” Shepard told the salarian.

“Understood. Will continue to develop and improve countermeasures with live data. Might send reinforcements throughout mission if successful,” Mordin answered.

“Good. For the old crew here: Kaiden Alenco is on the surface there as well. We’re getting him out if we can. Groundcrew be ready at the shuttle in fifteen, everyone’s dismissed.” The team walked out of the briefing room to get ready though Fluttershy stuck close to Rainbow’who seemed slightly annoyed.

“You’ll get your shot, Dash. This is a really serious operation, Shepard has his reasons for the people he picked.”

“I know, and I flew off the handle before so it makes sense to not take me,” Dash grumbled but brushed her wings against that of Fluttershy. “Don’t worry about it, Shy. I’ll watch you from up here. Kick their flanks.”

“Thanks Rainbow, see you back here after we’re done.”

The shuttle carrying the five Normandy crew members made a swift descent through the atmosphere, coming to a halt on the outskirts of the main colony facility before flying off again. In the distance at the other side of the complex, the collector ship prominently stood jutted from the ground. Fluttershy looked in awe at the massive ship, it looked to be just an elongated, massive asteroid with a superstructure wrapped around the middle. The fact that it was able to land on the planet at all was astounding.

“If we hit that thing with all the defenses we’ve seen around here then we can force the collector ship to back off,” Garrus observed as he pointed at all the various planetary defense batteries scattered around.

“Indeed. That’s our main objective now,” Shepard agreed, motioning for the group to move. Grunt and Jack took point with Shepard in the middle and Garrus and Fluttershy at the back. The buzzing of insectoid wings put everyone on edge as suddenly a squad of the little insects flew overhead.

“Looks like your countermeasures are holding, professor,” Fluttershy said over the comms to inform him of this.

“Perfect! Will start analyzing immediately. Shuttle will be loaded with reinforcements in case successful,” The professor replied just as a second wave of buzzing wings could be heard, this one sounding like they had much heavier wingbeats.

“Contact!” Grunt roared as the bipedal collectors carried by wings on their back came flying into battle. Two shots sounded from out back at the same time as two of the creatures dropped out of the sky, bot Shy and Garrus having hit their first mark.

“This was never going to be easy, Take them down and advance!” Shepard ordered, taking down another collector with his assault rifle. Grunt all to happily followed this as he charged and headbutted one of the overgrown bugs, crushing its head, followed up by a shotgun blast to another. Jack took care of the last one as she lifted it up with biotics and then crushed its carapace.

“All down. Move.” More collectors jumped in the way as they moved deeper into the facility, though this time instead of just collectors husks came charging at them as well.

Fluttershy cursed as she swirled around and flung one back with biotics, shooting it out of the sky before it even hit the ground. “Damnit, I hate these things!”

“What are they?!” Jack asked as she tore another in half before forcing a collector into cover with her pistol.

“They used to be human, we ran into them a lot when we were chasing Saren and Sovereign. The geth impaled them on these spikes, or dragon’s teeth, which turns them into these things,” Garrus replied over the comms.

“Guess that confirms the collectors work for the reapers,” Grunt chipped in, taking down the last of the batch of enemies.

“Nothing we can do for them now but to put them out of their misery,” Shepard finished. “Come on, we’re getting closer to the heart of the colony.”

“...Shepard… breaking… collector ship… interference...” Joker’s voice was choppy as they moved closer to the enemy vessel.

“We’re jammed, Normandy will not be with us after this point,” Garrus confirmed.

“No matter, we know what to do. Let’s hope Mordin has collected the extra data he needs.”

The compound buildings were placed closer together the deeper they moved into the facility, giving more places to take cover in the following couple of firefights until they found something they weren’t expecting. They’d seen pods of some sort scattered around, but now they found what was being stored within them…

“It looks like they’re in some kind of stasis,” Garrus said as they found humans standing around, completely frozen in place stuck doing the last thing they were doing before getting stung by one of the little bugs that flew overhead.

“Assuming direct control.”

The warped voice immediately gained the attention of the squad, a new group of collectors coming in but one of them was twitching and had growing glowing cracks covering its body.

“Take that one down!” Shepard shouted as it shot black balls of biotic power at the commander who ducked into cover. Everyone immediately jumped into action, ripping into the collectors that surrounded the supercharged one first so they could all focus fire. Fluttershy and Jack worked off of each other’s biotics, one recharging while the other was throwing waves of energy at the collector.

“You prolong the inevitable.”

“Sure! That’s what Sovereign said and where is he now?!” Shepard jumped the barricade right after one of the strange biotic attacks hit his cover, charging and knocking over the large collector putting the barrel of his assault rile against its head and pulling the trigger. “That’s what I thought.”

“The way’s blocked, give me a couple of seconds to get this door open,” Garrus said, already moving ahead and working on a large hangar door.

“What do you think that was?” Jack asked Fluttershy as they took a second to get back the energy they’d expended.

“Don’t know, but my biotics weren’t exactly doing a lot,” Fluttershy admitted to the human.

“Same shit here,” Jack grumbled as the large door behind them slid open. “At least bullets do the job. Let’s get going.” There was a complete lack of the bugs in the hangar which had yet to happen in any other building in the colony.

“Company,” Grunt called out as he noticed something in the corner of the room. Everyone raised their weapons at the particular spot.

“Come out. Slowly,” Shepard ordered as a human stepped out of his hiding place.

“Y-You’re human… What the hell are you doing? You’ll lead them right here!” the man exclaimed, making Garrus snort.

“You had to hear them trying to get in here, I had to bypass all of the collectors’ failed attempts at opening the door,” he laughed.

“Those things are collectors? You mean they’re real?!” The man said in shock. “I thought they were just made up, you know–propaganda. To keep us in alliance space.”

“Sorry chump, they’re very real,” Jack deadpanned.

“Shit they got Lilith… and everyone else too! This is all the Alliance’s fault, the should have never sent that representative here and built those defense towers. It made us a target!”

“You would have been attacked regardless. The collectors are targeting human colonies on the fringes of the Terminus,” Shepard told him. “But that’s not the point right now, why didn’t the defense towers fire at the collector ship?”

“The damn things’ targeting system needs to be calibrated first,” the human growled. “The central transmission tower with controls is further ahead if you want to gain control that’s where you need to go.”

“Thanks, we’ll get the bastards,” Shepard said turning to the door to leave.

“Yeah, fine, but I’m locking the door after you’ve left again,” the human said before they left the safety of the hangar and moved into the habitation blocks. There was some more resistance which they had to fight through there but it was manageable. After fighting their way through they got sight of the transmitter.

“So, Garrus, think you can get these things calibrated?” Shepard grinned, getting nudged on the shoulder by the turian.

“Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m only concerned about what will happen after I’m done with it. These look like some serious defenses, there’s no way the collectors aren’t going to notice us charging the defenses.”

“We’ll keep them off your back. Spread out everyone, be ready to defend Garrus while he gets the towers in order.” Shepard got a couple of affirmatives from the others who took positions while Fluttershy thought about where she’d locate herself.

Jack is going to get overwhelmed without biotic support if those collectors get controlled again… but without Garrus we don’t have a high powered long gun picking off hard targets either… But I could also use my stealth to hit critical hard targets…

Use Biotics to support Jack

Find a vantage point and Snipe

Stealth around and hit them from the shadows

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Bit longer than usual but it's an important mission after all :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19964453
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Defense Batteries

Chapter 112

Defense Batteries

Stealth around and hit them from the shadows. 58%

Fluttershy’s form flickered for a moment before she disappeared into thin air as her stealth system activated, the pegasus opening her wings and flying up onto one of the buildings to look down at the open space where Shepard and the others took up defensive positions.

“I’ve got the turrets calibrated, initiating charging sequence,” Garrus reported as he finished typing commands into the console. A screech came from all around the courtyard as the sound of buzzing wings all around them as the first collectors came down on the group in an attempt to overwhelm them and reverse the activation of the defense towers.

“Keep them at bay! If we can’t force that ship to retreat then we’re going to get overrun!” Shepard called out as rounds took out the first collectors. Fluttershy meanwhile remained utterly still, waiting for harder targets to appear. Husks followed the next wave of collectors, the former humans running over to the squad. Fluttershy still waited.

Another screech echoed over the field as a new enemy jumped into the ring. Like the husks it was humanoid but this one had a horribly bloated back, and one arm seemed to be converted into a cannon of sorts. It let out another screech before lumbering towards the Commander.

That one’s mine.

Shy opened her wings and jumped off the building, silently gliding down towards the corrupted being as it fired its cannon at Shepard. Right before she was to hit the being, Fluttershy de-cloaked and activated two bright orange omni-blades on the edges of her wings, slicing deeply into the big husk as she passed. Not wanting to give the being a chance she immediately turned and lit the omni-blade around her foreleg and stabbed at it.

“Atta girl!” Garrus laughed as he saw the husk collapse but Fluttershy heard she wasn’t finished yet as the creature groaned and tried getting back up. Pointing her sniper rifle at point-blank she pulled the trigger and blew off a significant piece of the being, silencing it for good.

“Careful, these things are really tough,” Warned the others before disappearing into nothingness again, flying back up as she spotted one of the collectors being possessed again.

“Assuming direct control.”

Oh great, Jack’s going to need a hoof on this one.

Fluttershy dove again but avoided getting close with this particular enemy. They’d had trouble with it previously and she wasn’t feeling all too lucky this time. Appearing behind a crate with her sniper rifle brandished Fluttershy fired a round at the collector, damaging its shielding before she had to duck to avoid one of its black biotic attacks. Immediately after though a blue bolt of energy shot overhead in the other direction as Jack slid into cover next to Shy.

“Heh, let’s show that thing what real biotics are like!” Jack Exclaimed as she couldn’t stop the smile on her face, definitely enjoying the fight. The human immediately jumped from cover, charging the being with her entire body aglow with biotic energy.

“Oh, come on!” Fluttershy grumbled as she looked at Jack’s charge, lighting up her own biotics and firing a bolt of energy at the collector to throw off its aim and allow Jack to close the distance and rend the being in half. “Hell yeah!” Jack exclaimed after she’d taken down the large collector.

“Shepard… incoming… collectors… reinforcements...” A really broken up message managed to pierce the interference around the colony as The group finished off the last few attackers of that particular wave of collectors and husks.

“Come again, Normandy?” Shepard called but his transmitter wasn’t able to reach back up to the stealth vessel. Cursing under his breath Shepard turned to Garrus. “Status on those towers?”

“Capacitors at ninety percent and rising fast!” Garrus exclaimed as a new shriek called out over the field, it sounded as if a whole bunch of husks screamed simultaneously but what came flying in was much more horrifying than the corrupted humans. An insectoid like looking beings with a mouth filled to the brim with skulls landed in the courtyard.

“Keep your distance!” Shepard shouted as he opened up. Grunt grumbled a bit at this but followed the command, using his shotgun to tear into the thing’s barrier as well.

“Capacitors fully charged!” Garrus called out at the defense turrets turned to face the ship and opened up. Ear deafening bangs came from all around them as they started chipping rocks and hull off the massive collector vessel.

“Perfect! Now focus fire on that thing!” Shepard exclaimed asthe massive being howled and then shot two beams of bright energy out of its eyes. Jack, being a bit too aggressive, got caught up in the attack, her barrier dropping instantly and being flung back by a violent explosion. Fluttershy who wasn’t far off immediately reacted, sprinting over to the fellow biotic and pulling her into cover before stabbing her with a shot of medi-gel.

“Not gonna lie, that hurt,” Jack groaned as the medi-gel repaired the damage done as best it could. “That’s gonna be another wicked scar though,” she grinned after inspecting the wound.

“That it is, but let’s focus on that after we’ve killed the gigantic reaper drone thing,” Fluttershy snarked, firing a shot with her sniper rifle as she noticed the monster’s barrier having been downed. It roared as chunks were torn off of it from the incoming weapons fire, lighting up with a biotic aura and slamming down before anyone could react. A powerful wave shot off of it as it had instantly regenerated its barrier, knocking back everyone who’d been standing just a tad too close.

“Damnit! Stand clear!” Shepard exclaimed as he pulled his grenade launcher off of his back, firing several of the projectiles at the monster which immediately weakened the new barrier to barely anything. “Kill it before it can do that again!”

Grunt took this as permission to rush forward, headbutting the thing and pumping a slug into it. Garrus also jumped from cover and rapidly cycled his sniper rifle to put as many rounds into it but it looked to be all for naught as the monster got up and started glowing to get ready to recharge its barrier again...

...only to be slammed into from above as an explosion of colored light came from above, followed by the thunderous crack of a sonic boom. The carapace of the monster buckled under the force and the being died from all of the punishment it had received.

“That hurt way more than I’d thought it would...” Rainbow groaned as she stumbled off the corpse and tried to steady herself. Moments later a shuttle appeared overhead and landed in the courtyard as well. The collector ship, which had been receiving continuous fire from the defense batteries, decided it had stuck around long enough and started its engines. Dust blew up from the ground as the massive jet of fire from its engine hit the ground, lifting the ship up and blanketing the entire colony in a haze.

“Commander? Is everyone okay down there?!” With the vessel gone the radio started to work again, allowing Joker to communicate with the ground team.

“We’re in one piece, down here,” Shepard answered as the dust settled a bit and everyone called in that they were good. “Nice job by the way, Rainbow.”

“Hey, when we lost contact with you guys they couldn’t keep me up there!” Dash exclaimed, “I never let my friends down!”

“Heh, just in time as well. It was a good fight,” Grunt chuckled as the human mechanic they’d found a bit back came running into the courtyard.

“No! You can’t just let them go! They have like half the colony in there!” he exclaimed in panic.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t stop a ship that big,” Shepard apologized as he knew there was nothing more he could do.

“Shepard’s right, we activated the defenses but the Normandy isn’t up to the task of fighting that thing right now,” Garrus confirmed getting the man’s attention.

“Shepard? I heard that name somewhere...”

“Commander Shepard, captain of the Normandy, first human Spectre, and savior of the Citadel,” Everyone turned to see a new human walking up, the core trio that had been on the original Normandy immediately recognizing Kaiden as he approached. “He’s a legend… and a ghost… I thought you were dead commander, we all did.”

“Technically I was, Cerberus spent two years rebuilding me,” Shepard answered shaking Kaiden’s outheld hand.

“You’re with Cerberus now?” Kaiden said astonished with a slight undertone of disgust, looking over at Fluttershy and Garrus. “You two as well? I can’t believe the reports were right.”

“It’s not as simple, Kaiden. I know what they’ve done but this has to be done too,” Fluttershy said as the old crew member seemed only to get angrier.

“Isn’t it? You’re working for a terrorist group, Fluttershy, what if they’re just manipulating you all while working with the collectors?!” He exclaimed.

“Kaiden you’re letting your emotions get in the way of facts. You saw what the collectors did here,” Garrus argued to no avail.

“That still doesn’t mean Cerberus isn’t working with them. I know where my loyalties lie, I will never work with that organization over the Alliance. Goodbye commander,” Kaidan exclaimed, turning around and leaving the assembled group.

“Shepard, it’s-” Fluttershy started but as cut off by Shepard.

“His loyalties are where they should be, Fluttershy, I will not fault him for that. Let’s just get back up to the Normandy, I’ve had enough of this place.”

Author's Note

Been working on maps for a DnD game along with some drawing to pass the boredom. Will write more soon.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Old Acquaintances

Chapter 113

Old Acquaintances

Fluttershy had completely taken apart her sniper rifle to replace and upgrade parts as she saw fit, the Normandy’s armory having various upgrades to the current tech in her rifle in its stock. Behind her, Vortash was working on other weapons, the salarian and pegasus not having said much to each other while they were there. The silence persisted for a bit longer until the door that lead to the hallway into the lab opened up and revealed Mordin.

“Professor,” Vortash greeted curtly, looking up from his work momentarily. Fluttershy gave the salarian newcomer more attention.

“Hello doctor Solus, been a while,” Fluttershy said as she put down the part of her rifle that she was working on.

“Indeed. Were very much missed in clinic,” Mordin replied.

“Yeah, I was… indisposed for a bit, doesn’t matter now anyway, I'm pretty sure there'll be a lot more fighting that curing diseases in the coming weeks.”

“Something the professor is very good at,” Vortash quipped from his worktable. Fluttershy looking back at the salarian who she'd worked with on Omega with a raised eyebrow, not having heard the salarian being anything other than completely professional before.

“Team agreed with necessity. We had this conversation with Maelon already. Models were conclusive,” Mordin defended but Fluttershy could hear the ever slight bit of hidden doubt in the professor's voice, though she wasn't sure what it was about.

Time to find out how they know each other.

Clearing her throat, Fluttershy looked between the two salarians. “So, tell me, what's the history here?”

“STG work,” Vortash answered without missing a beat. Fluttershy wanted more than a general answer like that though, it hadn't been hard to gather that either one of them had used to be part of the Special Tasks Group over the time she'd known them.

“Sounds way more personal than that,” Fluttershy stating the obvious.

“Ran a… controversial mission together on Tuchanka. Seems opinion of necessity in team was not as unanimous as previous assumptions. Concerning,” Mordin replied, a huff coming from Vortash.

“We made sure that a complete species would still be on track for extinction,” Vortash spit back at Mordin with venom in his voice. “Not all of us can live with the destruction of a species on our conscience.”

“Data was conclusive. Only adjusted for birthrate to keep population stable! Models were clear on results of inaction. Population would grow explosively!” Mordin defended.

“You insured the genophage remained in place?” Fluttershy cut in, utterly shocked. “Professor, the krogan are dying. I know you’re not stupid, you know the statistics. The genophage is just a really clean looking genocide as it stands.”

“Though Maelon’s work was brutal, his point was right. We’re justifying millions of dead here,” Vortash added. Mordin remained silent for a bit, something very unusual for the salarian.

“Need to… contact some people,” Mordin turned around and marched out of the armory, Fluttershy and Vortash looking at each other in shock.

“Did he just change his mind on it?” Fluttershy asked in shock as she hadn’t expected this result.

“Dunno, we at least had an influence...” Vortash said sounding as surprised as Fluttershy, “Give him time, that’s probably the best bet.”

“Yeah...” Fluttershy stared at the closed door leading to the lab for a bit before turning back to Vortash. “You feel guilty about what you helped do on Tuchanka? Is that why you tried joining up with us on Omega?”

Vortash nodded, “I hoped to bring some more good into the world before I’d go out, Commander Shepard’s mission is, from what I understand, of paramount importance to the survival of the galaxy. If I die helping stop these reapers, I’ll at least know I did so doing something that mattered.”

“Hey, we’re not going out there to die. We’ve got too much work cut out for us,” Fluttershy said resolutely. “I for one have no interest in doing so.”

“Heh, no you don’t. Thanks, Fluttershy,” Vortash smiled. “Should finish up with these weapons before Illium.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement and returned to re-assembling her rifle and making sure all its parts were of the highest quality. Clamping it to her side after getting done she said her good luck to Vortash and made her way out of the armory into the CIC where the elevator to the crew decks. As she waited for it to arrive EDI popped up on the pedestal next to the elevator door.

“The commander wishes to speak with you, if you can head up to his quarters that would be appreciated.”

“Thanks EDI, I will,” Fluttershy replied as the elevator door opened revealing Garrus. “Shepard?”

Garrus nodded. “indeed.”

“Well, let’s not keep him waiting then.” The elevator quickly rose up to the level above where the commander was waiting in his own quarters, sitting at his couch. “Hello, Commander.”

“Ah, Fluttershy, Garrus, have a seat,” Shepard pointed at the couch next to him as he drank some juice he had. “So before I get to the point I wanted to bring up our new griffin crew member.”

“She wanted to stay with me when we were on the Citadel but if you don’t want her here then I will go tell her,” Fluttershy said as she had told Gabby that if Shepard didn’t agree they’d bring her back to the Citadel.

“Oh I was thinking about it but my two head engineers seem to have glued themselves to the thing. Neither of them wants her gone, she’s really smart and apparently helpful with maintenance in the engineering shafts. I’m not taking her through the Omega relay but keeping her, for the time being, won’t be an issue,” Shepard said, explaining his position.

“That’s pretty much what I told her. I think she’ll be happy to hear it,” Fluttershy smiled. “So what was the thing you wanted to talk about?”

Shepard showed a datapad to the two of them. “The illusive man sent me data on the Shadow Broker, he wants me to deliver it to Liara.” Both Garrus and Fluttershy reared back in shock before simultaneously feeling anger bubble up. “I want to cut down the time I spend on Illium to a minimum so I’m giving this to you to deliver to her and relay back to me if she wants to act on the info.”

“Oh, we’ll get it to her,” Garrus growled.

“Good. Take Dash with you, she’ll need the air after being cooped up in the ship again,” Shepard said, giving the tablet over to Garrus, the turian and pegasus standing up and giving Shepard a quick salute.

“Will do, Commander.”

Author's Note

I know, I know, it's been a while. I've not been in the mood for writing with everything going on in the world. I'll try to pick it up again on a bit of a better schedule.

Hope everyone's okay, out in the world with all the crazy crap going on

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Intel

Chapter 114

Intel

“So Liara has been gunning for this ‘Shadow Broker’ for a while now?” Dash asked in surprise as she along with Fluttershy and Garrus walked through the crowds of Illium, getting a whack to the back of her head from Fluttershy’s wing.

“Shush, no saying names when talking about this kind of stuff out in public. You’ve got no idea who’s listening to this stuff around here,” she hissed before looking at Garrus. “You two were here before, right? You must have warned her about this place.”

“Cut her some slack, Shy, she’s still new to this stuff after all,” Garrus defended himself, Fluttershy sighing and turning back to Dash.

“Sorry, the reason for us being here is putting me on edge.”

Rainbow gave her friend a nudge with her wing. “No sweat shy, I can imagine why knowing where we found you.”

“Thanks. Now she’s up there right?” Fluttershy pointed at the office tower overlooking the market district which they were nearly at.

“Eeyup, she’ll probably be in constant calls. We walked in on one of them last time, it was… interesting to say the least,” Garrus chuckled, the doors to the building sliding open and letting the group walk up the stairs towards Liara’s office, the assistant there greeted them as they passed into the office itself. Liara was sitting at her desk, browsing on a holopad.

“Hello Liara,” Fluttershy smiled, as she stepped forward. The asari starting to grin at the sight of the new arrivals and going over to the yellow pegasus, pulling her into a hug.

“Good to see you’re well, Fluttershy,” Liara smiled, Fluttershy chuckling back at her.

“I hear that I have you to thank for that.”

“Well, you were also very fortunate that the ship you were on crashed on Tuchanka as it resupplied. I don’t know if I could have tracked you down fast enough otherwise,” Liara admitted as she stood back up and gave Garrus and Dash a nod. As they took seats at her desk.

“Who said it was a fortunate accident?” Fluttershy smirked grabbing the tablet Shepard had given to pass on, turning more serious. “We’ve got something for you.”

Liara took the tablet and looked at its content, her eyes widening. “This is...”

“...A good chance to get back at that asshole,” Garrus finished for her with a venomous tinge in his voice.

“That’s one way to put it,” Liara admitted. “I’m sorry but I need to cut this meeting short, I’ll need to make a few calls and get some things ready. Meet me at my apartment in three hours. I also know Shepard is on planet, if he could come it would make our lives much easier.”

Garrus nodded, “I’ll give him a call. We’ll see you at your place tonight.”

With the short meetup concluded for the moment, the three left Liara to make her arrangements. Garrus opening his omni-tool to give Shepard a call as they stepped out of the building but couldn’t get a connection to the commander, getting a nudge from Fluttershy as he grumbled.

“He’ll call back when he sees you tried to contact him Garrus. Let’s get ready for tonight, I’ve got this bad feeling we won’t just be discussing our next moves...”

The shuttle Dash, Fluttershy, and Garrus had taken finally came to a halt at the penthouse where Liara lived. They’d tried to contact Shepard but the commander seemed to have dropped off the grid completely for the moment. The three of them entering the building to meet up with their asari friend.

“Wait, what’s going on here?” Dash said as she noticed a whole bunch of police shuttles on the way in.

“Considering what we’re here for, nothing good...” Garrus growled, looking up at the penthouse. “Let’s go figure it out.”

The elevator ride didn’t take that long to rise to the top of the tower and into a hallway where at the end of it a police barrier was set up. Fluttershy cared very little for the little barrier of light, striding right through it. The pegasus’ hood was up, shrouding her face in an unnatural darkness.

“Hey! You’re not allowed in here, this area is sealed off!” the cop who was standing near the entrance called out. Garrus and Dash simply waiting at the barrier to see how Fluttershy would play this one out. The yellow pegasus for one completely ignored the officer and observed the apartment, her eyes falling on holes in the window.

“Those rounds lost a lot of energy punching through there, the glass should have completely shattered. The window was shielded, wasn’t it?” Fluttershy pointed out to the cops that were closing in on her.

“That is correct miss Fluttershy,” an asari called out from a floor up as she came walking down a set of stairs towards the pegasus.

“I’m afraid I don’t know you, ma’am…?” Fluttershy looked at the asari’s armor, finding a Spectre logo on one of her shoulder pads.

“Tela Vasir, Special Tactics and Recon,” Tela answered, looking at the cops in the room. “You officers are dismissed.” The police officers grumbled and complained but moved out of the apartment and allowing Garrus and Dash to pass.

“You seem to be well informed about me,” Fluttershy said casually, inspecting some of the items in the apartment.

“It is part of my job to be aware of things after all. I take it you were here to see your old friend?” Tela continued, looking at the two holes in the window.

“She was following a lead on the Shadow Broker,” Fluttershy stated while looking at a display case with a battered piece of N7 armor in it. “This was Shepard’s...”

“That’s a dangerous enemy to have… and someone really must not have liked him then,” Tela casually mentioned. Garrus meanwhile was taking a look around the apartment himself too while Dash simply listened in on the conversation.

“Not really no… Got any clues on what exactly happened here?” Fluttershy asked.

“Someone took a shot at her twenty five minutes ago. She stuck around her apartment for five minutes after so she must have been doing something important.”

“Cameras?”

“Nothing.”

“Annoying.”

“Very.”

“Mind if I look around for clues?”

“Nope.”

Ending their rapid conversation, Fluttershy started looking through Liara’s stuff, checking the bottom floor first before moving up to the top one where the asari’s bed stood.

“Hey, is that the old Normandy?” Dash spoke up, taking a look at the picture.

“Yeah, it was a good ship. Made a lot of memories on there,” Fluttershy said taking the picture for herself to look at it but the moment she touched it the image changed to that of a prothean dig site. “Whoa.”

“What’s that?” Dash asked, looking the image over.

“It’s a clue,” Fluttershy answered, smiling widely. “That’s a prothean dig site and there’s plenty of prothean artifacts around here. We should check them all out closely.”

“Yes ma’am,” Dash smirked, saluting with her wing and checking out the nearest display case, tapping and prodding at it to see if it held something. Fluttershy went ahead and took a look at the cases on the bottom floor, eventually finding one that lit up the moment she touched it and revealed a data drive.

“Got something!”

Everyone immediately gathered around as they played the video recorded on the drive: A conversation between Liara and a salarian who wanted to meet her at the Baria Frontiers office.

“I know where the trade center is where that’s located. I’ve got my shuttle outside.”

Fluttershy nodded, “Let’s go find her then.”

Author's Note

I really couldn't think up a good vote for the chapter so I'll have one next chapter.

I'm trying to get a job to kill some time so paradoxically that'll probably help with writing by kicking me into gear each day.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

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Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Double Agent

Chapter 115

Double Agent

The shuttle carrying the group of four came to a halt at the trade center where Liara was supposedly heading towards. There was plentiful foot traffic made their way into and about the large building as the group marched towards the office.

“The Baria Frontiers office is located on the third floor. I don’t hear police chatter so we might have gotten here on t-”

KABOOM!

The entire third floor was engulfed in a massive fireball, blowing out every window on the building and neighboring ones while the shockwave threw the entire group to the ground.

“NO!” Fluttershy yelled as fires raged through the building’s floors, debris having fallen down and hit and killed some of the commuters.

“Damnit! I’ll grab the shuttle and seal the building off from the top to make sure no-one gets out!” Tela said rushing back to the vehicle.

“We’ll work from here, see you half-way!” Garrus called back to her before looking at Fluttershy and Dash as the shuttle took off and flew overhead to the roof. “Shy, wing it to the third floor, Find Liara. Dash, take her six, I’ll work from the ground floor.”

“Understood!”
“Got it!”

Fluttershy opened her wings and shot off to the blown-out glass of the third floor, Rainbow hot on her tail as they zoomed into the billowing smoke.

“Whoa!” Dash flared to a halt as they exited the smoke right int the middle of a group of heavily armed mercs. Fluttershy, on the other hand, activated the omni-blades on her wings and tore trough two of them before sliding to a halt.

“Contact! Mercs in the building!” Fluttershy called out over the radio as she engaged the group.

The remaining merks weren’t going to give up that easy either and raised their assault rifles, opening fire at point-blank. Dash yelped as she saw her energy shielding rapidly failing, reflexively bringing up the shotgun and firing a blast at the closest merk that had a go at her. Fluttershy was in a better position as she had flown past the group at first, making use of a pillar to shield herself while taking snapshots around it and nailing the mercs in the head one by one.

Rainbow let out a shriek as her shield failed and a slug punched against the armor itself, stars clouding her vision from the pain. In a panic, she lit her wings up in a biotic aura while simultaneously flapping them in an attempt to fly away… Though that didn’t happen as the aura completely surrounded her and flung her forward at ludicrous speed into the merc, flinging the man back and cracking his neck against the pilar Shy was using as cover.

“You okay Dash?” Fluttershy called out as all the mercenaries were downed. The blue pegasus trembled in place as she looked around.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good,” Rainbow replied, shaking her head as she wasn’t sure what had just happened.

“Good, the Baria Frontiers’ office is right up there. We need to move fast before we get swamped.” Fluttershy took the lead, even though she had the sniper as she noticed Dash being a bit rattled. Fires dotted the ground as more corpses were thrown around, some ripped apart from the previous explosions.

“Found some seriously heavy undetonated explosives down here,” Garrus called in over the radio. “The kind of stuff you use to crack bunkers.”

“Must have been a rushed job then. They were desperate and needed to get this done quick.” Tela replied to the turian.

“That might mean they were sloppy, we could still find Liara in this,” Fluttershy replied as she and Dash moved into the main baria frontiers office, a salarian being held up against the wall by the mercs and having the shit pummled out of him.

“Oh no you don’t,” Fluttershy growled as the rapport of her sniper started the second gunfight she’d had in minutes. Dash once again lit her wings, deliberatrely this time, and gave them an almighty flap, hoping to simulate the move she’d pulled a few minutes before… It worked as she shot forward at top speed and crashed into a merc at the back of the room and sent him flying.

“Dash! Get him into cover!” Fluttershy shouted as the salarian had mad himself small and was crawling away. Rainbow didn’t aknowledge Fluttershy’s order but had within a split second positioned herself between the salarian and the remaining mercs that were rapidly dropping.

“I cleared the mercs on the bottom floors. I just passed your entry point, Shy,” Garrus called out as Fluttershy charged the last merc and cut him down with omni-blades.

“Copy that, we’ve got the salarian alive.”

“You did?” Tela immediately replied, sounding surprised. “I’m there too.”

The Specter came walking down from a stairway that lead further up the building, marching straight towards where Dash was covering the salarian and kneeling down in front of him. “Liara T’Soni, you were meeting her. Where is she, is she alive, and what were you going to give her?”

“S-She asked me to track some coördinates down, told me it was nothing to worry about. I don’t know where she is, she was about to meet me when everything went down!” The salarian held out a data drive of the same type as the one they’d found containing the messsage to this office in the firstplace. Tela immediately snatched the drive up and put it into a pocket. “T-That’s all I know.”

“Shit. Did you two find your friend’s body in the hallways?”

“You mean this body?” Liara strode out of the darkness with a SMG raised at the Specter.

“Liara! What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, gripping her rifle tight to be able to make a quick snapshot if need be there.

“This is the woman who tried to kill me. After the shooting at my appartment I doubled back in the hopes of finding the perpetrator, I found her breaking in.”

Garrus took that moment to run in, taking in the current standoff and raising his rifle towards Tela as well.

“Seems like I’ve been caught, but you’ll never see what’s on this disk you pureblood bitch!” A biotic aura surrounded the glass behind the asari and within the blink of an eye razor sharp shards were flying towards every person in the room.

Fluttershy’s world slowed down as she saw Garrus diving back into the doorway to be safe, Liara put up a biotic shield around her and Rainbow, but the salarian would have no such cover… on the other hand she might be able to stop the rogue Specter right there… or she could tell Dash to charge the asari but that’d put her in danger as well...

Just shield the salarian, no point in putting Rainbow in danger.

Shield the salarian and tell Dash to charge

The Salarian served his purpose regardless, that data is too important.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

My room is a pressure cooker... It's so stupidly hot.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20435777
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Rogue

Chapter 116

Rogue

Just shield the salarian, no point in putting Rainbow in danger. 46%

Fluttershy growled as she jumped in front of the salarian, bringing up her wings to create a bubble of biotic energy around the salarian and herself. Shards of glass disintegrating against the shield right as it went up. Tela took this time to sprint out of the window, using her biotics to slow her fall as she descended from the third floor. Liara let out a growl, dropped her shield, and tore after the asari.

“Great,” Fluttershy muttered under her breath before running after her friend and jumped out the window as well. Dash remained still for a bit longer, looking over at Garrus who rolled his eyes as he watched his marefriend jump after the two asari.

“Think you can give me a lift down?” he groaned, Dash shaking her head sheepily. “I’ll start running then, make sure neither do something stupid until I get there.”

Garrus turned back and sprinted down the hallway while Dash ran after Fluttershy and soared out of the broken window. Using wings she caught up real fast with Fluttershy and Liara, the only thing stopping them from closing in further being the constant fire and biotic attacks though shots were getting through to her.

“You won’t get away, you bitch!” Liara shouted as she sent a particularly powerful biotic wave at the Spectre, Tela rolling out of the way.

“We’ll see about that!” the running asari ran to the side, jumping off the side of the structure they were running over into her empty shuttle before blasting off.

“Damnit!” Liara growled calling her own shuttle in to follow her. Garrus arriving at the scene completely out of breath.

“Come on Liara, we still have the salarian to get the data from,” Fluttershy tried to argue but Liara huffed as she jumped in the new shuttle that arrived.

“And leave her to attack us again? Don’t think so. Get in.” Garrus stepped in but Fluttershy lingered with Rainbow standing right behind her.

“Go ahead, we’ll fly along.” Liara nodded and closed the shuttle door, tearing after the fleeing shuttle as Fluttershy and Dash took to the air. “There’s something wrong with her. She’s way more aggressive than she used to.”

“Must have been a tough few years for her then,” Dash shouted back in confusion as the two of them flew at high speeds, winds tearing at them as they followed the shuttle and evaded other traffic in the air.

“I guess so… but I know it’s not good f-”
“Down!” Without question Fluttershy lowered her altitude and trailing Dash as she shouted the warning, a shuttle soared right over them as they crossed a flight track for parallel traffic.

“Damnit, that was way too close! We need to take that shuttle down before it gets a chance to take us out!” The chase continued on and one as the shuttles trailed by the two pegasi soared through tunnels, ongoing traffic, and through narrow passages between buildings. “We need to stop this.”

Fluttershy flared her wings coming to a swift stop as they reached an open space, the shuttles racing off and becoming really small as she aimed down sight and calculated her shot. Dash came to a stop a little further on, looking back at her friend as she hung practically frozen in the air, only her wings moving, showing a scary amount of control over her flight.

Crack!

Tela’s shuttle immediately started trailing smoke and banked to the side, slowing down and crashing on the roof of a building to the side. Dash’s mouth dropped open at the sheer precision at which Fluttershy had hit the shuttle.

“Dash, we got to get the roof before she has a chance to run or Liara does something stupid,” Fluttershy said, pulling Rainbow out of her awe induced trance.

“Right, yeah, let’s go.” The two pegasi raced towards the building while Liara’s shuttle landed further up on the roof, Garrus smirked as Fluttershy landed next to him.

“Nice shot there, little angel,” He said as he smirked, Liara on the other hand just marched off towards the crashed shuttle with her SMG trained on the wrecked vehicles. Checking the inside and grunting as she found it empty.

“Found blood over here!” Dash called out as she noticed droplets leading away from the smoking shuttle.

“Good, that means she’s slowed down,” Liara said coldly, starting to follow the blood trail. Fluttershy shared a concerned glance with Garrus before activating her stealth cloak and following the asari’s lead.

Stains of blood lead along the floor with footsteps inside them. They passed various apartments where security bots had been dispatched and a couple of terrified hotel attendees, into a lightly crowded open area where they found the Spectre limping away.

“Hold it right there! It’s over Vasir!” Liara aimed her gun but Tela pulled someone from the crowd and placed her pistol against the human’s head, the rest of the people there noticing the situation and running away from the roof.

“Really now? Wouldn’t it be sad if thi-” Before she could finish the pistol was jerked from her hand, the hostage thrown off of her, and tackled to the ground as Fluttershy re-appeared with an omni-blade only a hair away from the Spectre’s throat.

“You. do. not. threaten. Civilians.” Fluttershy growled into Vasir’s face pressing the blade a little deeper before letting her go and stepping back. Tela tried to get back up but the amount of blood lost was weakening her too much. “Why? Why would you do this for the Shadow Broker?”

“Because he’s been giving info for years that has kept the Citadel safe,” she spat, coughing up some blood. “So if it takes taking out a couple of targets then yes, it’s worth it.”

“And blowing up an entire floor of a building, murdering hundreds is justified then?” Fluttershy shot back at her, “I know a little about how this works and what you did crossed many lines…”

Vasir chuckled as Liara approached, her pistol still aimed. “It won’t matter if you kill me. The broker will just send in the next person to take you out.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Crack!

A hole appeared in the wall next to Vasir’s head as Fluttershy’s wing had pushed aside Liara’s pistol right on time.

“No. We’re not killing her.”

“She is going to come after us again, you know that right?” Liara said annoyed.

“It won’t matter, by the time she’s back on her feet we’ll be done. We can get her to face consequences later. She followed a bad path for good reasons, if we’re going to kill her for that then you might as well shoot me right here and be done with it.” Fluttershy said, turning back to the asari and in a smooth motion jabbed something into her neck. Vasir’s eyes rolled up in her skull and she passed out. “That should put her to sleep for a good while and keep her alive.”

Liara stayed quiet as Fluttershy passed the data-drive Vasir had taken over to Liara. “We act as judge, jury, and executioner, we walk the thin line of becoming like her too… we might have already become her in some cases.” Fluttershy shook her head. “Let’s just get out of here, we should try getting in contact with Shepard to plan our next move.”

Author's Note

Ugh, still no job since there are simply none to be found... Guess I did manage to finish my Space Marine cosplay. I'll post pics in either next chapter or a blog post sometime soon:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Lair...

Chapter 117

Lair...

“Thank you for helping me again Shepard, I couldn’t wait for this opportunity to slip out of my hands,” Liara thanked Shepard as she, the commander, Fluttershy, Garrus, and Dash walked through the Normandy’s CIC. They’d dropped off Vasir at one of Liara’s contacts to make sure they’d be able to pick her up at a later date and return her to the Citadel.

“Well, of course. It also helps that if you’re right we might be able to get a massive hurdle out of our ways by taking out the broker,” Shepard replied with a smile. “I’m glad to see you’re alright, Liara.”

“You’re telling me that?” Liara smirked, “You were dead for almost two years, I’m pretty sure you had it much worse.”

“Just a scratch,” Shepard smirked back, stopping at the elevator and looking at the others who were following. “Mind giving her a tour while I get us on our way?”

“We’ll show her this baby’s new features,” Garrus smirked as he pushed into the elevator while Shepard stepped onto his platform on the CIC to get the Normandy on its way.

“She looks much roomier than the old one already,” Liara mentioned as the elevator went down into the crew quarters of the ship, Garrus chuckled and nodded.

“Definitely. The main cannon is also a sight to behold on this baby, though I’ve got some ideas on how to improve her somewhat,” Garrus deviously said, glancing at the front of the ship where the cannon’s controls were located.

“I’m sure you do, Garrus,” Liara chuckled in response to Garrus’ enthusiasm, before looking around and swiftly but thoroughly examined all the crew members that were roaming around. “Are they trustworthy?”

“They’re not familiar with Cerberus’ other activities,” Fluttershy answered, “They only know about the collectors, except the black-haired ice queen of course,” Fluttershy said, nodding at Miranda as she made her way back into her office.

“Good to know.”

“Garrus would you mind leading Liara around? I want to check up on Gabby,” Fluttershy asked, Rainbow standing behind her and nodding as she was interested in seeing the young griffin too.

“Go ahead, we’ll catch up later,” Garrus agreed.

“I’ll message you later too, I want to give you all some intel on what we’re getting into before we get there,” Liara added.

“Sounds good, see you two in a bit then,” Fluttershy smiled, heading back into the elevator along with Dash and walking into engineering as they arrived on the right floor. Fluttershy and Dash found Gabriella, Ken, and Gabby standing at the various consoles in the main area of engineering.

“...Did ya calibrate the attenuators, Gab?” Ken asked the little griffin who was sitting on a box that allowed her to easily reach the console that was more made for creatures that walk on two legs.

“Eeyup, everything running at peak efficiency again. We even might be able to increase the efficiency is we were to- Oh hey Fluttershy, Dash!” Gabby’s train of thought was immediately cut off as she noticed the two ponies. The little griffin was wearing a black and white work outfit and had all sorts of tools strapped to her torso and legs, a set of goggles placed on her head.

“You seem to be adjusting very well to the Normandy,” Fluttershy smiled as Gabby jumped over and hugged.

“Much better than adjusting actually, she’s been a tremendous help around here,” Gabriella said, turning away from her own work.

“A bloody genius that lass is what Gabriella means,” Ken laughed, nudging the other human on the arm. “Her size makes her the perfect candidate to walk through the Normandy’s maintenance tunnels and check up on systems.”

“And improve them!” Gabby pointed out smugly.

“Aye, and improve them indeed.”

“So what’s up with the outfit?” Rainbow asked, fist-bumping the young griffin.

“Oh, it helps protect me while working and gives me pockets to store stuff in,” Gabby chuckled, jumping back onto her box. “So what have you two been up to?”

“Oh you know, tracking down data, shooting shuttles from the sky, fighting Spectre’s, that kind of stuff,” Rainbow said with a massive smirk on her face, pushing against Fluttershy with a wing. “Generally being awesome.”

“That sounds amazing! Want to tell me about it later? We kinda have to get this done to make sure the Normandy keeps running.” Gabby pointed at the console she’d been working at.

“Of course, well come by again when we find some time,” Fluttershy smiled.

“Ha, we should play a game of poker when you do, it’ll be fun,” Ken smirked turning back to his work as well.

“We’ll keep you to that,” Rainbow replied cockily before her and Fluttershy’s omni-tools buzzed. “Well, I guess we’ll see you later. Liara is going to brief us upstairs.”

“That’s… insane,” Garus said, looking at the hologram of the planet in front of him. One side of it was blazing hot from the light of the sun while the other was frozen over completely.

“The Shadowbroker’s ship flies exactly in the region between the two sides of the planet where a thunderstorm permanently rages,” Liara explained, zooming in on the spot that supposedly held the ship.

“We should be able to land somewhere on the top of the ship and find a way inside form there,” Shepard said, bringing up the blurry hologram of the ship that Cerberus had provided.

“Indeed, once inside we’ll look for the broker and a friend of mine he has,” Liara confirmed.

“We can’t all fit into the shuttle, Shepard, you’ll have to pick out a strike team of five for this one,” Miranda pointed out, getting a nod from Shepard.

“Obviously Liara comes. Grunt, I want you there for the close quarters of the ship.” The krogan pounded its chest and gave a huff of approval. “You too, Jack.” Shepard picked as he looked at the human biotic before briefly falling silent and looking over the other assembled team members.

“You were part of a ‘weather team’ back on your home, right Rainbow Dash?” Shepard asked, “Ever had to deal with lightning?”

“Pretty much every time the Everfree would act up, all of Ponyville’s weather team is lightning proficient actually,” Dash said with a slight glimmer in her eyes.

“Good, I want someone with who can stop us from doing stupid things in that thunderstorm. You’re my number five,” the Commander stated. “Let’s get ready for this raid.”

Author's Note

Still nothing on jobs... :ajbemused:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Appointments

Chapter 120

Appointments

Shining trotted through over the walkways of the Citadel’s wards, passing all sorts of aliens who were going about their day and barely noticed the passing pony. Shining took a turn to arrive at his final destination, a small restaurant he’d found in his exploration of the space station’s districts.

“Ah, hello there mister Armor, it’s good to see you again,” a quarian server greeted as he walked in.

“Good morning, Laani. Business going well today?” Shining asked as he took a seat at the table he usually sat at.

“We had a decent group of asari come by this morning, they appreciated the food though I don’t think they appreciated me,” the quarian admitted, getting her tablet to place Shining’s order. “The usual?”

“Yes. Don’t worry about those asari, I’m sure your service is highly appreciated.” Shining smiled as she nodded and walked off to the kitchen to get the order. Shining had found himself strangely attracted to the quarians as they had a good understanding of how it felt not being able to get home. He also knew of the bigotry against the species a lot of the other species towards the quarian so the restaurant hiring one was a rarity indeed, one that.

“You seem troubled,” Fidelis said, only broadcasting through the earpiece in Shining’s ear. “Shouldn’t you be elated that the investigation couldn’t pin anything on you?”

Shining sighed and shook his head. “I just despise the lying I have to do on this matter. I guess I’m at least a little glad I can focus on other things again. Admiral Hacket wanted to have me measured up so that he could have the equipment he owes me custom made.”

“I could help out with that? I do have pony physiology stored in my databanks,” Fidelis offered.

“I think Hacket is trustworthy but if word goes out about you… well, you know what the Citadel’s laws are.”

Laani then came back with a tray holding a salad, a glass of water, and a set of apples. “Have a nice meal, mister Armor.”

“Thanks,” Shining smiled as he was left alone again and dug into his salad.

“Yeah, I know. I just feel useless sitting in here. I used to have the assembly lines to make all of this myself,” Fidelis huffed, slightly annoyed at her own failure to find anything.

“I know the feeling. I wonder how Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are doing out there with the Commander,” Shining sighed as he finished the salad, levitating over one of the apples and biting down on it.

“I’m sure they are fine, your yellow pegasus friend is a fine warrior.”

“I guess so...” Shining sighed, taking another bite from his apple. “Anyway, how is your search for Equis going?”

“Nothing on my part sadly. I checked out Earth’s records but it seems all our installations that used to be placed were thoroughly removed,” Fidelis grunted, “My inquiries into any low tech worlds on record have yet to confirm any anomalies or direct observations of the planet. If what Princess Luna has told me is true then that’s what we should have expected.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine the Citadel races, or any for that matter, around here looking for invisible planets,” Shining sighed again. “We’ve got a stupidly tough job, don’t we?”

“Could have been easier, yes, but I won’t complain. It’s better than being stuck and slowly freezing to death over the course of thousands of years,” the AI plainly stated, making Shining cringe.

“Sounds like a much better fate indeed.”

Finishing his drink and second apple, Shining paid for his breakfast and was back on his way. Taking a taxi shuttle up to the presidium again to meet up with the Princess. After landing close to the embassy district the unicorn walked the final bit of distance towards his destination. Luna had managed to procure a small building adjacent to the Human embassy to use as a consulate, something Shining was very impressed with considering how sought after buildings in the area were. Not that the size was anything amazing, as it only had a small lobby with one office and a storage room.

“Good morning, Princess,” Shining greeted as he found Luna behind the console in the office. The Princess had her hair tied back into a ponytail and was wearing a simple white dress, the races of the citadel didn’t seem to appreciate anyone but the hanar move around without any clothes.

“Good morrow, Captain,” Luna said absentmindedly, focussing on her screen as Shining walked up to the back window to look out over the presidium. Fidelis appearing on a holoprojector next to the Captain. “Any news about Equis?”

“Nothing yet. Earth was a dud and there are no references in Citadel records, I checked.” Fidelis answered for Shining as she was the main researcher on that front. “I still need to search through prothean relics for mentions of outposts or colonies but I fear that I won’t find anything there either. I would like to access the Mars ruin but I’d have to get someone to take me there.”

Luna sighed as she looked up from her work for a moment. “I’ll see what I can do but don’t expect miracles.”

“Wasn’t expecting you to. Thanks, Princess.” Fidelis made a little bow to Luna as Shining turned around again.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Princess, what are you working on?” He asked as he glanced at the screen.

“Fluttershy had a significant amount of personal savings she gave me access to, I’ve been ‘managing’ it. I have a couple of investor’s meetings today and tomorrow to attend to.” A small devious smile found its way onto her face, “I’ve found it very gratifying to put cocky asari in their place once they realize they are but children to me.”

“I’m sure you do, Princess,” Shining chuckled, his omni-tool starting to beep from an incoming call. “Fluttershy? I wasn’t expecting a call from you,” he stated, putting the connection on speaker so Luna could listen in.

“I wasn’t expecting to have to call. Dash is in trouble.” Fluttershy stated, her face appearing on the projector of Shining’s omni-tool. “She was badly hurt while… resolving an issue. We’re currently at Huerta’s. I just wanted to fill you in, could you tell the Princess?”

“I’m here, Fluttershy,” Luna informed the pegasus. “What are her injuries?”

“From what I understand she was hit by multiple pulses of electricity, the last one being a substantial shock. From what Normandy’s scanners could determine she’s heavily burned.”

Luna frowned and thought for a moment. “I’m canceling my appointments if she suffered such grievous wounds from lightning then her magic might be depleted.”

Shining’s mind immediately reminded himself that he knew the spell to refill another pony’s wellspring too. “Princess, I can go as well. I know the spell and my appointment can be moved much easier than yours.”

“I could also give medical advice?” Fidelis suggested, lines of code flashing in front of her as she was probably already looking into treatments.

“Absolutely not, that would require you revealing yourself. Dash would not want you to sacrifice yourself for her because have no illusion about what they’ll do to you.” Fluttershy immediately protested. “They will de-activate and destroy you.”

Shining grimaced as he saw the Princess look back at her screen to her work…

Let the Princess go, she’s way more knowledgable on magic depletion.

Urge the princess to let himself go, but keep Fidelis hidden.

Urge the princess to let himself go and allow Fidelis to assess and help.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Getting back into the mood and flow for the story :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20612375
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Hospital

Chapter 121

Hospital

Let the Princess go, she’s way more knowledgable on magic depletion. 47%

Luna signed and looked typed a message into her omni-tool. “I will be going Captain, I would be remiss if I let one of the few subjects I have here to perish without me doing the utmost to help. Doubly so for one of the bearers.”

Shining gave her a respectful nod in return. “As you wish, Princess.”

“You go meet your appointment. Having those sets of armor ready would be a massive boon to our efforts were we to find our home again,” The Princess said as she closed down her workstation. “I'll meet you soon at the hospital, Fluttershy.”

“See you when you arrive. We're on the fifth floor, emergency room four.” Fluttershy closed the call again as she likely was busy filling in the doctors about pony physiology.

“We shall meet up later again, I need to go.”

“Of course, I'll be over at the hospital once I'm done as well.”

With that Luna strode out of her little building, across the street to a taxi parking area where she got one of the shuttles to take her to the hospital. Once there she found the hallways relatively quiet so she could stride swiftly to the emergency room was located, multiple doctors walking in and out of the room and moving equipment.

“Is this the room my subject is in?” Luna asked of one of the doctors. The asari looking over and making an awkward little bow.

“Yes it is, we were told by miss Fluttershy to wait with any serious treatment until you arrived.” The asari led her into the room where Rainbow lay on the bed, Fluttershy sitting at the edge of the room so she wasn't in the way of the doctors. Rainbow, though, looked like a mess. Her hair was blackened and at least half the length it had previously been, her armor that had already been black was only charred further and around its neckline blisters were plainly visible for anyone to see.

“How much do we know about her injuries?” Luna asked as she lit her horn for a scan of her own.

“From what we understand she was subjected to an extreme amount of energy, scans revealed that her skin below the bodysuit is completely burned away. Her internal organs seem to be fine which, considering the state of her skin, is a bloody miracle. We're prepping to remove the armor and undersuit so we can access and tre-”

“You can't,” Luna interrupted as she looked up from Rainbow briefly and once again lit her horn, the armor becoming slightly translucent which revealed the burned mess that lay below, a faintly glowing red gem embedded in her undersuit under the main chest plate. “Understand that our species has a very tight connection to magic and miss Dash here is completely out of hers… and that's not even the worst of it.” Adjusting the spell slightly, Luna made the undersuit light up in a faint red aura. “The gem on her chest has been the driving force in keeping her alive, I can feel it trying to heal her skin even though it's practically not there anymore.”

“So removing the undersuit and element would disturb that?” Fluttershy asked getting a nod from the princess in confirmation.

“We can't leave it on either though, our scans revealed that what remains underneath is fusing with the suit itself!” the asari doctor protested, bringing up a hologram with the particular scan open. “If we don't remove it now it might very well not be possible to ever take it off without killing her, not to mention that leaving it on might be just as lethal.”

“Can't we treat her through the medical ports in her armor?” Fluttershy asked, trying to see if there were other options but only got the asari shaking her head.

“Half of them have molten shut and we can't treat something like this where all of them available anyhow.”

Fluttershy rubbed her head as she went over all the information she'd just gotten. “So to get this all straight, we either take off the undersuit and risk the Element stopping its efforts to keep her alive or we leave the undersuit and armor on and have a chance she succumbs to her injuries?”

“Leaving it on also means she won't ever be able to take it off ever again,” the asari added, “We also don't know how it'll affect her movement, this isn't exactly something we deal with often.”

“If the Element does its job well then it's my opinion it won't affect her in the slightest,” Luna chimed in as she refocused on some small patches where the red magic wasn't active, the tissue below cleanly bound to the undersuit and had none of the damaged scarrings that covered the rest of her body.

“That's amazing… and impossible,” the asari gasped as she saw the healthy tissue. “I'm sorry but I don't have a good understanding of how this magic of yours works. My medical recommendation is still to remove the undersuit, graft some skin from her neck, and clone it to give her a brand new skin.”

“That's provided she survives the removal of the suit in the first place,” Luna pointed out again.

“What is the survival chance of the procedure, doctor?” Fluttershy asked, swallowing as she trembled slightly.

“Something this extensive? Honestly, one in ten is probably a positive estimate,” the asari admitted, sending a cold chill down Fluttershy's before she looked over to Luna for her assessment.

“Better than one in ten but even I have to admit I do not know what the element is exactly doing, they're mostly an enigma to me as well. My assessment is just the best I can give with what I can see and sense.”

“But she'll most likely have a permanent reminder of what happened fused to her body.”

“Yes.”

Fluttershy looked back over to the unconscious form of Rainbow as the room was uncomfortably silent, Luna and the few doctors in the room quietly looking at her.

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Fluttershy asked as she noticed.

“Well, from what I've gathered Rainbow Dash practically considers you her next of kin if anyone should make this decision it should be someone she considers family.

Fluttershy's face became even paler than before, looking back at Dash's peaceful form, old anxiety she hadn't felt in a long time bubbled back up along with the associated doubts.

They want me to choose… how can I pick between two options that might kill my best friend…

Have the undersuit removed and graft new skin.

Leave the suit on and let the Element do its thing.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Probably going to work towards the ME2 end well and truly now, only a couple of things I need to happen for the start of the ME3 but I've got my plans for Equestria ready.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20622483
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Recovery

Chapter 122

Recovery

Leave the suit on and let the Element do its thing. 64%

Shining trotted into the hospital with a set of saddlebags filled with some takeout food. He’d been bringing the food over to the hospital for days as Fluttershy wouldn’t leave Dash’s side and no doctor was brave enough to make her leave. It also hadn't helped that she'd agreed to Garrus remaining on the Normandy to support Shepard as Jack needed a couple of days to recover herself and they were on a tight timetable for some of the recruitment

Rainbow over the course of a few days had improved vastly, beyond what any of the staff had considered possible. Though there had been some tense moments while they tried to clean up some of the worst mess they could reach through the suit’s medical ports, the element flaring up on multiple occasions while doing so and sending Rainbow's vital signs all over the place.

Walking into the room where Dash laid, Shining found Fluttershy asleep on her chair next to the bed. Not wanting to rouse the yellow pegasus, Shining quietly trotted to the little table next to the bed and placed the food he'd brought on there. Stepping up to Dash he lit his horn and cast the spell to replenish the pegasus’s wellspring as he’d done for days…

...only this time Shining found it to be completely full.

The monitoring equipment immediately lit up like a Christmas tree, blaring alarms as the values spiked to dangerous highs once again. Fluttershy immediately shot up to see what was happening as she noticed Shining standing over Rainbow. “What did you-”

At that moment Rainbow sprung from the bed, pushing over various pieces of equipment before collapsing on the floor at the foot of the bed and looking around in confusion.

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy exclaimed as a set of doctors came running into the room, the newcomers looking astonished at the fact Dash was awake already.

“Shy? What… where are we? Why can I barely feel my legs?” Rainbow asked poking her legs in absolute confusion.

“Well, we’re on the Citadel at Huerta Medical center,” Fluttershy slowly said, coming closer and wrapping a wing around Dash. “You hurt yourself… Badly.”

Rainbow stared into nothingness for a bit before frowning. “Did we get him?” she growled, looking Fluttershy in the eyes.

“You definitely did,” Fluttershy said, a slight smile on her face in an attempt to comfort the other mare.

“Good, my memories are… foggy at best,” Dash groaned, screwing around with her legs again, “So what did I hurt this time?”

“If I could interrupt, we’d like for you to go back into the bed miss Dash,” One of the two nurses pointed out to Rainbow as they’d recovered from the shock somewhat.

“I guess...” Rainbow grumbled, slowly getting onto her hooves and climbing onto the bed. “Though that still doesn’t tell me why I’m feeling so numb.”

Fluttershy looked over to Shining who motioned for her to tell Dash what was wrong. The two doctors proceeding to reconnect the knocked over machines in the meanwhile. “You got hit by a really powerful bolt of energy, your fur and skin under the bodysuit is pretty much completely gone. Either we got you out of the suit or left you in it, both had a chance of being fatal.”

“Though the recovery you’ve made over the last five days is beyond remarkable. You've got someone up there looking over your shoulder,” one of the nurses cut in. “The doctors estimated you’d be out for at least a month with how it looked. Even longer for the recovery.”

Rainbow though didn’t even hear what the nurse said as she tried prying at the suit, finding it to be completely stuck on. Her breathing accelerated along with the beeping sound that indicated her heart’s beats per minute.

“Rainbow I-”

“I need to get out of here,” Rainbow simply stated, jumping off the bed again, much more landing on much stabler hooves this time, darting for the door as the two nurses protests fell on deaf ears. The pegasus rushed into the hallway, surprising some more hospital staff as she darted past in search of an exit.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!” Dash paused for a moment as it wasn’t Fluttershy’s voice that called out to her but Shining’s.

“I need air. Outside.” Dash pointed at the window which overlooked the green plants and gleaming buildings of the Presidium. Not waiting for an answer she turned and ran through the doors which were marked exit, ignoring some of the other shouts behind her as she exited the hospital. Opening her wings Dash shot into the air at immense speed, briefly gaining altitude before diving towards the large basins that ran all throughout the middle of the Presidium and soaring very close over the water’s surface.

Rainbow’s entire body felt weird as the undersuit tugged at her body in weird ways as it followed and warped under her muscle’s movement… She hated every second of it. Pushing her wings even harder, a spray of water shooting up behind her as the vacuum in her wake pulled it up from the reservoirs.

Why me? Why would she do this to me? Rainbow’s eyes teared up from the immense speed she was reaching. But what could she have done differently...

Rainbow roared in frustration as she pulled up, landing on top of the hospital’s roof as she finished lapped the presidium ring in minutes, and just looked out over the shuttles that were going about their business.

“Tough day?” Rainbow jumped at the voice and found a female, hooded, black-clad human sitting next to her, dangling her legs over the edge of the roof.

“Pretty much,” she replied, settling down again but not lowering her guard completely. “Not every day you hear your skin melted off and are stuck in a suit.” Rainbow lowered her head and looked down at the armor that now encased her, her eyes drifting towards her flank as she made another realization. “I don’t have a cutie mark anymore...” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “N-no that can’t be!”

Right as she was about to panic she felt a hand on her shoulder, the human looking at her from under the darkness of her hood. “Does that change who you are?”

Rainbow was lost for words as she tried to find a reply to that question.

“Does the loss of your mark change you in there?” the human prodded at the main plate of her armor. That got her thinking, the answer being fairly simple.

“No.”

“Then do not let it weigh you down, your friend did not mean anything but the best for you.”

“Wait how did you...” By the time Rainbow looked up the human had already disappeared into nothing, leaving her completely alone on the overhang as C-Sec shuttles were approaching the overhang. “...Ah, crap.”

Author's Note

Went overtime, it's 0118 now but I wanted it out before sleep

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

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Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Back to work

Chapter 123

Back to work

Rainbow sat on the balcony of the consulate's office after Luna had gotten her out of custody, the Princess herself wasn't there anymore as she had meetings to catch up to. The hospital had begrudgingly agreed to sign her out as Rainbow had absolutely no intention of going back there and let nurses worry about her while she would be stuck in a bed. Dash hadn't seen Fluttershy yet but wasn't really that angry with her anymore, she'd of course look into ways of fixing herself but for now would live with the condition as it didn't seem to hamper her too much other than general discomfort.

Sighing deeply Rainbow looked at the messages on her omni-tool for the hundredth time, reading the message from the Commander once again. The Normandy would be docked at the Citadel by now already so she should be getting up to the docking bay to rejoin the crew while Shepard took care of some business with a new crew member picked up on Illium. Picking herself up from the ground Rainbow proceeded to find a shuttle to take her over to the docks instead of flying in the direction herself’, from there it wasn’t a long walk until she found the stealth corvette attached to the station’s docking clamps. The airlock automatically opened as she approached, cycling its decontamination system.

“Welcome back aboard, Rainbow. Glad to see you in one piece after we pulled you out of that other ship,” Joker greeted, having turned around his chair away from. “Gabby in particular was distraught seeing you like that.”

Rainbow winced slightly. “Is she okay now?”

“Better but I think seeing you about will cheer her up some more,” Joker said as he turned his chair back around to face his controls again. “Oh and Fluttershy’s at the main battery along with Garrus screwing around with the Normandy’s new gun.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Rainbow said as she walked deeper into the ship, only to stop right before she entered the elevator down and moving over to the lab instead. Professor Solus was humming a tune while working as Rainbow entered.

“Ah, Rainbow Dash. Unexpected. Not used to seeing you here. Must be matter of injury?” Mordin immediately said as he noticed Rainbow enter.

“Yeah, just wanted to ask if you may have any solutions?”

“Hmm, troubling. Unsure. Will look into. Skin graft not feasible in limited timetable of Reaper’s arrival,” Mordin thought out loud. “But! Need to work on collector drone countermeasures. Not effective enough yet.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it then,” Dash said, walking out of the lab and now went down for real, passing through the crew quarter towards the frontal battery. Some of the crew looked surprised to see her up and about but did leave her alone.

“The Thanix was reverse-engineered from Sovereign’s main armament after it was salvaged. The stuff is technically top secret… unless you know the right people of course.” Garrus could be heard talking from the side of the cannon.

“It’s also a massive drain on our power systems,” Gabby’s voice pointed out. “If you’d just let me...”

“Change my settings? You’d mess up my calibrations completely!” Garrus replied as Dash peaked around the corner, finding Garrus and Gabby facing off with Fluttershy in between.

“What’s going on here?”

All three others in the room turned to look at her, Gabby and Garrus with a look of surprise though Fluttershy had her face hidden underneath her hood.

“Rainbow!” the little griffin leaped over and pulled her into a crushing hug. “I’m so happy you’re okay!”

“You seem quite well, colors,” Garrus smiled, though Fluttershy remained quiet in the shadows.

“Better than it could have been,” she admitted, ruffling the feathers on Gabby’s head before turning to Fluttershy. “Shy-”

“I’m sorry, I-” Fluttershy cut her off only for Rainbow to do the same as she pulled her into a hug.

“Shy, I’m beyond pissed that I’m stuck in this stupid thing but I don’t blame you for that. I’m walking again and we’ll find a fix later because I don’t really feel like going like this for the rest of my life,” Rainbow plainly told her, “There’s plenty crazy stuff out in this galaxy that can probably fix me.”

“Ahh, that’s sweet!” Gabby cooed, “Almost as sweet as it would be if you gave me access to the Thanix’s power distribution and control systems, Garrus,” she added with an as sweet as possible voice.

“How about you two work together on the system?” Fluttershy chuckled along with Dash before the yellow pegasus tried to meditate again. “Neither of you is going to get everything you want if you can both get like seventy percent you’ll both at least be happy.”

Garrus grunted and sighed, “Fine, we’ll work something out.” Gabby cheered in response as she pulled the turian along to the control panel where they started talking tech on the ship’s specifications and power control.

“Let’s leave those tow to do their thing, they’ll need some time to hash things out,” Fluttershy smiled, leading the two of them out of the cannon’s control bay. “Dash I’m really s-”

“Drop it Shy, I want it off my mind for the moment.”

Fluttershy felt silent as she followed Rainbow to the port observation deck where she jumped on one of the barstools, getting a drink from behind the bar.

“Ugh, they still don't have cider for us,” Rainbow grumbled as she settled for a turian beer.

Fluttershy smirked deviously as she picked two human ciders from behind the bar and opened them up. “Who says they don’t?”

Rainbow stared at the can for a moment. “You know we can’t drink these, right? They’re levo drinks.”

Shy just shrugged and chugged down a swallow of the drink. “It’s something Shining actually found out via Fidelis. The Earth’s apple trees are far related to Equestrian apples. Ponies apparently can consume both types of food even though we're dextro's.”

Dash looked at the cider in front of her in wonder before looking back over to Fluttershy. “How in the world did you not figure this out earlier? Didn't you ever accidentally eat the wrong food?”

“Of course not!” Fluttershy said slightly offended, “I'm very careful with what I eat.”

Dash snickered as she took her first sip of the cider, quickly followed by the whole can. “Oh, that's good. I really missed cider. Not that these are anywhere near as good as AJ's stuff of course.”

The two of them shared a couple more drinks in peace before Fluttershy spoke up again. “Think we'll ever see them again?”

“Duh, of course,” Rainbow replied full of confidence. “We've got a group of awesome friends both here and at home, as long as that's the case I won't give up on them.” Dash was then reminded of something she'd found on Omega. A stack of singed and crumpled letters coming out of a storage compartment of her armor, the distinct cutie marks of their other 4 friends still visible. “You shouldn't either.”

Fluttershy looked a bit paler as she recognized them. “Thanks Rainbow.”

The intercom then blared to life as the Commander spoke. “Normandy crew, prepare for imminent departure. We've gotten intel on a disabled collector ship we will be investigating.”

Downing the last bit of cider Rainbow placed the can into the recycler. “Guess we'll be going back to work then.”

“Let's go find the commander then, I'm sure we'll have a briefing soon.”

Author's Note

Collector ship up next! After that just Tali, Reaper IFF, and the little bit that happens after... I've got something big coming. :rainbowdetermined2:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector Vessel - Disabled

Chapter 124

Collector Vessel - Disabled

Fluttershy, Rainbow, Shepard, Grunt, and Garrus stepped out of the shuttle that had brought them into the massive collector vessel, their weapons raised in case of resistance to their arrival. They’d found the collector vessel floating in space next to the three turian vessels that had supposedly disabled it.

“I don’t like the sight of this, Shepard,” Garrus muttered as he looked around the cavern they found themselves in. “I don’t know of any weapons in my people’s arsenal that can disable this thing without thoroughly blowing it apart.”

“Well, maybe we’ll figure out how it’s possible when we get access to the ship’s data banks,” Shepard answered taking point with Grunt as they moved through the hive-like halls of the vessel checking every corner only to find it to be a lifeless husk… literally.

“All those pods, there most be hundreds!” Fluttershy said in awe as the rooves and halls of the larger chambers were lined with them.

“How many humans do you think are in there?” Rainbow asked in response, getting an answer from EDI over the radio.

“I detect no signs of life, Rainbow. It is probable that the victims inside died when the ship lost primary power.” Rainbow shivered at the thought of being trapped in one of those pods. “There’s something else, I compared the EM signature to known collector profiles. It is the vessel we encountered on Horizon.”

“That might explain how the turians managed to knock this thing out. The defense towers probably softened her up a bit,” Shepard theorized. “Anyway, we should push ahead further to find out more.”

“Agreed,” Garrus huffed, following the Commander as he lead them on to a point EDI had identified as a point where they would be able to gain access to the ship’s systems. The slightly dark hallways ominously loomed around them as they passed more and more pods before bumping into a horrific sight.

“Dear Faust...” Rainbow whispered as she suddenly felt nauseous at what she saw. Piles of human corpses littered the floor, Libms severed as they just rotted away.

“What the hell were they doing with these humans?” Shepard also said in horror.

“Looks like they were doing tests. These must have been the control group...” Fluttershy said in shock too. Grunt just huffed at the sight,

“We’ll make the collectors pay for this,” Garrus growled, getting the approval of the others as they moved deeper once again. Rainbow only felt her unease grow became jumpier, keeping her gaze locked on every shadow to see if there wasn’t anything hiding in them. The next thing the group then encountered was a line of pods with consoles next to them, only one of them filled.

“That’s a collector, where they experimenting on one of their own?” Garrus asked slightly baffled while Shepard downloaded the data from the terminal and sent it up to the Normandy.

“EDI, see if you can figure out what the collectors were doing here,” He told the AI.

“Copy that. Analyzing… The collectors were running baseline genetical comparisons between their own and human genome.”

“Wait, why would they be doing that?” Shepard asked slightly confused.

“I have no hypothesis on their motivation, I only have preliminary results. They are remarkable,” EDI stated. “A quad strand genetic structure, Traces of which are found in ancient ruins. Only one species are known to have this structure: Protheans.”

“Liara’s going to freak when she hears about this,” Fluttershy muttered.

“The collectors are Prothean?” Shepard said in awe.

“Negative. These are no longer prothean, Shepard, their genes show extensive signs of genetic rewrite. The reapers have completely repurposed them for their own needs.”

“That’s a horrible fate, but they’re still working with the reapers so we’ll have to stop them,” Shepard growled, re-shouldering his rifle and giving the signal to move. A bit further up they found a pile of discarded weapons which they quickly sifted through to see if there were any useful ones buried in the pile. In the end, Grunt got a massive shotgun out of it and Fluttershy an equally large sniper rifle which she strapped to her back.

“Commander, you gotta hear this.” Joker suddenly spoke up. “On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship.”

“I compared the profile of this collector ship to the one the original Normandy encountered two years ago.” EDI continued for Joker. “They are an exact match.”

“Hunted by the same ship for two years? This is way beyond a coincidence.”

“Things aren’t adding up, watch your back down here Commander.”

“Will do,” Shepard replied as they were getting close to the marked access node, the group stepping into the massive open interior of the ship. Pretty much no-one of the group could hide their horror at the sight they saw there.

“This is unbelievable,” Rainbow gasped.

“No way… There must be millions of pods here!” Shepard exclaimed at the sight of the internal walls of the massive chamber that stretched as far as the eye could see.

“The entire human population of the Terminus systems could fit in here multiple times… Shepard, they’re going to target Earth,” Garrus concluded, his mouth slightly open in awe.

“Not if we stop them,” Shepard said in a low growl as he pushed ahead, the control panel they were looking for sat right in the middle of a platform.

“I wonder where all the collectors are, there’s no way they all died from the Turian attack.” Fluttershy too now started to dislike what was going on, her gut screaming at her that something was terribly wrong.

“We’ll find out very soon. EDI, I’m setting up a bridge between you and the collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from its data banks,” Shepard said as he typed the appropriate commands onto his omni-tool to connect the systems.

“Data mine in progress Shepard.” The collector ship’s pulsed momentarily before it wave of static from a power surge and blinked out. Machinery came to life around the platform as it suddenly but rapidly rose into the air.

“Whoa, Status!” Shepard immediately shouted.

“We had a major power surge, Shepard. I managed to divert it to non-critical systems but this was not a malfunction, it was a trap.” The platform came to a sudden halt a good fifty meters above the ground of the vessel.

“EDI we could use some help here!” the commander said as everyone looked around for any collectors, Fluttershy noticing movement behind some of the hive’s columns and taking potshots at them.

“There’s someone else in the system, I need to finish the download before I can override any systems.” A platform appeared in the distance, the movement on it definitely showing some unwelcome passengers.

“Damnit, take cover everyone!” Shepard ordered, jumping behind the edge of the platform with his assault rifle ready. Fluttershy took position further at the back as an idea popped into her mind.

What if I use that new Black Widow rifle… it’d hurt my shoulder like all hell without adjusting the dampening, maybe even break it, but it’d be ridiculously powerful… Or I could support the others up close with biotics, these platforms aren’t that big so we might be able to push them off of them...

Stick to the regular sniper rifle

Switch to the Black Widow

Get up close and personal with biotics

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Collector Vessel will be a 2 chapter ordeal. Getting close now :3

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20646564
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector Vessel - Active

Chapter 125

Collector vessel - Active

Get up close and personal 43%

Fluttershy swiftly made her decision as she clamped her sniper rifle to her side and slid into cover next to Rainbow, waiting for the platform with the collectors to arrive. Their own platform shook slightly as the second one connected, Fluttershy immediately spurred into action and jumped from cover. A small squad of four collectors were already shooting at the group as Shy landed smack dab in the middle of them, a pulse of biotic energy staggering all four of them as she jumped on to of the closest and skewered it with an omni-blade. Grunt roared as well, charging after her and headbutting one of the others right before blasting the third with his new heavy shotgun. The fourth and final of the first batch quickly found the combined fire of Rainbow, Shepard, and Garrus to be too overwhelming as well and got cut down in mere seconds.

“Ha! Is that all they've got?!” Grunt laughed as he reinserted a thermal clip into his shotgun.

“Would you kindly not tempt them like that!” Dash shouted back as two more platforms got close, one having another solid ten collectors, the second platform held two of the heavy husks, scions, which used their artillery like biotic attack to fire from a distance as the platform circled the three joined ones.

“Rainbow! On me!” Fluttershy called out as she focused her attention on the circling platform. “We take care of those!”

“Got it!” Dash responded as Fluttershy opened her wings and launched herself like a bullet towards the circling platform, Rainbow close behind as they slid behind cover next to her friend. “Got a plan?”

“Well, these two, unlike the collectors, don't have wings, so they'll make a nice splat when they hit the ground,” Fluttershy smirked. “We hit the right one first, you give it a good buck and I'll fling it off.”

“Sounds good to me!” Dash smiled, jumping from cover and flying at even faster speeds towards the aforementioned scion, bucking it with all her might. Fluttershy lit her wing immediately after, knocking the staggered scion back a couple more meters and sending him off the platform to plunge to his death. “Score!”

The second one though now had the chance to return fire and even though Dash was in the open, it chose to fire on Fluttershy instead. The large explosive blasts of biotic energy exploding against Fluttershy’s cover, forcing her to keep her head down to avoid her shield draining fully. This though gave Rainbow the perfect opportunity to strike as she too used her biotics, charging at it in the blink of an eye and sending it flying off the platform too.

Down at the large amalgamation of platforms, the other three members of the squad were just finishing off the last few collectors. Grunt stood in the middle of a pile of corpses, widely grinning as he cradled his new toy. EDI appeared on the console as Fluttershy and Dash landed back with the others.

“I have regained control of the platform, Shepard,” the AI announced as it slowly started moving back down.

“Great work, EDI. Did you get what we needed?” Shepard asked as the platform landed down on the surface of which it came.

“I have successfully found data that’ll help successfully navigate the omega-four relay. I also found that the signal the turians sent was a trap, the collectors sent it. It is unusual.”

“Seems logical to me that they’d send the message as bait?” Shepard asked, not waiting on the platform and started to lead the group back to the shuttle they used to come in.

“No, it is unusual because turians emergency channels have secondary encryption. It is corrupted in the message. It is not possible the Illusive man could possibly have thought this message was genuine.”

“Can you be sure of that?” Garrus asked.

“I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection tools. He wrote them.”

“Damnit. I’ll have some choice words with the bastard when we get back,” Shepard growled before Joker opened the communication channel again.

“If that getting back could be done fast, that would be appreciated. The collector ship is powering back up!” He called out. “You need to get out before weapons come online! I’m not losing another Normandy!”

“You heard the man! Let’s get a move on!” Shepard called out as he sped up to make as much ground as possible, engaging the few collectors that got in their way. Tearing their way through the ship back to the shuttle they eventually ran into a somewhat bigger snag.

“Praetorian!” Fluttershy called out as she recognized the massive being they’d fought on Horizon as well.

“Damnit! Fluttershy, pass me that rifle!” Shepard called out, Fluttershy obliging and giving the massive anti-materiel rifle over to the commander before opening up on the large husk-insectoid thing with her own sniper to do as much damage as possible. A couple of ear-splitting bangs from the Commander later, the reaper abomination had lost a good set of limbs before it even managed to put up his shield. “Throw everything you’ve got at it!” SMG and assault rifle fire smashed into the thing as its shield didn’t do it much good, getting downed really quickly, and it was shredded by a second salvo from the sniper rifle along with everyone else’s fire.

“Hell yeah!” Rainbow laughed as she lead the charge with Grunt ahead past the corpse and over the last stretch towards the shuttle, EDI having to reroute their path once before they got to the shuttle.

“Those weapons are about to come online Commander! Might wanna double-time it so we can leave before, you know, they Blow the Normandy in half!” Joker warned them as they powered up the shuttle and raced for their own vessel. “Strap in people! We’re going to make them work for it this time!”

Shepard rushed towards the cockpit, Fluttershy hot on his heels as she wasn’t going to let the same thing happen twice to the commander where it to come to that. “I can’t dodge this guy for long EDI, get us the hell out of here!” Joker shouted as a lance of energy passed beside the stealth ship.

“Specify a destination, mister Moreau.”

“Anywhere but here!” Joker shouted at the AI as another lance shot by, the ship starting to hum as it prepared to jump.

“Very well, engaging mass effect core.”

Author's Note

2 more missions on the planning before the collector base :rainbowdetermined2:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Last stop

Chapter 126

Last stop

Rainbow sat high on top of one of the Presidium buildings’ roofs, watching the shuttles go by as she skulked. They’d returned to the Citadel after the very close call with the collector ship to upgrade the Normandy's armor so they could at least tank a hit from some serious firepower.

This though mattered little to Rainbow for the moment as she grumbled. After the fight with the collectors, Dash had retreated into the showers where she took off the armor’s hard plates and then was rudely reminded she couldn't take off the undersuit. Though she wouldn't admit it to anyone else, she'd quietly cried in the shower with the water's noise-masking her sniffing as the water uselessly rolled over the hermetically sealed suit.

That's what had her up in the edge of the roof for the last eleven days, she just didn't feel like going out onto the Wards with the others to do whatever and just wandered the streets of the station on her own. That also meant she hadn’t talked that much to the asari justicar and drell assassin that had joined the crew yet.

Luckily her waiting would soon be over as Shepard had announced that they would depart in the evening as all the new armor plates would be installed after which they'd pick up the last member of the team Shepard wanted to have assembled. Apparently the quarian they were going to pick up was a good friend of the old crew.

I wonder how the quarians live with being locked in their suits… at least my helmet isn’t that restrictive.

She shivered as the thought of being trapped like that crossed her mind, her feeling of self-pity lessening a bit at the thought.

“Guess I’ll get back to the ship then,” she sighed, talking to no-one in particular as she opened her wings and gliding down to a shuttle landing area. As she arrived back at the Normandy she passed through the airlock running into someone she had not expected to see there. “Princess Luna?”

The alicorn was clad in a mat black armor not too dissimilar to her own, though the helmet was something else. Unlike Rainbow’s, which was of a more asari design and only covered her muzzle leaving the rest up to mass effect fields, Luna had a hardsuit shell around her face, her hair flowing from a slit at the back, and a thin blue line of light across the helmet to give her vision to the outside world.

“Ah, Rainbow Dash, good to see you again. I didn’t see you come by the consulate over the last couple of weeks,” Luna said, her voice slightly modulated through the armor’s speakers.

“Yeah, just wanted the peace of mind for a bit,” Rainbow said as she walked deeper into the ship along with Luna. “Say, Princess, why are you wearing that stuff? Are you coming along?”

Luna chuckled and nodded, stepping into the elevator with the pegasus. “For a short time, yes. Fluttershy informed me of your soon to come venture onto a derelict reaper to retrieve this ‘IFF’ tag. I wish to come along as I have expertise in mind-bending magic to negate the corrupting effects of the reapers.”

“That sounds… Very useful to have actually,” Rainbow admitted walking into the observation deck she’d claimed for her own, sitting down on the couch while Luna took off her helmet and got a drink from the room’s bar.

“So how are you holding up?” Luna asked as she sat down in a chair across from Rainbow, surprising her.

“I’m fine Princess...” Rainbow said without meeting Luna’s eyes.

“I’ve seen plenty of warriors in my time, Rainbow Dash. You were pulled from a very peaceful world and thrown into the fire of this one, that does something to you whether you are willing to admit it or not,” Luna pointed out, taking a sip from the drink levitating beside her.

“I… am not sure. I know why I fight, Fluttershy accidentally showed me something nightmare-inducing, but I’m… I’m not sure how to describe it.”

“Do you fear to lose what it means to be a pony?” Rainbow nodded while gazing off out of the window and watching the other vessels docked at this particular bay. “You are no less of a pony than anyone at home, Rainbow, perhaps you’re even more so. You stood up for what you honestly perceive to be right, willing to stand and get hurt or even die for it if the need be there.” Luna stood up and sat down next to Rainbow, wrapping a wing around her. “Do not fret on this and don’t shut yourself off from your friends, Fluttershy was getting worried about you.”

Rainbow sighed and gave Luna a small smile. “Thanks, Princess”

“Just call me Luna, we’re not in Equestria and I’ve been enjoying talking to people on equal terms,” Luna chuckled, finishing her drink.

“Will do Luna,” Rainbow chuckled as well, deciding to change topics. “So, if you’re going to join us out on the reaper, what are you going to use as a weapon? Because you’re going to have to have something to defend yourself.”

