//------------------------------// // Canterlot // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// 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