Mass Effect: Element of Kindness

by CommanderApplejack


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.

1. Go up to them. They can probably help me get back to Shining.

2. Stalk forward to see what they’re exchanging.

3. Leave. I can find the general way back.

4. [Steal one of the packages and fly off.]

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