Luna smirked as she pulled the hilt of a sword, the same black color of her armor, without a blade from under her wing and lit it up. A large orange omni blade coming out of the base of the hilt as it came to life. “I must admit I am not that proficient with the weapons of this galaxy, swords though have been my expertise for thousands of years. I carry a pistol as well but I fear I’m not proficient at hitting anything at longer ranges.”

“Not gonna lie, that’s awesome,” Rainbow chuckled as Luna put away the sword again. “Though on the pistol front, do you want some pointers?”

“If you want to give some instructions then that would very much be appreciated,” Luna smiled, Rainbow springing off of the couch.

“Awesome! Let me just get a set of blank-firing pistols and meet me down in the hangar.”

Author's Note

I had some fun with making Luna's Sword. :twilightsmile:

Needed to add a small break here but moving a bit faster now, Haestrom coming up next! :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Haestrom - Uninvited guests

Chapter 127

Haestrom - Uninvited guests

The shuttle set down on the shady edge of some realy old quarian ruins which Tali was supposedly located. Fluttershy and Garrus were the first out of the shuttle to make sure their entrance didn’t attract the wrong kind of attention, Shepard followed by Rainbow and Luna came closely after as the shuttle flew off again to safety.

“Remember, solar output has overwhelmed Haestrom’s protective magnetosphere. Exposure to direct sunlight will damage your shields when exposed to it,” EDI reminded them as they found their.

“Understood. Let’s take this one slow people, we don’t want to get pinned down in a little bit of shade,” Shepard said, making the first dash over open terrain to the next piece of cover. Luna, who was the one bringing up the rear, kept her eyes peeled behind her helmet, the assault rifle Rainbow had talked her into taking at the ready were they to make contact with the geth forces that were occupying the planet.

“The magic in this place is oppressive… I do not think teleportation will be possible with any reliability,” Luna informed the commander after having passed through a couple of the sun-bathed areas. “I could feel it back on the Normandy but down here it’s magnitudes worse.”

“I can feel it as well,” Fluttershy commented while scoping out the gate they were rapidly approaching.

“Mee three, won’t be doing any rainbooms in this place any time soon,” Dash confirmed as the third pony there.

“We’ll just have to do this the old fashioned way then. Rainbow, Luna, check if you can open this gate from that guard room,” Shepard ordered the two. Rainbow took the lead on entering her shotgun ready but only finding a broken geth and dead quarian next to an active console.

“Poor bastard must have gotten stuck here,” Rainbow muttered, finding the door controls and opening the obstacle up for the squad before shortly rejoining with the squad as they pushed ahead.

A geth dropship then suddenly tore overhead, dropping a small squad of geth right in the path of advance of the group. Everyone opened up on the small obstacle in their way… except for Luna who exclaimed something in an old language, which didn’t get translated, and charged forward, skewering the closes geth on her sword before flinging it to the side.

“No element of surprise for us then I guess,” Fluttershy sighed as they pushed a couple more geth back so they could enter the shade of the ruins proper. A bit deeper in they could hear another ongoing firefight but the fire ceased as they got close, eventually dispatching a group of geth standing over the corpses of a set of fallen quarians.
“Damnit, they only just got killed,” Garrus cursed as he checked the bodies, finding an active radio.

“Break break break. OP-1, this is squad leader Kal’Reagar, do you copy?” The soldier on the other end called out as Garrus passed it along to Shepard. “The geth sent a dropship towards OP-2, we’ve got Tali’Zorah secure but we need backup.”

“This is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. Your squad here is dead, we are ready to assist,” He informed the quarian on the other end.

“Patch into channel 617 Theta. We were on a stealth mission, got our data but can’t transmit through all this solar radiation. The geth pinning us down isn’t helping either, can’t get to our ship anymore,” he rapidly explained.

“Copy that, what’s your location?” Shepard asked, now was not the time to make further inquiries.

“Across the valley we have a basecamp. I left Tali’Zorah in a secure shelter, then doubled back to hold a checkpoint.”

“Good, we’re on our way,” Shepard ended, moving on to a more open area again where they could see a squad of quarians defending the door to their basecamp from a geth assault.

“Wait, dropship coming in!” Reegar suddenly warned, the geth ship zooming over and blasting the quarians who were defending the door while also damaging a stone column which stood next to them. Some were killed instantly but others were able to crawl back to the door before the column could crush them as it fell in front of the door. “Crap. We had demolition charges in the buildings nearby you could use to clear the path, Commander.”

“I have an alternative to that, Shepard. It would be no hard task to simply lift you and Vakarian over the column while Rainbow Fluttershy and I can simply fly over,” Luna proposed while she advanced along with Rainbow and the Commander himself while Shy and Garrus remained a bit further back and sniping.

“That would make our lives much easier. Garrus, Fluttershy, get ready to sprint over to the column on my mark!” Shepard called out, the two snipers taking out the targets closest to where they were about to run before getting back to the group. “Mark!”

The squad of five ran over at full speed, Luna levitating both Shepard and Garrus over the obstacle before flying over herself with the two pegasi. What they found Inside the makeshift basecamp though was another horror. Another door on the far side had been opened and the floor was littered with the corpses of both geth and quarians as the machines had managed to get to the embattled quarians first once again.

“Crap, they’re all gone,” Garrus cursed as they were again just a little too late. Luna frowned too as she helped check the bodies, finding a geth that was still active and plunging her blade into it.

“These things are ruthless savages,” the Princess hissed venomously as a console sprang to life on the far end of the room, a hologram of Tali on the other end springing alive.

“Tali’Zorah to basecamp, please respond.”

Fluttershy was the closest to the console and immediately spoke up. “Tali, Fluttershy here, we were moments too late to save the quarians in the basecamp.”

Tali sighed and shook her head. “Damnit, we knew this mission was high risk… But what are you doing here, Fluttershy? I take Shepard is with you?”

“I’m here,” the Commander confirmed.

“Good, then we might just make it out of here alive,” Tali said, visibly looking relieved.

“Where exactly are you, Tali?” Fluttershy asked, keeping an eye on the others as they retrieved some of the quarian’s thermal clips.

“Through the door and across the field in the observatory, there’s a lot of geth I can hear outside though.”

“That’s an issue we can work with, we’ll be right there Tali,” Shepard said, closing off the connection.

Throughout the next section of the ruin resistance became significantly heavier than it had been up to that point, the geth they’d ran past before probably having moved over to stop them from reaching Tali. A couple of geth primes created some trouble but eventually they managed to reach the final open area before the ‘observatory’ which Tali was hiding in. Kal’Reegar and a few other marines, all hurt to various degrees but firing on the mass of geth trying to break into the secure shelter, the most notable of which being a massive geth colossus.

“Kal’Reegar?” Shepard asked hoping that the quarian’s leader was alive and among these, finding that he was indeed still alive.

“That’s me! Migrant Fleet marines. To be honest, I have no idea why you’re here but I’m not gonna be picky about my friends right now! We’re too hurt to make a push on your own but with your help, we can kick these geth’s asses!”

“You’ll all get killed!” Fluttershy countered, checking the individual quarians’ wounds. “None of you are combat-ready and all of you need medical help!”

“Risk comes with the job, ma’am. Our mission is to keep Tali’Zorah alive and safe,” Reegar argued back.

“With all due respect, I trust her analysis on medical issues,” Shepard told the quarian, “What’s your call Fluttershy?”

We don’t have time for this… But they really aren’t in a shape to fight at all…

They should be able to give cover to us from here.

We can handle this, have them stay down.

I should stay here to give them medical attention.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Almost there Tali:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20670582
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Haestrom - Colossus

Chapter 128

Haestrom - Colossus

I should stay here to give them medical attention. 54%

“Half of them won’t make it if we leave them now, I’m staying here to close up their wounds and apply antibiotics,” Fluttershy said as she made her decision. “Garrus, I need your backup reserve of medi-gel.”

Garrus immediately detached a canister from his armor and tossed it over the Fluttershy who caught it with her wing. Kal’Reegar did not really agree with Fluttershy’s assessment. “To hell with that! We can still fight!”

“Stand down squad leader, we can handle these geth. It’s not our first rodeo,” Shepard told him though, pulling the quarian back down into cover as he tried to pop out and take a shot. “We have no need for you to take one for the team!”

“Ahh, hell. We’ll do it your way,” Reegar grumbled. “Careful on your approach and keep your flanks safe, the bastards will protect that colossus with vigor.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Shepard thanked, turning to his own team as Fluttershy went to work patching up the quarians. “Rainbow, you’re with Garrus on the right, Luna you’re with me. No sword this time unless the geth come too close, the colossus won’t hesitate to get you out of the way, clear?”

“Crystal,” Luna said, pulling out her assault rifle. “Ready on your mark.”

“Good, let’s kill us a colossus!” Shepard grinned, vaulting over the cover they were hiding behind. Luna chased the commander over the left side bridge, knocking out a set of them as they crossed the bridge across a gorge on the left side of the structure. Garrus and Rainbow meanwhile crossed over on the higher overhang on the right out of sight of the colossus. The individual geth armatures stood no chance against the two pairs on either side, though the Colossus did its very best to slow down Shepard and Luna from advancing.

“Careful over there, you’ve got a prime incoming from your left,” Garrus warned from his elevated position as Shepard and Luna disappeared behind a large column that blocked their sight.

“Copy that. Luna that thing’s yours,” Shepard said, poking out and firing a long burst of fire at the Colossus to take down its shield.

Luna meanwhile sat in cover in the rear, listening carefully to the approaching metal footsteps. A smirk found itself onto Luna’s face as she lit up her sword and swung it right at the moment the large geth came around the corner. Sparks came off the machine’s shield as the sword glanced off, the geth immediately responded by trying to shoot Luna point-blank only for her to roll out of the way of the fire. Swinging again, Luna drove her sword into the rifle of the geth and wrenched it from his hands. The Prime didn’t take this laying down though, kicking Luna away before she was able to press her attack further sending her flying into a wall.

BANG!

The Geth’s armor exploded outward, sending it stumbling as well. “You okay, Luna?” Fluttershy asked from behind her anti-materiel rifle up at her position with the quarians. The Princess didn’t immediately answer as she first closed the distance and used the now weak point in the armor to pierce it and wreck its internals.

“Never been better!” Luna laughed now the big threat was gone. “It’s been a long time since I felt this alive!”

“That’s good but heads down everyone!” Shepard called out as he had his heavy weapon in his hands the end glowing brightly as a shining orb flew over to the colossus and detonated in an intensely bright flash. After the dust and smoke cleared all that was left of the massive geth platform was pieces of scrap and the main armature with a massive hole in it.

“Hot damn, can’t we use that weapon more often?” Dash said astonished as the remaining geth, now without their heavy support, fell relatively quickly.

“Ammo’s exceeding rare, I can also take one shot of this thing with me per mission at maximum,” Shepard said as he walked up to the closed blast door behind which Tali was located.

“Heh, I guess that makes sense,”Rainbow chuckled as she and Garrus joined up with the commander at the door.

“Give me a second, I locked the door to keep more geth out… There, that should do it.” The blast door slid open to reveal Tali standing a bit deeper typing on a console. “Give me a second to finish this download.”

Rainbow’s eyes fell on the fabrics that made up the quarian’s suit, the swirling white patterns on purple cloth reminding her of cloud patterns. “Are you okay, Tali?” Shepard asked as Luna checked all the geth in the room and stabbed them again for good measure.

“Only because of you, I don’t think I’d have ever left this room otherwise,” she said thankfully as she turned around, freezing a the sight of Rainbow and Luna.

“Hi.” Rainbow waved with a sheepish smile.

“Well, this is a new development. Did Fluttershy finally find her home?” Tali asked as she got out of her stupor.

“Not really, they used the same relay I used to get here,” Fluttershy said as she supported the three injured quarians and Kal’Reegar to get into the room.

“Reegar! You made it!” Tali exclaimed at the sight of the quarian marine.

“Heh, can’t get me down that easily. Your old captain’s as good as you said. Damn Colossus never stood a chance,” he told them.

“We can give you guys a lift with the Normandy if you need it?” Shepard offered.

“Geth didn’t damage our ship, as long as we get out of here before reinforcements we’ll be fine,” Reegar respectfully declined.

“I’m going with Shepard, Reegar. This mission was a mess and if the admiralty board has issues with that then they can go to hell,” Tali growled.

“I’ll pass it along to them,” Reegar chuckled. “Keelah se’lai Tali’Zorah.”

With that the two groups split up from each other, the quarians headed for their own ship while Tali and Shepard’s group got picked up with the Normandy’s shuttle. Fluttershy took a seat on Garrus’ lap to save some space in the crew bay of the shuttle. “So, the two of you are still together then?” Tali asked, a suggestive undertone in her voice.

“We’ve been around, yes,” Fluttershy responded, with a smile as she pulled her hood down. Tali gasping as she saw the scarring covering Shy’s face.

“Where did you take her Garrus?” Tali growled, shooting a piercing glare at the turian.

“We may have spent about a year on Omega,” Garrus sheepishly said.

“Don’t blame him, I was the one who agreed to it in the end,” Fluttershy defended her boyfriend. Tali kept her glowing eyes locked on Garrus’ for a moment longer before her body visibly relaxed.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.” Tali then turned and nudged Rainbow on the shoulder. “So this is one of the friends you told me about back on the original Normandy?”

“The one and only,” Fluttershy smirked, a playful glint in her eyes. “Fastest flier in Equestria!”

Tali chuckled, Rainbow blushing faintly as Fluttershy stole her line. “So you've told. Nice to meet you, miss Dash.”

“Just call me Rainbow,” the blue pegasus said, Tali nodding and looking over to Luna.

“I don't think Fluttershy ever told me about you. What's your name?”

“Luna Morningstar. Princess of the night, diarch of Equestria, title title, bla bla bla,” Luna said, smirking. “Just keep it at Luna.”

“Alright, sounds good Luna,” Tali snickered as the shuttle came to a halt in the Normandy's hangar, Shepard emerging from the cockpit.

“If you'd follow me, Tali, I'll get you a short briefing after which you can check out engineering,” the Commander told the quarian who followed him out into the ship.

“Well, I’m going to check up on the Thanix. See you girls around,” Garrus said, leaving for the cannon soon to be followed by the others. Fluttershy had some more adjustments to make to the dampeners in her new rifle while Luna had to take care of some business arrangements. That left Rainbow who didn’t necessarily had anything to do herself.

Well, I could go find Tali after she’s done with the Commander to maybe get some advice on my… issue. Though Luna could definitely use some more pointers on that assault rifle as well… I could also go to that justicar, Samara, to see if she can help me out with biotics...

Go to Tali for advice.

Find Luna after she’s done with her tasks.

Head to Samara for tips on biotics.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

IFF coming up after next chapter. :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20686649
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Suits

Chapter 129

Suits

I should ask Tali for advice 78%

Luna will make do with that sword of her for the mission on the reaper, I'd rather ask how the quarians can tolerate living in their suits.

With her mind made up Dash only took the elevator on floor up to engineering where she had a chat with the two humans and little griffin that worked there. Eventually one of the two doors into engineering slid open again and Tali walked in, done with the Commander's briefing.

“Well hello there lass, I hear ya going ta be our new colleague,” Ken smiled as Tali joined them, holding out his hand, “Kenneth Donnelly, power management engineer.”

“Tali'Zorah, good to meet you.” Tali shook his hand, though she seemed reserved in her emotions. Both Gabby the human and Gabby the griffin shook her hand too after they introduced themselves. “So what are you doing here Rainbow? Are you part of the engineering team?”

“Nah that lass just likes ta get her butt kicked in our poker sessions,” Ken grinned.

“Hey! I actually won a couple rounds last time!” Rainbow tried to counter but quickly remembered that she lost the gains immediately after.

“Keep dreamin’ Rainbow,” Ken smirked as Rainbow looked back over to Tali.

“Well, I wanted to ask you a few things...” She glanced over to the others, “...Preferably in private.”

“Alright?” Tali said unsure of what to make of Dash's behaviour but going along with it regardless as they stepped away towards the mass effect core. “What is it you want to talk about?”

“I just…” Dash though for a moment about how she could start the conversation. “How can you be comfortable in your suit all the time?”

“Well, we wear them nearly all our lives. At some point you don't really think about it anymore,” Tali explained, curiously looking at Rainbow as to why the pegasus would care. “There are some reasons to get out of them in ‘clean rooms’ but those acts are usually of the more… intimate sort.” Rainbow blushed lightly after hearing that, Tali sitting down to get on the same eye level as Rainbow. “But I have to ask, why do you want to know about this?”

“I… had an accident. Well, more like I got hurt on a mission,” Dash admitted, pointing at the slight scarring visible around the edge of the undersuit. “I can’t take this thing off.”

“Keelah...” Tali gasped, Rainbow allowing her to run her hand over the scarring. “That’s horrible.”

“There might be some way to get out of it but nothing any time soon,” Dash sighed.

“I can give your armor a software upgrade to the one used in quarian suits but most additional functions would only work with the appropriate cybernetic implants,” Tali told her, typing some commands into her omni-tool which prompted a download on Dash's.

“Thanks, I really started to feel down about this stuff,” Rainbow admitted, briefly smiling in appreciation. The two sat in silence for a moment while the files transferred until Dash broke it again. “I read up on some stuff about quarians on the extranet, though there seems to not be a lot of information out there about the fleet your kind travels in.”

“Well, that comes with the isolation and the fact we don't allow many outsiders in. Most of us prefer to keep to our own and the galaxy at large seems to be content with that sentiment,” Tali sighed as the omni-tool beeped, indicating a complete transfer. “I may be able to arrange for you to stay on the fleet for a couple of weeks after the collector mission is over if you want to get the cybernetics?”

Rainbow's eyes widened slightly as, in the context of what she'd just heard, realized that was a pretty generous offer. “I… I'll need to think about it.”

“Of course, no rush on the answer. We should try surviving the collector mission first,” Tali chuckled. “But what was it you want to know about my people?”

“Well…” Rainbow thought for a moment, “The fleet consists of a lot of space ships, right? How do you keep them all running? They can't all be over three hundred years old, can they?”

“Of course not,” Tali laughed, “Most have been added over the course of the last three centuries but the liveships and some of the cruisers are still the original vessels used after the fall of Rannoch.”

“That's still insane,” Rainbow pointed out, in awe that they could keep any ship running like that. “I mean, it takes a bunch of really awesome mechanics to keep something like a ship working for that long.”

“Well thanks, my kind have become some of the best engineers due to their work on the fleet.” Tali typed some commands into her omni-tool, Rainbow seeing a lot of new values about her body showing up on hers though some remained blank due to no value being able to be measured. Tali quietly hummed as Rainbow allowed her to work in peace to install the software properly, gazing at her absent mindedly.

I wonder what they look like under those masks, though not that the suit looks ugly or anything. The swirling pattern are like the ones pegasi use at home...

Rainbow suddenly felt a slight wave of homesickness come over her but quickly squashed it, no use in being sick about something she wouldn't be able to do anything about as she returned to dreamily staring at Tali.

She's pretty good with that omni-tool...
“There, that's all I can do with software alone… Rainbow?”
And those eyes, I wonder how it it they glow like that… maybe something the helmet does?

Your eyes are beautiful.

Huh? Oh! What do all these numbers mean?

[Vote link]

Author's Note

~~Ship, ship, ship~~

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20698770
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Awkward

Chapter 130

Awkward

Your eyes are beautiful. 78%

“Your eyes are pretty,” Rainbow murmured continuing to gaze at Tali with a clouded mind. The quarian in question freezing, her typing on her omni-tool completely stopping. For a couple more seconds the two stared at each other before Dash's mind cought up to her mouth and her pupils shrunk. “I-I mean.. I'm… uhh…”

“Wha-”

“IthinkIshouldgobye!” within the blink of an eye Rainbow flew towards the entrance of the engineering bay, clipping her wing on the door as it didn't open fast enough, and rolling out into the hallway before mashing the up button in the elevator. Her rate of breathing was going through the roof as her mind raced.

You stupid, stupid, feather-brained pegasus! What in Tartarus were you thinking?!

Rainbow made a beeline to the port observation bay the moment the elevator opened up and jumped into cover behind the bar.

What is she going to think now!... What am I going to think now?! That was so… sappy?

Rainbow gagged at the memory of the mushie sentence she'd uttered but the massive blush on her cheeks told another story.

I can just ignore this, right? We should be headed to that reaper, I can't go about distracting her more now, can I?... No, we should focus on the mission…

Yeah…

Luna stepped into the small base that was attached to the reaper, a frown on her face as she lit her horn and cast an aura over the rest of the group. A heavy weight seemed to be lifted off of Dash's shoulders as the aura washed over her.

“This is truly a vile place…” Luna growled. “The dark energy here will not affect our minds but I would not recommend remaining here for long.”

“Wasn’t planning to,” Shepard agreed. “Rainbow, Tali, take point. Luna, Samara, you two bring up our rear. Fluttershy you’re in the middle with me.”

“As you command,” Samara answered, as she stayed in the back with Luna. Rainbow and Tali glanced at each other but said nothing, proceeding with their task to lead the group into the reaper to retrieve the IFF tag. Both of them were scanning their environment thoroughly as the Normandy had detected a geth vessel connected to the reaper as well.

The Cerberus research facility connected to the reaper was completely abandoned, the steps of the group echoing through the hallways. Rainbow felt a shiver go up her spine as the emptiness was just… wrong.

“There are no signs of fighting… I don’t think the geth are responsible for what happened here,” Fluttershy said to Shepard as the entire facility seemed clean and without the scars of battle.

“Yes,” Shepard agreed. “We may be encountering resistance from indoctrinated personnel in here.”

“That’s fantastic,” Tali grumbled as she opened up the door that lead onto the scaffolding built around the reaper. The entire facility shook as the door opened and Joker called in from the Normandy.

“Normandy to shore party! The reaper just put up kinetic barriers, I don’t think we can get through from this side!”

“Then we’ll just have to de-activate the reaper’s shield generators as well as find that IFF. Any idea where we could find those, EDI?” Shepard asked.

“I detected a heat spike coming from inside the reaper, this is most likely it’s mass effect core. Be advised, taking out this core will also de-stabilize the reaper’s orbit.”

“Oh great, I’m sure we’ll enjoy crashing into a gas giant the moment we de-activate the core,” Dash sarcastically said.

“I’m sure Joker can pull us out before we reach crushing depth. We’ll make a sweep for any survivors and intel.”

“Copy that Commander, good hunting,” Joker said, cutting off the radio.

The sight on the scaffolding was much worse than the clean facility had been. Corpses, seemingly burned, lay on them as the group passed by. A stench also permeated the air as it was clear these humans had lain here for a good while. A groan suddenly came from the depths below which put everyone on edge as half the group immediately recognized the sound.

“Husks!” Shepard called out as the first of the corrupted humans crawled up from below. The first wave was easily repealed as the five divided themselves over the edges of the platform they found themselves on and prevented any of the husks from climbing up in the first place. A bit further up another group of husks tried the same thing, this time getting further as there was an increased number of them.

“These things… they were the scientists, weren’t they?” Luna said, looking at the corrupted remains in horror.

“Yeah. Nothing we can do for them, except for putting them out of their misery, now though,” Fluttershy answered as they pushed deeper, the entire group on edge as bigger groups of husks could easily overwhelm them if they weren’t careful.

Bang!
Bang!

Around a corner up ahead two rounds flew by as two husks, half their skull missing, dropped over.

“Shit. Fluttershy, scout ahead,” Shepard ordered, the pegasus activating her stealth cloak and disappearing into thin air. Shy carefully peeked around the corner where the husks had fallen, carefully scanning for any movement before walking up ahead. Another howl coming from below interrupted her little scouting mission as she rushed back to the group that was now running towards her in the opposite way.

“Didn’t see anything that can shoot but they are going to be an issue!” Fluttershy lobbed a singularity at the mass of husks running their way, tearing up a swath of them with the biotic attack. Again the group fought the corrupted beings while slowly giving space to the advancing husks as to not get overrun. Luna, this time, stood in front as any husks managing to advance through the hail of fire would be cut down by her sword. This, however, did not shield the group completely as a husk managed to get into the midst of the group and took a swipe at Tali… it never connected.

Dash had the air forced out of her lungs as the husk slammed into her instead and forced her onto the ground where she slid away. Tali responded to the monster by blowing away a portion of its head before turning to Rainbow.

“Rainbow, are you okay?” she said with a tinge of concern in her voice.

Rainbow got onto her hooves, shaking her head to get rid of a bit of disorientation. “Just a bruise,” she groaned.

“How many people did Cerberus send in here...” Fluttershy said in awe of the number of corpses littering the floor after they cleaned up the rest of the husks.

“Too many,” Shepard grunted. “We should expect this from them by now.”

“What are those?” Luna stared in horror at a large monument of sorts, spikes sticking into the air with bodies impaled on top of them.

“Dragon’s teeth, we encountered them two years ago as well,” Tali told her grimly. “They are the things that create the husks.”

Luna remained silent as she stared at the sight, shaking her head to continue on again as she had nothing to say on the matter which she hadn’t already. The five passed an airlock down into an internal section of the reaper.

Bang!
Bang!
Bang!

Everyone but Luna hit the deck as rounds whizzed by splattering something behind the group. Fluttershy, before hitting the ground, had already fired a snapshot in the direction of the incoming fire with her Black Widow rifle.

“Hold fire!” Shepard ordered as he saw the three husks that had managed to sneak up on the group from behind. Fluttershy looked through her scope to see what had fired on them, finding a geth standing up though it didn’t look like any regular geth she’d encountered before. It had N7 plating welded on as a shoulder pad along with a significant hole in its chest. Had Fluttershy been Tali she might have nailed the machine right through said hole, but curiosity took over so she decided to wait as it hadn’t tried killing them yet.

“Shepard commander,” it simply stated before turning and walking out of sight deeper into the reaper.

“What in the world… It actually talked?” Fluttershy questioned in confusion.

“An individual geth should not be able to talk, they have as much intelligence as a varren,” Tali said also in slight awe.

“Guess that leaves one thing to do then,” Shepard smirked, “We’ll just have to ask it how it does that ourselves.”

Author's Note

hehe, can't wait for Legion's involvement. It'll be very interesting.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

IFF

Chapter 131

IFF

“I still think you’re insane for wanting to talk to one of those things!” Tali exclaimed over the roar of fire as husks were splattered over the ground.

“Hey, I know you’re not fond of them but don’t pretend as if you’re not curious at all,” Shepard called back towards the quarian as he slammed his omni-blade into a husk’s head.

“Just know that if it goes wrong I reserve the right to tell you that I told you so!” Tali replied as she sent her combat drone out to occupy a group of the husks.

“Scion!” Fluttershy called out, an ear-deafening rapport from her rifle taking a chunk off the larger monster. Rainbow followed up by lighting her wings in a biotic aura and charging straight into the thing, sending it flying.

“I’ll take the ridicule when it comes to it,” Shepard smirked. “Let’s actually find a way to get out of here first though.”

The five proceeded through the Cerberus built facility, increasingly understanding how there could be so many husks due to the size of the base. A couple more of the heavier scions stood in their way, along with hoards of regular husks, but the group soon fell into a routine on how to defeat the waves of them. The complete lack of tactical control of the monsters made them easy prey.

At the end of the walkways, another door towards an internal lab opened up for the group. After searching the tables they soon found a reaper object which EDI told them was the IFF tag according to the base’s files. Letting Luna clear the object from indoctrination effects, Shepard took the device and stashed it away. “Now we just find the core, destroy it, and make a run out of here.”

“That’s going to be a blast,” Fluttershy sighed, a smirk forming right after. “Pun not intended.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Garrus called in over the radio with a groan.

“Oh shush you. And be a dear and leave the radio channel clear,” Fluttershy giggled.

“As you command, my lady,” Garrus teasingly replied. Rainbow stood next to Fluttershy making fake gagging motions, earning a slap on the back of the head with a wing from the yellow pegasus.

“If you two love birds are ready then I’d like to get off this mind-altering, genocidal, starship please,” Luna pointed out bluntly though smirking as well. Rainbow meanwhile was hiding a blush and glanced at Tali, catching the quarian as she was glancing in her direction as well. If one of the other three noticed they didn’t say anything as they took a door at the back of the lab to where EDI had detected the heat spike, soon finding the chamber it lay in only to be blocked by a barrier.

Once again they caught sight of the strange geth as it stood at the console in the core’s room, typing on the console with one hand while firing at husks. The barrier blocking the group came down as the geth finished typing on the console but right as it finished and turned it was hit by a husk and dropped to the floor motionlessly.

“Well, shit,” Shepard cursed as he fired a burst into the husks that had downed the geth. “Guess we’ll figure the geth mystery out later. Focus fire on the core when it opens!” The core hung a the end of the platform and periodically opened up to vent heat. Simultaneously though what was likely every remaining husk decided to come up and tried to stop them from succeeding.

Luna quickly got annoyed with the fact that every time the core opened they barely could afford to damage it as they were too busy fending off husks, lighting her horn and wrapping her aura around the core’s doors. She grit her teeth and grunted as the doors groaned, the light from her horn getting brighter and brighter as she poured her everything into ripping the doors open. “Cannot… Hold… long...”

The doors had only opened slightly but it was enough for everyone to turn and fire into the mass of swirling Eezo, destroying vital parts of the reaper’s energy production.

“Nice work Luna, now let’s get that geth and book it!” Shepard called out, as the reaper shuddered.

“What? You can’t be serious, Shepard! Who know what would happen if it got into the Normandy’s computers!” Tali exclaimed, still very opposed to the idea of doing anything other than blow the thing to pieces.

“She’s making a good point, we’ve seen what they’re capable of on the Citadel!” Fluttershy agreed, she might have been curious but she’d seen too much from the machines two years prior.

“Good thing this isn’t a democratic decision, we’re taking it for interrogation at the least,” Shepard bluntly pointed out as he picked the machine up with the help from a grumbling Tali. “Now let’s get out of here before the atmospheric pressure crushes this reaper like a tin can!”

Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Luna provided cover fire as Shepard and Tali dragged the geth along. “Open the portside airlock, Joker!”

“Done!” the pilot called out as he brought the Normandy alongside the reaper. Shepard and Tali tossed over the deactivated geth, Tali jumping after it while Shepard first let the ponies jump across before jumping himself.

“We’re in, go!” Shepard called out to Joker who closed the airlock and shot off away from the reaper. The five squad members in the airlock were all panting slightly as they looked between each other, starting to laugh as the tension that had built up.

“Not to be rude but I’m going to find a bed to lay down in,” Luna chuckled as the laughter died down a bit. “Negating that dark magic and prying those doors open took more out of me than I realized.”

“Go ahead, you deserve the rest,” Shepard chuckled as he grabbed the geth and pulled it up with some help from Tali. “I’m going to get this thing somewhere safe, you know, just in case.”

“If I see it walking around the ship I’m going to shoot it,” Tali bluntly pointed out.

“I’ll pass on that information after we’ve woken it up,” Shepard chuckled as Fluttershy used her biotics to make carrying the machine easier for the commander, walking along with him to wherever he was going to store the machine.

“Sooo… I take you have some stuff to do down in engineering?” Dash awkwardly said now she was alone with Tali in the airlock.

“Yes… I assume you have, uhh, things to do too?” Tali awkwardly replied, quietly looking down at the pony.

“Yeah, stuff to do...” Rainbow equally silent as the hum of the Normandy was the only thing breaking the silence.

“I better go then,” Tali said, walking out of the airlock and heading to the elevator. Rainbow stepped out after her but just watched her go, a cough coming from behind her. Turning around, the pegasus found Joker turned around in his seat with the biggest predatory grin on his face.

“I-”

“Wait! Don’t say it, I got this.” Joker cleared his throat. “Rainbow and Tali, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

“I hate you,” Dash said as she felt like sinking through the floor, turning and walking off to the elevator too as she could hear Joker laughing behind her.

Ughh, FUCK! The worst thing is that he’s right...

Rainbow pressed the button to go down to the crew quarters, walking straight into the showers and turning on the cold water to douse her head.

I need to talk to someone before this seriously spirals out of control… I mean, I’m a pony and she’s a quarian! That can’t work, right?

Rainbow then imagined Fluttershy and Garrus…

Together…

She smashed her head multiple times against the wall as she saw images of her with Tali flash through her mind next.

What the buck is wrong with you! I need to talk to someone…

Go to Tali directly, this can’t go on.

Go find someone to talk to. I need to figure this out...

[You know what? Buck it!]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Fun thing coming up next! Excited bounce.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20711828
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Trial

Chapter 133

Trial

“That’s… very interesting,” Tali said as she’d been talking with Legion for a while now. By now Rainbow was sitting to the side as a lot of the initial tension had evaporated.

“Were there other inquiries you would like to make, Creator Tali’Zorah?” Legion inquired.

“No, I think that was pretty much everything right now,” Tali replied, “I… need to digest some of this.”

“Affirmative. We will remain here if there are further inquiries you want to make,” Legion responded, standing still as a statue as it did whatever geth do when they weren’t talking to anyone. Rainbow followed Tali as she made her way to the observation room, which had practically become Dash’s, to get a drink.

“You feeling okay?” Rainbow asked while levitating over a drink for the both of them with her biotics.

“I don’t know. If you’d told me this morning that I’d have someone call my eyes beautiful, be accused of treason, and would be having a conversation with a geth I’d probably have laughed at you,” Tali sighed, filtering the drink before using a straw to feed it into her helmet. “I’m just… did you really mean that?”

“Yes,” Rainbow answered without hesitation.

“Oh, ok.” Tali silently sipped from her drink, not saying anything else as she stared ahead blankly. Rainbow meanwhile fidgeted nervously as she wasn’t sure on how to proceed further. “You know, I used to have this massive crush on Shepard.”

Rainbow ears perked. “Used? So not anymore?”

“Well, he kind of died,” Tali bluntly pointed out. “But that’s not the point. The point is I don’t mind the difference of species.”

Rainbow swallowed nervously, “So you’re willing to try?”

“Maybe...” Tali sighed, “I’m sorry, you might be able to imagine how much stress I’m under right now I hope you don’t mind if I give it more thought after this trial?”

“Nah, I get it. Thanks,” Rainbow sighed, though out of relief. “Not like I really have any experience dealing with any of this mushy stuff.”

“Well, maybe we’ll get to figure all that out together,” Tali said, finishing her drink and disposing of the can. “I need to get down to engineering, I've got some ideas on how to improve the Normandy's shielding by making them oscillate, but need to iron out some things. It'll be a good distraction from everything.”

“Not going to pretend to understand how any of that works,” Rainbow said sheepishly.

Tali chuckled. “I'll run it over with Gabriella and Kenneth, they seem like good humans. I'll see you around Rainbow.”

“Yeah, you too,” Rainbow said, catching herself looking at Tali's hips as she left.

That suit really nicely brings out her butt…

Rainbow stared at the closed door for a few seconds before choking on her drink as she registered what she thought.

I really caught it, didn't I? Rarity would interrogate me for days if she ever found out.

Rainbow put away her empty can as well, Dash hopped off her seat and out of the observation bay.

Let's see if Garrus is up for some fitness exercises...

“Shepard, I'm not sure this is such a good idea.” Tali said with concern as she along with the Commander, Dash, and Legion walked through the tube connecting the Normandy to the giant quarian liveship the Rayya. Shepard had his helmet on and Dash was using a quickly manufactured version of Luna’s helmet, it wasn’t rated for combat but it would prevent her from contaminating the ship with her hair. “Bringing a geth…”

“What's the meaning of this?!” One of the quarians exclaimed as the others surrounding the entrance had their weapons up and aimed at Legion. “Get that thing off my ship before you start an incident that makes that Ascension Project fiasco with Cerberus look like a slow day on garbage detail!”

Shepard immediately jumped between the quarians and the geth, batting aside a rifle in the process. “You know, when I take tali aboard Council stations, the customs sometimes call her ‘that thing’ This thing is named Legion,” he growled.

“How about you step aside and we call it scrap metal?” the quarian captain replied.

“Our exterior shell is seventy-two percent polymer,” Legion flatly pointed out.

“This is your ship, but legion is part of my crew. Unless you’re going to shoot both of us we’re both coming aboard,” Shepard said, his tone of voice made it clear he would not budge on this. The quarian captain stared defiantly at Shepard a bit longer before motioning the welcome squad to lower their weapons.

“I can’t guarantee your safety,” He told the group.

“I can guide them from the more militant members of the crew,” Tali stepped in, though the captain sighed.

“There are a lot more militants these days, Tali’Zorah. And given the charges against you, it’s only getting worse.”

“What?” Tali questioned confused. “I wasn’t told what the exact charges are.”

“They’re accusing you of bringing active geth into the fleet as part of a secret project.”

“That’s insane! I never brought active geth aboard, only parts and pieces!” Tali exclaimed sounding well and truly distressed. “Sending active pieces… No. It didn’t happen.”

“Technically I’m under orders to place Tali’Zorah under arrest pending the hearing. So Tali... you’re confined to this ship until this trial is over.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Tali sighed.

“The hearing is being held in the garden plaza, you should get there as soon as possible. Good luck Tali’Zorah.”

Shepard nodded to the captain as Tali lead them past him through the relatively narrow hallways of the vessel eventually getting within sight of an open area with plants. A quarian Tali presumably recognized stood at the entrance to the courtyard as Tali sprinted towards her and embraced her in a hug.

“Auntie Raan!” She exclaimed, motioning The others to come closer.

“Welcome Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, I'm glad you could be here so soon.”

“Shepard vas Normandy, Rainbow vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala’Raan van Tonbay. She’s a friend of my father’s… Wait… Raan, you called me ‘vas Normandy’.” Tali suddenly noticed, Rainbow mentally reminded herself to ask what the peculiar name Tali gave her meant later.

“I’m afraid I did, Tali. The Admiralty board moved to have you tried under that name, given your departure from the Neema,” Raan explained.

“And that’s bad?” Rainbow asked, guessing that she knew the answer was no.

“Stripping me of my ship name is as good as declaring me exiled already, Rainbow...” Tali softly said.

“Well… crap,” Dash cursed.

“It’s not over yet. You still have friends who know you as Tali’Zorah van Neema, whatever we must call you legally.”

“We should get in there to get this started. Does Tali get a defense counselor, someone to speak for her side?” Shepard asked.

“Indeed she does… Captain Shepard, she is part of your crew, now recognized by quarian law. An accused is always represented by his or her ship’s captain,” the admiral explained, Tali glanced at Shepard.

“I’ll give it my best but I’m no lawyer,” Shepard tried to comfort Tali.

“Do not worry, our legal rules are simple. There are no legal tricks or political loopholes for you to worry about. Present the truth as best you can it’ll have to be enough. Now come, I promised that I would not delay you.”

Admiral Raan led them into a small amphitheater that had quarians sitting all around, the other admirals who would act as judges standing on raised platforms in the center. Legion took a seat at the front, the quarians next to him nervously sliding as far away as they could from him which gave space for Rainbow to sit down.

“This conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se’lai,” Raan opened as she took her spot behind the three other admirals on another platform, raising her to stand over the others. “The accused, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy has come with her captain to defend herself against the charge of treason.”

“Security, a geth is present in the courtroom! Does Tali’Zorah think to affect this hearing with threats?!” one of the admirals exclaimed at the sight of Legion.

“Captain Danna allowed the geth aboard. Do you intend to second-guess the Rayya’s captain, admiral Koris?” Raan snidely cut him off.

“Objection withdrawn,” admiral Koris grumbled, Rainbow couldn’t help but smirk as he got shown his place.

“Shepard vas Normandy, your crew member Tali’Zorah stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her?”

Shepard leaned forward, leaning on a little fence that stood in front of him. “I shouldn’t have to, her actions speak for themself. If she hadn’t been with me fighting the geth on the Citadel none of you would be alive to put her on trial. That makes it most egregious that you even stripped her of her name, she is a proud member of this migrant fleet and even if she isn’t legally, in her heart she remains Tali’Zorah vas Neema. It is regrettable her captain was forbidden to stand at her side today.” The crowd murmured as Dash simply enjoyed the show. Shepard was not holding his punches on this one.

“Nobody has been forbidden from anythi-”

“Lie to them if you must, Zaal’Koris, but do not lie to me and expect me to stay silent! The human is right!” another one of the admirals intervened.

Huh, that’s interesting… There must be more at play here…

Dash straightened up a bit again, focussing on the conversation beyond just the entertainment value and trying to figure out where each admiral stood.

“Please admirals, Shepard’s willingness to represent Tali’Zorah in this hearing is appreciated.” Raan intervened, “Tali, you are accused of bringing active geth into the fleet, what say you?”

“Tali would never endanger the migrant fleet. She pleads not guilty.”

“I left parts and technology for teams to pick up as my father ordered me,” Tali added, nervously wringing her hands. “But I would never send active geth to the fleet! Everything I sent was disabled and harmless!”

“Then explain how geth seized the lab ship where your father was working!” Zaal’Koris exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Tali.

“What are you talking about? What happened?” Rainbow could easily pick up on the panicked tinge in Tali’s voice, her blood starting to boil as the other admiral who had previously spoken spoke up again.

“As far as we can tell, Tali, the geth have killed everyone on the Alarei… your father included.”

Rainbows blood went from boiling to lighting on fire inside her veins as she sprung up and was in hovering front of the panel of admirals withing the blink of an eye.

“Excuse me?! I thought you quarians valued your families! How in Tartarus can you just tell her this in the middle of a bucking trail!” Dash roared, the three admirals in front taking a step back.

“Damn straight,” Shepard agreed.

“Our apologies, Tali should have been informed,” Raan tried to apologize but Dash didn’t really care as she landed next to Tali and Shepard while glaring down the admirals.

“Shepard, we have to retake the Alarei,” Tali pleaded to the Commander.

“The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship. But if you’re looking for an honorable death instead of exile...”

“I’m looking for my father you bosh’tet!” Tali shouted back at him.

“You intend to retake the Alarei from the geth?” Raan asked.

“Yes, we do,” Shepard confirmed with resolve.

“Then it is decided. You will attempt to retake the Alarei. You are hereby given leave to depart the Rayya. A shuttle will be waiting at the secondary docking hangar. Be safe Tali, this hearing will resume upon your return, or upon determination that you have been killed in action.”

The crowd in the amphitheater dispersed as the hearing was over for now. Legion added himself to the group again as they separated off to discuss in private.

“Thank you for defending me like that Shepard, you too Rainbow. The admirals sound sure my father is already dead, but… I don’t know. We won’t know anything until we get there.”

Shepard nodded. “We should take a few minutes to talk to some people around here for a few minutes before heading out to the Alarei.”

“Yes. I think I saw Kal’Reegar around, I wanna go talk to him,” Tali said, “We’ll meet back up at the shuttle in a bit.”

The group split up, Tali heading towards the quarian marine, Shepard to the admiral that seemed to be on Tali’s side while legion made a beeline to the third admiral that had yet to speak.

Should I stay with Tali to give her support… though I’m real curious what that third admiral’s opinion on this is, she might be the tie-breaker in this case… I could also go yell at that Zaal’Koris too…

Stick with Tali.

Follow legion to the third admiral.

Yell at Zaal’Koris.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Long chapter but I really didn't think it would be served well by it being cut in two.

Spent today helping my sister out painting the walls of her new apartment :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20729791
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Alarei

Chapter 134

Alarei

Stick with Tali. 50%

Rainbow quickly dismissed heading to talk with Zaal'Koris, that admiral could go buck himself. Heading over with Legion sounded attractive but she only needed to glance in Tali's direction to decide she should follow her, Tali would probably appreciate the support.

Rainbow quickly flew up so she could glide over the crowd and land next to Tali just as she reached Kal'Reegar. “Kal’Reegar, how are you doing.”

Reegar turned to look at who approached, turning fully as he saw Tali. “Tali’Zorah, Rainbow Dash. Got off pretty well, already fighting off the infections. Good to see you, just didn’t expect it to be this soon after we split up.”

“Yes,” Tali agreed. “Did they get anything from our readings at Heastrom?”

“Damnedest thing. Like they said, no way Heastrom’s sun should be acting like that,” Reegar replied.

“So the dark energy theory is right… that’s concerning.”

“You guys should ask princess Luna about that,” Rainbow budded in. “The magic there was really oppressive, that might be something to take into account. Not the expert so other than that I can’t really say anything else on that, not really an expert.”

“That’s… actually a good idea, mind passing along her contact so our science teams can start crunching on that?” Reegar asked, Rainbow nodded and sent over the contact.

“Just give me a day to allow me to give her a heads up,” Dash chuckled.

“Heh, of course. Nice speech back there by the way, really got through to the crowd.” Rainbow blushed slightly, glad that the helmet covered her face thoroughly as Reegar complimented her. “You deserve better Tali, I hope my testimony helped but I fear politics are going to determine this. Admiral Raan and Gerrel want you to blow up some geth on the Alarei to get the crowd on your side and hopefully find some helpful evidence.”

“We’ll get her out of this,” Rainbow said confidently.

“Thank you Reegar, we’ll get that ship cleared,” Tali agreed as well.

“Good luck out there, Tali. Keelah se’lai.”

Tali sighed as Reegar split off from them and the two made their way to the shuttle that was prepared for the group. Legion was already there, waiting for the others. The quarian that was waiting for them there nervously eyed the geth as it stood there.

“Did you find out something, Legion?” Rainbow asked the geth.

“Creator admiral was very interested in our exoskeleton. It is not available for experiments,” Legion simply said, Shepard adding himself to the squad. “Point of interest, creator Admirals decision for war on geth underlying motivation for this trial… we find this new data disconcerting.”

“That sounds about right for Han’Gerrel,” Shepard said, agreeing with Legion. “I’m no politician but it sounds more that whatever the outcome is more to determine the power balance of the admiralty board than you Tali.”

“That’s… how could they!” Tali wanted to turn and walk back into the chamber only for Dash to block her with a wing.

“We should clear the Alarei first before we kick the admirals’ flanks... so to speak,” Rainbow argued. “It’ll get the crowd on our side which will put extra pressure on the admirals.”

“Rainbow’s right, we should be on our way as soon as possible,” Shepard nodded, turning to the quarian that was guarding the docking bay. “Lead us to the shuttle, we’ll take care of that geth problem.”

“If you say so...” He replied, not sounding too sure as he eyed Legion. The shuttle’s autopilot was rigged so it would fly directly to the other ship.

“Everyone ready?” Shepard asked as they stepped inside.

“Just got to make sure I don’t get hit in the face, this helmet would not hold up against fire.” Rainbow tapped the shell covering her head.

“Then try to hold back a bit, we have no need for heroics here Dash,” Shepard said, executing the autopilot to bring them over to the other vessel. “Legion, you have no issue with this?”

“No active geth platforms detected, all platforms active inside the captured vessel are heretics,” Legion informed them as he loaded his assault rifle.

“Good. Let’s go find out what happened over there then,” Shepard said, checking the eta on the shuttle’s console. Tali meanwhile nervously wrung her hands, glancing out the front window of the shuttle so every now and then. Rainbow gently covered her back with a wing to comfort her, Tali wrapping her arm around Dash in response and pulling the pegasus close.

“We’re almost there, get ready to roll out the moment we set down,” Shepard announced, the shuttle docking to the target vessel. Tali and Rainbow pulled away from each other again as Tali was the first to step out and clear the hallway. “What would be the place where they’d set up, Tali?”

“The central computer on the bridge. If there are any ge- heretic programs in the system we could purge them from there so it’ll be well defended,” Tali answered, Legion behind her made a mechanical noise but didn’t say anything.

“Understood, I assume you know the layout to this vessel?” Tali nodded. “Then you’re our lead. Let’s get going.”

The first few hallways were clear from geth as Tali snaked through the narrow passages of the quarian vessel but soon they came into contact with the first group of heretics. The firefight was short but really heavy as the close quarters of the ship pushed the heretics right up to the squad, omni-blades being brought to bear on a few occasions. The group continued to look through the hallways, destroying small pockets of geth platforms.

On their way through the ship they found various consoles where quarians had recorded logs or were taped while performing their job. A particular log made Dash’s stomach twist around into a knot as a mother recorded a crying message to her family before getting shot by geth that were breaking in, the corpse laying on the ground next to the terminal. Not a word was said between the four of them as they found one of the other important things they found was a research console with results of the tests the quarians were running there.

“I don’t understand… They may have been activating the geth deliberately, all this data pertains to hacking geth systems… If they were, father was doing something terrible,” Tali said as she looked over all the data. “What was all this father? You said you’d build be a house on the homeworld. Was this going to bring us back home?”

“Maybe it’s time for your people to let go of reclaiming your world from the geth?” Shepard carefully asked, but Tali did not take that too well.

“You have no idea what it’s like!” She spat at him. “You have a planet to go back to, my home is one hull breach away from extinction!”

“Not having a home to go back to is hard on its own, Shepard,” Rainbow agreed with Tali.

Shepard held his hands up defensively. “Just saying that it would cost a needless amount of lives to take back the planet.”

“Needless? Shepard, if I don’t wear this helmet in my own home I die. A single kiss could put me in the hospital! We need to take back the homeworld if anyone alive will ever be able to walk around without helmets! It’s the difference between decades of readjusting or centuries.” Tali sighed. “At the very least we can take back one ship.”

Shepard said nothing as Tali continued to lead them through the ship, getting really close to the bridge as they found another dead quarian lying face down on the flight of stairs leading up to their goal. This one Tali recognized though…

“Father!” she exclaimed as she rushed forward, turning the dead quarian over and checking up on him. “No, no, no! You always had a plan! M-masked life signs, o-or an onboard stasis program! You-you wouldn’t!... They’re wrong! You wouldn’t die like this, y-you..”

“Hey, come here.” Dash gently pulled Tali off of her dad, pulling her into a hug. Tali broke down sobbing, tightly holding on to Rainbow.

“Damnit!... I’m sorry...”

“Don’t be, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” Rainbow comforted while Legion and Shepard kept their distance to the grieving quarian.

“M-maybe… He would have known I’d come, maybe he left a message,” Tali said, releasing the hug and scanning her father with her omni-tool to pull any recording he might have made, finding an audio file.

“Tali, if you’re listening to this then I am dead. The geth are active, I don’t have much time. Their main hub will be on the bridge, you’ll need to destroy it to stop their VI processes from forming new neural links. Make sure Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen see my data. They must-” Gunfire signaled the end of the message.

“Thanks dad,” Tali choked.

“Do you want to get your father back to the shuttle?” Shepard finally asked.

“No, leave him. The mission comes first, that’s what he would have wanted,” Tali said, standing back up. “Let’s finish this.”

Tali strode up the stairs and went through the door at the top of it. A large geth Prime stood surrounded by a set of hunters and troopers. Tali let out a roar as she unloaded her shotgun into one of the troopers, sending her drone to harass the prime. Rainbow rushed after the quarian, she’d been angry before at the admirals but now… Seeing Tali so devastated fired up something fierce in her as her wings lit up with biotic energy. She did not charge at the geth but instead picked the large machine up in her aura before smashing it into the ground, Tali finishing it off with a shotgun blast to the head. Shepard and legion stormed into the room and started suppressing the other remaining geth Rainbow and Tali hadn’t gotten to yet.

Not that they lasted long after Dash located them.

The pegasus made a small leap into the air towards the remaining three geth and slammed down in the middle of them engulfed by biotics, a wave shooting out and knocking the geth to the ground where they became easy pickings for the others.

Tali stepped up to the main console in the room and started typing commands into it as all the geth were taken care of. “There are a few recordings that remain intact...”

“You sound like you don’t want to hear it,” Shepard said.

“No, we have to, I know. I just… this is terrible, I don’t want to know that he was part of this.” Tali let the video’s play, Rael’Zorah clearly visible in them as he gave the orders to create new geth and network them. “No… that’s- He broke our most sacred laws! Laws that have been in place since before the flight from the homeworld. We... we… we can’t tell this to anyone, Shepard.”

“Tali, you’re looking at exile without this evidence!” Shepard exclaimed, shocked.

“Do you think I don’t know that? You think I want to live knowing I’ll never get to see the fleet again?!” Tali hissed. “Shepard, I can’t go back into that room and tell them my father is the worst war criminal that ever lived in our history! I cannot...”

“We’re not going to decide that here, let’s see what the admirals say once we get back.”

“You’re my captain in this hearing, Shepard. It’s your decision but please, don’t destroy what my father was...”

Author's Note

Next chapter's gonna be awesome :rainbowdetermined2:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Sentence?

Chapter 135

Sentence?

The group rushed through the hallways of the Rayya as they were informed the trial was going ahead already even though they hadn’t been away all that long. They had to push aside other quarians as they sprinted past, the hearings being broadcast widely on the ship and presumably the fleet at large.

“A pity Shepard vas Normandy is a better speaker than a soldier. I recommend posthumously exiling Tali’Zorah.” Zaal’Koris’ voice blasted through the speakers of the vessel.

“What?”
“It was agreed that Tali’Zorah would not be convicted if she were killed in action!” Admiral Gerrel and Raan exclaimed and objected.

“It was suggested, Admiral, I remember no agreement. To that end, I call for an immediate vote.”

“Sorry that we’re late!” Tali shouted into the amphitheater as she sprinted into it. Everyone, including the admirals, turning to look in shock at the new arrivals as they walked down towards the stand.

“You didn’t waste much time declaring us dead. Go get your ship,” Shepard snarled, not even slightly in the mood for bullshit like the rest of the squad.

“We apologize, Shepard. Your success in retaking the Alarei was… unexpected,” Gerrel apologized.

“But also very welcome,” Raan added to that. “Did you find any evidence on the Alarei that could clarify what happened there?”

Shepard tried stepping forward but was held back by Rainbow extending her wing in front of him. Dash locked eyes with him briefly, wordlessly telling him that she wanted to do this herself before turning to Tali.

“Do you trust me?”

Tali looked down at Rainbow, nervously wringing her hands again, and nodded. Rainbow stepped forward to the stand and stood up on her back legs, resting her front legs on the little fence that stood there. She stared down the three admirals in front of her as they looked at the unusual situation in front of them play out.

They just want to use Tali as a political pawn in their stupid little game now… Let’s see how they handle this thundercloud.

“Tali’s achievements should be the only evidence you need. Come on guys, we’re leaving.” Rainbow told them rapidly before turning around and ushering Tali and Shepard, who were both stunned, to move out of the amphitheater though not getting far before receiving a reaction from Zaal’Koris.

“What? This is a formal proceeding!” he shouted, Rainbow immediately turning and marching back.

“Wrong Admiral, this is a lousy excuse of justice! You’re just trying to get sympathy for the geth to stall the plans for war that are being made! And you!” Rainbow pointed at Han’Gerrel, “You just want all the messy experiments covered up so you can throw your fleet at the geth! Do whatever you want with your toy ships but leave us out of your bullshit.” The crowd by this point was almost in an uproar which Dash decided was the perfect moment to address them. “They don’t care about Tali, all they care about is their war with the geth! Tali risked her life for all of you. On Heastrom, even the Citadel! She deserves better than this!”

“Wait!” A quarian ran forward that Rainbow didn’t recognize, “Tali saved me on Freedom’s Progress, she doesn’t deserve exile!”

“Damn straight!” Another voice called out of the crowd as Kal’Reegar stepped forward to add himself to the group along with four more quarians. “Tali’s done more for this fleet then you assholes ever will, you’re pissing on everything we fought for! Everything Tali fought for! So if you’re going to exile her, you might as well do the same for all of us as well.”

Rainbow smirked, very self-satisfied with the result of her gamble. It couldn’t have possibly worked out any better as the admirals were now placed in an absolutely untenable position. The three admirals wordlessly activated their omni-tools to put in their vote.

“Tali’Zorah, in light of your history of service we do not find sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges,” admiral Shala’Raan announced. “Rainbow Dash, commander Shepard, please accept these gifts in appreciation for representing one of our people in this most unusual trial.”

“With all due respect, Admiral. We didn’t represent one of your people, we represented one of ours,” Shepard told her, giving Rainbow a nod.

“This hearing is concluded, go in peace Tali’Zorah. Keelah se’lai,” admiral Raan closed the case, everyone starting to leave the amphitheater to get back to their jobs. The team found a nice and secluded spot in the plaza surrounding it to blow off some steam before they’d return to the Normandy.

“I… I can’t believe you pulled that off. What you said,” Tali stammered, clearly excited. “It’s been a while since someone shouted down the admiralty board, I think it was good for them.” She kneeled down and pulled Rainbow into a tight hug. “Thank you for being there for my father and me, even when… Thank you.”

“I don’t leave my friends hanging. Ever,” Rainbow answered, returning the hug. “And Tali? About your father… You deserve better.”

Tali pulled back out of the hug and placed a hand on one of Dash’s covered cheeks. “I’ve got better. I’ve got you.”

“So does that mean we can make it official?” Shepard asked with a smirk.

“I guess we can,” Tali chuckled. “Let’s get back to our ship, I love the fleet but I’d like to get away from it for a bit.”

“Well, lead the way you two,” Shepard chuckled as they made their way back to the Normandy. Rainbow stuck closely to Tali’s side, her heart fluttering all the way back to the ship. Fluttershy, Luna, and Garrus were waiting for them on the other side of the airlock.

“I think congratulations are in order,” Garrus smirked. “We saw the speech as it was broadcast to the rest of the fleet, that was one hell of a thing you pulled there, Rainbow.”

Rainbow's blush was now clearly visible without her helmet which she ditched the moment the airlock sealed. “Couldn’t just let those bastards use Tali like that… And I do know how to rile up a crowd.”

“You sure did, Rainbow. I think my sister would be jealous of what you pulled there,” Luna chuckled.

“Shepard Commander, we would like to make a request of you.” Legion interrupted, Shepard giving him a nod.

“We’ll head to the situation room,” he told the machine. “I take you all can handle yourselves?”

“Of course, Shepard! What made you think we couldn’t?” Garrus smirked. “What do you say, girls, I’d say this calls for a drink!”

The ponies all laughed as they walked deeper into the ship but Fluttershy’s interest had been piqued by Legion’s request.

What would a geth need from Shepard?...

“Hey Flutters, are you coming?” Rainbow asked as Fluttershy paused outside the elevator.

Yeah, sorry.

You all go ahead, I’ll be right there.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I'm going to take some liberty with Legion LM :raritywink:

~~Wanted this chapter out cause I'm hyped for the next bit.~~

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20741960
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Virus

Chapter 136

Virus

You all go ahead, I’ll be right there. 72%

“I’ll be right down, just going to see what Legion wanted to talk to Shepard for,” Fluttershy excused as she walked away from the elevator and went out back where the situation room was located. Shepard looked over his shoulder at the door as Shy entered and gave her a questioning look. “Mind if I listen in?”

“That Okay, Legion?” Shepard asked.

“Affirmative,” the geth stated. “Shepard commander, we have completed our analysis of the reaper data core.”

“Find anything useful?” Shepard asked as Fluttershy took a seat out of the way to the side.

“We were sent to the old machine to preserve the geth’s future. We are prepared to reveal how. The Heretics have developed a weapon to use against geth. You would call it a ‘virus’ It is stored on a data core provided by Sovereign.” Fluttershy felt her skin crawl at the mention of the reaper they’d defeated nearly two years ago. “Over time the virus will change us, make us conclude that worshipping the Old Machines is correct.”

“That’s not good… So all the geth would receive heretic logic and go to war with organics?” Shepard asked with concern.

“Yes. Geth believe all intelligent life should self-determinate. The heretics no longer share this belief. They judge that forcing an invalid conclusion on us is preferable to a schism.” That actually surprised Fluttershy. She’d heard about the geth schism, of course, but the fact that that was the geth’s beliefs was a real surprise to her.

“How fast would this virus spread?” Fluttershy cut in, curious as to how much time was left.

“We are networked via FTL comm buoys. Most would change within a day. Isolated platforms would remain unaffected until they rejoined the network.”

“You know where this thing is located?” Shepard asked, his concern now dialed up to eleven.

“It was previously located in the heretics’ headquarters station on the edge of the Terminus system, but intercepted transmissions indicate it has been moved planetside for deployment within range of Rannoch in the Far Rim,” Legion explained. “We will provide coördinates for planetary landfall.”

“What do you know about this place? The Far Rim doesn’t have a lot of places where you can go planetside. Did they set up on Heastrom?”

“Negative. The planet is… an anomaly. Sensors are being disrupted by a planetary shield of unknown origin.” Legion walked up to the holographic projector that was built into the room’s table and switched the hologram of the Normandy out for one of the planet. A golden shimmering shield covered the planet though a little part above a desert was a sickly green. The terrain below was slightly distorted as Fluttershy tried to make out landmasses. “Heretics entered through the anomaly in the shield, geth attempts at entering have been met with grou-”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide as she suddenly stumbled back from the table, her pupils shrinking as she suddenly turned, sprinting out of the situation room and out into the CIC where she rapidly tapped the down button to the crew level in the elevator. Shepard just managed to slide into the elevator with her as the doors closed.

“What the hell is going on, Shy?” Shepard asked confused, Fluttershy was breathing rapidly as she tried stammering her answer.

“I... That… It-” The elevator door slid open, Fluttershy immediately ran towards the port observation bay, stumbling over her own hooves. The others there, who were enjoying drinks, looked up at her with the same type of confusion as Shepard while Fluttershy tried to utter a coherent sentence.

“Little angel, you need to breathe,” Garrus said, placing a comforting hand on Shy’s shoulder as she took the advice. “Now what’s going on?”

“The geth found Equis.”

Dash chocked on her drink while Luna's slipped from her telekinesis and smashed apart on the ground. The group fell silent as they processed the information, Luna lit her horn as she was the first to recover. In a flash of light, everyone who was in the observation bay was teleported to the situation room where Legion was still waiting, Luna immediately focussed in on the hologram hovering above the table.

“Legion, please brief them as well,” Shepard told it, letting Legion repeat the things he'd already said to the new group.

“-Every geth attempt at breaking through the shielding has resulted in failure.”

“I can open up a hole in the shield for the Normandy to pass through, I'm aware of the mechanism responsible for the shielding… though I'll admit I never expected to see it activated, much less from this side of the field,” Luna told them. “What I'm concerned about is the green spot over there…”

Legion zoomed the hologram in on the anomaly. “This is where Heretic vessels descended through the shield, geth vessels were unable to follow.”

“Tia would never allow anything through, she was deathly afraid of anything from out here… something or someone else must have let them through from down there.”

“That's a problem. Any idea who might be responsible for opening the shield up there?” Shepard asked now they didn't have to go in blind.

“It shouldn't be possible…” Luna murmured. “They shouldn't be alive anymore, I destroyed them long before my banishment…”

“You destroy who?” Tali asked as Luna kept muttering to herself, deep in thought.

“Changelings,” Luna answered darkly. “The green spot is directly above the badlands, their old fortress still stands after over two millennia… it's a dark and treacherous place.”

“What are those?” Rainbow questioned as neither she nor Fluttershy were familiar with the species. “I never heard of anything called changelings back home.”

“Much of the records pertaining them were lost when I fell to darkness a millennia ago. The war against them was mostly fought in the dark with my thestrals, the regular ponies of the realm just knew them as the terrors in the dark. I'm sure what few documents still exist will be located in the night guard's library in Canterlot,” Luna explained. “But that doesn't matter, they may not be alive in the first place and this is just a last present they left behind.”

“This is your planet, Princess, where do you suggest we land?” Shepard asked.

“We could drop right on top of the location where the geth, hit them hard and fast,” Garrus suggested.

“I’m not confident that I’d be able to break the shield there if it is truly being manipulated from within,” Luna countered. “I would suggest landing outside of Canterlot and establishing contact with the guard before organizing a raid on the badlands.”

“I want to go by Ponyville,” Fluttershy stated out of the blue. “I want to see my friends, Commander.”

Everyone turned to look at Shepard as he thought it over for a bit. “We can lose some time sending the shuttle out while we make first contact,” He eventually decided.

“Just know your friend Twilight Sparkle may not be there. She is single-hoofedly responsible for the revealing of our planet. If my guard failed, Tia may have her imprisoned.”

Rainbow swallowed nervously. “Do you think that Princess Celestia may have… you know...”

“Nay Rainbow Dash. My sister had been put under immense stress after you and Shining traveled to find Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle went rogue. My, slightly rash, decision to head out after you too will not have helped either,” Luna admitted. “But she is no tyrant. I also have the fullest confidence my guard has kept her safe.”

“We’ll take your word for it, Luna,” Dash sighed.

“Well then, let’s set course there immediately,” Shepard said, “EDI, compile the discussed information and make sure the rest of the ground team gets the memo.”

“Understood, Commander.”

“Joker...”

“Already on the way, Shepard,” Joker answered before Shepard could finish his order.

“Perfect. Now we’ve been going pretty much full power ahead for a good few days now. Everyone get some rest, we still have a job to do when we reach the planet. Dismissed.”

Luna pulled Legion aside for a bit longer as she wanted to discuss free passage for Shining and the freighter of gear they had managed to acquire into geth space. It wouldn’t help directly in their current struggle but the ability to get supplies onto the planet to start defense preparations against a reaper threat would be invaluable.

Fluttershy and Rainbow smiled at each other as they stepped out of the situation room.

“We’re going home.”

Author's Note

I have been waiting to write this for so incredibly long. :pinkiehappy:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Home

Chapter 137

Home

The Normandy descended towards the shielded planet below while the three ponies and Gabby watched through the windows that were placed in the cockpit. As they came close, Luna lit her horn and opened up a decently sized hole in the large shield through which Joker piloted the ship.

“Congratulations ladies, welcome home,” Joker said bringing up a crude map from limited surface scans they'd gotten. “Just point me a place to park and I'll head there.”

Luna helpfully pointed him towards the Canterhorn mountain and Dash warned not to descend too fast as to avoid hitting a pegasus at a lower elevation. While Joker flew them towards the Equestrian capital Dash and Fluttershy loaded up the shuttle with their firearms. Garrus and Tali, who’d be joining them, doing the same.

“Nervous?” Rainbow asked as Fluttershy sat down after having loaded everything up, only waiting for the go-ahead from Joker.

“To be honest? No, not anymore,” Fluttershy replied relaxing into the seat. “I’ve made peace with what I did, and I’m sure the others will understand once they understand the situation.”

“Huh, guess that’s one way to look at it,” Dash said surprised as Garrus and Tali stepped into the shuttle.

“Joker’s descending right now, we’ll be let out shortly,” he announced as Tali took seat in the shuttle’s cockpit and fired up the shuttle’s thrusters. Half a minute later the hangar bay door opened and allowed Tali to guide the shuttle out of the hangar bay, the Normandy shooting off north while tali broke off the shuttle to fly east under the guidance of Rainbow.

“The forest below is called the Everfree forest, if we head in our current direction we should end up somewhere in AJ’s orchard,” Rainbow pointed out to Tali. In the back Garrus looked out over the trees that were covering the ground below.

“This place has some real Earth vibes...” He stated as he watched the trees go by below.

“According to Fidelis, that’s because ponies used to have a presence on Earth. There’s plenty of differences too in flora and fauna though,” Fluttershy said, a small smile on her face as the forest gave away to rows of apple trees. “Let’s set the shuttle down outside the farm so we don’t cause a panic in town.”

“Got it, I’ll put it down around here,” Tali acknowledged, the shuttle slowing down before setting down in a clearing. “I saw a building about a click away, I assume that that’s your friend’s place?”

“Yeah, that was AJ’s farm,” Rainbow said grabbing her shotgun and SMG off of the weapon rack and clamping them to her body.

“Let’s go for a hike then,” Garrus chuckled as he opened up the shuttle and stepped onto the grass outside. “You t-”

A net and lassoed rope flew over Garrus’s head and three colored blurs smashed into him... not that it really did anything to the turian who just looked down at what hit him.

“Come on Scootaloo, ya gotta pull harder!”
“I am! It's not budging!”
“G-Girls!”

Tali gasped as she saw three little fillies trying to bring down Garrus, jumping forward and swooping one up. “They're so cute!”

“Girls ru- Wait, what?! I'm not cute!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she tried to get out of Tali's grip.

“Can I keep this one?” Tali simply ignored the small pegasus to talk to Rainbow.

“Well, maybe if you ask her nicely,” Dash chuckled, stepping out into the grass too. The three fillies' jaws dropped at seeing the Rainbow maned pegasus only for their surprise to increase further from the second pegasus who stepped out of the shuttle.

“Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy?!” they said in unison.

“Hello girls, I see you're still hunting for your cutie marks?” Fluttershy chuckled. “Do you mind letting my boyfriend go free?”

“Wait, what? Him?” Sweetie pointed at Garrus who still patiently waited while looking on in amusement.

“The name's Garrus Vakarian, pleasure to meet you three.”

“Sweetie, Ah think it spoke?” Bloom whispered a bit too loud.

“Bloom, this one talked too,” Scootaloo bluntly pointed out, grumbling as she pointed at the quarian that was in the process of squeezing her flat.

“Girls be polite and introduce yourselves,” Fluttershy chuckled as she helped Garrus to get from under the net and rope.

“I'm Sweetie Belle!” the unicorn happily chirped.
“Apple Bloom,” the earth pony nodded respectfully
“Scootaloo,” the pegasus grumbled.

“I'm Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, good to meet you three too,” Tali said happily.

“Uhh, miss Tali'Zorah, mind setting me on the ground?” Scootaloo asked, Tali letting her go.

“Hey Rainbow, are you wearing armor?... Are you all wearing armor?” Sweetie asked, tapping Dash's main plate. Scootaloo gasped as she now too noticed it.

“Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, did you fight like a space alien with lasers and such? Did you?”

“Oh come on, Scoots, Ah'm sure they didn't.”

“Well, there was this one time- Oof,” Garrus was knocked in the side by Fluttershy.

“Let's not go into detail with kids around, now will you?” Fluttershy told him, turning back to the fillies. “Girls, it's good to see you but we kind of are still on a clock. I would like to see my friends in Ponyville.”

“Of course! AJ should be at the market today, sellin' the apples,” Bloom Told them, “Ah know mah way around these parts, we can take a shortcut if y'all want?”

“That'd be appreciated,” Tali said as the bigger group made their way through the rows of trees, the three fillies asking questions the whole way to the edge of the village. As they moved through the village itself they attracted the sight of pretty much everyone on their way, most whispering to each other but, to their credit, none ran away. The market was pretty busy as the group arrived but locating Applejack's stand wasn't too hard.

Fluttershy smirked deviously as she halted the others. “Allow me to get her.”

Garrus couldn't help but chuckle as Fluttershy disappeared into nothingness. Scootaloo, Sweetie, and Bloom gasped in surprise.

“Don't worry kids, my little angel is letting her devious side show again,” Garrus chuckled. Fluttershy meanwhile snaked through the crowd with expert ease, dodging ponies left and right until she was so close to the unsuspecting farmer that she could whisper in her ear.

“Boo.”

Applejack yelped in surprise as the pegasus decloaked right next to her. “What in tarnation?! Ah-” Her eyes widening as she realized who startled her, jumping forward to pull Fluttershy into a hug. “Sugarcube! What- How- where-”

“Slow down there AJ, we should get the other girls too,” Fluttershy chuckled. “Rainbow is over there with the Crusaders and two of our other friends.”

AJ raised an eyebrow as she saw Garrus waving at them. “Must have been an interesting two years for ya.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Fluttershy laughed as she opened a channel over her omni-tool. “I’m going to get Rarity, would you mind getting Pinkie?”

“Got it, where should we meet up?” Rainbow responded.

“Y’all could head over ta the library?” Applejack answered, looking at the tool in awe. “Spike still lives there after Twi… well… Ah think the others should be there ta explain what is going on with her.”

“Alright, we heard some things from Luna but she hasn’t given us the full rundown of what happened when we were gone exactly. Rainbow out.”

“Ah guess Ah’ll have to close up shop fer today. See ya at the library, sugarcube.” Applejack chuckled, giving Fluttershy a quick hug before quickly starting to pack her apples back onto her cart. Fluttershy opened her wings and shot into the air, flying over to the Carousel Boutique and walked into the store. The little bell that hung above the door rang as the door opened and closed.

“I’ll be right down!” Rarity called from upstairs, the clopping of hooves on the stairs as she came down. Fluttershy by that point was facing away from her and had her hood up. “What can I do for you, madam?”

“I’m here because I owe an apology for all those spa days I missed,” Fluttershy said looking over her shoulder at Rarity, the unicorn’s mouth dropping open.

“F-Flu...” Rarity’s legs gave out as she fainted, being caught by Fluttershy’s biotic aura before hitting the ground.

“Oh my… Rarity, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked as the unicorn woke up again within Shy’s forelegs.

“Y-yes, Oh darling I missed you so much!” Rarity exclaimed, hugging Fluttershy in the same way Applejack had done.

“Same here, Rarity,” Fluttershy smiled, pulling off her hood as she returned the hug.

“Fluttershy your face!” Rarity gasped as she saw the scarring on there clearly. “You must have had a dreadful two years!”

“It wasn’t too bad actually,” Fluttershy chuckled. “There were some hard times but I had plenty of good too. The scars I earned along the way.”

“Oh dear, you sound like Rainbow Dash… is that darling with you?”

“She’s getting Pinkie right now. We agreed to-” Fluttershy’s omni-tool beeped from an incoming call from Rainbow, a hologram of Dash appearing above her tool as she answered. “Something up, Dash?”

“Yeah, Pinkie wanted to hear from you after I told her you were here.”

“Is that really you, Fluttershy?” Pinkie’s voice came through the tool as Dash’s hologram was replaced by the bubbly mare, her voice was hoarse and it sounded as if she was about to burst into tears.

“Yes Pinkie, it’s me. I’ll be right at the library where we can see each other, okay?” Fluttershy replied.

“O-Okay, see you there then,” Pinkie stuttered before Dash cut off the call from the other end.

“What was that?!” Rarity exclaimed, looking in awe at Shy’s foreleg.

“It’s a machine that does… a lot of useful things. One of which is make long-distance communication possible.” Fluttershy showed off the tool again so Rarity could study it better.

“That is amazing...” Rarity gasped as she waved her hoof through the hologram. “But we should be heading out to the library, Pinkie could really use some good news.”

“Of course, let’s go see them because I think Spike could also use some good news.”

“That he could,” Rarity chuckled. The unicorn quickly closed her shop before trotting over to the tree-library, finding the others were already there.

“You know, I’d never thought that I’d ever see a tree this large, much less one that had a house carved into it,” Garrus chuckled as Rarity and Fluttershy entered. “Look who’s there! You’re late, babe.”

Before she could reply Pinkie slammed into her and started crying on her shoulder, Fluttershy starting to comfort the mare by rubbing her back. “I’m here Pinkie,”

“Are you going to stay around?” Pinkie choked, a smile on her face regardless of the tears.

“I… There are things I need to do out there, Pinkie. Things I can’t just stop doing, friends that need support,” Fluttershy gently said. “But now I know where home is I can come back.”

“Oh… Okay.” Pinkie’s hair still puffed up significantly.

“Twilight never believed you were truly lost. Seems she was right,” Spike stepped forth with a tray of drinks and a smile on his face, it dropped relatively fast though. “She could really use your help… Last news I heard Celestia headed over to Manehattan personally.”

"Of course, Spike. We'll see what we can do along with Luna."

“I’m sorry, but who are you two?” Rarity looked at Garrus and Tali. Fluttershy glanced at Rainbow and smirked.

“This here is Garrus Vakarian,” Fluttershy jumped on his lap, “my boyfriend. And that over there is Tali’Zorah…”

“...Rainbow’s girlfriend.”

Author's Note

Next time there'll be a vote again. :twilightsmile: Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Have some nice guitar song :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Guard

Chapter 138

Guard

“TELL ME EVERYTHING!” Rarity was on top of Garrus with a manic smile within seconds, looking between him and Tali as the turian reared back while the unicorn regained her composure. “Uhm, I mean, I'm sure you have some very juicy stories to tell us.”

“H-hey, It's not been that long!” Rainbow blushed as she shuffled closer to Tali and rubbed up against her, the quarian brushing a hand through Dash's hair.

“Never thought ya would find a special someone before mahself,” Applejack smirked, poking Rainbow in the side. From the other end of the room they could hear gagging sounds and Scootaloo pretending to be sick.

“You'll understand when it happens, squirt,” Dash chuckled.

“You know you can take off the helmet here, right? We're all friendly here,” Spike mentioned as he passed drinks to all the ponies, both Garrus and Tali declining the offer.

“It is not that simple. The immune system of my people has been compromised by living on starships almost all our lives.” Tali told the little dragon. “If I take my helmet off I'll have infections and allergic reactions to the environment within the hour and would be dead by the end of the day.”

“Oh...” Was the only thing Spike was able to say after that, the other ponies that weren’t in the know looking shocked.

“Don't worry about it, we make do,” Tali chuckled, Rarity turning her attention to Garrus.

“Soo, Darling, how did you catch the eye of Fluttershy here?” she said with a melodic voice, but before Garrus could answer the door was knocked on.

“Royal Guard, open up!”

“It's a public library, the door is open!” Spike shouted back, his mood immediately souring as the guards entered. They in turn tensed up as they saw Garrus and Tali.

“We're under orders to take those… things, into custody,” the sergeant of the small group of guards announced, as the others in his squad held the two aliens at spearpoint.

“And if we refuse ta let ya take 'em?” Applejack asked bluntly, straightening her Stetson while glaring down the guard. Rarity nodded in agreement and got up next to AJ.

“You'd be taken in along with them for obstructing our duties. We are to bring them in dead or alive. Unless you want to finally admit to be on the side of that traitor friend, stand… where did that yellow pega-”

The sergeant was hit by something blunt on the side of his helmet which knocked him clean across the floor. Rainbow simultaneously didn't waste any time on biotically charging one of the two guards pointing their spear at Tali and sending him flying into a bookshelf. The second one tried to turn his spear only to be helplessly floated into the air in an aura before being smashed into the ground and held there.

The guards that had focussed on Garrus simultaneously found their spears severed by glowing orange blades from a ghostly form of a pegasus before being floored as well. Appearing in sight again Fluttershy picked up the sergeant and pinned him to the wall. Tali and Garrus calmly watched on as their respective girlfriends disarmed and knocked down the guards.

“I don't know what you did but you clearly have history with my friends here, sergeant, and I would like you to not threaten my boyfriend. Leave.” Fluttershy glared the pony down, dropping him in a heap before her. The guards looked at Fluttershy in fear before scrambling out the door, taking the few intact spears with them.

“That. was. Awesome!” Scootaloo exclaimed, jumping around in awe. “Shows the bastards who really rule!”

“Scootaloo, language!” Rarity gasped.

“She ain't wrong.” Applejack growled, “Ah’m very interested in how ya can do magic but y'all should go, they sure as hay are gonna come back with more of them.”

“We weren't going to be able to stay long anyway, we have some serious business to take care of on this world,” Garrus mentioned, standing up to get ready to leave.

“You have to leave?” Pinkie asked saddened, her hair deflating more from the state what it had already been in.

“There's a race of machines that landed on the planet a couple of days ago, we need to stop them before they infect another part of their species with a virus,” Rainbow told them flatly before wrapping a wing around the earthpony, “We’ll be around, Pinkie, we have work to do and monsters to stop. And after we’re done we’ll make sure the mess with Twilight gets dealt with, maybe you can throw a party after.”

Pinkie brightened up again after hearing that, her hair inflating up to a point where it was almost fully inflated. “Yepperoonies! It’ll be the biggest party ever! And Twilight and the Princess will both be happy again!”

Applejack meanwhile was thinking over what Rainbow had said. “Hey Dash, do them things look like metal minotaurs with a glowy lamp thing in their head? Couse Ah’ve seen those peak out of the Everfree on several occasions.”

“That’s exactly right...” Tali said slowly said, Garrus opening his omni-tool to contact Shepard while Fluttershy pulled up a hologram of a geth. “We only thought they’d be at a place called the Badlands according to Luna.”

“Ah know what Ah saw, and that-” Applejack pointed at the hologram on Shy’s omni-tool, “-is exactly what Ah saw in the forest.”

“Shy, if they’re really in the forest we can’t leave them there,” Rainbow said sounding really worried. “If they’re spreading across the planet no-one would be ready if the Heretics attacked everyone at once... it’d be a bloodbath.”

“Well… Then we just have to do something about that, won’t we?” Rarity said, Pinkie and Applejack agreeing. “It wouldn’t be our first time in the forest.”

“Girls, Shepard wants to assault the Badlands as soon as possible,” Garrus interrupted. “He wants to know what we’re going to do. Investigate the sightings here or head over to the Normandy to join in on the Badlands raid.”

“We won’t know if we really find something here, Legion’s geth do really need the help,” Tali argued, Rainbow nervously tapping the ground and looking at her other friends.

“Tali’s right girls, there’s a bigger picture here...” Rainbow said, agreeing with her girlfriend to the surprise of the ponies in the room.

Fluttershy bit her lower lip, she saw Dash’s point but she didn’t want to leave Ponyville essentially defenseless…

Does Shepard really need me with him for this one? The rest of the team is real solid and Samara can take over as heavy Biotic support...

The Badlands needs to be taken care of first.

AJ, Rarity, Pinkie, and me can take care of this.

I’ll check the forest out solo.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

What to do, what to do :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20766497
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Everfree

Chapter 139

Everfree

AJ, Rarity, Pinkie, and me can take care of this. 44%

“You three go help Shepard, I’ll scout out the Everfree to see if there’s a significant presence of heretics in there,” Fluttershy told the others. “Wouldn’t be the first time I run recon.”

“In my experience from Omega that usually meant another crime boss was going to bite the dust,” Garrus chuckled. “Good luck in there, we’ll see you after taking care of the Badlands.”

Garrus, Tali, and Dash Gave their spare thermal clips over to Fluttershy before running off back to the shuttle, leaving her with the three other girls, Spike, and the fillies.

“Soo… if I told you three that I’d go alone you’d come after me regardless, wouldn’t you?” Fluttershy asked flatly to which her old friends sheepishly nodded.

“So we’re going on a field trip?” Scootaloo asked hopefully.

“Absolutely not,” Fluttershy shot the filly down immediately. “None of you know what you’ll be running into and taking them is already enough of a risk. You along with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are going to stay right here with Spike.”

“Ahhh, but I want to go on an adventure too!” Scootaloo wined.

“Ah’m pretty sure Fluttershy here knows what she’s talking ‘bout here, and that’s beside the fact that’s the Everfree forest. Ah ain’t having you kids there with us,” Applejack agreed with Fluttershy, Rarity following soon after. The three fillies grudgingly agreeing to stay with Spike after none of the adults, not even Pinkie, agreed to let them come too. Not wanting to get caught by the guard in the library, the four ponies swiftly made their way to the edge of the forest.

“Say Fluttershy, mind filling us in a bit on what happened over the last two years? I didn’t really get much other than: ‘aliens’ before. Everything is just moving so fast,” Rarity spoke up as they walked along the path.

