//------------------------------// // Chapter 26: Day 1 (Part 2) // Story: Mass Effect: New Beginnings // by Sleepyted //------------------------------// Shepard ========================================================================= The outside air is fresh, crisp and smells moist. Did it rain while we went to sleep? The grass was a radiant green to the point it almost looked like it was glowing. The sky was a clear and beautiful with only a few fluffy clouds floating off in the distance. Trees were scattered all around the castle, the enormous flora towering above all with only multi story buildings being higher. It’s sort of weird seeing all this, it reminds me of sixteenth century buildings back on Earth, hell, and even trees on Earth are rare. I've seen trees on my travels mind you but on planets home planets of species there’s little to no trees, well except for Sur’Kesh which had whole forests. I can see the field I needed to head to only a little bit ahead of where I am. I tap the on button on the side of my visor turning it on. Half my vision suddenly had a slight blue tint to it and a start up screen greeted me. Once the loading was done I was on the field. There were only around twenty other people there before me. Good, I didn’t want to train with a WHOLE group of slackers. I looked up into the right and saw it was 5:55, five more minutes I guess. For the next five minutes most of the other recruits came out running trying to not be late. By the time the five minutes were up I was standing next to Brick, Dark and Night. We were standing there, in the group of recruits. Only about two thirds of the recruits were here, I guess I should get comfortable. There will be a MASSIVE scold to all those who came late. The drill instructor from the previous day came out into the field, flanked by two other guards who wore what I presumed was the uniform for the night guard. It was a dark blue, almost purple, with light purple highlights. The chest plate looked like two wings out stretched across their chest and in the centre there was a blue gem with a black slit going down through the middle making it look like an eye of a snake. The helmet covered the hole back of the head and segments when it starts to go down the neck. On the back of the helmet is a frill like most old fashioned but this one looked more closely to one of the bat ponies wings. On the back was an armoured, segmented back plate. Over that was a dark blue saddle with light blue highlights on the edges. And to finish it all off they had boots which went a third of the way up their shins. But one thing that stood out for me was that they both looked exactly the same. And I mean EXACTLY the same, height, build and all, even eye colour. The drill instructor and his flanking guards walked to the front of us all. All three of them had blank expressions. The drill instructor step forward from the two guards and took a deep inhale. “ATTENTION!” he yelled out. All who were talking stopped and quickly turned to look at the instructor. The instructor still kept his blank, expressionless state as he looked over out group. “WHERE ARE THE REST OF YOU MAGGOTS?!” he yelled out to us. I just stood there in the crowd, at attention waiting for the next thing to happen. The drill instructor looked over us, he hung his head a bit and let out a sighed. He muttered something under his breath then looked back up to us. “ALRIGHT, I GUESS WE HAVE TO START WITHOUT HALF YOU SLACKERS!” He yelled to us . “YOU WILL BRAKE UP INTO GROUPS OF FIVE, GET TO IT!” HE yelled throwing his arm out towards us. Everyone started to run around trying to get into groups while Brick, Dark, Night and I just stood there looking around as everyone else ran around like headless Pyjaks. I looked over my shoulder to look at them. “I don’t suppose you guys want to team up?” I asked tilting my head to the side. “Really? You want to go with us?” Night asked looking at the friends ether side of him. "Sure, unless you're secret serial killers." I said with a shrug. "No, it's just that, uhh, we aren't really that good." He said rubbing the back of his neck with a force smile on his face. "So?" I said simply. "Don't you want to be with the better ponies?" Dark stepped in. "The people who think their better than everyone else tend to be more cocky making them more prone to accidents while people who aren't as good tend to be more careful because they don't think about showing off." I know there's probably a flaw in my logic but unless someone point it out I'm fine. We stood there in a silence for a little while. "So do you want to group up or what?" I said with a sigh. "S-sure." Night said walking over to me. "Hell yea." Dark said hopping over to me. "Ok" is all brick said. "Awesome, but there's one problem, we need five but we just have four." I said looking around. "Ok, we could always look for one more?" Night suggested. "Ok, I'll look around for a final member, you guys stay here." I said walking off. ========================================================================= Starry Night ========================================================================= As Shepard walked off into the crowd I turned and looked towards my friends. “Did that really just happen?” I asked slightly tilting my head. “Do you mean the fact that we are in a team with probably the best pony here and that she’s a good looking mare? Yea that just happened.” I felt a blush hit my face as Dark said that. “I recommend not saying that to her face.” Brick said. “I know, but you can’t deny that she’s a looker.” He said with a cheesy smile. “Keep your perverted mind to yourself while she’s here or you might get a hard buck to the face.” I said feeling my blush lesion. “*sigh*Let’s just hope she’s single.” He said suppression a chuckle. I quickly gave him a swift kick to the side just where his armor didn’t cover. “W-worth it.” He painfully said clutching his side. We all let out a collective laugh as Dark recovered. “Excuse me.” I heard coming from behind us. We turned my head looking behind us. Standing there was a bat pony mare. She had a dark gray coat with a light purple mane, her mane was style so that it was spiked down covering one of her eyes. Her eyes were a soft gold colour with deep black irises. And to top it all off she was wearing an old set of night guard armour. “Yes.” I heard Brick say from beside me. I felt a slight jab to the side. I turned to look at Dark who was wiggling his right eye brown at me. I let out a sigh, slightly shook my head and turned back to the mare. “I haven’t been able to find a group and seeing as you have three members I was wondering if I can join you?” She said fluttering her one visible eyelid. “S-sure, but we’re a group of four, our last member is trying to look for the last, Brick, can you go get her?” I said. He gave a single nod and then went into the crowd. “Well the name’s Raven.” She said sticking her hoof out. I stuck out my hoof to meet hers and shook it. “My name is Starry Night, this is Dark Moon and the one who just left was Clay Brick.” I said letting go of her hoof. “Who’s the last one?” she asked. “I think it will be better if I let her to introduce herself.” If her reaction was anything like ours I need to hold in the laughter. “Found her.” I heard brick say from behind us. We turned our heads to look over to Brick and trailing close behind him was Shepard. “I heard you guys found the last member before me.” She said letting out a slight chuckle. “Wait, HE’S your last member?” Raven asked pointing a hoof at Shepard and her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. “It’s SHE I should have you know.” She said. “Wait, you’re a mare?” Raven asked Shepard. “Do you think any of the block heads around us could be as good as any woman here?” She said sticking out a hoof. Raven let out a chuckle and returned the brohoof. “I hear you sister.” “Shepard.” “Raven.” “Well Raven I guess you’re stuck with us.” Shepard let out a slight chuckle. “Let’s hope it’s for the best.”