//------------------------------// // SR-2 // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// 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 someone didn’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.”