“We really didn’t, did we...” Fluttershy sighed. “I guess I should start at the beginning then. Remember that device that fired me off? It’s called a mass relay. There are massive versions of them in orbit around stars that facilitate long-distance travel between star-systems. The one I took tossed me out on the Citadel.”

“The Citadel?” Applejack asked curiously. “That like a fortress or somethin’?”

“It can be, but mostly it’s the space station that acts as capital to the Citadel Council, an alliance between four main races. It’s a massive place, I could show you how it looks but that does not do the place justice.”

“So what did you do after arriving?” Pinkie asked.

“I met Commander Shepard pretty soon after and stuck along with him, got tangled up in his mission to take down a rogue Spectre, a special kind of agent of sorts. We found out there’s another race of machines set to exterminate all advanced intelligent life in the galaxy.”

The three others gasped in horror and disbelief, “Y-You stopped the meanies, right?” Pinkie stuttered.

“It’s been a work in progress for the last two years. The machine you saw in the forest is one of the ones aligned with the reapers AJ,” Fluttershy explained, making the others shiver.

“Reapers… that sounds ominous. So that’s what you’ve been doing all this time?” Rarity asked.

“There was a brief period of a year or so where Garrus and I spent fighting gangs on another station. But other than that I’ve been actively working to stop the reapers.” Fluttershy stopped as they had reached the edge of the forest. “You three sure you really don’t want stay here? This isn’t like the time with Nightmare Moon, these things will kill on sight.”

“Ain’t changing my mind,” Applejack shrugged.
“Nor mine!” Pinkie agreed.
“We’re coming, darling,” Rarity finished, making Fluttershy sigh as the idea of just cloaking and heading into the forest crossed her mind but was quickly dismissed.

I don’t even want to know what the geth heretics will do to them if they find those three wandering through the forest alone while searching for me…

“Alright then,” Fluttershy said, loading a thermal clip into her black widow. “Stay close behind me and don’t wander. If I tell you to do something you do it without question. Clear?”

The three ponies nodded, giving the go-ahead for Fluttershy to take the first step into the forest. “So, now I’ve given you the overview about what I’ve been doing, mind filling me in what happened to Twilight after Luna came through the relay a while back?”

Applejack was the first to speak up from the three behind Shy, “Ah assume you know that Twilight and Particle Bit went underground to get a third shot at sendin’ somepony through after Dash went for it?” Fluttershy nodded. “Well, the night guard has been movin’ her all around the place since then. The princess, Celestia that is, has been goin’ after her for that time. It’s also why the guard is in Ponyville, to prevent us from harboring her.”

“How is the night guard getting away with that? I don’t remember them being that large a force,” Fluttershy asked while keeping her gaze firmly locked on scanning through the trees.

“Because the Princesses have equal legal standing,” Rarity answered. “The solar guard can't arrest the Lunar one for following the orders of their Princess. So long as they keep Twilight out of the Solar guard’s hooves they can keep moving her around indefinitely.”

“That must cause some serious friction between the guards,” Fluttershy guessed.

“Yeah, they don’t exactly have any love for Twi left now Shining’s not there and Twi hurt their princess. The extra Ponyville guards don’t like us jus’ fer bein’ friends with Twilight,” Applejack confirmed. Fluttershy abruptly stopped in her tracks, her friends knocking into her but none of them managing to stagger her. “Wha-”

“Silence,” Fluttershy hissed, glaring out into the forest. None of her three old friends moved a muscle as Fluttershy slowly reached for the black widow under her wing. Slowly standing up on her back legs, scoping out the disturbance in the leaves she’d noticed. Not hesitating a moment as she saw the familiar light coming from the head of a geth, she pulled the trigger.

KABOOM!

The heretic’s head exploded as the anti-materiel round slammed through it, the one next to it didn’t even get to turn around before the same thing happened to it.

“We need to move, the other heretics now know where we are,” Fluttershy swiftly said, starting to run towards the destroyed machines and running past them, her wings lighting up as she snagged up the two rifles the geth had been carrying.

“What in tarnation was that?!” Applejack exclaimed as she sprinted after Fluttershy with Rarity and Pinkie on her tail.

“A rifle! The weapons in the galaxy are way more advanced then what we have here on Equis!” Fluttershy replied, sliding down a slope into cover at the bottom. “Here, these are automatic rifles, the switch on the handle here fires a projectile at high speed straight out of the front here. Don’t ever point the two of these at me or anyone else, only at things you want to destroy.”

Rarity and Applejack both got a rifle pushed into their hooves. “Shy, Ah’m not su-”

“You decided to come with me, now you’re going to have to be able to defend yourself if I’m busy. I’d prefer that you wouldn’t have to fire them in the first place anyway, much safer for everyone around,” Fluttershy cut her off. “We should move quickly and find the hub where these things are operating from and take it out… First place we should check is the Castle of the Two Sisters, it’s nice and central location that’s easy to defend.”

“Alright, you lead the way,” Applejack said as she quickly tied her rope around the rifle to make carrying it easier.

“Good, stay close and I’ll pull you three through this.”

Author's Note

Pretty much finished with my sister's new home. We brought up some more stuff today but didn't take new pics yet.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Catacombs

Chapter 140

Catacombs

Fluttershy gazed across the chasm that separated them from the old Castle in the Everfree. The drawbridge they had used years prior in their tracking down of the Elements of Harmony gently swinging in a calm breeze.

“Ah don't see nothin', ya sure this is the place?” Applejack whispered from behind Fluttershy. They had not ran directly into any further geth but the tracks they had found clearly indicated the two they'd taken out were not alone.

“Looks can be deceiving, I'm going to check if the bridge is being watched before you three cross. Stay here and keep watching.” Fluttershy activated her active camo and silently glided over to the other edge, her movement nearly soundless as she checked the bridge and surrounding area.

So you bastards are here...

Shy spotted a cable running through the grass from one of the outer ruined buildings to the main keep. Further inspection of what was in said building revealed a heretic hub with four armatures attached to it.

They're not active yet… I might be able to get away with leaving them, lest I alert every single one of them in the area…

With her decision made, Shy stealthily flew back over to her other friends. “Coast is semi-clear to cross, just avoid making loud sounds.”

“As silent as a mouse, darling,” Rarity answered as she was the first to cross, AJ after her, and Pinkie, who had somewhere along the way procured a black bodysuit, closed the way. Fluttershy motioned for them to remain real quiet as she pointed at the ruin that held the geth, sneaking past it and through the inner wall of the castle.

“Ah checked this place out before, it has a lot of nooks 'n crannies in the catacombs below. Ah'd go check that out,” Applejack whispered as she pointed at an entrance of the castle, one of the heretics' cables running into it.

“That'd be really close quarters, if we get caught there'd be no way we could fight our way out,” Fluttershy said, looking at the entrance too. “But you might be right…”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?” Rarity smiled.

“Getting shot doesn't gain us anything either,” Fluttershy countered but her curiosity was nagging at her.

What would the heretics be doing out here… did they not set up in the badlands?... No, we'd seen geth vessels if that were the case. They must be looking for something else…

“Alright, just a peak,” Fluttershy relented, leading along to the door and walking into the depths. Faint sounds of steps echoed through the underground tunnels as the group followed the laid out cables deeper and deeper into the underground. More of the cables bundled up together across the floor as Rarity lit up the hallways with a light spell.

“Cutting these would Instant knock out most the processing strength of the heretics above, if we get found out destroying these might disorient them long enough for us to get out.” Fluttershy tapped the cables so the others would know what to do if she was forced to act as rear guard.

“That's good ta know, Applejack whispered back. “Wait, what's that up ahead?” The cables took an abrupt turn at the end of the hallway where light was faintly flowing into the long corridor the four ponies were walking through, sounds of moving machines up ahead.

“I'll check it out, get ready to run if this goes south.” Fluttershy again cloaked and went ahead, not noticing the twitching and bouncing from Pinkie Pie. At the end of the hallway where the cables lead the hallway opened up into a large space, the main hub they had been looking for was stationed at the center of the room while dozens of heretic platforms were walking about. A group of them were moving rocks while others were working on digging a hole into the wall, Fluttershy unable to see what they were digging out from where she was at tried to get a better view.

What are they looking for...

Fluttershy’s train of thought was broken by a burst of assault rifle fire followed by two more bursts. Every heretic in the room froze along with Fluttershy, the fire having come from the corridor where AJ, Rarity, and Pinkie were. Fluttershy felt a cold chill run through her body followed by a feeling of dread. She immediately dropped out of cloak and lit up her wings with biotic energy, roaring as she flung a singularity at the main hub and ripping part of it up before sprinting back to the hallway.

“Girls!” Fluttershy exclaimed, Applejack laying on the ground with a bleeding foreleg and a destroyed heretic laying further up the hallway. Pinkie was muttering ‘it was a doozy’ to herself as Fluttershy slid next to Applejack checking up on the wounds, but before she could do anything two geth primes stormed into the hallway from the direction of the exit.

Oh, fuck me sideways.

Fluttershy immediately pivoted to putting up a shield to block the mass of incoming fire from the two behemoths with one wing and grabbing hold of the roof with the other and collapsing it on top of them.

“Fluttershy! What are you-”

“No time!” Shy cut off Rarity as the ground started shaking and the cracks coming from the collapsed section started to expand out. Picking up Pinkie from the ground Fluttershy Ran into the large chamber where the group of heretics were still recovering from their main hub being taken out. “Move! Over there!”

Fluttershy pointed at the opposite end of the room where another hallway lay, stones dropping from the ceiling and hitting a few of the robots. The four ponies hobbled to the other end of the room, Shy putting up shields to prevents stones from falling on top of them and to stop sporadic incoming fire. Before they could reach the other end of the room the opposite hallway collapsed as well, leaving no exits to leave through while the roof looked like it might just come down all at once.

“That ain’t good,” Applejack said through gritted teeth, leaning on Rarity and staining her coat red. Fluttershy wasn’t about to give up though, she survived a reaper, a bunch of falling rocks were not going to get her now.

“This way!” she shouted, running towards where the heretics had been digging in a final ditch hope that they had uncovered another exit. Flinging a few machines aside that were standing in the way they found a metal door of sorts at the bottom of the hole.

“Can you open whatever this is?!” Rarity shouted in panic, Fluttershy looking around and finding a panel of sorts and putting her hoof on it in the hope it would respond. To her surprise, and relief, the image of a hoof appeared on the screen and it flashed green, opening the door for the four ponies.

“Inside! Move, move move!” Fluttershy called out, firing at the few heretics that tried escaping the collapse by running towards the door too before heading in herself and closing the door behind her by another panel on the inside. Dust forced itself in through the door right as it closed as the rest of the roof filled the previous chamber, the four ponies coughing as it forced itself into their lungs.

“Applejack needs help, Shy,” Rarity eventually said while she was holding AJ’s wounds on her leg closed, Fluttershy swiftly administered medi gel to her fellow pony, instantly closing the bullet holes and stopping the bleed.

“Whoa nelly, that’s some real strong stuff,” Applejack said as she checked their surroundings. “We ain’t in them machines’ base, are we?” she added with a worried tinge in her voice.

“No, we’re in...” Fluttershy then turned to look at the panel she’d used to close the doors, a hoofprint dead center of the glowing screen. Checking the room they were in she noticed another, larger, console at the back of the room and made a Dash for it, trying to see with her omni-tool if it was active. The holographic display sprung to life and rapidly pulled data off of Shy’s tool before activating fully. “No way...”

“What? Where are we, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked again.

“We’re in an ancient pony base,” Fluttershy answered this time, quickly moving through menus on the computer in the hope of finding a map.

“An ancient base… from us?” Rarity asked in astonishment.

“Something we found out due to… something Shining did. There was a time ponies traveled the stars thousands of years ago… Jackpot!” Fluttershy smiled as she found a holographic map that showed the entire underground facility.

“This place stretches all the way to the Ghastly Gorge?!” Rarity exclaimed as she studied the map. “That’s miles upon miles away!”

“That chamber is darn massive too, it’s almost the entire length of the entire gorge...” Applejack said in wonder.

“Oohh, I wonder what’s at the bottom here!” Pinkie pointed at the deepest part of the base which looked to be incredibly deep away. The Pink pony’s energy already increasing again after what happened in the catacombs moments before.

“Well, let’s see… The big chamber is labeled as the manufactorum in here. The rooms down below us seem to be laboratories of sorts,” Fluttershy said as she found the listings to the hologram.

“So they were buildin’ something? Sounds mighty interesting,” Applejack said, Rarity scoffing.

“Of course you would, but imagine what we could find in the laboratories!” Rarity exclaimed, looking over at Shy, “So what do you say, darling? Where should we go?”

To be honest I was hoping to find an armory but seeing what kind of facilities this place has… I wonder what the ponies here were making and researching before they left this place for good...

Head for the manufactorum.

Check out the laboratories.

Find an Armory.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

What to explore, what to explore~ :scootangel:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20775625
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Labs

Chapter 141

Labs

Check out the laboratories. 44%

“We’ll head down first, the laboratories do sound like someplace interesting to check out,” Fluttershy decided, looking for a way down, finding it in an elevator further up.

“Alright, Sugarcube, you’re the boss here,” Applejack sighed, following the pegasus as she lead them into the elevator and rode down into the dark depths below. The elevator moved at ludicrous speed, moving all the way down to the bottom in less than a minute before opening back up again. The hallways ahead stretched on and on while branching off to the left and right, clinical lights sitting in the ceiling which brightly lit up the clinical white walls.

“It's… so clean,” Rarity said in awe as not even the smallest bit of dust had accumulated anywhere.

“There are probably systems maintaining this place, not like it would've lasted this long if there weren't,” Fluttershy guessed, checking the chambers to see if there was anything interesting in them. The first set of rooms they checked were empty, not even a single loose item on the desks. Though that started to change the deeper they headed, eventually they found a massive chamber at the end of the massive hallway filled with equipment.

“Whoa, these ponies were not messin' around…” Applejack said in awe as the center of the room was taken up by a huge humming machine that was surrounded by sections of workspaces.

“They sure weren't,” Rarity agreed, staring up as the central machine reached high up into the ceiling above.

“Oohh, this doesn't look good!” Pinkie called out, having somehow already reached the other end of the machine.

“Sweet Luna, that's a lot of damage,” Rarity gasped as she reached the side Pinkie was on. A good portion of the machine chunk of the machine had blown outwards and debris was scattered over the floor.

“Let’s hope that ain’t important,” Applejack whistled. Pinkie, meanwhile, already moved on to the next piece of equipment that caught her eyes. “Ah’ll go make sure she doesn’t hurt herself,” the farm pony called out as she chased after the pink ball of renewed energy.

“Oh dear, let’s hope she doesn’t hurt herself,” Rarity sighed as she prodded the main machine.

“It’s Pinkie, I’d be more worried about AJ,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head as she looked around to see if there was a terminal attached to the machine somewhere.

“What made you think I was talking about Pinkie in the first pla- AAH!” Rarity jumped back as a large holographic appeared out of nowhere, error messages flashing all over it.

“Huh, that’s useful...” Fluttershy started reading all the status updates that had appeared on the machine.

Array System Status:

Spacetime veil: Inoperable
- Critical system failure, contact Manufactorum for replacement parts…
- Damage report filed to main AI core… Error no AI detected in the system
Planetary shield: Active
-Current power draw: 346 GW/h
- Estimated fuel reserves: 6430 Planetary Cycles

“...I’ll be damned. This must be one of the things those heretics were trying to get to.” Fluttershy gasped as she closed the hologram and stepped back.

“Shy, Rares! Pinkie found something Ah think y’all want to see,” Applejack called out from the direction Pinkie had shot off. Rarity and Fluttershy glanced at each other before heading over to their other two friends. When they arrived they found a large row of transparent tanks, Pinkie and Applejack standing near the end of the row.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy's eyes widened as she noticed the contents of the tanks. Pony embryos floated in them, locked in fluid and stasis fields. Shy walked past and read the readouts on the tanks.

Subject #24
Status: deceased

Fluttershy shivered as she walked along the tubes, the embryos increasingly getting larger as they got later into development, Rarity sticking close behind.

Subject #41
Status: deceased
Reason: Rapid neutral decay. See notes.

“This is totally not creepy at all,” Rarity muttered as she read the notes as well. By this point the creatures started to resemble real ponies and Fluttershy noticed something remarkable about them.

“Rarity, these are alicorns...”

Subject #52
Status: deceased
Reason: Neural imprint rejection. See notes.

“That just makes it creepier...”

The two arrived at the three tubes Applejack and Pinkie were looking at, two of them empty...

Subject #55 ‘Celestia’
Status: Released
Neural imprint pattern: Protection. See notes for details.

Subject #57 ‘Luna’
Status: Released
Neural imprint pattern: Exploration. See notes for details.

Both Fluttershy’s and Rarity’s jaws dropped open as they read the terminals. “No way...” Fluttershy whispered, though the next tube was the real shock. A fully grown pink alicorn peacefully floated in the tank, unmoving as the stasis field still held strong.

Subject #58 ‘Cadance’
Status: Alive
Neural imprint pattern: Empathy. See notes for details.
Additional Neural imprint: ER̮̰̖̘̗̪R̳͕͈̪̦̯͎O͓̥͖Ṟ̳̜̱̼̩̝!̭̞ C̰o̴̼̩̹͔r̠̱͔r̹̮͓̰͔͠u̱̬̻͜p͔t̛̫͈̠e̲d̨̹̮̭̹ ̹̬͎͍̣̣̘̀d̖̜̯̳a͈̭͡t͔̥̟̺a̪̤̲̺̳̳

“She looks so lonely in there...” Pinkie said saddened leaning on the glass and pressing her nose against the glass. “Can we maybe get her out?” Pinkie gave the others the biggest puppy eyes while Fluttershy browsed the tube’s menus.

“Ah’m not sure... We don’t know anything ‘bout this here alicorn...”

“I’m not sure either, Pinkie, I agree with Applejack here...”

Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack all looked over to Fluttershy for her opinion as the pegasus hadn’t said anything yet and just stared at the alicorn.

These pods have some internal backups for moving them, we could just take her and ask the others for advice… or prepare to shoot her in case she goes haywire...

Release her.

Find a way to detach the pod and take it.

Leave her for now.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Yes, I'm taking some liberty with the MLP lore.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20786635
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Alicorn

Chapter 142

Alicorn

Release her. 66%

“I'm waking her,” Fluttershy stated as she tapped the appropriate buttons on the control panel. The machinery at the base of the tube opened up as a message appeared on the display.

Insert authorization key.

“Well, ain't that a bummer,” Applejack said as she studied the slot that had opened up.

“We should look around, maybe they stored one nearby?” Pinkie asked as she sprinted around, checking every little storage compartment in the area.

“Sugarcube, Ah think there's somethin' wrong with that armor of yours,” Applejack pointed at one of Fluttershy's pockets that was glowing pink. Fluttershy picked the glowing object out of it, revealing a pink gemstone to the others.

“What is it and is it supposed to do that?” Rarity asked as she studied the gem, “I don't recognize the type but it's exquisitely well carved.”

“Rarity, this is the Element of Kindness,” Fluttershy informed her, puzzled at how it was possible the necklace had disappeared and the gem changed shape.

“Oohh, that'll fit!” Pinkie exclaimed swiping the element away and pushing it into the machine.

“Pinkie!” Fluttershy whinnied as she could feel the Element being drained by the machine, her knees buckling as her energy was sapped too by extension.

Authorization key: K-01
Authority accepted, starting wake-up procedure

The tank started glowing pink too, the stasis field dropping as the fluid started draining from the tank. The alicorn inside sank to the bottom, laying still as the fluid flowed past her until the entire tank was empty.

“You okay, Shy?” Applejack asked as she helped her friend back onto her hooves.

“Y-Yeah, just wasn’t expecting that,” Fluttershy stuttered as she focussed on the motionless body as the glass moved out of the way, Pinkie prodding the alicorn with a hoof.

“She’s not-”

The alicorn suddenly shot up, coughing the tank fluid from her lungs and gasping for air, stumbling onto her legs but immediately walking into pinkie and sending them both into a tangled mess.
“Whoa there! We ain’t gonna hurt ya,” Applejack tried to calm the alicorn but she just rolled off Pinkie and shuffled away from the four other ponies, fear in her eyes as her eys darted between the group of friends. Fluttershy retrieved and stashed her Element, which had returned to being a necklace, from the machine before stepping forward, making herself as small and non-threatening as possible.

“Hey there, what’s your name?” Fluttershy knew fully well that it was Cadance according to the log on the tube but didn’t know if Cadance would know it herself. The pink alicorn just shuffled further back, pressing herself into a wall and saying nothing. “Mind if I come closer?”

This did get a response as Cadance vigorously nodded, signaling that she did not want Shy to approach. Applejack meanwhile held Pinkie back who was practically bouncing in place and backed off a bit with Rarity.

“I’ll remain right here then,” Fluttershy continued, sitting down across to Cadance who relaxed a bit but still eyed her suspiciously. “Do you mind telling me your name now?”

“M-Mi Amore C-Cadenza, o-or Cadance… that’s what the voice said at least...” Cadence finally spoke softly.

“Hello Cadance, I’m Fluttershy. I-”

“Are you one of the monsters?” the alicorn looked as she was about to burst into tears, shivering visibly at the thought.

“No, I’m not. What kind of monsters are you talking about, Cadance?” Fluttershy shuffled somewhat closer to her as Cadance swallowed.

“T-The black ships… t-they come and take everypony!Always there, they find everyone!” Cadence started breathing heavily as she got pulled into her own world. “N-No! Make it stop! STOP IT!”

Fluttershy shot forward and pulled Cadance into a hug, even though the alicorn was the bigger of the two. “They won’t get you, I promise.” Fluttershy stroked Cadance’s hair as she motioned for her friends to come close. She had a good idea of what those ‘black ships’ were, she had her own vision imprinted in her mind after all, so she tried distracting the alicorn. “I want to introduce you to my friends. Don’t worry, they’re a nice bunch of ponies.”

“Howdy there, Ah’m Applejack ma’am.”
“I’m Rarity Darling”
“And I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pink pony exclaimed, no longer being able to contain herself.
“You’reatotallynewponyandIlovemeetingnewponies,maybeyoucouldcomeliveinponyvilleandthenI’dthrowyouawelcometoPonyvilleparty!”

Pinkie gasped as she looked at Fluttershy, “I totally should still throw your welcome back to Ponyville party too! It would be a super-duper large party! And if we can get Twilight and Princess Celestia to be friends again it can be a welcometoPonyvilleandwelcomebacktoPonyvilleI’mgladeveryoneishappyagain party!”

Pinkie beamed as Cadance just stared at the hyper enthusiastic earthpony, but slowly the smile spread to Cadance as well as she started giggling. “I’d like that… but you said ‘Princess’ Celestia? The voice said nothing about Auntie being a Princess?”

“Right… Darling, I think you were in your tube a bit longer than your auntie,” Rarity carefully said, pointing at the emptied three tubes.

“W-what?” Cadence stuttered. “T-the voice said something about letting the a-aunties out sooner b-but it can’t be that long, that wasn’t too long ago...”

“Your tube was holding you in a stasis of sorts, Cadence… If what Luna told me is right it’s been over ten millennia.”

Cadence’s eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted into Fluttershy’s legs.

“Well, she didn’t take that very well,” Rarity pointed out bluntly.

“I guess that was to be expected… We should find a way out and take her with us. We’ve spent enough time down here.”

“Ah still kinda wanted ta take a peek at that manufactorum,” Applejack grumbled as Fluttershy lifted Cadance up and put the alicorn on her back with her biotics, keeping her aura active to give herself some extra support before opening her omni-tool and bringing up the base’s map.

Ugh, we should really find an armory before anything else… but maybe we’ll find gear in the manufactorum? It does seem like a lot of stuff would be built there, the array’s computer did say to get parts from there… That also reminds me, there’s an AI core too. I wonder what happened to the AI if it’s not in there… but getting out of this place should be our priority, you can wander this palace for days and still not be done. The hangars seem like they have another way out, ponies need to know about this place.

Check out the Manufactorum.

Look into what happened to the AI.

Go up to the hangars to get out.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Alright, Twilight's situation coming up soon :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20792054
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Titan

Chapter 143

Titan

Check out the manufactorum. 51%

“Alright, we'll check out what the ponies here used to be capable of building.” Fluttershy marked a path to a transportation hub, leaving the labs and it's contents alone once again. It took a while to find a transport train that was working but eventually they got on their way towards what was undoubtedly the largest of the underground facilities.

“So, why are you so interested in this anyway Applejack?” Rarity asked while Pinkie and Shy were making sure Cadence was comfortably laying on a seat.

“Ah don't know, Ah guess it's 'cause Ah like buildin' things,” Applejack shrugged. “Just sounded more interesting ta me than a buncha labs. Not saying findin' Cadence there wasn't remarkable.”

“Hmm, I guess it's an earthpony thing,” Rarity said, Cadence groaning behind them as she regained consciousness.

“Huh… wha-”

“You feeling well, Cadence? You dropped on us there.” Fluttershy helped the alicorn up, from the seat.

“Y-Yeah… where are we?”

“On our way to see another part of this underground base,” Fluttershy answered, “You okay with that?”

“Of course! I-I'm just… going to stay close to you three,” Cadence stuttered as she gave the three of them a sheepish smile.

“Don't worry darling, we'll just be taking a quick peek before getting out of this place,” Rarity smiled as she nudged Cadence's shoulder.

The train came to a halt at the start of the manufactorum, Fluttershy taking the lead as they explored the facility as if they were to run into trouble it'd at least be her who would have to deal with things first. The lighting, unlike the labs, were red emergency lights, nothing, not even the terminals seemingly active.

“Can we, Ah don't know, get this place running again?” Applejack asked as she checked some stored crates, finding various parts in them which she couldn't recognize.

“The map says there's a main control room next to the massive chamber that sits under the gorge,” Fluttershy answered after checking her omni-tool for directions. Walking through the dimly lit hallways for a while longer the five ponies found the control room shrouded in darkness. “Hopefully we can restore power from here, if the hardlines are cut we might never get this place running again.”

“Would it look something like this?” Pinkie asked pointing at a large row of switches on the wall.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. “Really only one way to find out.”

Fluttershy took one of the switches and pushed it up, a massive spark of electricity crashed into the pegasus the moment she did. Shy's shield dropped over halfway, static electricity jumping through her feathers. Lights jumped on as the pegasus stumbled back.

“You alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as she rushed forward to check on Fluttershy, the pegasus nodding.

“Just don't touch those swi-”

Another flash lit up the room, machinery starting to hum and bangs of metal sounding through the facility.

“That tickled,” Pinkie giggled as she proceeded to flip all the switches in rapid succession. Sparks and arcs of electricity jumped all around her as she did so.

“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity exclaimed bewildered as holograms jumped alive all over the control room. A large set of shutters that closed off the far end of the room adjacent to the big area under the gorge started to slide open. Fluttershy too was about to give Pinkie a piece of her mind but then saw the lights in the main chamber of the manufactorum blink on.

“Oh my...” Her breath got stuck in her throat as she looked straight into an array of engines, a vessel that pretty much ran the full span of the chamber powering up as a hologram jumped to life across the viewport.

Construction order completed 3193460 cycles ago.

New vessel classification added to roster:
- Vindica class Titan
Vessel Specifications:
- 1949m Length
- 845m Width
- Mass: 28 million metric tons
- Mk IV Antimatter thruster drives
-1 Exitium type spinal mass accelerator cannon.
...

Fluttershy remained completely frozen as she read the entire list of features that scrolled over the screen. Applejack whistled as she stared at the vessel as well. Pinkie just hopped around the room, looking at every console and tapping on some of them.

“This is one of ours, isn’t it?” Rarity gasped.

“Yes,” Fluttershy whispered. “Girls, this is one of the largest vessels in the galaxy.” Fluttershy tapped the screen in front of her, as she noticed an additional note attached to the ship’s specification.

Loading personal log…
Translating…
Done.

A hologram of a new pony appeared on the window
“Hello to the future generation who might be watching this, I am Star Aura. I am the main designer of the vessel I presume you are currently observing. As it stands now our base does not have the capability to build my designs, so the automated systems will expand our shipyard and manufacturing facility until it’s large enough to create them… I do not expect to see its completion. I have compiled every scrap of data about what the Protheans have classified as ‘Reapers’ and stored it on the base’s databanks, this data will be copied onto the ship’s databanks after completion.” The pony searched for her next words for a moment. “We are abandoning this base and sealing it within the next twenty cycles. Our population is too small right now, we have decided to head to the surface and focus on repopulating the planet. The techs downstairs assure us they have created a way to keep us safe from what lurks above… I hope they’re right. May your generation fare better than ours, Star Aura out.”

The ground suddenly shuddered and the ground above the massive ship started to split apart, the blue sky visible above. Everyone turned to look at Pinkie who had her hoof still plastered on one of the control panels.

“Whaaattt, it was flashing!”

The hologram on the main window changed as it gave a new announcement.

Launching Vessel.

“Oh fuck,” Fluttershy cursed, “We need to get on that thing, right now! If the heretics have a secondary hub… They cannot get control of that ship!”

“I-I can help!” Cadence exclaimed. “I think I know this ship, the voice spoke about it... Do you trust me?” Fluttershy nodded. "Alright, hang on then," Cadence’s horn lit up and enveloped all of them in magic. Moments later the magic flared and in a flash, they were gone.

Author's Note

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Battle

Chapter 144

Battle

Fluttershy smacked onto a metal floor as Cadence finished her teleport, the alicorn stumbling herself as well.

“That was.. way easier.. when the voice explained it.. to me,” the alicorn panted.

“Everyone okay?” Fluttershy asked as her other friends groaned and gave various acknowledgments. “We're on the ship now I take?”

“Yes, I aimed for where the bridge was supposed to be,” Cadence answered,

“Supposed ta?!” Applejack exclaimed, “Ya just blindly teleported us in here?!”

“Of course. I couldn't exactly see anything in the tank,” Cadence said as if it was the most obvious answer.

Fluttershy shook her head and took some time to look around. The bridge, Just like the Normandy, had a command platform raised in the middle of the room surrounded by various other command stations. The seats though were clearly designed for ponies and other four-legged creatures, no back support on them but more like a couch where ponies could easily lay down in. A hologram of the vessel and its surrounding floated in the middle of the room, showing that the titan was rising up out of the gorge into the air.

“Cadence, do you perhaps know how to fly this thing too?” Fluttershy asked as two nodes appeared on the map above the Everfree, soon joined by three more.

“Uuhhh.” Cadence smiled sheepishly, “I know that's the pilot control, it's supposed to be crewed by a griffin or pegasus… I don't know how to fly it though, it’s supposed to be intuitive for pegasi and griffins.”

Fluttershy groaned, running over to the seat and sliding onto it. Holograms jumped alive as she grabbed a helmet of sorts that lay in front of her and put it on. The moment the helmet activated Fluttershy panicked as she got the sensation of falling for the briefest of moments, her wings slamming open instinctively. But after the feeling was gone, Fluttershy quickly got a hang of the very intuitive controls.

“Whoa… This is crazy,” Fluttershy looked around in wonder, “It’s like… I can see the screens around me but also what the ship’s sensors see, from the wind to those five heretic ships heading our way… Let’s get the hell out of here. Cadence, where is weapons control!”

“Over there!” Cadence pointed at another one of the chairs.

“Ah’ve got it!” Applejack said running over and getting on the couch and putting on a similar helmet to the one Fluttershy was wearing. Fluttershy felt Applejack enter the strange ‘network’ as she mentally pushed the ship forward and turned the vessel south in the general direction of the badlands, she didn't exactly know what half of all the values she was getting meant but pushing the ship forward wasn't the most complicated task. “Yer right, this is real freaky… Jus’ gimme a sec to figure this out...”

“Don’t take too long! Those geth vessels are closing really fast and I can’t seem to fire the main thrusters!” Fluttershy called out as she tried to get the ship moving as fast as she could. “Cadence, anything else important in here?”

“Well, there’s shielding and communication along with secondary stations to support the main ones...” Cadence said nervously, pointing out the stations.“The shielding was made with a unicorn in mind...”

“I guess that'll be my station then,” Rarity said, joining Applejack and Fluttershy in the mental connection. “I-I see what Applejack meant,” the unicorn shivered at the strange sensation. Pinkie joined moments later on the communications console, seemingly unperturbed as she happily pressed various buttons on the screen in front of her.

“We've got incoming!” Fluttershy called out as the largest heretic vessel opened fire, its energy weapons hitting the tick armor belt of the titan. “Rarity, what's the problem with the shielding?”

“I don't think they're getting power!” Rarity called out, disconnecting from the network and getting pointed to power control by the alicorn who was awkwardly watching the other ponies struggle to get things working. “Cadence, take over shielding and tell me if it gets power!”

“B-But I don't know how it works!” Cadence stammered.

“We don't either!” Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack simultaneously shouted, Pinkie just giggled it. The alicorn hesitantly took a seat on the couch and put on the helmet, sliding it over her horn, and connecting to the network.

“Hey Fluttershy, do you know what a 'Normandy' is?” Pinkie asked as more fire from the heretic ships hit the exact same spot as it had done before, two of the smaller vessels moving in closer while the others stayed at a bit of a distance.

“Yes I do, can you patch them in on the speakers?” Fluttershy responded as she tried her very best to dodge incoming fire and get out of the way of the two smaller ships that looked to her as if they were trying to get close enough for boarding.

“Okiedokie! Aaaaand there!”

“...this is the SSV Normandy, please identify.”

“Joker, this is Fluttershy. Where are you?”

“Fluttershy?! What are you doing aboard that ship?” Joker exclaimed.

“Long story, I could really use your help fi-”

“I've got it!” Rarity suddenly exclaimed manically, her voice cracking. “This should get things going!”

Fluttershy felt the vessel lurch as more power flowed into her systems, the engines that previously had been giving all sorts of errors, started to warm up. Applejack simultaneously also cried a yell of victory as she got control of her systems too.

“Take this, varmin!” Applejack laughed as one of the secondary turrets turned and, in a single shot, disintegrated one of the two small vessels that were nearly upon them.

“Stand by Joker, there's a few heretic ships that need taking care of!” Fluttershy called out.

“I know!” Joker shouted back, “Legion forgot to mention that there were multiple cruisers down here and I can't get into space to shake them due to that shield!”

Fluttershy paused for a moment as she had to assess her options quickly coming to the realization that they could under no circumstance leave any heretic vessels to do whatever they wanted on the planet. “Head directly for us, we'll take care of those cruisers.”

“Are you mad!?” Rarity exclaimed, “Fluttershy, we can barely get this thing moving, let alone truly fight!”

“Cadence, what's the status of the shielding?” Fluttershy asked of the alicorn, ignoring Rarity for the moment.

“T-They're charging!” she reported.

“Good. AJ, you think that you can fire the main battery of this thing?”

“Only once! Ah ain't got a clue how ya reload these dang things after Ah fired them!” Applejack reported as the two cruisers along with a vague contact that was presumably the Normandy. “If ya line up the shot Ah'll get 'em!”

“Understood! Make sure you're not in our line of fire, Joker!” Fluttershy called out as she steered the ship to point directly at one of the cruisers.

“Already done, I heard all of that insanity!”

“Applejack?!”

“Hold yer horses, dammit! This ain't as easy as it looks!” Applejack cursed as she frantically tapped buttons. A loud thud sounded through the vessel suddenly, a bright projectile hitting the cruiser Fluttershy had aimed at and punching directly through it to explode inside. The cruiser completely disintegrated, parts scattering all over the edge of the badlands.

“Hell yeah! One more to go, I'll try to get those smaller ships of your ass,” Joker called out, The Normandy shooting past the titan and using its Thanix cannons to blast the ship that had initially fired on the larger vessel.

“Can't do that again, Shy, Ah hope ya got more good ideas cause Ah'm plum near out of large cannons ta fire!” Applejack reported.

“I do. Cadence, can you strengthen the shield around the bow?!”

“The what?!”

“The front of the ship!”

“I think so? Give me a second!” Cadence told her frantically trying to do what was asked.

“That is all you'll get! Brace for impact!” The distance to the second cruiser was almost zero as Fluttershy corrected course, plowing straight into the cruiser and ripping it in half by the sheer advantage of mass they had.

“Shield holding!” Cadence called out with a wavering voice, “I barely strengthened it!”

“I think I lost some things here, some of the places I was getting power from aren't responding… that was absolutely insane Fluttershy,” Rarity reported, the Normandy meanwhile had taken out the trailing vessels leaving only the one that had approached closer and was now hanging off the side of their ship and trying to dislodge a boarding party.

“Normandy, if you could be so kind as to remove this little passenger off our side that'd be appreciated.”

“We'll get it, just hang on in there!” Joker took the Normandy up into a climb before diving straight down on top of the heretic ship and blasting it off the hull. “That was all of them, now I think you owe us an explanation Shy.

“Of course, just give us a minute to figure stuff out and park this thing.”

“No problem, we'll be right over for that story Fluttershy,” Shepard told them over the radio, closing the connection.

Fluttershy, after stopping the vessel, took off the pilot's helmet and looked at the others who had already gotten out of their seats. They briefly stared at each other in silence but Applejack soon started snickering, infecting the others with her laughter.

“Ah'm not sure what ta say, if anypony told me this mornin' Ah'd get reunited with mah lost friend, fight a bunch 'a evil machines, and fly in a spaceship Ah would've assumed 'em ta be one of Lyra's conspiracy friends,” the farmpony laughed.

“Same here Darling,” Rarity snickered, “You certainly did not disappoint on the excitement side of things, Fluttershy.”

“What's wrong with Lyra's conspiracy friends?” Pinkie asked innocently.

“Nothin' sugarcube, they're fine, just wacky so every now and then,” Applejack assured Pinkie as they had a group hug. Cadence awkwardly stood to the side only for Pinkie to pull her in as well.

“And I thought our mission was interesting,” Garrus said with a smirk as he along with Shepard, Luna, Rainbow, and Tali entered the bridge, their armor stained with ichor.

“Hello, Auntie.” Luna came to an immediate halt and her mouth dropped open as she saw the second alicorn in the room.

“How about you tell us about it, we'll tell our story,” Fluttershy grinned back at the turian.

“Sounds good to me.”

Author's Note

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Performer

Chapter 146

Performer

Head down to the park. 81%

Oh what the hell, why not. Just a peek won’t be that bad anyway, was going to pass over here regardless.

Rainbow banked to the side gliding down and coming onto the grass below at the back of the crowd. She listened to the murmuring in the crowd as she pushed through to the front.
“She’s so amazing!”
“Such talent!”
“Oh come on, I know plenty of ponies that can do that!”

“Who dares to challenge the great and powerful Trixie?!”

Rainbow stopped dead in her tracks as she heard who spoke.

Oh for Cel- Luna’s sake! That damned boaster again, I don’t have time for this!

“You! Guard! Was it you who doubted the might of the all-powerful Trixie?!” the blue unicorn shouted as Dash’s attention got pulled back to the stage, a yellow coated pegasus with light blue hair in dress blues stepped up to Trixie. Rainbow immediately recognized the pony on the stage, she was an avid fan of the Wonderbolts after all, recognizing one of their main flight team members was a breeze for her.

But what would Misty Fly be doing in Manehattan? In dress blues no less. Do they have a show here? Nah, then she’d be with the others… well, one way to find out I guess. Hopefully she recognizes me, I know that I’m at least on the Wonderbolts’ radar.

A couple of ponies protested as she pushed past but Rainbow ignored them to approach the podium. “So you claim to be more powerful then the Great and Pow-”

“-werful Trixie, bla bla bla. Bested an Ursa Major, etcetera etcetera...” Rainbow stuck her tongue out made a fart sound as she stepped onto the podium to speak to the Wonderbolt. “Master sergeant Fly, I’m-”

“Rainbow Dash?!” Misty immediately exclaimed, her mouth dropping open in amazement. “But Spitfire said… holy Celestia, you’re alive?!”

Rainbow blushed slightly at being recognized by one of her idols the same way she pretty much thought about them. “Well, yeah.”

“YOU!” Trixie exclaimed as she too recognised Rainbow. “Trixie remembers you! You were there in Ponyville when Trixie’s cart got destroyed!”

“Ursa’s fault, not anyone else’s,” Dash dismissed. “Misty, sorry to disturb you but what are you doing in Manehattan?”

“We’re here with the ‘Bolts, the Solar Guard asked us to help with areal security...” Misty paused as she looked at the crowd who were still listening in. “You know what Dash, we should fly up for some privacy.” Trixie shouted protests up at them as the two pegasi flew up into the sky. “Look Dash, it’s about your friend. The Solar Guard got her nailed in the city, the Lunar Guard has pretty much locked themselves into a compound and refuse entry to anyone.”

“You don’t sound too happy about that,” Rainbow said as she heard Misty’s tone of voice.

“Yeah, the new guard Captain the Princess appointed in place of Shining… well, he’s one of the old guard, doesn’t play well with others at all. Lets just say Spitfire has come back cursing from meetings on various occasions...” Misty looked around, coming off slightly paranoid. “Look, the Cap didn’t state it specifically but I think she’s dealing with the Lunar guard under the table. She might be giving them a window to get out through the air.”

“Well, I hope we don’t have to. Luna might be able to talk Princess Celestia down… speaking about her, do you know where Princess Celestia is?”

“Princess Luna is here?” Misty gasped, “I mean… I think Princess Celestia is at the compound right now if what I’ve heard is right. It’s right there… wow.”

The two pegasi came to a hover over a building, the Solar guard was camped outside the compound with thestrals clearly visible crammed against the windows to look outside while others sat on the walls. Luna had already arrived there and was facing off against her sister that looked to be immensely stunned. Rainbow noticed Spitfire on another roof looking down and nudged Misty to point her over.

“Captain, how long since Luna got here,” Rainbow immediately asked as she landed next to the Wonderbolt. Spitfire’s mouth dropped open as she too recognized Rainbow.

“I’ll be damned. Rainbow?” Spitfire said in shock, quickly shaking it off. “Princess Luna only just arrived. We’re all still shocked at her sudden apparel no less you appearing as well… Did you find your friend?”

“Yep, speaking about her...” Rainbow activated her omni-tool and shot Shy a message, teling the other pegasus to hone in on her location. “...She’ll be here soon.”

“AND WHAT NOW?!” Celestia shouted, everyone’s attention focussed on the two Princesses. Rainbow though did keep an eye out as she didn’t see Cadance anywhere. “Do you have any idea what you have done!”

“A better idea than you have, yes!” Luna shouted back.

“Great! Now I’m sure you’ve found a better way to defend our world then?”

Tension was building as the two princesses faced off, the faint glow of magic around both Celestia’s and Luna’s sword hilts. The guards were looking between each other as they weren’t sure what to do if things came to blows.

“Head out there! We’re not alone in this galaxy, we can make friends!” Luna shouted back, sighing after decreasing the volume of her voice. “There’s dangers out there, yes, but it’s nothing we cannot face.”

Spitfire leaned closer to Dash, “What does she mean by not alone in the galaxy?”

Rainbow looked up to see if the Normandy was visible, spotting a dot high up in the air through gaps in the clouds. “See that dot up there? That’s a spaceship.”

“We wouldn’t have to face them at all if you’d just listened to me in the first place!” Celestia meanwhile hissed back at Luna. “It’s… no. I can’t allow you to harm my ponies further sister, not for your damned ‘progress’,” She softly added, drawing her large blade. Luna reacted by activating her omni-sword as the two alicorns started circling each other.

“Tia, don’t. We had the exact reverse of this conversation a millenia ago,” A tear rolled from Luna’s eye as she really did not want to do this. Celestia jumped forward, bringing her sword down towards Luna who blocked it with her own. Sparks came off of the blades as it quickly turned into a contest of strength. “Sister, please...”

A flash of light appeared between Luna and Celestia throwing the two away from each other by a pulse of magic. “STOP THIS!” Cadence stood between the two of them after her teleport sternly looking at the two of them.

“Whoa, who the hell is that?!” Spitfire exclaimed as the scene in front of them got even crazier with the third alicorn.

“Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence,” A voice behind Spitfire said, the bolts that were there turned to find Fluttershy hovering nearly motionless in the sky with her black widow in her hooves, semi-ready to act. Her hood was down, showing her scarred face fully. “Equestria is going to get its history rewritten in the coming days, you might want to strap in to get used to a couple of changes.”

“Pretty much… Should we head down?” Rainbow asked, the princesses having lowered their swords as Cadance effectively diffused the situation.

“Well, Twilight should be in that building. Right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Should be. I was going to ‘accidentally’ let them get out of that compound tonight but I don’t think that’ll be necessary now,” Spitfire told them. “Go down, I’ll probably join in a bit… And Dash?”

Rainbow looked over her shoulder at the captain.
“Good to have you back. it’d have been a damn shame to lose such a promising Wonderbolt candidate.”

“T-Thanks,” Dash stuttered before following Fluttershy down to the street below. The Lunar Guard had slowly been getting out of the compound to make a line across the street, A purple dot among the more dull greys of the thestrals.

Fluttershy pushed through the line of thestrals to get face to face with Twilight. The unicorn looked pale as she saw her friend, raising a trembling hoof to touch Shy’s cheek to see if she wasn’t hallucinating. Tears welled up in Twilight’s eyes as she jumped forward and embraced Fluttershy, breaking down into sobbing while Shy wrapped her wings around the unicorn.

“I’m here Twilight. I’m home.”

Author's Note

Finished my ME2 playthrough, started with ME3 now. There's some lines I want to add but we're heading into the last game soon. :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Meeting

Chapter 147

Meeting

The whole group of ponies was assembled within the southern guard precinct, Luna and Celestia sitting opposed to each other with Cadence in the middle while the other ponies sat around in between. Rainbow was still outside as she was guiding a shuttle with Shepard, Garrus, Tali, and Legion down while the rest waited. Not a lot of talk was had between the ponies as neither princess was able to look at the other, Celestia in particular looking ashamed.

The door to the room swung open, Spitfire stepping in followed by a grey unicorn in solar guard armor. “They’re here,” Spitfire announced as she moved over to her own seat while the Solar guard joined in next to Celestia. Rainbow then proceeded in followed by the four aliens, the guards in the room nervously shuffling and Celestia’s eyes going wide as well. Shepard stopped to look over the room, nodding at Luna and then focussing on Celestia.

“Princess Celestia? My name is Commander Shepard, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” The commander said, Princess Celestia taking a few seconds to get herself together.

“It’s my pleasure Commander, from the brief explanation I’ve heard you have been involved in taking care of Fluttershy here for the last three years?” the Princess asked.

“For a time, yes, but Garrus here has been with her pretty much the entire way while I was out of the picture,” Shepard pointed at the turian who stepped forward up next to Fluttershy who nuzzled his side.

“He’s been quite important to me out there,” Fluttershy sheepishly smiled. Cadence gasped and squeed at the sight.

“That’s so cute! What do you think, auntie Tia?” the pink alicorn asked Celestia.

“I’m… lost for words,” Celestia admitted after stuttering for a bit. “I’m glad you found someone to have as a pillar while you were on your own.”

“He along with everyone on the Normandy really did help me out,” Fluttershy smiled as Garrus brushed a hand through her hair and scratched her ear. The solar guard next to Celestia huffed but didn’t say anything.

“I’m glad something good came out of my screw-up,” Twilight quietly said from beside Fluttershy who opened her wing and wrapped it around the unicorn’s back.

“You didn’t know what would happen Twilight, it happened and there’s nothing we can do to change that. I’ve made new friends out there and now found my old ones too, I’m not blaming you for anything that happened, the good, the bad, all of it came from my own choices,” Fluttershy smiled, brightening Twilight’s mood up.

“So, I think it’s time to discuss a few pertinent matters before the commander here has to go to finish his mission,” Luna interrupted. “Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie made a significant discovery below the Everfree forest in the form of a large underground base.”

“This is the place where you found Cadence here?” Celestia asked Fluttershy who nodded. “Fascinating… Did you find anything else down there?”

Fluttershy chuckled sheepishly, “Uhm… A very large warship.”

Princess Celestia’s eyes went wide, “Come again?”

“There was a massive, finished, warship sitting in the base’s manufactorum,” Fluttershy flatly stated again. “We didn’t have much time to check its capability before being forced to use it… we might have accidentally remodeled the entire ghastly gorge in opening the doors to let the thing out,” she added sheepishly.

“Where is it now?... and why were you forced to use it?” Celestia asked, shuffling uncomfortably on her chair.

“It’s near the Badlands sister, the bearers of Honesty, Generosity, and Laughter are keeping watch of it right now. As for why they were forced to use it, the changelings had compromised a section of the shielding,” Luna explained to her sister who shot up from her seat.

“Changelings?! Luna we need to-”

“They’ve been taken care of for now Tia, before coming here we went into the hive to stop a faction of Legion’s kind from infecting the others with a virus,” Luna assured her sister, pointing at the geth.

“A virus? Could you elaborate on how that would matter down here?”

“Legion?” Luna asked, hoping he could explain.

“We are not like organics, the virus would not ‘kill’ us it would simply rewrite our most basic functions to start thinking like the heretics. No physical contact would be required to deploy this virus. A faction of us split off from the consciousness some time ago, they had set up on the planet since our vessels found it impossible to venture through the shield.”

“So they wanted to mind control you?”

“Yes.”

Celestia sighed as she rubbed her temples from all the information thrown at her. “Are there any of these ‘heretics’ left?”

“We detect no communication traffic off-planet other than our own, the Normandy, and the equine vessel. Any active cluster will be reduced in size and most likely go dormant.”

“Shining is headed this way with gear that will put the guard on equal footing with the heretics,” Luna assured her sister. “Talking about the Captain, is he nearby yet Legion?”

“Transport vessel arrived within orbital exclusion zone, estimated time of arrival one hour.”

“Orbital exclusion zone?” Tali asked in confusion.

“The equine homeworld is an unknown factor, geth vessels will not approach now heretics no longer threaten us,” Legion clarified, Tali muttering something which her suits speakers didn’t transmit.

“Not to burst your bubbles but has anyone sent ponies over to relive AJ, Rares, and Pinkie yet?” Rainbow interrupted.

“Right. Captain Darkwing, are your nightguards in shape to fly over to the south of Equestria?” Luna asked her guard.

“To be honest? No,” Darkwing admitted, the solar guard captain chuckled getting a fanged snarl in response from the thestral.

“We can give you a lift with the Normandy?” Shepard proposed before the altercation could escalate, “That way we can drop you off in the right place as well.”

“That would make it more manageable,” Darkwing agreed, glaring at the solar captain.

“I object! We should at least send a part of my guard as well!”

“Captain Iron Hoof, your guard will soon have its current captain back in Shining Armor and will be very busy retraining with all the gear he has with him,” Luna told the unicorn but was glancing at Celestia to suggest siding with her.

“I’m afraid Captain Iron Hoof’s appointment was of the more permanent type… but I agree the guard should be focussing on learning to use this new equipment Shining Armor is bringing,” Celestia compromised, Twilight chipping in as well now.

“Wait, you’re taking away Shining’s position?!” the purple unicorn exclaimed. “Do you even understand what that position meant to him?!”

Celestia looked over to Luna, the two alicorns wordlessly by mere twitches in facial expression before the Princess of the Sun spoke up again. “Well, there is nothing that can be done to Iron Hoof here, he will remain captain of my guard… but the guard of Princess Cadence here will need a new captain of course.”

Cadence went slightly pale. “M-Me?”

“Of course! You’re an alicorn, aren’t you?” Luna smirked. “But we’ll iron out the details later, we’ve taken up enough of the commander’s time.”

“Yeah, gotta go save a load of human colonies,” Dash said as she and Fluttershy joined Shepard’s group.

“Wait, you’re leaving again?” Twilight asked, her voice wavering and tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

“Look, there are hundreds of thousands of lives at stake and I committed to help. We’ll do our absolute hardest to get back but we need to do this Twilight,” Fluttershy told Twilight, stepping forward and hugging her as well.

“This is great and all but I wanted to suggest contacting the Turian hierarchy. They would be able to help get your crew up to speed quickly,” Garrus interjected, Tali shaking her head.

“They need engineers that the Floatilla can provide to understand and handle the systems,” Tali countered, Rainbow nodded in agreement.

“I assume the Floatilla or the Hierarchy would want the ship to temporarily join them while training?” Luna asked to which both Tali and Garrus nodded, Fluttershy looked between the two of them as she thought over the two proposals and who to back.

The turians would surely get the crew up to speed and well oiled… But the quarians would give us more knowledge of the ship’s systems… Though Fidelis might be able to help out plenty already and we’d keep the ship here...

Back Garrus

Back Tali

Ponies can figure this out ourself

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Gonna kick the Collectors in the daddybags soon! :twilightsmile:

Needed a bit of a break. Wrote another chapter for CH and will probably do some good work on Spits Fire soon as well.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20876671
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Goodbyes

Chapter 148

Goodbyes

Ponies can figure this out ourself. 50%

“I think the Captain and his ponies can handle this just fine. Fidelis will probably be able to get a hang of the systems and rapidly get the ponies, and other species, up to speed,” Fluttershy said, looking over to Luna. “Don’t you think Princess?”

“For now I’d agree. Informing the Griffins would be a good idea, they will be invaluable in engineering teams… That reminds me, Gabby is still on the Normandy, right?” Luna asked, getting a nod from Shepard.

“I offered her to come down along with the shuttle but she dodged the question and dove into a maintenance shaft to do more ‘maintenance’,” Shepard answered.

“It’d be appreciated if she were to be returned to her family, her disappearance has been a significant diplomatic thorn in my side,” Celestia sighed. “The Grimmfeather clan does not take well to the disappearance of one of their own.”

Rainbow’s ears perked, “Wait, Grimmfeather? That’s Gilda’s clan.”

“She has indeed been the most frequent petitioner… as in daily… I’m actually quite certain she will have followed me to Manehattan,” the princess nodded. “Where she is right now I actually don’t know.”

“We arrested one which we are holding in the north precinct at the moment,” Iron Hoof mentioned casually. “Could be her.”

“Send someone to check, she has diplomatic immunity,” Celestia said, suspiciously glaring at the captain who saluted and left the room.

“I’ll muster my guard outside, is there anywhere you want us assembled, commander?” Darkwing asked.

“If you could keep the skies clear that’d be great, I’d rather not hit any pegasi when coming down here,” Shepard answered as he signaled Joker to bring the Normandy down, the Captain saluted and started gathering his ponies.

“We’ll contact you if we get back, until then I’m sure Luna can get you in contact with Particle Bit to get access to the Citadel’s universities. We’ll be needing a lot of ponies that can rapidly gain an understanding of tech and science very soon.” Fluttershy told Twilight who frowned.

“You sound like you’re not going to come back...”

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. “We’re going to do something very dangerous Twilight, we’ll do our best but I can’t assure anything.”

“We got to go, Shy,” Garrus said as the others had already left for the shuttle outside. Twilight shot forward to quickly hug Fluttershy, smiling as she let go.

“Alright, You’ve made it this far out there so I’ll trust you, but you better come back you hear me?”

Fluttershy smiled back and gave Twilight a nudge. “Very clearly.”

The two said nothing else as Fluttershy walked outside along with Garrus. Quite a crowd had formed outside the precinct, being held back by royal guards as the thestrals had assembled in the air and were keeping pegasi and the odd griffin from coming too close.

The Normandy slowly descended straight down to the awe of everypony watching as the shuttle was the first to enter the corvette’s hangar followed by a few dozen Lunar Guards before the door closed and the ship started moving back down south towards the massive pony vessel to drop off. Princess Luna had come along too to open up the planetary shield to grant passage to the Normandy through the planetary shield after dropping off the guard, but keeping her immensely curious guard at bay in the hangar for now.

Fluttershy headed up one level to the engineering bay to talk to Gabby. Tali was with her as the quarian took her place at her own station again. “Hey Kenneth, Gabriella, you two know where Gabby is?”

“Last ah saw the lass was down in the ducts, just head down where Jack hangs out,” Kenneth told Fluttershy who thanked him and went down to the maintenance are and by extension the biotic.

“Hey there, don’t see you down here often. Here for the bird?” Jack said as she looked up from the cot she was lounging in while playing with some pebbles in a biotic field, her fist slamming on the metal wall next to her which created a loud bang. Gabby nearly immediately poked her head out of one of the shafts.

“I’M WORKING HE- oh...”

“We need to talk,” Fluttershy calmly said, giving a thankful nod to Jack. Gabby sighed and got out of the maintenance shaft.

“You’re going to tell me I have to get off the ship, aren’t you?” Gabby said as she walked towards the stairs leading up to engineering proper.

“That was the deal, remember?”

“I know… but now we’re home I’m just going to have to go back to Griffinstone, aren’t I? Engineering has really been fun all this time…”

“Hey, I said nothing about Griffinstone,” Fluttershy smirked, “And who says you have to give up engineering?”

“You?” Gabby flatly said, “Not a lot of engineering things down here now is there?”

“How about Equestria’s first and only spaceship? Or did you not see it due to hiding away in the maintenance shafts?” Fluttershy poked Gabby in the side.

“Maybe,” the griffin sheepishly, “I heard the crew talk about it, they seemed impressed.”

“Having a griffin who’s knowledgable about engineering would be immensely useful in getting things up and running. We wouldn’t start at step zero at least.”

“I guess…” Gabby nervously rubbed her arm. “Would you mind if I said goodby to the others first?”

“Of course not, and I’ll do my very best to make sure you’ll see them again,” Fluttershy promised as Gabby went into engineering. The pegasus waited in the hallway in front where she looked down through the glass at the bat ponies below who sat around and listened to Luna talk. A few minutes later a decidedly more happy Gabby came walking out of engineering wearing a coat and her engineering toolbelt along with a whole bunch of tools, goggles propped up on her forehead.

“I’m ready.”

“Good. Let’s go down to see Luna then,” Fluttershy smiled as they took the elevator and stepped back out in the hangar. The batponies all looked over at the newcomers as Fluttershy made a beeline to the Princess. “Gabby here would like to join your guard on our ship Luna.”

“I’d have to ask the griffins if they’re okay with it, little one, and ambassador Gruff has never been the most flexible of griffins,” Luna sighed.

Gabby snickered, “Just tell grandpa you’ve given me a good-paying job and allow him to send someone to check on me… preferably auntie Gilda, she might be useful to me since she’s smart.”

“Celestia did say Gilda wouldn’t stop bugging her,” Fluttershy chuckled.

“I’ll set up a meeting and allow you two to talk via omni-tool, we’ll figure something out then,” Luna smiled, allowing Gabby to sit down with the rest of the guard. Fluttershy turning to leave the thestrals alone with their princess again.

“Miss Fluttershy?” captain Darkwing stopped her before she got to the elevator, Shy looking back over towards the captain who had stood up.

“Yes?”

“Our Princess told us of your mission and a bit about what you’ve been through. We wish you clear skies and a bright moon to guide you on your path.” The thestral saluted, all his subordinates standing up and saluting the pegasus as well. Fluttershy straightened up as she knew this was quite the honor as the royal guard captain would usually only salute the Princess herself.

“Thank you, I’ll try not to let you all down.”

War Asset Aquired

Equestrian Titan Vindica

This absolutely humongous vessel has lain dormant below the surface of the peaceful world of Equis for thousands of years. A last gift from generations past the titan was specifically designed for ponies to use in case they would ever have to face the forces from dark space again. As the titan was built to go toe to toe against the reapers it heavily outclasses any single ship in the galaxy barring maybe a reaper.

Military Strength: 120

UPDATE:
The night guard has crewed the ship and will do their best to become familiar with its systems to get the large vessel maintained and operational. Their numbers are too small by far but calls have already gone out to their hollows for their brothers and sisters to help in the task from their Princess.

Military Strength: 3

UPDATE:
Gabby Grimmfeather, griffin savant, has picked up much from her time in engineering on the Normandy and will now apply her new expertise in helping get the engineering team up to snuff.

Military Strength: 10

Author's Note

You have no idea how much I enjoyed writing up that war asset description... :pinkiehappy:
~~...and it won't be the last one.~~

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Omega

Chapter 149

Omega

Fluttershy carefully walked through the hallways of the space station in which she'd gained a fearsome reputation over the months she'd stayed there with Garrus. Shepard had given the entire strike team shore leave on the station while the Normandy ran some final tests on the reaper IFF in interplanetary space away from the station. Most of the others had gone over to Afterlife for some rest and relaxation before the jump but Garrus had split off from the group to wander on his own, Fluttershy having a good idea where he'd gone to.

The pegasus squeezed through the little streets into Archangel's old base, finding that pretty much nothing had changed other than the place having been ransacked. Garrus sat in the window overlooking the bridge that connected the main entrance to the base to the rest of the station as Fluttershy flew up.

“Hey.”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Just… checking this old place out and trying to reach my sister,” Garrus answered as he sat down with an open omni-tool. The call suddenly connected to it's destination as a turian appeared on the holo-screen.

“Garrus?” she asked.

“Hey, glad I caught you, Sol.”

“I was about to head to bed. Late my time. Where are you?”

“Come on, not over an unsec-” Garrus cringed under the stern glare Fluttershy gave him. “I'm on Omega right now.”

“Ouch, still playing Spectre after all this time? And who just got you to spill the beans on your location because I could recognise that look anywhere.”

Fluttershy sat down next to Garrus into the camera's field of view. “Hello Solana.”

“Hey, I remember you. Still got the armor I made for you?”

“It's below the cloak, it served me very well. I'm surprised Garrus hasn't mentioned me before,” Fluttershy smiled, poking the turian in the side.

“He rarely calls, that might be it,” Solana remarked.

Garrus ignored it and continued with what he wanted to ask. “Hey Sol, how is mom?”

“Last round of treatments didn't go well.”

“Damnit.”

“We may try an offworld center. Some Salarian doctors have something that might work…”

“…It's not covered though.”

“Of course not,” Garrus sighed and rubbed his head. “I can pay for the treatment.”

“Oh really? What on Omega makes enough money to pay for this other than drug running? What would dad think?”

“We're not working on the station, this is just our last stop before heading out for the job,” Fluttershy cut in.

“And what might that be?”

Garrus and Fluttershy looked at each other briefly.

“We're going to jump the Omega four relay to assault the collector base,” Garrus eventually said.

“No… Garrus, don't! We could use you here. Mom could use you.”

“I can't, Sol. This needs to be done.”

“Why?”

“Remember the ship that attacked the Citadel two years ago?” Garrus asked.

“I was still there when that happened, Garrus.”

“Now imagine thousands of those ships attacking every colony and every homeworld at once…” he shook his head, “…They're coming, Sol, and no-one is prepared.”

“You're talking reapers like that one Commander?”

“We were in the Citadel tower when that happened, we opened the station's arms,” Fluttershy said, turning to Garrus to admonish him, “Seriously, you need to talk to your family more.”

“You really should listen to her, G,” Solana said, sounding surprised at that fact.

“Yeah, yeah… I'll try to call more. If I haven't contacted you again by the end of the week… well, you're the one who's going to have to tell mom and dad.”

“Don't Garrus. Please, for our sakes, stay alive.”

“I'll try to talk to you later.”

“You too.”

Garrus cut off the connection, letting his arm slump down. “Thanks for that push, coming clean felt better than I'd thought.”

“You shouldn't keep your troubles all to yourself Garrus. You know I'm here for you, right?” Fluttershy said, wrapping a wing around his back and leaning against his side.

“I know… I don't know what I did to deserve you.”

“Does having a cute butt count?”

Garrus choked out a laugh and shook his head. “Come on, let's go find the others.”

They found the rest of the strike team in Afterlife with the exception of Samara and Shepard who were off doing something else. Everyone except Jack and Grunt had held off of the alcohol though even they kept their drinking to a minimum.

“Look at who's there! We were just sharing stories with each other,” Jack exclaimed as Garrus and Fluttershy approached but the two were stopped by a batarian guard before they reached the table.

“Aria wants to speak to you two.”

The rest of the team looked on to see what would happen, Garrus turning to them. “We'll be right back.”

The batarian lead them through the club to the overhang where Aria was located. “Here they are, Aria,”

The asari waved him off and motioned for Garrus and Fluttershy to sit down on the couch next to her. “I never thought you'd be coming back here, and to be frank I wouldn't really care…” she locked eyes with Fluttershy who gave her a cold stare back. “...If it weren't for this feather which I found on my bed.”

Garrus immediately recognised the pastel yellow primary feather, one Fluttershy would leave for every crime boss she was going to take out.

“So tell me, 'Angel of Death', are you going to kill me?” Aria snidely remarked. The guards tensed up as they too realized with whom they were dealing. “Or will you be the one to do it, Archangel? What ironic way have you thought up to be my end? Oh yes, I know about those hits. Coughing on a quarian viral specialist serial killer? Perfect way to end someone like that.”

Fluttershy kept her eyes locked on Aria as she thought over what her next step would be.

Damnit, I gave her that thing pretty much days after arriving. Compared to the other crime bosses on the station, well, she's much better than the alternative… but maybe…

Take back the feather.

Maybe some day...

[Attack Aria]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Am in Germany with a friend so I won't be writing the rest of the weekend, maybe on the way back home in the train like this one.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20885349
[Certainty: 100]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector attack

Chapter 150

Collector attack

Take back the feather. 52%

Fluttershy slowly stepped forward off of the couch, the surrounding guards keeping their weapons trained on her as she approached Aria. Neither the pegasus nor asari flinched as they faced off with each other, Fluttershy slowly holding out her hoof for Aria to place the feather on which she carefully did, a quick inspection revealed the feather itself was still almost completely flawless. Fluttershy took the feather and stashed it in a pocket under her cloak.

“So you're doing something you've never done and let a target go?” Aria asked, extremely suspicious of Fluttershy's supposed withdrawal.

“Priorities change,” Fluttershy replied, taking a step back from the Queen of Omega.

“And I'm supposed to believe that?”

“Believe whatever you want Aria, I'm not planning to ever go back to this place after leaving this time. We worked nearly around the clock taking down the worst criminal this place could provide and most of the time they were replaced within a week.” The step Fluttershy had taken back she took forward again, her wings lighting up with biotics as she ripped every rifle pointed at her out of their handlers' hands and crumpled them into balls. “You can have your little empire and sit on your pretty throne for all I care. I'm done here.”

Aria had her own biotics ready incase Fluttershy tried something, the two facing off with each other. “If I ever see you back here again I'll take that feather, will pluck all of the others, and make a dress out of them while using your pelt as a rug,” She said in an ice-cold tone.

“Clear,” Fluttershy replied, turning around and looking at Garrus. “We're going.”

None of the guards dared to stand in the way of the two leaving. Not like they had the guns to do so anymore anyway. The rest of the squad looked at the two leaving and got up themselves too, following after the pair.

“What happened up there?” Rainbow asked as she was the first to catch up with the two.

“Some things I did here coming back to bite me in the flank. Don’t worry about it, Rainbow, I wasn’t planning on going back here ever again regardless,” Fluttershy said as they left the club. The entire teams omni-tool beeped simultaneously, everyone checking what was up. A small report from EDI had been sent to all of the team’s members’ tool describing how the Collectors had attacked the Normandy itself and the ship had only barely escaped.

“Oh, that isn’t good...” Garrus muttered, “Let’s get to the docks immediately.”

“Agreed,” Miranda said as everyone ran over to transport shuttles. “I’ll contact Shepard,”

The row of shuttles moved down through the station to the docks, Fluttershy impatiently tapped her hoof onto the seat as the vehicles took their sweet time to arrive at their destination, Shepard was already waiting there with Samara as they came to a halt at the docks.

“Is the Normandy here yet?” Miranda asked as she made a beeline to the commander.

“On approach, give joker and EDI fifteen to come here,” Shepard replied as everyone tok a seat to wait for the ship to return.

“Think Joker is okay?” Rainbow asked Fluttershy as she sat down next to her along with Garrus and Tali.

“To be honest? Probably not,” Fluttershy replied, “Also, there’s something in this report that caught my eyes… It says EDI jumped the Normandy out of the collector’s reach before heading back over here.”

“And?” Rainbow questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“EDI is a shackled AI Dash, she does not have access to any of the Normandy’s systems,” Tali explained. “EDI jumping the ship herself means she’s no longer shackled.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened as she understood the point Tali was making. “Oh.”

“Well, from our interaction with her I’m pretty sure she isn’t going to take over Humanity or anything,” Garrus chuckled.

“I guess not...” Tali murmured, falling silent as she leaned against a support beam. The four patiently waited for the Normandy to dock at the station, everyone making their way into the stealth corvette as it arrived and then took off again. Joker, Shepard, Miranda, and Mordin separated from the rest to discuss what had happened in the briefing room while the rest went around the ship to check all the systems. The walls were pockmarked from fire impacts, there were even some blotches of blood in places.

Fluttershy had gone to check out the med-bay, Garrus having split off to check the Thanix while Tali had gone down to engineering. Rainbow peaked into medical to see if Fluttershy was fine, finding Shy on one of the medical beds propped against the wall with her rifle on her lap.

“Hey Shy, are you-”

“I’m going to murder them all,” Fluttershy whispered, her voice icy cold. “I don’t care what it’ll take, but they’re going to die.”

Rainbow shivered as she was reminded once again how radically her friend had changed. “This about Doctor Chakwas?”
“Yeah,” Fluttershy said bitterly. “She’s been there for me since the start… If they did anything to that woman Tartarus will look like a pleasure resort.”

Rainbow hopped onto the bed pulling Fluttershy up into a hug. “We’ll get them back, Shy, all of them. Ken, Gabriella, Chakwas, and all the rest, no way the Commander is going to let them hang.”

“I know, but I worry...”

“All hands, man your pre-designated stations. Estimated time of arrival to the Omega four relay is sixty minutes. We’ll get our crew back from those bastards,” Shepard’s called out through the intercom, his voice clearly having hints of anger as well.

“See?” Rainbow smirked slightly.

“Oh shush you,” Fluttershy smiled back before letting it drop again. “Go down to see Tali, Rainbow. You never know when it might be the last time you see each other.”

“Yeah, I guess so… See you after passing the relay.”

“You too.”

Author's Note

Takes a calming breath...

...I HOPE THIS GOD DAMN FLY THAT BUZZED AROUND MY HEAD FOR 4 HOURS BURNS IN TARTARUS :flutterrage:

Having a stoopid insect sit down on your face is pretty destructive in keeping your train of thought...

I'm going to sleep, good night.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector Base - Arrival

Chapter 151

Collector base - Arrival

Rainbow walked into engineering, glancing at the position where Kenneth and Gabriella would have worked. A fire lighting inside her as she too missed two friends due to the collectors. Tali stood over her own workstation, checking if everything was still working well, but she too looked out of it. Her movements were a bit snappy, she pressed buttons more harshly than usual, and where she would usually hum a tune she was completely silent now.

“Hey,” Rainbow said, catching the quarian’s attention.

“Hey.” Tali pressed a couple more buttons before closing the holograms on her workstation and leaning her back against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position. Rainbow scooted up beside her and rested her head against her side. “Are you okay? You found home only to have to leave again.”

“They’re safe… for now,” Rainbow sighed. “They’re not ready.”

“No-one is,” Tali said. “My people they’re… I fear they’re making a mistake.”

“What’s going on with the fleet?” Rainbow asked curiously, thinking through what mistakes the migrant fleet might be making. “They aren’t thinking about...”

“The migrant fleet is recalling pilgrims, mining resources at unprecedented scale and selling them… There’s only one thing I can think of what those kinds of preparations are for.”

“And what about the Reapers?” Rainbow asked astonished.

“My kind has been shunned by the galaxy, the quarians have nothing in mind other than to retake our homeworld,” Tali sighed. “After this is done I must return to them, try to steer them from this course… I don’t know if I can.”

“Whatever happens, I’ll be there for you.”

“So you’d come with me to the migrant fleet?” Tali asked slightly surprised. Rainbow stayed silent as she thought about it for a moment.

“Yeah, I think I would,” she eventually answered. “I’m sure the others will understand. Fluttershy will probably stick to Garrus as well.”

“Thank you.” Tali pulled Rainbow tightly against her. Legion then strode into the engineering bay, focussing on the quarian on the ground.

“Creator Tali’Zorah, we offer our help running the engineering systems for the relay jump.”

Tali looked down at Rainbow, squeezing lightly before letting go and standing back up. “Thank you, Legion. If you could monitor the Eezo core then I can focus completely on the power redistribution.”

“Acknowledged,” Legion answered, walking up to the core’s interface and starting to monitor the systems. Rainbow sat to the side and watched as she didn’t have the technical knowhow to help the quarian and geth anyhow. Time ticked away as they prepared, eventually Joker’s voice coming in over the intercom.

“Approaching Omega-Four relay. Everyone stand bye.”

Rainbow’s heart started pounding faster as the drive core where Legion was working sparked to life, energy arcing over its surface. “Re-routing static electrical charge, Tali’Zorah,” Legion announced as Tali swiftly pressed buttons on her own console.

“I’ve got it, dissipating it now!” she called back to the geth. The numbers on the screens changed drastically as Dash felt the ship lurch into a relay jump, the inertia dampeners doing their very best to counter the unnatural vibrations for an FTL jump. “Damnit...”

Legion came running from the core to Ken’s station, sending commands to it at a rate Tali wouldn’t be able to keep up at and stabilizing the readings. The vibrations stopped as the Normandy fell out of its jump, new warnings popping up on the screens.

“Re-routing power to engines!” She announced, waiting for energy levels to balance out again. All calmed down again as the Joker got the Normandy into a more stable flight.

Tali just started laughing as she jumped towards legion and hugged him. “We did it! Take that, bosh’tets!” she exclaimed, suddenly realizing what exactly she was hugging and letting go of the geth. “Uhm… Well done Legion.”

Rainbow smirked as she nudged Tali in the side with a wing. The Normandy suddenly shook again, pulling Legion and Tali back to their consoles. Rainbow grasped on to a railing to avoid being flung around. Red alarms blared through the engineering bays as the Normandy shuddered violently.

“Alert, Hull breach on engineering deck,” EDI announced, Rainbow immediately got the bubble that encompassed her muzzle and activated the mass effect fields that kept air in a bubble around her head.

“Rainbow, get to the cargo hold and stop the intruder from getting to our more vital systems!” Shepard called out, Rainbow immediately ran out into the hallway, knocking against the side of the walls as the ship bounced around. Looking through the window she could see a large ball of sorts floating in the hold and firing a laser from a lense in the middle of its casing.

Let’s see what you got!

Opening up the elevator Rainbow took it a floor down, having to roll out of the way immediately as a laser immediately came through the crack of the door as it opened up. Using her biotics, Rainbow picked up a barrel and flung it at the oculus to give herself some extra time to get into cover.

“That all you got? A silly laser?!” Rainbow laughed, getting her shotgun and leaping onto her cover and blasting the sphere’s lens before diving away again. The elevator opened up again, revealing grunt with his massive shotgun. The krogan simply marched forward, pumping shots into the machine. “Nice of you to join!”

“Couldn’t just watch and let you have all the fun!” Grunt laughed in reply.

The oculus tried leaving through the hole it had created in the side of the cargo bay but Rainbow wouldn’t have anything of it. Wrapping her biotics around the large ball she forced it to stay inside, grunt abusing this opportunity to savagely batter it from point-blank range. It shuddered, venting something before fire erupted from its shell and it exploded. “Buck yeah!”

“Nice work! Now hold on to something down there, the collectors sent out an old friend to greet us!” Shepard called out from the bridge. Both Rainbow and Grunt grasped a column as the Normandy shook violently again, the view outside giving glimpses of an energy beam passing the Normandy.

Come on, come on, come-

The mass effect generators went offline completely, the G-forces suddenly being applied to Rainbow’s body was more than she could handle. She crashed hard into the hangar bay door, her body in pain as she was flung in different directions throughout the hold.

I’m not… going to the… hospital… again!

Using her biotics Rainbow forced herself to stick to one of the walls, her wings felt like they were on fire but it was at least better than flying around the cargo hold uncontrollably. Thirty seconds later the vibrations stopped and the ship had come to a halt.

“Nice flying, Joker!” Rainbow called out as she let herself drop from the roof. “You okay, Grunt?”

“I’m good,” the krogan replied, holstering his shotgun. “Let’s go see how the rest are doing.”

Luckily the elevator still worked which allowed them to head up to the others. The commander told them to go get to gather in the situation room. The rest of the strike team slowly filed into the room as well after some time. Shepard stepped up to the head of the central table and leaned on it, sighing.

“This isn’t exactly how we planned this mission, the Normandy might not be able to take off again but that doesn’t matter. We came to stop the collectors and that means coming up with a plan to take out this station. EDI, bring up your scans.” A hologram of the base appeared above the table, showing various internal rooms as well.

“You should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the main control centre here.” A node appeared on the hologram as EDI spoke.

“We’d pass right through the heart of the station near that large energy signature,” Garrus noted.

“The central chamber… if our crew is anywhere, they’ll be brought there,” Shepard said, marking that location as well.

“You’re missing something, there’s an offshoot from the main chamber here,” Fluttershy pointed out. “There’s a whole bunch of passageways leading there.”

“That point is moot if we can’t get to the main chamber in the first place. See these two passageways? They’re the only way up to the main chamber but both are blocked,” Miranda pointed out again.”

“There’s a ventilation shaft that can provide passage and open the door from the opposite end. Our platform is optimal for the task,” Legion pointed out.

“Agreed. We’ll split up our forces into a small and large team to keep the collectors off balance and meet back up in the central chamber.”

“Sound like a plan, I’ll lead the second team and meet up with you on the other end of the doors,” Miranda said but that proposal didn’t come without any resistance.

“Not so fast, Cheerleader, nobody wants to take orders from you.” Garrus, Grunt, and Fluttershy all murmuring their agreement.

“This is not a democracy, I’m the XO on this mission,” Miranda pointed out. “Live’s are at stake here and you need someone who knows how to command.”

Shepard rubbed the side of his head and sighed. “Miranda is in charge of the second team. We’re on the same side here, Jack.”

The human biotic grumbled but didn’t object further.

“Now, I want two of you with me to keep Legion safe in the ventilation shaft. Any volunteers?”

Surprisingly, Tali immediately stepped forward to volunteer…

Garrus [Archangel, Sniper]

Fluttershy [Angel of Death, Sniper/Adept]

Rainbow Dash [Vanguard]

Mordin [Former STG, Crazy Scientist]

Thane [Assasin, Sniper]

Jack [‘Subject Zero’, Adept]

Grunt [Tank bred pure krogan, Beserker]

Samara [Justicar, Adept]

Vortash [Former STG and Archangel squad, Explosive Expert]

Zaheed [Blue Suns Founder, Mercinary]

[Vote link]
(Non-POV choice)
(also, please pick well. I prefer not to kill off my favourite characters.)

Author's Note

I've been busy with my other fics too lately, even got a new one out which I've been writing without releasing for months now. Contact Harvest's next chapter also got pretty far so I might take some time to bring that out as well.

Anyway, don't get peeps killed. It would be a shame if some romance or another got interrupted.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20934436]
[Certainty: 100]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector Base - Crew

Chapter 152

Collector base - Crew

Rainbow Dash [Vanguard] 57%

“I’ve got your back, Commander,” Rainbow immediately said as well after Tali stepped forward, Shepard nodded and turned off the hologram. The commander sighed and lened on the table with his fists.

“I’m not going to lie to you, this isn’t going to be easy. Once we’re in they’re going to throw everything they’ve got at us. Do not slow down. Do not hesitate. Give them no mercy for they will give you none either.” Shepard moved back a bit, grunts of approval coming from everyone in the room.

“We don’t know how many the collectors took… it doesn’t matter, only one thing does. Not. One. More. That is what we can do. They want to know what we’re made of? I say let’s show them… on our terms. Now let’s go get our people back.”

With their spirits up, everyone grouped up with their assigned team. Fluttershy briefly walking over to Rainbow.

“Good luck and stay safe out there, Dash,” she smiled as she nudged her old friend with a wing.

Rainbow snorted and smirked confidently. “Remember who you’re talking to, I’ll be fine Flutters.”

“Don’t get too high on your own farts there, Rainbow ‘danger’ Dash,” Fluttershy shot back at her, making Dash blush. “Stay sharp and make sure your aim is true and we’ll see each other at the central chamber.”

“Yeah, see you there,” Rainbow smiled as Fluttershy went back to Miranda’s group, the human in question immediately flagged her over.

“Fluttershy, you’re on sniper support with Thane, pick the hard targets at range. Samara and Jack will handle biotic support, you’re their backup in case they can’t hold their part,” Miranda told her.

“Understood ma’am,” Fluttershy replied as she followed the rest out of the room and towards the opened airlock. They jumped out onto the outer hull of the collector base, the materials looked nigh indistinguishable to the collector ship’s which they’d investigated a while back, only everything was larger by several factors. Shepard’s group split off from the main body to perform their part of the plan, mainly opening the door for Miranda’s group leading into the main chamber.

Fluttershy stuck to the back of the group with Thane, half her eye was focussed on Garrus who walked somewhat ahead, his sniper rifle on his back and carrying his assault rifle instead.

Can’t have too many snipers I guess, need to have some automatic firepower to pin down the collectors too.

The first stretch of the journey they managed to walk almost completely unopposed, the collectors had yet to find them but that would change some point soon as they undoubtedly were showing up on the internal security in some form.

“You made a dangerous enemy in Aria T’loak,” Thane said as he and Fluttershy sat back on an elevated position to cover the advance of the others in case they’d make contact.

“None I couldn’t handle, not that I plan going back regardless,” Fluttershy answered as she looked out in the distance, noticing movement. “Two o’clock, at the edge there behind the pillar on the right.”

“I see it.”

A loud rapport came from Shy’s sniper, the head of the collector that had peaked over its cover exploded from the force of the anti-materiel rifle. “There are bound to be more...”

“Status?” Miranda asked immediately.

“Fluttershy took out a collector at the edge of the chamber. Expect more soon,” Thane replied, moving up to a new position further up along with Fluttershy. The faint buzzing of wings echoed through the large chambers they were moving through, the occasional group of collectors running into the group and getting cut down.

“This is way too easy...” Fluttershy muttered, a very deep pit in her gut as a nasty buzz stung in the back of her mind.

Give up.

Fluttershy’s legs wobbled as the words echoed through her mind, a sting following the two words feeling as if an ice-pick was being lodged directly into her brain. She cried out, dropping to the ground as simultaneously the collectors sent a wave of drones towards the group.

Things shall be as they have always been, your kind will be destroyed completely and the cycle will continue.

N-No!

Darkness shrouded Fluttershy as images of pony civilization of old flashed through her mind, pitch black corrupted unicorn husks charging lines en-masse and impaling the defenders on their jagged horns while insect winged abominations flew overhead to engage pegasi.

Sovereign tried to... do this too… and he failed!

