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?...
1. Head to the Normandy.
2. Take the filly with to the others
3. [Leave the filly]