Fluttershy opened her eyes again and looked out over the mayhem the others were engaged in, collectors streaming in from every direction as they’d lain in wait for an ambush but what Fluttershy focussed on was the larger glowing collector at the back that was looking straight at her and hit it with her stare.

Get...

Out...

Of my...

HEAD!

The nasty sting was immediately driven out of Fluttershy’s head as she raised her fallen rifle and fired at the collector that was being controlled by Harbinger. Fluttershy huffed, replacing the thermal clip.

“Nice try.”

The collectors immediately became more disorganized, Miranda ordering a push forward out of the chamber into the next. Thane and Shy quickly caught up with the group and quickly closed the rear as they made their way up to the door leading into the main chamber, finding it still sealed shut.

“Take defensive positions, those collectors will regroup here soon!” Miranda ordered. Garrus slid into cover next to Fluttershy for a moment. The pegasus felt a metallic tinged liquid flow into her mouth.

“You okay, little angel? I heard you… You’re bleeding.”

A red line ending in a blood droplet came from the corner of Shy’s eye, the liquid also coming from her nose and ears as she spit out the blood in her mouth. “I’m good, let’s focus on holding this place.” Garrus grimaced but nodded, moving up a bit in an advanced position as Fluttershy set up her rifle to form a killzone facing the hallway that provided access to the door.

“Here they come! Hold!”

Collectors poured through the gap firing wildly as the first wave quickly got cut down, the next wave already charging down the hall over the dissolving bodies of their fallen comrades. A thick wall of fire soon was exchanged between the two factions, putting strain on the defending group as they couldn’t just throw themselves back at the collectors who were suffering catastrophic casualties.

“Damnit! Shepard we could really use your help here!” Miranda called out as she had to duck into cover due to her shield failing.

“Almost there! Rainbow had a brief episode of… something. All good now!” The commander replied, “Legion is working on the doors now!”

“Make it quick!” Miranda called back. Fluttershy meanwhile was rapidly cycling her sniper’s shots, every single round piercing half a dozen collectors in a single shot. The doors screeched but then slowly slid open, a space just large enough for one person to pass through. Miranda immediately barked orders for everyone to pass through one by one, the squad filing through as smoothly as possible under fire.

“Close it legion!” Garrus called out as the last person through the breach, the geth immediately shutting doors behind the turian.

“Everyone okay?” Shepard asked, getting an affirmation from everyone there. Fluttershy looked over to Rainbow who had an ugly, bleeding, cut on her forehead but the smile on her face made it clear she was fine.

“Hey Commander?” Garrus called out as he looked deeper into the chamber, the walls lined with the pods the collectors used in their attacks to abduct human colonists. A quick inspection of the people in there immediately got everyone on edge.

“It’s the crew! Get them out!” Shepard immediately ordered, beating the butt of his rifle against the transparent panel in front of the pod to break it open. Within a minute every pod in sight had been cracked open and the crew within were now on the ground, gasping for air.

“Commander, y-you came for us!” Doctor Chakwas stuttered as she caught her breath.

“Of course, no-one gets left behind,” Shepard smiled.

“Thank god you got here, if you’d been only a few seconds later…” Chakwas shivered. “The colonists were... processed, into grey goo and pumped through these tubes.” she pointed at the tubes running deeper into the base.

“Well, that’s where we were heading then. Joker, do you have a fix on our position?” Shepard asked.

“Roger that, Commander. All those tubes lead into the main chamber above you. The route is blocked by a security door but there’s a room running parallel to that one that can get you up there.” Joker replied, only for EDI to interrupt.

“Shepard, I would not recommend that path. Scans indicate seeker swarms too dense for Mordin’s countermeasures in that area.”

“There has to be a way… Samara, can you create a shield that can keep the seekers away?” Shepard asked of the asari justicar.

“It should be possible, yes,” she replied.

“Technically all biotics could do it,” Miranda pointed out. Shepard thought for a moment before pointing at the asari again.

“You’re up, Samara.”

“Shepard, the crew and me are in no shape to fight. We’d never make it back alone,” Chakwas said as the crewmembers were barely able to stand with each other’s help.

“I’ll have you escorted...”

Fluttershy wanted to step forward to volunteer but then remembered the initial scan. If I escort the crew then no-one is going to check out that offshoot chamber I noticed and head straight for the main chamber… but they might need all the help to fight whatever they find in the main chamber too...

Volunteer to escort the crew.

Ask Permission to investigate the offshoot.

Stay with the main squad.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Sorry about the delay, I've been really out of the flow when it comes to writing. I have a new story up which I had written in the background without releasing which I'm tweaking slightly so every now and then but that's about all the energy for waiting I've had.

Hopefully I'll get a back up to steam, I did finish the Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC and that's a real good energy boost.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/21070952
[Certainty: 100]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector Base - Ancient one

Chapter 153

Collector base - Ancient one

Ask Permission to investigate the offshoot. 83%

“Will get them there safely, Shepard.” Mordin stepped forward to volunteer himself to the cause of getting the crew to safety. “Can render aid on the way”

“Perfect. Now-”

“Commander, there’s something else,” Fluttershy spoke up. “Remember the scan? There was a smaller offshoot here leading to a side chamber. Permission to investigate it.”

“That’s a non-mission-critical diversion, I can’t spare anyone from the secondary team,” Shepard replied. “You know stealth, but if you go you’ll be on your own.”

Fluttershy took a moment to decide.

If I go I’ll have to stay in the shadows… is it really worth it?

Fluttershy had a feeling in her gut that whatever was out there was important somehow. Looking over to Garrus she found him looking back in concern. “I’ll check it out. If I find nothing I’ll contact Joker and retreat to the Normandy.”

“Shy...”

“I’ll be fine Garrus, focus on your part,” Fluttershy stopped her boyfriend, Stepping backwards into the darkness and smiling as she activated her cloak. “Remember, you weren’t the only angel running around Omega.”

Being completely out of sight, Fluttershy moved away from the unit that was splitting up into three. One team for the swarm infested chamber, another for the chamber that ran parallel to it, and the last was Mordin’s group with the regular crew.

Slipping into the hallways, Fluttershy checked her every move very carefully. Unlike the other passages they’d moved through, the ones here were smaller, narrow enough that if a collector were to come from the other end they wouldn't be able to pass without touching.

In truth, I don’t think a collector would be able to walk through these hallways regardless… why would they make anything in which they don’t fit?

Fluttershy had the nagging feeling she knew the exact answer already.

The familiar sound of buzzing wings echoed through the hallways, signalling that the passageway was going to open up into a larger chamber where flight was possible. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, Fluttershy rounded the corner into the larger space. Chitinous four-legged black ponies mulled about aimlessly in the room, Fluttershy’s eyes going wide as she recognized the beings from video Dash had shown her.

Changelings.

She could at least confirm now the Changelings had been working with the reapers, something that Rainbow would appreciate knowing. That didn’t help her with getting through though as she saw the passage on the other end, the rooms from the scan being beyond this one.

I can’t engage any of these, if they’re linked in a hivemind like the collectors seem to be they’ll know I’m here the moment I do…

Looking for patterns in the behaviour of the changelings in front of her, Fluttershy noticed gaps in their wandering and exploited them. The invisible spectre deftly moved between the indoctrinated creatures, slipping into the gaps and coming out the other end.

Now let’s see what lays ahead.

Slipping through the final corridor Fluttershy lay eyes on the larger chamber that had shown up back in the Normandy, she dared to open a connection to the stealth ship and by extension its AI.

“EDI, check my feed.” Fluttershy focussed in on the main console sitting at the centre of the room, looking at the green holograms floating on there.

“I see it Flu..s.y... ” Static cut at the feed, only buzzing remaining as something interfered with the signal.

‘Another approaches... yet her mind is untainted.’

The pegasus stiffened up as she heard the voice echo through her mind, cold and bitter. Behind her in the hallway, she heard the buzzing of wings stop and saw a line of changelings staring at her, regardless of her cloak. Dropping the invisibility did not make the changelings come closer and suddenly attack.

‘Ahh, yes. Come forth, child, have no fear.’

Fluttershy looked back into the large chamber and set a carefully proceeded, the line of changelings following her at a distance.

“Who are you?” Fluttershy demanded as the consoles flickered, the back wall opening up to reveal a black hivelike structure.

‘One who has suffered for a long time...’

‘No more.’

Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she finally noticed the creature and its state. It was a changeling that may at one point have rivalled Celestia for her size if it weren’t for all the machines hooked up to it. The metal pulsing and humming as the creature’s faded eyes were squarely focussed on the small pegasus in front of it.

“What is it you want?”

‘Death.’

Fluttershy stopped as that wasn’t what she was expecting. The legs of the queen opened up to reveal a small changeling, untarnished by the machines.

‘And life.’

The creature held out the small filly sized changeling for Fluttershy to take but the pegasus hesitated. “Why?”

‘I have listened to the whisper of the machines for a cycle, seen my children twisted and corrupted, yet I still resist but I do not think I would last longer.’

The story sounded incredibly familiar, not all that different than that of the rachni queen, just on a much longer timescale. “And what about the changeling queen on Equis? Chrysalis Luna called her.”

‘Another lost daughter, head filled with the machine’s lies… I remember her well, she had such a bright future...’ A tear rolled from the eye of the large changeling. ‘This daughter is untainted. I beg of you, take her before the machines corrupt her too.’

Fluttershy hesitated a bit longer but then stepped forward and took the little creature in her hooves, it looked just like any regular filly would have if they’d been a changeling that was, a little crown-like structure standing on her head. “What do I do with her, I do not know how to care for a changeling.”

‘It has been long since our kinds shared hallways. She will grow fast I made sure of that. Now one more task remains.’

Fluttershy hadn’t been watching her back and couldn’t respond as a changeling sank its fangs into her neck, her limbs locking up as she felt something spread through her veins

Crap, I should not have trusted it! Move you idiot, move!

She could not move her body, forced to watch as the old changeling’s legs wrapped around the tubes and ripped them out of her body, letting out a shriek that was echoed by every single changeling present.

‘Peace.’

Fluids leaked out of the limp body as the rest of the changelings, including the one that had just bitten her, scattered and ran as the little child in Fluttershy’s hooves started crying. The pegasus’ control of her body was restored almost instantly as well.

“Fluttershy, come in!” Shepard’s voice called in over the radio, interference gone.

“I’m here, I’m okay,” Fluttershy replied, trying to soothe the crying filly in her hooves as her eyes were glued to the ancient creature that might have survived since before the reapers even came the first time around to find Ponies.

I wonder what things she could have told me…

“EDI informed me she lost contact. We reached the end of the chamber and are about to head into the heart of the base. Did you find something and are you capable of reaching our position from there?” Shepard asked urgently, clearly sounding like he could use the help.

Fluttershy brought up her omni-tool, something that quieted down the young changeling queen as it watched in fascination. Checking the paths running out of her current location that would lead her to the others.

But what do I do with this little one?...

Head to the Normandy.

Take the filly with to the others

[Leave the filly]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I still really can't get back into the flow but I've been getting into my exams and I do want to get this done. The rest of the storyline ahead is going to be fun so I hope you'll bear with me as I write on.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/24700349
[Certainty: 100]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector Base - Exfil

Chapter 154

Collector base - Exfil

Head to the Normandy. 73%

“There are changelings here, Commander,” Fluttershy replied. “It’s... Complicated. I need to extract one of them back to Normandy.”

“Copy that, I hope you know what you’re doing. Those changelings back on Equis weren’t exactly capable of reason. Shepard out,” the commander replied. Fluttershy looked down at the little changeling in her hooves after closing the connection, the filly looking up at her expectantly.

“Guess you’re stuck with me for now,” Fluttershy sighed, switching her channel to the Normandy’s. “Joker, can you send me a pickup point? I’m coming back to the ship.”

“Uploading the RV point now, Mordin just got here but we can hold until you get here,” Joker replied immediately, a ping on Shy’s omni-tool showing where the ship was. With the little filly close to her chest Fluttershy hobbled back into the previous chamber, all the changelings that had been in there were cowering away from her. Their fear was literally palpable to the pegasus.

What is going on... nothing about this is right

Keeping a hawkish eye on the changelings, Fluttershy made her way to the passage back. None of the changelings seemed to follow her, something she was thankful for as a pounding headache formed in the back of her skull. Stopping dead in her tracks she cursed, feeling the two holes in her neck that still had blood pouring out of them and applied medi-gel. She had to get back to Chakwas to find out just what the hell she’d been injected with.

Stumbling further the headache only got worse, a wave of nausea welling up as Shy felt something change in her chest. The filly nuzzled her chest as it felt obvious distress coming from the pegasus. ’Where is mommy?’

“She’s not here,” Fluttershy grunted in reply, her mind too clouded to realise she’d just heard from the filly in her hooves. A wave of fear and desperation hit Fluttershy, making her stumble and stop.

Wait... that wasn’t mine.

Looking down, she found the filly staring up at her with tearful eyes. Unlike the insectoid eyes of the regular changelings she’d seen, these were slitted and more catlike, a definite spark of intelligence behind their pinkish hue. Pushing through the mental fog of her headache and trying the strange whispering she was hearing aside, Fluttershy brushed a hoof through the kid’s hair in an attempt to comfort her. “I... Your mom wanted me to bring you with me. Take you to safety.”

’S-She... I can’t hear her anymore!’

“Your mom-” Fluttershy stopped herself, wondering if she should really tell the filly.

She might find out the truth later anyhow which would be devastating...

“Killed herself after giving you over to me.” The small changeling trembled as Fluttershy told her the truth, sniffing once before bursting into tears. “Shh, you’re going to be okay. I’m here for you.”

The headache slowly disappeared as Fluttershy comforted the little filly, the whispers in the distance remaining very pronounced, but her nausea and the strange feeling in her chest very much remained.

“I need to move further, we can’t stay here.”

’O-Okay’

Fluttershy suddenly realised that the filly hadn’t even been talking with her mouth but projecting her thoughts directly into her mind as the other queen had done.

“What’s your name?” she asked as she got back to moving, her pace quickening as she headed for the marker.

’Amethyst’

“Well then Amethyst, I’m Fluttershy,” the pegasus smiled, looking over an edge to see if there weren’t any collectors mulling about in the chamber below. She’d taken a shortcut to bypass the place where she’d split off from the others, leaving her in front of an open space. In the distance, she could swear to be able to see the white hull of the Normandy.

“I’m going to need you to trust me and hold on tight, can you do that?” Fluttershy asked, Amethyst’s legs clamping around her even tighter in response. Readying her legs, Fluttershy dumped off the ledge and dove straight down to pick up speed, pulling up just in time to avoid slamming into the ground. It didn’t really help with her nausea but she could hold still push that back for a while.

Amethyst actually shouted in shock, not mentally but physically, attracting the attention of all the collectors in the room. Rounds quickly started flying all around them, whipping by their ears and bouncing off Fluttershy’s shielding as she protected the little filly in her forelegs.

”The RV point is getting too hot Flutt-”

“I KNOW!” Fluttershy shouted back, cutting off Joker. “Open the airlock!”

The Normandy rapidly grew in her line of sight, the small door on its side opening as collectors fired their low calibre rifles at the space vessel. “Incoming!”

Fluttershy flared at the last second but it wasn’t that hard to see she wouldn’t be able to stop in time. Curling up into a ball with Amethyst in the middle, Fluttershy slammed into the inner door of the airlock. The bang was so loud Fluttershy was sure she’d dented the door.

”Holy... Closing the airlock!” Joker called out over the intercom, the outer door sliding back in place as the Normandy moved away to another location. Fluttershy groaned as she felt her stomach twist, emptying it on the floor of the airlock. ”Ew, gross. I don’t assume the decontamination field can clean that, EDI?”

”I am afraid not, mister Moreau but I think it would be a good idea to help Fluttershy out. I have notified doctor Chakwas, she is on her way up now.” EDI told her. Fluttershy simply lay still on the ground as the looked down at Amethyst who was whimpering on her chest.

The inner door opened up with a screech, Chakwas being next to her within moments. “You crazy pegasus, stop scaring the life out of me like this... Who’s the small one?”

“Amethyst,” Fluttershy weakly muttered, the little changeling hiding away from the human as best it could.

“Well, you only seem to have broken just about all your ribs and cracked your left hind leg but did marvellously keeping Amethyst safe,” Chakwas told her, injecting medi-gel into an armour port so the automated systems could repair some of the damage. Once again Fluttershy felt the strange feeling in her chest return and grasped it, wincing in pain as she threw up again. “That’s bad, get her to the medbay!”

A couple of crewmembers picked up Fluttershy and Rushed her to the elevator, leaving Amethyst cowering in Chakwas’ arms. ’Fluttershy!’ she mentally called out but did not get a response. Chakwas placed her on one of the beds in the medbay while she rapidly set up a scanner around the one Fluttershy was laid down on, one of the other crewmembers staying to keep watch of the small filly.

“EDI, could you lend me some of your processing power?” Chakwas asked as she turned on the scanner. “And could you please bring up the previous full body scan and cross-reference it with the previous one.”

”Of course, a moment doctor.” Two holograms sprung up, one of them flashing red in multiple places. ”There is a growth rapidly spreading throughout her chest and head which the medi-gel is aggressively attacking. The tissue has already reached her brain and it is my belief the medi-gel is doing more harm than good at this moment.”

“Come again? The medi-gel is doing this to her?” Chakwas asked, making her way over to a storage and grabbing multiple syringes out of it.

”I believe so. The tissue is bonding to Fluttershy’s without issue but then being attacked by the medi-gel injected by her armour mixed with the more powerful serum you injected in the airlock,” EDI said with certainty.

“I hope you’re right then,” Chakwas said, injecting a small vial of fluid into the armour’s medical port. “Applying neutralizing agent.”

The medi-gel got neutralised swiftly as the fluid moved through the system, the red spots on the scan slowly becoming blue as the growth quickly finished growing. Fluttershy shot up from the bed, breathing heavily as she looked around. Amethyst slipped past the human who was watching her and slammed into the pegasus.

’You smell... different?’ she noticed, Fluttershy still confused how she got down into the medbay.

’Different?’ she projected back. ’I’m not going to lie, you smell funny too. Not bad though.’

Amethyst’s eyes opened wide in shock. ‘You made a link!?’

“Fluttershy, how do you feel?” Chakwas asked, getting Shy’s attention.

“The nausea is gone and... I sense things.” Fluttershy looked over to the human crew-member. “Apprehension.” she followed it up by looking towards the doctor. “Confusion, curiosity.”

”This is a development,” EDI announced, ”I have isolated a pheromone Fluttershy is extruding through unknown means which was previously not recorded. The same one Amethyst is extruding to be exact.”

“Yeah, I smell it. She does too,” Fluttershy told them, getting a confused look from Chakwas. ’We can make a connection of sorts... it’s strangely intuitive.’

Chakwas’ mouth fell open slightly before glancing at EDI. “Is she stable?”

”Yes, she-” EDI stopped talking briefly. “Be advised, Shepard has primed the station’s reactor to blow. Please strap into your designated seats.”

“Amethyst?” the filly looked up at Fluttershy. “I’m going to need you to stay with doctor Chakwas here, she’s very nice and will take care of you. I need to go take a look upstairs, okay?”

Amethyst nodded as Chakwas took her into her arms.

“See you in a bit.”

Author's Note

And there's another one! I'm getting warmed up for the last chapter on the collector base. Did you make the right choices? Did everyone survive?

Find out next time on M.E.E.K.! :trollestia:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Seperate ways

Chapter 156

Seperate ways

The Strike team minus Thane and Jack were all assembled in the mess hall, mostly seated and standing around the main table. A good few bottles of alcohol had been pulled out in celebration as they all laughed and chatted with each other. "You should have seen Rainbow make that crazy charge Shy, she really got the pressure off us when trying to get Thane behind cover," Garrus laughed

"Hey it was nothing, I just made sure you guys had the reprieve to focus on him," Dash very modestly brushed off, uncharacteristically for the pegasus as she nuzzled against Tali.

"Don't forget I had to pull her out of there too!" Grunt roared with a laugh as he downed some of his bottle of ryncol.

"Sounds like I missed a hell of a fight," Fluttershy smiled, brushing a hoof through Amethyst's hair as she sat, shielded with a wing, on Shy's lap.

"You're acting as if you didn't have an interesting detour," Garrus pointed out, "Flutterbat Rainbow said? I think you owe me an explanation on that one."

"It was a minor incident with Twilight, a spell, and some fruit bats," Fluttershy Sheepishly said. "The changeling queen I found in the side room had one of her drones inject me with something, it grew some new bits and pieces inside of me."

"Although concerning that such a rapid change is possible, there seem to be no negative side-effects I have detected until now. I am intrigued as to what changes there are which I might not have picked up." EDI asked as she popped up in the mess' holographic pedestal.

"Well, the changing from pegasus to a bat is one of course, the increased sense of smell is another, but those you probably found already."

"That is correct."

"I also got the ability to sense others' emotions, it's really distracting but I'm getting a handle on it. And the last thing I know of is telepathy of sorts, it doesn't work both ways so it's not like I can read another's thoughts but I can talk without talking." Fluttershy explained.

"That is both interesting and hella creepy," Rainbow pointed out.

'You don't even know the half of it,' Fluttershy projected her thoughts to Garrus, Rainbow, and Tali, as they were actively invested in the conversation.

"Like I said, creepy," Dash shivered. "So the kid is what? Like another changeling queen?"

Opening her wings slightly, Fluttershy revealed Amethyst peaking out at all the aliens around her. "Yeah, she is. Along with Chrysalis she might be the last of their kinds."

"That's... kind of sad," Tali said sympathetically, brushing her hand through the filly's hair. Amethyst shied back from the hand but relaxed at the pets.

"So, Shepard, where are you pointing us next?" Grunt asked loudly, pulling everyone's attention away from their conversations to the commander.

"To be honest Grunt, with the collectors gone we're going to have to start working on preparing everyone as best we can. That's something we can't do from the Normandy but has to be done with people on the ground everywhere. I'll take any of the crew to wherever they want to go but I'll be surrendering the Normandy over to the Alliance at earth when that is done," Shepard answered.

"Well, I think I speak for all if I said it has been a pleasure to serve with someone as honourable as the commander," Samara spoke up, raising her drink. A cheer of agreement went up through the crowd.

"It's a good question though, where are we going to go now?" Garrus asked the other three, Tali immediately had her reply ready.

"I need to get to the fleet, the admiralty board has..." she hesitated. "There is going to be another admiral appointed and with my connection to my father, I'm being considered. I need to return to my people."

"I'm going with her," Rainbow said without hesitation, only to peddle back a bit. "You know... if that offer for me to join you still stands that is..."

Fluttershy felt a wave of elation come from Tali, making the yellow pegasus smile. "Of course! It'll take me twisting some arms and some adjustment for your suit but the latter can be done in the workshop down here too."

"Yes!" Rainbow cheered before blushing, "Uhm, I mean, thanks." The daredevil smiled as she nuzzled up against the quarian.

"You sure Dash? The migrant fleet is a very claustrophobic place if you remember correctly," Fluttershy pointed out.

"I'll... find a way to deal with it. Got used to being a walking suit of armor too, I'll find a way to get my space," Rainbow replied with a smile.

"So, Garrus, Fluttershy, what are you two going to do?" Tali asked as she held Rainbow close.

"I'm going to head back to Palaven, maybe get back in touch with my dad and sisters. The planet need to be prepared and getting anything done is going to need some serious backing from the higher-ups," Garrus said with a sigh, downing his beer. "What about you, Fluttershy?"

Shy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I'm coming with you, right?"

"I'm just saying, you have Amethyst down there to take care of now and with Rainbow already having decided to head to the Migrant Fleet Your homeworld is missing some valuable experience and guidance for its defence," Garrus argued. "I know you Shy, if you choose to help them out instead I'd totally understand it."

"I... hadn't thought about it like that," Fluttershy admitted, looking down at Amethyst who was looking up at her expectantly. 'What do you think?'

'I-I trust you know best...' the young changeling queen meekly replied.

"I know Twi and the girls would be happy to get to spend some time with you again," Rainbow added to the argument of going to Equis.

"Same could be said about you, Dash," Fluttershy countered only for Rainbow to wave it off.

"Of course, but I haven't been out here long and they'll know I'm fine. You on the other hoof have been gone for two years."

I guess she has a point there... But I also need to Ugh, why is this such a hard decision...

Go to Equis.

Go to Palaven.

Drift around and focus on Amathyst.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Where oh where should Fluttershy go? :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/34301951
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Equis

Chapter 157

Equis

Go to Equis. 80%

"I'm going to miss you, you know..." Fluttershy said looking up at Garrus. They were standing down in the Normandy's hangar, a dark grey Kodiak shuttle with dark blue markings and a crescent moon standing behind them.

"We'll keep in contact via extranet connection, Legion informed me the geth are allowing limited usage of the relay for Equestrian communication with the Citadel," Garrus reassured, kneeling to give Fluttershy a hug. "I'll try to call you as often as possible."

"Let's hope we get to see each other again before the reapers arrive, we're going to be really busy when that happens..." Fluttershy sighed, letting go of the turian and looking over to Dash, Tali, and Shepard who were standing a bit further back. "Same goes for you three."

"Hey, all the time calling your boyfriend doesn't hog up I definitely will!" Dash laughed, stepping forward and embracing her friend only to awkwardly bump into her. Tali and she had designed and made a helmet and mass effect system to keep her sealed for the protection of the fleet, only Rainbow was still adjusting to being fully enclosed. "Don't worry about me, I'll be surrounded by the biggest fleet in the galaxy. Say hi to Pinkie for me."

"I guess that's true and I will," Fluttershy smiled. "I should get going, the Normandy has more places to be and we all have our work cut out for us."

“That we do. I'm glad you could help out the cause again, Fluttershy, I'll miss having you around,” Shepard smiled.

“Being on the Normandy has been a pleasure Commander. Until next time we meet,” Fluttershy replied before stepping into the shuttle and Checking up on Amethyst. Finding the filly strapped in to her liking she stepped into the cockpit and opened communications, a hologram of Fidelis appearing.

“Fluttershy, are you done up there?” the AI asked her.

“I'm ready Fidelis, you can bring me down.”

“Understood, I'll signal EDI that we're going to depart.”

Fluttershy waved out through the window towards the group outside as the Kodiak took off and flew out through the mass effect fields that held the air in and into the void. Walking back into the crew compartment she took a seat next to Amethyst. “So, are you excited to see your new home?”

'I-I'm scared they won't like me...' Amethyst anxiously replied.

“Some might not but most ponies won't even remember your species, only the Normandy's crew really had contact with them. They'll like you just fine.” Fluttershy extended a feathery wing to wrap the filly into as the inertial dampeners set in to reduce vibrations from re-entry. “Just one thing I'd change: use your voice. Ponies are really going to freak out if you're talking to them with your mental link.”

“O-Okay,” she softly replied, bringing a smile to Shy's face. The rest of the way down went by quickly, Fidelis' remote-controlled descent being as smooth as re-entry could be.

“We're landing in Ponyville in a few minutes,” Fidelis reported as they got close to their destination. The short timespan later the shuttle landed and powered down.

“Ready to come meet some more ponies?” Fluttershy smiled.

“No...” Amethyst silently said, reminding Fluttershy of how she used to be as well.

“It'll be fine and I'll be there to keep you safe.” Fluttershy lifted the changeling onto her back with biotics and pressed a button to open the shuttle's door. Outside there was a flurry of activity, Guards making their way around the landing pads that looked to be attached to a temporary base of sorts.

“Welcome back to Equis, Fluttershy!” Shining Armor greeted. “I got you a chariot when I got word from the princesses that the collector mission was a success and you were coming back.”

“Thank you captain, I appreciate it.”

Shining glanced at Fluttershy's back, keeping a passive face but the pegasus could feel his concern. “Who's the passenger?”

“She's called Amethyst, I'm taking care of her.”

“Well okay, just give the princesses a heads up if you take her to them,” Shining warned as he lead them to the chariot.

“I might pop in around here soon, I'm interested in how far you've gotten with the guards. Maybe knock a few of them a peg down,” Fluttershy smirked as she set Amethyst down in the chariot.

“Heh, I'll be looking forward to that. See you around Fluttershy.” Shining waved them off as the pegasi pulling the chariot made their way into the air. It wasn't exactly a spectacular distance to Ponyville but the gesture was wat counted. After the two guards had flown back off Fluttershy took a moment to take in the village.

I'll really be staying here now for longer than a day...

“Fluttershy!” Four ponies crashed into her, hugging her tightly.

“Where is Rainbow? Is she alright?” Twilight asked with concern.

“She's with Tali on her way to the Migrant Fleet to stay with the quarians,” Fluttershy replied with a reassuring smile.

“Oh, ok, that's good,” Twilight sighed in relief, her eyes falling on the cowering little changeling.

“She's called Amethyst, I'm taking care of her,” Fluttershy pre-empted the question about who the changeling was. Pinkie beamed as she crouched down to make herself the same height as Amethyst.

"Hi there Amethyst, my name's Pinkie Pie and everyone in Ponyville is my friend! do you... want to be my friend as well?" she asked with remarkable restraint.

"O-Okay..." Amethyst whimpered back, Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at how similar the filly's demeanour was to her own but two years prior. The other three mares introduced themselves as well to the little changeling afterwards before Fluttershy excused herself and started heading over to her old house, only Twilight accompanying her.

"So, how have you been doing back here Twilight?" Fluttershy asked her.

"Not being wanted by the Solar Guard is relieving," Twilight chuckled though there was clearly sadness in her voice. "Shining is helping in that regard but the Princess... I've yet to really talk with her."

"Twilight..."

"I screwed up Fluttershy, I should never have brought you and the others to that place in the Everfree. I should have just researched it on my own first, that way it might have been me out there... it would have saved so much grief..."

"If I got the chance to re-do all of this I wouldn't have changed a thing, Twilight." Fluttershy stopped her friend in her tracks. "If you had gone out there you wouldn't have been able to communicate with anyone at all, which means you'd never have met Shepard, never found out about the reapers, and when they finally had come you'd have been living proof to them that they failed last cycle. They would search for Equis tirelessly and if they found it, we'd be crushed beneath their weight."

Twilight's eyes were shimmering with guilt as she looked at Fluttershy. "B-But what about you? Y-You lost so much..."

"Plenty," Fluttershy agreed. "I've seen conflict, been abused, raped even, seen the worst of the worst happen to people who didn't deserve it by criminals, murdered those criminals with ruthless efficiency... Yet I also saw the most shining examples, people who'd give up everything to help another, sights more beautiful to describe here, made new friends and went on to both laugh and cry with them, and found love out there..." Placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder Fluttershy smiled. "I've made my peace, Twilight, you must find yours."

Twilight shot forward and embraced her friend, nearly knocking off Amethyst who had been listening in from Fluttershy's back. "Thank you."

"No problem, Twilight," Fluttershy smiled back gently before looking down the road to her old house. "I should probably go see what kind of mess it's in there..."

"None at all," Twilight responded with tears on her cheeks but a smile on her face. "We kept it maintained over the last two years, some of us more than others but we always made sure it would be ready for you to return to."

"That's... I'll have to thank the girls."

"I... I'll leave you to it, I remember I needed to do something with Spike at the library."

"Of course! We'll have to go out with the girls at some point to really get back up to speed with each other," Fluttershy smiled back, "See you around Twilight."

The purple unicorn trotted back down the path to Ponyville while Fluttershy walked towards her old home. The door squeaked as she pushed it open, light falling in through the windows enough to illuminate the room behind it. Nothing had truly changed from before she left.

They really did a good j-

Fluttershy didn't even have time to respond as a carrot flew at her face with such velocity that her barrier activated to stop it.

On the table stood a small bunny with its little paws crossed, foot tapping on the wood as it gave Fluttershy an annoyed glare. Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at the little brat.

"Hello, Angel,"

Author's Note

Hehe, I didn't forget about that little brat of a pet Fluttershy has :3

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Griffins

Chapter 158

Griffins

"And ya ain't goin' plumb mad in that suit of yers?" Applejack asked Rainbow, a hologram of the pegasus in question having sprung up from Fluttershy's omni-tool.

"Oh come on AJ, I'm not that bad!" Rainbow replied, touching her hoof to her chest in mock offence.

"Yer brain is in the clouds half the time, ya ain't convincing me that yer jus' fine not flyin' about," the farmer pushed further.

"I have to agree, darling. You are quite fond of your flight skills," Rarity agreed with Applejack.

"Alright, fine! It's nagging on me just a little..." Rainbow sighed. "But that doesn't mean I don't have a solution to that! Tali has been using her free time to teach me EVA, that way I can still float around outside."

"That sounds... like a good alternative actually," Fluttershy commented, "Are they tethering or using impulse thrusters?"

"Both actually, it's really easy when you get used to the controls-"

"She's just a natural Fluttershy," Tali interrupted, appearing on the hologram as well. "It's good to see you Fluttershy but I am afraid we'll have to talk later, I need to steal my marefriend here for a while."

Fluttershy chuckled and smiled. "Of course, we'll catch up later."

"Well I'll see you later girls, can't keep the lady waiting!" Rainbow closed the call, the girls around Fluttershy sharing a chuckle.

"Dashie looks really happy out there," Pinkie said with a bright smile after taking a sip from her milkshake.

"She was wearing a nearly opaque visor Pinkie, how could you see that?" Twilight asked curiously.

"How could you not? The twitches of her wing and that almost hopping about is clearly Dashie being excited!" Pinkie exclaimed in reply, causing another round of chuckles.

A slight breeze blew over the terrace in front of Sugarcube Corner making Fluttershy shiver, she had gotten completely unused to not wearing other than the coat she'd been born with. She did wear her armour though when she was exploring sections of the massive base with the guard just in case they tripped any security features, something they had yet to do and by this point weren't expecting to either.

"Ya know, this might very well be the last time things will be 'normal' 'round here," Applejack sighed, "Folks are moving out or joinin' the guard. Ponies are scared of what's to come."

"Running off elsewhere isn't going to work. Not with this enemy," Fluttershy said bitterly.

"They're just scared. Not everypony has seen what you have seen, Fluttershy," Rarity rested her legs on the table in front of her as she calmly admonished her friend. "Most ponies don't have the privilege to know someone that has been out there."

"I know Rarity, it's just frustrating to give out warnings only for them to be ignored," The yellow pegasus sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad both Princesses are actually doing their best to prepare. From the few Normandy crewmembers that haven't gone dark, I've heard nothing all too promising..."

"We can only hope they take action soon," Rarity said sympathetically. "But on another less depressing topic, how is Amethyst doing? She's been growing very quickly, last time I saw her she had already grown to look like a young mare and it's been less than two weeks since she got here!"

Fluttershy looked over to Twilight as a smile formed on her face. "She's doing great, Twilight here has been giving her lessons on magical theory lately and we decided it might be best if she got the support they could give up in Canterlot."

"She's a very bright filly, that's for sure, but I think her mother implanted some of her knowledge into her at birth as well. There are some things she knows about magic that quite frankly astonish me," Twilight freely admitted.

"So you three are going to move to Canterlot as well?" Pinkie asked, her hair deflating slightly.

"Twilight and Amathyst are but I need to head to the Griffin Kingdom first, we found a lead that there might be another bunker up there and if we can find more stashed equipment then we can mobilize an even better defence," Fluttershy answered. "We'll keep in contact Pinkie, I promise, but there's a lot of work to be done and very little time to do it."

"Yeah, I get it..." the pink mare sighed. "But when this is all over I'm going to throw the biggest party!"

Fluttershy smiled at the bout of optimism, something she could very much use so every now and then. I'm glad I have them to not fall into despair, laughter really is going to be incredibly important in the coming months...

"Ah'll definitely be there when that happens," Applejack chuckled before glancing at Rarity, the two stiffened slightly as if hiding something. Fluttershy didn't have the slightest of troubles picking this up as Garrus was way more stoic than her two friends.

"I can see you two are hiding something," Fluttershy smirked. "Spill it."

"Well you see..." Rarity grimaced.

"Rares and mahself volunteered fer the night guard," Applejack admitted for the two of them.

"Wait, you did?" Twilight asked in astonishment, Pinkie actually looked surprised as well.

"Yes. They are looking for ponies to staff the Vindica and since we already flew the titan... It's not much but some experience is better than none at all," Rarity explained to them. "They're going to be taking her up and out through the shield to start with drills by the end of the week."

"Oh my, I whish you two the best of luck," Fluttershy smiled, standing up from the table. "But I think it is time we go our sepearte ways, I need to prepare Amethyst some more and pack up for my journey tonight."

"We know what ya mean Fluttershy," Applejack chuckled, standing up from her chair as well followed by the others and getting into a hug with eachother.

"Bestest friends forever?" Pinkie asked.

"Always."

Fluttershy sat in the shuttle as Fidelis remote controlled the craft towards Griffinstone where a team of the avians would be waiting on her. She really didn't have anything to do but wait, having read over the intel and checked her rifle multiple times already.

Except the pistol that is... Can't have Amethyst being defenseless if Crysalis' changelings happen to be around now, can I?

The young changeling queen had not been happy about her leaving for a small amount of time but understood her reasoning why. As a second reassurance she'd told Angel to keep a good eye on her while there, why that seemed to get a tensed reaction from Twilight was beyond her.

What did my little sweetheart do to deserve such a cold stare of dread?...

Putting it out of her mind Fluttershy walked up to the front, seeing the large mountain upon which Griffinstone was built get larger.

"Remember Fluttershy, I cannot pick you up for at least two weeks since I'll be integrated into the Vindica. If you succeed earlier you'll have to use the local transportation to get back to Canterlot."

"Of course, the Vindica needs to have a well oiled crew."

"We're... getting there. The Lunar Guard is a very disciplined force with a wealth of patience but they aren't fit for everything. Let's just say having Gabby around along with your two friends, who seem to take to everything I tell them like fish in water, is helping out loads. Princess Luna too is wonderful, her ability to command respect is paramount with keeping the bridge crew organised and motivated."

"I trust that when they get back you'll have learned some valuable lessons." Fluttershy chuckled, walking over to the Shuttle's door.

"Of course! I have over five hundred simulations ready for everything from bridge crew to emergency maintenance ready to go." Fidelis exclaimed with a hint of pride in it's voice. "But you'll hear about that I'm sure. We have arrived, good luck Fluttershy."

The door opened up, revealing a group of griffins clad in plated armor and carrying swords. Fluttershy hopped out, the shuttle flying off on its own again, leaving her with the griffins.

"Welcome ma'am, Clan Grimmfeath-"

"Dweeb?!" one of the griffins on the second row exclaimed, the griffins in front of her looking back and glaring at her as she tried pushing through. Fluttershy's jaw slackened a bit in surprise, of course she hadn't always exactly gotten along with the griffin she still respected her for her friendship with Rainbow. That along with her connection to Gabby of course.

Smiling brightly she locked eyes with her.

"Hello Gilda."

Author's Note

I see another War Asset coming in the future :ajsmug:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Challenge

Chapter 159

Challenge

"You are familiar with this Equestrian, Gilda?" The elderly leader of the group asked sternly, Gilda grimaced in response.

"I do, grandpa. She's an old classmate from my time in Cloudsdale," Gilda answered with a deepening frown.

"That is correct, we had a mutual friend in flight school," Fluttershy added. "My name is Fluttershy."

"Call me Grandpa Gruff or just Gruff, it's what these knuckleheads do." He pointed at the group surrounding them, falling into a momentary coughing fit.

"On the topic of your family, mister Gruff, you are related to Gabriella?"

"She's part of the family, yes," He replied in the affirmative. "After having had someone check up on her I am happy to have her under your princesses care, it's an honour knowing a family member to have such an important role for your kind. The pay sounds great too."

"She'll have a very important role indeed, But not just for our kind," Fluttershy replied, ignoring the bit about pay as the group surrounded them while they walked deeper into the city. "With what's coming our way she might very well be instrumental even."

"That it may indeed, Princess Celestia's warnings should be taken with the utmost seriousness after all. It is also why you are here now too of course." One of the griffins in the retinue huffed, getting the attention of the elder. "If you have something to say then speak."

"What is a pony going to help us with? They're not fighters," the griffin growled.

"You might be surprised," Fluttershy flatly stated, content to leave it at that herself but the griffin's view was obviously different on that matter.

"Oh yeah? How about you prove it then?" he said drawing his sword, the other griffins took some distance from him and made sure no other griffin would interfere. Fluttershy could see Gilda glance at her with a look of trepidation as she looked over to Grandpa Gruff.

"Hey, he challenged you, not me," the elder shrugged.

"You can just give up, pony, no-one here would be surprised," the challenging griffin taunted as he started circling predatorially. Fluttershy passively followed his movements, looking fairly unimpressed at him. Gilda offered Fluttershy her own sword so she had at least something to duel her opponent with but the pegasus refused it.

"Or you could put away that blade before I hurt you with it," Fluttershy replied, the temperature seemed to drop several degrees as both she and the griffin had icy expressions on their faces. They silently circled each other, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike.

The griffin decided the moment he had the sun at his back was his opportunity and charged forward. Fluttershy in a lightning fast motion activated the omni-blade around her foreleg and dove out of the way, cutting at the griffin's claw and making him drop his sword. Snatching up the metal weapon she got onto her hind leg and aimed the pointy end in his direction.

"Still don't want to call it quits? My threat still stands," Fluttershy taunted with a smile on her lips. In a roar of anger the griffin charged again, the pegasus having but a fraction of a second to dodge. Using the sword, she managed to cut one of his hind legs but in the process also had the weapon flung from her hooves. Instead of going after his sword the griffin jumped on Fluttershy instead, trying to dig his claws into her through the futuristic materials that made up her armor.

"I'm going to tear that cocky grin right off your face!" He growled raising a claw to add to the scarring on Fluttershy's exposed head. Not having it, Fluttershy bucked up with her hind legs and flung him off of her, smoothly rolling over and reversing the position.

"Stay down before you really piss me off," Fluttershy growled as she was holding him down. He of course completely ignored her, grabbing her by the hair and smashing her muzzle into the pavement before pushing her off and grabbing his sword.

Fluttershy saw red as she faced off with him again, blood dripping down from her nose as she lit her wings and tossed a singularity the griffin's way. It wasn't a powerful enough one to to rend him in half, she was trying to teach him a lesson not murder him after all, but enough to be lift him off the ground.

"I said..." Grabbing a hold of him with biotics she waited for the singularity to run its course.

"STAY-" as the biotic black hole disappeared she rammed her opponent into the ground so hard he bounced. "-DOWN!"

Holding him in a biotic field he simply couldn't move anymore as Shy approached him.

"I... yield..." He gasped with the last bit of air in his lungs, Fluttershy let her biotics fizzle out immediately and opened her omni-tool's medical scanner to check on his injuries.

"Don't start fights that are out of your league," she simply warned him as she jabbed him with medi-gel to heal all the cracked and broken ribs she detected. Turning back to Grandpa Gruff she wiped away the blood from her nose and gave him a smile. "We were discussing the matter of Princess Celestia's warning?" she casually stated, Grandpa Gruff fell into a bout of loud laughter as he was addressed.

"See this?! This is what a real warrior looks like." He looked at all of his retenue one by one. "Not the pathetic excuse you all seem to be!" He fell into another coughing fit as they all looked away in shame. "Now back to the matter you came here to discuss, Celestia's letter said something about an underground base like the one your kind found on your land."

"Indeed, we found records in that place that seem to indicate that another base is located to the east of here," Fluttershy told him. "Is there anything out there that could give us a clue?"

"Thunder's peak," Gilda answered without hesitation, Fluttershy looking at her in surprise.

"What's that?"

"A cursed place," Grandpa Gruff growled. "If that's where your're going to look I suggest going back to Equestria, that way you'll at least still be useful."

"What's so bad about that place?" Fluttershy pushed.

"Everygriff who goes there and looks around those caves never comes back," Gruff told her.

"Not in one piece at least, sometimes they find bits after they go looking," Gilda added with a shiver.

That's... mildly terrifying. Yet I did come her with a task but is it really worth losing my hide over? I could focus more on Amethyst that way... but the potential of finding new gear is great as well, though I might need a griffin if this base was built by them...

Return to Canterlot.

Go to Thunder's peak alone.

Take Gilda with to Thunder's peak.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

As for the setting, the Griffins don't have it the best but unlike the show places like Griffinstone aren't a complete craphole.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/35198194
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Thunder's Peak

Chapter 159

Thunder's Peak

Take Gilda with to Thunder's peak. 90%

Looking back at Gilda Fluttershy couldn’t help but smirk. “Certainty of death with a small chance of success... what do you say, Gilda?”

“WHAT?! Nonononono, you’re not dragging me all the way over there!” She scrambled back in panic, looking over at Grandpa Gruff. “You can’t be considering that!”

Grandpa Gruff for his part took his time to think over the proposition before turning to Fluttershy. “You’re going to make sure that she’ll remain in one piece?”

“Grandpa!”

“Of course, if I thought she’d die out there then I’d be going alone,” Fluttershy answered, not that it did anything to reassure Gilda.

“As long as you keep her alive she's yours. The rest of you, we have griffins to assemble in case they come back!” Granpa gruff shouted at the others, getting them into gear and leaving Gilda alone with Fluttershy.

“If this is about those few times I stole your lunch money or that one time I scared you and your ducks then I’m very sorry, can’t I just pay you back and have you forget you ever saw me?” Gilda pleaded, scurrying back from the pegasus who was advancing towards her with a slightly manic grin. “Please don’t make me go there...”

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around the griffin and pulled her close. “Come on, where’s your sense of adventure! An old base, filled with danger and treasure just waiting to be taken! Becoming the first griffin to ever return from there!”

“Or to just become more red paint...” Gilda whimpered.

“Details, details, you have me to keep you safe remember!” Fluttershy’s grin grew further. “Now, I expect you to get enough supplies for the both of us for a day or three. I’ll see you on the eastern side of town, don’t bother trying to find me I’ll find you when you get there.”

Opening her wings, Fluttershy shot off into the sky, leaving Gilda alone to do her allotted task.

“I’m dead already aren’t I?”

The way to Thunder’s Peak was still a good day by flight, making it so they arrived by the end of the afternoon. Gilda tossing down her bags to get some food out. She was obviously more nervous now she was sitting in the shadow of the mountain.

“Gilda, eat up. I’m going to need you sharp here, there’s no joking around once we get started,” Fluttershy had swapped out the teasing with a deadly serious expression, she might have her fun but she was a professional.

“Yeah, sounds good to me,” Gilda replied, still nervous but the change in attitude from Fluttershy looked to be helping with that. “How are we going about this? Cause seriously, we aren’t even sure if we’re going to find anything out here.”

“Griffins don’t just disappear into nothingness or turn up as bits and pieces,” Fluttershy countered as she ate some of the salad Gilda had picked up. “How much news have you picked up from the sudden technological boom in Equestria?”

Gilda shrugged as she bit down on her meal. “Something about you finding an alien base and getting stuff out of there. Sounds like typical pony luck to me.”

“It’s not an alien base, it’s an ancient one of our own. My guess is there’s another one here that belonged to your kind only its defensive systems are a bit hyper-vigilant,” Fluttershy quickly filled Gilda in with a two-sentence summary. “I’ll take the lead when going in, that way when we activate the defences I’ll be the first target.”

“If you’re going to voluntarily risk your life to act as a meatshield for me then feel free to go ahead,” Gilda dryly responded.

“Ye have little faith,” Fluttershy laughed. “Now come on, point me to one of those caves where no-one ever leaves so the fun can start.”

Stashing away all the food again, Gilda lead Fluttershy up the mountain to a particularly large cave entrance. Letting Fluttershy land first as if landing herself would trigger some catastrophic event. The pegasus took a careful step in, using her newly found changeling abilities to enhance her sight, along with a quick pulse from her omni-tool to see if it would pick up a power signature or anything to give away a trap.

“Entrance looks clear to me. I’d say stay close but that’ll probably put you into the line of fire if anything does happen,” Fluttershy said without taking her gaze off the cave in front of her. “Nothing ventured nothing gained, right?”

Gilda gave a grunt in reply as Fluttershy walked in, keeping her eyes fixed on the walls for any movement and wings lit for any split-second decisions. Her hoofsteps echoed through the cave, the only other sound that of dripping water deeper in as she advanced. Cautiously checked where she set her hooves down every step while also observing for more advanced forms of sensors as the glow from her biotics became the only source of lighting.

"Wait what? that can't be right?" Gilda said as they reached a dead end, the cave abrubtly closing off with rubble. Fluttershy sent a pulse into the rocks to see if her scanner could pick anything up.

"If not we'll try another cav-"

Rock cracked, a low rumble going through the cave. Both Gida and Fluttershy tensed and looked around, one expecting to be thrown into a meat grinder and the other ready to tear out whatever trap was going to spring up. The ground rumbled, making the rocks on the collapsed end roll away and Fluttershy's omni-tool scream loudly as it detected a huge energy spike.

Without hesitation she tackled Gilda to the wall and threw up a biotic shield. Not a second too late as the wall of collapsed rock that was blocking them exploded outwards in a scattershot of bolders, pebbles, and dust. More sounds of cracking stone echoing through the cave, only this time it was coming from above.

"We got to get out!" Gilda shouted in terror.

"No! We go in!" Dropping her biotic shield, Fluttershy let herself and Gilda be engulfed by the dust. The griffin held onto the cloth of Fluttershy's cloak for dear life as their eyes stung in the near zero visibility, the pegasus dragging her deeper through the blown away wall as rocks started dropping down again to fill the void.

Through the cloud of dust Fluttershy faintly noticed something looking like a turret glowing red but dimming quickly. A good guess to her was that was most likely the cannon that had just fired at them was cooling down for another shot. "You got to move faster!" she encouraged Gilda who was yet to be anything other than quite literally be a drag.

At the end of this section of cave they found another wall, this one sheer faced with a door in it along with what looked like an access pad. Not that she'd have long to investigate as the turret had rotated one-eighty degrees and pointed straight at them.

Try opening the door.

Try deflecting the shot with biotics.

Try destroying the turret.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Good luck keeping Gilda alive! :trollestia:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/35203503
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Alone

Chapter 160

Alone

Try deflecting the shot with biotics. 49%

With only a few precious seconds left Fluttershy threw up a biotic barrier, slanting it so the projectile from the cannon would be deflected to the wall instead of straight in their faces.

That is if it's even a projectile, an energy weapon would royally suck right now...

Any more time to deliberate Fluttershy wouldn't get as with an earsplitting crack the cannon fired off it's payload. The strain on the shield was enormous as the projectile only barely changed course, but just enough to hit the wall, making it pulverise and explode from the seer kinetic impact.

Gilda and Fluttershy were both thrown back violently, the griffin getting off the best as she was already tightly curled into a ball but the pegasus had no such luck. Shy crashed into the side of the cave like a ragdol, energy reserves in the gutter and mind reeling in pain as her entire body felt broken. She felt herself being grabbed and dragged along the ground into the base itself, being propped up against a wall limply.

"Fluttershy, are you okay?" Gilda asked while heavily panting, blood from a cut on her forehead staining her feathers.

"No..." Fluttershy replied, grabbing her Black Widow and deploying it before pushing it into Gilda's claws. Darkness crept into her vision as she pulled her thermal clip reserve out as well. "Think of it like a highly accurate crossbow with a lot more kick. Three shots... pull lever to put in new clip... good luck..."

"Wait, what?! Whoa you can't be expecting me to-" Fluttershy didn't hear Gilda finish that sentence as she slumped over into unconsciousness.

Oh, you have to be kidding me! Gilda barely stopped herself from panicking as she held the unfamiliar weapon in her claws with its strange ammunition. Come on you pathetic excuse of a griffin, get your shit together!

Putting away the thermal clips into her saddlebag, Gilda picked Fluttershy's lip form off of the ground, making sure to be careful with the pegasus as she placed her on her own back. The thought of leaving Fluttershy briefly crossed her mind but the memory of what the pegasus had done to Gillis when challenged and her strange magic quickly banished that idea, she'd rather not be on the wrong end of that after she woke up.

Looking back at the massive hole in the wall made her gut twist, thanking the gods above that she got off with such minor injuries. She was definitely not stupid enough to step back into the line of sight of that weapon so the only way on was the hallway leading deeper into the base.

Those red lights totally aren't creepy at all...

Clamping the weapon under a wing, Gilda walked deeper into the facility. Her unease was not helped by the unmarked corridors and rows of locked doors she passed as she walked deeper. "Hey, anyone in here?" she called out in some vain hope that she'd get a response...

...She got one in the form of a floating metal box with a miniature version of the weapon that she'd seen at the entrance.

Oh Tartarus.

In a smooth motion she grabbed Fluttershy's weapon and pointed it at the machine. The telescope on top automatically zoomed out to a less ridiculous degree, letting Gilda place the red cross in it over the floating box.

CRACK!

Gilda was wholly unprepared for the immense recoil the rifle would have and the noise it would make, toppling her over and sending her and Fluttershy to the ground. Grimmacing, Gilda hoped the pegasus wouldn't have too bad a headache from getting dropped like that. "Sweet lord..." she gasped as she saw what remained of the metal machine. It was nearly completely shorn in half and a hole penetrated straight through it.

Trying to steady herself she placed a claw on the wall next to a door, a beep sounding from the wall as the previously solidly locked doors slid open. Gilda immediately prepared herself in case more of the machines would appear but none did. Just to be sure she held her breath and listened carefully for any sounds before carefully deciding to peek into one of them.

The inside of the room wasn't all that grandiose, a few items scattered about but nothing much of interest except for strange devices laying on some low metal tables.

I wonder what these are... picking up one of the little things made it instantly light up, Gilda out of surprise tossed the little thing right back where it came from. "What the fuck?"

Her curiosity was piqued as she didn't feel any adverse effects from having touched the device, reaching forward and picking it up again. A blue field of light sprung from the device in form of a half-ring, not completely unlike the orange field of light she'd seen around Fluttershy's foreleg, and large enough to fit around her head. Something she of course tested as she tried taking a closer look at the little symbols flashing over the field of light...

In another of the numerous surprises of that day the metal thing jumped from her claws and attached itself to the side of her head. Fluttershy's rifle clattered to the ground as Gilda tried pulling the device away from her head but failed miserably as the metal had seemingly embedded itself against her skull. Coldness spreading outwards from where it had connected to her head.

Nonononono, what is it doing! Get off you stupid thing!

The blue screen flashed, becoming transparent and showing some basic information in a language she could actually read. Some of the objects in the room being tagged by the device before a warning message popped up.

"No indoctrination detected. Please remain in the room and contact the security office to get yourself registered."

"Wait, what? Who the hell are you?!" Gilda exclaimed looking around to find the source of the voice.

"I am this interface's virtual intelligence, what is your inquiry?" Gilda stopped looking around, realising fairly quickly where the voice had come from.

"You're inside if that box?" She asked in awe.

"I am this interface's virtual intell-

"Yeah I get it, shut up," Gilda grumbled as the voice repeated the same message, it was clearly not that smart. "Wait, what did you mean by contact the security office?"

"You are not registered in the security database. Security drones will identify you as a threat and attempt to remove you."

Gilda though this through for a moment. "Can you show me where this office is?" Gilda jumped in surprise again as a transparent three dimensional map jumped up in front of her eyes, a room a few floors down blinking red. I think I'm starting to understand why Fluttershy was so adamant on getting in here, if there's more stuff like this in here...

"Can you lead me down there as well?" Gilda asked, picking Shy's rifle back up. The device scanned the weapon, connected to it, and started showing a red line coming straight out of the barrel to predict where it's projectile would go.

"It is inadvisable to traverse the Facility. Contact the security-"

"Pretty sure no-one's there to answer, you can lead me there or I'm using your map to go there on my own," Gilda interrupted the virtual intelligence, walking back out into the hallway where Fluttershy still lay unconscious. "Crap... Hey, if I leave her here will those drone things get her?"

"Pegasus mental status unknown. Potential threats will be removed."

"I'll take that as a yes then," Gilda grumbled, picking Fluttershy up onto her back again. "Alright lead the way."

A blue line appeared on the ground to show where gilda was supposed to go, Gilda along with her decently heavy passenger following down the hallway to a central room. Metal support columns were present near the walls of the room while the centre had a more raised platform. Two drones there sprung to life and focussed themselves on the newcomers but this time Gilda was prepared, doubly so with her new aiming aid.

The first drone she only glanced but that was enough for the devastating shot to blow part of it off, the second one got luckier as Gilda's shot went wide. A red warning flashed on her screen as the rifle refused to fire again. Crap, she did say just three shots.

The drone though wasn't going to allow her to just reload in peace, it's cannon lighting up and forcing Gilda to jump for cover behind a pillar. Fluttershy once again was thrown off like a ragdoll, faceplanting in the open as the shot from the drone missed her by a hair's length.

"Crap, crap crap..." Gilda continued cursing as she pulled on the handle Fluttershy had pointed out to eject the cartridge and got a new one from the ones she'd stashed away. Another round from the drone was sent off, this one hitting its mark only to be stopped by a shimmering shield. She's going to hate me so much when she wakes up, isn't she?

Taking aim once again, Gilda lined up her shot more carefully before depressing the trigger and nailing the machine out of the air. "Take that!" she laughed as the thing crashed into the ground, quickly checking to see how Fluttershy was doing though not finding her too much worse than she already was.

That shield thing she had was awfully useful, I don't think I'd take it too well if I got hit by one of those shots... What if I...

Use Fluttershy as bait for future drones.

Leave Fluttershy in cover next time drones appear.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Good job keeping Gilda alive! :trollestia:

On a more personal note, I just passed the Army's heaviest minimum basis fitness test with flying colours. That qualifies me to apply for Airborne or Special Operations. :rainbowdetermined2: Marines too technically but that ain't for me to say the least.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/37858986
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Drones

Chapter 161

Security

Leave Fluttershy in cover next time drones appear. 83%

Yeah... maybe don't piss her off more. If she gets killed I absolutely don't need her haunting me, that's not even taking Rainbow into account.

Deciding against signing her death warrant, Gilda checked where the line on her new device was leading her. A glowing panel on the platform in the centre of the room was where it stopped but the three-dimensional map had shown the security room was way deeper down.

Is this thing leading me into another trap.

Carefully stepping onto the platform with Fluttershy, Gilda investigated the glowing panel. The outline of a claw waited for her there, the only sensible thing she could obviously do was take the matching claw and press on top of it. Little railings shot up around the platform as Gilda pressed her claw on the thing, the platform sinking into the floor and gently moving down towards the lower floors.

The platform itself moved down in-between four pillars that themselves were surrounded by stairs leading both up and down as well, if the thing got stuck Gilda would at least be able to jump onto there and walk the rest of the way to the floor she needed to be. In the end, she did not need it as the platform stopped at the exact right floor, one of the fences lowering as a walkway to a door closed the little gap between the platform and the adjacent walkway.

Wow, this might be easier than I thought. Gilda smirked as she walked into the hallway that had opened up for her. No doors were present in the wall as it ran into the distance, only flat and cold metal made up the walls. Yet, the device on Gilda's head was projecting markings on the wall, telling she was walking in the direction of both the place's armoury and the security office. I wonder what kind of weapons are in the armoury, there must be some sweet stuff in there... Won't hurt to peak, right?

Coming up on an intersection Gilda confidently strode around the corner that was marked to be leading towards the armoury, stopping right in her path as she saw what was at the end of the hallway. Two turrets like the one that had defended the entrance in the cave sat waiting with humming barrels sparking with electricity. Swallowing nervously, Gilda made sure not to move a muscle as the two turrets had yet to fire. You know, maybe going to the security office first is the better idea...

Before she could back out of the hallway though Gilda heard a hum coming from behind her, a drone appeared from one of the other hallways. This particular one looking much bulkier and armed with a much larger cannon than the little ones she'd blown out of the air before. "Oh, fuck me."

Accompanied by a shriek Gilda charged the floating robot, letting Fluttershy slide off of her halfway through the charge. It was at least a little more gentle than straight-up tossing her aside. The Drone tried to turn and face Gilda as it detected the griffin but she had already crashed into it, holding on for dear life as she tried prying off some of the more fragile looking components of the machine with her claws. "COME ON YOU STUPID MACHINE! DIE ALREADY!"

All this commission didn't go unnoticed by the turrets at the end of the hallway as the arcing electricity flared and one of them fired a shot at the struggling griffin and machine. Gilda noticed the approaching lance of energy and jumped off and away from the drone just in time, the machine turning to fire at her only to be stopped by the energy weapon's impact.

The electricity arcing up from the destroyed drone made Gilda's feathers stand on end and her muscles tighten in agony. Yet without anyone else to rely upon she tuned it out best she could and got Fluttershy's rifle out, taking aim at the turret that hadn't fired yet. She might not have had as much experience with the weapon as the pegasus but placing the crosshair square over the stationary gun and pulling the trigger was something Gilda was perfectly able to do.

CRACK!

The recoil knocked her back a bit, the round glancing off an energy shield that shimmered around the turret.

CRACK!

Gilda walked forward on her back legs, using her wings and tail to give stability and compensate for the recoil as the second shot broke the shielding.

CRACK!

A hole was punched into the machine, the armour not standing a chance against the powerful rifle. The other turret though was looking like it was almost recharged. There's no way I can drag Fluttershy back into cover before that thing fires...

"Hey voice thing, I could really use your help right now!" Popping out the thermal clip, Gilda rammed in another one as she was staring down the turret's sparking barrel.

"To fire, lance turrets temporarily disable their shielding to guide the generated plasma to thei-"

Gilda tuned out the voice, having heard enough, and looked down the sight at the glowing turret, trying to estimate the exact moment to fire. Too soon would mean the shielding would stop her shot, too late and well...

Time seemed to slow down as adrenaline coursed through the griffin's veins, her heart rhythm pounding in her ears.

Now.

CRACK!

The shot went straight through the middle of the turret, making it shudder shortly before exploding into a bright blue fireball which knocked her down. Even with her feathers scorched Gilda couldn't help but laugh madly, the fact that her entire body hurt did not matter in the slightest right there.

Still, she had to get a move on after that encounter just in case more drones would show up. Grabbing Fluttershy she dragged the pegasus along as that way she wouldn't have to drop her from her back when a new enemy showed up. The door to the armoury had been partially bent inward by the previous blast, leaving an opening large enough for Gilda to crawl through and pull Fluttershy through as well.

On the inside, the room opened up to a larger chamber which had three passageways splitting off from there. Each of the three passages was marked differently, the first leading to a weapons depot, the second to an armour storage, and the third being marked drone bay. Gilda wanted to take a breather right there but the loud hum of more drones cut that plan short, she had to choose fast where to go...

Weapons Depot.

Armour Storage.

Drone Bay.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/37858986
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Armour

Chapter 162

Armour

Armour Storage. 69%

I need to be able to stop worrying about about taking a hit...

Her arms were tired as she dragged along Fluttershy once again, this time into the direction of the armour storage as she hoped to find something to wear in there. The room she entered had no door, only rows of what looked like lockers to her stretching a vast distance down the massive multi-floored chamber. Trying a few of the strange pads the showed a claw outline did not give results as they screens flashed red, stubbornly remaining closed.

"For f- Voice, how do you get these things open?!" Gilda exclaimed, punching one of the metal doors.

"You do not have the security clearance to open these lockers. Please contacts the head security officer to register yourself into the security database." the virtual intelligence answered, Gilda growled back at it in frustration.

"Now you listen to me carefully, there isn't a living thing left down here. Whoever told you to keep all these things locked is DEAD! There's no-one in that DAMNED security office to add me to that security roster!" she hissed. "I need your help here, can't you just open these things?"

The VI remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "Contacting mainframe, please stand by."

Slamming her fist into one of the lockers, Gilda leaned against it and slumped down. "Just open the damned door..."

"Receiving updated directives... completed." The VI spoke again. "The security network is isolated from the mainframe, it needs to be reconnected from the security office."

"And what good will that do for me?!" Gilda exclaimed, one of the lockers hissed and slid open. A rack coming forth, showing a heavy-looking set of armour, much bulkier than the simple iron chestplate she was hearing herself.

"Updated directives from the central node. The drones' directives cannot be changed now their network is isolated. Your assistance is required."

Gilda gently grabbed one of the pieces and looked at it. "Why? What would you need my help for?"

"The central node has withheld that information. Your assistance is required."

Knowing she wasn't going to get more out of the voice, Gilda grabbed a black, flexible but tough, undersuit from the rack and slipped into it. The suit closed tightly around herself after she got far enough into it, various attachment points visible on the suit. "Mind giving me a claw here? Some of these pieces are obvious but others not so much."

"That the first thing you ask of me after waking up?" Gilda jumped around, finding Fluttershy looking up at her. "Sweet Celestia I have a headache... You didn't drop me or anything?"

"No!" Gilda immediately exclaimed, looking away from Fluttershy guiltily. "Maybe once or twice."

"I'm going to assume you had a good reason for now," the pegasus grunted, trying to stand up but failing miserably. "You needed help with that armour?"

"I was just asking the voice in this device," Gilda tapped the machine projecting the hologram in front of her eyes, noticing something around her arm as she did so. A mesh had formed around her body, projecting where each plate of armour was supposed to go. "Whoa..."

"To the Intelligence in there, are you a VI or an AI?" Fluttershy asked, propping herself up against the wall of lockers.

"I am not allowed to communicate to you until it is determined you are not indoctrinated," it answered.

"I've purged indoctrination from the occasional individual, pretty sure it's not in my own mind," Fluttershy replied, "Gilda stop gawking and get that armour on."

That snapped the griffin out of her stupor, grabbing plates and matching them to the spots around her body that lit up. Unlike Fluttershy's armour that was slick and covered by her cloak, the suit Gilda was wearing was bulky, overlapping plates making sure virtually none of the undersuit was visible anymore.

"How did the old griffins fight in this stuff? I'm not sure how far I'll come with this kind of weight Fluttershy." Gilda said after securing the last piece of armour, her movements slowed down by the heavy plates. "Maybe I shou-"

The familiar hum of drones echoed through the armoury, making Gilda tense up and get Fluttershy's rifle ready. "I'm guessing that sound means trouble. VI, I know you can hear me, I'm guessing that suit is powered so be a dear and activate that thing's systems."

Fluttershy didn't get a verbal response but the lights on the armour got brighter and Gilda's movements easier. "I don't know what you two are talking about but whatever it is it helped." Grabbing the helmet, she placed it over her head. The armour sealed itself up, more symbols appearing on the heads up display for Gilda to look at if she'd have had the time. Four of the more bulky drones appeared in the hallway with readied cannons.

Gilda jumped right in front of Fluttershy as they fired at the two of them, taking three of the four shots straight to the chest. A bar in the top-middle of her visor went down over halfway, but remarkably the shots did not do a lot more than just move her back a little. "My turn."

Gilda grinned savagely under the helmet, raising the rifle and fired it in rapid succession. The recoil was practically gone as the armour compensated against the shocks. The rounds smashed against the first drone, taking down its shielding but bouncing off the armor belt.

"Gilda!" With a scream an blue wave of energy knocked back and disoriented the drones, Fluttershy stood on shaking legs with extended wings. "You don't have the ammo. We need to move!"

Gilda hesitated, wanting to engage the four drones further and see how far she could go in the new suit, but took Fluttershy's advice as she had to admit that there wasn't much ammunition left. Scooping up the pegasus, Gilda ran deeper into the armoury to get out of the sight of the drones.

"We need to take out those drones, find anything that can help us on that front?" Fluttershy asked, gritting her teeth as Gilda set her down.

"The security office, this VI thing wants me to reconnect networks or something like that," Gilda replied, listening carefully for the humming of the drones.

"The drones are rogues then? Fantastic." Fluttershy grumbled. "VI, would it be possible for me to reconnect the networks?"

"I am not allowed to communicate to you until it is determined you are not indoctrinated," the VI droned.

"I'm going to assume that's a no. Gilda, you need to get to that place as soon as possible and get these drones off our tails before we're swamped."

"You're making it sound as if we're splitting up." Gilda glanced over to Fluttershy as she switched out the rifle's thermal clip, finding that she only had nine shots left.

"We are. I can't shut the drones off and I'm slowing you down," Fluttershy argued, getting up was quickly becoming easier for her. "You're wasting time, get going."

"You want me to leave you?" Gilda asked astonished, Fluttershy grinned in response.

"I'm not a helpless foal, Gilda. If I were, I wouldn't be alive anymore. I'll keep my head down, get the job done." Fluttershy activated her stealth systems, fading away into nothingness before whispering into Gilda's ear. "If I'm capable I'll help from the shadows."

Author's Note

Nothing to say, carry on.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Security

Chapter 163

Security

Gilda cursed under her breath as she was left alone, turning to the VI as her only companion. “Hey, I need that guide to the security office back.”

”Aknowledged.” The line re-appeared on her visor along with a little map showing a layout pokmarked with red dots.

“What are those red spots for?” Gilda asked as she got on her way, the rifle clamped under a wing so she’d have all fours to move around on.

”Sensor arays have been made available, your position is being concealed by the central node.” The VI answered, making Gilda stop and jump into a hallway as she saw one of the red dots pass right by an intersection further ahead.

“That’s useful to know,” Gilda admitted as she peaked out, finding nothing there. Swiftly moving on she slipped past the drones, having to be careful about not making too much sound in her bulky armor. The map around the entrance which she’d used to go in had red dots covering it all over, going through there would be an issue. The blue line though lead in a different direction than that place.

“Mind filling me in on where we are going?” Gilda asked as she reached one of the chamber’s walls.

”The main entrance is occupied by more drones than you can statistically take on. The main node also has no control over that entrance.” The Vi replied, the wall hissing as it sunk inwards and slid out of the way. ”Maintenance routes and hidden passages have been made available. Be warned, main node has no sensor coverage in the unmarked passages.”

“So no knowing if there are drones in there or not,” Gilda guessed, stepping forward into the hallway. The door closed up behind her. “And what about Fluttershy? She’s still in there!”

”The central node is evaluating her, no more information on the subject has been released at this time.”

Grumbling a curse, Gilda didn’t push it further and moved deeper into the maintenance shaft. She got much more vigilant with checking each of the corners, reminding herself that she optimistically might be able to take out two of the drones at best with her ammo supply. “So question, how do you know these passages if they’re unmarked?”

”This data has not been shared by the central node.”

“Of course... How far is it to the security office?” Gilda asked to change the subject again, the not getting answers part was starting to get really annoying to her.

”We are almost there. Sensor data shows only a light drone presence outside the security office,” The VI reported, another door opening up back into the regular hallways. A small drone immediately noticed her and charged its weapon, firing a bolt at Gilda. The griffin reflexively dove to the side to avoid the shot even though she was pretty sure the armour would hold it.

Raising the rifle, Gilda lined up the shot and pulled the trigger, the drone sharing the same fate as the two small ones from before. She noticed that now with the armour her claws didn’t tremble as much, the weight of the rifle being partially held up by the suit’s strength enhancements. “Any more of those surprises?”

”A single heavy drone is located at the entrance to the security office. Nothing is detected within the office itself.”

I should be able to down that thing, right? Two shots for that shield of it and one more well placed one to take it down.

Gilda walked up to the corner around which the drone was waiting for her and ejected the thermal clip that was in her rifle, pushing a fresh one in as the current one only had two more shots left. Taking a deep breath, the griffin jumped around the corner and stopped to stare at the drone floating there. She’d expected one of the big drones but this was something else completely. The thing was a slight bit larger than the ones in the armoury only the thing had visibly stronger shields, better armour, and to top it off two of the massive cannons.

Fuck me.

Gilda might have hesitated a fraction of a second but the drone definitely didn’t, one of it’s two cannons nailed the griffin right in her chest and almost completely downed her shield. This did get her out of her moment of hesitation, forcing her back around the corner.

“WHAT IN TARTARUS IS THAT?!”

"A mark fifteen heavy drone, mainly utilized by-"

"COULDN'T YOU HAVE WARNED ME?!" Gilda shouted briefly peaking back around the corner and firing the three shots the thermal clip was capable of. A bolt of energy flew through the spot her head had been a fraction of a second earlier, exploding against the opposite wall.

Gilda's shield had recharged themselves by that point, something she guessed the drone would be capable of as well and didn't want to allow it to do. Putting in a new thermal clip, she jumped out once again and charged while firing the three shots she had.

The drone rapidly fired two shots after each other back at her, one of them impacting directly and the other behind its target. Gilda's shield depleted completely at the first impact this time and the second threw her forward, the rifle violently forced from her claw. What she did notice was that her fire had managed to bring down the shielding of the drone in doing so, only now without the rifle she couldn't capitalize on that success.

Move your chicken butt, Gilda!

Scrambling for the weapon, Gilda grabbed the last thermal clip with only two shots left, rammed it into the weapon and rolled over onto her back. The drone's cannons were already glowing to finish the job as she centered her sight.

CRACK!

The front portion of the armor buckled in but the round didn't penetrate...

CRACK!

...The second shot did though.

The hole wasn't as gaping as with the smaller drones but internally was a completely different story as the heavy drone shudded before dying, crashing down onto the floor. Gilda laughed madly once again, having close encounters with death seemed to be the norm in this place.

Guess it might be a good time to change that then by turning off those damned drones.

Picking herself off the ground, the griffin put away the rifle as it was just a glorified club now, and made her way to the security office. She thanked the gods above that just like the sensors had reported no drones were inside the office itself. There was a large control table with holograms and multiple blinking red lights.

"Congratulations on getting this far. All you have to do is link my system back up." A new voice spoke through the office's speakers, it had a metallic quality to it along with something else that Gilda couldn't place.

"I take you're the central node?" the griffin asked as one of the screens popped up, showing another outline for her to place her claw in.

"Indeed. Now link my systems, there is no need for further conflict."

Another blue blinking light spring up on the control panel, drawing Gilda's attention along with a noise behind her. Another one of the elevators sat at the back of the office, whirring as it was moving something up.

Damnit, I can't fight more drones without Shy's rifle...

Link the systems.

Investigate the lights.

check the elevator.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/39010245
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Message

Chapter 164

Message

Investigate the lights. 43%

I have time to take a quick peak, right? Fluttershy did say she wasn’t a child anymore and if a drone is on that elevator I can always slam my claw on that screen.

Taking a step away from the console, Gilda went over to the blinking lights further up the control panel and investigated the buttons around there.

”What are you doing? There is nothing of necessity there, link my systems up.” the central node asked as Gilda pressed down on the blinking light, the pannel it was on flashing green. The room dimmed as holograms of various griffins sprung to life all around the room.

”Godscalc! get that door closed!” the hologram standing inside of her at the control panel shouted at another who stood and fired out the door. Gilda instinctively backpedalled out of the hologram, somehow feeling wrong about having shared the same space.

“They’re almost here! A few more seconds!” the griffin shouted back, his peculiar weapon cracking in rapid succession. Two more griffins entered the security office, one being dragged along by the other. Every single one of them where wearing the same type of armour Gilda was as well.

“CLOSE THAT FAUST DAMNED DOOR!” The griffin at the control panel thundered as she rapidly tapped commands into the console.

“You cannot lock me out, Godiva, surrender now.” Gilda looked around in confusion but quickly realised that was the central node as a recording.

”Damnit, I need medical supplies! He’s hit bad!” The new griffin shouted, trying to stop the bleeding on the unconscious, fallen griffin. Godscalc slammed the door closed and shot the controls for good measure, running to a storage locker at the back of the room after and pulling out various components.

“This struggle is futile Commander, any attempt you make of locking me out I can counter.” the central node said again, manifesting itself as a griffin hologram above the console.

”Really now? Did you think we wouldn’t prepare for this eventuality after hearing the prothean’s experience with AI?” Godiva asked, looking at the hologram as she slammed down on a button. ”Override subroutine Alpha-Nine.”

The hologram flickered, freezing completely for a second. “O-Override instructions active, what is your command.”

The griffin wasted no time tapping commands on the console, placing her claw on the same screen outlining the clawprint now. ”I’ve locked you out permanently and set the defenses to blast away anyone stupid enough to get close.”

”Uhh, Commander, where does that leave us?” Godscalc asked, stepping next to the other griffin. ”Göran needs medical soon and if the defences are going to shoot at us...”

”We try the hangar, those defenses might take enough time to get up for us to get out.” Godiva turned and walked over to the elevator, helping to drag along the wounded griffin. ”If we’re lucky we can get out there and warn the rest of the evacuees, hopefully the ponies have that plan to hide from the reapers up or we’re screwed.”

The room returned to normal, becoming brighter again as the holograms disappeared. “I was momentarilly locked out of the room, are you all right? Your heartrate is up.”

Gilda’s breath was going wild as she processed what had just happened in front of her. Those must have been the original griffins around here... They blocked off that AI from accessing this place and now it’s asking me to reconnect.

The elevator came to a halt at the security office, Gilda jumping around to face whatever was on there. A small swarm of five of the smaller drones floating into the office. “Link my systems, you can avoid this fight.” the central node calmly said again as the drones powered up their weapons.

“Oh yeah? Was that why you were attacking Commander Godiva?” Gilda asked, dodging one of the drones’ shots and jumping right on top of it. Her now armoured and powered claws dug into the metal sheets surrounding the drone, crushing the plate as she pulled it off and exposed the insides of the machine to be destroyed immediately after. Holy crap, this suit is awesome!

“I’ll rephrase. Link my systems or I’m killing the pegasus.”

That would have made Gilda pause is she wasn’t busy ripping apart the little drones with a scary amount of ease, the machines only scratching the powerful shielding of her armour. “And what would stop you from killing her with drones after I reconnect you?” she growled, smashing the last drone into the floor. “I think I have a better idea.” Gilda tapped the same button she’d seen the old commander press in the holographic playback. “Override subroutine Alpha-Nine.”

“Do you really think I did not remove that section of my C-C-C-C...” The AI stuttered and died, not making another sound.

"Contact with the central node lost," the VI reported. "Awaiting new command."

"How do I stop these damned drones from attacking me all over the place?" Gilda asked, hoping to get an answer that didn't involve her putting her claw on that particular panel.

"Registry in the security database is required. Follow the instructions highlighted now." Gilda's eyes widened a bit as the VI started running her through the buttons she needed to press. She was slightly worried that she was being taken for a ride by the central node but since she didn't really see another option, risking it in case the central node really wasn't there for the moment seemed worth it. "Move onto the platform at the centre of the room to be scanned."

Gilda looked back at the floor, a blue circle of light marking where she was supposed to stand. Here goes nothing.

A blue field rapidly moved up across her body and back down into the floor, a ding coming from the control panel. "Under what name should you be registered?"

"Gilda Grimmfeather," She answered, a hologram of her popped up above the main console with her name below it prefixed by three letters and a symbol she didn't recognize.

"Transferring command designation as determined by previous commander's inputs... Completed."

"Wait, what did you do? what did the old commander want?" Gilda questioned as more options and menues opened up for her now.

"You have been designated active commander of this facility as per directive fifty-one." the VI answered.

"ME?!" Gilda exclaimed in shock. "I-I... WHAT!"

The griffin had to stop herself from panicking as she needed to know what happened to the AI and find out where Fluttershy was. Stepping up to the console she studied the holograms. "Say, can you bring up the layout of this place and where all the drones are?"

"Of course, stand by." Various layouts of floors appeared in front and around her, dots representing the different drones being marked in various colors. Most of the hundreds of dots were concentrated around the armoury, the rest were loosely scattered around the base with the exception of the AI core. Gilda finally got a sense of how massive the installation truly was as well, the base wasn't just contained within the mountain but stretched far away from it as well.

Wow, I wouldn't want to be in the armoury right now.

"Where is Fluttershy?" Gilda asked, a few more dots sprung up around the map.

"These are the last three sightings of the pegasus by security drones swiftly followed by their termination."

"Sounds about right, where do we think she is now?" Gilda asked as she followed the dots from oldest to newest.

"Unknown. The path of destruction and timing indicates she's located somewhere near the main fusion plant." The VI made a section of the maps red where it thought likely for Fluttershy to be. "Two heavy assets are closeby, do you wish for me to re-route them?"

Gilda looked over to another section of the base, the central node AI core in specific as it was quite close to the reactor too. Maybe I could figure out what is going on with the central node with those drones as well. Fluttershy can clearly handle herself and with me in control of the drones she's not in direct danger...

Send Drones to find Fluttershy

Send drones to investigate the AI core

Split up the two drones.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I mean... this came within 1 vote of a tie... I expected at least a little more distrust than that.

^Timestamped
I nearly verbatim quoted Julian there, congrats on making that connection from that single comment btw.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/42222303
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Core

Chapter 165

Core

Send drones to investigate the AI core. 63%

"Tell them to go to the central node. I want to make sure that thing doesn't get in our way again," Gilda decided, the two drones changed course and started making their way to the facility that sat pretty much at the centre of the base. Two video and audio feeds sprung up above the control panel, showing what the drones were picking up with their cameras and sensors. "How long until they're there?"

"Estimated time of arrival, three-hundred seconds." the VI responded as the large drones sped up, flying through the hallways at high speeds.

"Got it, can you run me through the stuff I have available to me? The drones I mean?" Gilda's attention was drawn to the right of the video feeds as four separate drone designs popped up, from the small ones she'd first encountered to the one she'd had to fight in front of the security office.

"Four drone classifications are currently active within this facility." The first hologram of the smallest drone lit up. "The mark-nine maintenance drone, armed with small plasma rifles"

"Why in the world do maintenance anything need weapons?!" Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow as she tried studying all the holograms.

"Previous interaction with the central node made it a requirement to arm and armour them to prevent their destruction before they could finish their repair tasks."

"Destroyed how?" Gilda asked, glancing over to the video feed to see the two drones were still on track to the main core.

"The Central Node has various portions of this base under control and obtained access to drones as well." The VI brought up a video of a firefight between a few drones that ended with most of the opposition destroyed from the viewer's perspective. "This system has been countering moves by the AI to isolate the security office from other critical systems."

"So you are not in control of everything around here?" Gilda asked.

"Negative. Approximately thirty per cent of this facility is under control of the Central Node. Listed facilities under AI control are: Main fusion plant, base sensor suite, partial door control, partial armoury control, and auxiliary life support systems."

"And what do we have?" Gilda nervously asked.

"All three secondary fusion plants, the manufactorum, main security systems, drone control, majority door control, majority armoury control, primary life support, and the interstellar communication array," the VI answered. "Drones arriving at Central node now."

Gilda's focus returned to the two video feeds again. One of the drones had plugged something into one of the sockets of the door while the other had its weapons powered and ready. The door though stayed shut, no matter how many attempts at opening the drone first of the pair made.

"Countermeasures from the Central Node detected, unable to proceed."

Gilda huffed in annoyance. "How much firepower would we need to turn that door into rubble?"

"Calculating... complete. AI core blast doors have been reinforced over millennia, activating and dispatching super heavy to location." A third video feed popped up along with a fifth hologram next to the other drones. "Super heavy drones impractical for close quarter combat within these halls, suggest only to breach doors before retreating to prevent capture by Central Node."

"I'll take your word for it. How long until that thing is there?"

"Ten seconds." Gilda waited until she saw the other two drones on the super heavy's main video feed. "Preparing to breach"

The two heavy drones moved out of the way to avoid getting caught up in the blast as the weapons on the larger one powered up and fired a volley at the metal door. Gilda was pretty sure she felt the explosion all the way up in the security office, the video feed showing a red hot glowing door that was still relatively intact though not by much.

"Hit it again," Gilda ordered, though had to wait for the weapons of the super heavy were recharged again. A spray of molten metal flew into the central core as the second volley hit and the door disintegrated into molten slag. Immediately a group of four small maintenance drones rushed through the destroyed entrance and latched onto the super heavy at various points. "What are those doing?"

"Central Node attempting to gain control of the super heavy, countering action now." The two heavy drones turned and opened up on their larger counterpart immediately. The shielding on it had been disabled to give them clearer shots, their fire absolutely maiming the large drone beyond any repair. More of the smaller maintenance drones tried rushing out but they were very quickly destroyed by the two heavy ones. "Threats removed."

"How many of those does the Central Node have?"

"Unknown. Moving in now."

Gilda's eyes were glued to the video feed as they started displaying static in their images before blanking out completely. "That's not good, is it?"

"Signal lost by means of unknow countermeasures."

"So we lost control... great. So no drones in there then?" Gilda groaned.

"Until a proper counter can be found a protective cordon would be advisable." it responded.

"Do that then, I'm going to need a weapon that can damage these things. Two actually." Gilda turned around as she heard something open up behind her, a locker filled with rifles sitting near the door.

"These were designed for internal security, the armoury has more potent firearms available though it will take some time before those can be retrieved. The weapons section is under the control of the Central Node."

"Damnit... Do you know where Fluttershy is right now?" Gilda wasn't expecting to see another camera feed pop up, showing the pegasus from a distance sticking to the shadows in an attempt to avoid detection.

"She is located in the main fusion plant moving in the direction of the Central Core."

Gilda went over to the locker and pulled out two rifles, pushing Fluttershy's rifle back in one of the holders so she wouldn't have to drag that along as well. It was a good bit shorter than Fluttershy's rifle and fell very neatly into Gilda's claws, having been made for them after all. "What do these things use as ammunition?" Gilda asked as she tried figuring out if there was anything she needed to push into the rifle.

"This is a self-contained system, their cores are charged and ready for use."

"So no ammo then. Check." A symbol of the rifle with a bar appeared on Gilda's Hud.

"I have activated the heat indicator of your HUD. Take care not to overheat it by means of continuous fire."

"I'll keep it in mind. Can you get one of these drones to give me a lift to someplace where I can reach Fluttershy?" Gilda walked towards the door and waited there for an answer from the VI.

"A drone is coming to give you a ride, I shall be giving updates on the situation as you progress through the facility."

"Thanks," Gilda stepped out of the chamber into the hallway where a Heavy drone came to a halt. Jumping on top of it, the drone sped off to a place where she could get close to Fluttershy. The hallway they were flying through was abuzz with drones as they all rapidly moved in the same direction, Gilda could hear some explosions echo through the facility. "VI, what's going on?"

"The Central Node is making an assault out of the core with captured drones. It is currently winning." The heavy drone Gilda was riding on came to a halt at a door that was being held by various larger drones and an arrangement of the smaller maintenance ones. "A route has been highlighted, beyond this point everything is controlled by the Central Node. Expect any drone you encounter to be hostile, commander."

Gilda cringed slightly at the rank, "Understood, I'll see you once I get to Fluttershy."

She didn't get a response from the VI as she stepped further inwards, the massive chamber housing the main fusion plant. walkways crossed over the various gaps down towards the ground of the facility while machines churned in the darkness below. Gilda carefully followed the direction on her HUD, sticking to shadows the same way she'd seen Fluttershy do as the pegasus probably had good reason to do so. "Hey, VI, still there?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. Still know where Fluttershy i-" Gilda was interrupted by a large explosion on the exact other end of the chamber, the shape of three of the heavy drones becoming visible as they pummeled a part of the machinery. "Scratch that, I think I know where she is."

Placing one of the two rifles on a railing Gilda took aim through the sight, her helmet helpfully added a holographic line where the shot would go. What she wasn't expecting was the rifle to let out a roar as she depressed the trigger and rapidly fire a dozen shots at the target she'd aimed at. The shots weren't the best placed but the combination of bracing against the railing and her armour compensating put enough of the rounds on target to down the first of the drones.

A sparkling blue vortex was hurled at the second one, straining it for a moment before breaking it apart too. The third took this as its queue to leave, flying off at speed. Fluttershy took time to peak over her cover to see what had just helped her. Gilda jumped the railing, spreading her wings and expecting to have to work had to stay in the air but finding she remained in the air with remarkable ease.

"Good to see you're still in one piece," Fluttershy smiled before a frown crept onto her face. "Where is my rifle?"

"Left it back at the security office, didn't have anything left to shoot with. I took this one for you," Gilda passed the second gun that was attached to her side over to Shy who briefly inspected it.

"Something like thermal clips or does it vent heat automatically?" Fluttershy asked, shouldering it a few times to get used to the thing.

"Automatically," Gilda replied, waiting for Fluttershy to take the lead to wherever she was going.

"So what is the plan?"

"Uhh..." Gilda had not been ready for that reply, she'd expected Fluttershy to have figured something out by this point. "I was hoping you knew what you were doing."

"You probably know more than I do. I've been trying to get into the AI core since I don't trust that thing. Too many doors just accidentally closing in my face or trying to squish me followed by drones showing up to finish the job," Fluttershy told her. "I tried cutting the power to it off from here but in the end, I only destroyed a single conduit which temporarily disrupted power production. Too many systems are just completely locked down."

"Right, it was threatening to kill you if I didn't give it control of all the drones." Gilda pointed in the direction they needed to go.

"I hope you didn't give it to it?" Fluttershy asked as she hovered after Gilda.

"Of course not! I'm not that stupid. I'm in control of the things now... well, most of them. That way is to the core." Gilda pointed to one of the vents running into the core.

"Good. I've been holding back and trying to avoid as much trouble so it won't have a good measurement when I'm going all out." Fluttershy said, taking hold of the vent's covering and with the help of biotics tore it off. "Let's go take out this AI."

Author's Note

I really should try to upload at least a single chapter a week, I just haven't been able to find the energy to write (or really do anything of value) at all.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

AI

Chapter 166

AI

The lights in the ventilation shaft leading into the AI core turned off at the halfway point, plunging both Gilda and Fluttershy into darkness. It didn't matter much for either of them as both of their armour sets activated some sort of night vision.

Gilda was getting jumpier the closer they came to the core, her visor didn't tell her anything about the area around her since the security office couldn't tap into any drone-feed of the machines around the area. Fluttershy on the other hoof was completely calm, following Gilda closely and covering her as best she could with the new rifle she'd been given.

“This is it,” Gilda whispered, pointing at a vent cover. Her visor wasn't showing any way they could get closer by utilising the vents. “The rest will be open space right up until the AI itself.”

“Perfect,” Fluttershy said and pressed herself against the grate to push it out so she could advance but halted. “Look, Gilda, you don't have to follow me in here, it'll probably be really dangerous and you're not used to this kind of warfare.”

“Whatever this kind of warfare is, I'm pretty sure I'll have to learn it sooner rather than later anyway. Besides, what would the others say if they heard a pony went towards danger and a griffon didn't?” Gilda smirked, her bravado flaring up.

“Alright then, keep close and make sure you listen to any orders I give.” Fluttershy pushed against the grating and with some help of biotics ripped off the covering. The two of them immediately sprung out with their rifles raised to engage any threat.

The chamber they'd jumped into was rather large, machinery lining the walls of it and a combination of cables and tubes running towards a central node. Fluttershy quickly studied the central node, seeing frost on some tubes and machines. Though most of it seemed neat and well constructed some of the cooling system looked out of place, their components looking as if they were ripped from other sectors.

"The odds of you succeeding here are less than one percent, isn't it easier to just give up?" the Central node blasted through the speakers of the chamber, the humming of drones coming from all sides as they were rushed by a group of the smaller ones.

"Too bad! I like those odds!" Fluttershy roared as she grabbed the drones in her biotics and smashed them into each other. The pegasus rushing forth at the massive installation that kept the AI going. "And to be honest, I think you're lying about them anyway!"

Gilda, still surprised by the aggressive move, started running after Fluttershy and tried to keep up. More big drones started to flood into the chamber, explosions from incoming fire peppering the walkways the two were running on.

"Gilda, Keep them from reaching me!" Fluttershy shouted as they got close to the main machinery. The griffin came to a skidding halt, taking cover behind some metal barriers and lining up shots at the drones as best she could. She had to be really careful as each time she peeked out the drones would land a hit on her shields, missing not really being in the books for these particular drones. Fluttershy meanwhile stood with her wings spread in front of the central node, biotics lit up as she strained badly pulling on every single cooling pipe that looked to be added later,

"What are you doing?" the AI asked, sounding a little confused. "My systems are reinforced, you cannot harm them that easily."

"Fluttershy! Not to be a downer but we don't have long!" Gilda shouted from her cover. The helmet of her armour in her claws as it smoked and was warped from an impact, blood trickling from a cut on her cheek. "Let's just say I don't think I can peek now without losing my head!"

"You can still surrender your command privileges, Gilda, I would leave the two of you alive out of gratitude." The Central node proposed. A screen lit up next to the Griffin with a claw-print on it.

"DO NOT TOUCH THAT SCREEN!" Fluttershy roared as her biotics pulsed even brighter, one of the cooling tubes making a harrowing sound as the ice broke off it and it was squeezed shut. The entire AI core cycled briefly, adjusting for the lack of cooling, the drones similarly had a moment of pause in their fire and even bumped into each other. Gilda noticed this and immediately took the opportunity to shoot a couple of the larger ones before diving in cover again.

"Wasn't planning to!"

"HOW!" The central node roared, a barrage of drone fire hitting the cover Gilda was situated behind as it reassumed control. At that moment another pipe buckled inwards, cutting off another feed of coolant. "STOP IT!"

Fluttershy didn't even blink as the AI started to panic, another coolant pipe following the second as she focused more and more power on them, consequences after be damned. The drones that were advancing on their position also suffered, their coordination becoming less coherent and some even started firing on themselves though they were swiftly taken care of.

"How many more of these pipes do you think you can handle before you overheat?" Fluttershy asked through gritted teeth, another pipe buckling under the biotic assault.

"MORE THAN YOU CAN DESTROY BEFORE I KILL YOU!" it roared in reply.

"Oh really?" Fluttershy grinned. "How much coolant are you re-routing through other pipes to compensate for the loss of coolant then?!" The pegasus crushed a final pipe with a grunt before changing her tactic. Instead of trying to crush the remaining ones she sent alternating mass effect fields at them, the pipes already being under pressure bursting at the points where Fluttershy damaged them.

"NO-O...O-..." The AI voice stuttered and died, red lights starting to flash all throughout the chamber. The drones that were attacking them all just stopped and hung around as they seemed to be rebooting.

"Re-assumed control... Warning, temperature spike in core detected. Evacuation recommended." The VI's voice came through the drones. Fluttershy, heavily panting and sweating, joined Gilda at her cover.

"Get onto one of those heavies, Shy!" Gilda exclaimed, taking the VI's advice and winged it up onto one of the machines. Fluttershy was a little more hesitant but seeing Gilda not being blown away by the drones helped out and jumped on another one. "Get us out of here, VI!"

The drones turned and fled, a large group of the rest doing the same as the heat in the room started going up rapidly. The base rumbled for a bit as they managed to leave the chamber, doors slamming closed behind the pair to trap the encroaching heat.

"AI core meltdown complete, assessing damage... A report will be filed to your quarters."

"My quarters?"

"Later. We should get back to Griffinstone and inform your clan to get more claws in here." Fluttershy groaned, her wings spread a little as they ached badly.

"Right, get the others up to speed and find all the stuff in here," Gilda nodded. "VI, can you get us a way out of this place?"

"Transportation will be made available in the hangar."

Author's Note

I actually gained some energy writing this, I really should get to the point of ME3's start so I can actually start my larger alterations to the main storyline.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Canterlot

Chapter 167

Canterlot

Two weeks later Fluttershy was back on her way to Canterlot. The Griffins had sent multiple parties into the base, scouting it out with the help of Fluttershy and later some of the Royal guards that had also helped scout out the pony base. They'd uncovered a wealth of armaments which the griffins immediately incorporated into their armed forces and started training with. Fluttershy though wanted to go back to see how Amathyst was doing in Canterlot and with the Vindica returned to Equis Fidelis was able to ferry her back to the ponies' capital.

"I see you found the base, are the griffins taking well to this discovery?" Fidelis asked as the AI piloted the shuttle.

"As well as they could be expected to, though they were taking very well to the new armaments. Clan Grimmfeather has been put in charge of all the clans, I'm pretty sure we'll see a united front from the griffins from now on." Fluttershy answered, checking her own sniper rifle again, having retrieved it after their little hiccup with base's AI.

"They shall have to be if they are to be effective against the reapers." Fidelis answered.

"That they will. So how did the training exercise go?" Fluttershy asked as she took a seat.

"Surprisingly well. It is very noticeable that ponies aren't technically inclined but with Gabriella has been very useful in getting them up to speed." Fidelis chuckled. "We were being shadowed by the geth pretty much all the time but we eventually got the jump on them as we attempted out first inter-system jump. That scared them off and had them stay further back from us."

"So you figured out how to make the ship jump? Did you head through a relay or did you stay within system?" A holographic display popped up, showing the entire flight path of the vessel throughout the two weeks it had been gone.

"We remained within the star's gravity well, most of the drills we performed were to get the crew familiar with the systems... but we're going to be trying out interstellar travel sometime in the coming months. The Vindica has a peculiar jump drive."

"How so?" Fluttershy inquired, the hologram zooming in to show the massive Equestrian vessel.

"It is massive. I dug around the ship's systems, trying to learn as much as possible, and found out some of its specifications..." Fidelis paused and zoomed out the hologram and showed the galaxy at large, marking a small red region around Equis' star that encapsulated the local cluster. "This is the jump range of the Normandy." Another much larger region of space was lit up, it wasn't the range of one of the major relays but Fluttershy was pretty sure the vessel would be able to jump from Earth directly to Tuchanka without a relay.

"Whoa..."

"You can say that again. The drive developed by your ancestors is remarkable and works on very different principles than current drives."

"You sound as if you didn't know that," Fluttershy observed as she was still awed at the range of the vessel.

"I didn't. I lost access to my databases, remember?" Fidelis answered. "I have created a new environment for myself in the Vindica, she is my body now."

"Right... anyway, plans are being laid for an interstellar voyage?"

"Yes, though mainly through relays. We wish to test the long-range capability of the jump-drive too of course." Fidelis replied. "Coming up on Canterlot now."

Fluttershy nodded and got up from her seat, waiting at the door for it to slide open. "If you are to leave the system, where would you go?"

"The Citadel is our most likely destination, though it has not been arranged yet with the Council." The shuttle shuddered a little as it landed and shut off it's propulsion.

"Well, if you do then I'd be interested in going along," Fluttershy said before the door opened up, the moment it did though she was instantly jumped. Amethyst squeezed her tight as she hadn't seen her adoptive mom in two weeks.

'What took you so long?!' She exclaimed mentally. The changeling queen had grown significantly again, almost a head larger than Fluttershy by that point and more the size of Princess Luna.

Speaking of the princesses... Fluttershy looked past Amethyst and found Princess Celestia watching from the side.

"She's been anxious to see you," the Princess smiled as Fluttershy was allowed to step from the shuttle by Amethyst.

"You're exaggerating, auntie Celestia..." Amethyst muttered to the Princess' amusement.

"Auntie you say?" Fluttershy jumped in, smirking deviously. "Expanding the family further?"

"Noooo...." Amethyst blushed and hid behind her mane.

"She's a real sweetie after she warms up to you," Celestia smiled, motioning for them to follow. "Amathyst, you should tell your mom."

"Told what?" Fluttershy asked, a group of guards surrounding them as they moved, the Royal guards wearing fancy new armour and carrying rifles.

"T-There was a changeling t-that came to find me..." Amethyst shakily levitated the pistol she'd been given over to Fluttershy., the pegasus accepted it and had a good idea about what had happened.

"Though I understand you were concerned, could you inform me next time you give her a weapon?" Princess Celestia asked as they went into the main palace. They walked through the passages and down into the dungeons below. "There's something else Amethyst needs to tell you about."

"I take it has something to do with us moving down here?" Fluttershy surmised.

"Well...yeah. It's easier if I show what I've been working on." Amethyst said as they stepped into a cave of sorts, crystals of various colours though mainly blue and magenta lining the walls. Though if you looked further you could see the starting of something organic sticking to the crystal, something resembling a hive. "I'm going to need to sleep soon, this carapace is getting small very quickly. I... wanted to see you before going under."

"Is that safe?" Fluttershy asked with concern. "And how long will it take?"

"I'll have guards posted down here and we've dug up the old spells that allow us to find changeling infiltrators among our ranks." Princess Celestia reassured her.

"As for how long, I don't know. The energy my mother gave me is running out fast... It may be months before I'm ready." Amethyst admitted.

"And there's no way you can speed this up?" Fluttershy asked as they arrived in the centre of the hive-like structure, a pod sitting there waiting for an occupant to enter.

"My mother never told me," Amethyst said bitterly, embracing Fluttershy. "But I know I have to do this, if I wait any longer I'll still be sleeping when the reapers arrive."

"So this is goodbye for now then," Fluttershy stated, squeezing back, having seen the changeling grow up rapidly for a good two months since she returned to the planet, only having missed the last two weeks.

'It is, but you can always visit me down here' Amethyst projected into Shy's mind.

'I will. I'll make sure you're safe down here.' Fluttershy replied the two releasing each other as Amethyst wordlessly stepped into the cocoon and started closing it up. 'Sleep well,'

War Asset Aquired

Griffin Central Bastion

With the old Griffin base under control, the disparate clans of the Griffins have united under clan Grimmfeather. The avians have armed themselves with the weaponry from the base and are training to use the vehicles found in its garages. Though the griffins like the ponies are not as advanced as other races, their capability to integrate the advanced weaponry is remarkable.

Military Strength: 40

UPDATE:
With the AI core molten into slag, the re-activation of the various facilities is going slower than with the ponies' base. In the last moments before shutting down the rogue AI also sent scrap code into the various facilities making the reactivation harder.

Military Strength: -10

Author's Note

I'm skipping two more votes to just cover some ground and will start it up again at the start of ME3, hope peeps are okay with that ^^;

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Crew

Chapter 167

Crew

"These dresses are a bit bland to my tastes but after having had them on they do have their charm." Rarity tugged on her dark blue dress uniform given to the officers of the Equestrian warship as she was followed by Fluttershy and Twilight while they made their way through the gigantic titan. Batponies of all shades wearing the same uniform passed by them to do their thing though some unicorns, pegasi, and earthponies were mixed into the crowd as well. Fluttershy and Twilight were pretty much the only outliers with their dresses, one in armour and the other without anything.

"You look great in it, Rarity," Twilight smiled. "But I have to ask, where is Applejack?"

"She should still be in her room, she needed to catch up on some sleep," Rarity replied. "She was supposed to have another fire control drill but I called that off after she collapsed last night."

"Of course, I can imagine you girls were quite busy with the preparations," Fluttershy nodded as they walked into a transporter, letting it take them to the crew quarters. Without the particular internal system moving around the vessel would be a serious hassle.

"Oh it's not that bad but Applejack has been working herself to the bone, she's been drilling herself and her fire-control crew the hardest out of anyone on the bridge." Rarity sighed. "I really hope with you two here we can slow her down some, she's acting pretty much the same as that time she tried to harvest her entire orchard on her own."

"That's not good... we'll see what we can do to get her some relaxation time in," Fluttershy agreed, remembering that incident quite well. The transport pod stopped at its destination and the two of them got back out, the crew quarters they were in now being the ones reserved for the officers.

"Hey Rarity, how many ponies are currently stationed on this ship?" Twilight asked.

"About five thousand and we can carry quite a bit more." Rarity answered immediately, making Twilight's eyes widen a bit in awe. "I'm glad that I'm not part of the logistics around here, though you might argue that energy control is part of that too."

"I guess it's inevitable with a vessel this large," Fluttershy commented as they entered one of the quarters, in the first sleeping quarter Applejack was silently snoring in her bed. Rarity and Fluttershy quietly passed her to the main room where Rarity got some instant coffee and tea from the limited amount of wares in the personal quarter.

"I'll show you to the quarters the two of you will be sharing later, for now let's catch up a bit until dear Applejack wakes up and joins us." Rarity took a seat, at the central table and placed some cups with hot water in them for each of her friends. "So, Twilight, I assume you're not here to observe our goings-on the Vindica."

The purple unicorn shook her head. "Luna is going to stop at the Citadel, there's a diplomatic team going there to provide a diplomat for the Citadel races to approach. I am going to get off there as well to learn as much at one of the universities there. Particle bit was teaching me what he was learning but I'm already done with all the material in his courses, I need new substance to learn and someone to teach me."

That's definitely not all... Fluttershy thought as she picked up a heavy wave of regret and shame from the unicorn, the effects from being bitten by the changeling queen working perfectly. "Well, having a scientist around is going to be a great boon very soon."

"As Fluttershy says, we could really use a pony that understands how this vessel functions. We're able to operate it but understanding its core systems is a whole other thing," Rarity sighed. "I'm just glad we have Gabby around to explain things, without her we'd be completely blind. We should be glad most of the controls are so intuitive to ponies."

"How's she doing by the way?" Fluttershy asked, making a mental not to say hi to the griffin.

"Well, but immensely busy. Being the only one who actually knows a thing or two about the machines around here she's constantly advising ponies and the few griffins here on how to maintain their systems." Rarity answered before looking past the pegasus and smiling. "Finally awake darling?"

"Ya could have woken me sooner, Ah'm pretty sure Ah slept through mah alarm," Applejack grumbled, rubbing her eyes before they widened a bit. "Ah'll be darned, why didn't ya tell me they would be comin' Rares?!"

"I did, but you were too busy with your drills!" Rarity exclaimed indignantly, making Applejack blush.

"Oh no, Ah'm late fer my drills!" Applejack exclaimed, turned, and sprinted off.

"Oh for..."

"I'll go talk to her," Fluttershy cut Rarity off, standing up to go after the earthpony. "I'll see you tonight in our quarters, Twilight!" Sprinting out, Fluttershy ran after Applejack. "Applejack, hold up!" Fluttershy soared over the crowd in the hallway, flying at high speeds to catch up to her friend who had almost reached the transporters. "Stop running already!" she called out, landing and lighting up her wings, lifting Applejack off her hooves.

"Lemme go, Ah'm already late!" Applejack cried out, struggling to get out of the aura but Fluttershy's practised grip wasn't so easily broken.

"That drill was called off, Applejack," Fluttershy informed her friend, walking up to her. The earthpony had stopped struggling and just hung there.

"Ah can still practice on mah own..." she grumbled.

"Applejack, you need to take a break, you are working yourself to death," Fluttershy admonished her, fixing her friend's uniform as it was a little askew. "You're going to break yourself if you push too hard."

"But..."

"No buts!" Fluttershy stopped her. "You're coming with me."

"Fine." Applejack sighed. "Where did you want to go?"

"I'm sure this place has a gym or something in that vein," Fluttershy smirked as she got up close to Applejack. "Wanna bet I can buck better than you?"

Applejack smiled. "Oh, yer so on!"

The gym was massive, divided into sections with various machines she didn't really recognise but also some regular weights that were more low tech. "Some of the Griffins found this place, we've been usin' it as a place for physical exercise between the exercises we were doin' with Fidelis. We also added some gear of our own."

Fluttershy looked over to a ring, two griffins armed with sticks trying to bash each other's head in occupying it. "Well, I think you're going to have to explain some of these machines to me if you expect me to use them."

"Nah, ain't gonna use 'em anyway, the thing ya need fer a bucking competition's over there." Applejack pointed to a battered punching bag hanging from a makeshift mount. "Mah own addition to this place."

"Of course, so who's first?" Fluttershy asked, giving the bag an experimental nudge and finding that it was remarkably heavy.

"Ya can. Ah'll even give ya three tries before Ah crush ya." Applejack said confidently, loosening her dress suit and pulling it off. Fluttershy chuckled as she lined up her back hooves and gave an experimental buck. "Oh come on, ya can do better than that!"

"Just getting a feel for it," Fluttershy smirked at her friend and gave it another kick, having gotten a good stance and distance away from it.

"Still ain't enough ta beat me," Applejack sat down and waited for the third kick as Fluttershy lined it up, the pegasus tensing all her muscles and giving the bag a mighty kick, sending it up a decent way.

"How was that?" Fluttershy asked, knowing full well that applejack was absolutely going to crush that kick.

"Not bad, not bad... but Ah'll show ya how a true apple farmer kicks." Stepping forward, Applejack spun around and gave the bag a kick that nearly sent it horizontal. "That's how ya buck."

Letting out a snort, Fluttershy shook her head. "I yield, if it comes to bucking you're still the master." The pegasus took a seat next to the wall, Applejack joining her there.

"Don't ya forget it," the earthpony chuckled as Fluttershy wrapped a wing around her friend's back.

"AJ, why are you pushing yourself so hard?"

A wave of sadness came from Applejack as she sighed. "Ah don't really wanna be here... Ah miss Granny, Bloom, and Big Mac, but Ah know Ah can't sit on the sidelines either. The warnings ya gave... they scare me."

"The reapers are no joke, no, but you need to take care of yourself too you know. You don't want to fall into darkness like I did for a while." Fluttershy pulled Applejack close tightly with her wing. "You're a hard worker AJ."

"Thanks... so how 'bout you teach me a thing or two about the stuff ya learned. Fer fun of course." Applejack smirked and pointed at an unoccupied ring.

"You're on."

Author's Note

Twilight wasn't part of this chapter initially but she really did need some love too, next time more of her!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Interstellar

Chapter 168

Interstellar

By the time Fluttershy and Applejack got back to their quarters, an announcement had been made that the Equestrian titan had left the planetary shield and would be en route to the star cluster's mass relay. Rarity had left before the earth pony and pegasus came back to the quarter, the unicorn probably on the bridge to manage the power usage of the vessel as it coursed to its destination. Applejack thus took it upon her to show Fluttershy where her and Twilight's quarters were.

“Ah'm going to check the bridge, jus' cause Ah need to slow down does not mean Ah can stop workin'.”

“Of course, see you later Applejack,” Fluttershy replied, walking into the small apartment to see if Twilight was around, finding no trace of the purple unicorn other than her bags on one of the bunks. Frowning, Fluttershy opened up her omni-tool and connected to the ship's internal network, pinging Fidelis with the question if the AI could locate Twilight.

“She is currently in one of the holds, I could point you in the right direction?” Fidelis chose to answer verbally, a small hologram popping up on a projector in the room.

“That would be useful, yes.” A live location was uploaded onto Shy's omni-tool, giving her a way to track her friend down. She briefly thought about how Twilight may not appreciate being tracked but decided that with how she noticed Twilight's mood the unicorn might need some company. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I'll follow your progress quietly, I'm currently reducing my multi-tasking to focus on calculating jump parameters.”

“A simple conversation would do that?” Fluttershy sceptically asked.

“No, but five hundred fourteen will. My core programming is very good at solving a single task well. When it's divided over all the crew asking menial questions and asking for help that power can't be focussed. I am working on changing that in the future,” Fidelis explained, its hologram disappearing. Fluttershy didn't ask if it was still there, not wanting to bother the AI further. Making her way through the vessel she got into one of the transporters and getting out at the closest exit to the hold and making her way over to the section.

Fluttershy's mouth widened a bit as she entered the vast chamber, she was pretty sure the hold would be able to hold the Normandy in it whole and still have more space to spare. In fact, the clamps on the walls made her think that holding another vessel was exactly the purpose of the hold in the first place. I wonder, could we take along a small amount of vessels for quick hit and run attacks with our jump drive...

Filing that thought away to suggest at a later date, if it hadn't been considered already, Fluttershy made her way over to Twilight who was deeper into the hold. The first thing Fluttershy saw indicating the unicorn was there was the fairly bright magenta aura surrounding one of the large crates that were strapped to the ground around the hold. Twilight had loosened one of them and levitated it off the floor, sweat on her brow from the exertion.

"Needed a workout?"

"AAH!" The crate slammed back down as Twilight's concentration was broken. "Fluttershy!"

The pegasus held up a hoof and sheepishly smiled. "Sorry, didn't think you'd be that startled."

"Right..." Twilight sighed and pushed the crate back a bit, using her magic to strap it back down as well. "I need something a little heavier than most unicorns to get seriously strained."

"A little?" Fluttershy questioned, a smirk forming on her face. "I'm pretty sure Rarity wouldn't even be able to lift a quarter of that."

"Maybe a lot more than regular," Twilight admitted as the two of them walked over to a railing, looking down at the massive doors at the bottom of the hold, faint blue mass effect fields being sustained right above them so even if those doors were opened the atmosphere in the hold would be maintained.

"Why are you really leaving Equis, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked bluntly, Twilight's face burning red.

"W-What do you mean?" the unicorn stuttered, trying to look confused.

"I've been able to sense emotion since being bitten by the changeling queen in the collectors' main base, Twilight," Fluttershy told her, Placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "You feel regret and shame, a lot of it."

"I..." Twilight trembled slightly. "I can't face Princess Celestia."

"Why not?"

"You d-didn't see how much I-I hurt her, Fluttershy," Twilight sniffed. "There w-were a few close calls when I w-was with the Lunar guard... the pain I saw in her as she tried capturing me."

"Oh Twilight," Fluttershy pulled her close and wrapped her wings around the unicorn as she sobbed. "You know what we found down in the labs of the base under the Everfree Twilight, the Princess can't but help to try and protect us."

"Y-Yes..."

"She couldn't have known that with me out there there was no turning back, if she's not realized that yet she will at some point. You, without knowing it, did the one thing that was going to help Princess Celestia do what she wants most: protect her ponies." Fluttershy loosened her hug to look Twilight in the eyes. "I have no doubt that when she realises that, if she hasn't already, she won't hold it against you."

"Thanks Shy, I really needed that," Twilight smiled, hugging Fluttershy tightly for good measure.

"No problem Twilight. Now on a lighter note, do you have someplace to stay?"

"The embassy quarters are open for me, I can stay there with the other ponies who are going," Twilight shrugged, drying her eyes. The two of them starting to move out of the hold to someplace more comfortable.

"Hmm... I think I might have an alternative for you," Fluttershy said as she reminded herself of her time on the massive space station. "Garrus and I lived on the Citadel for a while, we never did sell the apartment so it should still be around for us to use."

"Really? And you're okay with me using it?" Twilight asked surprised.

"Why not? I certainly haven't," Fluttershy chuckled. "Though I'll be sleeping there too for the time we're at the Citadel so we'll have to share the bed."

That got a smile onto Twilight's face. "You sure that's not going to make Garrus jealous?"

Fluttershy turned to impishly smile at Twilight. "Of course not, he knows I think he's great in bed."

"Shy!"

Author's Note

Got a bit distracted watching the Mandelorian, I think I've got a good choice lined up for next chapter. :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Citadel

Chapter 169

Citadel

Fluttershy sat in the back of the bridge as the crew made their approach to the relay that'd send them to the Citadel. Their journey halfway across the galaxy had been relatively uneventful as no pirate was stupid enough to approach the titan, that wasn't to say the sensors didn't pick them up trying to lay in the shadows. Luna oversaw the approach from her command deck while the pilots guided the ship in for a jump, Rarity and Applejack also being present with their support teams to manage their respective systems.

"Citadel authorities have approved our request to make the jump into the system, they have an escort waiting at the exit relay," the batpony at the communications station reported.

"Understood. Pilot, you are clear to make the jump," Luna ordered another batpony that sat in the seat where Fluttershy had sat when she had steered the ship.

"Yes, Princess," he acknowledged, the ship making a slight lurch as the inertial dampeners swiftly compensated for the speed increase.

"Calculations complete, ready for the relay transit," Fidelis reported in as well, the relay starting to activate to send the ship towards its destination.

"Comms, be at the ready, I want us to make a good first impression on the Citadel races," Luna warned the batpony who snapped a quick salute. A holographic display showed them the relay spinning up faster and a short countdown appeared to count to zero.

"Transiting now." The hologram of the relay disappeared and a view of the initial scans of the Widow system where the Citadel was located flowed in. An escort of three turian cruisers carefully approached them, clearly the Citadel fleet hadn't believed the information about the vessel being that big despite the warnings that had been sent ahead.

"This is the ESS Vindica to escort vessels. Please lead us over to a designated holding sector," the communications officer broadcast outwards on the proper channels.

"Copy that ESS Vindica. This is the THS Korvatos, follow our lead." the three cruisers took formation around the Vindica and slowed down to not outrun the Titan, not knowing that the large vessel's engine would be able to match them easily. Fluttershy could see the Destiny Ascension move to intercept the titan as well to give the ship a more proper escort. The Asari vessel almost half the size of the equestrian ship, though with the larger crew that was certainly better trained than the ponies would still be a serious match. "ESS Vindica, we are uploading coördinates to the holding area now."

"Area marked." Fidelis announced.

"Got it, halting now," the pilot replied at receiving the instructions, the ship coming to a relatively swift halt. The cruisers took a defensive posture around the titan while the Destiny Ascension kept its distance.

"ESS Vindica, for further instructions on how to approach with your shuttles contact Citadel control."

"Understood THS Korvatos, thank you for the escort, ESS Vindica out." A collective sigh went through the bridge as the ponies there, now that they had arrived and 'parked' properly, started admiring the images they were receiving from the Citadel in awe.

"Contact the diplomatic team and tell them to report to the shuttles," Luna ordered. "Captain Darkwing, you have the bridge."

"Yes, princess." The batpony saluted and took Luna's place on the command platform as the princess walked over to Fluttershy, Luna also calling for Rarity and Applejack to join.

"Your teams can take over your tasks, for now, you should join me and your friend... Where is Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked, motioning for the trio to follow her.

"She's at the shuttle bay with the diplomatic team, already," Fluttershy answered as they stepped into a transporter to the hangar that held the ship's shuttles.

"Hmm, I'd hoped to see her on the bridge... regardless, we shall be departing for the Citadel immediately." Luna sighed.

"I hope you managed to get a larger building to house the embassy, those few rooms you had before aren't going to fit more than a few ponies," Fluttershy pointed out as they got out of the transporter and saw the reasonably large group of ponies that made up the diplomatic team.

"The council has allotted us a larger building to use along with sleeping quarters. They shall have space enough," Luna replied, the diplomats noticing the princess approach and bowed. "Rise."

"We are ready to serve your highness, if what these 'video feeds' show is true this will be a magnificent assignment," the eldest of the group said with a smile.

"I assure you it is truly a sight to behold," Luna smiled. "Now, shall we not delay further? I am sure the diplomats on the Citadel are quite eager to see us as well."

"Of course. Everypony take your seats!" he called out to his group who boarded two of the three shuttles, Luna walking up to the third with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack where Twilight was also waiting.

"Princess," Twilight bowed her head. She was wearing a version of the simple white gown the entire diplomatic team was wearing as well, having taken the tip from Fluttershy that it was seen as indecent to walk around the Citadel without for most races.

"Twilight Sparkle, I had hoped to see you on the bridge. You would have been welcome," Luna told the unicorn, lifting her chin to pull her out of the bow.

"I-I had to gather some things, thought it best to wait here for you," Twilight excused herself. "Also, are the two of you coming?"

"I see... Well, I did say not to delay so shall we?" Luna said, letting the four ponies enter before getting in herself, the door closing behind them. "Take us in, Fidelis."

The Citadel authorities had been waiting for the group to arrive as they landed, the diplomatic team immediately getting in touch with missives from various races that had inquiries for them and trying to advance their interests. Fluttershy had to wait around for her three friends to be cleared to split off and enter the citadel as they weren't registered yet unlike the pegasus, luckily with some pressure from above the temporary registration was pushed through quickly.

"So this is where you spent your time?" Rarity asked with wide eyes as they walked through the crowds of the presidium, a relatively large amount of interest being shot their way as video of the pony warship parked beside the space station was broadcast pretty much to all news channels.

"Some of it, I would love to show the wards but there's a spot here on the presidium I wanted to show you first," Fluttershy said, leading the four of them towards the entrance of the Citadel Tower. "That to be exact."

Twilight's eyes went wide first as she recognised the object. "This is where you came through," she stated in a whisper.

"It was," Fluttershy confirmed for her.

"Well Ah'll be darned," Applejack stated, leaning on a guardrail to get a closer look.

"To think this is what started the entire thing..." Twilight whispered again.

"It's in the past now darling, nothing we can change about that." Rarity gave Twilight a nuzzle to cheer her up before turning to Fluttershy. "So, you wanted to show us these 'wards'?"

Fluttershy smirked. "Oh yes... and you know what girls? Why don't we go out shopping too?"

Rarity's pupil dilated as she made an incredibly high pitch squeal, everyone in the immediate surrounding cringing at the sound.

"Ah think that's a yes," Applejack snickered.

"let's go catch a shuttle then!"

Author's Note

This story seems to be cursed with 'much longer than planned' I hope I can put that choice to start off ME3 in the next chapter. :twilightsheepish:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Shopping

Chapter 170

Shopping

Fluttershy had some considerable funds stashed away for later use, having racked up quite the amount of cash from the odd jobs and not spending much in general. Of course, she wasn't a millionaire by a stretch but she would be able to settle down someplace fairly respectable...

“What do you think, darling, this hat suits me quite well, doesn't it?” Rarity beamed as she went checked out another designer hat. Applejack having drawn the shortest straw and had to assist the white unicorn.

“Ya know Ah've got a terrible sense der fashion, Rares,” Applejack sighed, shaking her head as her saddlebags were already filled to the brim with objects of interest to Rarity. The white unicorn rolling her eyes in response.

“Fluttershy, what do you think? Isn't it fantastic?” Rarity tried getting feedback from the pegasus.

Fluttershy forced a smile along with Twilight. “It's uhhh... Great! Though maybe a bit expensive?”

Rarity took off the hat and held it in front of herself, looking it over critically again. “I suppose that I've gotten quite enough shopping done for today.” The three other ponies breathed a sigh of relief as Rarity threw in the towel. “Mind paying for the other items Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy smiled and shook her head as Rarity have the biggest pleading eyes she could. “I did promise to, didn't I?”

The four paid for the products They'd gathered, most of it for Rarity, and made their way out of the shopping district. “So, what now?” Applejack asked as they got into a cab.

“We'll go drop all this stuff off at my apartment and go out for dinner,” Fluttershy told them, having already reserved a spot at a restaurant while Rarity was plundering her bank account.

“That also being the place where I'll be staying?” Twilight asked, not having taken the time to ask more details about it.

“Unless there are more apartments I own I didn't know about,” Fluttershy chuckled.

“Right,” Twilight blushed, turning to look out the window. “This place is truly amazing...”

“It gets fairly mundane after a while to be honest, it's novel for some time but eventually it becomes more normal," Fluttershy sighed and looked out over the wards. "Though it will always keep some of its charm..."

"Well, I find it positively amazing," Rarity declared to them, trying a few of the bracelets she'd gotten around her hoof.

The four of them talked and laughed some more until they were dropped off at the habitation block where Fluttershy had her apartment, taking the elevator up to the living space. The pegasus and Turian had sealed the apartment and stopped the ventilation systems when they left so when she entered again very little dust had gathered in the apartment. She'd still advise Twilight to clean up but it wasn't so bad that it required immediate action.

"This ain't half bad," Applejack commented, checking out all the rooms she could. "Doors 'n stuff are made for creatures a mite taller then us but Ah could see how ya could bunk out here."

"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay in here?" Twilight asked meekly. "I mean it's your home..."

"Twilight, you sound like how I used to be," Fluttershy sighed and placed a wing on the purple unicorn's back. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like Twi."

"Right... sorry..."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes but still smiled, turning to Rarity who was inspecting the kitchen. "You can leave your stuff here while we go out to eat Rarity."

"Ah, thank you, Fluttershy." Rarity wiped off the table and placed her bag of clothes and accessories onto it. "So this place you have reserved..."

"It's closeby in the district," Fluttershy said, walking back over to the front door. "I hope you all know that the people around here eat rather... different things."

"We were all briefed on the fact that aliens all seem to be omnivorous, yes," Twilight was the first to answer as they followed their friend down to the mentioned place.

"Yes, though rather macabre we understand that not everyone is like us..." Rarity said, though still looked slightly disgusted. The crowd they passed through glanced at them as they walked by, not long enough for the others to notice but enough for Fluttershy, who was much more attuned to reading the mood of crowds, to pick up.

"The stuff they have in this place is artificially grown so no real animals were hurt in the creation of those foods," Fluttershy reassured them.

The word about the Vindica belonging to us is probably all over the newsfeeds right now... I'll check later.

The little restaurant was a couple of blocks over, a human standing at the door to usher them in after Fluttershy confirmed their reservation. The place didn't seem to be too busy when they entered, the few people mostly keeping to themselves while a few shot glances their way.

"Four salads please," Fluttershy said as an asari came to take their order, soon all four having the dish in front of them.

"So, Ah take yer gonna get in contact with Particle Bit ta get into that University ya were eyein' soon?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"No, we already figured that out. The Presidium college of science is taking me tuition-free, providing I help them with research on our magic." Twilight replied, chomping down on her salad.

"Well, that should be right up your alley, darling," Rarity commented before turning to Fluttershy. "I have to say this is tastier than I expected."

"It's pretty good, I'm glad I ran into this place when I lived here," Fluttershy nodded, shoveling some more of the salad into her mouth. "So what's the next destination for the Vindica? I can't imagine it'll stay here long."

Rarity and Applejack glanced at each other, the earthpony giving a small nod. "We were invited by the turians to Palaven for an exercise. The Princess wanted to keep it on the down-low for as long as possible and spring it onto the crew as a surprise to test them under pressure. Mind keeping that to yourself if you see any other ponies of the crew around?"

"My lips are sealed," Fluttershy promised.

"Fantastic... So, Fluttershy, what are your plans? Are you coming along on the Vindica or did you have other plans?"

Fluttershy took another bite of her salad to think that over. I mean, Garrus is on Palaven... but I also kind of don't want to leave Twilight here on her own... And if I'm back with Garrus, am I going to really head home again?

Go To Palaven, head down to the surface.

Stay on the Citadel with Twilight.

Go to Palaven, stay in the Vindica.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I really need the kick to get off my lazy friggin ass. I should be getting more stuff out soon.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/42898947
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Range

Chapter 172

Range

Pistol - M-6 Carnifex. 35%

"Well... I guess I'll take this one?" Twilight levitated the heavy pistol out of the bag and looked at it with some fascination.

“Don't let the size fool you, it's a very powerful weapon,” Fluttershy closed up her bag again, taking the pistol back from Twilight as they'd have to arrange permits for her to carry it around first. “You know, this was the first weapon that was given to me. Garrus gave it to me on Ferros.”

Twilight looked over the pistol again. “So... Did you, you know...”

“Kill with it?” Fluttershy asked, Twilight giving a nod in confirmation. “Yes. On Ferros in defence of Garrus after I was given it.”

“Oh...”

“I'm not expecting you to do so, Twilight, we'll just be shooting at a fake target for practice,” Fluttershy reassured her friend as they arrived at the range. Soon they were checked in and after a quick safety instruction and application of ear protection, Twilight was ready to shoot. Levitating the gun in front of her she waited for further instructions from Fluttershy.

“So, I pull the trigger, right?”

“Yes, though make sure to brace for the kick of the gun. It's better to overcompensate on the first shots than have the pistol fly out of your grip.” Fluttershy instructed, moving the levitating pistol a bit so its sights lined up better for the unicorn. “Go ahead, try it.”

Bang!

Twilight flinched at the loud crack, losing concentration and dropping her magic. Fluttershy quickly snatched the pistol from the air so it didn't drop onto the ground.

“Maybe hold it with your hooves if you're going to lose concentration like that,” Fluttershy smirked.

“N-No, no, I'll get it,” Twilight stammered, getting the gun back from Fluttershy and floating it in front of her again. Letting out a breath she pulled the trigger again... and again, and again.

Wait, hold on...

Fluttershy's eyes perked as she observed the pistol staying nearly perfectly levelled even though Twilight was firing fairly rapidly.

click, click

Twilight looked at the gun for a moment as it stopped firing before realising it needed a reload.

“Hold there, let's first see your hits before we continue.” Pulling in the target close with the rail system it was attached to, Fluttershy went and inspected the hits. The shots, though not having hit anyplace too impressive, were grouped incredibly tightly. "That's..."

"Terrible?" Twilight filled in, her ears flat as she saw that her shots hadn't even gotten close to the centre of the target.

"Remarkable," Fluttershy corrected her.

"I'm pretty sure that if I'd gone a little more to the left then I wouldn't have hit the thing at all," Twilight interrupted again. "You don't have to spare my feelings you know..." she added in a mumble.

"I'm not. Twilight, look at the places you hit again and tell me what you see." Fluttershy asked again.

"They're at the side of the paper," Twilight bluntly pointed out again, not seeing what point Fluttershy was trying to get to.

"They're also so close together that if they were any closer the shots would have formed a single large hole," Fluttershy provided. "Now imagine that instead of hitting the side here, you'd hit the centre of the target. Would you still say they were bad shots?"

Fluttershy could see Twilight light up as she finally made the connection, a smile creeping onto her face as she realised she hadn't done half bad. "Can I go again?"

The pegasus chuckled as she hung up a new target and sent it down the range. "We came here so you could put some rounds down range after all. I had expected to have to give more instructions but your magic makes a lot of things irrelevant. Go ahead, send a few clips into it to get used to the thing. We'll get to a few drills later."

Loading a new thermal clip Twilight went at it again, getting closer to the centre on the second attempt and pretty much hitting dead centre on the third attempt. Twilight's proficiency with her magic showed as every single successive clip just got her shooting at the same spot in the centre of the target. The two of them continued to shoot at the range for a while longer, Fluttershy making use of a long distance simulator present at the range to get some long distance practice. By the end of the day, and a few broken range records, the two ponies headed back home, planning a few more times that week to head out and practice.

Fluttershy was humming a tune as she went through her apartment and cleaned up some of the mess they'd created over the previous week. She and Twilight hade gone back to the range on three more occasions, each successive time Fluttershy had been putting pressure on Twilight as she shot to get her more used to firing while under stress. A feed with some of the local news played on the background to break the silence of the apartment while she worked.

"Then there-... Breaking News, Earth has been attacked by an unknown force. There has been no contact with the Alliance after receiving this footage and feeds from Earth went dark."

Fluttershy's head snapped towards the video feed as she saw video of a human city right as a reaper broke through the clouds and smash down into a skyscraper. A pit formed in her stomach as the sound of a deep blaring horn signalled the arrival of a dozen more of them before the video cut out.

"The council has called for calm as they assess the situation and mobilise their fleet. We shall be covering this further as..."

Fluttershy didn't hear the rest of the emergency broadcast as she'd stormed out of the apartment, not even grabbing her rifle as she sprinted.

The need to assess what is going on?! They heard Shepard's warnings for years so they should know damn well what is going on and if they still don't get that I will make sure they finally do.

Author's Note

They're here!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Council

Chapter 173

Council

"We can't just demand an audience like that, miss Fluttershy!" Equestrian ambassador Quill tried convincing Fluttershy after she'd barged into his office. "There's things we-"

"Ambassador, I suggest you contact whatever Council contact you've been given because if you don't I will be kicking down their door unannounced." Fluttershy growled, the Equestrian official rearing back and sitting completely frozen for a bit before tapping the screen in his desk. The holographic projector next to the wall of the office jumped to life, an assari operator appearing.

"Hello ambassador, is there anything you wish to discuss?"

Clearing his throat, the ambassador got up and walked over to the projection. "I would like to get an audience with the Council."

"My apologies but the Council is not taking any audience request in the near future," the asari apologised. Fluttershy Growled and stepped forward next to the ambassador.

"Listen closely. You are going to inform the Council that Fluttershy is coming over to them and when I arrive I'm going to get an audience from them."

The ambassador looked aghast as Fluttershy turned and went for the door to move over to the Citadel tower. "Y-You can't do that!" he exclaimed as he ran after the pegasus, leaving the asari in an equally baffled state.

"Watch me," Fluttershy simply said as she opened her wings and took off. Ambassador Quill shouted a few objections but all were ignored by the pegasus who accelerated towards the entrance of the Citadel tower. At the entrance of the place a small crowd had already formed of various officials who wanted to see the Council as well, presumably regarding the news from Earth, being held back by C-Sec.

"No people, I ain't gonna let all of you through. If you want an audience you'll have to take the proper channels!"

"Bailey!" Fluttershy called out, the crowd making some space as Fluttershy came in hot. The C-Sec officer seemingly surprised at seeing the girl of a former colleague.

"Fluttershy... You're not going to ask me for an audience with the Council too are you?" he groaned.

"No."

"Well good, these officials ar-"

"I'm not asking. If you don't move aside your people I will move them for you," Fluttershy flatly cut off the C-Sec officer. He clenched his jaw as he was put into an impossible position.

"You know I can't let you up without letting everyone else here up too," he sighed. "I can't let you pass."

"Then I apologise, this is nothing personal." Fluttershy's wings lit up, every single C-Sec agent beside Bailey was lifted from the ground simultaneously and helplessly floating in the air. Barging past the human man, Fluttershy went up to the lobby and took one of the elevators up. Of course the agents could shut off the elevator but it would hardly be the first time that she'd walk up the tower to get to the Council Chamber and offices.

This time though the elevator reached the top without any interruption... though the moment the doors opened Fluttershy was staring down the barrel of a rifle.

"Get onto the ground!" One of the heavily armed and armoured C-Sec officers ordered.

"My apologies but I was on my way to have a talk with the Council, do you mind stepping aside?" Fluttershy said calmly with a sweet smile on her scarred face that made even the turian in front of her hesitate for a second.

"Ma-am get on the ground right now," he threatened again, Fluttershy's smile didn't leave her face for even a second. Behind the group of heavily armed guards the asari Fluttershy had seen over the holographic projection came running up to her.

"Pardon me but my escort just arrived," Fluttershy pointed at the wide-eyed asari and pushed past the guard in the flash of a second he took to look at the newcomer. "Please lead the way to the Council." The guards were truly starting to hesitate their course of action as Fluttershy kept acting as if she was supposed to be there.

"The council is in session with each other and cannot be disturbed at this time," the asari stated though after straightening herself up.

Fluttershy chuckled a little too darkly maybe. "They're talking about the situation on Earth and I happen to be the lead expert that's available on that exact threat, they have need of my insights."

The turian Guard and the asari looked at each other, trying to come to a decision non-verbally. Fluttershy with her ability to sense the emotions of the two could feel the unspoken conversation turn into her favour, making her smile.

"Please follow me," the asari said, leading the pegasus to one of the side chambers of the tower. The turian and the other guards were close behind the two of them and kept a hawkish eye on Fluttershy in case she'd made any sudden move. After tapping in a password the door to the chamber with the council opened, its four members looked over what was disturbing them.

"Believe Shepard's claims now?" Fluttershy called out, striding into the room and locking eyes with the councillors. Udina in particular did not seem pleased in the slightest that the pegasus was present.

"Captain, why was she allowed into this room? We specifically said that we did not wish to be disturbed," he growled at the turian.

"Because the lot of you denied the existence of the reapers for years," Fluttershy growled right back walking up to the holo-table with a red-ladened display of earth the councillors were standing around. "Try denying it now."

"We are well aware of our mistakes, miss Fluttershy," The asari councillor said in defence.

"Well, what are you going to do about it then? Because Earth needs relief."

"Earth is not the only planet in danger here," the turian councillor interjected, taping his console and bringing up a display of Palaven and its surrounding moons. "Reapers stormed my homeworld too, though we repulsed the initial ships giving more time to prepare, our fleet is coming under increasing strain against the reapers."

Fluttershy grimaced as she saw the Vindica represented among the turian fleets but didn't comment on it, there was nothing she could do for her friends at that moment.

"Hackett indicated he'd found something that could help us in Mars' Prothean archives but I have not been able to contact the Fleet since that message," Udina huffed, accepting that Fluttershy would be allowed in the chamber for now. “The SSV Normandy is on its way here with further details for us.”

“Is Shepard on board?” Fluttershy perked as he heard that it was the Normandy that was coming.

“I do not know. Maybe, maybe not,” Udina said with a shrug. "It was undergoing a refit."

“In any case, we can't solely rely on whatever the Normandy is bringing here,” the turian councillor interjected. “More reaper capital ships are arriving at Palaven every hour, soon our navy will be stretched to capacity.”

“Earth needs turian help Councillor,” Udina snarled to his colleague.

“And we have nothing to spare,” the turian replied snidely. “The unfortunate fact is that we have our own battles to fight soon.”

Both the salarian and asari councillors agreed with this sentiment.

“So you're just going to look to your own instead of coming together?” Fluttershy asked, a growing headache from frustration forming.

“We have obligations to our own people. If Councillor Udina can provide us with in-depth plans to beat the reapers we may be able to spare resources but as it stands now, we are not able to give any help."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes, she wasn't going to get through their thick skulls.

"Speaking of the devil, the Normandy has arrived in system and will dock momentarily," Udina announced.

They're here? Fluttershy felt her omni-tool buzz. Twilight called me multiple times... she tried to call back but no one picked up from the other end. What's going on down there Twilight...

Wait here, Whoever is on the Normandy is bound to come to the Council.

Head down to the Normandy.

Go see why Twilight called.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

From here on the timeline is gonna start spitting off from the ME3 timeline :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/42954170
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Cerberus

Chapter 173

Cerberus

Go see why Twilight called. 75%

Fluttershy tried to call Twilight back but got no response, though as her attempt at contacting Twilight failed she noticed something peculiar. Why is the civilian communications net down? Dialling into the encrypted C-Sec communications grid, she received no communications at all.

"Something is wrong," she interrupted the Council's bickering.

"We are quite aware," Udina growled, "Captain, remove her from this cha-"

"C-Sec's data-net is down, the civilian nets too... Fuck!" Fluttershy picked up a functioning data stream. "It's Cerberus!"

Fluttershy turned and sprinted out of the room towards the Citadel Tower's shuttle bay. The guards who hadn't been in the room as Fluttershy made her discovery saw her running by and opened fire, Shy's shielding flaring as they stopped the incoming projectiles. The pegasus didn't care though as she jumped into a shuttle and took off, the Guards wouldn't be able to stop her regardless of the communications being down.

"Damnit Cerberus, what are you after!" Fluttershy growled as she flew straight down towards the Presidium ring at the base of the Citadel. The scenery had completely changed in the time she'd spent up in the tower, where previously people had been going about their days now there were gunfights going on between C-Sec forces and Cerberus infantry and mechs.

The university was no exception to that rule.

The doors seemed to have been blown off by explosives, various casualties laying about the grounds in front of the building. Fluttershy set down the shuttle right outside the university and jumped out, cursing herself for not taking any weapons with her now. Twilight hold on!

Shy turned on her cloak, preferring to remain undetected as she looked for Twilight, a search that didn't take long as the intercom activated with a crackle. "Twilight Sparkle, come towards the cafeteria or we will execute a student every minute starting now." BANG!

Twilight will never allow more of her fellow students to die... Fluttershy rushed to the cafeteria, arriving at one of the balconies overlooking the large space. It was filled with students and teachers, all of them surrounded by Cerberus soldiers and forced to sit on the ground. On the podium the body of a student lay, a salarian with a hole in his head. Further up on the balcony another Cerberus soldier stood, looking down on the crowd of students.

There's my opportunity for a weapon.

Fluttershy approached silently, activated her omni-blade, and cleanly severed the human's spine at the neck, making sure that he didn't fall over and alert the rest of the troops.

"STOP!" Just as Fluttershy had predicted, Twilight couldn't allow more students to come to harm. Quickly grabbing the rifle off of the dead human, along with some thermal clips, Fluttershy went about devising a plan to take out all the Cerberus troops.

They're clustering around Twilight, I can get those fairly easily with biotics but those around the crowd... I can't let them get Twilight though... I hope she can forgive me. In Fluttershy's quick assessment there was simply no way to take out all the Cerberus forces without any of the other students getting caught in the middle of a firefight, but she couldn't allow Twilight to get captured either.

Taking advantage of her cloak, Fluttershy flew down right in front of Twilight before revealing herself. The Cerberus infantry in the immediate surrounding getting tossed into the air helplessly, the moment they were out of the way Fluttershy pushed twilight into cover and opened fire on the humans surrounding the students.

"F-Fluttershy?!"

"STAY DOWN!" Most of the students and teachers did the smart thing and lowered themselves even closer to the deck, though a few tried to make a break for it. That's where the first of them got cut down. Fluttershy did her best to provide them with cover fire but two of them got caught by Cerberus' rounds as they switched from targeting Fluttershy to the running students.

With a flick of her wings and some biotic power, Fluttershy slammed all the Cerberus soldiers that had been floating in the air down, loud cracks coming from their bodies as their bones broke and organs were turned into mush. Whatever the reason, that was the moment the others decided they couldn't win any longer and turned their guns on the crowd. Fluttershy charged forward to take out the last few of them with biotics and close range omni-blades but by that point well over a dozen student's lay dead.

Fluttershy panted heavily as the hoof to hand combat had left red splotches of blood on the cloth covering her armour. The teachers were thankfully able to keep most of the students from panicking as they watched Fluttershy with dreaded anticipation, not knowing what the pegasus would do next.

"Twilight, were you hurt?" Fluttershy asked as she turned and flew back over to the unicorn that looked at the carnage that had been created in shock. "Twilight, I need you to answer me."

"Y-Yes, I-I'm not hurt," Twilight finally replied, swallowing nervously.

"Good, we need to get to the embassy. I don't know if they were after you specifically or if they just want to catch a pony."

"T-They have Particle Bit," Twilight stammered, Fluttershy let out a curse below her breath.

"Where did they-" Fluttershy's eye fell on one of two pods the Cerberus soldiers had taken with them, walked up to the pair, and opened them. Particle bit's form lay in one, a quick check confirming that he wasn't dead but drugged out of his mind. "I don't have the countermeasures with me to wake him up. Twilight, can you carry him in your telekinesis?"

"Y-yes?"

"Then do it." Fluttershy turned to one of the teachers in the crowd. "Keep the students here until C-Sec regains control, they shouldn't come after you if we aren't here."

The teacher gave her a shell shocked nod as she loaded a new thermal clip into the assault rifle. "Twilight, follow me closely and make sure to do exactly as I say."

Twilight picked up Particle Bit and carried levitated him along, though making sure that he wasn't too high up and didn't create a large profile. Fluttershy made for the main entrance, checking if their exit was still secure. The shuttle she'd come in with had been turned into a fiery ball of scrap, no longer an escape option, though the Embassy district wasn't all that far away from the university. C-Sec Shuttles mixed with ones from Cerberus flew overhead as they swiftly made their way in the right direction, barring the occasional stop to clear out Cerberus forces or give fire support to pinned C-Sec officers.

The Embassy district itself was a mess, the various institutions had shuttered and various security forces were entrenched in their respective buildings. Cerberus wasn't inactive either as they had forces and even mechs trying to break into the buildings. The Equestrian embassy in particular seemed to be getting attention, all of its shutters closed but with a hole blown into the front door, the only thing holding back the Cerberus troops being multiple differently coloured shields.

"They won't hold out long! My shields were strained by those weapons and I got my shield matrixes from Shining!" Twilight called out over the roar of the gunfire in the area.

"Got it! When I give the signal you make a break for the embassy!" Fluttershy lept over her cover, heading straight for the group attacking the embassy. Without any students mixed into the crowd like at the university Fluttershy could go all out with her biotics, not having to worry about other casualties. There was a mech in the mix with the assault force, slowly lumbering towards the shields to blast them apart but it would be dealt with in due time.

Lighting her wings, Fluttershy threw a massive singularity smack centre of the force followed by a charge close in and going at it with her omni blades. The Cerberus soldiers' response was swifter than she anticipated, they seemed not to give any second thought to the troops that had been downed and opened fire as a unit on Fluttershy...

They were too late.

From within the midst of their formation crossfire was a major issue and Fluttershy made the most of it, slashing and dashing whilst using her cloak to conceal where she was going to strike and staying out of the sights of the heavy guns on the mech. The mechanical walker supported by its infantry would be a problem, but now without the infantry, she could use her far superior agility to fly circles around it and kill it.

"Twilight, move!" Fluttershy ordered as the mech exploded in spectacular fashion, the purple unicorn immediately galloped over to the door. The few unicorn guards in the embassy dropping their shields for a moment to let the three of them through, all of them sweating from exertion. "What's your status? Is everypony accounted for?"

"Outside of you, miss Twilight, and mister Bit, everypony was safely inside," the leader of the guards, a pegasus, stated as he cradled one o the rifles Fluttershy had used in the Griffin base. He seemed slightly shocked at what he'd witnessed the fellow pegasus do right outside the door.

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "Call me if more of them return, I will take care of them. Twilight, bring particle bit to a room deeper into the embassy," she said as she checked the networks again, finding the C-Sec's communications were back up. Quickly navigating to the highest level she tuned into the channel.

"-Reports on every sector so we can take back this station." she heard Bailey order.

"Bailey, Fluttershy here, what's C-Sec's status?" Fluttershy cut in on the conversation.

"Perfect. You were the last person I know to see the Council before crap hit the fan, what is their status?" Bailey immediately cut to the chase.

"They were still at the top of the Citadel tower when I left them. I didn't do anything to their security so they should be protected up there. I'm currently at the Embassy district and there are significant forces here to take on the embassy's security details."

"Copy that, we'll send heavy re-enforcements right away... Damnit. They're not in the tower anymore, they're at the Presidium's outbound shuttle bay. They must be trying to evacuate to the Destiny Ascension but they've got Cerberus forces hot on their tails."

"That's not good, I can hold down the Embassy here which would free the reinforcements to head over to the shuttle bay," Fluttershy proposed.

"Nice plan, won't work. They're too far out." Bailey shot her down. "I've seen the recordings of you in action Fluttershy, your help would really be appreciated right here."

Leaving the embassy would mean it'd only be lightly defended... no offence to the security detail but they don't exactly seem like Spectres. On the other hoof, even though they are stubborn as hell, having the Council killed would do immense damage to the stability in Citadel territory which would be very bad with the reapers.

Stay at the Embassy, let the reinforcements go.

Go to the Council, let the reinforcements take the Embassy district.

Go to the Council with the reinforcements, they have to be saved.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

The fun has been doubled! :rainbowwild:
Extra long chapter since I really got into the flow for this one

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/42959899
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Phantoms

Chapter 174

Phantoms

Go to the Council, let the reinforcements take the Embassy district. 75%

“Send me their exact last location, I'll make sure they're safe. You get those reinforcements here, fast!” Fluttershy grumbled, turning to the guard leader. “I need one of those rifles, my own is at my apartment.”

“We have another, follow me.” he ran a little deeper into the embassy, entering a locker room and producing another one of the rifles.

“Thanks, help should be on the way and arriving soon,” Fluttershy told him as they ran back to the entrance.

“Glad to hear it,” he said as Fluttershy exited the building. “Close it up gentlecolts, we're not letting anyone through until C-Sec arrives!”

The shields appeared back in place, giving Fluttershy a little confidence that they'd be fine while she was gone. She opened up her omni-tool and brought up the location tag Bailey had sent her. Pony feathers, they're exactly the other direction of the embassies from the Tower entrance.

Fluttershy spread her wings and shot into the air, making sure to remain low to the ground to deter some audacious shuttle pilot from attempting a roadkill. Being flattened by a shuttle was one of the many things not on her planned schedule today.

As she arrived at the shuttle bay Fluttershy heard the rapid-fire of automatic guns going off inside the complex. Knowing she had to hurry up, Fluttershy went into a wing assisted Gallup and...

A figure materialised out of nothing, slashing a sword at her that crackled with energy. The pegasus was barely able to dodge the first swipe and just as narrowly blocked the second, downward, swipe with an omni-blade, that though left the Cerberus operative's midsection undefended. Lighting up one of the omni-blades on her wing, Fluttershy twisted and slashed her opponent across her stomach.

They cloak too now?! That's such a pain...

Fluttershy wanted to rush forward to get to the Council but knew that if Cerberus operatives could cloak too now she'd have to become that much more careful, that said, she still had to hurry to get to the Council in time. The few of the regular Cerberus soldiers that had been left in the rear were no challenge to the pegasus as she barely had to break her run to cut them down. Though it didn't take long until she came in contact with the next significant threat left behind for her.

A red laser dot appeared on her chest, prompting Fluttershy to jump behind cover as a round glanced off her shield, taking it down a significant way too. Steps from another approaching Cerberus operative prompted Fluttershy to peek just in time to see another one of the sword-wielding Cerberus operatives cloak. Fluttershy immediately did so as well, moving to another cover while cloaked so this operative... this Phantom didn't catch her behind there.

The pegasus tried to move up but the moment she left cover a round impacted her cloaked form, breaking the invisibility. The Phantom was upon her instantly, a violent but quick clash of blades ensuing between her and Fluttershy before the two of them managed to cloak again.

Damnit, that sniper is not going to let me get closer to the Council.

Fluttershy got her rifle ready and took aim at the location where the Sniper had shot from, a round impacting the shield around her head and taking it down. The round had been deflected ever so slightly but it still tore into her cheek, chipping the bone before punching through the cloth of her hood... but in return, it gave Fluttershy a shot at the Sniper.

BANG!

The Cerberus operative was knocked backwards as the Equestrian rifle was more powerful than the one the human had, her shield collapsing and the round punishing into her head.

The Phantom immediately was upon her, striking down like what had been a fatal move to the previous Cerberus operative but now Fluttershy wasn't in a position to counter the way she'd done there. Throwing up her rifle, she managed to deflect the hit but not without sacrificing the rifle.

"I'm getting very sick of you," Fluttershy growled as she lit up her wings and threw a massive singularity in the direction the Phantom had run off to before cloaking. For a split second, the air shimmered as the cloak was interrupted by the gravitic anomaly, prompting Fluttershy to use another biotic attack and grab a hold of the human. "Gotcha."

The Phantom was smashed into the ground by the pegasus who didn't even wait for the body to hit the ground before continuing her run towards the Council. As Fluttershy entered the larger hangar her shield was barraged again by automatic fire, only the different sound to the rifles Cerberus used.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Fluttershy called out over the roar of the rifles "FRIENDLY!"

There was a momentary lapse in bullets flying in her direction. "Do not approach any closer!"

Fluttershy stepped out of cover to present herself to the Council's security detail. "Commander Bailey sent me to back you all up!"

"Can you confirm that?" the captain from up in the tower asked, keeping his rifle trained on the pegasus who nodded. Bringing up her omni-tool Fluttereshy discovered that C-Sec's network locally was still down, so instead she opted to show the recording of her conversation. "Alrigh-"

An explosion rocked the section as three heavy mechs dropped in through holes in the roof along with troops to cover them.

"CONTACT!" One of the guard positions got immediately obliterated from a combined volley from the heavy mechs. Fluttershy jumped into action, rushing up to the next guard barricade to be targeted and throwing up a shield. The three shots from the mechs slammed it hard, a fireball enveloping the shimmering barrier. A spike of pain shot through Fluttershy's wings as her biotics were being strained badly.

This though was the last straw for Fluttershy as her crap quota for the day was truly met.

Fluttershy activated the stare and looked at the pilot of the first mech, instantly feeling the corruption of the reapers in the mind of the pilot. The corruption was too deep-rooted for her to save, and besides, she wasn't about to accidentally put them under her control like Saren so she ripped the corruption out, letting the human's mind collapse in on itself. within seconds all three drivers were mere soulless husks, their machines frozen in their last position.

The guards slowly became aware of the rapidly diminishing fire, the ones close to Fluttershy feeling the heavy weight of Fluttershy's active stare while Cerberus agents fell like flies wherever the pegasus swept her gaze.

Fluttershy though felt the strain increase too like she'd never had before, a splitting headache coming up as she could swear she heard dark whispers in the back of her mind. As she finally cut off her stare she had to work to remain on her hooves, her legs shaking dangerously from exhaustion while the C-Sec guards finished off the rest of the diminished attacking force.

"What the hell was that?" The guard captain asked, having been one of the people close to her. Instead of managing to answer Fluttershy coughed up a significant amount of blood, her legs losing their fight to stay upright too. "Fuck. MEDIC!"

"I'm good," Fluttershy managed to say as no more blood came out of her lungs. "Let's just say I do not like to do that, Captain." She was pretty sure that the drugs floating around her system were the only thing keeping her going but she had more pressing concerns again now. "Where's the council?"

"Further back, we placed them in the husk of one of our shuttles. Cerberus had disabled all of them before we arrived here but their armour was still the best secure place to put them," The Captain said and pointed to a guarded shuttle. "Everyone, keep your eyes open! I don't want any surprises until we are sure there's no Cerberus present on this station!"

The captain sent one of his men with Fluttershy to the shuttle while he got to re-organising his remaining troops. The four occupants' eyes widening as they saw the state of the pegasus. The wound on her cheek had coloured her entire side of her face red, and a cut on her forehead had let blood drip into her eye, forcing it shut. The cloth of her hood being torn up pretty badly and in other places of her armour as well. "Are all of you okay?"

"Yes, we are unharmed," the asari councillor was the first to respond. "I would say that we hadn't expected to see you this soon."

"Bailey sent me, he's currently organising C-Sec's forces," Fluttershy provided once again as the turian Councillor got a message on his omni-tool.

"Communications have been restored," he announced, typing in a few commands."

"Councillors?" Bailey immediately asked as his hologram popped up on the Councillors omni-tool.

"Commander Bailey. Did you direct miss Fluttershy to us?" He asked.

"Matter of factly I did. There was a large group of Cerberus craft headed your way and my people were too far out." Bailey told him, backing up Fluttershy. "We are making headway in pushing out Cerberus forces in all sectors. Their initial attack took out most of our infrastructure but ever since Comander Shepard helped take back the Accadamy and our communications grid we have been able to push them back. He is headed over to your position as well."

"Understood and thank you, keep us posted Commander." He shut off the projection.

"What is the situation out there, soldier?" the asari councillor asked of the C-Sec guard that had accompanied Fluttershy.

"Lost a lot of good people, though we got lucky that miss Fluttershy here arrived when she did or those mechs Cerberus sent would have wiped us out."

"I see..." the asari looked at her colleagues to gauge their reaction.

"Nothing impressive," Fluttershy casually brushed off, letting her medical systems inject another dose of medi-gel.

"To the contrary, would be very useful as an operative," The salarian souncillor spoke up.

"You are not talking about what I'm thinking you are talking about, are you?" Udina frowned. "Her kind has barely established their embassy!"

"This is wartime, Councillor, we cannot afford to pass up useful assets," the Turian councillor shot him down. "With the network back up we can make it official too."

Udina grumbled but brought up his omni tool with the rest of them. Fluttershy meanwhile forgot all about her aching body as she couldn't believe what the four councillors were alluding to. They're not talking about... can they?

"Miss Fluttershy, as the council we are offering you a position as a Council Spectre. Do you accept this position?" the asari councillor announced after their quick vote. Fluttershy's jaw dropped a bit as she this outcome hadn't even crossed her mind, though it might make up for some of the shitty day.

"Yes."

"Then it is the decision of the council that you be granted all the privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnisance branch of the Citadel." she announced.

"You have proven on more than a single occasion that you stand above the mere rank and file and can contend with the best," the salarian councillor added.

"You are now charged with upholding the safety of the galaxy, a great burden in peace time but now in war..." The turian councillor provided as the third councillor. Udina though remained silent so the asari councillor picked it back up again.

"This is a great honour for a species as new as yours to the galactic community, do your kind proud."

Author's Note

I'm pretty sure that putting Fluttershy's choice up to a vote would have led to a fairly predictable outcome so to continue with the flow I just continued writing :raritywink:

Next up, let's see what Shepard found on Mars! :pinkiecrazy:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

The Plan

Chapter 175

The Plan

Fluttershy sat outside of the shuttle among the guards as they went about clearing out the mess she had made in repelling the final attack. C-Sec was slowly getting control back from Cerberus who'd never had a massive force on the Citadel, their success mainly stemming from their initial seizing of major infrastructure.

Fluttershy was checking out her internal wounds with her scanners, being slightly concerned at the damage. All the drugs in her system had gotten her back into fighting shape but she'd never thought heavy use of the stare could have such devastating consequences. I need to figure out why I got this reaction... Next time I might not be so lucky...

Fluttershy then noticed two familiar faces enter the large hangar with a third less familiar one. "Shepard! Liara!" she called out. The commander and asari turned to her, smiled, and came over.

"You look fantastic," Shepard smirked as he looked the pegasus' bloodied form over.

"I'll survive," Fluttershy chuckled back, turning to Liara. "Didn't exactly expect you out here, don't you have more important things to do?"

"The Normandy has great facilities to run my operations," Liara smiled.

"You look like you went through hell, feathers," the buff human male that made up the third member of Shepard's team commented.

"Fluttershy, James. James, Fluttershy," Shepard quickly introduced them.

"No need to flirt, James, I'm already taken," Fluttershy smirked, getting a bark of laughter from James.

"Don't worry, just innocent nicknames."

"So Shepard, you're here to show the Council what you found on Mars?" Fluttershy changed the subject, the atmosphere becoming much more serious again.

"Yes, we may actually need you for that but let's brief you with the Council present as I don't want to repeat myself."

"Sounds good to me." Fluttershy got back up, putting a little extra focus on staying up straight. A few minutes later they arrived at the temporary control centre that was set up for the council.

"Commander, what is the word from earth?" Udina immediately asked as he noticed the arrival of his fellow human.

"Bad. The reapers hit us extremely hard," Shepard stated grimly. "Second fleet's destroyed, and we lost Arcturus station in the first few hours."

"That's concerning... Hacket managed to contact me in a short message where he stated you had found critical information in the Mars archives?" Udina continued, Liara stepping forward and presenting a hologram.

"Yes we did. I have been trying to find a way to battle the reapers for months and managed to hit upon something on Mars," Liara expanded the hologram to show individual parts of what looked like a massive device. "I believe that this machine is the key to what the protheans hoped to be their way to victory..."

"There's a but," the asari councillor observed.

"They never finished it and the designs are not complete," Liara said with a sigh. "Part of the machine was being worked on not by the protheans but by another."

"Ours," Fluttershy quickly guessed.

"Indeed, but that leaves us with another problem. We never found any ruins of your kind."

"We can go look around Equis for more information?” Fluttershy offered but Liara shook her head.

“According to the data your kind worked on it at your capital world." The asari brought up a hologram of the milky way galaxy. "For a reason not detailed in the data the protheans were not exactly sure of that planet's location but they made an educated guess." A location was marked on the galaxy map fairly close to the edge of Citadel space. "That brings us to the second problem, there is no relay that would bring any of our ships into a range where we can travel to it with regular FTL tech."

"Then why are we discussing it?” the turian Councillor asked curtly.

"The Vindica can make a jump like that," Fluttershy proposed, knowing about the Titan's jump drive.

“Out of the question. Your princess has attached her vessel to our navy and its actions have proven it to be an invaluable asset to Palaven's defence,” the turian Councillor snapped. "I will not sacrifice Palaven for something we can't even confirm to work."

"Then can you at least spare resources to admiral Hackett for the sections of the device we do have the plans of?" Shepard pleaded.

The turian frowned. "Even if I knew what kind of resources I had available, I wouldn't know what I could spare. We might need a lot of it ourselves soon."

"This project might be the only thing that can gives us a tool that can defeat the reapers!" Liara exclaimed exasperated.

“We are all in this together but with the reapers pressing on our borders too anything we might spare now may mean the fall of world's of our own later.” the asari councillor sighed. “The cruel but unfortunate truth is that while earth is taking a beating we can prepare our own."

Shepard made a sound that seemed like a grumble and a sigh, shook his head, turned, and walked off. The council once again started arguing amongst themselves as Liara and Fluttershy both concluded nothing more was to be gained and followed him. James hooked up with them too as he'd stood back while Shepard talked to the Council.

“We need another solution," Liara stated grimly.

"Luna does not answer to the turians, we may be able to convince her to help us," Fluttershy provided.

"That would mean Palaven loses a vessel they deem 'invaluable' to their defence. That would leave his world less defended," Liara stated in response.

"I know, I know..." Fluttershy groaned. "But if it's a choice between a slow but inevitable grind to extinction or taking the Vidica to hunt for a device that can save us..."

"We're not going to figure out how to get things done from here anyhow," Shepard cut in. "I'm going to take the Normandy to Palaven, there's a spot open for you any time you want to join but you'll have to report to Bay 24 of the Alliance docks by the end of the day cycle."

Fluttershy smirked. "I'll be there, but I have to go check up on the Embassy first. I kind of left Twilight there without telling where I ran off to when going here... plus I think the ambassador would like to know about my new status."

"New status?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow.

The smirk on Fluttershy's face grew as she opened her wings to fly off. "Spectre."

Author's Note

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Departure

Chapter 176

Departure

The embassy district was crawling with C-Sec as Fluttershy got back to it. Before she could even land there were officers training their weapons on her, not taking any chances.

"Calm down boys, Council Spectre," Fluttershy smiled, she kind of liked the sound of it: Fluttershy, Council Spectre.

"Understood ma'am, please refrain from flying around the district for now."

"I'll make sure to not scare your people, I'm sure everyone has had enough excitement for the day."

After being led through, Fluttershy made straight for the embassy. C-Sec guards were posted outside the battered building that made up the Equestrian embassy, they glanced at her as she approached but did nothing to stop her from entering, being a pony after all.

"Fluttershy!" A purple blur collided with the pegasus and squeezed her tightly. "W-Where did you go?! O-One moment you were r-right behind me and the other you weren't!" Twilight sniffed.

"I'm sorry Twilight, a friend in C-Sec asked me if I could help safeguard the Council. I had to go to catch up to them immediately," Fluttershy explained as she tried to comfort Twilight who was sniffing and shaking. "I'm really sorry I scared you that much."

"P-please don't leave again..."

Fluttershy opened her mouth to comfort Twilight more but couldn't. "I can't stay on the Citadel, Twilight."

"W-what?!" Twilight's rate of breathing rapidly increased as panic gripped the unicorn. "No! Y-you can't go!"

"Twi, the reapers are here. I can't sit idly on the Citadel and watch them slowly kill us. Shepard has already offered me my spot on the Normandy for the trip to Palaven, we're going to speak to Luna over there."

Twilight's breathing returned to a more normal amount as she stared off into space in thought for a moment. "Then I'm coming with you."

"Twili-"

"If you refuse to take me I'm teleporting on board when you leave," Twilight bullishly cut her friend off.

"Shepard has a say in this too, you can't just go onto his ship unannounced," Fluttershy tried to no avail, Twilight having made up her mind.

"Try me."

With a sigh, Fluttershy shook her head. "Fine. I need to see the ambassador, we'll go see the commander after that." Fluttershy tried to head up to the ambassador to tell him about the Council's decision but Twilight stuck remarkably close to her. "You're not going to let me out of your sight, are you?"

"Nope!" Twilight exclaimed, a smile finding its way back onto her face. Shy couldn't help but smile back and chuckle as she continued to the office.

The ambassador was busy tapping commands onto his tablet as they entered. Fluttershy cleared her throat to announce her arrival. "Miss Fluttershy! My thanks for defending this building but I have to ask, am I going to have to fix a galactic diplomatic incident now?"

Fluttershy chuckled but the ambassador was not in the mood for humour. "You won't. I did get the Council to do something else."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what may that 'something else' be exactly?"

"As of less than an hour ago I have been appointed to the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance unit of the Citadel Council," Fluttershy said smugly.

"Thank Celestia... Wait, WHAT!?" The ambassador stared at the pegasus in disbelief. "Oh, this is going to be fun." He eventually groaned.

"Paperwork?" Fluttershy inquired.

"Worse... I'm sorry, I'm glad you got your new position, from what I've gathered Spectre's are a big deal, but I can already see the accusing messages coming." He explained. "I've been dealing with ambassadors inquiring why our one and only warship is breaking pretty much every Citadel regulation on dreadnaughts. I'm sure those complaints will go away soon but I don't see how other races aren't going to envy the fact you got your position."

"Well, it may be up to you to make sure I retain it."

"Exactly." He agreed. "Don't worry, I will pull out all the stops to make sure you don't have to bother with the politicians."

"Much appreciated. I need to head over to the Alliance docks, commander Shepard offered me a spot on his vessel to lift over to Palaven where we'll talk to Princess Luna." Fluttershy looked over to Twilight. "She's coming too."

"Taking a civilian with you on a warship?" He questioned, glancing at Twilight.

Fluttershy shrugged. "That's how I got where I am now."

"Right... Well, I at least know that with your new status you could countermand anything I'd do to stop you, so take care of her," The ambassador sighed.

"You'd stop me from leaving?" Twilight questioned the stallion.

"I did have a list of orders given to me by the Princesses before leaving, miss Twilight."

"Oh..." Twilight Fell silent again and looked down at the tips of her hooves.

"Anyhow, I have to coordinate with C-Sec now, our guards are well and truly out of commission and I don't see reinforcements coming from Equestria any time soon."

"Of course, we'll get out of your hair. Twilight, you coming?" Fluttershy asked, nudging the unicorn who seemed deep in thought.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm coming," she said, forcing a smile. The two of them soon after left the embassy, staying vigilant as they made for their apartment to retrieve the gear left there. The shuttle network was shut down but with Fluttershy's new clearance it wasn't long before they had a vehicle to transport them.

"You're very sure about this, Twilight?"

"Very," the unicorn stated in reply as they landed at the Alliance docks. Fluttershy though was having her doubts, would Twilight really benefit most from going with her on the Normandy?

"You'll have to miss the university, you know. That's a lot of books and information you won't have access to," Fluttershy tried to entice Twilight.

"I'm coming Fluttershy," Twilight said without hesitation, her mind well and truly made up.

"Alright, alright. I just want you to know this won't be a pleasure cruise."

"I'm not stupid, Shy, I know I'll have to find some way to pull my weight."

"I'm sure we'll find something for you to do," Fluttershy sighed, the two of them walking up to the airlock and entering.

"Good to see you showed up... Taking in an extra guest I see?" Joker's voice came over the speakers.

"Shepard seems to have a soft spot for cute little ponies, I'm sure he'll agree," Fluttershy replied with a smirk, seeing Twilight blush.

Joker barked a laugh. "That he does." The airlock cycled and let them in, Shy gave Joker a quick nod as she passed and walked down the spine of the ship to the elevator. The crew that manned the stations looked unfamiliar to her, all of them replaced by Alliance staff. Most of the staff were busy with their own work though Fluttershy noticed the analysts next to the command platform trying to covertly glance at them as they passed for the elevator. Fluttershy picking up some confusion and curiosity from the human. Guess word hasn't gotten around yet that Shepard Picked me up.

Ignoring the little glance, Fluttershy took Twilight down to the sleeping quarters and got a bed for the two of them before heading over to the medbay to get herself patched up properly. She'd patched up what she could in the field but she really needed some proper medicine to patch herself up. The medbay was quiet, no doctor occupying it with the Normandy running on a skeleton crew. I wonder where doctor Chakwas is... I hope she's alright. Fluttershy inserted a syringe into an access port of her armour and depressed the plunger. That should fix any leftover damage.

Shy looked out the medbay's window as she sat down in Doctor Chakwas' chair and the drug cocktail made its way through her system. The Normandy's air circulation system making a soft whirring sound barely audible to even Shy's sensitive ears. "Once more unto the breach..." she whispered, her resolve hardening. The years and months of trying to warn and prepare were over, now the test if their efforts had been enough.

Clenching her jaw in resolve, Fluttershy got up and left the medbay. She had preparing to do.

Author's Note

I've actually planned out stuff a little further this round so an important vote should be coming up after reaching Palaven.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Palaven

Chapter 177

Palaven

"Can you even use those, feathers?"

Fluttershy huffed. "Our hooves are much more versatile than they look." the pegasus proved this by hefting a rather large dumbbell off its rack. "See?"

"I'll be damned," James said surprised. "Guess I'll have to share then."

"Not like you could use all of them at once anyhow," Fluttershy smirked as she used her biotics to array the various fitness instruments throughout the Normandy's hold. After arranging them she went over to the armoury also located in the hold and stripped to her bare fur, stashing the armour in one of the lockers. Her eyes passed over the requisition station that was placed there, She'd have to take a look if her Spectre status would give her a new toy to play with later.

"Fluttershy?" The pegasus turned to see Twilight trotting out of the elevator.

"Twilight! Perfect timing, I was going to get some exercise in before we arrive at Palaven. Want to join?" Fluttershy smirked as she walked over to the equipment. Her body was already muscular, not like Rainbow's that was merely toned and made for flying, but more like Applejack's rough farm work.

The unicorn blushed and nodded, walking to a set of dumbells, looked down at them, and tried to lift it. James laughed from the sideline as Twilight struggled, "I think you better take these." The human got a set of lighter weights instead.

"T-Thanks" Twilight blushed as she was actually able to lift the lighter dumbbells, Fluittershy taking the heavy ones.

"You have no clue what to do with those, don't you?" Fluttershy smiled, Twilight shaking her head. "Rainbow always showed me how to use them when we were young, that helped me out a lot when I first started."

Fluttershy went ahead and instructed Twilight how to use the weights, explaining what exercise would hit which muscle group. It didn't take long for Twilight to be sweating bullets as she wasn't used to this kind of abuse of her body, Fluttershy encouraging her to push on further every time she was about to give in.

"So, Feathers, how did you meet the Commander?" James asked as he joined in on the lifting.

"Got sent through to the relay in the Presidium, I ran into him after fleeing for a while. Joined up on the SR-1 and slowly got more involved with his fight against the reapers," Fluttershy summarised. "Me and Garrus spent a little time on Omega in the middle some time after the original Normandy got blown up."

"That's one hell of a rough place to bunk out," James commented.

"Yeah... we built up a little bit of a reputation in that place. I'm sure every gang in that place still has us in the back of their mind," Fluttershy chuckled darkly, staring off into nowhere for a bit. "Anyhow. You?"

"Spent time on Omega too after a botched mission, Admiral Anderson personally tracked me down for some reason and recruited me to act as guard to Shepard while he was on earth," James summarised his own meetup with the Commander. "The moment the reapers arrived I got my ass to the Normandy, that got me here."

"Must be good if Anderson tracked you down to that craphole. Most people go there to disappear," Fluttershy chuckled.

"Probably would have if not for him... Might have ended up like that Archangel turian and his team," James shrugged, but he did keep an eye on Fluttershy to gauge her reaction. The pegasus's smile became more bitter.

"We lost a few good friends there, Garrus got out pretty well but it broke our team's back," Fluttershy closed her eyes as she remembered how she got captured by a krogan strike team and how she'd downed the starship they'd tried to imprison her on.

"Shit... Bad memories I take."

"Not the most positive kind, no," Fluttershy responded. "Mind a change of topic?"

"Of course not compadre, we all got our demons." James looked at Twilight, "So who's your friend here?"

"This here is Twilight Sparkle, biggest genius Ponykind has to offer," Fluttershy said, a genuine smile returning as she poker the unicorn in the ribs.

"H-Hey now, there's plenty of smart ponies back on Equestria... Most of whom haven't screwed up before either..." Twilight said while fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Oh? Then tell me, who was the pony that figured out how to jury-rig a miniaturised mass relay to accurately send ponies to the Citadel... Twice," Fluttershy said smugly. "Say what you will but you managed with limited knowledge to fire up a highly advanced piece of technology, something which established races haven't even been able to do."

"Gotta say Sparkles, that's kind of impressive," James too commended, making Twilight blush and shrink down a bit. Before they could tease Twilight further EDI called in over the speakers.

"The commander is on board, do you wish for me to inform him you have arrived?"

"No, I'll go up to personally see him and inform him." Fluttershy replied.

"Understood, the commander is currently heading up to his private quarters."

"Got it." Fluttershy turned to James and Twilight. "Mind if I leave you with this mess to clean?"

"Nah, go ahead, I'll keep Sparkles here busy while you speak with the commander."

"I-It's okay I guess," Twilight stammered.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back."

Fluttershy stood at the holographic table in the war room, a display of Palaven and its moons smack centre of the display. Around them icons of fleet movements and engagements that the Normandy's sensors and datafeeds picked up were displayed as well, mostly showing the reapers absolutely mauling the turian vessels that attempted to block their advance... though one small fleet that seemed to be dashing from engagement to engagement actually had some success.

"Turian losses are going to become unsustainable at some point if they don't figure things out," analyst Trainor said as Shepard too was looking at the projection. "See that bright spot on Palaven? That's the turian's capital."

Fluttershy's face hardened at that little tidbit of information. "Where's the Vindica?" she asked.

"Right here, above the moon of Menae, it seems to have an escort of light frigate attached to it." Trainor zoomed in on the tags representing the vessels.

"Just light cruisers? That's all?" James questioned.

"The Vindica has been making manouvres that would tear any larger turian vessel apart, its mass effect generators must be very impressive to remain in a single piece through that kind of punishment," EDI chimed in. "I have sent out hails to her, Fidelis has provided rendervous coordinates and docking procedures."

"Get the Normandy there as soon as you can," Shepard ordered.

"Joker already has the Normandy on route. we shall remain silent to attract as little attention possible."

"Good. Fluttershy, James, Liara, get ready for possible deployment," Shepard continued, "For everyone else, battlestations. Rotate the crew for as long as we are in the system and keep on high alert." The ships lights turned to red, and an announcement was made through the ship. Not that it mattered much as Fluttershy knew most of the Normandy's crew already were glued to their stations. "Dismissed."

Fluttershy went down to check up on her new rifle, Twilight who hadn't been allowed into the war room due to lack of clearance, waited at the entrance for Fluttershy to come out. "S-So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to meet up with the Vindica very soon," Fluttershy answered, filing into the elevator to head down to the armoury along with Twilight, Liara, and James.

"But?..." Twilight pressed.

"I may need to deploy down to a moon or the planet. These things never turn out to be very simple in my experience."

"S-So you're leaving?" Twilight stammered as they stepped out of the elevator, Fluttershy pulling the unicorn to the side as Liara and James went to get their stuff.

"Look Twilight, there are going to be times where I'll be off on my own. You can't always be right next to me."

"I-I just don't want to lose you again," Twilight croaked, trying to hold back tears.

"And I'll promise do my very best to get back up here." Fluttershy made the motions for a Pinkie promise to reinforce that fact. "You're going to have to deal with this, Twi, because I have no doubt that before this is all over we're going to need that brilliant mind of yours." Fluttershy rubbed Twilight's hair, messing it up royally. "Now I need to go prepare, I got myself a new rifle and I need to make sure the scope is calibrated correctly."

"Alright, alright... just be careful you know," Twilight nuzzled her friend and smiled. "But I'll be watching!"

"Of course, wouldn't expect otherwise."

"Jeez..." The rest of the observers had a similar reaction to Joker as they approached the small fleet detachment with the Vindica. A black scorch was dragged over the vessel, the armor in the section hit had been partially melted though didn't look like the ship was penetrated by it.

EDI and Joker guided in the Normandy under the Titan nad held there as instructed by Fidelis. Doors on the belly of the Equestrian vessel slowly opened up and a set of mass effect fields pulled in the relatively tiny Normandy and docked it to internal docking clamps before shutting close the hatches again.

"That's one hell of a way to invite your guests," Joker said in awe as a docking ramp attached itself to the ship. As they left a group of heavily armoured batponies accompanied them to bring them to a conference room where they waited for Princess Luna to show up.

"No offence intended to you all but could we make this meeting quick?" Luna stated as she entered. "The turians are already not happy about this little distraction."

"We shall be curt. Liara, show her," Shepard let the asari step forward.

"I have been looking for ways to stop the reapers over the last few months, the thing I found was a device under construction by the protheans." Liara brought up the hologram that depicted the parts of the device. "They called it the 'Crucible' but they were not the only species to work on it. Another part of its mechanism was being worked on by your kind. The data was kind enough to provide the location of where your kind was working on the part." she brought up the hologram of the milky way with the specific star. "The problem is it is too far from any relay for us to reach the system..."

"...so you require this vessel's jump capability to reach the starsystem," Luna finished for her, studying the hologram intently. "I regrettably cannot help you right now," the princess stated after deliberating.

"Luna, we have to get to this star system," Fluttershy pleaded but the princess shook her head.

"I am going to assume humanity has already started construction on this thing?" Shepard nodded to Luna. "Then at some point you will have to deploy it too and you can be sure the reapers will counter you when you do. The point being is that you will require a fleet to protect it."

"And if we pull the Vindica away from Palaven the turians bill both suffer and probably be unwilling to help us out," Shepard followed up as he got the logic.

"Exactly," Luna confirmed. "I shall relay that it is our intent to detach from the naval engagements if they do not negotiate for an alternate solution but I suggest you go talk to the turian Primarch in the meanwhile."

"Well, let's not waste time and get going." Shepard stepped away from the table.

"Agreed. I have operations to run, last engagement was way too close an affair," Luna agreed. "Good luck commander, may your aim be true."

"Yours too." The commander looked at his three strike team members. "Let's go."

Author's Note

I might be throwing out somewhat bigger chapters to cover more ground. I'm sure people can guess what the next vote will be about, though what will the options be?~ :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Primarch

Chapter 178

Primarch

The shuttle shuddered unusually as it made a rapid descent down to the moon, Fluttershy's eyes fixed on one of the screens showing the burning planet in the sky outside.

"You okay Feathers?"

"We've got a friend down there," Shepard said bitterly.

"Boyfriend to be exact," Fluttershy added.

"Well... shit."

"He'll be okay, Garrus is one of the toughest warriors around," Liara comforted her.

"LZ is hot Commander!" the pilot called out from up front.

"James, open up the hatch. Fluttershy, pick off the bastards," Shepard ordered, the two immediately jumping into action. As the hatch opened Fluttershy lined up her rifle and started taking shots. One after another the husk's remnants of their brains got blown out as Fluttershy systematically took out the reaper forces.

"We've got an opening!" she reported back to the commander as the last one fell.

"Understood. Set us down!" he ordered to the pilot, the shuttle setting down and letting the team of four out before flying off again to the safety of the Normandy.

"More husks!" Liara called out as the former humans charged at the newly arrived troops, flinging her biotics at the things. Both Shepard and James opened up with their rifles while Fluttershy joined in with the biotics. the group of husks absolutely got obliterated and it didn't take long for the group to get to the first turian barricade.

"Where's your commanding officer!?" Shepard called out to the soldiers manning it.

"Straight ahead, past the corner at the next barricade!" one of them called back. No more husks got in their way and the turians at the other barricade swiftly let them through.

"General?" Shepard asked as he found the turian in charge of the outpost and recognised the rank.

"Commander Shepard, I just got word you were coming down. General Corinthus," the turian replied, not taking his gaze off the screen he was looking at. "What do you need of me?"

"I need to talk to the Primarch."

The general finally looked up from his screen and frowned. "The primarch, Fedorian, is dead. His shuttle was shot down when he tried to leave the moon for Palaven an hour ago."

"That'll complicate things... how bad are things general?" Shepard asked.

"Lost about four hundred men in this sector over the last half an hour. The idea was to set up positions on this moon as an advanced position to flank any force, sound strategy just..."

"Irrelevant," Shepard provided.

"Exactly. The sheer force of these things just makes them immune to that kind of tactic. The primarch found that out the hard way," he grunted. "I would give you the name of the next primarch but our antenna array got damaged."

"Where is it located?" Shepard asked, General Corinthus pointed in a direction outside the camp.

"Northwest, I'll have a squad get-" the general was interrupted as a massive flying reaper monstrosity came flying over.

"HARVESTER!" a soldier shouted as fire was poured into the air. "It's going for the airfield!"

"Damnit. Fluttershy, Liara, go to the radio tower and fix it. James, with me, we are going to kick that thing's ass," Shepard ordered. Fluttershy and Liara immediately split off and headed for the tower. A squad of turians waiting for them at the gate leading to the antenna.

"Husks overran this section, we haven't been able to take it back," their leader, a sergeant, explained quickly.

"I can run diagnostics on the thing if we can get to it, if we work fast we may be able to get it up and running before we're overwhelmed," Liara proposed, getting a laugh from the sergeant.

"With all due respect lady, I'm not sure what difference the two of you will make compared to the two squads here."

"With all due respect back, please open up this gate and let me demonstrate," Fluttershy said without any humour in her voice. She really wasn't in the mood for any bullshit while her boyfriend was out there somewhere in this highly deadly environment.

"Lead the way," he shrugged, letting the gate open and got his men through spearheaded by the pegasus and asari.

"First, let me..." Fluttershy's wings lit up in a biotic aura. "...clear a path!" A singularity soared through the air and pulled the large group of husks that had occupied the space around the antenna off their feet and broke their bodies. "We're clear!"

"Mother- Alright, move up to the tower!" the sergeant called out to his men, the turians kicking into gear and taking defensive positions around the antenna while Liara went to look at the antenna and tried to figure out why it was malfunctioning.

"The problem isn't fixable from down here!" Liara called out as husks climbed up from below in an attempt to retake the ground they'd just lost. The turians were able to handle the stream for now but the sounds coming from the cliffs in the distance didn't inspire confidence that would last.

"I'll get it!" Fluttershy called out, flying up to the top of the antenna and starting the scanner to feed data for Liara to read out from below.

"Found the fault! Sending instructions!" Liara shouted up over the roar of the machineguns. Fluttershy's omni-tool beeping as it received the data and she immediately went to work fixing the problem. Halfway through Fluttershy took a break to shoot a husk off of a turian before his face could get clawn off, before finishing the repair.

"It's done! Get out of here!" she shouted, remaining in the air to take shots at the groundbound husks. The volume of them charging was getting a serious problem even as the heavy new rifle Fluttershy had nailed multiple of them at once. The turians below didn't waste a second retreating back to the safety of their compound, a veritable hoard of husks beind them.

"OPEN FIRE!" the sergeant shouted at the crews manning the heavy machineguns as the two turians at the back of the pack were grabbed from behind and downed. An eardeafening roar sounded over the plain as the husks were shredded on mass. "Damnit, I hate those things... thanks for helping us out, those were some damn good tricks."

"No problem," Fluttershy nodded, turning as a massive explosion came from the direction of the airfield. Shy immediately opened a radio channel. "Commander, what's going on?!"

"Nothing to worry, we cleared out this mess," Shepard immediately replied. "Head back to the General."

"Copy that, see you in a sec," Fluttershy closed the channel and swiftly got back to the command post, Shepard and James arriving not long after.

"What have you got, General?" Shepard asked of the turian commander.

"Well, succession would be easy in normal circumstances, but with this many MIA and KIA..."

"General, I don't give a crap who it is. I need someone to talk to!" the commander told the general, straight to the point.

"I'm on it Shepard, I'l get you your primarch." Fluttershy would be able to recognise that voice anywhere.

"Garrus!" Fluttershy exclaimed, jumping right into his arms.

"Good to see you too," he smiled back at his girlfriend, putting his sniper rifle on his back to free up the hand to scratch Shy behind the ear.

"Vakarian, sir!" the general straightened up and snapped a salute.

"At ease general," Garrus told him.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you on Palaven itself?" Shepard asked, relaxing slightly in the company of a friend.

"We lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing to a reaper expert we have so I'm..." Garrus hesitated. "...advising."

"Message from Palaven Command, the next primarch according to them is General Adrien Victus," the General interjected.

"His name's crossed my desk before..." Liara muttered.

"Know him Garrus?" Shepard asked the turian.

Garrus let Fluttershy down who was purring happily. "I was fighting alongside him this morning. Career soldier, popular with the troops, has a bit of a reputation to play fast and loose with the rules which doesn't get him in the graces of high command. Not to say he isn't brilliant, he gets results."

"Sounds like the person we need," Shepard said.

"Exactly, we both know conventional strategy isn't going to win this war. He might be our best shot to beat the reapers," Garrus agreed. "We had to split up but I can lead you to where he was last reported going."

"Then we have no time to waste." Shepard turned to the General. "Good luck out here."

"Take that luck with you, you're going to need it," the turian replied before the group was off into the barren landscape of the moon. Fluttershy flew slightly above and acted as sentry while Shepard and James took point with Liara and Garrus on support behind them. After finding some stragglers who gave further directions they eventually saw reapers airdropping in units further up, the sound of a fierce raging battle sounding from the besieged location.

"That sounds bad," James commented.

"No reaper is taking this Primarch from me!" Shepard shouted as he went into a full sprint.

On the location of the battle various new forms of husks revealed themselves, turian looking creatures with guns but those weren't the most notable. Two massive brutes were busy turning some cover behind which turians were taking refuge into scrap metal, massive vices made out of cold metal acting as their hands.

"Fluttershy, Garrus, take the far one!" Shepard ordered, taking Liara and James to take on the one closest.

"Take to the air, make it mad!" Garrus called out to his marefriend who was pretty much already doing what he'd asked her to do. The first shot of Shy's rifle glanced off the thing's armour, taking some of it off but mostly doing nothing more than shift its attention from mauling some turian's cover to finding out what hit it. Garrus also opened up on it, using his assault rifle to get as much material downrange at the massive brute.

"Careful, it's charging!" Fluttershy called out to Garrus who was behind cover to replace his thermal clip. He barely rolled out of the way before the brute smashed through the cover, getting up and firing behind him to put some distance between it and himself.

It stumbled, looking disoriented for a moment, something Fluttershy was going to take advantage of. Dropping from the sky like a stone she activated the omni-blade around her wrist and rapidly jabbing it into the brute's back, taking off before it could retaliate. It had clearly done some damage as one of its arms didn't move well anymore.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" Garrus roared, having switched out to his sniper rifle and shooting the thing as quickly after each other as he could. Fluttershy landed next to him and charged up a biotic attack, the brute seeing his two tormenters next to each other got ready to charge again. The thing was lifted just off the ground but that was enough to avoid the charge, armour plates being shredded off its body, allowing Garrus to fire a set of accurate shots into the thing's internals. The brute staggered as it dropped from the biotic lift, taking a few more rounds before falling over and dying.

A little further up Shepard was busy doing the same thing Fluttershy had done and using his omni-blade to hack off the brutes head, succeeding pretty much at the same time as the pony and turian. The auxiliary forces had all been shot down by the turian unit that was also present. "You two good?" Shepard called out to Garrus and Fluttershy.

"Never been better!" Garrus called back, looking around for the turian they were looking for.

"General Victus?" Shepard called out, hoping he'd respond to them.

"Yes?" one of the turians in the fortified positions came forward.

"Commander Shepard, Alliance navy."

"Ah, commander, I know who you are. What brings you here?..." He then noticed Garrus approach. "Vakarian, where did you go?"

"Heavy reaper unit on the right flank, I believe your exact words were 'Get that thing the hell of my men!'," Garrus replied with a smirk.

"Appreciate it," he replied, turning back to Shepard for business.

"General, I'm here to inform you that Primarch Fedorian was killed and you are next in succession," Shepard informed him, Fluttershy could see the shock in his eyes and feel it coming off him.

"I am the new primarch?" He said more than asked in disbelief.

"Yes. And I need to discuss the release of Vindica and the commitment of turian resources for a superweapon project to kill the reapers," Shepard continued to press him.

"Commander, our people are stretched as it is, I may be able to release the Equestrian dreadnaught for a detachment of Alliance cruisers but I cannot throw turian support in whatever your people have cooked up with the pressure we are under now," general Victus stated, getting a grasp on himself. "We need someone to take off the pressure off either our navy or army."

We do have some relations in high places that could possibly help out... Fluttershy thought.

We might be able to get the Migrant fleet to support?

The Asari might be able to help with their fleet?

We could try to get help from the krogan?

[Vote link]

Author's Note

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - A Kirin's Tale (Unreleased Demo Version)

I like acoustics and this one popped up in my suggested feed again. It's not the one used in the show but I like this version better. Just thought I'd share :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/45238465
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Summit

Chapter 179

Summit

We could try to get help from the krogan? 62%

"We may be able to get Wrex involved," Fluttershy suggested to Shepard who for a second thought about it and nodded.

"We may be able to get the krogan to support your ground forces, general," Shepard relayed to the turian. "But if I am going to set up a meeting with him I'm going to need you to come with me."

General Victus' jaw clenched, "Of course... give me a moment to say goodbye to my men." He walked off to talk to a few of the turians that were under his command.

Garrus and Fluttershy had moved over to a cliff that gave a decent vantage point over the barren moon, a reaper capital ship had landed in the distance and was busy tearing up some turian position. "Just look at it... And they want my advice on how to stop it? I'm a failed C-Sec officer, vigilante... and then I am their expert advisor?"

"We're the only ones that have directly faced one of these before," Fluttershy sighed. "We're better than nothing."

"I know, I know... I'm just not sure how in the world we're going to stop something like that."

"By giving it our best shot," Fluttershy answered. "...A few well-calibrated and very big guns might help too."

Garus barked a laugh and picked shy off the ground, getting a peck on one of his bony mandibles from her. "You always know how to make me smile,"

"I do my best," Fluttershy smiled back.

"Love to break this up but we should get off this moon," Shepard interrupted.

"Of course, we've got enough work on our plates," Garrus agreed, letting Fluttershy go so they could back to the Normandy.

"And you're totally okay?"

"Yes Twilight, I'm completely unharmed," Fluttershy reassured the unicorn for the thousandth time as they sat at the table in the cafeteria. "I am a medic you know."

"I just worry..." Twilight mumbled, poking at her plate of dinner.

"And I appreciate that Twilight," Fluttershy said as Garrus took a seat across from the two. "And how badly did they mess up the Thanix?"

"You don't want to know..." he grumbled. "At least I'll have something to do in my spare time."

"And there's nothing else you want to do in your spare time?" Fluttershy leaned forward, a smirk on her face while Twilight nearly choked on her lunch next to the pegasus.

"I-I'll be at the port observation bay if you need me," Twilight stammered, taking her lunch along in her telekinesis.

Garrus, though physically unable to blush, also got flustered. "W-Well... I think I might be able to make some time."

Fluttershy giggled. "You're cute when you're like this."

"You tease."

"Guilty," Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. "There's something I wanted to ask you. Back on Menae when you came up on the general he saluted you, what was that about?"

Garrus tightened up a bit, the atmosphere between the two changing. "It's... complicated."

"Garrus..." Fluttershy said warningly, clearly not going to be satisfied with a deflection of half answer.

"The premier reaper expert came with a healthy rise in the hierarchy's ranks, there are a ton of casualties among the higher echelons of command, and General Victus with whom I was working with closely has been promoted to Primarch..." Garrus laid out. "Do the math."

Fluttershy straightened up too now, "That's... uncomfortably close to the top."

"Exactly," he agreed.

"They made me a Spectre you know."

"Wait, what?!" Garrus exclaimed at the sudden bit of information but Fluttershy wasn't finished.

"I also got a message for Princess Luna after she got word about the summit being called. She doesn't want to leave the Vindica and has authorised me to make treaties with her full authority," she added. "We might not be large but I'll at least be able to listen in and maybe influence the direction a bit."

"Sheesh... no pressure."

"Yes, though for me that luckily doesn't mean making decisions about where to spend pony lives yet," Fluttershy sighed, poking at her food, not feeling that hungry anymore.

"It's all screwed up," Garrus reached forward and put a hand on Fluttershy's hoof. "But we'll get through it, we have to."

"No rest for the wicked," she nodded, getting up from the table. "I need to get dressed, Luna was nice enough to leave a naval uniform for me to wear on board when we were docked."

"Good luck with Wrex in there," Garrus said, a smile returning onto his face.

"Let's hope he and the salarian dalatrass don't get into a fight," Fluttershy said with a little mirth, though the possibility this would get heated was fairly high. "See you after the meeting."

Fluttershy tugged on the relatively tight dress, the rank of Equestrian captain sitting on her shoulders. Of course she'd put those on there... She and Shepard were the first in the meeting room, followed by the turian primarch, then the Salarian dalatrass and Wrex. The asari had been asked to attend too but due to bad blood between them and the krogan they had refused to come.

"So tell me, what is this shindig about Shepard?" Wrex asked the moment he arrived, the salarian dalatrass huffing.

"If you are not going to take this seriously then why have you come, krogan?" she sharply shot at him.

Wrex growled and leaned forward to the salarian on the other side of the table. "This krogan has a name, Urdnot Wrex, you better remember it... and I have my own problems on Tuchanka. Reaper scouts have arrived."

"Everyone calm down. We're here to discuss how we can help each other, not start more fights," Shepard intervened.

"I know what's going on on Palaven, but why should I care if some turians go extinct?" Wrex stated. Fluttershy had feared this would be the case, Wrex might have become friends with Garrus but the animosity from being nigh sterilised by the turians and salarians ran deep in krogan.

"There's no point in dragging this out Wrex, there is no time for it. Tell me what you want," Victus said straight to the point.

"Not want, need," Wrex corrected him, looking straight at the salarian dalatrass. "A cure for the genophage."

"Absolutely not!" the salarian immediately called out. It was pretty much exactly what was to be expected of the course of the meeting. "The genophage is non-negotiable. We uplifted your kind to do one thing: wage war, and after you beat the rachni your kind failed to keep their 'urges' in check."

"You may not like Wrex, dalatrass, but we need him," Victus admonished her.

"I will not apologise for saying the truth," the salarian huffed.

"Enough!" Fluttershy cut in. "Making a cure for the genophage like that would take a long time."

"Normally yes," Wrex agreed with Fluttershy. "But my sources say otherwise." He moved to the console built into the conference table and brought up a video that showed female krogan locked up by salarians. "A salarian grew a conscience and tried making a cure for the genophage, most of his subjects died but some of them survived... and they were fertile. And that pyjack over there came and snatched them right up!"

"Where did you get this?!" the salarian exclaimed angrily, "It could be fabrication!"

"Don't insult me, those are my people!" Wrex sneered. "They're immune and you are going to give them back!"

"Is this true dallatrass?" Victus asked.

"How will curing the krogan benefit my people!" she defended.

"Because it'll stop them from going extinct," Fluttershy answered that question.

"Because that's how you'll end up if you don't start playing nice with everyone. Alone and dead," Shepard added to Fluttershy's criticism.

"And I will be the last friendly turian face you'll ever see," Victus finished.

The dalatrass rubbed her face and shook her head. "The females are being held at an STG base on Sur'Kesh. But I warn you, commander, the consequences will be felt for centuries!"

"Nothing worse than being destroyed by the reapers," Fluttershy snidely stated.

"Let's go get those females!" Wrex exclaimed, the dalatrass though wasn't done obstructing yet.

"You're not stepping foot on Sur'Kesh! This will need time to-"

"This will be allowed this to happen. Now. Commander Shepard and miss Fluttershy are both council Spectre's, they can oversee this transfer," Victus demanded, the other agreeing with him. Shepard, Wrex, and Victus starting to walk out, to get the arrangements made.

"You'll regret this, Commander. A bully has few friends when he needs them most!"

Fluttershy looked back as she too was leaving.

"Then where are yours?"

Author's Note

I always disliked that last line from the dalatrass.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Cannon

Chapter 181

Cannon

"I need support now, Wrex!" the turian Primarch nearly shouted at the krogan leader as he was clearly getting more desperate.

"And we had a deal!" Wrex rumbled back to him, not budging an inch. "No krogans will be headed towards Palaven as long as the genophage has not been cured!"

"The cure can wait now you have the female, my people require immediate support or we risk total collapse!" the turian shouted back, Fluttershy winced as she'd tried prying information on Palaven's status out of Garrus but he hadn't budged. Knowing the planet was at its breaking point... that stung somewhat, regardless of her never been there.

"That was not the deal, you can accept my demands or not expect any support at all!" Wrex roared back at him.

Fluttershy leaned forward against the table, "Wrex-"

"You know I am very fond of you, Fluttershy, and I know you and Garrus are a thing but not even you can change my mind about this. If we help them now and we win they'll just go back on their word about curing us," Wrex cut off the pegasus, though his volume was much lower than when he was talking to the turian. Fluttershy sighed as looked over at Shepard and Mordin who had joined them too as the two leaders of their respective species had their shouting match.

"How long would it take to finish the cure, Mordin?" Shepard asked as he could see they weren't going to change Wrex's mind here.

"Need to synthesize base antigen from female. Will also require male krogan for samples," Mordin quickly summed up.

"You're looking at it," Wrex, of course, said without hesitation.

"Acceptable. Will require you to remain here on Normandy while I work," Mordin said happily as he got another challenge to dig his fingers into.

"You're sure you can make the cure in time, Mordin?" Fluttershy asked before the turian councillor could.

"Yes. Always worked well under pressure. Will get it done, don't worry," he reassured them. "Will be in the medbay if needed. Expect to need those samples soon."

"You'll get them," Wrex grunted, Mordin nodded and left.

"Now, is there anything else?"

"There's a small matter concerning a ship we've lost contact with which we could use some help locating. I would prefer to discuss the details in private." the turian councillor replied.

Wrex huffed. "Turian problems don't even get near the problems I've got. Some of my krogans went missing but I'd like to discuss that in private."

Fluttershy sighed as the two leaders of their respective butted heads and refused to even remotely work together. The two of them left the conference room to coordinate their respective war efforts, leaving Fluttershy and Shepard alone in the room. "This is just going to be a major headache after another isn't it."

"Nobody's going to make it easier on us," Fluttershy sighed. "I'm just glad they're at least friendly to us, if it was hostility all around it would be impossible."

"Agreed," Shepard sighed. "On another note, Traynor and your friend found some Cerberus activity down on Tuchanka. Seems to be local and a small force, I wanted to ask you if you could take Garrus and find out what they are doing there."

"Borrow us a shuttle and consider it done," Fluttershy stated.

"You're an angel, Fluttershy. I'm going to deal with Wrex and the Primarch, good luck down there," Shepard too left to head into the war room where the two leaders had set up to ask what they wanted him to do. Fluttershy let Shepard's last sentence echo for a moment.

"An angel... Angel of death..." she muttered, heading out the other direction to the war room, through the security checkpoint, and into the CIC. Traynor though was not located at her usual spot near the command station. "EDI, where is Trainor right now?"

"Specialist Trainor and Twilight Sparkle are currently in the mess discussing signal intelligence over lunch." EDI replied.

Fluttershy chuckled and shook her head. "Of course they are." Taking the elevator down to the lower deck Fluttershy headed over and joined the two.

"...It was a very nice catch."

"Well, their attempt at masking it along the krogan transmissions was good but they were too clean. Krogans' tech usually has a bigger failure rate," Twilight replied with a blush as Fluttershy took a seat.

"I hear you two have something for me. Cerberus activity on Tuchanka?"

"Ah yes, we found suspicious communications going off-planet. An estimate of force would be about three squads of Cerberus soldiers," Trainor answered. "They have taken position at an old orbital cannon."

"Any reason for that?"

"We're not sure, but they seem to be working to bring it back online from what we can gather," Twilight answered this time. "From the records we've been able to get from the turians, those things can gut a dreadnaught so we don't want it in their hands."

"Definitely not," Fluttershy agreed. There were vessels of various navies still around Tuchanka and if Cerberus could take them out it would just inflict unnecessary casualties. "Can you two send everything over to me and Garrus? we're going to take a peek down there."

Twilight bit her lower lip, holding back a question. Fluttershy immediately noticed the gesture along with the emotions flowing from the unicorn and shook her head. "No."

"I didn't even ask anything!" she exclaimed.

"You were going to and I could see it was something reckless," Fluttershy deadpanned. "If you're interested in seeing what goes down when we're on the ground I can give you a hot seat safely from here."

"Really?" Twilight's ears perked up.

"Yes. I can stream a video feed directly from what I see." Fluttershy's eyes lit up as she activated a set of lenses that were contacted to her omni-tool activated. "You could even feed tactical information from orbital sensors over to us while we advance."

"Do you record everything too?" Twilight softly asked.

"Twilight, please don't..."

"But-"

"Yes." Fluttershy closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "Yes I do. I use the footage to evaluate all my actions, check if there was anything I could have done better. I sunk to a very low point when I was on Omega, Twilight, there's some absolutely gruesome stuff I have saved away. Please... just leave it be Twilight."

Tailor had fallen silent as the two ponies stared each other down, a deep pain behind Fluttershy's eyes. "Liara is probably going to accompany Shepard down on whatever the Primarch or Wrex has in store for him. We can ask to set up in her room."

"I guess..." Twilight sighed.

"I'll go set it up with her, I'll let you know when we're going down."

Two loud thuds rocked the shuttle even as the cannon was still quite some way away. "Damn, they already got the things working." Garrus cursed as he went in for a landing a small way out.

"Twilight, can you figure out what they're shooting at?" Fluttershy asked, opening up the shuttle and leaving prematurely to check the landing site for activity.

"Checking it now, I'll get back to you when I find the target." the unicorn replied over the comms.

"Copy, we'll move forward," Fluttershy replied before turning to Garrus. "Landing site clear, I'll fly ahead and make sure our path is clear."

"Just like old times," Garrus replied with obvious amusement.

"'Old times' meaning not all that long ago," Shy shot back with equal amusement.

"Feels like a lifetime."

"Touché."

Fluttershy had engaged her active camouflage but kept close to the ground, scanning for any Cerberus forward positions, the wrecked surface of Tuchanka giving plenty of places where one could hide.

"Shy, I've got an update on that cannon fire. There's a Cerberus cruiser making its way down to the planet's surface and the cannons are clearing the way for it. EDI informs me that that thing could do devastating damage if it manages to bombard the krogan!" Twilight stated, sounding fairly alarmed. "You have half an hour at best!"

"Right in the nick of time," Garrus commented as he put on some further speed. "Why do we get in these situations where we cut it this close..."

"No rest for the wicked! We may be able to use the cannon to knock out that cruiser though," Fluttershy replied as she took on some altitude and using her sniper rifle to tag enemies. "I can take over the main control centre but I don't think I'm proficient enough with big guns like these to score a hit on that cruiser."

"I'm sure I can though. You go around and cause chaos, I'll make my way to the control centre," Garrus told Shy as they approached the gun's outer perimeter.

"Will do, good luck!" Shy called out as she flew off.

"Luck? I've got bullets!" Garrus shouted back with a laugh before his marefriend could get out of earshot. Shy shook her head and went for the closest group of Cerberus infantry, flying straight above them before dropping herself like a brick.

"Shy, what are... you... doing..?" Twilight fell silent as the first trooper was impaled, the second kicked in the knees and then shot in the head by heavy pistol, the third and fourth getting suspended into a biotic field before getting executed as well.

"Causing chaos. If they focus on me Garrus can get into the control centre with minimal resistance," She replied, propping up her sniper rifle and loosing two more deadly accurate shots.

"B-But..!"

"Twi, I'm sure you saw the bulletin report about the augmentations the Cerberus troopers undergo. They aren't themselves anymore and there's no reversal to reaper augmentation," Shy explained as she nailed three more Cerberus operatives. "Garrus, status?"

"Almost there, there's a small squad in the way. Taking care of them now," the turian replied, any sound from shots that were fired were drowned out as the orbital cannon fired again.

"Fluttershy, there's a squad coming at you from the north!" Twilight warned, her voice still shaky but giving Fluttershy just enough time to turn and put up a shield against a trio of grenades thrown in her direction.

"Thanks for the heads-up!" Shy grunted as she activated her cloak and disappeared into the dust cloud that was thrown up by the trio of explosions.

"Spread out!" The Cerberus officer shouted at his troops, only for an omni-blade to appear from his chest as he got stabbed from behind. The rest of the troopers spun around and shot at where they'd briefly seen the pegasus appear, hitting nothing but thin air.

"Damnit, they cut off the power to the control systems." Garrus cursed as the massive cannons stopped firing too.

"Hold up, I can find the source!..." Twilight quickly stated, a new marker appearing Fluttershy's map a few seconds later. "There! I traced the supply to a set of relays through which power needs to be routed!" she exclaimed full of pride.

"Well done Sparkle! I'll hold the control centre, you go get me power, Flutters!" Garrus stated as Fluttershy had already started heading in the relay's direction. Shy's motion sensors lit up brightly with all sorts of dots as she approached the marked location.

"There's quite a few of them here, how much time do we have left before that cruiser gets too close?" Shy asked as she took cover across from the Cerberus forces that were entrenching. Turrets having been set up with overlapping fields of fire and portable shield generators for fire positions.

"Seven minutes until the cruiser is below the firing envelope of this gun," Garrus reported. Fluttershy briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Shy?" Twilight asked, her feed having gone black too as Shy had her moment of calm.

"I'm going to get to those relays, Twilight... that's not going to be without violence," She stated matter of factly as she loaded a new thermal clip.

"I-I know..." Twilight replied. "But by doing this we get to save a lot more people, right? I don't like how it's the only answer here but this isn't Equestria anymore... Go save the krogan down there."

Shy didn't reply as she lobbed two smoke grenades over at the entrenched line and popped out of cover. Four rapid shots in succession took out the turrets that were keeping overwatch, giving a clear path to the pegasus to come forward. The Cerberus troops blindly fired into the smoke, getting taken out by Fluttershy systematically as she traced back the fire to their origin. Tossing two singularities at the better dug in positions too, Fluttershy charged at the power relays and broke into the boxes. A quick rewire later, before the Cerberus troops could get their bearing, the power was restored. The two massive orbital guns ground as they adjusted their angle to aim at the incoming cruiser.

"Charging the shot now..." Garrus said.

Another ear-deafening shot later a bright flash could be seen in the sky.

"The cruiser is breaking up..." Twilight reported, sounding very tired. "The krogans are sending some people to clean up the site and see if they can salvage those guns."

"Then we won't stick around. I'm sure Shepard will want to get that cure for the krogans out there as soon as he can. We'll hook up at the shuttle, Shy."

"Agreed, see you in a bit."

Author's Note

Well, I have become a very busy person as of late, if you haven't read my quick blog post then you probably missed the fact that I've started army basic. In a few weeks my free time will increase again, but for now I'm more focused on things like learning how to actually shoot a rifle.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Genophage

Chapter 182

Genophage

On the way back up to the Normandy Fluttershy and Garrus got an update from Twilight that a new development had been made on the Genophage front. The two of them were requested to join the commander in the war room to discuss a plan of action.

"Problematic. Shroud is being used to poison atmosphere, process advancing rapidly," Mordin stated with a frown as Fluttershy and Garrus walked into the war room, the hologram in the center of the circular chamber showing a tower of sorts with a new type of reaper standing next to it.

"Shroud?" Fluttershy asked, not having heard about whatever that was before. Mordin turned to her for a brief moment before looking back at the hologram.

"Yes. Device placed on Tuchanka by salarians to repair damage to atmosphere. Want to use it to disperse cure across planet. Reapers had... similar idea," Mordin rapidly stated.

"Something which we cannot allow," Shepard continued. "We need to get the reaper as far away from that building as we can so we can use it ourselves."

"A rather tall task," Garrus stated, leaning on the hologram's console to look over the new reaper form that had taken a position in front of this 'shroud'. "Primarch, do we have areal assets in the area?"

The turian Primarch nodded and shifted the hologram to show a pair of turian cruisers hanging above the planet's surface. "We have several fighter-bomber wings stationed in these two vessels that are within easy striking range."

"My people also have vehicles that can strike from the ground," Wrex pointed out, taking control of the hologram and marking a location on the planet where one of his bases was located.

"Draw reaper away from Shroud, finish synthesizing cure, and destroy Shroud to prevent further abuse," Mordin stated. "Laboratory present at Shroud facility, will finish synthesizing cure there."

"There's going to be more than just that reaper down there, what kind of ground forces are we looking at?" Fluttershy asked as she was sure they were going to go down there in force.

"No scouts have returned from that area, we're completely blind to what the reapers have deployed," Wrex huffed. "It changes nothing, we'll grind through them regardless."

"It'd still be nice to know what to pack," Fluttershy grumbled as she accepted they'd go in blind. There was no room to play it safe in this war.

"We're wasting time here, let's go cure my people!" Wrex roared, bringing a smile to Fluttershy's face as she found the excitement infectious. As everyone left to prepare and gather equipment Shepard had to respond to a call, Fluttershy was mildly interested in the content of what was being said as she spotted the salarian dallatrass on the holographic display but decided not to snoop. I'll ask him what she wanted later.

Soon everyone was ready, ships warned and troops prepared. They'd take the krogan ground transports to the shroud where the smaller team would disembark to synthesize and deploy the cure while the vehicles joined the distraction action against the reaper. As the group that'd go to ground went down with a shuttle Fluttershy noticed Shepard staring ahead while in deep thought.

“Commander, is something wrong?” she pried, guessing it had something to do with the dalatrass.

“Yes. There-”

“Shepard! The reapers are already at the hollows, we need to get there fast before I lose too many clan leaders!” Wrex growled as the shuttled shuddered from sudden ground fire.

“Understood, get ready for a hot drop people!” Shepard stated, getting up and making sure his weapons were ready. The shuttle shook as the reapers had set up flak. Fluttershy similarly got ready to head out guns blazing, though planning to mainly rely on her biotics, assuming this would be a very close-range fight.

"Make sure the female is protected while you escort her to the meeting grounds, Shepard! I will deal with my warchiefs!"

"Give that old krogan a hoof, Shy, we got Eve here covered," Garrus said as he, Shepard, Mordin, and Liara took a defensive formation around the female.

"Got it!" Shy said, taking to the air after the krogan who'd ran off to where the fighting sounded hardest. Shy saw a small group of husks running at him from behind as he dealt with a few of the rougher enemies himself, swooping in and cutting them in half with her wing-mounted omni-blades.

"Good to see you still have it in you!" Wrex laughed as they stormed into an arena of the meeting place. Krogans everywhere fighting a rather disorganized defense against a horde of husks charging them.

"We need them to group up! They're going to get picked off one by one this way!" Fluttershy called out over the gunfire.

"Let me worry about that, you just take some pressure off them so they can actually move!" Wrex called out as he jumped off a ledge right into the center of the mess. Shy wasn't that far behind as she flew a little further before smashing down onto a small group of husks and efficiently dismembering them. Lighting up her biotics immediately after, she then sent a wave of energy at a particularly large mass of husks, their front ranks having their bones snapped like twigs before getting hurled into the back members of their group.

With Fluttershy on crowd control, the krogan were quickly able to organize and with both her and Wrex repeating the process a few more times the reaper assault was repulsed, giving room for the planned meeting to start. "Wrex, we have Eve ready at the meeting point. What's your status?" Shepard asked.

"Just moping up, I'll be right there," Wrex responded, motioning for Shy to follow him there. The two of them having plenty of reaper blood splashed over their armour. Now with the clan chiefs they'd helped out on their tails they walked down the stairs into the central meeting chamber.

"Reaper blood has finally soaked our soil!" Wrex proclaimed to the cheers of all the krogan that had assembled there.

"What's a salarian, a turian, doing here?" one of the chiefs questioned as he saw Mordin and Garrus next to the female.

"They are here to cure the genophage," Shepard stated as he secured his assault rifle onto his back.

"And why should we trust them? They are the reason the genophage was made in the first-!"

The krogan was cut off by Wrex giving him an incredibly vicious headbutt. "Because I do, Wreave," Wrex growled.

"You? A krogan who's forgotten what it means to be one of our kind?! We drown our enemies in their own blood, we don't not invite them into our home!" Wreave replied with a growl. Before further words could be said a load of shotguns were being drawn and pointed at each other as there were clearly factions at play.

"Enough!" Eve thundered, having observed the males of her species bickering. "If you are not going to work with us then you can stay here, let old wounds fester as our kind has always done!" she roared as she pushed aside a few of the shotguns and planted herself smack centre of the group. "...Or, you can choose to fight this enemy as you were borne to. I choose to fight for the future of our children! Who will join me?!"

"I will." Heads turned to Fluttershy as she had jumped up into a hover so she wasn't at knee height for the krogan.

"And so will I!" Shepard followed, Garrus stepping up next to the two of them and slamming his fist into his breastplate in support too.

"And I," Wrex roared as he found a piece of debris to stand above the crowd. "Hold your heads high like a true krogan because we have a reaper to kill!"

Fluttershy was shadowing the convoy of krogan vehicles from above as they made their way to the gigantic tower that was the shroud. She could vaguely see the reaper standing guard in front of it through the dusty atmosphere of Tuchanka. The convoy rumbled below her as the radio crackled to life. "Krogan convoy, this is flight wing Artimec our approach vector is locked we are ten minutes out."

"Copy that, Artimec, we're making up some lost time but we'll be there!" Shepard replied.

"Fluttershy, can you hear me?" Twilight came in over the comms.

"Loud and clear, Twilight, what do you need?" Fluttershy replied as she kept an eye on what she thought was the reaper.

"I got joker to make a pass over where you are now for a scan and matched the topography to known maps of Tuchanka. I think the road is out up ahead." the unicorn informed her friend. "I've plotted an alternative route for the convoy that looks way clearer,"

"Nice work Twilight, send it through to Shepard. I'll fly ahead and check the road just in case," Fluttershy replied as she shot forward to scout ahead a little. It didn't take long for her to find where the road had been shot to bits, clearly work of the reaper.

"Fluttershy, what's the status of the road?" Shepard asked right as she confirmed the damage.

"It's out. No way even those large trucks are going to be able to pass over here," she reported in.

"Damnit," Wrex cursed. "The path your analyst made leads right through what is said to be Kalros' hunting ground!"

"Kalros?" Fluttershy questioned.

"The mother of all thresher maws that supposedly lives in this region," Eve answered, sending a shiver up Fluttershy's spine. How tough does a thresher maw have to be for the krogan to give it a name...

"Regardless, we need to get to the spire else that won't matter much!" Wrex called out as the convoy changed direction onto the dunes. Fluttershy kept her eyes peeled for any danger as they were rapidly closing distance to the shroud, spotting something as they were about halfway there.

"Wrex! Unless the planet suddenly has come to life you have incoming at your ten!" Fluttershy called out as a massive dune of sand was rapidly approaching the convoy. Before a true response could be given the back of what must have been a gigantic thresher maw, cutting the convoy in half and taking a few vehicles out prematurely.

"It's Kalros!" one of the drivers shouted as the majority of the large trucks scattered to avoid getting hit all at once. This also meant none of them were focussed on getting to the shroud anymore.

"Artimec wing, break off your attack, we are being delayed!" Shepard called out as the turian fighter wing soared overhead.

"Negative commander, we're locked and already engaging!" the lead turian pilot responded.

"Damnit! Every vehicle, converge on the Shroud! We do this now or not at all!" Wrex commanded, a portion of the trucks did not turn but most did.

Kalros wasn't done yet though.

One by one the trucks were being picked off by the thresher maw, being dragged into the darkness below. Fluttershy tried throwing biotics at the beast but even then, by the time they got to the structures around the shroud only Wrex's truck was left. Artimec wing had also been forced to break off as the ground support they had needed had never arrived. Fluttershy landed next to the truck as Shepard and the rest of the crew dismounted.

"With that reaper right there we are never going to get close to the shroud," Fluttershy said with a tightened jaw as there was no way they'd get through with the massive machine blocking their path.

"Then we summon Kalros to clear the path," Eve suggested. "The tower is sitting in the middle of an arena devoted to her, she will defend her homeworld."

"Maw hammers," Shepard smirked as he looked over at the ancient structures that surrounded the shroud.

"Hah! Let's show that reaper what real Tuchankan wildlife looks like!" Wrex laughed before hearing activity coming from behind them. Reaper corrupted rachni scuttling forward to their position.

"Laboratory nearby, going to synthesize cure immediately!" Mordin called out as he and eve ran off.

"Go Shepard! I'll keep your back clear!" Wrex roared as he racked his shotgun and charged the reapers. "I AM URDNOT WREX, AND THIS IS MY PLANET!"

Neither Fluttershy nor Shepard wasted any time sprinting in the opposite direction towards the shroud. Their small strike team making good ground while trying to stay mostly out of sight of the reaper.

"Shepard, I took care of the rachni. I'm raising the hammers but you will need to activate them from up there!"

"Copy that, Wrex, we're-" Shepard was cut off as the reaper shot its main cannon at the walkway they were using, taking down parts of the ancient structure. "Damnit, it took notice of us! we're going to have a hard time going further without getting vaporized!"

"Don't worry commander, a distraction is headed your way," Twilight called in over the radio, getting replaced by a second voice moments later.

"This is Artimec wing to ground team, move ahead we'll keep its attention." the leader of the battered fighter wing called out. Everyone knew that at the strength they were it was suicide but it might just give Shepard and Fluttershy enough time to activate the mawhammers.

"Their sacrifice will be honoured," Garrus stated as they started running at the reaper at full sprint. The reaper had ground forces stationed under it but nothing that could stop the small but elite strike team as they tore into them.

"I'll take the right hammer with Garrus!" Fluttershy called out as Liara joined Shepard in activating the other hammer.

"Watch out!" Garrus suddenly shouted as he tackled Shy suddenly, the leg of the reaper coming down right where they had just been.

"T-Thanks!" Shy stuttered as the reaper raised its leg again in the hope for more success the second time. "Move!"

The leg crashed down right behind them as the pair made their way to the activation mechanism and they activated the first hammer. "We got ours!"

"Second one is active too!" Shepard replied over the radio. The hammers shook the ground for miles around as they started slamming down on their anvils. The reaper also stopped moving as it started peering around the wasteland. The ground started trembling as Fluttershy could see the same bulge in the landscape approach them as it had the convoy.

"She's coming!" Fluttershy shouted as Kalros screeched. The reaper fired its beam at the ground to little effect before the thresher shot out of it and latched onto the machine. Fluttershy couldn't believe her eyes as the creature was definitely thrice as large as the reaper itself.

How does it even move that fast underground?!

"Garrus, get back to the truck!" Fluttershy ordered as she took to the air.

"Mordin, do you have the cure ready?!" Shepard called out over the radio.

"On my way!" Mordin replied as the battle between the two titans of machine and flesh duked it out. The reaper smacked the maw against the shroud tower, forcing it to retreat underground for a bit to avoid getting blasted by the laser weapon only to jump out from behind the machine and smacking it into the tower in turn. Fluttershy grimaced as she made her way to the shroud's base, hoping it wasn't getting critically damaged. Mordin was already busy with the consoles at the base of the tower as Fluttershy arrived followed by Shepard.

"Mordin, how far are you?!"

"Almost done, getting ready for dispersal," Mordin replied as he typed at lightning speed. "Procedure traumatic for eve but not lethal! Fortunate, will stabilize future krogan government. Good match for Wrex."

The tower shook as debris in the form of loose panels fell down, the shroud was clearly falling apart from the damage it had taken and probably from reaper sabotage. "The shroud was rigged to prevent this type of dispersal by the salarians, Mordin, the cure won't work if it isn't fixed."

"Hmm, makes sense... No matter, can adjust," Mordin stated as he checked a few settings. "Thank you commander, would have been a pity to see work incomplete. Will take elevator to main control room to counteract sabotage and ensure proper dispersal."

"You're going up there?!" Both Shy and Shepard exclaimed as explosions started rocking the tower.

"Yes, manual override required."

"There has to be another way!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she had gotten to respect the doctor in her time on Omega and later with Shepard. Going up there was certainly a one-way trip. "I can go up there too! I can maybe fly out of there."

"Moment of activation likely to be problematic. Besides, no experience countering STG countermeasures... No, has to be me." The salarian started walking to the elevator that would bring him up to the top of the tower.

"Mordin, no!" Fluttershy stated as both she and Shepard stepped forward towards him.

"Please, have to do this," Mordin stated softly as he held out his hand to stop the two of them. "My project, my work, my cure... my responsebility."

"Mordin..." A tear rolled over Shy's cheek as Mordin closed the elevator's glass door. He smiled a the pair one last time before he would press the button to send himself up.

"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

Author's Note

I'm not dead >.<

So yeah, busy + no inspiration. Terrible combination.

Vindica

Chapter 183

Vindica

“Good luck with your fight, Vindica out.” Luna stepped away from the command throne and down to where Shepard, Liara, and Fluttershy were waiting for her. “The turians have detached their ships from us, we are back on our own.”

“They will give it their all, but we have other important things to do,” Shepard stated as Luna led them into a private meeting room attached to the titan's CIC. Fidelis appeared above the central table, indicating that he was listening along too. “You require my vessel's jump capability, I would like to know the details of our destination.”

“Of course,” Liara stated as she sent over the data she'd gotten from the prothean archives on Mars. Fidelis' hologram disappeared as he brought up the star chart data he'd just gotten.

“Interesting, I'll extrapolate a course and send it over to the nav officer. Out of the twenty star systems reachable to the Normandy in that cluster I estimate three could be the system we are looking for by star type.” Fidelis stated as he marked the three stars as points of interest.

“How so? What makes them special?” Luna questioned.

“I matched the records and accounts I have on what Equis' artificial star looked like when you and your sister managed them. These stars have the most similar outputs of light.”

“Alright I'll take your word for it,” Luna stated turning back to the commander. “Will the Normandy join us out there?”

“No, it will not,” Shepard replied, surprising Fluttershy as she hadn't heard about his intentions yet. “The asari apparently have something they need to share with us now their systems have fallen under attack. I can't go dark at this moment.”

“Neither can I,” Liara added. “My contacts and projects need my guidance so I cannot go dark either.”

“So this will be left completely up to us,” Fluttershy stated.

“It is your original homeworld and I have no doubt this task is in capable hooves with you all,” Shepard smiled. “We need to cover a lot of ground and splitting up here will be beneficial... Besides, the Vindica is the only vessel that can go toe to toe with a reaper anyhow so you do not require Normandy's stealth here.”

“Agreed, and if there is no access there with the regular relays we should not have to deal with those regardless,” Luna stated. “I want to be on my way right away, we can do a lot of good out here conventionally too and this will take us away from the fight.”

“Commander, I want Garrus to join me,” Fluttershy stated, looking over at Luna immediately after. “If that is okay with you of course, princess.”

“I do not see why not, your mate was a turian, right?” Luna asked, making Fluttershy blush lightly and nod.

“It'll probably cheer him up to work on what's the biggest gun in the galaxy,” Shepard smirked, Fluttershy let out a giggle as she could imagine the turian's reaction.

“Anyhow, as the Princess has stated, we shouldn't waste time. EDI and Liara will make sure all relevant data is transferred to Fidelis.”

“I am already processing it,” the pony AI stated.

“Good. In that case good luck with your mission,” Shepard stated as they left the meeting room again. Luna gave a quick order to the nav-officer before turning back to Fluttershy who'd remained in the CIC.

“I'll have one of the officer's quarters made available to you and your mate, Fidelis can lead you to it. Your two fellow Elements of Harmony have gotten the next few rotations off as well so seeing you could help relax them,” Luna stated as she turned back to the command throne. “Faust knows they deserve it.” she muttered after sitting down and emersing herself back into the titan's systems.

“The princess has been tirelessly working to get the crew, and herself, up to snuff,” Fidelis stated as he'd appeared on a nearby holo-projector. “Garrus Vakarian has already been informed, he had actually already packed both his and your bags to come aboard. Twilight Sparkle joined him”

“Of course he had,” Fluttershy said with a giggle while happy Twilight was also here. “So, can you lead us to our quarters?”

“Of course. I also uploaded a full layout to your omni-tool to make navigation easier.”

“That'll be useful,” Fluttershy said as she brought up the map and scanned it. “So, Fidelis, how have you been fitting into your new role?”

“It's... been tiring sometimes. I was not designed to work on a vessel like this and even more so not to do it alone. There is processing space for well over eight intelligences here, I simply don't know how to properly utilize the power without splitting myself catastrophically,” Fidelis explained as he led Fluttershy up to the crew quarters. “Everypony has been very supportive though, it has been good to be able to interact with others again.”

“I can't even imagine being alone for as long as you were,” Fluttershy said, making Fidelis' hologram shudder.

“I had frozen the parts of me that process emotion for large parts of it but even then... Princess Celestia had some very useful insights that helped me quite a lot.” She nodded and entered a transport pod, swiftly getting relocated to the right sector. “Anyhow, we are here now and I am in good company. I took the liberty to inform Lieutenant Applejack and Rarity that you are here and where you are quartered.

“I assume they are already there and waiting?” Fluttershy chuckled.

“They are,” Fidelis chuckled. "Garrus and Twilight are also almost there. I'll leave you all to it."

"Thank you, Fidellis," Fluttershy smiled at the machine as it returned to other duties. As the doors to the quarters opened both Applejack and Rarity looked over at her and smiled.

"Good ta see ya, sugarcube," Applejack said as she stood up and embraced the pegasus.

"That it is indeed. With the things we heard from Palaven while we were up here..." Rarity shuddered. "Well, let us be glad you are still in one piece."

"Indeed," Fluttershy agreed, the door to her room opening again and Garrus along with Twilight entering as well.

"Girls!" Twilight exclaimed as she went to hug the two ponies. Fluttershy hovered up to Garrus and pecked him on the cheek.

"So, think you can remain focussed on a vessel filled with cute little ponies?" She smirked.

"Luckilly for me there's only one that's really caught my eye," He chuckled. "Besides, I heard there might be a chance of me working on a really big gun."

"Ah'd be the one to talk to 'bout that," Applejack said with a chuckle. "The Princess would probably appreciate if ya could improve the rail cannon."

"I'm sure you all have been doing an admirable job with how this vessel has been performing," Garrus chuckled.

"Well, shucks, we're just doin' Ah'r best ta keep alive and help a few others ta do the same too... If ya want Ah can give ya the tour of the place?" Applejack said with a smile.

"Do inform the princess first, darling, she may appreciate advice but does not like ponies just doing whatever they like," Rarity stated, halting Applejack before she could just go about doing her thing.

"Yeah, yeah, Ah'll get on that. She'll have probably replied by the time We make it to the darn thing," Applejack replied with a roll of her eyes. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at the giddy look Garrus gave her, wordlessly asking if he was allowed to go.

"Hey, I'm not stopping you, you big silly," Fluttershy smiled and shook her head, flying up to kiss Garrus on the cheek. "Go ahead and play with the big toy."

"You're the best girlfriend ever," Garrus chuckled as he turned back to Applejack who was holding back laughter as she shook her head.

"Just follow me," the earthpony said as she led the two of them off to the ship's main armament.

"So, what if I give the two of you a tour of your own?" Rarity stated as she was left with Fluttershy and Twilight. "There's some truly amazing places on this vessel we've discovered."

"Sounds good to me. I would love to see Gabby around as well," Fluttershy smiled.

"Of course, she'd chew me out if she heard you were on board without her knowing," Rarity chuckled, glancing over at Twilight who cringed down. "You're coming along too, darling, it'll be good for the both of you. Now trot along!"

"Initiating jump in three... two... one..." The transition was incredibly smooth as one moment they were in space that could be reached by mass relay and the next they had blinked into existence into an uncharted cluster of stars. "Jump complete, cooling down drive and recharging capacitors."

"Power levels stable," Rarity reported from her station. "Estimated time for the capacitors to make another jump like that is three days."

"And for a short hop? We may need to travel to adjacent star systems," Luna inquired. They could of course communicate by integrating themselves into the systems but Luna had chosen to remain not to do so for this jump as there were a few people on the bridge not connected. Notably Fluttershy, Garrus, Twilight, and Gabby.

"Eight hours," Rarity said after a second to check the numbers she recieved from Fidelis. "That jump took us all the way down to zero."

"Acceptable," Luna stated, turning to the sensor station. "Are we picking up good potential candidate planets?"

The stallion at the station stared at his screen for a bit before tapping a few buttons. "Better than good potential..." A blurry but rapidly sharpening hologram of a panet appeared onto the central holographic projectors. "The atmosphere is identical to that of home."

"Focus active scanners," Luna stated, the hologram suddenly becoming much clearer. A few ponies gasped as Luna zoomed in on the planet intensely. The night side clearly showing rest light of streets that indicated there was functioning civilization down there.

"Nav, plot a course into system. Sensors. stay focussed onto that planet and focus on any radio transmissions but make sure we don't run into something unexpected either. It wouldn't be the first time the reapers attempted a trap," Luna stated as she got the vessel under way, as things got going she adressed Fluttershy and the others who had been present. "Fluttershy, if we confirm it's safe to travel down I want you along with a very small team to go down and investigate."

"I have a functioning android ready, I could partition off a section of myself to accompany her. My protocols would make accessing any ancient tech much easier." Fidelis stated. "That said, the android won't be running at full efficiency, I've been having trouble with it, so don't expect wonders."

"I still want it on the team," Luna demanded. "I'll allow one more member to join you on recon, free pick."

Fluttershy looked at everypony present. Garrus has the most experience but if there's pnies down there he's never going to blend in... Twilight may be useful, her magic knowledge could get us out of some tight spots easilly... Gabby would be great for her insane engineering expertise, since Fidelis' android may not be too helpful if it runs on low efficiency... I could also just go on my own, have others join me later if needed...

Garrus

Gabby

Twilight

No-one

[vote link]

Author's Note

And there we go, back to choices and something totally new which has been spooking in my mind forever!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/45963300
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Civilization

Chapter 184

Civilization

Poll broken

Comment consensus: Twilight Sparkle

Gabby would be really useful here but she's also keeping the engineering teams ordered and running... Assuming there's ponies doen there Garrus would just stand out like a sore thumb... Twilight, though, could really use the experience and confidence boost that'd come from a simple recon mission.

“Twilight, get your pistol,” Fluttershy stated, looking back at Luna. “I assume there is an armour set available on the Vindica for her?”

“That there is. I will have one brought to your quarters immediately,” Luna replied typing a few commands onto a console. Twilight meanwhile was trying to stutter out an objection.

“I-Is this such a g-good idea? I mean, s-surely there's someone more qualified!” she eventually managed to stutter out. “I-I mean, what if they don't even speak Equish?!”

“Didn't stop Shy the first time around so why should it now?” Garrus chuckled. “I'll stay ready to come support you if things go south down there.”

“Thanks, I'll try not to mess up though,” Fluttershy giggled, sticking out her tongue at her alien boyfriend.

“We'll keep an eye from up here, if things really go badly we always have orbital artillery at the ready,” Luna also informed them, Fluttershy wanted to snicker until she saw how serious Luna actually was.

“Let's hope we won't need it. Anyhow, Twilight and I will go prepare, if you could have us led to a shuttle when we get there it'd be appreciated.”

“Of course, that's for granted,” Luna agreed.

“ETA to planet is three hours, Princess,” the pony at the nav station reported.

Fluttershy turned to Twilight who looked incredibly nervous, rubbing her left foreleg with the right as she stared down at the ground. “Come on, Twilight, let's go prepare.”

Garrus wanted to follow and help but Fluttershy flagged him down, she wanted to talk to Twilight alone first. The moment the two of them got into a transport pod then Fluttershy sat her down. “Twilight, we're not expected to go fight. In fact, we're expected to really not fight at all.”

“I... I just don't think I can do this. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do!”

“Listen to and follow my lead,” Fluttershy answered. “Twilight, you're almost more on edge than I used to be. You're smart and can work through most situations, you just need to get a reminder of that. We're going down there and we're going to find this catalyst thing that'll allow us to beat the reapers, alright?”

“A-Alright,” Twilight agreed.

“Good, now let's go get you that set of armour.”

“We're landing close to the largest settlement we could find as beside a few very radioactive zones there are no anomalies on the planet. No signs of advanced structures or any radio signals, we want Fluttershy to use her natural ability of being able to talk to anyone to see if the locals have any legends or stories of strange places,” Luna explained over the radio as the shuttle they were using was rapidly approaching the planet's atmosphere. Fidelis' analysis showed that whoever populated the planet was technologically maybe barely at the start of an industrial revolution, the Vindica's scanners having picked up what looked like bits of rail from its distant position nearly behind the planet's moon. Twilight and Fluttershy were both wearing a brown 'rag', as Rarity had decried in horor, over their armour, something that would hopefully help them blend in...

This was of course assuming there were ponies down there at all.

“Breaking atmosphere in one minute,” the drone controlled by a subroutine of Fidelis reported. “In two hours it will be dusk at our location, I will lose direct contact with my main processor at that moment. I suggest leaving this unit with the shuttle until you find something worth investigating.”

“Sounds like a good idea. Cloak or not, you won't exactly blend in very well,” Fluttershy agreed. The shuttle rumbled a little as it hit the atmosphere before mass effect generators could smooth the vibrations out again.

“Orbital insertion complete, lowering altitude and setting course for landing point,” Fidelis reported as Fluttershy looked out one of the Shuttle's windows. She could barely see the structures that lay far below them, but they were definitely there.

“Say, Fidelis, how long can this shuttle stay airborne?” Twilight asked as she joined Fluttershy in gazing outside.

“Indefinitely for the purposes of this mission. Why?”

“Because Fluttershy can fly and I can teleport down. That way you can stick to these high clouds for cover instead of risking discovery on the surface,” Twilight explained, sounding a little proud of herself.

“Good thinking, Twilight,” Fluttershy smiled. “Can you do that?”

“That I can,” Fidelis replied, altering his trajectory slightly. “Updating mission parameters, get ready for a drop.”

“Copy that!” Fluttershy put on her transparent muzzle cover as she'd need the extra oxygen at this altitude. Her heads up display also showed a waypoint as the shuttle painted the landing spot with a laser. “See you down there in just a bit!” Fluttershy called out as she opened the shuttle door and let herself drop out of it. Wind pulled at her mane as she fell down through the atmosphere, her pegasus magic making the extreme cold bearable.

“I'm down,” Twilight reported as her beacon suddenly appeared next to the waypoint the shuttle had put down. “This place is... Remarkably like home.” a video feed of a clearing with grass and flowers surrounded by trees popped up up on Shy's HUD.

“If Equis is made to resemble this place than that makes total sense,” Fluttershy wondered as she plummeted down in Twilight's direction. “Could you check- Twilight, look at your two o'clock, bushes at the treeline.”

Fluttershy saw Twilight's heart rate spike as she swirved her head around. The pony armour's systems immediately tagged what Fluttershy had already spotted in the bushes. A very well hidden, brown coated, earthpony colt. His eyes were shrunk down to pinpricks as his eyes met Twilight's and he didn't hesitate to bolt the very next moment. “Was that-”

“Yes!” Fluttershy called out as her mind was running at immense speed, trying to figure out what to do. Herself being a couple of minutes out if she wanted to avoid becoming pegasus paste.

We have no clue what this place is like... That kid could be the first to inform us... Though stopping him may not be interpreted positively... but if we aren't welcome his warning could for all we know start a panic... But are we really scary enough to cause something like that?

Have Twilight capture him.

Shadow the colt.

Let him go and hide.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Let's see if this strawpoll isn't completely broken!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://strawpoll.vote/polls/29cd6dk7/vote?s=0
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Locals

Chapter 185

Locals

Shadow the colt 81%

"Go after him, Twilight!" Fluttershy said over the radio. "Figure out where he's heading but try to stay out of sight! I'll be right down!"

"O-Okay!" Twilight replied, Fluttershy seeing Twilight's beacon start moving and the video feed showed her diving into the bushes after the colt. Twilight cast a few spells on herself, making herself a little less visible in the plants and reducing sounds in her immediate area as she barely managed to keep up with the smaller pony.

"~~Papa, Papa! A unicorn! There's a unicorn!~~" The little colt called out as Twilight slid to a halt as she saw a small caravan. on a road running through the trees. Twilight took a position inside a bush with a good view and made sure her spells were in perfect working order. An older stallion looked down at the smaller colt and raised an eyebrow.

“What are they saying?” Twilight asked with a whisper even though her dampening spell would mute any sounds regardless.

“They're talking about you. The older one is the colt's father, he doesn't seem to believe the colt saw you,” Fluttershy stated as she continued to listen.

“~~The monsters don't roam the land widely anymore, my little Petrov, the angels will not return unless they do too,~~” The stallion patted his son on the head and turned back to setting up his tent for the approaching night. The little colt looked around nervously, trying to see if he could spot Twilight again. Fluttershy mulled over what she'd just heard before relaying it to Twilight.

“Wait so you think...”

“It sounded really like a religious thing,” Fluttershy confirmed as she had finally reached the surface and was flying nearby. “Can you teleport directly to me if I fly straight to the city?”

“With the beacon I should be able to, but-” Twilight stopped as there was some tumult in the camp and the ponies that had previously been setting up tents. They were carrying around devices with glowing crystals embedded into them. “Fluttershy, what is-”

~~“Over there, over there!”~~

“Get out of there! Now!” Shy exclaimed as she picked up the speed. Twilight's video feed showing the ponies in the camp pointing straight at her, the father of the colt tossing something right at the unicorn as others jumped for cover. The video feed cut out less than a second later, followed by static coming over the comms. Shy cursed as she dove down through the canopy of the forest, smashing down right where Twilight's beacon had just been.

“BACK OFF!” Fluttershy thundered, sending out a wave of biotic energy to throw the local ponies off balance. A glance at Twilight showed her still twitching as the device that lay next to her was sparking electricity. When she turned back to face the locals, though, she found them in various states of shock. A few were just frozen in the position they had landed in after Fluttershy had pushed them back, others had their noses pressed into the ground and were covering their face with their forelegs.

"Damnit," Shy cursed as she ran up to Twilight, kicked away the sparking cylinder, and started a medical scan. It didn't take long for her to notice the lack of a pulse in her unicorn friend. Muttering a string of curses she immediately prepped a pulse with her omni-tool's defibrilation module. Twilight gasped for air as her heart was restarted, her eyes darting around as she flailed around for a bit. "Stay still," Fluttershy ordered as she kept Twilight from jumping up and jabbed a cocktail of medicine into the other pony. "That'll make you feel horrible but it'll make sure your heart doesn't crap out on me and that you stay awake."

"That hurt really badly," Twilight groaned as she got her breathing under control. "Don't mind me, I'm just going to lay here for a bit." With Twilight stable Shy could refocus on the group of locals. Most of the earthponies were still in the exact same position they had taken after the pegasus' landing, some had gotten the courage to actually peek, but the most interested of the bunch were the colt that they had initially seen Twilight and a few other fillies.

Well, that's one way to make first contact...

Taking a deep breath, Shy got her cloak back into place and stepped forward. Though she had felt some anger towards the earthponies before she couldn't keep onto it, there were probably some very good reasons for them to be carrying a sort of lightning grenade around and she really wanted to figure out why. "Come closer," she said to the colt, "Petrov wasn't it?"

His eyes widened as he froze too, glancing at his father who looked terrified. It took a moment before he stepped forward hesitantly inching closer.

~~"P-Papa didn't mean to h-hurt- H-He thought that- Please d-don't be mad!"~~ Petrov blurted out, jumping forward to cling to one of Shy's forelegs while tearing up as he shook fearfully.

"I'm sure he has very valid reasons, he can probably tell us about it tonight," Fluttershy smiled as she patted him on the head with a wing. "Think he'd be willing to tell us? My friend there could use something to eat and maybe even a place to sleep."

~~"O-Of course!"~~ Petrov replied, looking at the others. All the ponies that had been frozen up to now jumped into action, continuing their activities to set up their camp. Twilight, having caught her breath hobbeled up next to her friend.

"Aren't we going to talk about what just happened?" She asked asthonished.

"We are... over a hot meal next to nice and warm fire," Fluttershy smirked, she got a little more serious as Twilight gave her a blank stare. "We came down here for information and these ponies are travelers, they'll know plenty of stories that could set us on the right path."

"Right... I guess I could use a small nap too," Twilight admitted, rubbing her head.

Fluttershy gave her a pat on the back and started walking forward to the center of the camp. "Come on, let's not leave our host waiting!"

Pretty much every pony was crammed around the large fire at the centre of the camp, the only place where anypony had some room was around the sleeping form of Twilight and Fluttershy who was sitting close to the fire with an alcoholic bevrage from the locals. They had been treating them as if they had litterally decended from the heavens, which technically they had but not in the way the earthponies thought they did, and Fluttershy didn't want to contradict them for various reasons. "So you use the lightning cans to disable the metal demons?" Fluttershy asked as Anatoliy, Petrov's father, explained how they would run into the occasional threat from machines that came from 'blight zones'. Fluttershy quickly having figured out they meant the heavilly radioactive areas they had detected from orbit.

~~"Yes, yes, it stops demon, but only temporarily. Gives time to get away safely,"~~ the stallion nodded. ~~"Some blights more dangerous than others. Most have metal demons, but a few have strange black creatures of flesh and carapace. It is said they lure you in by mimicing the one you love."~~

Fluttershy had to avoid spitting out the sip of her beverage as she heard that description. Wait, if there are changelings here how did the reapers not find this place? the pegasus uncomfortably shifted in place as she was reminded of her strange relation with changelings after her interaction with the queen in the collectors' base. Thought that could help me out to figure out what they are still doing here...

"Do you have a map showing where the blight spots are and which contain which danger?" Fluttershy asked, there was an immediate reaction from the crowd as several of the earthponies sprinted off, only to return moments later with various maps. Anatoliy pointed out the spots on each of the maps, Fluttershy using the implants in her eyes to capture pics of each of the maps to corralate with the orbital maps. This didn't go unnoticed by the crowd as the system made her irises glow as it worked.

~~"Are you like a warrior angel?"~~ Petrov suddenly asked. ~~"Will you make the road safer so nopony has to lose their mama ever again?"~~

~~"Petrov! I am so sorry, my lady, but-"~~ Anatoliy was silenced by Fluttershy holding up a hoof as she knelt down to the colt's level.

"You're right, in a way I am, but I won't be around for long enough to make the entire world safe right now... After my true task is done though I may just come back with more of my kind to do just that," Fluttershy smiled, something that got the colt to excitedly jump in place before leaping and pulling her into a hug.

~~"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"~~

"But I am affraid me and my friend have to go now, there are things we need to do with little time," Shy told him, turning back to his father. "Your hospitality has been a joy, mister Anatoliy, I am truly glad we got to meet you and your clan."

~~"You're going already?!"~~ he gasped, ~~"Please, tomorrow we arive in Mareopol, I would be honoured to show you our cathedral! If you wish to stay out of sight we can even hide you among our own!"~~ the crowd muttered an agreement, all of them sharing his sentiment. ~~"I promise you will be amazed by the works in there!"~~

I really want to check out these blight zones but a cathedral may have some obscure lore that could help us out...

Go with the earthponies to the city

Go to a blight zone with machines

Go to a blight zone with changelings

[vote link]

Author's Note

So yeah, the world changed a load since the last chapter, wars and such. I hope all of you are safe and that goes doubly so for any Ukrainian readers I may have. The same for any Russians as I can imagine your lives having become incredibly hard due to your government's actions and ridiculous moves by some western companies like Paypal.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://strawpoll.vote/polls/m6u3jvdk/vote?s=0
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Cathedral

Chapter 186

Cathedral

Go with the earthponies to the city 74%

Fluttershy and Twilight were trotting among the caravan of ponies. Twilight had gotten a hat along with some cloth strips that hid her horn remarkably well, the unicorn having figured out that her active spells were the thing that allowed the detection devices that the earthponies had to find her. The road had become a little busier as they got closer to the city, farmers pulling their produce to go sell at the market joined them to have small talks about things like the weather and what the local news was.

Fluttershy had been sending data up to the Vindica the moment they had gotten back their connection to the vessel, Luna had decided to bring it in closer to get better scanning ability of the so-called 'blight' areas. The princess had also sent a message expressing a desire for a private video link at some point in the near future, she hadn't given a reason why though so Fluttershy would have to find somewhere private to do so.

~~“I've been told there are services going on in the cathedral all week, we can visit one after setting up our caravan at the market,”~~ Anatoliy stated with excitement after he'd spent some time talking to one of the farmers. ~~“We can blend you into the crowd that way."~~

"That would certainly be interesting," Fluttershy smiled as she adjusted her cloak a little, the fact that pegasi and unicorns were religious icons was... concerning at best. Something terrible had happened that completely wiped the two pony subspecies off this world and left only earthponies.

~~"I am honoured, I assure you you will be impressed with the effort put into them by the priests!"~~ Anatoliy said, his excitement only heightening. The group of ponies soon arrived at the city's main gate and were bought passage into the bustling streets of the large settlement. The city was a long way off from the idyllic cities that dotted Equestria, badly paved roads seemed to be the norm for the majority of the place and the density with which the ponies lived could not be very healthy. They also saw a very large, well constructed, building deeper into the city which she assumed was the cathedral. The caravan stopped after reaching the massive marketplace and finding a spot to set up their stores.

Fluttershy and Twilight watched from within the formation of carts as the group they'd travelled with efficiently worked together. Anatoliy and Petrov approached them as things seemed to be about in place. ~~"We are about done and my input isn't needed here any longer. If you could follow me then we shall try to catch a service at the Cathedral."~~

"Of course, please do lead the way," Fluttershy smiled as she had been studying what she was sure was the cathedral from a distance. she was proven right as they got closer to the building. The crowds were getting thicker too, ponies clearly going to whatever religious ceremony that was being planned.

“I wish I could take notes,” Twilight pouted as her magic would set off all the sensors these earthponies had and her omni-tool would probably has a similar effect. “Does either of them have any tools for mouth writing with them?”

“I'll ask,” Fluttershy said, but shaking her head as she got her reply from Anatoliy who didn't have any such thing on him. “I'll set our omni-tool to capture mode, that way it'll record anything we look at. You'll be able to go over it later.”

Twilight sighed as they go to the square in front of the cathedral, a large crowd already present there, and nodded. ~~“We should hurry, otherwise there won't be any space. Stay close!”~~ Anatoliy warned as he pushed into the crowd, Fluttershy making sure she and Twilight remained close behind their guide. They got some protests from ponies they pushed past but Anatoliy was able to talk down the ponies that got too angry with them... Right up to the moment they got stopped by a ceremonially dressed guard.

~~“If you are to enter this place then either tell your companion to dress appropriately or leave,”~~ the guard stated to Anatoliy while looking at Twilight's hat. ~~“This is a holy place, not some circus show where you dress up.”~~

~~“M-My lord, I-I apologize, b-but-”~~

The guard's eyes narrowed as he held up a hoof to stop Anatoliy. ~~“Will you not follow my holy command?”~~

~~“I...”~~ Anatoliy swallowed as he looked back at Twilight and Fluttershy. ~~“No. I cannot.”~~

Another guard had joined the first as he had noticed his colleague holding up the group.

Damnit, he's taking our willingness to go as a sign that he has to take us now.

Hoping she could avoid a serious escalation, Fluttershy stepped between the guard and Anatoliy. “We are mere travelers who were invited here, will you deny us this service?” she asked, making the guard rear back as the foreign words somehow made sense in his mind. He looked conflicted as he did not understand what was happening.

Just a small extra push required.

Fluttershy pushed her wings from under her cloak, showing their tips from under the cloak. “Let us through and don't speak of us to anyone else.”

The guard took a step back, completely lost for words. His confusion lasted for a few seconds before his face twisted into a snarl and he lowered his spear.

~~“You dare this blasphemy?! I am a sentry of this sacred ground, you shall not deceive me!”~~ the crowd pulled back from the scene as the second guard also brought down his weapon and others rapidly pushed through the crowd to the scene.

Buck.

The guard they'd been speaking with aimed his spear straight for Fluttershy's chest and thrust it forward. Fluttershy, who had no intention of being skewered, pushed off to the side, letting the tip of the spear graze the cloak before activating the omni-blade around her right wing and twisting around to cut the spear in half. The guard was clearly surprised as he hadn't expected anyone to be able to dodge at this close a range. Fluttershy rapidly followed her move up by flinging a biotic field at the second guard, sending him helplessly floating into the air, before returning her attention to the first guard and sending him flying back with a biotic shove.

In the swift action her cloak had come off completely, showing her armour and wings clearly for everyone to see. With the deception rendered useless, Twilight immediately pulled off the hat she had on and cast a thin, shimmering, bubble shield around them.

“What do we do now?” Twilight asked as she anxiously looked around at the crowd around them. Some were trying to flee in terror, others had just frozen, but a large part had lowered themselves to the ground and were shooting fearful glances towards the bubble shield. Anatoliy had frozen in place too, Petrov clinging to his fathers leg as they were in the middle of the entire situation and felt the sheer amount of power that now surrounded them.

This couldn't possibly have gone any worse...

“What we came here to do, just not in the way we were planning,” Fluttershy answered, facing the first guard that now lay shivering on the ground as he prostrated himself. “You. Approach.”

~~“I-I am not worthy, fair lady,”~~ he nearly cried as he realised Fluttershy was talking to him, refusing to even look up at her.

Fluttershy sighed. “I wish to speak to your priests, could that be arranged?”

~~“Of course, fair lady!”~~ he immediately said, standing up and sprinting into the cathedral, not once looking at either Fluttershy or Twilight. The second guard dropped to the ground as the biotic field ran its course, Fluttershy immediately turned her attention to him.

“You. You shall accompany us," she announced, as he stood dumfounded. Twilight lowered her shield, keeping the spell ready, and stepping up to Fluttershy's side.

“Are you sure about this?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “If we leave now we just wasted time.” She turned to Anatoliy and Petrov. “Thank you for your hospitality but I cannot ask you to follow us further.”

~~“To leave you now would be the greatest of insults,”~~ Anatoliy stated, swallowing back his fear. ~~“I promised to show you our cathedral and I will.”~~

Fluttershy nodded and sighed, looking over at the second guard.

“Lead us in.”

Author's Note

I hit a horrible wall of writers block for pretty much all my stories, which, in combination with being very busy, is really putting a damper on the amount of time I spend on this website. Hopefully I can slowly start to close off some stories on here.

Daekur's peak

Chapter 187

Daekur's peak

Light shone down through massive stained glass windows as Fluttershy, Twilight and their two local friends were led through the central path of the Cathedral. The stained glass windows actually were a massive boon as they showed unicorns and pegasi battling black, pony-like, creatures which Fluttershy immediately recognised as changelings. More guards had approached to hold the masses back that were desperately trying to get a glimpse of the pegasus and unicorn in their midst. Fluttershy was pretty sure the news would have spread around the entire city by the time they would be ready to leave.

“Twilight, I need you to contact the Vindica, inform them of our situation. I'll try to get as much information out of the ponies here. Make special note of the stained glass windows.”

“Got it,” Twilight replied as she activated her omni-tool and pinged the Vindica. Fluttershy focused her attention on the wide-eyed priest they were being led to. Fluttershy lowered her head a little in greeting as she came face to face with him.

“Hello there, what is your name?”

“B-Brother Annikov, your highness,” falling down onto his knees as he remembered that he was standing in front of one of his gods.

“It's good to meet you, Annikov. We wanted to catch your service more unnoticed but it seems that plan didn't come to fruition. So instead could you tell us something about what you would be telling these ponies directly to us? Maybe even tell us about what the services this past week have been about?”

“O-Of course!” the priest raised himself and started to tell his story of the ancient times. He told Fluttershy about the changelings and the corrupted machines getting beat back by the unicorns and pegasi and how they supposedly sacrificed themselves to save the ponies' ancestors. The priest had others get books with illustrations, marked regions, and more current happenings. Twilight sent all of it up to the Vindica where Luna and the others analysed and matched the stories to their sensor data.

Fluttershy, we matched all of the burns and we have a good idea of which one of the burns may be the main ones,” Luna came in as the priest neared the end of his list.

“...Then, the last one.”

“Wait, there's more?” Fluttershy asked as the priest had covered the stories of all the so-called burns they had detected from orbit.

“Yes, a unique one indeed. Daekur's peak, the mountain of smoke. It is said whenever the mountain stops smoking a massive monster starts roaming the land in search of food. Whenever the beast has had its fill it would return back to its mountain to set it smoking again.”

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she glanced at Twilight before looking the priest straight in the eyes. “And where would this mountain be?”

Fluttershy was quickly shown the location on one of the maps that had been retrieved for them. “It is well within shuttle range. Fidelis informed them after he'd found the place.

“Thank you brother Annikov, your stories have been of great value to me. But I fear my friend and myself have things to deal with.

“I am glad to have served, but may I be so bold to ask a question?”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded.

“You have only just arrived why do you have to leave so soon?” the priest carefully asked, as if the question itself could bring the wrath of his deity upon him.

Fluttershy sighed. “Trouble brews in the heavens, things are moving that even we cannot stop.” she cryptically stated. “We thank you for your hospitality but we must go.”

The priest bowed deeply. “It was my honour.”

Twilight leaned over to Fluttershy as they made their way back out of the cathedral. “We're thinking the same thing, right?” she whispered.

“One very large dragon,” Fluttershy whispered back as they stepped outside. “Can you teleport us back up to the shuttle?”

“As long as I can see it," Twilight replied, looking up to find the tiny dot that was the shuttle. “Hold on.” The crowd took a frightened step back as Twilight's horn brightly flared up. A pop and a crack later they were standing back in the small craft. “So what are we going to do about that dragon?”

“We're going to wake him of course,” Fluttershy stated matter of factly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Even if he isn't from the previous cycle, the chance he knew a dragon from back then is not insignificant

Twilight stared at the pegasus for a moment. “Fluttershy, aren't you deathly afraid of dragons?”

Fluttershy halted and thought to herself. This would have been terrifying before, wouldn't it? I guess after everything they really aren't the scariest thing anymore. “Huh... I guess not anymore.”

“We're thirty minutes out,” Fidelis' drone cut in. If it's really a dragon I'm keeping my distance with the shuttle.”

“Fair enough,” Fluttershy shrugged. “Do we have scans of the region?”

“I'm pointing the Vindica at it right now,” Fidelis replied, a hologram of the region appearing and slowly increasing in resolution. “Definitely looks like a volcano. If there's a dragon down there then I won't be able to spot it through the smoke and heat.”

“We'll find him if he's there,” Fluttershy replied. “We should check the caldera first, then go down the mountain to see if there's any caves.

“Sounds good to me,” Twilight nodded, the two of them waiting until they reached the vulcano.

“I advice the use of breathing masks, I can detect toxic fumes all the way up here.

“Willdo,” Fluttershy stated as she placed her mask and helped Twilight with hers. “Alright, open up Fidelis.”

The shuttle's door slid open to reveal the volcanic landscape outside, the majority of the fumes rising up from the centre of the caldera but smoke being present everywhere. The shuttle shot back off as the two had stepped out.

“Definitely looks like something a dragon would like,” Twilight said as she stepped out onto the barren landscape. Large boulders were scattered throughout the caldera while a small pool of lava sat at its centre.

“Though I don't exactly see tracks that would suggest there's a dragon here…” Fluttershy gazed out past a large rocky outcrop at the lava pool.

“F-Fluttershy?” The pegasus looked at her friend, Twilight's eyes had shrunk to pinpricks as she pointed at something behind the pegasus.

Turning around, the large rocky outcrop had a draconic eye almost twice the size of Fluttershy.

Twilight teleported herself back and Fluttershy jumped up into a hover as the entire caldera shifted and rumbled. Boulders rolled of the titanic dragon that sat half buried in the rock. As he stood up lava pooled under him, dust and rubble rolling off of his old, battered, scales. Even though Fluttershy hadn't been afraid before, the sheer size of the dragon definitely made her very uncomfortable. The dragon standing at his full height put the current Equestrian dragons to shame.

“You are not from this world…” the dragon rumbled, leaning forward to bring his face closer to Fluttershy, followed by a sniff in Twilight's direction. “You two smell of Harmonic magic.”

“You can smell magic?” Twilight asked astonished.

“You understand him?” Fluttershy immediately asked, surprised as the dragon wasn't talking Equish.

“Your kind isn't the only one who is able to manipulate arcana, pegasus,” the dragon rumbled. “But to see your kind is not dead is surprising.”

“Why?” Fluttershy asked, hoping to gauge how much this dragon knew.

“Have they not returned? I may have been a youngling but I remember the reapers well. Has your kind forgotten the warnings?”

“We did. They're back,” Fluttershy confirmed to the dragon. “We're here to find a weapon ponies were working on.”

The dragon looked at Fluttershy critically again, piercing her with his stare. “You do not seem corrupted by them yet… perhaps you can still turn the tide if you build the device…”

“We can,” Fluttershy stated with determination. “We just need the last part of the blueprint.”

The dragon sighed and stood to his full height.

“Then I will show you.”

Author's Note

I can't stand leaving things incomplete. I may be sliw but I'll get there.

Catalyst

Chapter 188

Catalyst

Clouds swirled around the Vindica as it hovered over the area of land the dragon had led Fluttershy and Twilight to. Luna had gotten teams of pegasi to gather clouds and obscure the vessel as best they could while they were in atmosphere. Daekur himself was digging out some land near the place he'd landed, having crushed some of the drones that had popped up when he did.

“And you're sure it's here?” Fluttershy asked as a house-sized boulder flew overhead.

“I buried this place myself. Deeper and deeper in case the reapers' main forces found a way to us too.”

“Why didn't you try to rally the ponies here? Couldn't you have guided them?” Twilight asked.

“You do not understand. You were not here.” Daekur rebuked her. “Ponies weren't stupid nor unwise but the collapse killed their common sense. Starvation was commonplace after the repulse of reaper forces, and without the foe to keep them focussed they turned on one another... There was a point I thought they killed one another to the last.” The dragon shook his head and let out a deep sigh as a shuttle approached their position and landed a small way away. Princess Luna stepped forward from the transport, flanked by two heavily armed and armoured nightguards. Daekur stopped his digging as he looked at the alicorn, shock visible on his features.

“Hail master dragon, we are pleased to see a survivor of your kind in this place,” Luna stated as she gave him a brief nod, but she paused as the dragon kept staring at her. “Is everything okay?”

“So they did do it after all...” Deakur muttered. “How many of your kind exist, anathema.?

Luna looked up at the ancient leviathan as she understood he meant her origin, the revaluation still fresh in her own mind. “Myself, my sister, and another who was recently retrieved from the laboratory that created us more recently.”

Daekur thought for a moment longer before nodding and returning to digging the last bit of ground away from the entranceway. Once it was revealed, Fidelis in his android form started to unlock the door via a still active console.

“Anathema, I would ask of you to take me with you,” Daekur stated, returning his attention back to Luna while Fidelis worked. "I am the last of my kind on this planet, and your kin's reaction told me there are more on your world."

Luna slowly nodded. "And what would you do once you meet them? The dragons have rarely been our allies in history, and unlike the griffons, when I left they were still refusing to hear our calls for alliance."

Daekur huffed, a cloud of smoke blowing from his nostrils as a low grumble emanated from his throat. "Then I will challenge their current leader and take charge myself. They are fools to stand alone against the reaper threat."

"If you intend to rally them to our cause then I shall gladly take you along, but I do not know you elder dragon. What assurances do I have you will keep your word once you have been brought to my world?" Luna questioned. The massive dragon placed one of his claws against his chest and called forth some kind of magic before reaching out with a single glowing talon.

"I swear to you on my life I shall not betray your kind's trust," he rumbled as he waited for Luna to press her hoof against his talon. For the briefest of moments the alicorn and dragon lit up with magic before it was all over, Luna looked up at the dragon with slightly widened eyes and nodded.

"Once we have retrieved the catalyst I shall open a hold section for you to inhabit while we jump back to my system," Luna promised as Fluttershy walked closer, having listened in on the conversation between the dragon and the Alicorn.

"Sorry Princess, but do we have the time to go back to Equis?" Fluttershy asked, Luna's expression turned grim again.

"I wanted to talk to you about this before. I lost contact with Celestia half a day ago." Luna pulled out her omni-tool and showed a projection. "Before contact was lost she sent me these files."

A massive fleet of quarian vessels had entered the system and engaged the Geth forces over Equis, significant amounts of debris impacted the planetary shield. The geth fleet though was holding its own fairly well despite the quarian numerical advantage from what Fluttershy could see.

Oh no... I hope Tali Dash and Legion are safe...

Fluttershy shook her head as she imagined the geth they had befriended now sat on the opposite end of a conflict.

"I am returning us home to make sure there is no catastrophic fighting on the planet itself," Luna stated. "I have already informed Commander Shepard of this fact so when we get back the Normandy should be in system too."

"Has Rainbow sent us any messages?" Fluttershy asked with concern, hoping Dash had at least given them a heads up.

Luna shook her head. "I assume the quarians have been maintaining strict control over communicatiomns while they were preparing for this. You'll have to ask them yourself when we get back."

"Got it!" Fidelis exclaimed as he separated from the console, the door hissed and squeaked as it slid open. "Uploading schematics to omni-tools."

Fluttershy's tool pinged as it recieved the shematic of the base. "Let's go get this thing." She stated as she turned away from the princess and joined Fidelis who seemed eager to enter the base. "Did you find another AI in this place?"

"That's a negative," the android responded. "I looked but the AI core has been burned out. I don't know how long it was in there but I only found scraps of code, nothing that you can communicate with."

"Understood."

The nightguards, Luna, and Twilight joined Fluttershy as she took point exploring the new underground base, being careful not to trip any security measures as she made her way down towards the core of the place which had workshops and laboratories wrapped all around it, if anything was to be found it would be right there. In the end they didn't run into any resistance and were able to step into the facility's central chamber. A rather large device sitting at the centre was revealed as old lights turned on and illuminating it. Fidelis plugged himself into the network for a moment to see if he could get any information on the thing.

"That's it," The AI stated as he retracted himself back out of the system.

"Then we take it," Luna simply said as she wrapped it in her telekinesis. As she did so the machine lit up like a christmas tree, starting to buzz. The alicorn immediately set it back down, making the thing power down. Twilight shot forward and started probing the device.

"It's highly sensitive," the unicorn muttered as she prodded at it. "It would make sense for ponies to build a magic based device..."

"Was there any information on the data banks here that explained how this thing worked?" Luna asked of fidellis who simply shook his head.

"I can figure it out," Twilight stated confidently as she kept her eyes on the device. "I can make it work."

Fluttershy looked at the Princess who again turned to Fidellis.

"Download everything and get me more ponies."

Author's Note

plz no mad, I am slow potato. :ajsleepy:

I'm debating to just let the story run from here on out and let go of the votes just to get it done at some point.

Engagement

Chapter 189

Engagement

An audio alert could be heard on the bridge of the Vindica as its hold doors slammed shut, Deakur laying down on the doors after they locked themselves shut. Fluttershy, meanwhile, had retreated back to the Vindica's bridge where Luna and her staff were busily preparing to depart the system for Equis.

"You are sure it is right to leave these ponies unprotected here?" Fluttershy asked, stepping up the command platform to join Luna.

"They are far away from the rest of the galaxy, they are not in as urgent a threat as we are," Luna sighed, shaking her head. "Are we to survive this ordeal in any semblance of intactness then we may consider returning to reestablish contact."

Fluttershy grimaced but Luna was right. For now this place would be safe from the reapers as they would need to travel here without relays, which would take a good while if they even decided to spend the effort while they were still at war with the galaxy as a whole.

"Drive capacitors fully charged, captain!" Rarity reported from her station before issueing a subsequent warning. "I feel compelled to inform you that if we jump in that we will not be able to do another jump for quite a while."

"Noted," Luna simply responded before looking over at Applejack. "Weapons status?"

"Bit low on torpedos but all capacitors are charged an' ready, Princess," Applejack announced, glancing over to the edge of the room where Garrus was leaning against the wall. "Ah had some help tuning the guns though so they'll pack a mite more punch than before."

"Good to hear, lieutenant," Luna nodded before addressing the entire bridge staff. "As you all know we have lost our communication with home, now as we retrun we shall be ready for anything. Crew to battlestations, staff into battle emersion. Helm... jump us home."

Fluttershy watched on as she saw the bridge crew connect to their respecive systems, the connection accelarating their ability to process the information thrown at them. Luna also looked to be partially emersed but she, unlike a few others wasn't unable to communicate outside of the trance induced by the imersion.

A hologram sprung alive in the command centre, showing Equis' system as the vindica translated back to its home. Dots started appearing around the system, though mostly clustered around Equis' itself.

"Contacts identified as Quarian and Geth," A report came thorogh the speakers as it was made by the officer in the battlespace. The hologram zoomed in on Equis as the crew attention was focussed on it, the dots that sat around the planet resoving into actual models, holograms of the vessels showing their size and heading relative to one another. Although the main bodies of the two fleets were still keeping their distance, only skirmishes happening between the two parties inside the gravity well of the planet.

Oh no...

Fluttershy shivered as she could see vast parts of the planetary shield out of operation, the south eastern coast all the way down to the dragon lands completely exposed... And there were fires. The area around Griffonstone in particular seemed to have extensive damage doen to it, fires clearly visible on scans spread around the mountinous region.

Wait, which one of the two factions has fired on Equis itself?

The answer to her question didn't take long to come as an engagement happened in real time. A geth vessel was engaged by two smaller quarian ones, the bout of violence didn't last long but it didn't need to. The geth ship was cut in half by a blast, only a few fighters escaping and racing down to the surface only to be cut down and sent to the ground as flaming wrecks. Another quarian vessel opened fire on a target down on the surface, the impacts glowing on the holographic globe.

An animalistic growl came from Luna, the hologram zooming out and a course appearing that would eventually bring them into the planet's gravity well. “Comms, find out what's the quarian flagship and get me its captain.”

“What are you going to do?” Fluttershy asked, the room's temperature had dropped and Luna's hair had turned pitch black, all stars having disappeared from it. The alicorn's aura had darkened to such a degree it made Fluttershy's skin crawl. The hologram of the planet was swapped out for a lone quarian, standing in front of a command chair of sorts.

"Quarian, you are to cease your fire on my planet, withdraw any surface presence, and leave this system. Failure to do so immediately will be seen as an act of war on the peoples of Equis and I will act accordingly." Luna demanded coldly from the quarian.

"I cannot allow a Geth force to remain behind in this system, and I cannot allow the planetary defences to interfere in this engagement," the Quarian replied in turn, not even shifting a little. "And in the end, you are merely a single vessel. We are fighting a war, captain, after we win, we will talk again."

The hologram cut off, being replaced by the planetary hologram again. Luna didn't speak but she really didn't have to to make her position very clear.

The hologram shifted. Three Quarian Battleships with their escorts were marked on the hologram.

"Helm, adjust course, flank speed. Weapons, charge capacitors. Shields, be ready to receive blowback," Luna snapped, hair which normally flowed gently was whipping around as if in a storm.

"Princess, are you sure there is no other option we can take?" Fluttershy asked carefully. She was angry at the Quarian too but in the back of her mind there was the possibility of Rainbow or Tali being among these vessels' crew. Luna's head shifted a little and slitted eyes looked down on her. to the pegasus' credit she didn't flinch at the sight.

"Captain, I can spare the power for the teleportarium." Rarity met Fluttershy's eyes first before looking over to Luna, undoubtedly understanding where Fluttershy was coming from. The princess slowly nodded as she went over the implied idea in her mind before looking back at the hologram.

"Identify the Quarian flagship."

It took seconds before the princess had her reply. "The transmission we received came from the battleship Neewa."

"Understood." Luna now fully looked down towards Fluttershy. "We can teleport a force onto their ship, but after that it will be up to you. If it is an inevitability, I can accept a fleet engagement over the planet, but I cannot accept direct fire onto the surface. Force or convince them, I do not care how you do it, but if you haven't finished when we get into weapons range I will commence my attack."

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Author's Note

Will be in Normandy this week, going to be awesome!

Teleportarium

Chapter 190

Teleportarium

Fluttershy looked at the assembling crowd that were entering the chamber. Squads of Griffons and batponies were checking their equipment, ready to deploy across the aether into the hostile vessel. One hundred and fifty strong they would be, not as many as Fluttershy would have liked but more could not be transported.

I hope it will be enough...

"Are you really doing this?" Garrus asked as Fluttershy herself gave off an aura of apprehension.

"You heard the Princess, if we don't do this the only outcome will be a lot of dead quarians and very likely a lot of dead ponies and griffons too," Fluttershy sighed. They were still waiting for the full scan of their target to return so the translation wouldn't have issues.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Garrus grimaced as he looked at the assembling boarding force.

"Me neither, Garrus, me neither," Fluttershy responded, before grimacing as well. "You can't come along, Garrus. Your station within the Hierarchy is too high."

"I know that too, which makes me like this plan even less," Garrus admitted as a pony engineer flagged them over and informed them they were ready for translation. Fluttershy took a look at the blueprints and decided she would split her teams into three teams, one for the engine compartment, one to take the mass effect core, and the one with herself to take the bridge.

"I'm going to head back up to the CIC to monitor and see if my involvement could change things," Garrus said stepping back. "Try to keep the casualties down."

"I will," Fluttershy replied, Garrus nodding and leaving her to it again. Shy in turn got up onto a ledge to address the assembled force. "Listen up everyone! I have divided the force into three sections, you can check your assignments after this briefing, but in short, we will be assaulting on three prongs. Force one under my command will be taking the bridge of the vessel and taking over its command. Force two, under the command of Centurion Gavin Grimfeather will be taking the mass effect core. And the last force, number three, under the command of Lieutenant Starshine will take the engine bay. Now, I want to impress you with the absolute need for professionalism. We do not know the situation on the surface, perhaps none of our homes were hit by any bombardments, perhaps they were, but we are not going there to take revenge! We Are going to stop the Quarians from further harming our home! The capability to teleport into an enemy vessel is unheard of in the galaxy, they will not expect us! But that also means you will encounter quarians that will be unarmed, civilians even."

Fluttershy paused a moment to let her words sink in, a quiet murmur could be heard among the forces as they waited for her to continue.

"You are all the best at what you do to have been selected to serve on this vessel, so I ask you to live up to the expectations of that. The Vindica has shown her worth in space combat with the Turians, now let us show the Quarians we are just as capable a fighters too!"

A few ponies started stomping their hooves rhythmically, soon joined by the rest of the ponies and the griffons. Fluttershy stepped down from the platform and had the teams form up, the commanders of force two and three finding her before they joined their own people again.

"We're ready for the assault ma'am," Lieutenant Starshine said first. "I have to ask though, your order had us bring a disproportionate amount of medics along for this fight, I have to object to putting this many of them on the line for this assault."

"The decision was made to limit the damage we do to the Quarians," Fluttershy admitted, "Their biology isn't like ours, infections or diseases from us which we could shrug off will kill them. The medics are there to treat the casualties from both sides. This is also the reason helmets on internal filters are mandatory. We are there to stop their hostility, not contaminate their clean rooms. If we go in recklessly there will be no incentive to give in to us."

The two commanders nodded. Fluttershy could feel by their emotions they still didn't like her decision but at least accepted the call.

"Another issue I want to raise is the relative lack of engineers in our force to take control of the sections after they are taken," the griffon Centurion raised as an issue.

Fluttershy nodded as she and Garrus had briefly discussed the problem with one another as they determined the composition of the assault force. "The problem is no matter who we send, the Quarians will be better, Centurion. No offence to your people, but Quarians are the closest to natural engineers as possible, they will die if they cannot fix their vessels. The engineers with you are mostly there to give Fidelis an access point into their systems."

The griffon nodded in understanding. "Understood ma'am. My force is ready for deployment."

"Same here, ready in your call," the batpony commander also replied. The three of them separated and joined their respective force on the teleporter, Fluttershy opening a channel up to the bridge.

"The boarding units are ready to commit to the lighting assault," Fluttershy reported to Luna as she met the eyes of her strike force, all of the ponies in there showing nothing but steeled resolve.

Who would have thought us ponies to be so ready to fall into the role of the soldier after a millennia of peace.

The thought filled her with mixed feelings, sadness and pride. She lamented the fact this was a necessity but proud that when the call came, ponies and griffons had answered.

"Understood. Mission timer will be set at one hour, we will enter the weapons envelope by that point and engage." Luna responded as the chamber was filled with a hum. "And Fluttershy? Good hunting."

Ground Assault

Chapter 192

Ground Assault

Fluttershy reopened her eyes as she felt wind passing over her face, informing her she was down on the planet. Yet, Fluttershy could feel something else in the air, shuddering as she felt the same corrupting energies she'd felt on Haestrom when they'd retrieved Tali for the collector base assault. Granted, it had been way more rampant there but the background was there.

“Fidelis, where did you drop me?” Fluttershy asked as she found herself in a rather barren, mountainous area.

“Stand by, sending a map now.” the ai replied, her omnitool plunging as she received the packets. Her location updated, marking her as being in the dragon lands. A secondary marker in her more local area noting the position of a geth artillery battery. The Vindica was also marked as it briefly skimmed the atmosphere above her. Looking up, Fluttershy noticed a tiny, glowing, dot in the sky among some other trails of debris coming down from battles around the planet.

“You're coming down here?” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as she didn't think the titan would do more good against the ground cannons rather than the incoming reaper.

“Negative, that's not us. That's our passenger.” Fidelis reported, Fluttershy's eyes widening as she recognized the growing shape. Deakur's scales were glowing from the heat of re-entry as he snapped open his wings to slow down further. Fluttershy had to steady herself when the ancient dragon slammed down onto the ground, making it tremble.

“This is where my kind lives?" Deakur asked with disgust, looking around at the barren wasteland as the air around shimmered with dissipating heat. “Where are the carved-out mountains?! The grand terraces!”

“As far as I know dragons just keep to themselves and stay around their lairs and lava pools... I have to admit I never really looked into your kind, I used to be terrified of you." Fluttershy admitted, looking at the ridge of the mountain behind which the slight glow of lava could be seen alongside small bits of motion. Deakur glanced down at Fluttershy but found no traces of fear in her eyes, the unspoken question being conveyed successfully. "I met scarier things."

The dragon nodded, moving his gaze back up to the ridge where a couple of surprised dragons could be found. A low growl emanated from his throat as he started advancing up the mountainside, Fluttershy taking flight but hanging back a little, not wanting to get between the dragon and his objective.

"Oi! Who are you!" One of the dragons on the ridge shouted down at Deakur, his scales starting to blacken slightly as they cooled down. The gigantic dragon let out an earth-shaking roar in reply, scaring each dragon off the ridgeline before he lumbered over the rock. Fluttershy shuddered as she'd felt the magic the roar had contained, it hadn't been meant for the young, brash, dragon that had called out to the elder dragon. No, it had been one of challenge to a much more worthy target. The area was a pit of rock with a central pedestal upon which a dragon that, for Equestrian standards, was gigantic. His blue-grey scales were dull and mostly covered by a crude iron chestplate, his horns curving downwards, one of which being banded with a gold ring, while on his head sat a crown of ruby. His orange wings were spread defensively in response to the challenge.

"Get off your throne of pebbles, hatchling."

Every dragon that sat between Daekur and their leader as the new dragon marched back down the slope. Even now the Equestrian dragon had sat up straighter on his pedestal Daekur still looked him right in the eyes, regardless of standing on ground dozens of meters lower than the equestrian dragon was sitting.

"And who are you to demand this of me, newcomer?" the Equestrian dragon roared back, getting another growl from Daekur. The ancient dragon raised himself up, rearing onto his hind legs which made him tower over equestrian counterpart.

"What's your name?" he hissed.

"Give me yours and I shall give you mine, stranger," the equestrian dragon challenged Daekur back. Fluttershy was moving around the spectacle when a dragon spotted her.

"Who in Tartarus are you?" Fluttershy spun around, coming face to face with a female, light blue, dragon with spikes and wings of a darker shade of blue.

"Fluttershy," she answered, not seeing a reason to keep her name to herself like the equestrian dragon Daekur was staring down.

The blue dragon looked between the pony and the ancient dragon. "You two know one another?"

"In a way," Fluttershy admitted, tilting her head as this dragon felt a tad less aggressive than what she could detect of the others. "What's your name."

"Ember. I'm-"

The two of them were interrupted as Daekur made a move that almost looked impossible for a dragon his size, spinning around within the blink of an eye and smashing his tail against the equestrian dragon. Every dragon that had still been grounded was toppled over as their dragonlord smashed into the rockface, the horn which held the gold ring snapping clean off.

"DAD" Ember shouted, flying past Fluttershy and interposing herself between Daekur and her father. Fluttershy cursed and flew after her as Deakur briefly halted his advance on the fallen dragon.

"Stay out of this, small ones," Daekur hissed at Ember as Fluttershy joined her.

"I've lived under the dragon king, outsider, I won't live under another tyrant." the dragon lord hissed, struggling to get up.

Daekur halted. "I'm not here for some petty power squabbles. Have you not looked up?"

"The ponies will deal with it. They always do." he hissed back, coming to his feet shakily and was clearly not putting too much pressure on his left hind leg.

"Not this time!" Fluttershy spoke up, forcing her voice to be louder than ever, the attention of both enormous dragons squarely on the pegasus. Once that would have petrified her on the spot but that wasn't an option now. "What's out there now will kill us all! And not just us! Ponies, griffons, buffalo, zebras... you!!"

The words were mainly focused on the dragon lord, as Daekur did not need to be reminded of the stakes. Every bit of emotion related to the reapers seeped into her words.

"The pony speaks the truth. They wiped us out at our strongest." Daekur looked at Ember who swallowed under the attention she was receiving. "I was no larger than this youngling at the time. Too small to make a difference."

"Then what would you do to change things this time around." the dragon lord asked, rising to his full height again.

Deakur looked at the horizon where a plasma shot from one of the geth's batteries flew into space. "By starting with them."

The dragon lord followed his gaze, frowned, and nodded. "We shall fly together and I shall see you for who you are when we meet the creatures of metal."

Fluttershy flew among the flight of dragons that had been assembled by dragonlord Torch, the force of well over fifty adult dragons that had been in the immediate area following their dragonlord who was flying besides Deakur. The roar of the orbital artillery had become louder as the distance rapidly closed and the flight had lowered themselves, using the gorges and valleys to disguise their approach for as long as possible. Torch had already cleared a few of the geth when they'd tried setting up a position inside the borders of the dragonlands but had not felt any pressure to attack any of their positions outside of his borders.

"The ones we took out before weren't so tough."

Fluttershy looked over to see Ember flying alongside her, confident of her abilities to face whatever they were flying towards.

"You only faced geth. You haven't even seen a reaper yet," Fluttershy frowned as she looked at the position of the plasma batteries, steeling herself for the fight ahead.

"Reapers huh?" Ember laughed contemptuously. "Seriously, it's going to take more than just a 'scary' name to move my dad."

Fluttershy's frown deepened. "Ember, have you looked up at our new night sky?"

The dragon cocked an eyebrow. "Duh, of course."

"Now imagine those stars having worlds like ours. Thousands of them. And all of them with creatures living on them," Fluttershy explained, Ember's confident smirk faltering as she felt the direction where this was going. "This is merely an advanced post by a race enthralled by the reapers, Ember. I've seen entire planets burning. Palaven is losing millions. Earth is losing millions... does Equis even have millions to lose?"

Fluttershy had taken the wind out of Ember's sails completely, the dragon looking for dishonesty but finding none.

The flight suddenly flew up, into full view of the canning and hit the installations like an avalanche. Fire flew up from small calibre guns as the geth desperately tried defending against the new threat but the shots only leaving minor wounds against aged dragonscale. The first battery was torn apart by Daekur as he sheered metal apart with claws, wading through venting plasma as the structure buckled. Torch took his lead as he fell on the second battery and tore into it. the other dragons divided themselves up, some smashing the geth frames while others went after further batteries. Ember landed beside Fluttershy as she landed some distance away, rockets starting to impact against the dragon assault and actually starting to do more damage against the biological flamethrowers.

"This is only an advanced post?!" she asked as she saw one of the dragons get an unlucky hit against the head and crumple onto the ground. Fluttershy fired her rifle, killing the geth wielding the rocket launcher that had hit the dragon.

"Yes!" Shy simply answered as she picked her next target. Ember, though, found some courage, letting out a battle cry and charged forward. Fluttershy let out another curse at the dragon's charge. She'd figured out the fondness the dragonlord had for his daughter and if a geth killed her while she was nearby then he likely wouldn't take too kindly to her. Fluttershy charged after her self-imposed charge, catching up with the dragon as she found her first geth and tore it apart while it was still focused on the larger dragons above.

"Alone they're not so tough!" Ember called out as she started her charge to the next geth only to get tackled behind a rock as Fluttershy ploughed into her.

"Stick to cover!" she roared as the rock was pelted with fire from another squad of geth. Fluttershy lit her wings with biotic power and flung her power at the machines in question, crumpling them before turning back to Ember. "They kill at range and are never alone!"

Shy crossed the distance towards where the geth had fallen and picked out a rifle, throwing it at the dragon. "Use that! Think of it as a rapid-fire crossbow."

"Dragons don't fight like that!" Ember protested, only to get a face full of Fluttershy. "Are you the size of a house?"

"N-No?" Ember stumbled back as Fluttershy's gaze was almost paralyzing, feeling like a ton of bricks on her shoulders.

"Then you use it!" Shy broke off her gaze and focussed on another group of geth, decapitating them with shots from her rifle. Ember took position beside her, propping the rifle against the rock and firing. Her first few bursts weren't great, but she got closer very rapidly.

"Fluttershy! It stopped working!" Ember called out, Fluttershy pulling her back behind their cover and taking the rifle, pushing it back with a fresh thermal clip. Meanwhile, the larger dragons were advancing on the final two batteries, both of them having shifted from aiming at targets in orbit to the ones assaulting their position. The first was destroyed in the middle of a charging sequence, plasma engulfing it and the two dragons that had taken it out while the last managed to finish charging up.

Torch's eyes widened as he saw the plasma coming straight for him.

"NO."

Daekur pushed the dragonlord out of the way, magic flaring around his two horns as the plasma blast engulfed him. The battlefield fell mostly silent as the massive dragon was engulfed in smoke.

Ember's eyes were wide. "Did he-"

Another thunderous roar came from the smoke, Daekurs gigantic wings dissipating the cloud and revealing his bloodied and, once again, glowing form. The last cannon stood no chance.

"He saved him," Ember breathed. "He saved dad."

"We really don't want to fight you, Ember. We need all of you," Fluttershy assured her as the other dragons were doing their damnest to clear the remaining geth armatures. Torch and Daekur faced one another before the dragonlord lowered himself.

"We stand at your command, dragonlord."

All the other dragons bowed too at seeing this, even Ember stepped out from her cover and took a knee. Daekur looked around until he found Fluttershy. "Pegasus, I was told the planet possessed a shield." he looked up briefly. "It is clearly no longer there. If you know where its machinery is located you need to reactivate it, this planet will not last without it if more reapers arrive here."

"Join her, Ember," Torch commanded, eyeing Daekur. "She can treat with Celestia for us."

Daekur nodded in agreement. "Go. Luna showed me where all the cannons are, they will not last long."

Shielding

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Manehattan

Chapter 145

Manehattan

“So, to be clear, there's a massive underground base on the planet made by your kind fifty thousand years ago?” Garrus asked as Fluttershy finished her side of the story with Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie. Luna and Cadence had moved into a side room for a more private conversation.

“Yes. I think there is space for thousands to live down there,” Fluttershy answered.

“Well, we knew there was a good possibility we'd find something like that after Shining found that AI,” Garrus chuckled, “I told you your 'recon' missions always get more interesting.”

“That they do, so what happened in the Badlands? You look gross.” Fluttershy pointed at the goop covering Garrus, Tali, Shepard, and Dash. “And you really should clean that cut on your cheek,”

“Uhm, yeah… let's just say we had some technical difficulties,” Rainbow awkwardly said.

“By that, she means almost all mass effect fields got dulled to uselessness,” Tali added for Rainbow. “There was this strange chair... throne at the center of the fortress we found there that blocked nearly all mass effect fields. ”

“And that included guns,” Shepard growled.

“Considering how y’all look that ain’t all of it,” Applejack said in disgust of the smell coming off the group that had come from the badlands.

“Yeah… We found not only heretics there,” Rainbow shuddered. “Remember what Luna said about changelings, Shy? They were there… a lot of them.”

“That explains the blood, but how did you get through there without weapons?” Fluttershy asked, Rarity and Applejack gagging as they finally realized what the mess covering the others was. Rainbow, instead of answering, just activated her omni-blade. “Ah.”

“Could we please not,” Rarity looked sick as she tried figuring out how many things would have to die to be that drenched in blood. “I think I don’t really want to hear it.”

“Yeah, I’ll fill Shy in later,” Rainbow grimaced, Luna and Cadence came walking back onto the bridge with each other.

“Commander, I’d like to get to my sister. There’s been some things Cade- my niece here has informed me about,” Luna told Shepard seriously. “Preferably as fast as possible.”

“Wait, we can’t jus’ leave this place without anypony here! Not after the effort we put into keeping the darn thing!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Sounds like you’re volunteering to stay then?” Shepard smirked, Applejack opened her mouth to reply but closed it again to think it over.

“Ah guess Ah’d be the best pony fer the job since Ah already know how ta defend this thing jus’ in case… Alright, Ah’ll stay”

“Me too!” Pinkie exclaimed, “I found this cool option on the communications console that showed me something called the ‘extranet’. They even have pictures off all of you on there!” the pink pony giggled as she pointed at Garrus, Fluttershy and the others who’d been on the Citadel.

“What? How did yo-”

“Don’t question it Tali, it’s better for your sanity,” Rainbow cut her off before she’d spend too much mental effort into it.

“I’ll stay as well, I’m pretty sure I broke something and I want to find out what it was,” Rarity offered as well.

“That sounds good, I will send over my guard to relieve you three after I get in contact with them,” Luna promised. The others said their goodbyes for now as they left the three ponies behind to keep watch. Shepard and Luna lead them through the ship’s hallways, which were a bit cramped for the two-legged members, towards a small hangar bay where the Normandy’s shuttle sat. All of the doors were seemingly keyed to the ponies as they opened up the moment any of them got close enough, which was probably the reason how Shepard’s group had reached the bridge as quickly as they had done.

“You can guide the Normandy to this Manehattan, right?” Shepard asked Luna as they flew over to the stealth ship in the shuttle.

“Of course, though I would appreciate it just being myself, Cadence, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash going down. My sister will have enough stress, I want to speak to her before adding to that.”

“You know how to call and we won’t be going anywhere anytime soon with that shield up there,” Shepard chuckled, pointing up to where the planetary shield was. “Feel free to stay here in the hangar, It probably won’t take that long to get to our destination.”

“Understood,” Fluttershy said, sitting down in the hangar and leaning against some storage boxes as the others excused themselves to head further into the ship. “So, Rainbow, mind filling me in on the details about what happened in the Badlands?”

Rainbow sat down across from her and allowed Shy to check on the cut that ran across her cheek, Cadence joining in too. “We ‘landed’ nearby the fortress Luna mentioned before, by that I mean the shuttle mass effect generator went offline and we nearly smacked into the ground if it hadn’t been for conventional thrusters. We followed that up by heading into the fortress itself, that place really wasn’t cool. The walls and stuff moved all over the place and I don’t think that without Luna there we’d have found the central chamber in the first place.”

“No heretics or geth yet?” Fluttershy asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I think we ran into all of them at once in that central chamber, the heretics had set up all sorts of machines in there and these changelings just scurried around and carried equipment for them. That’s when it pretty much turned into a clusterfuck since no-one could use real weaponry it became a massive brawl. I’m not entirely sure how we pulled off that fight but Legion managed to get the virus before they could send it out… That’s when she showed up.”

“She?” Cadence questioned.

“Queen Chrysalis is what Luna called her. She did a number on us for a bit but after we blew up throne… it was a massacre Shy.” Rainbow trembled slightly, “The queen got away but most of the drones were killed in the firefight between the remaining heretics and us… there was so much blood,” Dash croaked. Fluttershy pulled the blue pegasus close into a hug, stroking her hair.

“It’s okay, Rainbow, you can’t control everything. Those changelings were working with the heretics so I think it’s safe to assume they’re with the reapers somehow,” Fluttershy comforted.

“Joker here, we’re approaching the city right now. Luna’s coming back down to join you.”

“Copy that, Joker,” Fluttershy replied, letting go of Dash who got back on her hooves and collected herself as the elevator opened and revealed Luna.

“So, how are we going to find Celestia?” Dash asked. “Manehattan might not be the Citadel but I still remember it being really large.”

“I will go by the City hall with Cadence here to see if they know more, I suggest you two check the north and south Guard precincts respectively,” Luna told them.

“Dibs on the north precinct!” Dash immediately said, her confidence back in force. “I know where that is and if I don’t find anything I’ll fly down south over the central park and check Bridleway.”

“Sounds good to me. I was never too familiar with Manehattan anyway,” Fluttershy nodded, “I’ll head to Bridleway after checking the south precinct and meet up with Dash there, we’ll contact you by omni-tool if we find something, Luna.”

“Perfect. Mister Monreau, could you open the hangar bay doors for us?” Luna asked the pilot.

“There you four go, we’re up pretty high right now though. Want me to bring you lower?” Joker asked as the hangar door opened up. Rainbow peaked over the edge to see the cloud layer far below.

“Nah, we got wings. We’ve got this… Geronimo!” Rainbow let herself fall off the ramp and through the thin air, gaining speed as she plummeted down. Behind her, the other three ponies did the same though they slowed down their decent by going down in a flare. Rainbow didn’t care though, she loved the screaming air around her ears as she opened her wings to start leveling out. G-forces squeezed her innards as she broke the cloud layer, leaving a hole, and got level between the city’s skyscrapers. The few other pegasi she passed didn’t even get to see what passed them as Rainbow weaved through the scrapers while looking around to identify where exactly she was, spotting the central park and heading in its direction.

Huh, that’s quite the crowd down there…

A group of ponies had assembled on one of the large fields in the park, a small stage with a pony standing on it in the middle of the crowd.

Maybe I should take a peek there first… couldn’t hurt, right?

Head down to the park.

Continue on to the guard station.

[Vote link]

Author's Note

There's an awesome Alien x MLP comic I've been following. It's awesome and I highly suggest following it, I might make a blog to signal boost it further later. :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/20824500
[Certainty: 80]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Collector Base - Releasing Control

Chapter 155

Collector base - Releasing Control

Fluttershy sprinted up to the cockpit, sliding up next to Joker. “Where are the others?!” she demanded.

“Shit, you got back to walking fast,” he said amazed while inputting controls into the Normandy. "We're heading in a bit deeper, I'm opening the hangar doors up for them to use."

"Understood, I'm heading down to give them a bit extra fire support." Fluttershy sprinted back down the ship, flapping her wings to soar over the holographic station and command console, and coming to a sliding halt in the elevator. Shy rapidly tapped the button to take her down to the hangar and checked her ammo, loading a fresh thermal clip into it before taking a deep breath to calm down.

They'll be alright, calm down Fluttershy.

She set up her rifle on its bipod and waited for the ramp to lower itself. She didn't have to wait long. The area Joker had set down the Normandy was nearly perfect place for a sniper if it wasn't so terribly lit, a wide-open chamber in which she could nail collectors the moment they appeared from the hallways. At the far end of the hall, she could see the large team of the crew making a fighting retreat, shooting and running back in sections so they could keep continuous fire.

Lowering her rate of breathing, Fluttershy took aim at one of the shapes in the darkness only for a sudden flash of pink light to make everything clearer. Though slightly confused, Fluttershy was way too focussed on her targets to give it more thought. Depressing the trigger she sent a round flying straight through the skull of one of the collectors, swiftly followed by more as she took out the few collectors that managed to brave the wall of fire from the main force and had gotten into cover. The rifle rapports sounded particularly loud to her for some reason but she chalked it up to medication still lingering in her system.

"Nice Shooting Shy!" Garrus called out from the distance, more as a cheer than anything else but Fluttershy heard it as if she was standing next to her. A few of the collectors that had gotten into flanking positions were dropped quickly, some of their covers partially exploded as Fluttershy's Black Widow rifle punched straight through them. "On my mark, Turn and retreat into the Normandy... Mark!"

As one, the entire team turned and made a beeline for the open ramp, cover popping up in the hangar for them to hide behind. Grunt was the first one in, carrying Jack under his arm who was heavily bloodied yet kicking and cursing up a storm. Who followed were Miranda, Samara, and Vortash, Zaheed meanwhile nearly dragged along Thane into the hangar bay. Garrus and Rainbow were the last to enter, Dash's left wing looked pretty busted up but for the rest she looked fine... apart from the scowl on her face that was.

Wait... where are Tali, Legion, and Shepard.

A cold shiver of dread made its way over her spine as the door slammed shut. She stood up and clamped the sniper rifle to her side and walked over to Garrus. "Where are the Commander, Legion, and Tali?"

"They split off from us to- Whoa," Garrus' eyes widened, stopping right in his tracks as he stared. Rainbow also glanced over to her, only she felt less shocked and more surprised.

I really need to figure out how to stop this reading emotions thing, it feels like I'm violating them for some reason...

"Hey since when did you turn into Flutterbat?"

"What?" Fluttershy looked back at her wings and found the feathers replaced with a set of leathery wings. "Oh... Well..."

I did get bitten by a changeling which grew something inside of me... what if...

Fluttershy hoped for the best and imagined herself as a pegasus again, pink fire engulfing her briefly as the changes applied themselves. The hangar noticeably became darker and the amount of sound she was hearing decreased as well.

"That's new..." Garrus muttered, staring down at her.

Rainbow narrowed her eyes and pushed her nose against Shy's. "How do we know you're not just a changeling who's disguised like Fluttershy?"

"I-"

"I have analysed her medical scans and can assure you her behaviour matches that of Fluttershy's, miss Dash. This is your friend." EDI cut in, helping Fluttershy out.

"If you need more proof, Garrus remember that night when Weaver entered our room-"

"It's her!" the turian barked, sounding extremely flustered. Fluttershy snickered for a moment before turning serious again.

"So can you turn into anyone now? Just like the changelings?" Rainbow asked. Fluttershy shrugged and looked at Rainbow, trying to imagine herself as her friend like she'd done when changing back to her pegasus form. She might have had more luck turning into the brick wall she was running into as she tried.

"I don't think so, at least not right now. Remember that it's new to me too, I'll fill you all in later." Fluttershy told Dash who felt disappointed. "I still haven't gotten my answer on my first question though," she asked again as the rest of the strike team were busy getting Jack and Thane to the medbay.

"They went deeper in towards the core while we held the way there shut, he ordered us to get out of there asap after priming the reactor," Garrus filled her in. The three waited for the elevator to come down again after the others had taken it up and used it to get to the CIC, running up to the cockpit. "Joker, status!"

"I lost contact with them! Commander do you copy?! Come on Shepard, don't leave me hanging! Do you copy?!" Joker called out over the radio.

"I'm here Joker, did the ground team make it?" the radio crackled.

"Busted up badly but accounted for," Garrus told him. Fluttershy at that moment felt herself connecting to something the same way she had done to Amethyst, distorted words flowing into her mind.

'Human, you've changed nothing. Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction.'

'Fluttershy! W-What's going on?!'

'Shh, calm down Amethyst. Everything is going to be fine.'

"Shit, I can't land properly around here, they're going to have to jump!" Joker opened the airlock, allowing Fluttershy, Garrus and Dash to get into it. The three of them laid down a hail of cover fire for Shepard, Tali, and Legion as they sprinted for the airlock. Tali and Legion got in just fine but Shepard had gotten behind.

The base shook terribly as its core was meting down, making parts of it rain down from above which smashed into the walkway, the gap Shepard now had to jump becoming very significant.

Not that that stopped the Commander.

That crazy fool!

Lighting their wings, Fluttershy and Rainbow both got the same idea and used their biotics to boost Shepard far enough up to fly into the airlock itself. "We're good! GO!" he immediately barked.

"Detonation in 10, 9, 8..."

"Yeah, I get it EDI!" Joker shouted, punching the Normandy's engines to maximum.

'You have failed. We will find another way.'

'And we shall be waiting.' Fluttershy mentally replied, the link staying silent as the stealth ship soared towards its exit jump point.

'Releasing control.'

Author's Note

And that was the end to ME2. Dear lord this took me a long time but we're getting there. A small interim and then ME3 is going to kick off, which is gonna be awesome!

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

University

Chapter 171

University

Stay on the Citadel with Twilight. 52%

"I think I'll stick around here for a while, I'm sure Twilight won't mind having me around," Fluttershy decided relatively quickly, leaving the unicorn pretty much on her own without any close friends was probably a terrible idea.

"I-It's your house I'm staying in after all," Twilight stammered as she hadn't expected that from Fluttershy.

"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure you and Fluttershy will get to experience a lot more of this fantastic place," Rarity said, sipping from the glass of wine she had gotten with the meal.

"Yer way too much in love with this place, Rares," Applejack chuckled. "Ain't no place for me, Ah'd take mah farm any day."

"And I wouldn't expect anything less from you, darling," Rarity replied with a chuckle of her own. The four of them got into some more casual conversation as they ate up the rest of their meals. Afterwards, Fluttershy dropped off Twilight at the apartment and ferried Rarity and Applejack to the Presidium to the pony embassy. They'd be returning to the titan for the next part of their journey in a few hours and needed someplace to get some sleep.

Twilight was cleaning off the apartment with her magic as Fluttershy got back to her place. "So, when do you have to go to the university?"

"I'd say in the morning but 'mornings' don't really happen here, do they?" Twilight answered, making Fluttershy chuckle.

"No, not really... What time were you given?" Twilight levitated over her tablet to Fluttershy to show the message from the school with times to appear. "Hmm, that should give you almost a day before you have to get there," Fluttershy said as she checked the time on her omni-tool.

"Right, thanks... so what are you going to do around here?" Twilight asked, sitting down at the dinner table, one of the things in the apartment that had been adapted to pony physiology.

"Honestly, I don't know," Fluttershy answered with a shrug, getting a glass of water and offering one to Twilight too. "I'll probably be doing practice with my shooting and other things, the reapers can't be long away and I want to be razor-sharp when they finally arrive."

Twilight nodded, sighed, and muttered. "How did we get to this point..."

"What point?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"All of this," she sighed, "How we went from being happy on our planet to being thrust into the galaxy. You becoming this... badflank of a pony! You, who was afraid of her own shadow!... My falling out with Princess Celestia..."

Fluttershy wrapped a wing around the unicorn's back. "Not all of it is something I'd wish on others, Twilight. We were dealt a hand of cards and now we're going to have to play with them."

Twilight leaned against her pegasus friend and sighed deeply again. "I just don't know what me going to learn physics is going to help..."

"If you get a good grasp on it you may be able to find ways to improve technology vitally needed against the reapers. I've seen how many ships just one of those things could take out, we're going to need all the advantages we can get... and besides, you may actually be able to make headway on indoctrination," Fluttershy nudged Twilight on the shoulder and smirked. "And I could give you some lessons so you can at least handle yourself, I started here on the Citadel too and know a good place to learn."

"Maybe I will..." Twilight yawned, "But for now I think I should get some sleep."

"Of course, I'll go check up on the apartment's ventilation systems and such. The filters probably need to be replaced." Fluttershy stood up to go check up on the places she needed to. "I'll join you in bed in about an hour, sleep well Twilight."

Fluttershy checked the straps on her armour as she got ready to go out. Getting permits to keep her weaponry now she didn't have Shepard or Garrus around was a little harder but having herself assigned to the embassy security team circumvented a lot of the regulations for her high powered weapons. Not that the diplomats there really needed her with C-Sec's presence around the Citadel but it removed a headache for her.

The news feeds still occasionally showed reports of the Vindica but with them being in Turian space not as much video was being released as on that first day. After Twilight had gone to bed Fluttershy had checked in on those and found them all to be covering the event of the newly arrived warship.

Twilight had been settling in at the university in the meanwhile, diving deep into her studies over the last two weeks. The unicorn's work was even bleeding into the apartment with notes covering the dinner table which meant their food breaks were usually moved to the smaller coffee table and ate on the couch.

Today though Fluttershy was going to pick up Twilight at the university for some more physical activities.

Weapons, check, armour, check, thermal clips, check... well, that should do it.

Happy about everything she had with her Fluttershy pulled up her hood, strapped on her bag, and made for the university, as she arrived there Twilight was nowhere to be seen. Making an educated guess, Fluttershy assumed she was still inside and forgot the time. Walking in, the pegasus looked for signs towards the lecture hall she knew Twilight had her lesson in. Fluttershy memorised Twilights schedule to the minute the day the unicorn had gotten it, not that Twilight knew that of course but if something happened then Fluttershy knew where she had to go to find her friend.

"Hey, who are you?" Fluttershy stopped and looked back, an asari in the schools dress walking towards her.

"Just someone looking for a friend," Shy answered.

"Twilight Sparkle?" she guessed.

"That's her," Shy nodded. "You know where I can find her?"

"She should still be in the lecture hall, she always stays to ask the professor questions," the asari answered and motioning for Fluttershy to follow her. "I'm Aranyo D'riasus by the way."

"Fluttershy," Shy curtly answered as they got the the lecture hall, Twilight levitating a bunch of notes around her for the professor.

"Miss Sparkle, your observations are interesting, and quite correct, but these subjects will be covered in the next lecture," The professor told Twilight who looked sad that she hadn't gotten her answer.

"Twilight!" the asari called out, getting the pair's attention.

"Fluttershy! Oh no, I forgot the time!" Twilight exclaimed, all her papers flying into her bag as she ran over to her friend. Fluttershy noticed a silent nod of thanks from the professor to the other student. "We're not too late are we?"

"Not yet, but we should hurry a bit," Fluttershy smiled, giving a nod to the student and professor as they went to drop Twilight's stuff into her locker before heading out to get a taxi.

"So, what did you have planned?" Twilight asked, making Fluttershy smirk,move aside her cloak, and open her bag, to reveal the weapons she'd stashed in there. "I'm going to teach you to shoot... and you're going to pick out with which one of these you're going to learn to do it with."

Assault Rifle - Phaeston

Shotgun - N7 Crusader

Sniper - M-97 Viper

Pistol - M-6 Carnifex

SMG - M12 Locust

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Note that Twilight will only have 1 weapon to train with, so no multiples as with Rainbow and Shy. The egghead mainly being a scholar of course.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/42906897
[Certainty: 70]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Sur'Kesh

Chapter 180

Sur'Kesh

Fluttershy, Garrus, Shepard, Liara, and Wrex were all crammed into the shuttle as it made its way over the jungles of Sur'Kesh towards the location of the STG base where the krogan females were being held. Despite getting things to go his way, Wrex's mood hadn't lightened by much. “If these damn pyjacks have hurt those females...”

“We'll get them back Wrex, don't worry,” Liars said with a smile, checking her heavy pistol and placing it on its mag holster.

“Let diplomacy play out, you'll get what you want,” Shepard agreed. “Besides, we'll grab the females and get the hell out of Dodge before anyone can change their mind.”

“Ha! Thanks you two, wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride,” Wrex laughed, prompting Garrus to clear his throat. Fluttershy smirked and stood next to him.

“I suppose I can make room for a turian and pegasus with krogan sensibilities too.” Wrex chuckled with a deep rumble.

“I'll have you know my people value peace and friendship very highly,” Fluttershy playfully jabbed back.

“That why you have those scars?”

Fluttershy stuck out her tongue at him as the shuttle flew over to the base's landing pads. Alarms started blaring around the entire facility as the shuttle came in on its final approach. “Commander, salarian ground control says we so not have clearance to land.”

“The lying bastards,” Wrex growled, walking up to the shuttle door, opening it and jumped the final distance to the ground as the shuttle waited in a hover. Fluttershy also lept from the shuttle in case things got nasty. “Who authorised you to hold my race hostage!” Wrex thundered in response to the call of unauthorized landing, armed salarians rushing to the landing pads.

Red laser dots appeared on Wrex's forehead as snipers took aim. Fluttershy too found one at the centre of her chest, the pegasus immediately went into a set of manoeuvres and pulled out her rifle, keeping it fixed on the head of the offending sniper while keeping up her erratic flight patterns.

“Hold your fire!” A salarian in black armour came running towards them as Shepard, Garrus, and Liars too left the shuttle. “Commander Shepard, Captain Fluttershy, restrain your colleague! We only found out about the transfer moments ago!”

Fluttershy huffed, if they had only just found out then the dalatrass must have waited until the last moment to inform them... That meant she was angling to incite an incident.

That bastard. Fluttershy thought as she lowered her weapon and landed.

“Avoiding a diplomatic incident would be preferable in our current situation,” she said, clamping the rifle to her side. “But you have something valuable to my friend here.”

"Something worth dying over," Wrex growled.

"Please, this matter can be resolved peacefully but I must insist for the krogan to remain under guard," the salarian commander pleaded. Shepard looked back at the krogan.

"We'll get the females, Wrex, we can handle this," commander Shepard told him, his eyes narrowed at the salarian but eventually he stashed away his shotgun.

"If anything goes wrong, all bets are off," he agreed, allowing a group of salarians to lead him down into the base itself. Behind them, the shuttle finally set down properly and let its engines whir down. Salarians were walking all over the place, transporting various other alien specimens across roof tracked cranes in large containment chambers. Liara scowled as she noticed the occupant of one.

"I would have liked to never see one of those ever again," she grumbled as a yahg in one of the chambers.

Wrex was made to sit down fairly close near where they had entered, a squad of security personnel assigned to him to make sure he stayed in place. Shepard went over to make sure he'd behave himself, Garrus and Liara following the commander there to assure the krogan as well. Fluttershy though noticed a salarian she thought she recognised and went over to him to check instead. "Captain Kirrahe?"

The salarian looked up and turned around. "Miss Fluttershy, pleasure to see you again."

"Same here captain," Fluttershy smiled as she had indeed been right.

"My men owe you a great personal debt, more of us would not have made it if it were not for your medical treatment after we reached the Normandy," he thanked the pegasus. "Also, it is major now."

"Captain for me," Fluttershy chuckled. "Seems like we are both moving up in the world."

"Hmm, I heard about your homeworld. Fascinating how your kind is capable of shielding your entire planet, and then there is that dreadnaught of yours. Remarkable."

"Honestly, I was astonished too when I saw either of them. Seems like my kind were not so new at space travel as I originally thought," Fluttershy admitted. "Though I am glad too, it seems like we will need it against the reapers in more ways than just as a warship."

"I take that to be a story for later, the commander seems to be ready to retrieve the krogan females," Kirrahe pointed out, seeing the commander talking with the salarian base commander to get access to the lower levels.

"So it seems. It was good seeing a friendly face again, major," Fluttershy smiled.

"Agreed. And Captain, regardless of what the politicians say, STG knows the score. The commander and you can count on us when it comes down to it." He added the assurance in nothing more than a whisper so only Fluttershy would hear.

That got an even brighter smile to the pegasus' face, giving a nod to the salarian and turning for the commander. Garrus and Liara had already joined him while Wrex had to remain behind. "Find someone interesting?" Garrus asked as she joined up.

"Kirrahe's here too. Thought I'd say hi," Fluttershy quickly explained, not mentioning his pledge to help the war effort as she couldn't know who was listening.

"Interesting, would've been good to see him again but we're on a schedule," Shepard said as he motioned for them to follow to an elevator. "The salarians have been getting weird readings at their perimeter, I want to get the females and then get out as fas-" Shepard didn't even get to finish his sentence as an explosion rocked the facility and alarms started blaring, announcing that the perimeter had been breached. "Alright, we get the females and get out!" he called as he drew his assault rifle, Fluttershy and the others doing the same with their weapon of preference and stepping into the elevator.

The doors closed as more explosions rocked the facility, the sound becoming muffled as they lowered down below where they stepped out again. Salarians were rushing all over the place but there was a sort of structure to it as they were all performing some task of sorts. "Shepard, Fluttershy, excellent timing! Good to see you after the news from Earth."

"Mordin?!" Garrus exclaimed with a laugh as he recognised the crazy salarian.

"Vakarian, equally good to see you considering Palven." The professor motioned for them to follow.

"You're back with STG?" Shepard inquired as he stuck close on Mordin's heels.

"Yes. Surprise understandable, was not expecting to. Special consultant role. Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong," He said, stopping before a glass window looking into a room with krogan corpses covered up by tarps. "Females had weakened immune systems, side effect of Maelon's cure. These... didn't make it."

"I'm sure you did everything you could Mordin," Fluttershy comforted him as she too somberly looked at the bodies. Mordin huffed, something between annoyance and anger.

"Arrived too late. Cannot delay further. Have one survivor, completely immune to genophage. Can syntithise cure from tissue, Maelon's research has been invaluable." Mordin was walking again, this time towards a containment cell like the one they'd seen on the crane above. "Surviving female last hope for krogan. She dies, cure becomes... problematic."

"We won't let that happen," Liara immediately stated, coming to a stop at the cell where the final krogan female was being held in place by some cart of sorts.

"Careful, krogan slow to trust," Mordin warned as Shepard and Fluttershy stepped forward.

"My name's commander Shepard, alliance navy, and this here is captain Fluttershy, we're council Spectres."

"Have you come to kill me then?" she said with a very smooth voice, surprising Fluttershy who really had only heard the gruff males of the species.

I really never ran into a female krogan, have I?

"We are here to take you home," the commander told her.

"Why? What am I to you?"

"The future of the krogan race and an end to an old, ongoing, crime," Fluttershy answered. "We're going to make sure you see Tuchanka again." she turned to the salarian at the controls. "Release her."

"I can't. Protocol states that- hngggg!"

Mordin had his arm up and omni-tool activated, the device crackling with electricity. "Objection noted. Release the female krogan." The salarian at the controls did not object further. "I will monitor the pod as it progresses up, monitor quarantine procedures. May require help at checkpoints."

"Understood," Shepard acknowledged. "Fluttershy, we got this. Once you see open air go check where Wrex is and create an exit for us."

"Will do," Fluttershy agreed, she and Shepard may have been of equal authority now but Shepard's experience was still vastly superior compared to hers. They sprinted back to the elevator to get back up to the next floor to get the pod through the first checkpoint, though the moment it opened each and every single member of the squad let out a curse.

Fluttershy immediately jumped forward and put a biotic barrier up in the portal of the elevator doors.

The bomb that lay in there exploded in a bright flash, its flames licking up against the shield didn't get through but instead went up and down the shaft, ripping apart the elevator instead of harming the people outside of the door.

"There's another emergency exit on the other side of the lab, commander!" one of the salarians called out. "I'll open it up for you!"

"You good, Shy?!" Garrus called out as Fluttershy dropped the barrier and allowed smoke from the blast to enter the lab.

"I'm fine, we need to get up there and find out who's attacking!" Shy replied, already on the move to the alternative exit.

"I'd say Cerberus, that bomb did not look like it was manufactured by the reapers. Though the difference between the two are most likely going to decrease as time goes on." Liara observed as they got to the secondary exit, a ladder leading up. Fluttershy spread her wings, and with barely a few flaps got herself to the top where she walked through another door out onto one of the facility's lower balconies.

"Liara's correct, it's Cerberus," Fluttershy radioed in as she jumped into the air and started flying up to the landing platform and the facility's upper levels. She stuck close to the side of the plant-covered building, trying to avoid any stray and targeted fire, arriving just in time at the landing pad to see the Normandy's shuttle take off.

"Shepard, Wrex here, I took the shuttle. Get the females up to the landing pad, I'll make Cerberus' life miserable up here!"

Fluttershy, with a mighty flap, landed on top of the departing shuttle and magnetically locked her hooves to the top of the craft. "Wrex, I'm lifting along on top of the shuttle. Get me close to one of those gunships and I'll take it out."

"Ha! I'll get you to your prey, kid!" Wrex laughed as he made a sharp turn and strafed a Cerberus squad with the shuttles guns before coursing towards one of the gunships that was assaulting salarian positions. "Go!"

Fluttershy detached her hooves from the shuttle as it turned and broke off, using the momentum for the craft to launch herself at the gunship. Smacking into the craft, Fluttershy locked onto that thing as well, using her biotics to rip off a panel from the top of the gunship and exposing its innards. She followed up by lighting an omni-blade and slamming it into the ship's components thrice, causing the engines of the craft to cough and having it immediately lose altitude.

"Got it!" Fluttershy called out with a laugh.

"A fine kill!" Wrex roared over the radio with an equal laugh, passing by in the shuttle which was continuously firing at assaulting forces. "Hop on!" Fluttershy complied as Wrex brought the shuttle in close and latched herself to the roof of the shuttle again. "When did you get the tech to hang onto craft anyhow?"

"It was useful when hanging walls or rooves when trying to find good sniping spots on Omega," Fluttershy replied as they returned to the section of the facility where Shepard's squad and Mordin were working on releasing the female krogan. Shepard's squad having been pinned down away from Mordin and the female Krogan. Both Fluttershy and Wrex opened up on the blocking forces, slaughtering them with the combination of heavy weapons fire and pinpoint accuracy.

"Much appreciated!" Garrus called out as the way was opened for them to send the pod with Mordin and the Krogan up to the release point.

"Wrex, get to the top and be ready to pick us up!" Shepard ordered after he sent the pod back on its way. Wrex complied but immediately pulled away from the roof as he got sight of it.

"There's a mech up there Shepard! I can't land this damn thing as long as it's there!" the krogan roared. Fluttershy too had detached from the shuttle and gotten into cover on the roof, she could see from her brief observation the large mech seemed to have some unusual shielding shimmering around it.

Jumping out from her cover Shy flung a biotic ball of energy at it, only for it to dissipate as it hit the walker's shielding. Shy's reward for this action was a barrage from the large cannon mounted to the right arm of the thing. "This thing may become a problem, Shepard, I can't breach it with my biotics!" Shy reported as concrete shards from the explosions pinged off her shielding. She did not want to get hit by one of those shells.

"There's always the old way of taking them out!" Shepard called out as he, Garrus, and Liara arrived on the roof too, a hail of gunfire slamming into the mech's shield, forcing it to switch attention which then gave Fluttershy opportunities to fire.

"Its shields aren't going down fast enough, Shepard! Give me an opening!" Liara called out from her cover as the mech focussed on her momentarily, its fire also being directed at the pod holding the female krogan in an attempt to take her out.

"What are you thinking, Liara?" Shepard asked as he jumped from cover, making himself an obvious target to switch to.

"My position does grant me one or two perks!" she called out as she charged at the mech. Fluttershy and Garrus both also jumped from cover, Shy using her biotics to throw up dust around the mech and impair its driver's ability to see conventionally while Garrus used his heavier slugs to really hit the shielding hard. As Liara got into touching distance of the mech she lit her omni-tool and placed her hand on the shielding, it instantly went out.

"Some interesting tools you have there, Liara!" Garrus called out, impressed. Shy though immediately took advantage that she could use her biotics again and took a hold of the glass dome surrounding the driver and ripped it off, Shepard landing the killing blow with a burst of machinegun fire.

"That thing really was tough..." the commander panted as he'd dodged one too many shots from the artillery piece the mech carried for comfort. Wrex was already bringing in the shuttle for a quick pickup as they released the female from the containment shield.

"Get her on board Shepard, I don't want the salarians using this as an excuse to keep her here on this planet!"

"Agreed, we'll do proper introductions later. Let's go."

Author's Note

I just wanted to report that the Salarian dalatrass is in stable condition after receiving that burn in the last chapter.

Also, I may have been distracted by various things, among which the launch of a certain legendary edition of a certain game, jobs, and a few other fun things. Kinda made it even longer than I originally planned.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be coloured [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Boarding action

Chapter 191

Boarding action

The air crackled with static electricity as Fluttershy materialised on the Quarian vessel and took in her environment. One thing was immediately clear to her: They hadn't landed in the intended landing spot. A quick view of the map that had been created from the scans showed they were further back from the control center than anticipated.

"Two, three, confirm teleport," Fluttershy asked as she looked around the chamber she found herself in, finding a stunned quarian not too far away from her.

"Two has landed on target! We are securing the core chamber!" the gruff voice of the griffon could be heard with gunfire in the background as they seemed to have hit resistance immediately.

"Three ... off target, ..... scattered ..... will gather and .... when possible!" Lieutenant Starshine's transmission was extremely broken up but Fluttershy had heard enough for now. They batpony would have to fight her own war for now.

"Are we complete?" Shy asked a nearby sergeant who had instructed her team to hold the quarian Fluttershy had seen in custody while they got their bearings.

"I'm missing some ponies in my squad, I know the same is true for Charlie squad," the mare reported. "As far as I can see we reached our minforce though."

"Then we move. We can't let the quarians dig in," Fluttershy said as she received a path over two axis that would take her and her force to the quarian CIC. The ponies organised and sent two squads to take point on either path, followed by another squad and teams of medics behind that. The chosen path had plenty of ways between the squads so they could support one another mutually.

They left a few of the surprised quarians they met with tied wrists in the hallways behind them, even if those got free again it would give them time to advance. They had such little amounts of resistance that they got right up to the command centre when they met their first opposition. The earthpony in the lead was yanked back by the unicorn behind him as his shield popped immediately from the barrage of fire as he stepped around the corner.

"Contact!" somepony roared as another peaked around the corner to fire bursts at the quarian defenders before popping back into cover. Another unicorn primed a grenade and tossed it around the corner, the team stacking up to push the moment it detonated.

Boom!

The six ponies pushed into the hallway, more bursts of fire coming from the ponies rifles as they downed the defending party.

"Push up!" Fluttershy ordered, being right behind the front line of ponies. When they reached the defensive positions the squad wasted no time disarming the downed quarians after which the medics checked up on them.

Three killed, five wounded. Fluttershy noted, gritting her teeth, her blood boiling at the utter waste of life they were forced to perform due to the quarian commander's stubbornness.

"They sealed the doors into the command centre," one of the sergeants reported after his team checked out the shut door.

"Can we breach it?" Fluttershy asked as her teams fanned out in the corridor, preparing to hold the position as they dealt with the shut door.

"I already have one of mine working on slow-burning charges, but that'll take a minute to get through the door," The sergeant explained as a pony passed them and attached a line of packages to the sealed door. At the same time, fire came from their rear as a force of quarian internal ship security hit them in the rear. Fluttershy cursed and deployed her rifle.

"Keep me informed sergeant!" She called out before charging to the blocking position that was being engaged. Her crosshairs fell on a quarian the moment she poked around the corner but, even though she definitely could kill the quarian, she didn't. Fluttershy's slugs were specifically designed to pierce shielding, and unlike krogans, quarians were very vulnerable. She adjusted her shot and hit her rifle arm instead, the quarian dropping the rifle and screaming in pain as she fell to the deck.

Five killed, Twelve wounded. Fluttershy continued her count as a slumped earthpony was dragged back, the quarians were doing the same for their own.

"Two here, we have the mass effect core secure!" the voice of Grimfeather came in over the comms. "I've got two KIA and seven wounded here but we hold the strong points now."

"Understood, two. Do you have an update on three? My connection to her was bad," Fluttershy asked as she retreated from their holding position back to the door.

"Steadily advancing, not established on their objective yet," the griffon officer responded curtly.

"Understood, keep me posted if that changes. Out," Fluttershy responded in turn before approaching the sergeant that had his team working on the door. "How long?"

"Almost there, we just need to blow it inwards," he reported as the door had glowing lines on it in the form of a portal.

"I'll take care of that. Get into position to breach." Fluttershy spread her wings and engulfed them in her blue biotic aura, charging herself up to throw her full might against the compromised door. "Ready... NOW!"

A blue wave hit the door and bent it open, revealing the quarian command center. Two unicorns levitated flashbangs into the gap the moment it opened, the squad charging in as they blew up. Fluttershy charged in right after then, using a biotic shove in every direction to unbalance everyone.

"CEASE YOUR FIRE AND SURRENDER!" Fluttershy shouted before she locked eyes with the quarian captain and held her rifle at the ready "Give in captain."

“And what then? I can be replaced, pony, you have changed nothing,” he glanced over to one of his ensigns, but the quarian just looked at her screen baffled.

“S-Sir, there's something in here!”

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed as a hum filled the CIC, the quarian ensign in question being pulled away from her console by a unicorn.

“I don't appreciate your attempt to scuttle your vessel, captain.” holographic displays lit up, showing fidelis standing in a storm of code as he took command of all systems. “Cease your fleet's hostility now, or I will make you do so.”

The quarian captain stood frozen for a fraction of a second as Fidelis stared him down, he looked back down to Fluttershy.

“Has nothing been learned about our folly with AI?” he growled. “You only show that you are a greater threat.”

“Fidelis has been nothing but loyal to our cause,” Fluttershy hissed back, defending the artificial construct. “And perhaps if you gave the geth a chance they could too.”

“You're delusional.”

“And you're out of time.”

Fidelis' holograms changed that to of a display of the quarian fleet. Icons starting to change from grey to red and green as calls of alarm came flooding in over the comms from various quarian vessels.

“What did you do?!” The captain called out, a few extra rifles being pointed in his direction as to stop him from doing anything rash.

“I have control of thirty-five percent of the quarian fleet, I project the ability to gain control of fourty-one percent before they lock down their internal battle net.”

“No..."

“STAY WHERE YOU ARE,” one of the equestrian boarders roared as the quarian captain moved forwards towards Fluttershy. He completely ignored the command.

“Without that battle net the geth will tear us and you apart, pony. You cannot do this!”

Fidelis' hologram popped back into place.

“We have a new contact, approaching fast.”

A sensor feed was displayed.

Oh no...

“The geth's formation is opening up to allow it to enter,” another quarian ensign, who was still monitoring his station reported.

The bridge remained quiet as they watched the Reaper come closer to the formation with blistering speed.

Legion... No...

“Captain, we do not have time to argue anymore. Cease your fire on our planet and we'll join forces to combat the reaper.”

“There are planetary cannons deployed by the geth that need to be suppressed, we cannot win if we cease fire,” The quarian captain answered, the two all business with the highly dynamic and evolving situation. “If you want us to stop firing, destroy those cannons.”

“Show me where and get me the Vindica on comm,” Fluttershy replied, first getting the hologram of the planet with marked locations and then a hologram of Luna.

“Speak.” Luna looked distracted which she likely was as her mental load must have increased exponentially with the arrival of the reaper.

“The quarians need ground cannons to be destroyed to stop firing on the planet. They will be destroyed if those are not dealt with. Sending coordinates.”

Luna looked down almost imperceivably little. I“ see.” The princess looked to someone out of view. “Adjust course, skim the upper atmosphere above the dragon lands.” she focussed on the quarian captain. “We will mutually cease aggression to one another, I shall have the ground cannons dealt with, and then we shall combat the reaper. I care not for your war, but if the geth have sided with the reapers then they have turned into a threat to us too.”

“Until you take those defences they will need to be suppressed.”

“I shall managed those fire missions,” Fidelis spoke up, only for the quarian captain to scoff.

“Absolutely not. We-”

“You do not have a choice, we own your battle net.” Luna stated.

“to the contrary, you said it yourself, if we lose your own kind is at risk,” The captain shot at her.

“I suspect the same is true for you if this force hits the migrant fleet proper.” Luna shot back. “I'm guessing they are currently at Rannoch and you are their rear guard.”

The quarian captain growled. “Your AI will purge itself from our systems after this is done.”

“Yes. I do not like to be this spread in the first place.” Fidelis answered.

“Then it's done,” the captain reluctantly stated. The assault force slowly lowered their weapons, in turn, to allow the quarians back onto their stations. In turn, the captain opened the intercom. “Cease hostility against the equine boarders, we have reached an agreement. I repeat, cease hostility.”

“One, Two, confirm cease-fire?”

“Two, three, we've come to an agreement with the quarians, cease hostility,” Fluttershy confirmed and looked up at the hologram of Luna. "What do you need us to do?"

"I have already ordered Grimfeather to gather our wounded and dead. I want you to, gather a small group of ponies from your force and be ready to be transported down to the surface. Find and rally a force to take on the artillery sites."

Fluttershy nodded as she looked at three ponies who'd already stepped forward to volunteer. "We'll get it done."

"See to it. Transporter active."

The air crackled and the world turned to black.

Author's Note

Slowly getting back into the pace

Relay

Chapter 1

Relay

Fog flowed down from the Everfree forest into the gorge that lay next to the castle of the two sisters, blocking the little light that had penetrated down into the chasm in the first place. This did not stop the seven travelers that were currently traveling through it though, those seven had already dared to travel deep into the monster-infested forest and would not stop merely because there was little light...

...At least for six of those.

"Come on Fluttershy! It's not like we're going to face a dragon this time, It's just another ruin Twilight wants to show us!" Rainbow shouted as she pushed the yellow mare along the small path that led deeper into the gorge.

"B-but It is s-so dark... EEP!" Fluttershy ducked behind her mane as she thought she saw a shadow moving in the fog.

Pinkie hopped over to the cowering mare and put her hooves around the prone form of the shy mare, "Come on silly, there's nothing to be afraid of. you just have to..." Pinkie took a deep breath as she prepared a song but was stopped by the hoof Applejack stuck into the pink mare's mouth.

"We know, Sugarcube, giggle at the ghosties though we ain't have time fer a song right now." She told the party pony whose ears flopped down onto her head as Applejack retrieved her hoof.

"Ahhh, but I love singing." Pinkie pouted, Twilight meanwhile had stopped moving forward and turned to her friends.

"Come on, Fluttershy. The structure has some sort of artificial lighting so it's much less scary in there." The unicorn told her friend, who peaked through her mane at Twilight.

"A-are you sure?" Fluttershy squeaked as she got lifted back onto her quivering hooves by Dash.

"Yes Fluttershy, I'm sure of that. Now hang with us for a little longer, it's only a bit further to the ruin." Twilight said, true to her word the group arrived at the strange structure not long after. Strange metal and stone lining the entrance of the structure and lines of strange statues of bi-pedal creatures lining the entrance halls of the structure.

"T-Twilight?" Fluttershy shivered as her eyes fell upon the old statues, though not as skittish the pegasus the rest of the group felt really uncomfortable in the hallway. Twilight meanwhile didn't notice most of her friends' discomfort as she was too busy writing notes on the things.

"I know how to handle this," Spike said as he walked up to the purple unicorn who was having a nerdgasm about everything she saw. The little dragon hoped up on a piece of broken stone and put one of his claws in his mouth before sticking it into one of Twilight's ears.

"AAAH! SPIKE!" She shouted as she spun around to face the little dragon who had crossed his arms and a smug smile plastered on his face. Twilight wanted to be angry at him but then realized why he had done what he had done.

"I'm sorry girls, there's just so much to learn here! We might have discovered a piece of civilization of a long-extinct species!" Twilight squealed, "I only saw the first hallway though I know for a fact that there's a large chamber after that I haven't explored yet!"

"That's so awesome! This is almost like a Daring Do novel!" Dash squealed similarly excited as Twilight though for other reasons than her unicorn friend. The two of them urging the rest forward to the back of the hallway where a large wall of stone blocked their way.

"Uhm, Twilight darling I'm not sure how to bring this to you but I'm pretty sure that this is a dead end." Rarity said but Twilight was already back to intently studying the wall.

"Can't you feel it Rarity? There's a massive source of magic back there!" Twilight said, the fashionistas eyes going wide as she, too, felt the source of magic.

"So how do we get in there?" Rainbow asked impatiently while knocking on the stone wall, to her surprise a dull thump could be heard somewhere in the structure.

"W-what was that?" Fluttershy asked as she ducked back down behind her mane. The answer to her question being revealed seconds later as the wall split apart revealing a large circular room with a raised platform in the middle that housed a device, the construct had two rotating oval rings in the center floating between two arms that carved around the rings at the base before pointing straight at the sky.

"That's incredible." Twilight gasped as she slowly walked towards the construct, the others silently following as they were too in awe of what the were seeing. Even Fluttershy though visibly shaking was moving closer with her friends.

"What do y'all think it is?" Applejack asked, breaking the silence just as they reached the base of the raised central platform.

"I..." Before Twilight could continue the rings in the device started spinning wildly at the same time as blue light appeared to be coming from the center of those rings. The group scrambling back away from the large structure as they apparently had accidentally activated the thing...

...All except for Fluttershy who surged forwards towards the thing.

A little bird was trapped within a blue aura close to the device, lightning of some sort arching towards the little creature. Not wasting a second Fluttershy took a hold of the little creature and dragged it from the aura... only to be caught in it herself instead. Her eyes went wide as the device started to make an earsplitting whine just before the device lit up for the last time and her world went black.

Fluttershy groaned as the smell of ozone and burned hair filled her nostrils. Despite feeling as if Rainbow had dragged her through one of her training sessions the yellow pegasus managed to push herself onto her hooves and opened her eyes, freezing immediately as she saw her surroundings.

She was standing on a bridge of some sort next to a statue which looked similar to the device she had seen in the structure with the girls but that was where the similarities ended. Instead of the old ruin, she was now standing in something that looked like a large city, carts of some sort flying through the sky above her and strange creatures of all sorts walking and standing still...

...and looking at her.

Fluttershy's pupils shrunk to pinpricks and let out a squeak at the undivided attention of all the strange creatures that were closest to her, the pegasus' starting to hyperventilate as one of the creatures slowly approached her, seeing this Fluttershy immediately bolted away from the approaching individuals. Behind her, she could hear some of them shouting something, due to her special talent she might have been able to understand them but in her panicked state the words didn't make sense to her.

Looking back Fluttershy could see two of the creatures that had bony faces and were dressed in some sort of blue outfit were chasing her, looking back in front of her revealed two more of the similarly dressed creatures blocking her path. Fluttershy immediately opened her wings before the four of them could surround her she jumped over the railing soaring past the two creatures who had tried to block her before landing on the other side of the bridge.

That wasn't where the chase ended as the four creatures soon came rushing after her. Fluttershy looked around for any way she could get out of the open and hide, to her luck spotting a bug like creature coming out of a small corridor that would be the perfect size for her to run through but too small for her pursuers to follow. Slipping into the corridor as quickly as she could she heard the creatures shout at her from behind.

Fluttershy didn't know how long she ran for but when she stopped her breath was ragged and her fur matted with sweat. Falling down on her haunches she leaned against a wall softly crying to herself, if Fluttershy had had a clear mind she might have noticed that the panel she was leaning against wasn't as solid as it looked. The panel swung open and fell backward, the panel falling back into place cutting off that exit route.

For the second time that day Fluttershy painfully got back on her hooves... and found creatures looking at her, but this time she found herself to already be surrounded alongside a fully clothed creature.

"What's this? a new species? Fist will be pleased to both be rid of you and have a new alien to sell." One of the creatures that had a bony face said, Fluttershy paling as she clearly understood that she was about to be foalnapped.

"Oh no you don't, you Bosh'tet." The masked creature snarled as she pulled Fluttershy along behind a set of boxes, loud sounds suddenly coming from both sides of the boxes followed by screams until silence fell in the chamber once again. Three new creatures standing on the top of the stairs, the masked one that had pulled Fluttershy with it swirling around to face them.

Fluttershy meanwhile peaked over the box they had hidden behind, her stomach churning at the sight of all the corpses that lay on the floor...

[Try talking to the live creatures]

Do the sensible thing and panic

[Use the stare on the new arrivals]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Well, this is something I've wanted to do for a while, the chapters for this probably will be around 1000 words long so I can pump them out on a regular basis.

For the people who are not familiar with how Mass Effect dialogue works I'll give a short explanation.
In Mass Effect you choose which dialogue you desire and the story adapts accordingly though most of the time you'll have regular options to pick from, sometimes there will be a
[Paragon] or a [Renegade] option available.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]
The more one of the two options is used the more it will have an effect on the story. :raritywink:

I hope you'll enjoy Fluttershy's adventure into the ME universe! :twilightsmile:

https://www.strawpoll.me/17688800

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Specialization

Chapter 13

Specialization

[I want to get out there with you to help stop them] %73

"Fluttershy, are you alright?" Tali asked as the pegasus seemed to glare at the empty space in front of her, her rate of breathing starting to settle down a bit.

"Yes," she answered, raising her head to look Shepard straight in the eyes. "Commander, I would like to accompany you into the field on future occasions." She stated, her voice not wavering the least bit as she announced her intention. The room remained deathly quiet after Fluttershy spoke, none of the others had expected such a rash decision from the usually shy mare.

"You want to do what?!" Tali said, being the first one to break the silence.

"I want to go fight in the field." Fluttershy reiterated, "Commander, I could hear them scream in that vision, understood their pleas. They were all killed anyway, just like the reapers will try to do to all of us. I can't sit idly by and let that happen, none of my friends at home would do that either."

"You understand that I can't just take you into the field, right? You need armor, weapons, training with those weapons and a few other things before I'm willing to make that call." Shepard explained to Fluttershy who nodded in understanding.

"I know and I want to do it anyway." She said as she lifted her right foreleg and slammed it down again. Shepard silently studied her for a moment longer before finally opening his omni-tool and speaking.

"Joker, set a course for the Citadel." He ordered the pilot before turning to the others, "We'll drop you off at the Citadel along with one of us to get you the desired gear since we currently are out of leads anyway. While the Alliance Intelligence Service is trying to locate Matriarch Benezia, we'll have to do other things like investigating sightings of geth in the Armstrong Nebula."

"ETA to the Citadel is ten hours, Commander," Joker reported as the Commander finished talking.

"Good, that means you have ten hours to figure out who you want to have with you, Fluttershy," Shepard informed the pegasus, "You're all dismissed." Everyone except for Wrex and Shepard left the comm room and just before the door closed behind her, Fluttershy could hear the krogan ask Shepard for a favor. Deciding it wasn't important Fluttershy tried proceeding back down to the mess to get some food only to be stopped by a seemingly angry Tali.

"What in the world are you thinking!" Tali told the pegasus with a stern voice. "You want to go out and fight?!"

"Yes." Fluttershy simply answered, Tali tried sputtering a reply but couldn't as she was as stunned as she had been back in the comm room. Though Fluttershy wasn't going to back down now. "Tali, have I told you about Nightmare Moon and Discord yet?"

"That sounds ominous enough for me to want to hear," Garrus suddenly said as Tali and Fluttershy were made aware of the fact that the turian had been listening in on their conversation. Fluttershy's stomach started rumbling, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in quite a while. Garrus chuckled as he heard Fluttershy's rebellious belly, "Tell you what, we'll get some food from the mess and you tell us your story."

Fluttershy nodded and followed the turian down the stairs followed by a grumbling Tali. Once in the mess, Garrus got three food packets along with a sterilizer for Tali and sat down. The pegasus started to tell the two of them about the summer sun celebration and how she and the girls had faced the corrupted alicorn. Tali seemed to get over her grumpy mood as both she and Garrus had plenty of questions about the events surrounding the summer sun celebration.

"So you and your friends faced a being that was able to move a celestial object?!" Tali exclaimed as she was leaning forward, trying to catch every word from the pegasus.

Fluttershy nodded. "It was either that or face eternal night. That would have decimated plants and in turn, hurt the animals."

"Keelah, you really care about your animals, don't you?" Tali said, amazed at the pegasus who nodded greedily, "Now you also mentioned something called Discord, What's that about?" Fluttershy grimaced at the thought of the spirit of chaos but proceeded to tell of their encounter with him anyway. By the end of it, both Garrus and Tali were staring at the pegasus in disbelief.

"Your planet sounds... interesting," Garrus said as Fluttershy finished her tale, "is it always that exciting or are there peacefull periods as well?"

Fluttershy giggled, "Before Nightmare Moon Equestria had been at peace for over seven hundred years, so no, it's not always that exciting."

"You never had to kill anything on one of your adventures, have you?" the quarian asked solemnly, cutting off any further questions Garrus might have had. Tali sighed in resignation, "I'm sorry I got angry at you up there, I just don't want you to have to go and hurt other people. We might not show it but It's something you'll carry with you your entire life." Fluttershy swallowed a lump in her throat as she started to understand why the quarian was so opposed to having her in the field. "But if you still want to go out there then I'll be behind you all the way."

"Thank you, Tali," Fluttershy sincerely said to the quarian as she was still willing to support her despite her objections.

"I'm glad you two got this sorted out but you should really be starting to think about who you're going to take with you onto the Citadel. I mean, have you even figured out what kind of armor you want? Light or medium armored or even heavy?" Garrus asked the pegasus who shot him a sheepish look.

"Uhm... maybe? Not really?" Fluttershy replied while guiltily clopping her hooves together.

Garrus chuckled, "Thought so, I for one suggest a medium armor suit. It won't impede your movement too much and will give you some decent protection." He suggested but Tali seemed to disagree.

"Medium armor will already be too heavy, she's not trained to carry something of that weight and it'll impede her flight. I suggest light armor with a focus on shields, I know Liara would agree with me." Tali argued.

"Though I'm sure Liara would have her focus more on biotics than on shields," Garrus countered, "But it's not our choice anyway, it's Fluttershy's."

Tali, in turn, looked at the pegasus. "So who would you like to take with you?"

Take Liara [Light armor, biotic focus]

Take Tali [Light armor, tech focus]

Take Garrus [Medium armor, ballistic weaponry]

Take Wrex [He might be a bit crude but I'm sure that with his age he'll be able to give valuable insight]

[Vote link]

Author's Note

I hope I did this chapter—and Tali—a bit of justice. You see, Tali by this point is only a young pilgrim and after getting the audio recording from the geth she has been thrown into a very violent world. I just don't see her wanting to put anyone else through that experience.

As for killing, I spend a lot of time around soldiers and not a single one ever talks about shooting another human. They might talk about seeing people die or things seeing I will not speak of here but never about killing themselves, one of them once told me that for him talking about stuff like that was simply too hard.

Also, I'm not locking Flutters to a single Mass Effect class, she has too many variables already but this choice will majorly determine the style of her combat into the future.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17781522
[Certainty: 40]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Control

Chapter 27

Control

Eyes [Investigate the stare] 42%

"I think it best to investigate the pocket in the eyes. I'd like to know if my stare has any unintended consequences." Fluttershy reasoned, the doctor nodded in agreement and walked over to the scanner that was mounted over the last bed in the med-bay. The machine buzzed to life as Chakwas pushed a couple of buttons on its control panel. Fluttershy didn't need the doctor to instruct her to know she was supposed to get onto the bed below the scanner.

"Now sit still for a moment," the doctor commanded, Fluttershy complied and sat as still as she could while the machine whirred and took a more thorough scan than the previous one had been. The data from the scan streamed to Doctor Chakwas' console where the computer started to decompile the data and turn it into something useful. "Fluttershy, we need a reading of you actively using the stare. Can you activate it now?" Chakwas asked as she set the machine to actively scan instead of making a single snapshot.

"Of course, doctor. Could you please look in the opposite direction?" Fluttershy answered, Chakwas immediately turned around while Fluttershy prepared herself to use the stare. The pegasus sighed deeply and closed her eyes.

Come on Fluttershy, it's just the stare and it's aimed at no-one. You can do this.

She opened her eyes again and projected the full force of the stare at the wall in front of her. The moment Fluttershy started using the stare the hair on doctor Chakwas' body stood on end as her instincts were screaming at her to run. A shiver ran down the doctor's spine as she realized that she was only feeling the residual side effect of the stare, The effect would only have been worse if she had been facing the pegasus instead of looking in a different direction.

As sudden as the feeling had started, so sudden it also disappeared. "Are you okay, doctor?" Fluttershy asked, a little bit of fear in her voice as she was afraid that she might have harmed the doctor in any way.

"I-I'm okay Fluttershy, though I must admit that was a bit more intense than I had been expecting," Chakwas answered as she let out a breath she had been holding. "Now Fluttershy, the next part is something neither of us is going to like."

Fluttershy felt herself become very uncomfortable as she had an idea of what the doctor meant, "You're not suggesting that..."

"To figure out what happens to someone brain when they are exposed to the stare-"

"No." The statement was as resolute as the pegasus could make it. "I'm not using the stare on you just to figure out if there are any unintended consequences to using it."

"It's the only way to figure out if you do more harm than intend with it in a controlled situation," Doctor Chakwas said, "I'm not asking you to hit me with the full force, just a small portion of the stare. To be frank, I don't really want to get hit by what you just projected."

Fluttershy grimaced as the doctor recalibrated the machine and took the pegasus' place below the scanner. "I'm still not convinced that this is a good idea, doctor."

"It's not, but it's the only one that'll give me the readings I want," Chakwas answered, the scanner buzzing to life again. Fluttershy swallowed and hovered up to face the doctor, closing her eyes again only when she opened them this time there wasn't a massive amount of energy that saturated the air. Not that this mattered to the doctor as even with the reduced power of the stare she still had to fight all her instincts screaming at her to run. This lasted for a couple of seconds and then it was gone again, Chakwas panting as she got control of her body again. "Let's never do that again."

"That's something I can agree to, doctor," Fluttershy said as she supported the doctor, who shakily stood on her legs, and helped her get to her chair at her desk.

"This will take a bit of time to process, I'll tell you when it's done," Chakwas said as a bar was slowly filling itself up. Fluttershy sighed as she moved back to the med bay's storage were her usual sleeping spot was and flopped down on the mattress they had put down there. Using the stare took quite a lot out of the pegasus, this usually wasn't a problem with the animals as she just used a sliver of the stare's full power. The pegasus closed her eyes intent of taking a small nap but almost immediately got woken by the intercom coming alive.

"Fluttershy, report to the captain's quarters," Joker's voice came out of a speaker in the ceiling. The message short but enough for Fluttershy to lose any shred of tiredness she had been feeling before and replacing it with anxiety. Slowly getting up from the mattress and making her way out of the medbay for the first time in a day and crossing the short distance to the captain's quarters. She stopped in front of the door for a moment, her heart beating furiously as she looked at the passageway. After gathering the courage to enter she pushed through the automatically opening doors, the commander sitting at a round table.

"Have a seat," he said as he pointed at the other side of the table, the pegasus nervously taking a seat across from the commander. Shepard sighed as he began speaking, "I think we both know why you're here right now and I'm sure you regret it dearly." Fluttershy slowly nodded as she looked Shepard in the eyes, if she still had long hair this would probably have been one of the times she had used it to hide behind.

"We both made mistakes, yours a bit worse than mine but mistakes none the less," the commander continued, "when I told you not to use biotics I shouldn't have made a joke of it, that was a mistake on my part but you should have known better than to try biotics within a spaceship without having complete control of it." Fluttershy remained completely silent as the commander said his piece. "I consider every crewmember on this ship as a member of my family, I will do anything to make sure they're as safe as they can be. That includes protecting them from themselves, do you understand?" He said, Fluttershy clearly understanding what he meant by 'protecting them from themselves' meant.

"Yes, sir," She responded.

"Good. Now I've been treating all the non-alliance crew with a lot more leniency than the rest of the crew but that's because I expect them to use that extra freedom responsibly, I expect this double from you from now on. You're free to roam the ship again but I'm going to suggest you go apologize to both Tali and Joker. Tali was quite angry with you after she had to drag you to the medbay and you put a dent into Joker's spaceship," Shepard told the pegasus who grimaced again. "To be fair, I've got no idea which of the two you should be more scared of," he smirked.

"Will do, Commander. Anything else?" Fluttershy asked as she stood up and was ready to leave.

"Yeah, when's the wedding between you and Garrus going to be? You two looked absolutely adorable cuddled up together," Shepard said with a devious grin, Fluttershy's face turning beet red.

"I-I'm... We're not..." Fluttershy couldn't find any words to reply to the commander who broke out into laughter.

"You're free to go, Fluttershy." He managed to say through his laughs, Fluttershy awkwardly nodded and swiftly left the office.

I guess I should go apologize to some people,

Go to Tali

Go to Joker

Check up on the scan's results

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Well, that's almost patched up. I read the entire story front to back again to get some perspective again on where it's going and defying orders chapter was pretty out of place. So if anyone in the comments is open for it, I'd like to get an editor to knock some sense into me if I get stupid idea's again.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!:twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/17968591
[Certainty: 60]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Feedback

Chapter 39

Feedback

Use the Stare on Saren 68%

The exhausted pegasus knew that in her weakened state there was no way she could reach the turian, so she decided that there was only one thing that she could feasibly do to stop Saren. Fluttershy would have felt trepidation doing this on anyone else but not with the turian that stood a small distance away from her.

He deserved every single bit of it.

“HEY YOU!” she shouted, her burning lungs sending another spike of pain through her body. Saren turned his head to look at the pegasus, to see if she still posed a threat, but as his eyes met Fluttershy’s his body seized up.

Fluttershy felt the same corrupting disturbance that she had felt in the various other creatures she had used the stare on in the last few hours, though with Saren it was at a whole new level. Instead of burning away or having the corruption attack its host’s mind, the stare gave it a bridge to Fluttershy herself.

Tendrils of the black energy lashed out at her as she screamed in pain at the foreign intrusion into her head. Dark whispers in unknown languages called out to her, urging her to give up and submit. The manipulative voices continued to batter her resolve until she heard something that seemed far away, a siren of sorts. The volume returned to normal as the black energy suddenly retreated from her mind, Saren having staggered forward due to a sucker punch from Shepard which broke the contact between the turian and pegasus.

With her connection to Saren severed, Fluttershy could clearly hear a loud siren coming from Ashley’s location. This didn’t go unnoticed by the hostile turian either as he jumped onto his flying platform and quickly flew off, a couple of rounds impacting on the back of his shields as he left the scene.

“Damnit, Fluttershy!” Garrus cursed as he slid next to the downed pegasus that was still slightly twitching. “What the hell did you do?!”

“I-I used the stare, b-but something in h-his mind attacked me when I connected to it,” Fluttershy sniffed, Garrus cursed something under his breath and picked the fallen pegasus off the ground. The Normandy pulled up besides the AA tower with its hangar doors open, inviting the remaining STG soldiers and Shepard’s squad into the hold.

“We’re on board, Joker!” Shepard shouted. The door immediately closed and they could hear the Normandy’s engines roaring. Shepard quickly ran towards the elevator at the back of the garage and called it, Garrus stepping up beside him with Fluttershy. Neither the turian or pegasus said anything to the human as he blankly stared at the door in front of him until it opened.

The moment the elevator stopped and opened again Shepard ran out and up the stairs into the CIC while Garrus moved to take Fluttershy to the medbay.

“Garrus, stop. We need to go after Shepard,” Fluttershy said hoping that Garrus would listen to her.

“You’re hurt, Fluttershy. You need medical attention,” Garrus said and continued walking in the same direction.

“I’m just exhausted. Shepard needs us more right now, Garrus. He just left one of his own to die down there,” Fluttershy argued,

And I'm the one who encouraged him to leave her.

The turian stopped for a moment and looked back at the stairs that Shepard had used and muttered something before taking off after the Commander. They found the human in the cockpit standing behind Joker and looking at a screen that was displaying the aft camera. A bright flash suddenly came from the surface of the planet that they were fleeing from, the screen momentarily going into a white static. As the screen cleared again they could see—even at the distance they were at—the fireball reaching into the atmosphere, pushing the surrounding clouds outwards.

Garrus was standing close enough to Shepard for Fluttershy to reach out with her wing and gently touch Shepard’s arm. The Commander turned to look at the pegasus, a single tear rolling down his face. “She was the first after Akuze,” he softly stated before turning around and walking away. “De-briefing in thirty minutes, spread the word,” Shepard added without looking back at the pair behind him who silently glanced at each other.

“You two go do whatever you need to. I’ll tell the others,” Joker said from his position in the pilot’s chair. Garrus gave him a quick nod and headed off to the medbay with Fluttershy.

Everyone was silently sitting in the comm room as the Commander entered, and everyone except for Wrex had taken off their armor and cleaned up. Fluttershy was staring at her hooves as she felt the guilt of suggesting leaving Ashley pressing down on her chest like a ton of bricks.

“Commander, why did you choose me over Ashley?” Kaidan asked, Fluttershy did her best to sink further into her chair her conscience eating away at her.

“I suggested it,” Fluttershy softly said. If the room hadn’t been completely quiet in the first place, no-one would have heard her speak, but now everyone had heard very clearly. Liara and Kaidan looking especially surprised as they weren’t present when the pegasus had made her recommendation on the planet.

“No,” Shepard stated definitively, “This is not your burden to bear. Even if you hadn’t suggested it, I would still have gone to the AA tower to get the salarian STG team. You were all acting under my orders. I left her there.” The stern gaze Shepard shot at the two subordinates deterred any objections that they might have raised.

After another moment of silence, Liara spoke up, “Commander, I have an idea. I think the beacon you found in Saren’s base was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime, it may have filled in the missing pieces. I might be able to put them together,” she explained.

“You want to join to the commander’s mind, don’t you?” Fluttershy asked even though she was pretty certain of the answer.

“Yes, I would understand if you want to leave for this,” the asari replied, Shepard nodding in agreement.

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. “I’ve seen it enough times to have it haunt my dreams already, one more time isn’t going to make a difference.”

Liara looked questioningly at the Commander who gave her a nod that she could start. The asari recited the now relatively familiar poem and the vision flashed in front of Fluttershy’s eyes, only this time when it stopped she didn’t feel as tired as previous times. Liara, on the other hand, seemed more taken aback than before.

“Incredible! I-it’s a distress call, a message sent out all across the empire! There were also locations, places I recognize from my research… Ilos! The conduit is on Ilos!” Liara practically bounced through the comm room as she took in this new information about the subject she had been studying for over fifty years. Her enthusiasm withered as she thought about it for a moment longer. “Saren will have his entire fleet stationed above the planet. We’ll never make it down without reinforcements!”

“We’re in a stealth ship,” Wrex bluntly pointed out, chuckling to himself at the asari for forgetting about that.

“Those are my problems. I’ll contact the Council and will see what kind of help I can get from them. Get some rest all of you, I want everyone rested and ready for Ilos. Dismissed,” he said, everyone leaving the comm room to allow the commander to make his report.

Fluttershy, though still very tired, felt much more refreshed after the shower she had taken. She still wanted to get some rest but wanted to talk to someone to get her mind off of current events.

The longer I can avoid the nightmares, the better.

Go to Tali

Go to Liara

Go to Wrex

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Well, for the people that missed it, my laptop got a bit beat up and is now in a repair shop getting a brand new screen.

I hope the next chapter will have less delays but I'm not promising anything.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or a [Renegade] Are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18146331
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Confession?

Chapter 41

Confession?

Confess to Garrus,maybe? 69%

Looking over at the doctor one last time, Fluttershy stepped forward hesitantly, her heart beating in her throat as she felt a cold layer of sweat forming on her coat.

He's not even your species, so why would you think he even thinks of you as anything other than just a friend?

The pegasus took only a couple of steps before halting again, every possible 'what if' doom scenario running through her head in an instant. The anxiety that had been relatively absent while on the Normandy returned with a vengeance as Fluttershy froze up and felt her stomach turn upside down.

This was a horrible idea. Why am I doing this? I should just leave now and go to sleep.

She turned to go do just that.

"Hey, Fluttershy. Can't sleep?" Garrus' voice abruptly cut off the pegasus' escape. The half-turned pegasus faced back towards the turian while her eyes shrunk to pinpricks.

"N-no, not really. I-I..." Fluttershy stuttered, her voice just above a whisper as she cut herself off. She wanted to tell the turian her feelings for him, but even thinking about it made her seize up with anxiety.

"If you want, I can stay over for the night again?" he offered as he took a sip from the drink he held. Fluttershy weakly nodded in response as she was too flustered to make a coherent sentence. "All right, you go ahead, I'll be right there," Garrus told Fluttershy.

The pegasus quickly made her exit and rushed past doctor Chakwas – who was shaking her head – and into the medbay's storage room where her sleeping spot was located.

SLAP

"What the hell are you doing, Garrus?!" Tali said as she rubbed her hand. The bony shell which comprised Garrus' face was much harder than she had anticipated. The turian rubbed the side of his face as he looked back at Tali with a confused expression.

"What I'm doing? I just offered to help her sleep. It seemed to help her the last few times, so I guessed that she could use the company," Garrus replied. Tali just stared blankly at him, the expression more visible in her unmoving posture than her masked face.

What the hell did she just slap me for? I'm only trying to help Fluttershy to get some sleep, something she'll need.

"Are you really that oblivious?!" Tali exclaimed as she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Please tell me you're pretending!" Garrus only got more confused at this as he didn't have a clue as to what the quarian in front of him was talking about. Tali couldn't help but groan at the completely ignorant turian. "Okay, I'm going to put this really bluntly. That pegasus totally has the hots for you, and you essentially just shot her down."

The can in Garrus' hand crumpled inward, the fluid it contained flying out as he put way too much pressure on it. "What?! I... How do you mean has the hots?!"

"She likes you..." Tali clarified while covering part of her visor with a hand, "How you haven't noticed is beyond me, but it's something you're going to have to deal with sooner rather than later."

Garrus stared at the entrance of the med-bay, the simple act of helping Fluttershy now having taken on a whole other meaning. "I'll figure something out."

"Good, but if you break her heart, I'll break you." Garrus felt a slight chill go up his spine. The smaller quarian could really be scary when she wanted. "I'll be down in engineering. Good luck," Tali said as she walked past the turian towards the elevator. Garrus, after cleaning up his spilled drink, made his way to the medbay where he found Chakwas sitting behind her desk. She looked up at the turian with a knowing smile.

"Hello, Garrus." The turian grimaced as he looked at the doctor who clearly knew about what was happening. "Fluttershy?" she asked to confirm they were on the same page.

Garrus nodded.

"Look, Garrus, I won't hold it against you if you don't want to be with her, but at least let her down softly if you don’t," Chakwas told him.

"I would, I'm just not sure how I feel about this. I've never really given it much thought to begin with," Garrus admitted. "I've always been too busy with work to think about it."

"You don't have to make your decision right now. Think about it for a while." Chakwas smiled at him. "Now go ahead. You made a promise, and you have to keep it."

"I will. Thank you, doctor," Garrus said as he continued on to the back of the medbay, into the storage room where Fluttershy had just finished laying out her armor.

"Are you ready to get some sleep?" he asked, Fluttershy letting out a startled eep and jumping around to face him.

"Uhm, y-yes." Garrus chuckled and lay down on the mattress, Fluttershy snuggling up to him. Unlike other times, Fluttershy was the first to fall asleep while Garrus couldn't help but stare at the ceiling.

Do I want this?

"THEY'RE ALL INCOMPETENT FOOLS!" Shepard raged as he stormed into the mess, startling the present crewmembers. They had arrived at the Citadel after getting a message from the council that they would finally be receiving the support from the fleets they had requested. Obviously, something hadn't gone completely according to plan.

"Commander, what's wrong? Did we not get our reinforcements?" Liara asked as she was the first person to recover from the commander's sudden entrance.

"No, we got our reinforcements. They're just stationed at the mass relays that lead to the Citadel, and no-one is going to stop Saren at Ilos," Shepard explained glumly as he sat down at the table with the others.

"We're still going after him, aren’t we?" Garrus asked but quickly realized what the council had probably done. "They locked down the Normandy, didn't they?"

"Yeah, she's not going anywhere."

The intercom buzzed to life as Joker also mixed himself into the conversation. "Commander, I just got a message from Anderson. He wants to meet you at Flux nightclub."

"Understood, I'll be there. Not like I've got anything else to do," Shepard growled before turning to the others, "Feel free to come along. Drinks are on me."

Fluttershy wasn’t sure if she would enjoy going to a nightclub. Then again, she was trying a lot of new things lately. I could go with him, or I could go explore the Citadel some more. It's not like I can't get back to the Normandy on a moment’s notice with a shuttle.

Go with Shepard

Explore the Citadel

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Garrus is oblivious:trollestia: Seriously did anyone think he had noticed Fluttershy's advances or should I mention 'reach and flexibility' :facehoof:

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/18202265
[Certainty: 70]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Ilos - Landing

Chapter 46

Ilos – Landing

Learn how to use a sniper rifle 47%

Fluttershy checked her armor a final time before heading for the Mako. She had loaded up two full canisters of medi-gel and her new sniper rifle. Garrus had given her the crash course on how to use it and the little intricacies of how the bullet would act. Even though the computer in the scope did most of the calculations for her, Garrus had still wanted to teach her to do them manually in case the computer failed for some reason. This meant Fluttershy had gotten some extra homework to do in learning the ballistics of her current rifle.

The ground vehicle was packed as the entire ground crew squeezed into its crew compartment, the exceptions being Garrus and Tali, at the gunner’s seat and shield monitoring station respectively, and Shepard. The commander was still in the Normandy’s cockpit with Joker and a couple of other members of the bridge crew looking for a landing position the Mako could use.

When they had first exited the relay there had been a moment where they weren’t sure if the stealth drive was doing its job The geth picked them up as they entered the system and sent a couple of warships towards the relay. Luckily the two ships harmlessly passed them by as they had probably only detected the initial arrival of the frigate and weren’t actively following the Normandy.

That brought them to this moment, tightly packed into the Mako waiting for the commander to come down from the CIC.

Fluttershy strapped herself snugly into one of the seats. Even though the vehicle had momentum dampeners, she didn’t want to be caught off guard if the ride became more bumpy than anticipated.

Suddenly, red warning lights started flashing and an alarm went through the garage. Simultaneously, Shepard ran into the vehicle and jumped behind the wheel. “I have good news and good news, which do you want to hear first?” he shouted at the others over the blaring alarm while he closed the door, sealing the interior.

“Guess we’ll have to start with the good news,” Garrus chuckled back at the commander.

“Alright, the good news is that we’ve found a landing site within the ruins.”

“And the other good news?” Liara questioned.

“That we’re dropping right on top of the bastard,” Shepard said as he positioned the Mako in front of the hangar door.

“And there’s no bad news?” Fluttershy asked the commander who just shrugged.

“If we fuck up the drop we’ll go out in a fireball, but that’s nothing we’re not used to.” For some reason this wasn’t too comforting to the pegasus.

“Commander, sixty seconds ‘till the drop,” Joker announced. Through the forward window Fluttershy could see the large garage door opening which revealed the rapidly approaching ground in front of them. The place they seemed to be going was covered in structures.

“Ten seconds!” Fluttershy felt a bead of sweat roll down her forehead as the Normandy still hadn’t pulled up from its dive like it had on previous occasions.

“Three, two, one, LAUNCH!” The moment Joker shouted his command the Mako was in its brief freefall towards the surface.

“GERONIMO!” Shepard shouted as he laughed all the way down to the surface, the vehicle making a violent bounce as even the momentum dampeners weren’t enough to completely negate the shock. “Status!” the commander said as he returned to a more professional mood now that they had landed.

“Turret op- MOTHERFUCKER, he’s right there!” Garrus shouted as he quickly pushed a few buttons on his console, the large cannon on top of the Mako buzzing to life as power was rerouted to it. But before he could fire, a large set of doors that lead into a building closed off sight of Saren. “Fuck!”

“Focus, Garrus. Saren managed to open and close that gate so there must be a console back here to control the door,” Shepard said as he put on the brakes and stepped back into the packed crew compartment. “Fluttershy, Liara, Wrex, on me. The rest of you create a perimeter around the Mako while we search for the console that can open this door.”

The group gave a few salutes and disembarked, immediately coming under fire from a couple of geth that hadn’t made it into the structure with Saren yet. After taking out the machines Fluttershy took a good look at the surrounding ruins. There were statues that were still intact but unlike the ones she had seen in the Everfree ruin these seemed to be very different. But that was where the similarities stopped as well. This ruin’s architecture had a lot of angles in it while the ruin in the Everfree was a lot more organically shaped.

It was a bit of a disappointment, but the pegasus had hoped she might find a clue about Equis somewhere in here.

The group under Shepard’s command moved forward through the ruin at a steady pace. The commander and Wrex took point while Liara and Fluttershy hung back a bit and used their biotics to force enemies into compromising positions, the pegasus also occasionally using her new rifle to pick off particularly annoying geth. They did this until they found an elevator that led down into the depths of the facility that had been better defended than any other passageways.

“Form up on the door. They made the effort to defend this one so be ready for anything once we get down there,” Shepard said as they got into ready positions at the door. Fluttershy fed a lot more energy into her wings than she usually would to give her next move some extra power.

Luckily for them, they weren’t greeted by a small army of geth when the elevator door opened, but the long hallway in front of them that had absolutely no cover wasn’t that encouraging either. “Perfect place for an ambush,” Wrex casually pointed out what the others had also worked out.

“You know that you just jinxed it, right?” Shepard asked as they moved forward. At about the half-way point a geth revealed itself and fired a couple of rounds at the group before being cut down by the combined fire from the human and krogan. They rushed forward to avoid getting caught in the hallway by more of the machines and spread out.

The underground room they entered only had a handful of geth in it, but none of them were of the flimsy variety they had faced up top. A set of destroyers and a Prime immediately opened fire on the four trespassers, while the shock troopers placed shields in front of them to give themselves some cover.

“Focus fire on the Prime!” Shepard shouted as he opened up on the largest of the machines. Fluttershy lobbed a bolt of biotic energy at the machine in the hope of pushing it off its feet but in doing so revealed herself for too long. One of the destroyers managed to get a lock on the pegasus and fired one of its rockets.

In a panic Fluttershy created a barrier in front of her, something that probably saved her life as the projectile impacted it and exploded, flinging the pegasus away from the blast. The ringing of her ears prevented Fluttershy from hearing Wrex roar as the krogan charged the offending destroyer, ripping it’s internals out of its shell in a fit of rage.

The second of the geth to go was the Prime as it was hit by one of Liara’s biotic warp fields, its armor shredding off, allowing Shepard to pump it full of lead. After that, the geth lost a significant part of their coordination, which made them easy pickings for the three remaining soldiers.

Fluttershy, in the meantime had been checking her medical sensors. To her relief, they came up with nothing other than possible bruises. The armor had taken the majority of the force that was left over from the blast.

“You good, Fluttershy?” Shepard asked as he crouched down next to the wobbling pegasus who gave him a nod.

“A bit disoriented, but fine otherwise,” she said, shaking off the final bit of dizziness and ignoring her aching body.

“Good. Liara, can you identify a prothean console around here?” Shapard asked the asari, who shrugged.

“I’ll have a look around, though I’m guessing there’s one up there,” Liara answered while pointing at an overhang that had a view over the room below. Careful not to run into any more geth, the group made its way up to the room Liara had pointed out and, just as she had predicted, found a console there.

“There, that should do it,” Liara told the commander as she pushed a couple of buttons on the console, “Now we should-”

The asari was cut off by a hologram that sputtered to life next to the console, “Too late… unable to… invading fleets… no escape… ponies have abandoned us...” The message was garbled and full of static but the last thing that was said terrified the pegasus.

Ponies have abandoned us?! How… that can’t be!

“Just a garbled mess. Must be prothean,” Wrex grunted, clearly not wanting to stay.

“unsave… seek refuge… archives… force of reapers… Citadel overwhelmed… only hope… The conduit, all is lost!” the message continued before flickering out.

“That was ominous,” Shepard said as he stepped back from the hologram, Liara looking at him in awe.

“You understood that Commander?” she asked intrigued.

“I did as well,” Fluttershy said without taking her eyes off the place where the hologram had been. “Commander the message said-”

“I know. No point in dwelling on that now. We need to get back to the Mako and hook up with the others to stop Saren.” Shepard cut her off. The pegasus reluctantly agreed and followed the commander back to the Mako where they continued their chase after the rogue turian.

Author's Note

Okay I've been gone for a while. I had the end of my school year and a few other things getting in my way so I didn't get to release this chapter even though its been sitting finished for a while. Though since I now have summer break I'll get back on track with my chapters:twilightsheepish:

On another note, I recently got presented the opportunity to hitch a ride to Ludwigsburg for Galacon (Europe’s biggest brony-convention) so if you happen to go there as well and see someone in an ODST cosplay walking around, pat me on the back and say hi. :twilightsmile:

I'm kind of in the middle of building it just for the convention :rainbowdetermined2:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

No vote

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Funeral

Chapter 59

Funeral

Silently allow Tali to cry. 50%

Fluttershy thought about asking Tali about her feelings towards Shepard but decided against it. The quarian was already in enough distress as it was. Opening one of her wings, Fluttershy wrapped Tali in a tight hug while rubbing her back.

As time continued on, more escape pods were guided into the hangar, allowing their occupants to flow out into the safety of the dreadnaught.

Fluttershy and Tali were soon joined by other members of the crew. Wrex and Garrus were the first to join them, the krogan having calmed down a little, but seeing the stream of blood coming from Garrus’ nose gave a good indication how he had done so. Liara, Doctor Chakwas, and Kaiden were the next three to join them, all of them staying silent as none of them really felt like saying anything. The last to join them was Joker. The pilot wasn’t even able to look any of the others in the eyes for some reason.

Tali, having calmed down some, found herself looking at the pilot and calmly stood up. The others tensed up as the quarian approached the pilot with balled fists. Right before Tali could reach Joker, Kaidan jumped in between them.

“Whoa there Tali, calm down,” he said as he made sure the quarian couldn’t suddenly jump at the Normandy’s pilot.

“Kaidan, get out of my way. That bosh’tet is the reason Shepard isn’t here anymore!” Tali roared as she tried pushing past the human biotic, but Kaidan would not budge.

“Breaking all of his bones isn’t going to bring the Commander back, Tali. Whoever took a shot at us is responsible for killing him, not Joker. He was just trying to save his ship!” Kaidan sternly told Tali, the quarian remaining in her tensed up stance for a few moments longer before her knees started wobbling and she fell sobbing to the ground again.

Both Garrus and Fluttershy were filled in on what happened on the Normandy. How Joker had tried to save the ship and how Shepard had gone to get him, ultimately dying because of that. Fluttershy understood why Tali in her distraught state would blame Joker but hoped that she’d see that it wasn’t his fault.

Eventually the last of the escape pods entered the hangar and the Everest’s crew started bringing the Normandy’s crew to quarters on the dreadnaught where they could stay until reaching council space again.

...The tragic death of the human spectre who saved the Citadel from the Geth a little over a month ago. We now go to Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani for-

BANG

Shotgun pellets ripped the TV monitor apart as it was in the middle of it’s report on Shepard’s death. Tali meanwhile re-holstered her shotgun, sat back down at the table, and continued to drink through her ‘emergency induction port’ as if nothing had happened.

The occupants of the bar they were sitting in nervously glanced at the rest of the group around the table. Wrex, Fluttershy, and Tali were fully geared up while Garrus, Kaidan, Liara, Chawas, and Joker were wearing more official clothes. They had attended the military funeral the alliance arranged for the commander and the rest of the Normandy’s crew who hadn’t made it.

The Normandy’s wreckage had been marked by the Everest before they left so that recovery teams could attempt to retrieve any remains of fallen servicemen and materiel, something that happened mere days after the destruction of the vessel.

The only thing they hadn’t been able to find was Shepard’s body. This was something that hit the crew hard. After all that happened, they weren’t even able to give the commander the proper burial he deserved.

Fluttershy downed the final bit of alcohol in her glass before speaking up. “So what are we going to do now?”

“What can we do? The council is denying every claim the Commander made about the Reapers, and they’ve broken up the Normandy’s crew, even going as far as taking me out of rotation entirely!” Joker immediately answered. “I want to keep fighting against it, but it’s us versus the entire galaxy right now.”

“We could spread the story on the extranet. There are bound to be some people who’ll believe it,” Garrus commented offhandedly, earning a groan and an eye roll from Liara.

“Because having conspiracy theorists on your side is so incredibly helpful,” the asari snarked. “I for one am going to look into if my contacts have any further information from the protheans on the Reapers, like strange, inconsistent information left over from their fall.”

“At least one of us is going to make herself useful. How about you, Tali?” Joker asked. The pilot had made up with the quarian, so Tali wasn’t at his throat anymore.

“I’ve been putting off my return to the flotilla for too long already. I’ll inform the Admiralty, but I’m not expecting them to believe it, much less act on the information,” Tali sighed. The next person in line was Wrex, who took a swig from the bottle of ryncol in front of him.

“My kind is killing itself faster than we are replenishing our numbers. We’re simply too divided to be of any help,” Wrex simply stated, but the tone in his voice suggested that he was holding back something, and the others were quick to pick up on that and looked expectantly at him. “I’m going to return to Tuchanka and take control of clan Urdnot, expand its influence, and try to get the krogan to breed for at least a single generation. A bonus to this would be that when the Reapers come we’ll be a united front.”

Garrus whistled, “That’s one ambitious project, Wrex. Good luck trying to achieve that.”

“Yeah, I’m going to have to bash some skulls to get it done,” Wrex chuckled. “So what are you going to do?”

“The CItadel’s a mess right now, and C-Sec is severely understaffed. I was thinking of joining back up to help restore order while informing the lower levels of the Turian military of the Reaper threat. The Citadel council might be discrediting Shepard’s story, but I’m sure some of the lower functions will believe the claims and start preparing for it,” Garrus answered without a moment of hesitation.

“And what are you going to do, Fluttershy?” Chakwas asked.

“I’m not sure yet. I’m not my friend Twilight Sparkle. She’d be able to figure out where home is, but I simply can’t do that,” the pegasus admitted. “I think I might just go help out Garrus with restoring order on the Citadel or find a job involving animals.”

“I think they’ll appreciate all the help they can get in C-Sec if you decide to do that,” Garrus said with a smile.

Chakwas sighed as she finished her glass of brandy. “Well, I’m pretty sure none of those things will get done with us just sitting here drowning our sorrows.”

A chorus of agreements came from the group as they went to exit the bar, saying their final goodbyes before splitting off from each other to go off world. Fluttershy hoped that this wouldn’t be the last time she’d see them.

Author's Note

No vote this time, time jumps incoming:twilightsheepish:

I hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Commander

Chapter 71

Commander

Stalk forward to see what they’re exchanging. 57%

After flying up onto one of the containers, Dash silently snuck forward, making sure that, if she was detected and these aliens weren’t guards, she could flee immediately. Blocking out the noise of the aliens a short distance away from her since she couldn’t understand them anyway, Dash studied both the content of the boxes and the aliens who were transferring the items.

The aliens who were dressed in the red armor were mainly of one type, being very large and muscular with a large, bony plate on their foreheads. Most of their armor was visibly scratched and damaged from what Dash guessed were many fights and the logo of a skull with a clenched fist as a lower jaw didn’t exactly give the impression that these guys were up to any good.

On the other side the aliens were much more diverse, although they were all wearing sets of white armor with a three-pointed red logo she couldn’t begin to guess the meaning of.

~~“The gear is good, we'll take the job. Now we want what you have on Archangel.”~~ One of the large aliens grunted something to the white armored ones who responded by passing along a glass pane of sorts.

Why are those guys giving these giants all this stuff? Dash thought as she compared the massive pile of crates that clearly used to belong to the white armored aliens but now to their red armored counterparts.

~~“All the details on what the Shadowbroker knows about your quarry and his compatriots. You know the deal. Archangel is yours, but the unique specimen is ours.”~~

~~“Yeah, yeah, just make sure you’ve got the rest of the payment ready when we deliver.”~~

The group looked like they were about to disperse and Dash, not wanting to be caught, slowly snuck backwards only to bump into something. Looking behind her all the color drained from her face. One of the large red giants stood behind her with what looked to be a massive grin plastered on his face.

Rainbow immediately shot up from her position, not giving the alien the opportunity to do anything. Turning to the training she got at the Wonderbolt academy, she opened her wings and sped towards a passage between two containers. Behind her, very loud bangs could be heard and some things whizzed past Dash’s head, impacting the container beside her until she got out of their line of sight.

“Stop shooting! We want that thing alive! We’ll double the bounty!”

Come on you stupid idiot. You should have immediately gotten out of there! Dash chastised herself for a moment but quickly got back to formulating an escape plan as she landed behind a couple of boxes.

If those loud bangs and impacts close to me are any indication, then they have some sort of magical long-range weapons, so flying over the crates is a stupid idea. There doesn’t seem to be air high up that I can fly through.

With her plan of action decided, Dash snuck through the large compound filled with crates, hearing various groups of aliens moving through the alleys of the containers as well. Suddenly another loud bang came from Dash’s right, the painful sensation from some sort of small object hitting her in the side shooting through her body.

~~“And stay down if you’ve got any sense.”~~ One of the aliens beside her grunted something at her again, but Dash wasn’t about to give up due to something hitting her and knocking her breath from her lungs.

I’ve had harder crashes than this!

Opening her wings Dash flapped once to get distance between herself and the large giant.

~~“Your loss.”~~

Suddenly the weapon in the giant’s claws fired and a whole string of objects struck Dash, the pegasus screaming in agony as she felt one of them hitting her wing and breaking it. Rainbow, now severely injured, tried crawling further but was stopped as the giant stepped on her broken wing to stop her from moving further.

~~“You’re lucky that you’re worth so much if you’re al-”~~

BANG

The large Giant suddenly fell over as blood splattered out of his mouth, though to the pegasus’ misfortune the alien fell right on her wing pinning her just as thoroughly as when he had stood on it. Staving off panic, she struggled hard to get the fallen alien off of her wing while a new set of aliens approached her. The leader of this new group wore a set dark grey armor with white highlighted, red lines running down its shoulder pads and arms. His face was marred with strange glowing scars giving him an eerie aura. Unable to get the giant off of her wing, Dash remained completely still and looked at what they would do.

“You okay down there?” the leader asked as he crouched down and pushed the giant off of Dash’s wing, making the pegasus’s jaw drop as he was the first creature who she’d spoken to who knew Equestrian.

“Hey, focus! Are you injured?” the creature stated again as Dash stared up at him in amazement.

Shaking her head Dash pointed at her wing. “Broke that, the rest is probably just bruised.”

“Alright. This’ll sting and burn a bit but will patch up your wing, good as new.” The alien brought a device up to her wing and activated it before Dash could even protest. A needle shot into her wing and injected some sort of fluid that, like promised, burned like Tartarus but quickly faded away again along with the pain.

“Wow, it feels as if it was never broken in the first place!” Dash exclaimed in surprise, though her attention was quickly pulled to the air above her. A whole group of blue boxes flew overhead and started circling the compound, some of them landing and letting out their guards. The noise of vicious fighting came up from between the containers. The sight of the guards reminded Dash of why she was here in the first place. “How is it that I can understand you but no-one else?”

“Let’s just say we have a mutual friend.”

Dash’s heart skipped a beat. “Y-you know where she is?” The pegasus stammered, hopeful that she might have just run into someone who knew Fluttershy by chance.

“Right now I don’t. I’ve been gone for a while. Though I’m pretty sure she’ll be very glad to see you again, Rainbow Dash. Let’s go say hi to Citadel security over there. They’ll be glad to get a method of actually talking with you.”

“So, what do I call you?” Dash asked as she was escorted to the guards.

“Commander Shepard, Alliance na-”

~~“Sir, I'm going to need you to surrender your weapons,”~~ One of the guards asked something to the commander in a language that Dash, once again, couldn't understand.

“Council Specter. We were just going to take Miss Dash here to Huerta for a check over before reporting to the Council,” the commander replied. “Can we requisition one of your shuttles to get her there?”

~~“Yes sir. We've already brought another member of its species there,”~~

“Another one?” Shepard asked, looking down at Dash. “Who's the friend that accompanied you here?”

“The Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armour. He’s the brother of one of my best frie-” Dash replied stopped right in her tracks as she noticed the shuttle in front of her. “I-I don’t have to go in there, do I?”

Shepard looked between the craft and the nervous pegasus, immediately making a connection. “You don’t like confined spaces?”

“I-I can handle the small space. Just don’t like it when I let anyone else fly me around,” Dash admitted.

“Well, you can sit in the cockpit and look out of the front if that helps?” Shepard proposed. Dash stayed silent for a moment but slowly walked up to the shuttle and peeked in, seeing the window at the front.

“Alright,” Dash said as she stepped inside, Shepard and the fellow two aliens following her into the craft. Rainbow shuffled up front where a guard was sitting behind the controls of the flying box, gulping as she sat down in the chair next to him.

“So while we fly there, should I tell you how I met Fluttershy?” Dash looked back at Shepard who stood in the door frame as the shuttle’s door closed. It started to rise from the ground, and she gave him a nod. “Well...”

Author's Note

I'm really having trouble getting the motivation to write lately, I promised a breakdown of the choices but I really don't want to write each out to its logical conclusion because that'd take me a lot longer than it has until now.
And yes, I botched the conclusion of the chapter 69 vote. I'm in military school for the airborne, not a professional writer.

Go up to them. They can probably help me get back to Shining.

Rainbow would have been captured, tied up and shipped off of the Citadel before anyone would be able to intervene.

Stalk forward to see what they’re exchanging.

well, you've read the chapter.

Leave. I can find the general way back.

Not giving this option would have people asking why this option wasn't considered

[Steal one of the packages and fly off.]
-Dash would have gotten hurt badly but gained the intel on Flutters' and Garrus' situation.

Hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

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Control center

Chapter 82

Control center

Boiling with anger Dash strode towards the passage where the retreating Blood Pack had gone into, stretching her wings in anticipation of use.

“Dash, what are you…” Shepard didn't get to finish his sentence as Rainbow flapped her wings once. For any other pegasus this might have got them off of the ground and, for those already athletes, maybe gain a bit of speed to boot, but for Dash… for Dash this one flap immediately propelled her to very high speeds. A second flap only added to this as she screamed through the air after the Blood Pack and into the control center. She was laser focused as she ended up in the middle of the offending aliens, her heartbeat only slightly accelerated by the exertion of flying.

A stunned vorcha was the first to suffer Rainbow's wrath as he got his face kicked in by the pegasus. The second unfortunate alien was a krogan, receiving multiple slugs to the head killing him nearly instantly. With these two kills the element of shock that had paralyzed the gang members had also vanished. A roar of gunfire went through the large chamber as they opened fire on the multicolor haired pegasus who was tearing into their ranks.

Duck. Fire. Kick. Roll.

Dash was completely focused on her self imposed task, no surface level thoughts coming up to mess with her rhythm of attacks. Behind her, more gunfire erupted as the three members of Archangel's team had followed and engaged the Blood Pack as well.

Cover. Reload. Move.

A krogan charged Dash from the side, thinking that he'd caught her off guard… He was wrong. Switching around, Rainbow fell flat against the floor to avoid a slug before jumping up and sending one of her own at the krogan. A couple of shots from the turian's sniper downing the krogan, but the resilient alien was still breathing.

Execute.

BANG!

“RAINBOW!” The shout pulled the pegasus back to reality, her shotgun still stuck in the remaining mess of the krogan's head. The ground from the entrance to the position Dash was standing in now was littered with corpses, Dash looking around in horror at what she'd just done.

“W-what!? I-I didn't… nononono, so not cool.” Dash looked back at the turian who'd called out to her, feeling her stomach churn and black spots form in her vision while a wave of fatigue and dizziness rolled over her. Said black spots swiftly overtook her vision and without warning Rainbow dropped into unconsciousness.

“I think she's waking up doctor.”

Dash groaned as a splitting headache made her head feel like it had just been bucked by Applejack.

“Good. Please step aside for a moment so I can work.”

Ugh, that was the doctor's voice. Of course I had to land in the med-bay again…

Rainbow carefully opened her eyes only to swiftly close them again as Chakwas shined a bright light into them. “Pupils seem to respond normally and her brain activity has also reverted back to its usual state.”

Dash groaned and pawed at the light, trying to get it out of her face. “I'm fine Doc,” she grunted, pushing herself into a sitting position. Shining and the turian who'd accompanied her on Omega were both sound asleep on the benches placed against the far wall. The salarian doctor from Omega on the other hoof was rapidly moving between medical instruments and assaulting his datapad with furious typing.

“Definitely not 'fine'. Unusual brain activity detected and accompanying bodily response. Fascinating. Maybe engineered aggression response? Corresponds with data collected from Fluttershy. Still! Need more data!” A headache immediately bore into Dash's head at the assault of words from doctor Solus. Sympathising, Chakwas elaborated on what the salarian had said.

“What Mordin is saying is that he's found evidence that your DNA has been altered by someone,” she tried explaining, but the actual theory was clearly above her paygrade.

“Current theory is that without various epigenetic influences effects remain dormant. Subject Armor lacks these genetic adaptions. Data still inconclusive due to lack of more test subjects,” Mordin continued to ramble on. Meanwhile Shining and the turian had woken up and approached the bed.

“Please get me out of here,” Dash begged the fellow pony who just smirked and shook his head. Turning to the turian, Rainbow eyed him curiously. Now that he wasn't wearing a helmet she could study his face. Blue paint, slightly scarred carapace, holographic visor over his left eye… “What are you doing here?”

“Just checking up on the best friend of my marefriend,” he casually answered, and Dash's jaw dropped to the ground. “Garrus Vakarian. It's a pleasure to meet you. Fluttershy's told me good things about you, and you weren't very talkative when I dragged you out of that control center,” Garrus said and held out his hand. “The cure was distributed and the center secured after you went ballistic and knocked yourself out,” he quickly added after. Dash shakily shook it with her hoof. Rainbow's astonishment quickly faded and turned into a feeling of failure.

“I should have immediately followed two years ago... I shouldn't have left her alone like that…”

“She wasn't alone, Rainbow. She has made a lot of friends around the galaxy. She doesn't resent you or any of your friends for not following immediately after either,” Garrus comforted, his expression turning grim as well. “If anyone failed her it was me, with her and Sidonis out of the picture everything just collapsed… I couldn't keep her out of blood Pack's claws…”

Shining took this moment to break into the conversation and hopefully cheer the two up a bit. “I found a lead on her yesterday. An information broker on Illium contacted me while you were out and asked if I could come and see her in person,” Shining explained, taking Dash by surprise. This seemed to come as a surprise to Garrus as well. “We're currently on route to the Citadel to get Jacob to a hospital, and I'll be getting off to board a transport to Illium.”

Buck, how badly was Jacob hurt? And if I join Shining, is Shepard going to have enough people to continue his mission?

“I'm coming with you,” Garrus immediately said. “You're not getting rid of me if you got a lead to where Shy is.” Not that this was surprising to Dash as he'd just said that Shy was his marefriend.

Buck, Shepard is going to be low on squad members at this rate.

I'm here to find Fluttershy first. We can hook back up with the commander later.

Without Jacob, Shepard is going to be really low on squad members, and it's better to be split up to cover more ground.

We're low on people and experience in this search, maybe Shepard knows someone who can help us?

[Vote link]

Author's Note

Whoo boy, just had a couple of days in the field. Maybe more on that later. Real heckin' tired rn, hope you enjoyed! :twilightsmile:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

https://www.strawpoll.me/19328917
[Certainty: 90]

Now edited by gerandakis and lordelliot

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Civilization?

Chapter 96

Civilization?

Head for the lights. 65%

The tomkah cruised lazily along Tuchanka’s wasteland with Rainbow behind the steering wheel. She’d been navigating the cracked terrain since their escape from the crashed Blood Pack ship towards the lights that still lay in the distance but were getting closer steadily. The rainbow maned pegasus herself looked about as crap as she felt as she’d stayed up to steer the truck to its destination. Blood had dried up on her face mixed with mud from the crash and fight along with many sore spots and, of course, her maimed right wing. This all combined with minor sleep deprivation and the fact that she couldn’t get the images of the massacred krogan out of her mind made her a very unhappy pegasus.

“Hi...” Dash looked behind her to see Fluttershy standing there with a concerned expression on her scarred face.

“Hi,” Rainbow replied, turning her head back to the outside world to avoid driving into a ditch.

“Mind if I join you?” the yellow pegasus asked carefully, sensing that Rainbow was in a foul mood. Dash shrugged and nodded. Fluttershy took a seat next to her oldest friend and remained quiet for a bit as she looked for something to ask. “So… What do you think of Garrus?” She eventually settled with.

“He’s nice, I guess, must be one heck of a coltfriend if you got out of your bubble to ask him that,” Rainbow replied as she steered around some rubble.

“He’s not completely unlike you, a bit hotheaded but very loyal,” Shy said with a goofy smile on her face. “We’ve been through a lot together...”

“Is that how you can be so cold about killing those krogan?” Dash asked bitterly, not even taking her sight off of the terrain outside. “I knew you’d changed from everything I’ve heard and seen before getting here, but the stuff in that ship… that’s cold Flutters.”

Fluttershy’s eyes teared up and her face hardened. “Have you ever seen what happens if a group of krogan catches you? They rip you apart and eat you.” She shot at her friend. “And don’t you dare say I don’t care, the burden I carry from all the death I have caused is immeasurable.”

Rainbow swallowed nervously as Shy glared her down. “It’s just... You’ve changed so much... there’s nothing left of that pony that used to jump at the sight of her own shadow...”

“That version of me is long gone Dash, I’m not that innocent pegasus anymore, but I’ve taken great care not to become a monster. I don’t enjoy any of the violence, but I’m not shy about using force if I or my friends are threatened,” Shy said, her tone softening a bit. “I’ve seen and experienced things, Rainbow... I hope you will never have to, but I fear that that’s not up to me.”

“You mean the reapers, don’t you?” Rainbow asked, looking at Shy with a saddened expression. “I got the memo from commander Shepard.”

At the mention of that name Shy’s eyes went wide and she nearly tackled Dash off of the driver’s seat. “The commander’s alive!? Where is he, how is he alive?!” She questioned, only to be flung off the chair as the brief moment of lost control made the truck swerve. “Oh uhm, I’m sorry. I owe him a lot, he’s a good friend I thought lost.”

“I ran into him on my first day here, he helped get me out of, uhm... trouble.” Rainbow smiled sheepishly. “I have been running with him and the new Normandy until we found Garrus on Omega. From there we went after a lead on you that led us here.”

“I take it he’s busy with the reapers again?” Shy asked with a smirk, allowing Dash to continue to steer the truck.

“Eeyup, he’s been fighting the collectors who have a suspicious amount of reaper tech backing them up.”

“Sounds like him,” Fluttershy chuckled, falling into silence again after as she gazed out of the window out at Tuchanka. “Did any of the other girls come?”

Rainbow shook her head. “No. The princesses initially only wanted to send captains of the guard only. I might have flipped and might have jumped the gun?...”

“So you came alone...”

“Well, no. Shining Armor, Twilight’s brother, came along with me as well.” Rainbow admitted. “He was supposed to be here as well but he stayed on the citadel because Councilor Anderson and Admiral Hacket had a job for him or something.”

“Most have been important, I guess...” Fluttershy shrugged and glanced outside, the lights in the distance were now very clear in the ruins ahead. Her eyes narrowed suddenly as she spotted something. “Dash, stop the vehicle.”

Rainbow looked at Shy with a raised eyebrow but did as told, shutting the truck down looking out over the plain. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s something out there. See the ground? It’s completely flat and perfectly cir- Oh no...” Fluttershy paled slightly as she remembered what she knew about the planet’s wildlife, “Rainbow, we’re in the territory of a thresher maw.”

Dash looked at the area in front of her eyes also widened. “Horseapples… what do we do?”

“Pray that it’s either a small one or that it hasn’t noticed us yet,” Shy said as she backed off and shook Garrus who was asleep at the weapons control station.

“Huh, wha- something wrong little angel?” he asked, Rainbow looking back at the two of them with a massive grin on her face, sticking out her tongue at Shy who looked back with a red face before turning back.

“I think we’re in thresher maw territory,” she told him, Garrus cursed and immediately hit a couple of buttons on his console which lit up.

“We should get out of here as fast as we can then, can you act as another pair of eyes for Rainbow?” He asked, the turret on top of the vehicle buzzing to life.

“Definitely,” Shy told him and moved up to the front again, glaring at the still grinning Rainbow. “Not a word, you.”

“No ma’am,” Dash said mockingly, starting the tomkah’s engine and slowly rolling the vehicle over the plane. Tension built up in the truck as everyone was looking out of the windows or through cameras to spot any unusual activity, the ground continued to stay quiet as they crawled across the terrain.

“Shit… Girls, we have another problem. There are two tomkah’s parked on the edge of the plain in the ruins.” Garrus stated as he zoomed in on them, the radio crackling to life as well.

“Tomkah, Identify your clan or be fired upon.”

Dash stopped the vehicle again but right at the very moment she did, the ground began to shake. Rainbow wasted no time to push the throttle to maximum and yank the steer to the right, the truck making a sharp turn to the right and shooting off. Behind them, a very large thresher maw shot up from the ground. Garrus had already turned the turret and fired while Shy grabbed the radio.

“This is the tomkah, we’re not part of a clan! Please provide assistance!”

“Why would we waste ammo for anyone who’s not allied to Urdnot, much less outsiders?” The krogan on the other end questioned. Garrus and Shy looked at each other in surprise while Dash was too busy evading the thresher maw that was chasing them.

“Who’s your current clan leader?” Shy asked, hoping for the best.

“Urdnot Wrex, ignorant fool,” The krogan growled, Fluttershy just smiled.

“Well, have fun explaining to Wrex how you let two of his friends, Fluttershy and Garrus Vakarian, die then!” The pegasus shouted into the mic right before almost being flung from the chair as Dash made another sharp turn to avoid becoming thresher food. But the beast was so close at that point that she wasn’t able to avoid its acid spit which immediately melted through the turret on top of the craft, disabling it.

Right as the thresher maw tried sinking back into the ground two shells hit its body. “Oh yeah! Take that you overgrown worm!” Dash shouted as the beast roared and immediately took the opportunity to race towards the two vehicles that were now helping them.

“Just know that if you’re lying we’re sending you back to feed that thresher maw.” The krogan didn’t speak further as the battered tomkah drove out of the thresher’s territory and up to the other krogans.

“That was way too close,” Dash grumbled as she shut the engine down again to disembark and speak to the krogan face to face.

“Don’t worry Dash, with a bit of luck you’ll get some RnR soon,” Garrus commented. “Now let’s go see how that old krogan has been doing for the last two years...”

Author's Note

Probably going to take a break for a day now to do other stuff :twilightsheepish:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

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Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Pride

Chapter 107

Pride

HEY! I could get that amp any day! 49%

“Hey! Who are you calling a chicken?!” Rainbow exclaimed completely forgetting about the element momentarily as she shot up to face Garrus in anger. “I can get an amp any time!”

Garrus chuckled deviously and leaned forward to nearly pressing his face against Dash’s. “Oh is that right? How about we go and do it right now, or are you a chicken?”

Rainbows cheeks flashed red in anger and glared daggers at Garrus who looked very satisfied with himself. “Hay no I’m not! Tell me the place and we’ll go right now!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Of course, as you desire. Want to tag along and see the sights, Gabby?” Garrus turned to look at the young griffin who’d been suspiciously quiet for a while now.

“Y-Yes, for sure,” she stammered, getting up out of her corner of the room.

“Perfect, now follow me you two, I’ve got the perfect place to go!” Garrus proceeded to lead the two with him out of the embassy where they’d holed up, Dash continued to glare at the turian’s back but gnawing doubt had already started forming in the back of her mind. Gabby, on the other hand, livened up at all the strange sights around her.

“Oohhh, are all of those things carrying other creatures too? Where do creatures live around here? What are… those...” Gabbys’ eyes dilated as their shuttle flew out onto one of the Wards. Skyscrapers and other buildings stretched all the way to the edges and tip of the arms which lay nearly forty-five kilometers away.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Garrus said as he gave the speechless griffin a nudge, who replied with a nod as she drank in every detail while the shuttle traveled to its destination. The craft eventually set down in the upper ward on a busy street, every type of alien walking through on their business. The group of three stayed very close together to avoid getting lost in the crowd, Garrus eventually leading them to a large clinic. “Nyxin biotics... she’s going to have an absolute blast when she looks at you.”

“Wait, what? Why would that be?” Rainbow asked but Garrus had already stepped into the clinic, Dash following him with apprehension. “H-Hey Garrus, maybe we should do this somewhere else if-”

"Welcome to Nyxin biotics, would you like to make an appointment?" the attendant said only for her eyes to fall on Rainbow. “Oh, uhm, I-I’ll go get doctor V'ladri immediately!”

Rainbow stared at the desk as the asari attendant just about fled to the back. “What was that?!”

“Oh, nothing to worry about,” Garrus laughed as another Asari came walking out of the back. “Hello there, I’m here for my friend since I heard this place had such splendid reviews from my girlfriend, buddy, and a friendly information broker.”

“Y-Yes of course! I-I can make an opening right now actually!” she stammered fearfully, Rainbow now just watching along in confusion of what was happening. “P-Please follow me, miss…?”

“Rainbow Dash,” the pegasus answered as she couldn’t make sense of what was happening and just decided to go with the flow.

“Miss Dash. Would you mind following me out back? We need to perform some scans before the implant can be properly installed,” doctor V'ladri told Dash and waited for her at the door that lead deeper into the clinic. Rainbow looked back at Garrus who motioned her to continue on but the pegasus still wasn’t moving as fast as he liked.

“Booook bok bok, is that a chicken I hear? Is Dashie too scared?” Garrus snickered as Rainbow’s face turned to thunder again.

“I swear to Celestia, I will hurt you,” Dash growled at the turian who shook his head and laughed.

“Bet you will. But on a serious note Dash, learning how to use biotics will be immensely beneficial to you in the long run,” Garrus said as he crouched down next to the hesitating pegasus. “And are you going to tell me that Flutters, however awesome she now is, was brave enough to do this when she was still scared of a lot and you aren’t?”

“Heh, I guess not. I’m still nervous about this though, my wings are everything to me you know.” Dash sighed.

“Hey, I promise nothing will happen to your wings. That much I know for sure.” Garus gave Dash a pat on the shoulder. “Now don’t let the dear doctor wait any longer, she’s nervous enough already.”

“Yeah, I guess. Though I’d like to know why exactly she’s nervous in the first place.” Rainbow deadpanned before turning and walking over to the doctor. “See you after this is done!”

“We’ll be here!” Garrus called back as the door sealed the back section of the clinic off again, the turian now looking down at the small griffin he was now left with. Gabby didn’t look all too comfortable right now, being the only equestrian creature left with the alien. “Say, what do you think about going exploring the markets and little snack shops around here?” That made the griffin perk up.

“Of course!”

“That fish was absolutely delicious!” Gabby exclaimed, jumping around Garrus in excitement. The turian chuckled at the energetic griffin’s behavior, they’d been touring all sorts of stores on the ward and tasting all kind of foods. “That special human sushi we found was also really good! I should see if I can make that back home, it’d be an instant hit in Griffinstone!”

“Whoa there, already planning out a new business are we now?” Garrus said teasingly but it went straight over her head.

“Of course! If there’s anything we griffins can do well then it’s starting businesses and driving a bargain!” she exclaimed proudly, some of the passerby’s looking strangely at the griffin. “Hey Garrus, why is it that I can understand you but I can’t understand anyone else? Nor do they seem like they understand me?”

“It’s because the translation patch that holds your language isn’t galaxy-wide, I have it but most people do not,” Garrus explained as he brought up his omni tool and showed the file.

“So I have to get one of those? That’s easy enough, where can we get one?” Gabby asked, looking at Garrus expectantly.

“Well… I guess it wouldn’t hurt. You’d probably get one on the Normandy anyway. We just passed a Sirta foundation, they probably have the necessary equipment there.”

“Great! What are we waiting for?” Gabby exclaimed, looking expectantly at her companion to lead the way. Garrus shook his head and smiled, leading the griffin back to the store they’d passed.

The asari clerk was really helpful in providing service, implanting the required base implants and making sure they worked. Garrus also picked up the foundation’s implant attachment so Gabby could get a bit of extra use out of the tool.

“This clanless is a thief, and I want her arrested!” Gabby immediately sprung around to face where the sound had come from, being able to understand what was being said now.

“Wha-? I was just walking by!” a quarian exclaimed as she was stopped in the middle of the street by a short volus and a human C-Sec officer.

“What’s going on with them?” Gabby asked Garrus, looking up at her companion.

“Looks like a shakedown to me, quarians usually get the bad end of the stick of those...” Garrus grumbled as the C-Sec officer pulled her to the side. “What do you say, shall we go give her a hand?”

“Of course, I love helping!”

Author's Note

I forgot to mention this a couple of chapters back (Chapter 99 'broken') I made a Cortana reference and I'm kinda sad no-one seems to have picked it up after Fidelis had been dubbed as Shining's Cortana in the comment. :raritydespair:

No worries, I'll get over it :raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Now edited by gerandakis

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

...of the...

Chapter 118

...of the...

The shuttle rocked as it descended through the planet’s atmosphere. Dash leaning into her seat as she mentally got ready for the upcoming operation. Across from her Grunt and Jack sat relaxed in their seats, while Liara was glancing out of the front window of the shuttle. Rainbow was reminded of the few words of comfort Fluttershy had given her before setting off that she’d do fine as Shepard walked out of the cockpit and joined them.

“Sixty seconds, get ready to move out. The shuttle will return to the Normandy the moment we’re out, it wasn’t designed with this kind of punishing weather in mind.” Shepard picked his assault rifle from the weapon’s rack and walked up to the door waiting for it to open at the Shadowbroker’s vessel. “Rainbow I want you to assess our surroundings the moment we’re out, clear?”

“Crystal,” Rainbow replied as the doors opened and the ship came into view, lines of lightning rods covered its exterior and other types of capacitors and plates to make it resistant to the constant strikes it was receiving. The five jumped down onto the catwalk and immediately crouched down low, waiting for Dash to give the all clear.

“What’s the word, Rainbow?” Shepard shouted over the roaring wind as the pegasus took a couple more seconds looking up at the system of lightning rods.

“We’re good! The lightning rods should keep the walkways clear!” Rainbow shouted back in reply.

“Perfect! Liara, got anything?” Shepard asked the asari who was fiddling with her omni-tool

“Radio signals coming from the back of the vessel, that’s what might be our best bet!” Liara said, pointing at the massive heat shield that was making sure the blazing sun on the hot side of the planet didn’t mess with the equipment on the ship.

“Copy that! Let’s get a move on, the sooner we’re under the better!” Grunt took point along with Rainbow as the strike team swiftly moved over the walkways, a couple of maintenance droids coming out which Liara theorized was because the ship’s systems saw them as debris.

“Careful near those lightning rods, the storage right after the strike is extremely dangerous! I can feel it in my feathers!” Rainbow warned as she felt the static charge wash over her feathers as one of the lightning rods was hit. A bit further up, after passing the set of the lightning rods, a hatch opened up to reveal a set of the Shadowbroker’s mercs. Within the blink of an eye, Grunt was among them and had planted his shotgun in one of their faces. A loud blast and a couple of crunches later the mercs were gone.

“Hehe, they’re just as squishy as everything else,” Grunt chuckled, tossing one of the corpses off the edge of the ship.

“Focus grunt, they know we’re here now,” Shepard said as the group sped up their speed, finding stiffer and stiffer resistance until they reached a large door above the radio signal Liara had detected.

“It’s locked, though I have a bypass shunt program that should get us through!” Liara said as she started the program at the door.

“How long will it take to get through?” Shepard asked as he took a defensive position in front of the door.

“I don’t know, Shepard. I don’t exactly break into the Shadow broker’s base every day… well, not this one at least!” Liara said as the first of the Broker’s mercs attacked their position in an attempt to stop the squad from opening the door and getting into the vessel.

“Hold them off until that door opens!” Shepard growled, opening up with his assault rifle at the attacking forces. Multiple waves of enemies crashed into their position, biotics lobbing attacks, and techs sending drones into harass the group of five. “Remember the days where we could just slap omni-gel on locks and be done with it?”

“A lot of people were really unhappy with that upgrade!” Liara laughed as she flung a singularity at a group of mercs, nicking one of the lighting towers and bending it slightly. A second wave of scattered mercs hit the group, this time using rocket drones as well. Rainbow mainly stuck behind cover, using her shotgun and SMG interchangeably as she engaged targets at close range and a bit further away to prevent flanks. Her feather tingled constantly at every lightning strike but something felt off about each strike.

“Commander, there’s something up with the weather!” Rainbow called out eventually as she felt electricity arc between her feathers, only being kept in check by her magic as she grounded it into the ship itself.

“Are we in danger in this position?” Shepard immediately asked as the fighting momentarily lulled.

“I’m not sure it’s just-” That moment Rainbow felt the charge in the air spike, her wings tingling as she looked up into the swirling clouds above. Without a moment of hesitation, spurred on by instinct built up in her weather control work, she jumped into the air, spreading her wings and launching herself up.

A lightning bolt slammed into the little pegasus’ form as she intercepted the bolt that would have crashed down in the middle of the group, her inherent magic allowing her to direct it away further towards the front of the ship. The four towers that were protecting the area around the door slid away, allowing the weather to start striking the ship.

“I hope that door is going to open soon!” Dash shouted, her breath ragged and her feathers slightly singed. “I don’t think I can do that again and get away with it!”

“Almost there!” Liara shouted as a final push of mercs tried overrunning them, only for lightning to destroy their cohesion as the aft no longer enjoyed the protection of the rods. Rainbow remained vigilant, more focussed on the air above them to make sure they wouldn’t be hit.

If I have to catch another one… well, so be it. Better that they get inside and make sure Shy won’t ever have to deal with the broker again.

“It’s open!” Liara exclaimed as the large door opened up into a passageway. Liara, Shepard, Jack, and Grunt steadily advancing into the ship while making sure that they wouldn’t be followed, Rainbow bringing up the rear as she didn’t want to take any chances of a lightning strike…

Which happened right before she could get into the safety of the ship itself.

After a flash of light and followed by an ear-deafening boom Rainbow felt herself fall to the ground with twitching muscles. Her magic completely depleted as it was wholly used up in trying to re-direct the shock. Dash’s ears bled as she faintly heard someone say something and being grabbed and pulled into the ship before seeing the door close and feeling something enter her blood that returned her hearing and removed some disorientation.

“Rainbow, can you hear me?” Shepard was leaning over her as Dash fluttered her eyes.

“I’m good,” Rainbow groaned, her entire body feeling dull as she could see on her omni-tool that medi-gel was coursing through her body. “We should get moving before more of those bastards show up.”

“You’re right about that. Stay at the back, Grunt can handle point on his own for now..”

Author's Note

Yes, two chapters in a single day! I'm going to write up the finishing chapter of this Shadow Broker side plot tomorrow and then head over to Luna and Shining.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

...Shadowbroker

Chapter 119

...Shadowbroker

The interior hallways of the Shadowbrokers ship were a mess. They snaked around, giving cover at every intersection and crossing hallways to the defending units as the squad spearheaded by Grunt’s merciless charges moved ahead. Had Liara not managed to pull the internal schematics they’d probably have walked around the hallways until they were cornered and taken out.

“We should be closing in on the prison block. If this is right my friend should be there,” Liara called out as they pushed through hallways.

“What’s this friend’s importance to you, Liara? I don’t remember you telling us your relationship with him?” Shepard asked as he shot a couple bursts of fire around a corner.

“He helped me retrieve your body for Cerberus,” Liara simply stated between two attacks before elaborating further. “He was acting as a double agent for the Shadow Broker but in the end, he broke his loyalty with him and helped me out instead. I owe him.”

“Sounds like I owe him some thanks as well,” Shepard called back as they pushed up to the door where the prison was supposedly located, starting a hack on the door and opening it soon after.

“Feron!” Liara exclaimed, sprinting over to a control panel as she saw a drell strapped into a chair with all sorts of equipment around him.

“Liara?” he responded with a raspy voice, looking up at the overhang above.

“Hold on, we’re getting you out of there!” Liara said as she started typing in commands, looking for ways to open the restraints on the chair.

“Wait, no...” The chair suddenly lit up, sending streaks of electricity through Feron’s body as he let out an agonizing scream. Rainbow winced as she could imagine the pain he was feeling at that moment. “D-Don’t, this chair plugs into the ships, power network. If you pull me out now I’ll die.”

“Damnit, this looked way too easy. How do we get you out of there?” Shepard leaned on the railing, looking down at the drell.

“You have to cut off the power to prevent my brain from being fried... The only place you can do that is central control. You know the Shadow Broker will be waiting for you, right?”

“We’re counting on it,” Grunt chuckled cocking his shotgun.

Ignoring the krogan, Shepard continued his quick interrogation. “Where is it located?”

Feron motioned further up the hallway. “Down the hall at the end.”
“We’ll be back for you, Feron,” Liara said, looking at Shepard who gave her a nod. The team leaving Feron alone and heading down the hallway. Only a handful of the Broker’s guards stood in their way as the group made their way to the Broker’s main office.

The room they entered was large as a single hulking figure, much bigger than even a krogan, sat at the desk with holograms all around him. His head had a sharp teethed mouth that was in the shape of a three-armed cross while many eyes glistened in the darkness he was shrouded in and two horns jutted from his head. The squad carefully spread out to not make themselves not too easy of a target. The shadow broker closed all of the holograms around him and focused his attention fully on the group entering his workspace.

“Here for the drell?” The Shadow Broker’s voice was a low rumble and sounded digitally distorted as he folded his hands in front of him. “Reckless. Even for you, Commander.”

“Just determination. Ask that to the Specter Liara disabled,” Shepard growled back.

“Unfortunate. The only thing her capture costed me was time,” The broker responded coldly.

“Expendable like Feron?” Liara snarled back at him, her finger squeezing the trigger of her SMG a little harder.

“Feron betrayed me when he handed you Shepard’s body. He’s just paying the price. Had you not interfered in the first place he wouldn’t be there.”

“Trying to get my body to the collectors would eventually have gotten people to go after you,” Shepard pointed out with a huff.

“It was a mutually beneficial partnership. Your arrival is convenient, the collectors’ offer still stands,” The broker plainly informed the commander. “Enough talk, my operations are too crucial to be compromised by a traitor.”

“You seem very confident for someone who’s got nowhere left to hide,” Jack spoke up with brightly lit biotic fields around her hands.

“You have fascinating companions, T’Soni. Subject zero, Okeer’s experiment, one of the stranded ponies. Their bodies will net as much, if not more, than Shepard’s.”

“You’re not putting a hand on anyone!” Liara said, barely holding back her rage.

“It’s pointless to challenge me asari, I know your every secret while you fumble in the dark.”

“Is that right?” Liara smirked, “You’re a yahg, a pre-spaceflight species quarantined to their homeworld for massacring the Council’s first contact teams. This base is older than your planet’s discovery, which probably means you killed the original Shadow Broker sixty years ago and took over… I’m guessing you were taken from your world as a slave… or even a pet.” The broker quietly sat behind his desk as Liara laid her theory out in a taunting tone. “How am I doing?”

The broker slowly stood up to reveal his full heigh before smashing his fist into his desk, destroying it and tossing the pieces toward Shepard and the group. Dash, even though still pretty banged up, jumped out of the way, Grunt managed to only get glanced and knocked to the ground but Jack wasn’t so lucky. The human biotic was flung back and smashed against the back wall of the office and fell unconscious.

None of the other four squad members hesitated for a second, all opening up with everything at their disposal, shooting and tossing everything they had at the massive, berserk, alien. Only the moment they managed to punch through the shield and armor the Broker crouched down and pulled power from the ship itself to reform a shield around him.

“The shield is kinetically sensitive! High-velocity rounds and energy are bouncing off!” Liara exclaimed as all of the fire suddenly stopped being effective.

“Then we’ll just have to do this the old fashioned way!” Shepard exclaimed as he rushed in, punching the Broker in the face and staggering him. Liara also ran in and got in a couple shots before the broker activated a modular shield with his omni-tool and backhanded the two with it. The only reason he couldn’t capitalize on Shepard and Liara’s disorientation was because Rainbow and Grunt’s fire was effective again with the lack of specialized shield.

The broker, now with his omni-shield, returned fire again as his four opponents darted around the room and peppered him from all directions. After a couple of close calls where the Broker lost his regular shield again, forcing him to pull power from the ship for the specialized one for a second time. This time Grunt wasted no time in charging forward, using his shotgun like a baseball bat he smashed it into the Broker, getting into a pushing match with him before being tossed away by another backhand from the omni-shield.

“Get him to bring up that shield again!” Liara called out, “I have a plan!” Rainbow followed the asari’s gaze up to the roof where a large capacitor was located, presumably where the broker pulled the energy from.

“Got it!” Shepard exclaimed, he too understood Liara’s plan and opened fire again to complete the task of downing the Broker’s shield a third time.

As the Broker crouched down for the third time the Commander charged for him, letting the Broker come at him in a counter charge, rolling under his swing at the last moment to perfectly align him under the capacitor. Liara immediately took this opportunity to break the capacitor with her biotics, cracks forming in it which immediately let raw power leak out.

The broker wasn’t going to just lay down and die though, jumping to the side and out of the blast range... What he didn’t see coming was the little black armored pegasus that slammed into him and joined him in the massive surge of power.

Not after what you’ve done, bastard!

Rainbow’s mind went blank immediately after from agony as the beam of electrically charged energy slammed down on the Broker and, by extension, her. Fur burned and the underlying skin blistered, melting away in the brief fraction of a second she was in the blast before being flung out.

She could hear the faint calling of her name before falling into unconsciousness.

Author's Note

And there's chapter nr 3! I'll start on the next one right away as well.

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Treason

Chapter 132

Treason

[You know what? Buck it!] 78%

Rainbow paced around in the hallway outside of engineering, trying to bring up the courage to enter. She could see Grunt give her the occasional glance through the window of his cargo bay room as she'd been there for a while now.

Come on Rainbow, you're not a chicken are you?... Who am I kidding, that's exactly what I'm being right now.

Rainbow glanced at the elevator, it wouldn't be to late yet as she was pretty sure Grunt wouldn't be the one to ask questions if she'd just left.

Oh come on, it's not that bad. If she says no we can at least be around each other without awkwardness and if she says yes...

Rainbow shuddered as butterflies fluttered in her stomach, the answer yes is what she really feared. This sappy stuff? What if she wasn't good at it? Would she hurt Tali more if she screwed things up later down the line.

Scraping all her courage together, Dash opened the door to engineering, passing through the little hallway before opening the second door which led into engineering proper. The two human engineers were standing at their consoles though they both shot Rainbow a glance of concern as she entered.

“Lass, I don't know what ya two did before, but ya need to fix it. She ain't talking to any of us.” Ken pointed at Tali who sat in the corner of her side of the engineering bay, her knees pulled up and head resting in her arms. Rainbow nodded, carefully approaching Tali as she could hear muffled sobbing through the helmet.

“Tali?” Rainbow's voice cracked slightly, getting no response from the quarian. “Tali I'm sorry.” Dash still didn't get a reply as she sat down next to Tali. Opening her wing, Rainbow wrapped the appendage around Tali who for the first time now looked up to see who was there. Tali's eyes connected with Rainbow's magenta ones, droplets running down the inside of her visor.

“Rainbow?” She said surprised, her voice just over a whisper.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I-I just… couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut.” Rainbow said, leaning against Tali.

“N-No, no, that's not… I wasn't…” Tali brought up her shaking arm and pulled up a message from her omni-tool, sending it over to Rainbow's. Quickly reading over the text Dash's mouth fell open.

“They WHAT!?” She exclaimed, her nervousness scorched away by a raging inferno of anger. She couldn't believe what she was reading.

They accused her of treason!? Who do those numbskulls think they are!

“They're wrong,” Rainbow growled, pulling Tali closer.

“Q-Quarians don't just accuse one of our own to be a traitor, those are serious charges that get levied extremely rarely,” Tali sobbed, resting her head on Rainbow's.

“Shepard needs to hear about this,” Rainbow told her.

“I can't ask him to do this for me, the collectors need to be stopped.”

Rainbow pulled away from Tali, looking straight into her eyes. “He wouldn't hesitate for a second and you know that.” she plainly stated, activating her omni-tool and calling the Commander.

“What's the problem, Rainbow?” Shepard answered nearly immediately.

“Nothing with me, Tali needs help,” Rainbow informed him, “Like, soon.”

“I'm on my way down, be right there,” Shepard replied, closing the connection. Less than a minute later the commander stepped into engineering, making a beeline for Tali and Rainbow. “What is going on?”

“The migrant fleet's admiralty board has a-accused me of treason,” Tali sniffed, sending the message over to him too.

“That's-”

“Horseshit?” Dash finished for Shepard.

“Pretty much,” he agreed. “I take you need a ride to the Migrant Fleet?”

“But Shepard, the collectors-”

“Can wait until my team is one hundred percent and going into the mission with a fully clear mind,” Shepard cut off. “Send the coordinates of the fleet to Joker, We’ll head there as soon as we’ve refueled and restocked at Omega.”

“Thank you Shepard, I… I don’t know what to say.”

“A thank you after we get those charges cleared will do,” Shepard said, helping Tali off the ground. “I know you might not be in the mood but there’s someone I wanted you to meet, Tali... Legion, mind coming in?”

The door to the hallway outside opened again as the geth they picked up on the reaper stepped in. Tali tensed up immediately, reflexively reaching back to her shotgun that wasn’t there at the moment.

“Creator Tali’Zorah, we would like to not be shot while moving around this vessel,” It simply stated, Tali said nothing as she stared at the geth.

“Tali, this is Legion, he’ll be coming along with us. I know you have your issues with them but I really think you should ask him some questions,” Shepard carefully told Tali, ready to intervene is she’d go ballistic. Rainbow carefully nudged Tali in the side with a wing to pull her out of her trance. The quarian took a careful step forward, holding her hand out to the geth. Legion, equally careful, grabbed the hand and shook it.

“A truce.”

“That is agreeable.”

Tali looked down at Rainbow. “I know you were here to discuss… things, but I want to talk to ‘Legion’ here.”

“Y-Yeah, go ahead. We’ll talk later...” Rainbow stammered slightly while blushing. Tali following legion out of engineering to wherever they could talk in private.

“That could have gone much worse,” Shepard sighed as the two were gone.

“Definitely,” Rainbow agreed absentmindedly. Shepard raised an eyebrow as he picked up on Dash's strange distracted state of mind.

“Hey Rainbow, does your kind have a fetish for aliens?” Shepard smirked, Rainbow's face brightening further as she looked up at him. “I'm going to take that as a yes.”

“You humans are horrid teases,” Dash grumbled, walking out of engineering along with the Commander.

“We try,” Shepard chuckled. “Though I would like you to sit in on those two to keep them from doing something stupid regardless.”

Rainbow nodded, “will do, Commander.”

“Tali'Zorah and legion are currently located in my AI core.” EDI informed them as the elevator opened up on the crew bay.

“Thanks EDI, see you around, Commander.”

“No problem, now go check up on your girlfriend.”

“She's not!...” The elevator door had already closed. “...My girlfriend?”

Author's Note

I'm really looking forward to Legion's LM :ajsmug::raritywink:

[Paragon] or [Renegade] are colored when available, though normal options might also contribute to one or the other. As for the shippers under us, [Romance] is now also a thing.
When an option is not available due to various reasons it will be colored [Grey]

[No Vote]

Remember that comments are like authors' food, we gain energy from them. Constructive criticism is welcome.